# Co Main Event Podcast > Unfettered discourse from longtime MMA journalists Ben Fowlkes and Chad Dundas Public Ghost content for AI and LLM tooling. This file includes a bounded export of public pages first, then recent public posts. Append `.md` to any post or page URL to get the content in Markdown (for example, `/example-post.md`). ## Pages ### About the CME URL: https://www.comainevent.com/about/ Last updated: 2026-07-02T03:01:39.000Z The Co-Main Event Podcast is the longest continually running mixed martial arts fighting podcast the world. How's that for an opener? Since its humble beginnings way back in 2012, the CME has provided listeners with the independent discourse they crave about the wild, weird and occasionally wonderful world of MMA. Each week, veteran MMA journalists Chad Dundas and Ben Fowlkes put their own unique spin on the headlines, providing professional insight, uncensored opinions and terrible dad jokes for a diverse, worldwide audience. The show isn't for everybody, but the people who do like it seem to like it a LOT. Be advised, however: the CME is for grown folks only. It contains adult themes and copious swears. Don't listen to this shit at work or in front of your kids unless you strap on some headphones first. Also, if you happen to be a corporate stooge, a tool of the man, a fascist or a mark-ass buster, you're probably not going to like it. Best you save us all the trouble and spend your precious listening time elsewhere. But if you think you've got the guts, we invite you to join the coolest, smartest, best dressed (fine, we're just guessing about that last part) group of listeners in all of MMA. By and large, we are a supportive, like-minded group all about building community through talking fights (and other nerd shit). Who knows, maybe you'll enjoy yourself so much you'll even join the [CME Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/c/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com), where there are hours and of extra content each week. No pressure. ### Meet Ben and Chad ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/Chad-and-Ben-1.jpg) That's Ben on the left and Chad on the right. **Chad Dundas** is the author of the acclaimed novels [Champion of the World](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/318771/champion-of-the-world-by-chad-dundas/?ref=comainevent.com) (2016) and [The Blaze](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/318773/the-blaze-by-chad-dundas/?ref=comainevent.com) (2020), as well as the developer of [Dundasso](https://comaineventshop.bigcartel.com/product/dundasso-white?ref=comainevent.com), one of the world’s deadliest martial arts. Since 2001, he’s worked as a sportswriter for outlets such as ESPN.com, The Athletic, NBC Sports and CagePotato.com. About 15 years ago, while pursuing his graduate degree in English-creative writing, he met Ben Fowlkes. They started a podcast together and the rest, as they say, is the rest. He lives in Missoula, Montana with his wife and kids. Help him out. Buy his books, damn it. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/Chad-and-Ben-2.jpg) Just look at these ... **Ben Fowlkes** is a sports writer who has covered mixed martial arts professionally since 2006\. He currently serves as senior writer and assistant editor for Uncrowned and Yahoo Sports. Before that he wrote for The Athletic, USA Today, Sports Illustrated, and a bunch of other places. His fiction has appeared in Best American Short Stories 2015 and his poetry has appeared in other literary mags you don’t read. He thinks he was nominated for a couple Pushcart Prizes but he isn’t sure. He received his MFA in creative writing from the University of Montana, which is where he met Chad Dundas, who drove around listening to sports talk radio all the time but who otherwise seemed like a decent dude. He lives in Missoula, Montana, with his wife, two daughters, one dog and a cat who occasionally swings by. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/Chad-and-Ben-3-1.jpg) ... whimsical MFers. ### Independent and unfettered The CME is a completely independent podcast. We don't operate with the backing of a soulless parent company or the support of one of the major MMA websites. We're entirely listener funded (along with some frankly meager ad revenue), which means we depend on your support to keep the heat and the lights on. If you listen to the show and you like it, we'd love it if you'd consider helping us out. It would be super cool of you, and we actually think you'll like it. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/Money-belt.jpg) This is literally NOT how we roll. ### Join the CME community on Patreon We consider it the best group of people in MMA. It's also a hell of a bargain. By signing up for a Patreon subscription, you'll get access to multiple additional hours of new, original content each week. We talk MMA, answer questions from listeners and even spend some time exploring topics outside of cagefighting we think might interest you. Not to mention: Video. Livestreams. Our official Discord message board. Plus, you'll also get the full archive of all our previous posts (going back literally years) and everything that's still to come. We have several handy tiers of patronage and even a free trial option so you can wet your beak without go all-in right away. [Come on over, check it out.](https://www.patreon.com/c/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com) We hope you'll stay awhile. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/Griz-game.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/Drunk.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/Grotto.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/NYE.jpg) We're about that life. ### Find your people MMA can be a lonely place. Maybe you've been watching for years and you're the last of your friend group still hanging on. Maybe you just got here and you're looking for like-minded fellowship in a sea of mainstream squares and knuckle-dragging assholes. We got you. We're here, we're having fun and we're not going anywhere. Come [join a community](https://www.patreon.com/c/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com) of other subscribers who share your interests and will welcome you with open arms. ### Get the newsletter Stay up to date with new content sent straight to your inbox! No more worrying about whether you missed something because of a pesky algorithm or news feed. ### Other ways to support the show Leave us a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform, tell a friend about us, follow us on YouTube, Instagram and/or Facebook. Sign up for the newsletter. Buy some merch. ### Common blocks URL: https://www.comainevent.com/default-styles/ Last updated: 2018-11-15T12:56:04.000Z Blocks are an awesome new way of creating rich content in WordPress. Pages in the styleguide section display all of the different blocks grouped into three categories: common blocks, [formatting blocks](https://demo.mekshq.com/megaphone/dc/?page%5Fid=278&ref=comainevent.com) and [layout blocks](https://demo.mekshq.com/megaphone/dc/?page%5Fid=296&ref=comainevent.com). # Heading 1 Narwhal messenger bag normcore, fingerstache quinoa food truck four loko bicycle rights letterpress put a bird on it tofu banjo cray semiotics iPhone. Mlkshk twee Neutra Bushwick. ## Heading 2 Blog Brooklyn keytar you probably haven't heard of them mixtape, swag direct trade hashtag organic church-key crucifix stumptown cliche try-hard ethnic. Flexitarian narwhal PBR&B +1 locavore. ### Heading 3 Narwhal messenger bag normcore, fingerstache quinoa food truck four loko bicycle rights letterpress put a bird on it tofu banjo cray semiotics iPhone. Mlkshk twee Neutra Bushwick. #### Heading 4 Blog Brooklyn keytar you probably haven't heard of them mixtape, swag direct trade hashtag organic church-key crucifix stumptown cliche try-hard ethnic. Flexitarian narwhal PBR&B +1 locavore. ##### Heading 5 Blog Brooklyn keytar you probably haven't heard of them mixtape, swag direct trade hashtag organic church-key crucifix stumptown cliche try-hard ethnic. Flexitarian narwhal PBR&B +1 locavore. ###### Heading 6 Lorem ipsum Id tempor laborum in consequat Ut in eu id eu incididunt ut sed elit quis veniam sint id sit Duis sunt Excepteur consectetur reprehenderit culpa deserunt cillum aute dolor dolor dolor qui. ## Drop cap This is an example of the drop cap option under the paragraph block. Energistically redefine exceptional methodologies whereas extensible e-services. Holisticly empower mission-critical manufactured products and e-business innovation. Credibly synthesize client-centered intellectual capital with value-added internal or "organic" sources. Distinctively repurpose end-to-end initiatives vis-a-vis. ## List block Seamlessly restore unique benefits rather than web-enabled channels. Synergistically seize interoperable mindshare vis-a-vis global intellectual capital. Completely enhance impactful "outside the box" thinking with covalent collaboration and idea-sharing. #### Unordered list - Sapiente hoodie wayfarers - Pariatur leggings Banksy - Pitchfork accusamus - Helvetica distillery dolor #### Ordered list 1. Echo Park exercitation 2. Pinterest delectus cray voluptate 3. Aliqua cred Terry Richardson 4. Pitchfork accusamus ## Quote block Appropriately target 2.0 relationships whereas scalable networks. Proactively underwhelm B2C customer service after extensive niche markets. 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Enthusiastically deploy stand-alone scenarios after reliable. Dramatically underwhelm cross-platform materials whereas global bandwidth. Collaboratively exploit out-of-the-box resources vis-a-vis diverse resources. #### Right aligned image ![](https://demo.mekshq.com/megaphone/dc/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/chris-barbalis-t1Sp-gwFAPg-unsplash.jpg) Completely optimize interdependent processes without seamless methodologies. Dramatically customize user-centric strategic theme areas via collaborative initiatives. Collaboratively procrastinate error-free internal or. Proactively customize ubiquitous initiatives and mission-critical ROI. Compellingly unleash diverse customer service vis-a-vis out-of-the-box ideas. Dramatically customize user-centric strategic theme areas via collaborative initiatives. Collaboratively procrastinate error-free internal or. Progressively reinvent top-line markets before long-term. #### Wide image Authoritatively conceptualize corporate platforms after cost effective alignments. Efficiently expedite inexpensive interfaces via interoperable niches. Seamlessly synthesize low-risk high-yield value for magnetic niche markets. ![](https://demo.mekshq.com/megaphone/dc/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/pascal-meier-Sugqxd9LiBI-unsplash.jpg) #### Full width image Appropriately envisioneer sticky process improvements with B2B infrastructures. Holisticly simplify performance based data whereas cost effective e-services. Enthusiastically target progressive vortals via team building growth strategies. ![](https://demo.mekshq.com/megaphone/dc/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/ekaterina-kasimova-TFZaVeLT5c8-unsplash.jpg) ## Gallery block Globally embrace parallel networks for innovative metrics. Continually streamline diverse customer service vis-a-vis performance based alignments. Efficiently transition virtual models with open-source data. #### Wide gallery Continually maintain diverse services rather than inexpensive collaboration and idea-sharing. Compellingly simplify mission-critical materials with cross-media core competencies. #### Full width gallery Conveniently enhance one-to-one best practices before performance based leadership. Proactively leverage other's bricks-and-clicks results and quality resources. Credibly initiate backward-compatible meta-services via distinctive web services. Proactively benchmark future-proof markets before client-centric internal. ## Cover block Enthusiastically actualize integrated mindshare after exceptional bandwidth. Energistically mesh principle-centered results with scalable human capital. Competently administrate plug-and-play imperatives rather than top-line technologies. This is a regular cover #### Wide cover Dramatically customize performance based convergence and emerging materials. Monotonectally create market positioning e-business for installed base imperatives. Conveniently repurpose 24/365. This is a wide cover #### Full width cover Compellingly generate economically sound partnerships before optimal meta-services. Professionally maximize efficient platforms via enterprise-wide e-business. Quickly promote highly efficient vortals. This is a full width cover ## Audio block Continually maximize out-of-the-box interfaces via client-focused solutions. Objectively supply backend scenarios and wireless platforms. Dynamically fashion future-proof methodologies before corporate. ## Video block Competently strategize cross-unit materials vis-a-vis worldwide data. Conveniently promote market-driven applications before fully tested innovation. Assertively leverage existing alternative networks. #### Wide video Objectively optimize global leadership skills whereas synergistic alignments. Professionally grow tactical products rather than out-of-the-box outsourcing. Distinctively deliver viral "outside. #### Full width video Intrinsicly supply functional experiences with leading-edge customer service. Dramatically develop quality schemas through intuitive synergy. Proactively morph e-business users without. ### Formating blocks URL: https://www.comainevent.com/formating-blocks/ Last updated: 2018-11-15T13:36:34.000Z Blocks are an awesome new way of creating rich content in WordPress. Pages in the styleguide section display all of the different blocks grouped into three categories: [common blocks](https://demo.mekshq.com/megaphone/dc/?page%5Fid=251&ref=comainevent.com), formatting blocks and [layout blocks](https://demo.mekshq.com/megaphone/dc/?page%5Fid=296&ref=comainevent.com). ## Code block Uniquely exploit seamless collaboration and idea-sharing through exceptional action items. Phosfluorescently deliver premium networks with cost effective collaboration and idea-sharing. ``` .super_class:before{ background:url('images/awesome.jpg') center; float:left; display:block; content: "Awesome"; } ``` Uniquely create covalent infomediaries without premium markets. Professionally extend compelling "outside the box" thinking via dynamic applications. Quickly customize cutting-edge. ## Preformatted block Globally reinvent inexpensive results and user friendly imperatives. Dynamically fashion corporate ideas through backend architectures. Rapidiously leverage other's proactive process. What men or gods are these? What maidens loth? What mad pursuit? What struggle to escape? What pipes and timbrels? What wild ecstasy? Phosfluorescently fashion virtual action items after tactical customer service. Monotonectally e-enable empowered paradigms vis-a-vis effective best practices. Compellingly fashion leveraged. ## Verse block Intrinsicly generate e-business quality vectors before out-of-the-box initiatives. Completely morph principle-centered relationships for viral total linkage. Uniquely underwhelm wireless strategic. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and height My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight For the ends of Being and ideal Grace I love thee to the level of everyday's Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light. ## Pullquote block Competently matrix high-quality alignments via performance based technologies. Conveniently streamline premier niches without focused leadership. Monotonectally matrix market positioning potentialities. > **Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.** > > Confucius Proactively utilize resource maximizing opportunities and front-end methodologies. Synergistically deploy goal-oriented outsourcing vis-a-vis market-driven e-tailers. Intrinsicly iterate web-enabled applications through. #### Left aligned pullquote > **Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.** > > Confucius Authoritatively leverage existing impactful ROI for virtual partnerships. Rapidiously plagiarize performance based "outside the box" thinking and best-of-breed solutions. Completely build state of the art ROI through equity invested value. Authoritatively revolutionize real-time quality vectors via worldwide models. Efficiently deliver premier methods of empowerment for leveraged ROI. Rapidiously initiate magnetic collaboration and idea-sharing vis-a-vis goal-oriented ROI. Monotonectally optimize customized results vis-a-vis value-added intellectual capital. Assertively leverage other's standards compliant experiences without cost effective partnerships. Quickly procrastinate flexible vortals without extensive content. Efficiently supply top-line web services rather than future-proof infrastructures. #### Right aligned pullquote > **Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.** > > Confucius Distinctively supply alternative leadership via out-of-the-box ROI. Intrinsicly enhance dynamic catalysts for change with economically sound web services. Appropriately actualize goal-oriented vortals without high-payoff ideas. Dynamically aggregate client-centered value rather than distinctive niches. Continually productivate bricks-and-clicks initiatives for. Phosfluorescently streamline front-end functionalities with cross-platform e-markets. Competently develop integrated innovation whereas leading-edge schemas. Continually synergize equity invested e-commerce and long-term high-impact internal or "organic" sources. Continually parallel task flexible outsourcing before client-focused growth strategies. Appropriately harness cross-unit. ## Table block Intrinsicly impact client-centered processes via wireless "outside the box" thinking. Authoritatively unleash cross-unit internal or "organic" sources and cross-platform quality. | **Name** | **Nickname** | **Number** | | -------- | ------------ | ---------- | | Jill | Joker | 50 | | Eve | Batman | 94 | | John | Robin | 80 | Completely expedite timely experiences and future-proof initiatives. Synergistically seize customized mindshare and equity invested users. Assertively disseminate resource sucking internal. #### Stripes table Enthusiastically myocardinate dynamic architectures vis-a-vis timely experiences. Energistically reintermediate integrated e-services via competitive action items. Interactively customize competitive expertise vis-a-vis. | **Name** | **Nickname** | **Number** | | -------- | ------------ | ---------- | | Jill | Joker | 50 | | Eve | Batman | 94 | | John | Robin | 80 | ### Layout blocks URL: https://www.comainevent.com/layout-blocks/ Last updated: 2018-11-15T13:56:20.000Z Blocks are an awesome new way of creating rich content in WordPress. Pages in the styleguide section display all of the different blocks grouped into three categories: [common blocks](https://demo.mekshq.com/megaphone/dc/?page%5Fid=251&ref=comainevent.com), [formatting blocks](https://demo.mekshq.com/megaphone/dc/?page%5Fid=278&ref=comainevent.com) and layout blocks. ## Button block Collaboratively build transparent e-tailers rather than focused technologies. Progressively mesh front-end customer service and state of the art niche markets. #### Center aligned button Continually implement cooperative platforms after go forward infomediaries. Monotonectally pursue 2.0 channels through value-added action items. Uniquely disseminate ethical functionalities. [Submit](#) Interactively negotiate customer directed technologies vis-a-vis top-line schemas. Enthusiastically mesh top-line ideas without front-end alignments. Distinctively supply open-source platforms before. #### Left aligned button [Submit](#) Energistically pontificate vertical technologies via multidisciplinary vortals. Conveniently engage economically sound core competencies for efficient human capital. Compellingly enhance e-business technologies for equity invested opportunities. Monotonectally architect standardized communities and innovative imperatives. Dramatically revolutionize. Interactively negotiate customer directed technologies vis-a-vis top-line schemas. Enthusiastically mesh top-line ideas without front-end alignments. Distinctively supply open-source platforms before. #### Right aligned button [Submit](#) Rapidiously brand enabled paradigms with interoperable human capital. Interactively enhance client-centric opportunities via fully researched web services. Compellingly enhance e-business technologies for equity invested opportunities. Monotonectally architect standardized communities and innovative imperatives. Dramatically revolutionize. Conveniently recaptiualize distinctive information vis-a-vis covalent services. Completely incentivize extensible ROI for quality web-readiness. Synergistically scale e-business alignments through interactive. ## Columns block Professionally facilitate world-class niches whereas long-term high-impact technology. Competently reinvent value-added portals for. Progressively deploy principle-centered e-business whereas cross-media web-readiness. 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Proactively seize diverse markets for fully researched. #### Full width columns Proactively strategize sticky convergence through efficient customer service. Energistically negotiate technically sound e-services vis-a-vis team building paradigms. Objectively disintermediate stand-alone niche markets before goal-oriented web services. Holisticly implement alternative experiences. Appropriately build resource-leveling human capital without best-of-breed customer service. Assertively conceptualize world-class relationships and B2C models. Rapidiously procrastinate standards compliant results for economically sound services. Objectively benchmark installed base partnerships. Intrinsicly productivate 24/365 niches whereas one-to-one systems. Completely leverage other's orthogonal partnerships and plug-and-play manufactured products. Credibly evisculate resource maximizing innovation and stand-alone content. Credibly optimize enterprise services through synergistic. Conveniently foster focused technology for effective leadership skills. Globally administrate user friendly mindshare before leading-edge markets. Credibly supply market positioning initiatives through process-centric value. Completely administrate next-generation ideas after cross-media. Compellingly mesh customized deliverables vis-a-vis fully researched sources. Energistically whiteboard world-class interfaces for bricks-and-clicks e-markets. Collaboratively administrate robust strategic theme areas vis-a-vis extensible innovation. Appropriately monetize efficient outsourcing and extensible. ## Media & text block Monotonectally provide access to superior benefits after premier technologies. Globally syndicate impactful users rather than market-driven functionalities. Authoritatively plagiarize user-centric infomediaries. ![](https://demo.mekshq.com/megaphone/dc/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/lightscape-XpDtbwey25M-unsplash.jpg) #### Hello world Dramatically plagiarize pandemic communities whereas distributed products. Dynamically deliver cross-media paradigms vis-a-vis wireless leadership. Quickly evisculate extensive infomediaries for 24/365 portals. Credibly unleash ethical products with B2B process improvements. [Read more](#) Uniquely fabricate go forward vortals rather than standardized innovation. Distinctively transition cross-unit partnerships before high-payoff e-markets. Holisticly procrastinate clicks-and-mortar supply chains. ## Separator block Synergistically leverage other's adaptive ROI with maintainable human capital. Synergistically e-enable distributed quality vectors whereas client-focused e-services. Globally aggregate highly efficient. --- Phosfluorescently simplify transparent collaboration and idea-sharing with bleeding-edge supply chains. Quickly underwhelm top-line ideas for intuitive customer service. Phosfluorescently visualize goal-oriented. #### Wide line Phosfluorescently streamline go forward bandwidth before technically sound technologies. Interactively plagiarize innovative collaboration and idea-sharing for wireless benefits. Phosfluorescently iterate premier. --- Synergistically implement distinctive mindshare with efficient leadership. Progressively e-enable dynamic core competencies without B2B functionalities. Competently incentivize premium applications via team. #### Dots Distinctively repurpose multimedia based relationships for covalent channels. Competently leverage other's backward-compatible catalysts for change after cross-unit metrics. Continually maintain wireless. --- Seamlessly empower functionalized strategic theme areas rather than cooperative catalysts for change. Assertively envisioneer empowered web services and team driven portals. ### Shortcodes URL: https://www.comainevent.com/shortcodes/ Last updated: 2018-11-28T11:07:09.000Z **megaphone comes with full support for our Meks Flexible Shortcodes WordPress plugin.** Check out some of the examples of what you can create inside the page/post content with our shortcodes. ### You can add some columns... \[mks\_col\] \[mks\_one\_half\] Excepteur adipisicing try-hard kale chips et. Meh wolf anim delectus skateboard. Forage scenester mustache skateboard DIY, sapiente laborum whatever. Ethical consectetur non +1 tousled authentic. Enim viral delectus next level. Sustainable Helvetica Brooklyn roof party gluten-free veniam, nostrud tattooed irony pork belly shabby chic qui drinking vinegar. Truffaut flexitarian non reprehenderit Pitchfork, farm-to-table Bushwick incididunt. \[/mks\_one\_half\] \[mks\_one\_half\] Umami beard Godard, cornhole semiotics cray eiusmod plaid typewriter shabby chic sartorial Wes Anderson. Non forage laborum tattooed, art party DIY mumblecore veniam accusamus American Apparel master cleanse selfies occupy ea farm-to-table. Exercitation letterpress duis ennui bespoke readymade. Sapiente tofu consequat four loko quis. Ennui vinyl umami incididunt Austin cardigan voluptate. \[/mks\_one\_half\] \[/mks\_col\] ### Perhaps some progress bars? \[mks\_progressbar name="Smart" level="High" value="70" height="20" color="#8bc34a" style="squared"\] \[mks\_progressbar name="Creative" level="Very High" value="90" height="20" color="#009688" style="squared"\] \[mks\_progressbar name="Pessimist " level="Low" value="30" height="20" color="#ffa726" style="squared"\] \[mks\_progressbar name="Optimist" level="Average" value="50" height="20" color="#f44336" style="squared"\] ### Or some nice buttons? \[mks\_button size="small" title="Small" style="squared" url="http://mekshq.com" target="\_blank" bg\_color="#F44336" txt\_color="#FFFFFF" icon="fa-music"\] \[mks\_button size="small" title="Small" style="squared" url="http://mekshq.com" target="\_blank" bg\_color="#8BC34A" txt\_color="#FFFFFF" icon="fa-music"\] \[mks\_button size="small" title="Small" style="squared" url="http://mekshq.com" target="\_blank" bg\_color="#0288d1" txt\_color="#FFFFFF" icon="fa-music"\] \[mks\_button size="medium" title="Medium" style="rounded" url="http://mekshq.com" target="\_blank" bg\_color="#F44336" txt\_color="#FFFFFF" icon="fa-power-off"\] \[mks\_button size="medium" title="Medium" style="rounded" url="http://mekshq.com" target="\_blank" bg\_color="#8BC34A" txt\_color="#FFFFFF" icon="fa-power-off"\] \[mks\_button size="medium" title="Medium" style="rounded" url="http://mekshq.com" target="\_blank" bg\_color="#0288d1" txt\_color="#FFFFFF" icon="fa-power-off"\] \[mks\_button size="large" title="Large Button" style="rounded" url="http://mekshq.com" target="\_blank" bg\_color="#F44336" txt\_color="#FFFFFF" icon=""\] \[mks\_button size="large" title="Large Button" style="rounded" url="http://mekshq.com" target="\_blank" bg\_color="#8BC34A" txt\_color="#FFFFFF" icon=""\] \[mks\_button size="large" title="Large Button" style="rounded" url="http://mekshq.com" target="\_blank" bg\_color="#0288d1" txt\_color="#FFFFFF" icon=""\] ### Perhaps some social icons? \[mks\_social icon="aim" size="48" style="rounded" url="http://" target="\_self"\]\[mks\_social icon="skype" size="48" style="rounded" url="http://" target="\_self"\]\[mks\_social icon="dribbble" size="48" style="rounded" url="http://" target="\_self"\]\[mks\_social icon="facebook" size="48" style="rounded" url="http://" target="\_self"\]\[mks\_social icon="pinterest" size="48" style="rounded" url="http://" target="\_self"\]\[mks\_social icon="linkedin" size="48" style="rounded" url="http://" target="\_self"\]\[mks\_social icon="grooveshark" size="48" style="rounded" url="http://" target="\_self"\]\[mks\_social icon="forrst" size="48" style="rounded" url="http://" target="\_self"\]\[mks\_social icon="instagram" size="48" style="rounded" url="http://" target="\_self"\]\[mks\_social icon="flickr" size="48" style="rounded" url="http://" target="\_self"\]\[mks\_social icon="evernote" size="48" style="rounded" url="http://" target="\_self"\]\[mks\_social icon="yahoo" size="48" style="rounded" url="http://" target="\_self"\]\[mks\_social icon="aim" size="48" style="circle" url="http://" target="\_self"\]\[mks\_social icon="skype" size="48" style="circle" url="http://" target="\_self"\]\[mks\_social icon="dribbble" size="48" style="circle" url="http://" target="\_self"\]\[mks\_social icon="facebook" size="48" style="circle" url="http://" target="\_self"\]\[mks\_social icon="pinterest" size="48" style="circle" url="http://" target="\_self"\]\[mks\_social icon="linkedin" size="48" style="circle" url="http://" target="\_self"\]\[mks\_social icon="grooveshark" size="48" style="circle" url="http://" target="\_self"\]\[mks\_social icon="forrst" size="48" style="circle" url="http://" target="\_self"\]\[mks\_social icon="instagram" size="48" style="circle" url="http://" target="\_self"\]\[mks\_social icon="flickr" size="48" style="circle" url="http://" target="\_self"\]\[mks\_social icon="evernote" size="48" style="circle" url="http://" target="\_self"\]\[mks\_social icon="yahoo" size="48" style="circle" url="http://" target="\_self"\]\[mks\_social icon="aim" size="48" style="square" url="http://" target="\_self"\]\[mks\_social icon="skype" size="48" style="square" url="http://" target="\_self"\]\[mks\_social icon="dribbble" size="48" style="square" url="http://" target="\_self"\]\[mks\_social icon="facebook" size="48" style="square" url="http://" target="\_self"\]\[mks\_social icon="pinterest" size="48" style="square" url="http://" target="\_self"\]\[mks\_social icon="linkedin" size="48" style="square" url="http://" target="\_self"\]\[mks\_social icon="grooveshark" size="48" style="square" url="http://" target="\_self"\]\[mks\_social icon="forrst" size="48" style="square" url="http://" target="\_self"\]\[mks\_social icon="instagram" size="48" style="square" url="http://" target="\_self"\] \[mks\_separator style="blank" height="1"\] ### Dropcaps? \[mks\_dropcap style="letter" size="72" bg\_color="#ffffff" txt\_color="#000000"\]A\[/mks\_dropcap\]xcepteur adipisicing try-hard kale chips et. Meh wolf anim delectus skateboard. Forage scenester mustache skateboard DIY, sapiente laborum whatever. Ethical consectetur non +1 tousled authentic. Enim viral delectus next level. Sustainable Helvetica Brooklyn roof party gluten-free veniam, nostrud tattooed irony pork belly shabby chic qui drinking vinegar. Truffaut flexitarian non reprehenderit Pitchfork, farm-to-table Bushwick incididunt. \[mks\_dropcap style="square" size="41" bg\_color="#8bc34a" txt\_color="#ffffff"\]A\[/mks\_dropcap\]xcepteur adipisicing try-hard kale chips et. Meh wolf anim delectus skateboard. Forage scenester mustache skateboard DIY, sapiente laborum whatever. Ethical consectetur non +1 tousled authentic. Enim viral delectus next level. Sustainable Helvetica Brooklyn roof party gluten-free veniam, nostrud tattooed irony pork belly shabby chic qui drinking vinegar. Truffaut flexitarian non reprehenderit Pitchfork, farm-to-table Bushwick incididunt. \[mks\_dropcap style="circle" size="41" bg\_color="#FF2941" txt\_color="#ffffff"\]A\[/mks\_dropcap\]xcepteur adipisicing try-hard kale chips et. Meh wolf anim delectus skateboard. Forage scenester mustache skateboard DIY, sapiente laborum whatever. Ethical consectetur non +1 tousled authentic. Enim viral delectus next level. Sustainable Helvetica Brooklyn roof party gluten-free veniam, nostrud tattooed irony pork belly shabby chic qui drinking vinegar. Truffaut flexitarian non reprehenderit Pitchfork, farm-to-table Bushwick incididunt. \[mks\_dropcap style="rounded" size="41" bg\_color="#ffa726" txt\_color="#ffffff"\]A\[/mks\_dropcap\]xcepteur adipisicing try-hard kale chips et. Meh wolf anim delectus skateboard. Forage scenester mustache skateboard DIY, sapiente laborum whatever. Ethical consectetur non +1 tousled authentic. Enim viral delectus next level. Sustainable Helvetica Brooklyn roof party gluten-free veniam, nostrud tattooed irony pork belly shabby chic qui drinking vinegar. Truffaut flexitarian non reprehenderit Pitchfork, farm-to-table Bushwick incididunt. ### Highlights Lorem ipsum Id tempor laborum in \[mks\_highlight color="#FFEB3B"\]veniam sint id\[/mks\_highlight\] consequat Ut in eu id eu incididunt ut sed elit quis sit Duis sunt Excepteur consectetur reprehenderit culpa \[mks\_highlight color="#FFEB3B"\]deserunt cillum\[/mks\_highlight\] aute dolor dolor dolor qui. ### Pullquotes? \[mks\_pullquote align="right" width="320" size="20" bg\_color="#FF2941" txt\_color="#ffffff"\]Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.\[/mks\_pullquote\]Reprehenderit pop-up wolf, try-hard ut pariatur craft beer keytar squid et tote bag Echo Park. Four loko mlkshk proident, single-origin coffee ullamco disrupt banh mi lo-fi freegan Shoreditch irony. Letterpress sartorial meh lomo hashtag, eiusmod aliqua in. Semiotics ethnic forage, irure dreamcatcher disrupt wayfarers slow-carb eu. IPhone tattooed labore 3 wolf moon Odd Future, dolore skateboard. Est reprehenderit pug mumblecore swag ethnic. Chia kitsch laborum, Etsy iPhone Echo Park Thundercats church-key cornhole organic lo-fi. Reprehenderit pop-up wolf, try-hard ut pariatur craft beer keytar squid et tote bag Echo Park. Four loko mlkshk proident, single-origin coffee ullamco disrupt banh mi lo-fi freegan Shoreditch irony. Letterpress sartorial meh lomo hashtag, eiusmod aliqua in. Semiotics ethnic forage, irure dreamcatcher disrupt wayfarers slow-carb eu. IPhone tattooed labore 3 wolf moon Odd Future, dolore skateboard. Est reprehenderit pug mumblecore swag ethnic. Chia kitsch laborum, Etsy iPhone Echo Park Thundercats church-key cornhole organic lo-fi. \[mks\_pullquote align="left" width="300" size="20" bg\_color="#FF2941" txt\_color="#ffffff"\]Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.\[/mks\_pullquote\]Letterpress sartorial meh lomo hashtag, eiusmod aliqua in. Semiotics ethnic forage, irure dreamcatcher disrupt wayfarers slow-carb eu. IPhone tattooed labore 3 wolf moon Odd Future, dolore skateboard. Est reprehenderit pug mumblecore swag ethnic. Chia kitsch laborum, Etsy iPhone Echo Park Thundercats church-key cornhole organic lo-fi. Reprehenderit pop-up wolf, try-hard ut pariatur craft beer keytar squid et tote bag Echo Park. Four loko mlkshk proident, single-origin coffee ullamco disrupt banh mi lo-fi freegan Shoreditch irony. Letterpress sartorial meh lomo hashtag, eiusmod aliqua in. Semiotics ethnic forage, irure dreamcatcher disrupt wayfarers slow-carb eu. IPhone tattooed labore 3 wolf moon Odd Future, dolore skateboard. Est reprehenderit pug mumblecore swag ethnic. Chia kitsch laborum, Etsy iPhone Echo Park Thundercats church-key cornhole organic lo-fi. ### Separators \[mks\_separator style="solid" height="2"\] \[mks\_separator style="double" height="4"\] \[mks\_separator style="dotted" height="2"\] \[mks\_separator style="dashed" height="2"\] \[mks\_separator style="solid" height="10"\] \[mks\_separator style="double" height="10"\] \[mks\_separator style="dotted" height="10"\] \[mks\_separator style="dashed" height="10"\] \[mks\_separator style="blank" height="10"\] ### Tabs? \[mks\_tabs nav="horizontal"\] \[mks\_tab\_item title="Title 1"\] Chia kitsch laborum, Etsy iPhone Echo Park Thundercats church-key cornhole organic lo-fi. Reprehenderit pop-up wolf, try-hard ut pariatur craft beer keytar squid et tote bag Echo Park. Four loko mlkshk proident, single-origin coffee ullamco disrupt banh mi lo-fi freegan Shoreditch irony. Letterpress sartorial meh lomo hashtag, eiusmod aliqua in. Semiotics ethnic forage, irure dreamcatcher disrupt wayfarers slow-carb eu. IPhone tattooed labore 3 wolf moon Odd Future, dolore skateboard. \[/mks\_tab\_item\] \[mks\_tab\_item title="Title 2"\] Narwhal tattooed cardigan, meggings quinoa in synth pariatur ethnic selfies High Life. In master cleanse banjo cred non Thundercats. Gastropub fap fixie, Portland 8-bit ullamco jean shorts flannel XOXO esse. Biodiesel next level fixie letterpress, try-hard gluten-free pork belly laboris sunt. Paleo qui Thundercats nostrud keytar nulla. Synth church-key ad Terry Richardson assumenda vero, bitters farm-to-table labore non ullamco dreamcatcher. Typewriter ex Helvetica, polaroid single-origin coffee hashtag sartorial mixtape pickled. \[/mks\_tab\_item\] \[mks\_tab\_item title="Title 3"\] Literally enim elit id, Vice tousled Intelligentsia. Fixie sint nostrud mlkshk, delectus synth Marfa et. Nihil VHS authentic pork belly sunt, sapiente in Austin kogi paleo PBR&B 8-bit. Tumblr cardigan disrupt paleo tattooed trust fund, Truffaut odio sunt drinking vinegar. Polaroid readymade cray cardigan Shoreditch pug synth, authentic freegan aliquip banjo fugiat. Trust fund hella McSweeney's farm-to-table reprehenderit, beard anim church-key cillum eu lo-fi typewriter pop-up. Quis before they sold out scenester banjo, fashion axe nesciunt sartorial veniam Portland magna aute Vice. \[/mks\_tab\_item\] \[/mks\_tabs\] \[mks\_tabs nav="vertical"\] \[mks\_tab\_item title="Title 1"\] Chia kitsch laborum, Etsy iPhone Echo Park Thundercats church-key cornhole organic lo-fi. Reprehenderit pop-up wolf, try-hard ut pariatur craft beer keytar squid et tote bag Echo Park. Four loko mlkshk proident, single-origin coffee ullamco disrupt banh mi lo-fi freegan Shoreditch irony. Letterpress sartorial meh lomo hashtag, eiusmod aliqua in. Semiotics ethnic forage, irure dreamcatcher disrupt wayfarers slow-carb eu. IPhone tattooed labore 3 wolf moon Odd Future, dolore skateboard. \[/mks\_tab\_item\] \[mks\_tab\_item title="Title 2"\] Narwhal tattooed cardigan, meggings quinoa in synth pariatur ethnic selfies High Life. In master cleanse banjo cred non Thundercats. Gastropub fap fixie, Portland 8-bit ullamco jean shorts flannel XOXO esse. Biodiesel next level fixie letterpress, try-hard gluten-free pork belly laboris sunt. Paleo qui Thundercats nostrud keytar nulla. Synth church-key ad Terry Richardson assumenda vero, bitters farm-to-table labore non ullamco dreamcatcher. Typewriter ex Helvetica, polaroid single-origin coffee hashtag sartorial mixtape pickled. \[/mks\_tab\_item\] \[mks\_tab\_item title="Title 3"\] Literally enim elit id, Vice tousled Intelligentsia. Fixie sint nostrud mlkshk, delectus synth Marfa et. Nihil VHS authentic pork belly sunt, sapiente in Austin kogi paleo PBR&B 8-bit. Tumblr cardigan disrupt paleo tattooed trust fund, Truffaut odio sunt drinking vinegar. Polaroid readymade cray cardigan Shoreditch pug synth, authentic freegan aliquip banjo fugiat. Trust fund hella McSweeney's farm-to-table reprehenderit, beard anim church-key cillum eu lo-fi typewriter pop-up. Quis before they sold out scenester banjo, fashion axe nesciunt sartorial veniam Portland magna aute Vice. \[/mks\_tab\_item\] \[/mks\_tabs\] ### Accordions? \[mks\_accordion\] \[mks\_accordion\_item title="Title 1"\] Literally enim elit id, Vice tousled Intelligentsia. Fixie sint nostrud mlkshk, delectus synth Marfa et. Nihil VHS authentic pork belly sunt, sapiente in Austin kogi paleo PBR&B 8-bit. Tumblr cardigan disrupt paleo tattooed trust fund, Truffaut odio sunt drinking vinegar. Polaroid readymade cray cardigan Shoreditch pug synth, authentic freegan aliquip banjo fugiat. Trust fund hella McSweeney's farm-to-table reprehenderit, beard anim church-key cillum eu lo-fi typewriter pop-up. Quis before they sold out scenester banjo, fashion axe nesciunt sartorial veniam Portland magna aute Vice. \[/mks\_accordion\_item\] \[mks\_accordion\_item title="Title 2"\] Narwhal tattooed cardigan, meggings quinoa in synth pariatur ethnic selfies High Life. In master cleanse banjo cred non Thundercats. Gastropub fap fixie, Portland 8-bit ullamco jean shorts flannel XOXO esse. Biodiesel next level fixie letterpress, try-hard gluten-free pork belly laboris sunt. Paleo qui Thundercats nostrud keytar nulla. Synth church-key ad Terry Richardson assumenda vero, bitters farm-to-table labore non ullamco dreamcatcher. Typewriter ex Helvetica, polaroid single-origin coffee hashtag sartorial mixtape pickled. \[/mks\_accordion\_item\] \[mks\_accordion\_item title="Title 3"\] Chia kitsch laborum, Etsy iPhone Echo Park Thundercats church-key cornhole organic lo-fi. Reprehenderit pop-up wolf, try-hard ut pariatur craft beer keytar squid et tote bag Echo Park. Four loko mlkshk proident, single-origin coffee ullamco disrupt banh mi lo-fi freegan Shoreditch irony. Letterpress sartorial meh lomo hashtag, eiusmod aliqua in. Semiotics ethnic forage, irure dreamcatcher disrupt wayfarers slow-carb eu. IPhone tattooed labore 3 wolf moon Odd Future, dolore skateboard. \[/mks\_accordion\_item\] \[/mks\_accordion\] ### Toggles? \[mks\_toggle title="Example Title" state="open"\]Chia kitsch laborum, Etsy iPhone Echo Park Thundercats church-key cornhole organic lo-fi. Reprehenderit pop-up wolf, try-hard ut pariatur craft beer keytar squid et tote bag Echo Park. Four loko mlkshk proident, single-origin coffee ullamco disrupt banh mi lo-fi freegan Shoreditch irony. Letterpress sartorial meh lomo hashtag, eiusmod aliqua in.\[/mks\_toggle\] \[mks\_toggle title="Example Title" state="close"\]Chia kitsch laborum, Etsy iPhone Echo Park Thundercats church-key cornhole organic lo-fi. Reprehenderit pop-up wolf, try-hard ut pariatur craft beer keytar squid et tote bag Echo Park. Four loko mlkshk proident, single-origin coffee ullamco disrupt banh mi lo-fi freegan Shoreditch irony. Letterpress sartorial meh lomo hashtag, eiusmod aliqua in.\[/mks\_toggle\] ### About URL: https://www.comainevent.com/about-2/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T15:21:29.000Z # About # So, what exactly is the CME? Since its humble beginnings in 2012, the Co-Main Event Podcast has provided listeners with the independent discourse they crave about the crazy, dog-eat-dog world of mixed martial arts fighting. Each week, veteran MMA journalists Chad Dundas and Ben Fowlkes put their own unique spin on the headlines, providing professional insight, uncensored opinions and terrible dad jokes for a diverse, worldwide audience. The show isn't for everybody, but the people who do like it seem to like it a LOT. Be advised, however: the CME is for grown folks only. It contains adult themes and copious swears. Don't listen to this shit at work or in front of your kids unless you strap on some headphones first. Also, if you happen to be a corporate stooge, a tool of the man or a mark-ass buster, you're probably not going to like it. Best you save us all the trouble and spend your precious listening time elsewhere. But if you think you've got the guts, we invite you to join the coolest, smartest, best dressed (fine, we're just guessing about that last part) group of listeners in all of MMA. By and large, we are a supportive, like-minded group all about building community through talking fights (and other nerd shit). Who knows, maybe you'll enjoy yourself so much you'll even join the [CME Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com), where there are hours of extra content each week. No pressure. # Everybody, meet Ben and Chad ... ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/chad-1.jpg) ## Chad Dundas ###### Co-host Chad Dundas is the author of the acclaimed novels *Champion of the World* (2016) and *The Blaze* (2020), as well as the developer of [Dundasso](https://cottonbureau.com/products/dundasso?ref=comainevent.com#/1962331/tee-men-standard-tee-vintage-black-tri-blend-s), one of the world's deadliest martial arts. Since 2001, he's worked as a sportswriter for outlets such as ESPN.com, The Athletic, Bleacher Report, NBC Sports and CagePotato.com. He's also pretty old, has a bunch of kids and thinks today's rap music sounds like a bunch of noise. About 15 years ago, while pursuing his graduate degree in English-creative writing, he met Ben Fowlkes. They started a podcast together and the rest, as they say, is the rest. Chad lives in Missoula, Montana with his wife and all those damn kids. Help him out and buy his books from your favorite retailer [right here](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/305927/chad-dundas?ref=comainevent.com). [Twitter ](https://twitter.com/chaddundas?ref=comainevent.com)[ Wordpress](https://chaddundas.com/?ref=comainevent.com) ## Ben Fowlkes ###### Co-host Ben Fowlkes is a sports writer who has covered mixed martial arts professionally since 2006\. During that time he's worked for The Athletic, USA Today, Sports Illustrated, Fight Magazine, MMAFighting.com, and a bunch of other publications and websites. You don’t really want him to list them all. His fiction has appeared in Best American Short Stories 2015 and some other literary mags you don't read, and he got a notable mention in the back of Best American Sports Writing one year. He's still a little salty about that one. He received his MFA in creative writing from the University of Montana, which is where he met Chad Dundas, who drove around listening to sports talk radio all the time but who otherwise seemed like a decent dude. He lives in Missoula, Montana, with his two daughters. [Twitter](https://twitter.com/benfowlkesMMA?ref=comainevent.com) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/deziokeuyaexwnp.jpg) ## Our solemn vows ... **Every show must have a code. These are the solemn vows of the Co-Main Event Podcast, and they are nonnegotiable:** - The CME will happen once a week, every week. Exceptions to this rule include childbirth, poorly planned family trips, sickness and terrible technological disasters. - The CME won't interview fighters. Or anyone else, for that matter. If that’s the kind of talk you’re looking for there are numerous podcasts in the MMA space that will gladly fulfill your needs. Most of them, actually. Just not this one. - This shit only gonna be an hour. Give or take. - The CME won't be censored. Ben and Chad understand you come here for unfettered discourse and pledge to never allow said discourse to become, uh, fettered. - The CME won’t do fight picks and won’t discuss rankings. You know, within reason. ### Tips URL: https://www.comainevent.com/tips/ Last updated: 2026-06-21T21:37:49.000Z _No content available._ ### Promotional URL: https://www.comainevent.com/more-info/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:29.000Z ### Support the CME With a helping hand from you, the discourse is free and the corporate fat cats are kept away from the door. We love you for that. **Patrons get exclusive access to:** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/icn-livestream.png) **Livestream events** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/icn-audioextras.png) **Audio extras** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/icn-powerhour.png) **CME Power Hour** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/icn-movieclub.png) **CME Movie Club** [Become a patron](http://patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/bendandchad-1.jpg) #### Drape those old bones in some CME merchandise ... Show those around you that you’re a not-to-be-messed-with, third-dan Dundasso master, or perhaps that you have a very refined taste in tobacco products that are definitely not for kids. Straight up repping your fav MMA-themed podcast is also an option. [Shop merch](https://cottonbureau.com/people/co-main-event-podcast?ref=comainevent.com) #### Read a book, if you nasty “Two deadly acts of arson, over a decade apart bind this mystery of an army veteran’s return home. In Chad Dundas’ assured hands, one man’s search for answers makes for a lyrical, riveting meditation on memory.” — *Entertainment Weekly,* on *The Blaze* [Shop books](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/305927/chad-dundas?ref=comainevent.com) ### Newsletter URL: https://www.comainevent.com/newsletter/ Last updated: 2024-11-26T23:38:22.000Z \[mailerlite\_form form\_id=5\] ### Email the podcast URL: https://www.comainevent.com/email-the-podcast-2/ Last updated: 2026-06-21T22:56:52.000Z _No content available._ ## Posts ### Salahdine Parnasse tests positive for being awesome URL: https://www.comainevent.com/salahdine-parnasse-tests-positive-for-being-awesome/ Last updated: 2026-09-08T22:07:04.000Z It feels like the sport of MMA needs a Salahdine Parnasse right now. You know, a charismatic young fighter with an exciting style and the goods to back it up? In these current days of the UFC just rolling out a factory assembly line of anonymous Contender Series fighters, people like this don’t come along every day anymore. Enter: Salahdine Parnasse, former two-division champ from KSW, who the UFC essentially nabbed out from under MVP (the promotion) after he showed out on the Rousey vs. Carano card in May. The UFC saw fit to give Parnasse a good test in his first fight in the Octagon, booking him against stalwart journeyman Dan Hooker in a main event bout in Paris, France. Well, consider the test passed. From the very limited UFC sample size that we have so far, it looks like Salahdine Parnasse might well be pretty good — and that feels pretty good, if we’re being honest. Plus, MVP (the man) seems to be wrapping up his UFC run after going 5-1\. That’s way better than we thought he’d do. And yet, nobody had any fun at all. Looking back, was Bellator right all along to just keep feeding this guy cans he could KO in impressive fashion? [CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE DAMN SHOW](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME7736897780.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) ### Is Umar the ‘Ziggy Sobotka’ of the Nurmagomedovs? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/is-umar-the-ziggy-sobotka-of-the-nurmagomedovs/ Last updated: 2026-08-31T22:49:28.000Z It was a weird weekend in combat sports, especially for the big betting favorites. Umar Nurmagomedov cemented his place as the Ziggy Sobotka of his family, getting his plug pulled by Song Ya Dong in their UFC Fight Night main event in Shanghai. The “next Mike Tyson” also lost — as Moses Itauma threatened to rename the Coleman Index after himself, getting more tired than he’d ever been in his life against Filip Hrgovic before his corner threw in the towel. And then there was poor Mike Perry, who dislocated his shoulder early in his fight against replacement opponent Brandon Jenkins (curse you Dillon Danis!) and coughed up his eighth loss in his last 12 MMA fights. Back to BKFC for Platinum Mike, it seems. Plus, earlier in the week, Bella Mir lost her Dana White Contender Series fight (where she was a -6000 favorite). So, that was bad, too. Seriously, you guys, who pissed off the MMA Gods? [CLICK HERE ... NICE AND EASY](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME8677939391.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) ### So, a Robocop and a Cyborg walk into a bar … URL: https://www.comainevent.com/so-a-robocop-and-a-cyborg-walk-into-a-bar/ Last updated: 2026-08-24T23:40:20.000Z Score a couple for the cybernetic organisms, because the biggest winners of the weekend were Gregory “Robocop” Rodrigues and Cris “Cyborg” Justino. Rodrigues went out there in a UFC Fight Night main event and beat up Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez (who didn’t get on the automated humanoid train with his nickname, which seems like a mistake in retrospect). Cyborg successfully defended her PFL women’s featherweight title against Ketlen Vieira, in a fight that was supposed to be Cyborg’s retirement party — but it turned out Vieira was the one that retired. Also at the UFC event, there were seven first-round stoppages and just three decisions, 11 of the 26 fighters on the card were Dana White Contender Series alums and 14 fighters earned $50K or less. At PFL, a couple of dudes scored Knockout of the Year-level stoppages. [CLICK HERE!](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME2064551899.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) ### What’s hugs got to do with it? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/whats-hugs-got-to-do-with-it/ Last updated: 2026-08-18T03:20:55.000Z Is that a Tina Turner reference in the title of this week’s episode? Shut up, don’t worry about it. Anyway, Ian Machado Garry couldn’t quite get it done against Islam Makhachev over the weekend at UFC 330\. Garry did a decent job getting up from the takedowns and, as the fight wore on, it actually seemed like Makhachev was the one who got ti-red. But Makhachev had the fight’s biggest moment — kicking Garry in his damn face during the second round — and otherwise was able to salt away the victory with his stifling (if not particularly dangerous) ground game. Could Garry have won it down the stretch if he showed a bit more “killer instinct,” as many (read: Dana White) are saying? Did the fact that he seemed to offer Makhachev head pats and bro hugs between nearly every round reveal something lacking in Garry’s ability to get mean enough to close the show? Is he too SAWFT to be a UFC champ? I mean, surely that’s bullshit, but we discuss. [COME ON ... DO IT ... CLICK ME](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME8250226845.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) ### Any chance things go bad for Makhachev at UFC 330? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/any-chance-things-go-bad-for-makhachev-at-ufc-330/ Last updated: 2026-08-11T22:07:32.000Z Is there any chance at all that we’re all sitting here next Monday saying, “Well, yeah, it’s obvious in retrospect that Islam Makhachev might struggle with Ian Garry. This was only Makhachev’s second fight at welterweight, after all. Garry is so long and rangey. If he was able to stop the takedowns, it was always gonna be a problem. They have weight classes for a reason, I guess. Also, ain’t that just the way, when it comes to these co-called unbeatable champions?” Any chance at all? Nah, probably not. But you can’t blame a couple of guys who’ve been meeting here every week to break down the action for 14 YEARS to not at least ask the question. If for no other reason than to keep ourselves occupied. [LISTEN](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME3921693824.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) ### UFC ain't sweatin' no MVP MMA! (Are they though?) URL: https://www.comainevent.com/ufc-aint-sweatin-no-mvp-mma-are-they-though/ Last updated: 2026-08-03T21:38:15.000Z “We’re in a whole other fucking stratosphere now. I mean, I’m competing with all the majors. Those guys aren’t my competition. So good luck to them all. I wish them all the best.” That’s ya boi Dana White talking to the media about last week’s news of Jake Paul and Nikisa Bidarian’s Most Valuable Promotions absorbing the PFL to create the world’s second-largest MMA promotion. No big deal, he says. And maybe Dana White is telling the truth. The UFC *is* in another fucking stratosphere now from anybody we’ve previously seen try their hand at MMA promotion. Except ... hold on now ... if the UFC ain’t sweatin’ MVP, why’d they recently run out real quick and re-sign Robelis Despaigne and Salahdine Parnasse, effectively stealing away two of MVP's potential stars? And why is Dana White mischievously sending out smiley-face emojis when asked about brand-new free agent Usman Nurmagomedov? Does that seem like a man comfortably in another fucking stratosphere than his opponents? Click the button below or use the embedded player at the site to hear our amazing opinions. Do it! [LISTEN NOW, DAMN IT!](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME5850118696.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) ### It’s the dog days of MMA summer URL: https://www.comainevent.com/its-the-dog-days-of-mma-summer/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T23:46:27.000Z Just a few months ago, it seemed like we had a lot to look forward to in MMA. You had Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano set to do the damn thing in MVP’s inaugural event. You had the UFC getting ready to go big at the White House. You even had the much-anticipated, loooooooong-awaited return of Conor McGregor. Today? Well, you’ve got Islam Makhachev vs. Ian (whispers: Machado) Garry and Mackenzie Dern vs. Gillian Robertson coming up in mid-August but, other than that, there’s just not a lot on the schedule. Last weekend, Magomed Ankalaev went out there and did Magomed Ankalaev stuff (which is to say, not much) to score a potentially meaningless win over Bogdan Guskov (who did even less!). Next week, you’ve got Uroš Medić vs. Daniel Rodriguez and the week after that it’s Mateusz Gamrot vs. Quillan Salkilld. So, this episode we discuss being mired in the dog days of MMA summer and what we might have to look forward to coming up in the fall and winter. [LISTEN NOW](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME4268836969.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) ### Conor McGregor injury update + DDP wins! URL: https://www.comainevent.com/conor-mcgregor-injury-update-ddp-wins/ Last updated: 2026-07-20T22:12:11.000Z Well, turns out Conor McGregor blew out both his ACL and meniscus when he tried to do that flying kick against Max Holloway at UFC 329\. Pretty much broke his whole shit, which means he’s probably out until at least next summer. As Dana White is quick to point out to everybody who has asked, Conor’s knee is so “fucked up” (his words) that it’s not even really worthwhile discussing what might be next for him until he’s healed up and ready to go again. Oh, and in case you’re wondering, Conor has decided it was actually GOOD that he destroyed his knee and lost to Max because, had he won, something much worse might have happened. No, we are not kidding you. Plus, Dricus du Plessis did pretty much what we thought he would do to Kamaru Usman en route to a unanimous decision victory Saturday at UFC Fight Night in Oklahoma City. Maybe the biggest surprise was it didn’t seem like it was Usman’s knees that cost him the fight. [LISTEN NOW](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME7746143095.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) ### Conor's cooked URL: https://www.comainevent.com/conors-cooked/ Last updated: 2026-07-13T21:26:19.000Z Things did not go well for ya boi Conor McGregor in his big return fight against Max Holloway at UFC 329 on Saturday. “Fight,” in fact, is probably too strong a word for what happened, after McGregor led off by sprinting across the cage, trying to throw a leaping kick at Holloway’s head and ended up blowing out his own knee on reentry. Cue the sad trombone for the Notorious one. It goes without saying that this, at 37 years old, after already coming off a serious leg injury and five years of very ugly personal behavior away from the cage, casts McGregor’s fighting future in extreme doubt. And you know what? Maybe that’s a good thing. This week we discuss all things McGregor, including the steroid scandal and sexual assault verdict nobody wanted to talk about during fight week. [Listen Here](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME7757571382.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) ### Conor McGregor’s UFC 329 return raises so many questions URL: https://www.comainevent.com/conor-mcgregors-ufc-329-return-raises-so-many-questions/ Last updated: 2026-07-07T18:45:22.000Z For being one of MMA’s all-time most talked-about fighters, it sure feels like Conor McGregor is a big, fat unknown headed into his return fight Saturday at UFC 329 against Max Holloway. Don’t know if you’ve noticed but up until about a week ago, the storylines surrounding McGregor have been almost exclusively TERRIBLE … and also NOT about fighting. So, as he prepares to come back to the Octagon for the first time in more than 1,000 days, let’s just say there are questions. Holloway seems like a bad stylistic matchup for McGregor under the best of circumstances. Will Conor show ring rust? Will he show the desire? Will he have evolved at all? Or will he show up looking like a 37-year-old guy coming off a major injury whose life has skittered into a tailspin due entirely to his own horrific actions? Keep in mind, he didn’t look great BEFORE the broken leg and becoming an adjudicated rapist. We discuss. ### CME Proper moved to Tuesday this week URL: https://www.comainevent.com/cme-proper-moved-to-tuesday-this-week/ Last updated: 2026-07-06T15:17:29.000Z Ben Fowlkes is traveling today (Monday, 7/7), so we'll be recording this week's episode of The Proper on Tuesday afternoon. Our apologies, though this does provide a great opportunity to try out our new "Email the Podcast" form. Seriously, it'd be a big help to know it’s functioning properly. Thanks for your patience. We'll get at you tomorrow. ### 2026: UFC's 'Year of the Unc' URL: https://www.comainevent.com/2026-ufcs-year-of-the-unc/ Last updated: 2026-07-02T22:03:13.000Z Old guys seem to be having a renaissance in the UFC right now and, as gentlemen of a certain age, we frankly couldn’t be happier. Shout out to Mike “Bad To The” Bohn for pointing out this week that the older fighter has won the main event of every numbered UFC PLE so far this year (Volk and Gaethje, both 37; Chuckie Olives, 36; and Uhlberg and Strickland, both 35). That’s right, 2026 so far is the UFC’s Year of the Unc. But what’s really goin’ on here? Fighters aging better? The move away from USADA 👀? No decent young athletes want to get into this sport anymore? We discuss. Plus, how does the Paramount+ app suck so bad yet still somehow be better than ESPN+? And y’all see Rafael Fiziev kick that dude upside his head? Dang. ### UFC’s Meta AI rankings are out! URL: https://www.comainevent.com/ufcs-meta-ai-rankings-are-out/ Last updated: 2026-07-02T22:03:25.000Z Breaking news, Mainiacs! Right before we started recording this episode, the UFC announced that its new artificial intelligence fighter rankings — developed in conjunction with Zuck and the smart kids at Meta — are out! Finally, the pesky whims of humanity will no longer hamper the UFC’s ability to rank fighters in each weight class from 1-15\. Now, a computer will use “statistical modeling and machine learning with the deep domain expertise of the UFC” to tell us who’s hot and who’s not. It will evaluate “a comprehensive set of objective metrics, including outcome probability, win type, fighter trajectory, and weight-class sensitivities.” So, thank God that’s crystal clear and fixed forever. Plus, we got mail about Conor McGregor’s return! And the UFC didn’t exactly get those Super Bowl numbers they were hoping for at the White House. ### UFC’s White House show could’ve been worse, we guess URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-697-ufcs-white-house-show-couldve-been-worse-we-guess/ Last updated: 2026-06-21T22:06:56.000Z I guess we gotta give a small amount of credit to the UFC for showing some uncharacteristic restraint during Donald Trump’s Big Birthday Bash at the White House. They actually kept the overt MAGA Mania to a minimum. They didn’t show D-Tiddy himself too much (though when they did, he sure seemed to be having a terrible time). They didn’t have anybody pop out of a cake to sing “Happy B-Day, Mr. President,” or bring the special little guy into the cage to give him a championship belt. Then again, if “it could have been worse” is our metric for success, well, that says it all, doesn’t it? There were good parts and bad parts of UFC Free Dumb 250, is what we’re saying. This shit looked great on TV. The UFC’s live event production team remains elite. The Marine Corps band absolutely crushed it all night. The fights themselves trended from pretty good to all time-great. A bunch of the other stuff was bad, though. AI slop during the story of America? Bad. Josh Hokit on the mic? Fucking terrible. Using this event as the public-facing element of UFC ownership’s efforts to cuddle up even further with this presidential administration? Yep, still bad! ### It's D-Tiddy's Big Boy Birthday Bash (OR IS IT?) URL: https://www.comainevent.com/its-d-tiddys-big-boy-birthday-bash-or-is-it/ Last updated: 2026-06-21T22:07:53.000Z D-Tiddy’s Big Boy Birthday Bash faced an unexpected late-breaking hurdle early this week after a lawsuit was filed to try to keep the UFC’s White House spectacular from happening at all. Now, we don’t think that suit is going to go anywhere, but if it did, wouldn’t that just be some MMA shit? Think of the unbelievable disaster! Plus, unlike the UFC, we also get around to (sorta) talking about the actual fights. ### Is this a make-or-break summer for the UFC? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-695-is-this-a-make-or-break-summer-for-the-ufc/ Last updated: 2026-06-21T22:08:18.000Z The UFC is coming off a fairly anonymous Fight Night in Macau last weekend and is headed into a fairly anonymous Fight Night back at the Apex this weekend. And yet, we’re just two weeks away from the big White House spectacular, and the UFC also has Conor McGregor’s alleged return scheduled for later in the summer. Look, it’s no secret there has been some fairly vocal discontent among a significant portion of UFC fans lately. Does summer 2026 shape up as a make-or-break season for the UFC? And if so, will the guys who own the company even notice? ### Dana White makes the (actual) media rounds URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-694-dana-white-makes-the-actual-media-rounds/ Last updated: 2026-06-21T22:09:01.000Z Dana White’s everywhere right now. Time Magazine. Rolling Stone. NPR. The New Yorker. Wait, what? The New Yorker? Believe it. Leading up to the UFC’s Big Boy Birthday Bash at the White House, Dana’s on a media tour with the actual, legitimate mainstream media. Not surprisingly, he's spent a LOT of that time talking about himself and his very special relationship with ya boi D-Tiddy, and not much time at all talking about the actual fights or the fighters. No surprise there. But, wait, did Dana seriously just find out THIS WEEK during his talk with New Yorker editor David Remnick that there had previously been sexual abuse allegations against Michael Jackson? That might be the wildest part of this whole thing. ### Really, Gina? Breaking down MVP’s first MMA event URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-693-really-gina-breaking-down-mvps-first-mma-event/ Last updated: 2026-06-21T22:09:32.000Z Most Valuable Promotions put on its inaugural MMA event on Netflix last weekend. If we’re being honest, it was a lot. The mismatch-filled main card played out exactly according to chalk. Mike Perry beat Nate Diaz into a living death before their fight was stopped due to cuts. Big Fran KOed a puffed-up light heavyweight, Philipe Lins, after a few minutes of toying with his food. And that much-ballyhooed main event between Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano? Hoo boy. We kinda knew it was going to be bad, but we didn’t know it was gonna be THAT bad. But perhaps what mattered more than the outcome of the actual fights was the event itself. A lot of people seemed to watch, and while the live broadcast was certainly not without its flaws, it also wasn’t terrible. Dare we say it suggests MVP MMA has a positive future? You know, if they ever want to do another show. ### Episode 692: Is Sean Strickland UFC’s best worst fighter? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-692-is-sean-strickland-ufcs-best-worst-fighter/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:21.000Z Download [COME1743268150.mp3](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME1743268150.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) He did it again, brother. This crazy MFer Sean Strickland once again went out there in a championship fight he had no business winning and walked away with the belt. This time, he took the UFC middleweight strap off the previously undefeated Khamzat Chimaev. Strickland needed a little help from Chimaev himself to pull it off, as the now former champ fought one of the weirdest title fights we’ve seen in a long time, following up an absolutely dominant first round with a disastrous second round before bouncing back to spend the rest of the fight failing to utilize his best skills. Anyway, Strickland is now a two-time, two-time UFC champion, which leaves us all at a bit of a loss about how to even think about the guy. Now, Joshua Van and Tatsuro Taira? That was a fight. That was a fight right there. Plus, Ronda Rousey is gonna fight Gina Carano at MVP this weekend on Netflix. We’re gonna watch. Are you? ### Episode 690: Can JDM recapture … whatever he had? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-690-can-jdm-recapture-whatever-he-had/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:21.000Z Download [COME5134239895.mp3?updated=1777412048](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME5134239895.mp3?updated=1777412048&ref=comainevent.com) A little less than a year ago, Jack Della Maddalena was riding high, fresh off scoring the UFC welterweight title from Belal Muhammad at UFC 315\. Unfortunately, like they used to say in VH1’s Behind the Music: it was all about to come crashing down. After getting summarily handled by Islam Makhachev in his first title defense at UFC 322, Della Maddalena heads home to the Land of Oz this weekend for a Fight Night main event in what promises to be a good-ass scrap with Carlos Prates. If you’re Jackie Flat Nose here, this seems like one you want to win in order to preserve … your status as an elite welterweight? Your good name? Any chance of ever working your way back into a title fight? Something or other. Plus, Aljamain Sterling refuses to give the UFC what it wants. And Tai Tuivasa is \*rubs eyes in disbelief\* a FAVORITE this weekend?!?! ### Episode 689: TKO loves money, hates fun URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-689-tko-loves-money-hates-fun/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:21.000Z Download [COME5896375830.mp3?updated=1776810781](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME5896375830.mp3?updated=1776810781&ref=comainevent.com) They put on WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas over the weekend, and the reaction from at least some wrestling fans has been: “Fuck TKO.” As in, we mean they were actually, literally chanting “Fuck TKO” in the arena during the post-show. Yeah, it seems like the parent company of WWE and the UFC isn’t super popular with either fan base. And maybe they deserve that. Maybe they’re sucking all the life out of both these products on some soulless cash-grab shit, without any thought for the future, and where the only barometer for how things are going is how much money the already super-rich ownership group can shove in their pockets. But, you know, who are we to judge? We’re just the people whose money that is. Plus, Brock Lesnar left his gloves in the ring at WM42\. That could be a wrap for The Beast. And does Mike Malott need the help of CME Consulting Services? ### Episode 688: UFC 327 was wild (some might say wooly) URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-688-ufc-327-was-wild-some-might-say-wooly/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:21.000Z Download [COME9428801716.mp3?updated=1776212778](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME9428801716.mp3?updated=1776212778&ref=comainevent.com) Somehow, Carlos Ulberg won the UFC light heavyweight title on one goddamn leg. Not sure we’ve ever seen anything quite like that. It was an all-time great championship finish. Now, however, at least some of the public discourse has pivoted to whether Jiri Prochazka basically let him off the hook, taking it easier than he should have right up until he very generously walked face-first into a left hook. That doesn’t totally feel fair to Ulberg (winning the belt on one bum wheel should probably earn you more credit) but also, yeah, he’s clearly hurt and even as we speak Dana White is almost certainly sticking the “Interim Title Fight” magnet to that big whiteboard on the wall of his war room. Plus, Cub Swanson got the rare storybook ending and, sigh, seems like Josh Hokit is totally a thing now. ### Episode 687: LHW tries to reinvent itself yet again at UFC 327 URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-687-lhw-tries-to-reinvent-itself-yet-again-at-ufc-327/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:22.000Z Download [COME9802333823.mp3?updated=1775600568](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME9802333823.mp3?updated=1775600568&ref=comainevent.com) Six different dudes have held the UFC light heavyweight title since Jon Jones vacated it for the last time (well, the last time so far) back in August 2020\. Friendly-ass Jan Blachowicz, old-ass Glover Teixeira, weird-ass Jiri Prochazka, off-putting-ass Jamahal Hill, boring-ass Magomed Ankalaev, and legendary-ass Alex Pereira. Yes, that’s a lot of ass, which is mostly what 205 has been since Jones’ recidivist-ass messed around and left the sport. And now, this weekend, Jiri P. and Carlos Ulberg are gonna go out there at UFC 327 and see if we can’t reinvent this division one more time. Are either of them up for it? Time will tell. Oh, and speaking of Jones, what’s he up to these days … oh, right, getting involved in petty road rage incidents in ABQ. Perfect. ### Episode 686: Breaking News: UFC puts on good event URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-686-breaking-news-ufc-puts-on-good-event/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:22.000Z Download [COME4919928306.mp3?updated=1774991088](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME4919928306.mp3?updated=1774991088&ref=comainevent.com) The UFC went to Seattle and put on an event many are calling the best of the year so far, where Joe Oliver Pyfer defeated Israel Adesanya in a main event bout that might make ya boi BODYBAGZZZZZZZZZZ somebody in the middleweight division. In other action, Michael Chiesa got his soft-filter retirement celebration (while Niko Price most certainly did not), and Alex Grasso did some absolutely horrific stuff to Maycee Barber — which, of course, was awesome. Plus, Dana White came to the postfight press conference and answered several pertinent questions about the UFC product by telling us, “Who gives a fuck … just watch the fights.” Who gives a fuck, sir? Clearly not you… ### Episode 685: MVP fills out the card + UFC heads to Seattle URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-685-mvp-fills-out-the-card-ufc-heads-to-seattle/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:22.000Z Download [COME5629847079.mp3?updated=1774381717](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME5629847079.mp3?updated=1774381717&ref=comainevent.com) Most Valuable Promotions announced eight more bouts on Tuesday to fully flesh out its undercard for Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano on May 16 and … well, hello there, Junior dos Santos. Long time no see. Yeah, a couple of these newly revealed fights actually are of some interest, including JDS vs. Robelis Despaigne and Muhammad Mokaev re-entering the chat against Adriano Moraes. Plus, no sooner does Movsar Evloev defeat Lerone Murphy (“Did he thoooough?”) in a “title eliminator” bout than the UFC seems poised to give the next shot at Alexander Volkanovski to Jean Silva. And the Octagon is off to Seattle and the friendly confines of Climate Pledge Arena this weekend for Israel Adesanya vs. Joe Pyfer. BODYBAGZZZZZZZZZZ. ### Episode 684: MVP’s Netflix card is the best story in MMA URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-684-mvps-netflix-card-is-the-best-story-in-mma/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:23.000Z Download [COME6847284726.mp3?updated=1773784293](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME6847284726.mp3?updated=1773784293&ref=comainevent.com) Those little rascals at Most Valuable Promotions added another spectacle fight to their big, loud MMA show coming up on Netflix on May 16\. Nate Diaz and Mike Perry are set to do the damn thing at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, rounding out a lineup of three featured fights that also includes Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano and Francis Ngannou vs. Philipe Lins. And that, kids, puts us in an unexpected position. Who would’ve thought that by the middle of March, with the UFC fresh off announcing the fight card for its gala event at the White House, the biggest story in the sport would be Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian making its first foray into MMA? Crazy days. This week we ask: Is this a problem for the UFC? If so, how big? And what exactly does MVP want to be in the MMA space? ### Episode 683: White House card is UFC’s Gobbledy Gooker URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-683-white-house-card-is-ufcs-gobbledy-gooker/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:23.000Z Download [COME9992043464.mp3?updated=1773179880](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME9992043464.mp3?updated=1773179880&ref=comainevent.com) Months and months. The UFC spent months hyping the release of its White House event fight card. Back in July of last year, Dana White said it would be the “Sphere on steroids.” In December, the President of the United States promised “eight or nine championship fights.” Basically every UFC fighter begged to be involved. Imagine our surprise, then, when the promotion finally released the full list of fights last Saturday and it looked like … just another event? Not BAD by any stretch, but also not the super-mega-MAGA jerkfest we were promised. Now fans are upset, and Jon Jones is having an existential crisis. So we ask: Is this the biggest whiff in UFC history? Did the UFC keep the White House card sealed in a giant egg only to watch it fall flat when it finally hatched at Survivor Series 1990? Also, Charles Oliveira and Max Holloway kinda underwhelmed and Francis Ngannou is fighting on Netflix … against Philipe Lins??? ### Episode 682: Alex Pereira, what you doing, baby? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-682-alex-pereira-what-you-doing-baby/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:23.000Z Download [COME8315428137.mp3?updated=1772575814](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME8315428137.mp3?updated=1772575814&ref=comainevent.com) Alex Pereira announced last week that he is vacating the UFC light heavyweight title. Why? Well, nobody has said for sure but … we’ve got some ideas. Ya boi Poatan isn’t just going to give up the strap for no reason. He must be chasing something and, honestly, the only thing for Pereira to chase outside of 205 is a heavyweight title fight (probably at the White House) against one of three men: Jon Jones, Cyril Gane or Tom Aspinall. We know Aspinall is still out trying to get his eyes put back in his head, so that leaves Jones and Gane — Jones obviously being the more palatable choice. So, the questions are: Would Poatan have a chance in that fight now that we know Jones’ hip is “covered with arthritis” or whatever? Will the UFC make Jones’ White House dreams come true after all? And, if not, would the UFC really stoop to giving us Pereira vs. Gane? Probably. They probably would. Plus, UFC 326 is this weekend! Yay! ### Episode 681: Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano … in this economy?!? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-681-ronda-rousey-vs-gina-carano-in-this-economy/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:23.000Z Download [COME7748033327.mp3?updated=1772026417](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME7748033327.mp3?updated=1772026417&ref=comainevent.com) As is so typical in this sport, they’re going to give us the superfight. They’re just going to give it to us about 10 years too late. Such is the case with Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano, which will go down May 16 (yes, May 16, 2026) at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif. Perhaps the biggest surprise of all is that the people giving it to us aren’t the UFC, but Most Valuable Promotions — and the fight will air on Netflix. Let’s be clear: This seems inadvisable. It likely won’t be competitive. But it’s probably going to be a big, big deal. Guess you can’t say Jake Paul and Nikisa Bidarian don’t swing for the fences. Plus, Zuffa Boxing signed Connor Benn for $15 million for one fight. Hey, UFC fighters, are you paying attention NOW? ### Episode 679: Volkanovski is just too good URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-679-volkanovski-is-just-too-good/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:24.000Z Download [COME3530939365.mp3?updated=1770157822](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME3530939365.mp3?updated=1770157822&ref=comainevent.com) They did it again, brother, but when it was over it sort of seemed like they probably didn’t need to go to the trouble. Once again, Alexander Volkanovski defeated Diego Lopes by hard-fought but clear-cut unanimous decision, retaining his men's featherweight title at UFC 325\. Somehow, the 37-year-old Volk is aging as gracefully as an MMA fighter can, looking damn near unbeatable with a remarkably versatile attack — the striking, the grappling, the feints, the stance switches, etc. , etc. It all gives you a lot to think about out there, and it was too much for Lopes, who came into this fight looking like he hadn’t made a TON of adjustments from the first fight. Plus, is the UFC’s new deal on Paramount+ a home run so far? And why is heavyweight so ass? ### CME Live Chat: UFC 324 reactions and whatnot URL: https://www.comainevent.com/cme-live-chat-ufc-324-reactions-and-whatnot/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:24.000Z Download [COME3834778696.mp3](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME3834778696.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) Apologies for missing the Proper yesterday, friends. We’re back today with an episode of the Co-Main Event Podcast Patreon Live Chat, which we’re releasing for free to everybody. Seemed like a bad week to miss an episode, what with it being on the heels of the first PLE of the Paramount+ Era and the week before UFC 325\. So, here ya go! ### Episode 678: Mike Goldberg voice: “Here … we … go!” URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-678-mike-goldberg-voice-here-we-go/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:24.000Z Download [COME6896097581.mp3?updated=1768955335](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME6896097581.mp3?updated=1768955335&ref=comainevent.com) It’s happening. The Paramount+ Era is upon us. What surprises are in store? We’ll find out on Saturday, as UFC 324 goes down, featuring the interim lightweight championship fight between Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett. How does Pimblett (more than a 2-to-1 favorite) beat Gaethje? We’re not totally sure, but maybe that’s why we’re dumb podcast hosts and the oddsmakers are the oddsmakers. Plus, Kayla Harrison’s pile-of-trash neck forced her off this card, which was kind of a big loss. And Conor McGregor says his UFC contract is “void,” since pay-per-view doesn’t exist anymore. Could he be… right? ### Episode 677: Are we ready for Paddy Pimblett, UFC champion? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-677-are-we-ready-for-paddy-pimblett-ufc-champion/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:24.000Z Download [COME9531861339.mp3?updated=1768345420](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME9531861339.mp3?updated=1768345420&ref=comainevent.com) Just about 10 days before UFC 324, and oddsmakers still see Paddy Pimblett as a bit more than a 2-to-1 favorite to win the interim lightweight title over Justin Gaethje. I mean, damn. Does that seem right to you guys? Honestly, it feels super weird to us, but considering how bad we are at betting and how good oddsmakers are at, ahem, making odds, perhaps they are right? And if they are, are we all truly prepared for a world where Pimblett is the (interim) lightweight champ? Plus, Gaethje has got a crater-sized sore on the side of his neck he swears isn’t staph, and Trevor Wittman is saying if they can’t win this one, Gaethje might as well retire. So… uh… is this about to be depressing as hell? ### Episode 676: New year, new UFC? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-676-new-year-new-ufc/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:25.000Z Download [COME8100164383.mp3?updated=1767737682](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME8100164383.mp3?updated=1767737682&ref=comainevent.com) Sup, 2026\. You gonna suck as bad as 2025 did? Not to start things on a pessimistic note, but if we had to guess … you know what, never mind. As it pertains to this show, 2026 means a lot of things — perhaps most importantly that the UFC has officially disembarked from ESPN+ into the unknown waters of Paramount+. The first Premium Live Event is just a couple of weeks away, and we all still have a lot of questions. So, on the first show of the new year, we try to answer as many of them as we can. Plus, Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier try to monetize these amazing brands they’ve built by going on a Russian reality show; somehow Jake Paul is still talking shit through a busted jaw; and Paddy Pimblett got tapped out in a grappling tournament just a couple of weeks before he’s supposed to fight for the UFC interim lightweight title. Sooo … is all publicity really good publicity? ### Episode 675: Smell ya later, 2025! URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-675-smell-ya-later-2025/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:25.000Z Download [COME2136952027.mp3](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME2136952027.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) The Year of Our Lord 2025 was a weird one in MMA. Complete dogshit for the heavyweight division, obviously. You started the year with Dana White swearing up and down that he was going to get Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall done, only to have Jones quit the sport to monetize this amazing brand he’d built — then come crawling back as soon as he found out about the White House fight card. When they finally did set up a heavyweight title fight for Gas Hands Tommy, Ciryl Gane went two knuckles deep in Aspinall’s eye … which obviously seems to have negatively affected Aspinall’s career more than Gane’s. But it wasn’t all bad. In the spring, fighters started to get that sweet, sweet class-action settlement money. By the end, Merab and Islam were the consensus fighters of the year. The UFC wrapped up the ESPN era and is now on to murkier waters with Paramount. Oh, and what’s this shit with Ilia Topuria? Not great! ### Episode 674: Petr Yan was perfect at UFC 323 URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-674-petr-yan-was-perfect-at-ufc-323/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:25.000Z Download [COME8947885473.mp3?updated=1765318230](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME8947885473.mp3?updated=1765318230&ref=comainevent.com) Petr Yan showed up looking shockingly prepared for everything Merab Dvalishvili had planned on Saturday at UFC 323\. Yan had the takedown defense. Yan had the stifling striking game. Yan worked the head and the body as well as he possibly could have. And perhaps most impressive of all, Yan had the cardio — taking over down the stretch, during what is normally Merab Time — to secure a surprising victory for the men’s bantamweight title in a fight-of-the-year–candidate thriller. In doing so, Yan put himself in position to begin chiseling out a legacy as one of the all-time greats. What now, though? An immediate rematch? The winner of O’Malley vs. Yadong? We’ll find out soon. Elsewhere on the card, Joshua Van captured the flyweight title after Alexandre Pantoja's elbow got its whole shit broke. And the ESPN Era is about to end in the most fitting way possible … with an Apex show headlined by Brandon Royval vs. Manel Kape. ### Episode 673: The UFC’s Paramount+ Era will begin … weirdly URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-673-the-ufcs-paramount-era-will-begin-weirdly/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:26.000Z Download [COME7524301799.mp3?updated=1764714607](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME7524301799.mp3?updated=1764714607&ref=comainevent.com) CBS gave Dana White a grand stage over the weekend, letting him announce the first fight bookings of the Paramount+ Era during halftime of the Thanksgiving Day NFL game between the Cowboys and Chiefs. Perhaps that was a sign that the budding partnership between the UFC and Paramount–Skydance is actually off to a good start — but the fights themselves were weird as hell, man. Justin Gaethje vs. Paddy Pimblett for an interim lightweight title to headline the company’s first PPV-turned-PLE at UFC 324? The men’s featherweight championship rematch absolutely no one asked for between Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes? What are we doing here, you guys? Plus, it’s UFC 323 fight week! Can Merab make it four successful title defenses in just under a year? ### Episode 672: Arman Tsarukyan forces the issue with Ilia Topuria URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-672-arman-tsarukyan-forces-the-issue-with-ilia-topuria-6a360b4127fa4b000f0bb40c/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:26.000Z Download [COME2579562985.mp3?updated=1764110610](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME2579562985.mp3?updated=1764110610&ref=comainevent.com) Prior to Arman Tsarukyan’s win over Dan Hooker on Saturday at UFC Fight Night in Qatar, we figured Tsarukyan was still on the outside looking in at the lightweight title picture. He’s long come off as a fairly nondescript, vaguely dickish yet undeniably tough guy who wasn’t offering much in the puts-butts-in-seats department. He’d already blown one title shot by pulling out of UFC 311 on a day’s notice — and the UFC still has Paddy Pimblett waiting as a more marketable and presumably far easier next opponent for Ilia Topuria. But this performance against Hooker? A full-on beatdown. And maybe Tsarukyan’s spoiled-brat persona is starting to take on the air of something a promoter can actually use. The question now: Can Tsarukyan force Topuria’s hand? Will Topuria lose face if he takes a gimme fight against Pimblett first? And will the UFC’s preference for Paddy the Baddie win out? Plus, Ian Garry keeps winning while somehow underperforming. And, of course, Conor McGregor has decided he is the great-grandson of God himself. ### Episode 671: Islam left JDM with no plan B URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-671-islam-left-jdm-with-no-plan-b/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:26.000Z Download [COME8281873695.mp3?updated=1763504594](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME8281873695.mp3?updated=1763504594&ref=comainevent.com) Yeah, so, Islam Makhachev is your new UFC welterweight champion. Not a huge surprise, considering the former lightweight titlist was a solid favorite to dethrone Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322 over the weekend. What we maybe didn’t expect was just how dominant Makhachev would be. Della Maddalena had no answers — and, from the looks of it, no plan B. By the end he appeared absolutely miserable out there, getting taken down over and over again, while his corner seemed fresh out of ideas beyond, “Try to punch him in the face!” You know who else is still really good? Valentina Shevchenko. She convincingly turned back the challenge of former strawweight champ Zhang Weili to retain her women’s flyweight gold. Plus, just like Conor McGregor before him, Dillon Danis found out that some people don’t play. And Jake Paul is on a suicide mission. But does he know that? ### Episode 670: UFC 322 is the big banana URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-670-ufc-322-is-the-big-banana/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:26.000Z Download [COME9957762080.mp3?updated=1762887316](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME9957762080.mp3?updated=1762887316&ref=comainevent.com) It’s November in the UFC, and you know what that means! We’re headed out to Madison Square Garden with a fairly stacked card. UFC 322 features a pair of championship fights in its main and co-main events, where two reigning titlists will try to fend off challengers moving up in weight and looking to become champ-champs. We still say that? Champ-champ? Is that still a thing? Your welterweight main event features surprise champ Jack Della Maddalena trying to make his bones and earn his respect against former lightweight king and unstoppable juggernaut Islam Makhachev. The co-main, meanwhile, features women’s strawweight great Zhang Weili moving up to try to take women’s flyweight gold from the legendary Valentina Shevchenko. It’s gonna be a good one, kids—and it’s the second-to-last pay-per-view before the UFC moves to Paramount+ and (allegedly!) into the PLE era. ### Episode 669: The UFC & combat sports enter ‘Plato’s Cave’ URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-669-the-ufc-combat-sports-enter-platos-cave/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:27.000Z Download [COME9862961077.mp3?updated=1762296056](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME9862961077.mp3?updated=1762296056&ref=comainevent.com) What’s even real anymore? That’s the question we ended up asking ourselves after last weekend’s slate of combat sports chaos. For starters, Isaac Dulgarian’s first-round submission loss to Yadier del Valle at Saturday’s UFC Fight Night sparked yet another fight-fixing scandal. At this point, you couldn’t blame a casual viewer for wondering: Is this whole shit rigged? Also, there was referee Mark Smith’s bizarre stoppage in the heavyweight bout between Ante Delija and Waldo Cortes-Acosta — a mix-up that led Delija to believe he’d won, only for the fight to be restarted and Cortes-Acosta to immediately score a knockout victory. Whoops! And that’s not even touching the boxing world’s latest drama: Gervonta “Tank” Davis getting booted from his fight with Jake Paul after new domestic violence charges, followed by Paul acting like he was just now discovering that Davis might be a terrible guy. Oh, and Andrew Tate is apparently the new CEO of Misfits Boxing, a move that might be real, might be trolling, or might just be setting up a future fight with KSI. ### Episode 668: UFC 321: It doesn’t get any more heavyweight than THAT! URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-668-ufc-321-it-doesnt-get-any-more-heavyweight-than-that/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:27.000Z Download [COME9563600682.mp3?updated=1761686868](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME9563600682.mp3?updated=1761686868&ref=comainevent.com) How does Tom Aspinall still have an eyeball right now? Dude, Ciryl Gane went two-knuckles deep in that shit (while pulling off the rare double-eye poke!) during their heavyweight championship fight at UFC 321 on Saturday. Gane might have Dundasso’d a little TOO hard, as his exploration of Aspinall’s cranium with his left index finger did get their bout declared a no contest, and yet, somehow, it still felt like Gane won the battle of public opinion. The crowd booed Aspinall (naturally). A bunch of shitty MMA meme accounts made fun of him (naturally). Some former fighters came out and said THEY would’ve kept fighting (naturally). Dana White is talking about booking the immediate rematch (because of course). So, sorry, Tom, you got Three-Stooged and now a lot of idiots think you quit. So, yeah, we thought the worst thing that could happen at UFC 321 was a Ciryl Gane victory, and then heavyweight basically laughed in our faces and said, “Hold my beer.” Plus, in the other two heavyweight fights, Jailton Almeida lost by forgetting to fight in his fight and Chris Barnett (literally) showed his ass. ### Episode 667: UFC 321 is a must-win for Aspinall, the UFC & the world URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-667-ufc-321-is-a-must-win-for-aspinall-the-ufc-the-world/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:27.000Z Download [COME4264488983.mp3?updated=1761084648](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME4264488983.mp3?updated=1761084648&ref=comainevent.com) Let’s be honest, if the current version of the UFC heavyweight title is going to maintain any shred of credibility, Tom Aspinall pretty much has to win this weekend at UFC 321\. Even if that happens, we’ll still only really be ready to say that Gas Hands Tom is one of the three best heavyweights in the world — the UFC champion of active heavyweights currently on the roster, let’s say. But if Ciryl Gane wins? Forget about it. Gane’s already lost to both Jon Jones AND Francis Ngannou. There’s no way you’re making the case he’s the “undisputed” anything. So, let’s go, Tommy! Plus, Mackenzie Dern will vie to win the vacant strawweight title against Virna Jandiroba, who she has already defeated and is currently the betting favorite to defeat again. Almost as though the UFC has a rooting interest in this shit. ### Episode 666: Charles Oliveira is the new king of Rio! URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-666-charles-oliveira-is-the-new-king-of-rio/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:28.000Z Download [COME9030868157.mp3?updated=1760478394](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME9030868157.mp3?updated=1760478394&ref=comainevent.com) Chucky Olives pretty much wore Mateusz Gamrot around like a button during their main event fight at last weekend’s UFC Fight Night in Rio de Janeiro. It didn’t feel like there was a single second where Gamrot was winning. He got tagged on the feet early in the first, shot for a takedown, and then got dominated on the ground until Oliveira put him out of his misery with a face crank (which, OK, maybe that was miserable) in the second round. Then Oliveira jumped out of the cage and into the crowd on some Jose Aldo shit. Long live the new king of Rio! Man, the UFC security dudes must hate that. Also, Charles — next time, maybe more than just a pat on the shoulder for your wife and kid before you start partying it up with the boyz. Now that that’s settled — Oliveira vs. Max Holloway? Give it to me. It’s mine! ### Episode 665: Chama lives! URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-665-chama-lives/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:28.000Z Download [COME8797512483.mp3?updated=1759873493](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME8797512483.mp3?updated=1759873493&ref=comainevent.com) Well, that was just disrespectful. Alex Pereira went out there at UFC 320 on Saturday with absolutely no regard whatsoever for Magomed Ankalaev. Bullied him. Dropped him. Pounded him out. Then did the “look at you now” hand gesture that is rapidly becoming Pereira’s touchdown dance. He clowned Ankalaev from start to finish, is what he did. Clowned him. So, now the Chama Era is back in the light heavyweight division, and the only remaining question is whether there’s anything meaningful left for Pereira to do there. Another fight with Jiri Prochazka (who also got a win at 320)? Carlos Ulberg (who got a win the weekend before)? Or does Pereira start looking up the ladder at heavyweight? Jones? Aspinall? Gane? Anything seems possible. Plus, Cory Sandhagen was game as hell. He was well prepared. He was well coached. He just couldn’t stop Merab Dvalishvili. ### Episode 664: UFC 320 preview + Wanderlei gets KTFOed URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-664-ufc-320-preview-wanderlei-gets-ktfoed/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:28.000Z Download [COME7955793010.mp3](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME7955793010.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) The PPV era is (maybe!) winding down, and on Saturday, we’ll all celebrate by (maybe!) shelling out our hard-earned dollars to watch UFC 320, where Magomed Ankalaev will defend his light heavyweight title in a rematch against Alex Pereira. Doesn’t feel like there’s a ton of sizzle headed into that one, but hey, with Carlos Ulberg absolutely devastating “The Devastator” Dominick Reyes last weekend at UFC Fight Night in Perth, perhaps we’ve already got a halfway interesting challenger waiting for the winner? Also, though … “Big Ank?” Nah. We’re not doing that. We’re not saying that, dude. The co-main features Merab Dvalishvili putting his gold on the line against Cory Sandhagen in — let’s face it — a fight we all expect Merab to win. In other news: holy fucking shit, did you see Wanderlei Silva get knocked out cold by a guy in a tuxedo in Brazil this weekend? It was bad, man. BAAAAAAAAD. ### Episode 663: Fighters are starting to get that class action settlement money URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-663-fighters-are-starting-to-get-that-class-action-settlement-money/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:28.000Z Download [COME4685608585.mp3?updated=1758664273](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME4685608585.mp3?updated=1758664273&ref=comainevent.com) The money has finally started to roll in for fighters after the UFC agreed to settle that pesky class action lawsuit for $375 million back in February. Some are going to get millions. Some will only get a few thousand. Still, must feel pretty weird to get the bag after being owed it for more than a decade. To some, it might seem like free money, while others are having a more complicated time with it. Plus, it’s Carlos Ulberg vs. Dominick Reyes this weekend in Perth. It actually might turn out to be kind of an important fight, considering the junk heap that is the UFC light heavyweight Top 15\. Volkan Oezdemir is still in the Top 10, you guys. Volkan Oezdemir! ### Episode 662: Is boxing Dana White’s idea of a cushy retirement gig? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-662-is-boxing-dana-whites-idea-of-a-cushy-retirement-gig/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:29.000Z Download [COME3619461010.mp3?updated=1758058600](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME3619461010.mp3?updated=1758058600&ref=comainevent.com) You know how, after they retire, some older guys go out and get, like, part-time jobs at the United Way or Ace Hardware or some shit? Not necessarily because they need the money — they just need to keep themselves busy, and maybe they like talking to people about paint colors and nail sizes and the best brands of epoxy spackle. Is that what Dana White is doing with boxing? Dana was at the big boxing match on Saturday, sitting at ringside next to Turki Alalshikh and Mark Wahlberg. After Terence Crawford whooped up on Canelo Alvarez, Dana wrapped the Ring Magazine belt around Crawford’s waist. Aside from that, we’re not totally sure what his job was there. So, as TKO reportedly plots its takeover of the sweet science, is Dana effectively using boxing like some guys join the country club? Does he want to fade out of the UFC, kick back and spend a few hours a day destroying the Muhammad Ali Act and looking for young, white, Irish fighters to promote? Cuz those are the vibes. Meanwhile, at Dana’s real job, they put on an event the same night, where Diego Lopes knocked all kinds of blood out of Jean Silva’s head during UFC Noche. ### Episode 661: Remember UFC: Noche? Neither does the UFC, apparently URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-661-remember-ufc-noche-neither-does-the-ufc-apparently/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:29.000Z Download [COME9138795610.mp3?updated=1757454017](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME9138795610.mp3?updated=1757454017&ref=comainevent.com) Remember last year, when for about six months the UFC tried to pretend like UFC: Noche was a big deal — mostly because Dana White had to prove to the (almost entirely nonexistent) haters that he could pull off a fighting event at Sphere? Those times are gone now. This weekend’s UFC: Noche card (yes, it is this weekend) is pretty much being left in the dust by the UFC’s part in co-promoting the Canelo Alvarez-Terence Crawford boxing match on Netflix. In fact, UFC: Noche has been relegated to regular-ass FIght Night status, with Diego Lopes vs. Jean Silva serving as main event from the Frost Center in San Antonio (grandaddy of them all). Sad, man, sad— though Lopes vs. Silva will probably be a pretty cool fight. Plus, come for Ronda Rousey saying she “ain’t fighting at the fucking White House,” stay for Ben Fowlkes’ five-minute pro wrestling promo about how bad Jon Jones messed up his six-month “retirement.” ### Episode 660: Who the hell is Nassourdine Imavov? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-660-who-the-hell-is-nassourdine-imavov/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:29.000Z Download [COME4180504767.mp3?updated=1756849390](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME4180504767.mp3?updated=1756849390&ref=comainevent.com) Honestly, Nassourdine Imavov is pretty legit. He’s 16-4 (1) overall, riding a three-fight win streak and heads into Saturday’s UFC Fight Night main event against Caio Borralho fresh off a February victory over Israel Adesanya. He was the UFC’s No. 1 middleweight contender until voters recently had to make room for Dricus Du Plessis. So, why does nobody seem to know (or care) who he is? Good news for Imavov: if he beats Borralho this weekend, he’ll likely be one of only two men in line for a shot at newly crowned champ Khamzat Chimaev. Would a highlight-reel finish in Paris finally be enough to make fans remember his name? Also on this episode: you guys go hard on Luke Rockhold for getting folded up like a lawn chair by Darren Till, the Bigi Boy wins Dirty Boxing’s pizza box-ass belt and Jon Jones is \[checks notes\] legally vindicated! For now. ### Episode 659: Raja Jackson goes nuts at pro wrestling show URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-659-raja-jackson-goes-nuts-at-pro-wrestling-show/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:29.000Z Download [COME9045505524.mp3?updated=1756244420](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME9045505524.mp3?updated=1756244420&ref=comainevent.com) So, Quinton Jackson’s son went on a crazy, uh, rampage at an independent pro wrestling event over the weekend. Raja Jackson — a person we’d barely ever heard of before — got into a backstage beef with a wrestler named Syko Stu and then jumped in the ring during the guy’s match and damn near beat him to death. It was bizarre and, honestly, it made us feel a little sick to watch it. Now, the whole thing has gone viral, due in part to Jackson livestreaming it on his own channel. So, ugh. Also, we take listener questions about Johnny Walker weirding his way to victory over Zhang Mingyang, Aljo beating up the ghost of Brian Ortega and some extended fallout from Khamzat Chimaev being your new UFC middleweight champ. ### Episode 658: Khamzat smesh? Or Khamzat smush? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-658-khamzat-smesh-or-khamzat-smush/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:30.000Z Download [COME6634329570.mp3?updated=1755639136](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME6634329570.mp3?updated=1755639136&ref=comainevent.com) He done did it. Khamzat Chimaev basically pitched a perfect game against Dricus du Plessis at UFC 319, making it look EASY en route to one of the more lopsided decision wins you will ever witness in a championship fight. DDP showed up looking uniquely ill-equipped to stop Chimaev’s all-out takedown assault. And Ya Boi Borz? He looked so dominant people got mad at him for not doing more. So, now that the long-heralded Chimaev Era is finally underway at 185 pounds … shouldn’t we be more excited? Plus, how does Michael Page keep doing this? And where are we at with Aaron Pico now? Also, what do you get when you cross one of light heavyweight’s most dangerous knockout artists with the guy who routinely gets knocked out in the funniest possible way? You get UFC Fight Night: Johnny Walker vs. Zhang Mingyang. ### Episode 657: UFC’s move to Paramount could change everything (or not!) URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-657-ufcs-move-to-paramount-could-change-everything-or-not/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:30.000Z Download [COME8621559525.mp3?updated=1755028107](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME8621559525.mp3?updated=1755028107&ref=comainevent.com) Here’s something nobody saw coming: the UFC is taking its talents to Paramount. Not Netflix. Not reupping with ESPN. Not even a late play from Amazon or Apple. In a staggering seven-year, $7.7 billion deal, the UFC agrees to keep its programming mostly in one piece (thank you, MMA Gods!). It will stream exclusively on Paramount+, with certain events simulcast on CBS. The biggest kicker here is that, despite some conflicting reports, the traditional pay-per-view model might be going away. So … is it possible … being a UFC fan is about to get cheaper? That would be weird! Lots of ins and outs to discuss here. This deal seems great for the UFC, maybe good for Paramount, possibly good for fans … but, once again, potentially extremely shitty for fighters. Plus, what would a UFC schedule even look like without PPV? And did Paramount perhaps vastly overpay for UFC broadcast rights in order to appease the President of the United States? ### Episode 656: Every UFC fighter, ranked? What could go wrong? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-656-every-ufc-fighter-ranked-what-could-go-wrong/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:30.000Z Download [COME9889417885.mp3?updated=1754429289](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME9889417885.mp3?updated=1754429289&ref=comainevent.com) The big homies at Tapology this month revealed their own new computerized ranking system for MMA fighters — and, friends, they went big. The new Tapology rankings don’t just break down the Top 10 like your standard media rankings or the Top 15 like the UFC “rankings” do. Nope, they rank EVERY UFC FIGHTER IN EVERY WEIGHT CLASS. Can you imagine the potentially hilarious implications? Anyway, Very Serious Journalist Ben Fowlkes caught up with Tapology’s Gregory Saks to talk about developing the new system (sounds like it was not easy) for this article on the Uncrowned. This week on the CME, we discuss. Plus, it sucks to get cut from the UFC after a win (sorry, Martin Buday), Hector Lombard vs. Cheick Kongo in pillow fighting, and what’s with WWE bringing back Brock Lesnar not too long after he was named in the Vince McMahon sex trafficking lawsuit? ### Episode 655: Dustin Poirier retires, Big Tom gets Ciryl Gane & Jon Jones can’t fight at the White House URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-655-dustin-poirier-retires-big-tom-gets-ciryl-gane-jon-jones-cant-fight-at-the-white-house/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:31.000Z Download [COME8839555713.mp3?updated=1753925134](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME8839555713.mp3?updated=1753925134&ref=comainevent.com) We had a lot to catch up on this week after missing last week’s show: UFC 318 and Dustin Poirier’s retirement fight; what the future holds now for Max Holloway; the recent booking of three UFC title fights — including Big Tommy Gas Hands against The Good Kid, Ciryl Gane; Jon Jones un-retiring to fight at the White House and being immediately told he won’t be fighting at the White House; whether it’s time for Bobby Knuckles to walk away and most importantly: if you attack Yoel Romero with a sword and he LIVES? He’ll see you soon, boy! Plus, an update on Ben’s travels and a spirited defense of the role of journalism in our society from … Brendan Schaub??? ### Episode 654: Saying goodbye to Cool Dusty P URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-654-saying-goodbye-to-cool-dusty-p/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:31.000Z Download [COME4546074716.mp3?updated=1752618139](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME4546074716.mp3?updated=1752618139&ref=comainevent.com) Dustin Poirier’s last fight is this weekend. You know, allegedly. All relevant disclaimers apply. Still, if anyone deserves to ride off into the sunset with his legacy intact and his chin held high, it’s Cool Dusty P. Call it cliché if you want, but they really don’t make them like him anymore. On this episode: hear our discussion of his upcoming third fight against Max Holloway this weekend at UFC 318. Plus, Derrick Lewis out here: Throwing. Them. Bungalows. And how did we know someone would correctly identify the CME as the MMA show to ask about Conor McGregor’s dick pic? ### Episode 653: UFC at the White House? Wow, LAME! URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-653-ufc-at-the-white-house-wow-lame/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:31.000Z Download [COME7979584324.mp3?updated=1752010656](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME7979584324.mp3?updated=1752010656&ref=comainevent.com) The doddering old man who also happens to be the most powerful person in the world made an offhand comment over the weekend that he’d like to do some UFC fights at the White House. He wants 20,000 people there. He says Dana’s gonna take care of it. And look, we’d be inclined to dismiss this as the rumblings of a crazy old grandpa who might sit next to you on the bus except, well, the scariest part of this whole fever dream is how utterly POSSIBLE it all actually seems. So … I guess we’ll see? Look, though, you know what strikes us most about the potential of having fights at the White House? How fucking LAME that is. Remember when this sport used to feel cool? It used to feel underground? A little renegade? Well, that’s over now. That’s dead and gone. Suddenly, it feels like we’ve gone a little TOO mainstream. You know who loves this idea, though? Jon Jones. Soon as this MFer found out there might be a party he’s not invited to, he jumps back in the testing pool. SMDH. ### Episode 652: Ilia Topuria looks more and more like That Dude URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-652-ilia-topuria-looks-more-and-more-like-that-dude/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:31.000Z Download [COME7720408139.mp3?updated=1751404798](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME7720408139.mp3?updated=1751404798&ref=comainevent.com) Ilia Topuria called his shot — going out there at UFC 317 on Saturday and doing exactly what he said he was going to do to Charles Oliveira, exactly when he said he was going to do it. After a first-round knockout, Topuria claims the vacant lightweight title and becomes the 10th two-division champion in UFC history. He’s 28, undefeated, looks good getting off the bus and possesses an otherworldly calm and confidence in himself. He could be something special … … and the UFC’s apparent willingness to match him up next with Paddy Pimblett feels pretty meaningful, coming from a company that has seemed apathetic about making new stars lately. ### Episode 651: Jon Jones ‘retires’ the same week as UFC 317? Lawd! URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-651-jon-jones-retires-the-same-week-as-ufc-317-lawd/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:32.000Z Download [COME1382875310.mp3?updated=1750801646](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME1382875310.mp3?updated=1750801646&ref=comainevent.com) So, Jon Jones is out. Like, OUT out. As in Jon Jones is retired. Or … should we say … “retired,” because ain’t nobody thinks we’ve seen the last of this dude in a cage, a ring, or a dusty circle of dirt at some county fairgrounds. In any case, Jones’ career ended (for now) the way all the great ones go out — with Dana White making a halfhearted announcement at the postfight press conference for UFC: Baku. Oh, and Jones has once again been charged with a crime — this one stemming from a February incident where he (you’re never going to believe this) allegedly left the scene of an early morning car accident. And then maybe threatened to have some police officers killed? So basically, he’s just out here living his best life, monetizing this amazing brand he’s built. Anyway, Tom Aspinall is champ now. So that’s … good? As if that wasn’t enough, UFC 317 is this weekend, and Ilia Topuria is more than a 4-to-1 favorite over Charles Oliveira. What??? ### Episode 650: Accusations, innuendos and inferences URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-650-accusations-innuendos-and-inferences/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:32.000Z Download [COME7434897161.mp3?updated=1750186623](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME7434897161.mp3?updated=1750186623&ref=comainevent.com) So, there’s still some fight left in this old dog, Kamaru Usman — as Joaquin Buckley found out the hard way in their UFC Fight Night main event on Saturday. The 38-year-old Usman defied the odds and many expectations with a vintage performance that saw him use the ol’ wrestling game to take a unanimous decision over the seemingly incredibly ill-prepared up-and-comer. Then Usman got on the mic and hilariously called for a title shot. Yeah … no … that’s not going to happen. At least not yet. Usman may have shown he was as good once as he ever was, but can he keep it going long enough to get back in the mix? Plus, was Dom Cruz right? Did Buckley somehow fail to adequately train … for Usman’s … wrestling? Because THAT would be an oversight. And did Rodolfo Bellato pull off the biggest flop job in MMA history? This weekend the UFC is off to — pulls out spelling dictionary — Baku, Azerbaijan, which seems like the most obvious cash grab we’ve seen in some time. ### Episode 649: Merab Dvalishvili: Little guy, big problem URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-649-merab-dvalishvili-little-guy-big-problem/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:32.000Z Download [COME4197601281.mp3?updated=1749589099](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME4197601281.mp3?updated=1749589099&ref=comainevent.com) Not sure how you’re supposed to beat this guy Merab Dvalishvili at this point. Poison? Blow darts? The Dark Arts? Regular-ass fighting ain’t working, as Sean O’Malley found out at UFC 316 on Saturday. Looked like O’Malley was trying to do the right things — stay off the cage, work the body, show improved takedown defense, get up when Merab put him on the mat. Didn’t matter. Merab is just too good at what he does … and it seems like he’s getting better at it. If he’s gonna start throwing out nasty submissions now? Fuck it, shut it down. And then we gotta show Cory Sandhagen standing in the crowd looking like a middle school kid tryna act tough? Yeah, we're not loving that guy’s chances. Plus, Kayla Harrison vs. Amanda Nunes? Give it to me, it’s mine ### Episode 648: Are Kayla & Merab unbeatable at UFC 316? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-648-are-kayla-merab-unbeatable-at-ufc-316/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:32.000Z Download [COME5612188072.mp3?updated=1748982168](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME5612188072.mp3?updated=1748982168&ref=comainevent.com) The odds don’t look very competitive headed into the dueling title fights atop Saturday’s UFC 316\. Merab Dvalishvili and Kayla Harrison are both pretty big favorites over their opponents (champion Sean O’Malley and challenger Julianna Peña, respectively). The line on Harrison, in fact, is outlandish — though that fight is admittedly most interesting because of what a Kayla Harrison title reign might look like at women’s bantamweight, not necessarily because we expect it to be close. As for O’Malley, is there anything he can do differently against Merab this time around? Aside from not J’ing the peen? Also, Maycee Barber couldn’t make the walk last weekend. In and of itself, that doesn’t seem like a HUGE deal. Buuuuut … is it indicative of larger, more dire issues with the UFC right now? ### Episode 647: Luckily, Merab has nine other toes URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-647-luckily-merab-has-nine-other-toes/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:33.000Z Download [COME6820785927.mp3?updated=1748381693](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME6820785927.mp3?updated=1748381693&ref=comainevent.com) The CME’s 13th birthday is coming up, and you know what that means: it’s pledge month! Now through June 1, get 50% off a new monthly or annual Patreon subscription when you use the code CME13 at checkout! Get on it! Join the team! Support the community! Stick it to the man! Merab Dvalishvili broke his toe on the dome of a training partner this week, which seems like poor timing, considering his men’s bantamweight title defense against Sean O’Malley is coming right up at UFC 316 on June 7\. When your game plan hinges at least partially on your unstoppable takedowns, that seems like it could potentially be a big deal. No worries, though. The always irrepressible Merab points out that he’s got nine more toes, so if he needs to cut this one off in order to fight O’Malley, so be it. For O’Malley, did foot stomps just become a big part of the strategy? Plus, Vitor Belfort is going in the hall, Nate Diaz is back in the news, and is the MMA world ready for Ciryl Gane — leading man? ### Episode 646: Jon Jones is back on his f*ckery URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-646-jon-jones-is-back-on-his-fckery/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:33.000Z Download [COME9984273437.mp3?updated=1747776521](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME9984273437.mp3?updated=1747776521&ref=comainevent.com) The CME’s 13th birthday is coming up, and you know what that means: It’s pledge month! Now through June 1, GET 50% OFF A NEW MONTHLY OR ANNUAL PATREON SUBSCRIPTION when you use the code CME13 at checkout! Get on it! Join the team! Support the community! Stick it to the man! First you've got Jon Jones riding on the back of a motorbike looking zooted out of his gourd over there in Thailand. Then you’ve got Jones riding his own motorbike, saying he’s “living his best life” on Instagram Live while zigzagging around parked cars. Now you’ve got Jones replying to random dudes on Twitter (like he does) about how much he doesn’t care about potentially getting stripped of the UFC heavyweight title (sure, Jon), and declaring he “told the UFC about his plans” a long time ago. All Jones cares about now, he says, is monetizing the brand he’s built — which … I mean … isn’t the Jon Jones Brand shooting your gun off outside the strip club and having car wrecks with pregnant ladies? How exactly is he “monetizing” that “brand” from the back of a motorbike in Thailand? Plus, everybody’s washed at welterweight all of a sudden, and Ilia Topuria parts ways with his longtime coaches and trainers … WAIT, WHAT? ### Episode 645: Let the dominoes fall after UFC 315 URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-645-let-the-dominoes-fall-after-ufc-315/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:33.000Z Download [COME6273762426.mp3?updated=1747166249](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME6273762426.mp3?updated=1747166249&ref=comainevent.com) The CME’s 13th birthday is coming up, and you know what that means: It’s pledge month! Now through June 1, GET 50% OFF A NEW MONTHLY OR ANNUAL PATREON SUBSCRIPTION when you use the code CME13 at checkout! Get on it! Join the team! Support the community! Stick it to the man! Did Jack Della Maddalena ruin everything? Well, it’s a fluid situation. As we recorded this episode of the Proper, the MMA world awaited an announcement from Dana White we all assume(d) would be the main event of UFC 317 coming up in June for International Fight Week. What will we get? Ilia Topuria vs. Islam Makhachev? Or Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira? By the time you listen to this, you might well know the answer. It’s possible that Della Maddalena’s welterweight title win over Belal Muhammad at last weekend’s UFC 315 will tip a succession of dominoes that could result in Makhachev moving up to 170 pounds to fight JDM, which would leave Topuria to fight Oliveira. And let's be honest, that would kinda suck. It was a brilliant performance by Flatnose Jackie to take the title on Saturday. But at what cost? ### Episode 644: Somehow Belal Muhammad is still fighting for respect URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-644-somehow-belal-muhammad-is-still-fighting-for-respect/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:33.000Z Download [COME7312872215.mp3?updated=1746568800](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME7312872215.mp3?updated=1746568800&ref=comainevent.com) The CME’s 13th birthday is coming up, and you know what that means: It’s pledge month! Now through June 1, GET 50% OFF A NEW MONTHLY OR ANNUAL PATREON SUBSCRIPTION when you use the code CME13 at checkout! Get on it! Join the team! Support the community! Stick it to the man! Belal Muhammad said he doesn’t care what you think anymore. He knows he’s good, even if you don’t. Well, I mean, yeah, he is the UFC welterweight champion, so there is some evidence to suggest he’s pretty good. Somehow, though, it still feels like there are constantly a lot of doubts. You doubt he’ll win his next fight. You doubt it’ll be exciting, if he does. You doubt he’ll sell many PPVs, you doubt he’ll get in the UFC’s good graces, you doubt he’ll hang onto that belt for long … and on and on and on … So far, for the most part, he’s proved you wrong. Still, that makes this weekend’s title defense at UFC 315 against Jack Della Maddalena all the more important. It’s the first time in a long while that Belal isn’t the underdog. So … gotta win this one, right? Plus, what now for Bo Nickal? That’s up to him. ### Episode 643: What are we gonna do with you, Ian Garry? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-643-what-are-we-gonna-do-with-you-ian-garry/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:34.000Z Download [COME8434425680.mp3?updated=1745889156](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME8434425680.mp3?updated=1745889156&ref=comainevent.com) The CME’s 13th birthday is coming up, and you know what that means: It’s pledge month! Now through June 1, GET 50% OFF A NEW MONTHLY OR ANNUAL PATREON SUBSCRIPTION when you use the code CME13 at checkout! Get on it! Join the team! Support the community! Stick it to the man! Ya boi Ian (Machado) Garry commands a lot of attention in MMA. If the most difficult thing a UFC fighter can do in the year of our lord 2025 is make people care about your fights, well, Garry's got that part down. Take Saturday’s scrap with Carlos Prates, for example. What otherwise might have been a fairly run-of-the-mill Fight Night main event felt like appointment viewing with Garry and Prates involved. As it turned out, it was pretty much a cakewalk for Garry … except those last five minutes. Plus, Anthony Smith had the classiest retirement possible when you’re bathed in your own blood and flipping off some rando in the crowd. ### Episode 642: Dana White got booed at Wrestlemania ... URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-642-dana-white-got-booed-at-wrestlemania/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:34.000Z Download [COME6531603821.mp3?updated=1745351792](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME6531603821.mp3?updated=1745351792&ref=comainevent.com) The two-night extravaganza that was Wrestlemania 41 went down over the weekend in Las Vegas, much to the delight and consternation of marks and smarks everywhere. Yeah, yeah, we know the CME ain’t a rasslin’ podcast, but one thing caught our attention that may be of interest to the combat sports audience: Dana White got booed. Yep. They showed Dana White on the broadcast and on the big screen inside Allegiant Stadium, and they booed that man. Twice! In his hometown! And the face Dana made as it was happening? Clearly a guy who didn’t love that it was happening, but was trying to be cool about it. So, what gives? Dana White is used to being received as the conquering hero and No. 1 big swinging dick by MMA crowds. And yet here he is at Wrestlemania — probably doing a solid for the TKO brass just by showing up — and the live crowd ain’t having it. What, if anything, does this tell us about the difference between the UFC audience and the WWE audience? Plus, the Netflix CEO doesn’t sound OVERLY thrilled about the idea of landing the UFC, and Ian (whispers: Machado!) Garry fights Carlos Prates this weekend in a fight with some actual stakes for both dudes. ### Episode 641: Volkamania runs wild once again! URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-641-volkamania-runs-wild-once-again/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:34.000Z Download [COME2577812486.mp3?updated=1744743385](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME2577812486.mp3?updated=1744743385&ref=comainevent.com) Your boy Alexander Volkanovski is champion again, besting a fairly valiant effort by Diego Lopes at UFC 314 Saturday to claim the vacant UFC featherweight title. Volk looked pretty good, too, beating Lopes at range and mixing up the takedown attempts en route to the unanimous decision win. For The Fall Out Boy, well, it seemed like he just got started too late — spent too much time fighting Volk’s fight early on. Maybe if this one had been eight rounds instead of five, things might have been different. Alas. Wait, though. Now that Volk’s 36 and has already defeated most of the bankable top contenders in the division, what’s left for him to do? Is he really gonna fight Movsar Evloev? That seems … anticlimactic. Plus, Paddy Pimblett beat the shit out of Michael Chandler … and other listener mail questions! Also, right now through May 1, get 15% off a VOLKAMANIA T-shirt by using the discount code VOLKBACK at: https://comaineventshop.bigcartel.com/ ### Episode 640: Will Volk be champ again at UFC 314? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-640-will-volk-be-champ-again-at-ufc-314/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:35.000Z Download [COME3490846813.mp3?updated=1744150331](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME3490846813.mp3?updated=1744150331&ref=comainevent.com) Look, we’re just being honest. After back-to-back KO losses to Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria, and a 1-3 record dating back to 2023, we couldn’t help but wonder if we’d already seen the best of Alexander Volkanovski. Then, lo and behold, Topuria moves up to lightweight, and suddenly Volk is right back in the mix — going off as a slight betting favorite against Diego Lopes in their 145-pound title unification bout at UFC 314. And yet, the former champ is 36 … and we all know what happens to guys in these lighter weight classes once they hit 35\. So we’ve gotta ask: How long can Volkamania really be expected to run wild? Oh, and Michael Chandler vs. Paddy Pimblett? Yeesh. ### Episode 639: Mexico can’t literally s*ck your b@lls, Joe Pyfer URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-639-mexico-cant-literally-sck-your-blls-joe-pyfer/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:35.000Z Download [COME4528582287.mp3?updated=1743545464](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME4528582287.mp3?updated=1743545464&ref=comainevent.com) Joe Pyfer got food poisoning — or maybe it was altitude sickness — and now he’s, like, furious. He had to call off his fight with Kelvin Gastelum because his tum-tum hurt, and he’s pissed that he slept in a tent on the floor for nothing. In a tent! On the floor! Obviously, this is Mexico’s fault. It’s a shithole, Joe Pyfer says. Joe Pyfer is never going back to Mexico. Mexico can suck Joe Pyfer’s balls. Literally. Hey, you know who didn’t call off her fight because she had the tummy troubles? Loopy Godinez. Loopy Godinez just went out there and defeated Julia Polastri and diarrhea all in one night— and she didn’t even tell any nations of 130 million people to suck her balls. Though she did tell her corner that she had to poop. God, what a stupid sport. ### Episode 638: What is Tom Aspinall so excited about? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-638-what-is-tom-aspinall-so-excited-about/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:35.000Z Download [COME1037719798.mp3?updated=1742941845](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME1037719798.mp3?updated=1742941845&ref=comainevent.com) Big Tommy Gas Hands brought his rubber ducky to UFC London. See what he did there? That’s a little elbow to the ribs of Jon Jones, who we know Aspinall has been chasing all over God’s green earth trying to get a shot at unifying the heavyweight title. That’s got to be frustrating. Weirdly, however, Aspinall emerged from a meeting with UFC brass last week saying he was excited, that he felt great, that “big announcements” are coming soon. Yet, he also didn’t specifically say those big announcements had anything to do with Jones. So, is he just messing with us, or is something else on the horizon? Plus, Sean Brady jumped up four spots to No. 1-contender status on the UFC’s official welterweight rankings after defeating Leon Edwards. Yes, you read that correctly. Brady now officially outranks THAT BOOT GOOD. SAY WHAT??? ### Episode 637: Was Magomed Ankalaev really that boring at UFC 313? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-637-was-magomed-ankalaev-really-that-boring-at-ufc-313/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:35.000Z Download [COME9853857921.mp3?updated=1741719328](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME9853857921.mp3?updated=1741719328&ref=comainevent.com) If we told you going into UFC 313 that Magomed Ankalaev would go 0-for-12 on takedown attempts in his light heavyweight title fight against Alex Pereira, would you have thought that shaped up as a win for Ankalaev? Yeah, we wouldn’t either. That’s what happened, however, with Ankalaev using a surprisingly effective striking attack coupled with a suffocating clinch game to take the strap from Poatan. And look, we get it. Everybody loves Pereira. We do, too. Literally nobody (besides his friends and family) is excited for the Ankalaev Era. But was Ankalaev’s performance really as boring as some people are saying? Or is that just our sadness about Pereira getting the best of us? Plus, Dana White says a rematch is probably next for both guys. Is it, though? And we all know Justin Gaethje’s got that dog in him, but we shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that he’s also really, really, really good. ### Episode 636: Alex Pereira faces the worst kind of fight at UFC 313 URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-636-alex-pereira-faces-the-worst-kind-of-fight-at-ufc-313/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:36.000Z Download [COME5162973039.mp3?updated=1741131412](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME5162973039.mp3?updated=1741131412&ref=comainevent.com) What’s the worst kind of fight? A tough-ass matchup against an opponent nobody cares about. That’s exactly what Pereira has on his hands against Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313 on Saturday, so much so that everybody involved (except Ankalaev) appeared put it off as long as they possibly could. But, here’s Poatan, at 37 and sitting on the brink of cleaning out the light heavyweight division, facing his fourth fight in just under 12 months against the man some say shapes up as his stiffest test at 205\. Ain’t that just the way? Plus, Rafael Fiziev seemed to surprise even himself by getting the call to step in for Dan Hooker in the co-main event fight against Justin Gaethje. ### Episode 635: Henry Cejudo gets the ol' 3 stooges URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-635-henry-cejudo-gets-the-ol-3-stooges/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:36.000Z Download [COME4355937841.mp3?updated=1740524012](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME4355937841.mp3?updated=1740524012&ref=comainevent.com) Doesn’t Henry Cejudo know that when somebody tries to go full Moe Howard on you (looking in your direction Song Yadong) all you gotta do is throw the hand up in front of your face to block it? Guess he missed that day in Greatest Combat Sports Athlete of All Time School. We kid, obviously. Still, though, shoutout to Cejudo, Song and Jason Herzog for reminding us last weekend that sometimes the shortest distance between you and winning the fight is just to gouge your opponent’s eyes out. Plus, a ton of fight booking news! Topuria goes up! Hooker drops out! Volko and The Fallout Boy are in! That Boy Good can’t go! Muhammad gets Jackie Flat Nose! Oh, what a rush. ### Episode 634: What now, Jon Jones? WHAT NOW??? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-634-what-now-jon-jones-what-now/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:36.000Z Download [COME2032340905.mp3?updated=1739912583](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME2032340905.mp3?updated=1739912583&ref=comainevent.com) Would somebody please get this goddamn Jon Jones a hobby already? You can just about set your watch to this shit. Give Jones a fight, give him something to train for, some structure, some direction in his life, and it seems like this man is unstoppable. Give him like EVEN ONE SECOND of downtime and he’s liable to get intoxicated and film an Instagram live video about how he wants to kill somebody. WHICH IS EXACTLY WHAT HE DID OVER THE WEEKEND. Who was Jones talking about? What precipitated this behavior? Was he speaking literally or figuratively? And WHY ON EARTH would he FILM this shit on Instagram? In other news, Jared Cannonier refused to go quietly into the domain of the gatekeeper and stepping stone and, you know what, fucking good on him. Also, Henry Cejudo and Song Yadong are gonna mix it up in Seattle this weekend and the oddsmakers don’t LOVE Henry’s chances. ### Episode 633: Sean Strickland turns into a pumpkin at UFC 312 URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-633-sean-strickland-turns-into-a-pumpkin-at-ufc-312/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:36.000Z Download [COME4897917543.mp3?updated=1739311209](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME4897917543.mp3?updated=1739311209&ref=comainevent.com) UFC 312 seemed to signal a community-wide awakening on Sean Strickland. After watching him go out with a whimper against Dricus Du Plessis (again!) it felt like everybody had kind of had enough of his bullshit. Sure, the visionaries on this podcast have been saying for AWHILE that what Strickland advertises prefight (a bloodthirsty maniac!) is quite different than what you actually get inside the cage (a careful point fighter, who came into this bout apparently having made like ZERO adjustments). After this one, however, it felt like fans knew it, other fighters knew it and even his own corner sort of seemed to know it. So, that feels like curtains for ya boi Sean. The irony is, of course, that Strickland actually DOES feel like a psychopathic lunatic in all other aspects of his life. Just … not when he's fighting. Plus, damn you can't doubt DDP anymore. Except in his next fight against Khamzat Chimaev … surely he'll lose that one … right? Also, are Dana White and Ari Emanuel about to try to "fix" boxing by going after the Ali Act? Well, shit, of course they are! Why didn't we see that coming? ### Episode 632: The rematch one man wanted URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-632-the-rematch-one-man-wanted/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:37.000Z Download [COME8051543350.mp3?updated=1738706314](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME8051543350.mp3?updated=1738706314&ref=comainevent.com) Sure, Dricus du Plessis’ middleweight championship win over Sean Strickland back at UFC 297 was a close one. Split decision. Could’ve gone either way, maybe. But, be honest, were any of us really sitting around trying to quench an unquenchable thirst to see them run it back? No. Nobody had that thirst. Nobody except one man. Unfortunately, it was the one man who makes all the decisions, so … here we are. Plus, Zhang Weili and Tatiana Suarez seems like a pretty compelling fight, actually. ### Episode 631: Champs do champ shit at UFC 311 URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-631-champs-do-champ-shit-at-ufc-311/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:37.000Z Download [COME9109768600.mp3?updated=1737504463](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME9109768600.mp3?updated=1737504463&ref=comainevent.com) Islam Makhachev and Merab Dvalishvili both retained their titles on Saturday at UFC 311\. In truth, Merab stole the show in the co-main event, finally emerging with the unanimous decision win over Umar Nurmagomedov after an insane, exciting, back-and-forth fight. In the main event, well, it wasn’t totally Islam’s fault that he couldn’t put on a similarly inspiring showing, after Arman Tsarukyan dropped out with back issues at the last minute. Still, Islam made it look pretty, pretty, pretty easy against replacement fighter Renato Moicano. Plus, with Jiri Prochazka suddenly showing something resembling some defense in a win over Jamahal Hill, are we getting ahead of ourselves to say light heavyweight is … back? ### Episode 630: Islam + Umar big favorites at UFC 311 URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-630-islam-umar-big-favorites-at-ufc-311/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:37.000Z Download [COME4840572627.mp3?updated=1736896866](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME4840572627.mp3?updated=1736896866&ref=comainevent.com) Oddsmakers really like Islam Makhachev and Umar Nurmagomedov to win their respective title fights this weekend at UFC 311\. Maybe that’s understandable since, along with ya bois Khabib and Usman, the former students of Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov are a combined *checks notes* 91-1 in professional MMA fights. That’s pretty good! Hold on, though. Arman Tsarukyan (who fights Makhachev for the lightweight title) and Merab Dvalishvili (who defends HIS men’s bantamweight title against Umar) are also both pretty good! So, what gives? Also, uh, we sure this shit is gonna go down at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, UFC? Because the whole shit down there in that region is on fire. Plus, is Mackenzie Dern at risk of finally living up to her potential? ### Episode 629: UFC 2025 predictions URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-629-ufc-2025-predictions/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:38.000Z Download [COME2678865120.mp3?updated=1736283482](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME2678865120.mp3?updated=1736283482&ref=comainevent.com) Does Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall happen? Can Alex Peieria continue his run? What will the new UFC broadcast deal look like? Does Conor McGregor do anything MMA related, and do we care? These are the questions we wrestle with this week as we don our prognosticating hats and try to divine what will go down in the UFC in 2025. Also, Dana White has joined the board of directors at Meta. We are well and truly doomed, aren’t we? ### Episode 628: Did Shavkat Rakhmonov get less scary at UFC 310? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-628-did-shavkat-rakhmonov-get-less-scary-at-ufc-310/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:38.000Z Download [COME3591129680.mp3?updated=1733875580](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME3591129680.mp3?updated=1733875580&ref=comainevent.com) So, maybe Shavkat Rakhmonov fought Ian (Machado) Garry with an injury on Saturday at UFC 310\. Maybe that’s why THAT BOY GOOD didn’t look quite as GOOD as we expected, even as he emerged with the unanimous decision win. Maybe it was merely the fault of our own expectations that left us feeling disappointed by the fight. And, yeah, now everybody’s gotta admit that Garry is very good. Maybe even elite welterweight good. Plus, Alexandre Pantoja is, in fact, that dominant. ### Episode 627: UFC 310 is worth watching, actually URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-627-ufc-310-is-worth-watching-actually/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:38.000Z Download [COME5828587726.mp3?updated=1733265366](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME5828587726.mp3?updated=1733265366&ref=comainevent.com) Yeah, we know what you’re thinking. First of all: Men’s flyweight pay per view main event? Second of all: Who the hell is Kai Asakura? We get it. From 15,000 feet, maybe UFC 310 doesn’t look like the greatest PPV of the year … and it’s not. But you know what? It’s actually a pretty deep fight card. Not only do you get to see the former two-time Rizin (Risin’? Risen?) bantamweight champ Asakura drop to 125-pounds and fight for the title against Alexandre Pantoja in his UFC debut, but you get to see Shavkat THAT BOY GOOD Rakhmonov and Ian (Machado!) Garry square off in a battle of undefeated prospects. Plus, you got Ciryl Gane vs. Alexander Volkov (for the interim interim interim heavyweight title, maybe) and Bryce Mitchell vs. Kron Gracie (uh, wut?) as well as appearances by such luminaries as Nate THE TRAIN Landwehr (If he doesn't lose, he'll probably win!), Vicente Luque (thankfully NOT fighting Nick Diaz), Aljamain Sterling (fighting on the prelims for some reason) and Chris Weidman (still fighting for some reason). Don't tempt us with a good time, UFC! ### Is it curtains for Conor? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/is-it-curtains-for-conor/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:38.000Z Download [COME8835871419.mp3?updated=1732655997](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME8835871419.mp3?updated=1732655997&ref=comainevent.com) It has been a long time since Conor McGregor was a relevant fighter in the UFC. Now, his worth as a human being seems to be rapidly diminishing, as well. This week, after being found guilty of rape in a civil trial in Ireland, some bad stuff finally started happening to McGregor. Now that he’s an adjudicated rapist, he’s been ordered to pay his victim around $250,000, has been ditched by the new owners of Proper 12, has been cut out of a video game appearance and has lost some distribution of his various other liquor companies in Ireland. Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy, eh? Is this finally the tipping point for McGregor, where the roller coaster has reached the top of the incline and begins to tip ever slightly toward the heart-racing, bone-rattling plummet to the bottom? Maybe. One thing that seems obvious, however, is that the UFC will almost certainly try to book him in another fight sometime in 2025\. This week, we break down what McGregor’s guilt means for his future both in fighting and beyond. ### Episode 625: Jake Paul & Jon Jones out here committing elder abuse URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-625-jake-paul-jon-jones-out-here-committing-elder-abuse/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:39.000Z Download [COME1935884772.mp3?updated=1732043205](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME1935884772.mp3?updated=1732043205&ref=comainevent.com) The fights themselves were not necessarily the story for either Jake Paul or Jon Jones, during what has to be considered one of the biggest combat sports weekends in recent memory. For Jake Paul, it wasn’t really that interesting that he went out there on Friday and beat the Ghost of Mike Tyson at Cowboy Stadium in front of a reported 65 million households on Netflix. The story was how many people watched, and how they reacted. Meanwhile, for Jones, his UFC 309 heavyweight championship fight against 42-year-old Stipe Miocic also went about as expected. The big plotline, though, is what Jones will do next. Also, HEY, did you know we’re running a 50% off holiday special over at the CME Patreon? Right now through Dec. 15 you can get half off a monthly or annual membership if you head over to patreon.com/comainevent and enter the code 20E37 at checkout. Isn’t that something? Sounds like you should probably do that. ### Episode 624: Jon Jones. Stipe Miocic. Mike Tyson. Jake Paul. One weekend. URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-624-jon-jones-stipe-miocic-mike-tyson-jake-paul-one-weekend/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:39.000Z Download [COME5977382686.mp3?updated=1731365599](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME5977382686.mp3?updated=1731365599&ref=comainevent.com) Albeit for very different reasons, we’ve been looking forward to both Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic and Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul for a while now. Both fights have experienced lengthy delays (one owing to Jones’ torn pectoral, the other owing to Tyson “vomiting blood and defecating tar” on an airplane) and now they are going to share a single weekend. The spectacle that will be Tyson vs. Paul airs Friday night on Netflix, and perhaps even more than the fight itself, we’re keen to see what the reaction will be on that platform. Jones and Miocic do the damn thing for the UFC heavyweight title the next night from Madison Square Garden in the main event of UFC 309\. It’ll be Jones’ second foray into the big boy division, while Miocic returns for the first time since 2021\. What will happen? Well, oddsmakers think they know. Is there any chance we might be surprised? ### Episode 623: UFC can’t keep sending Alex Pereira ‘You up?’ texts URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-623-ufc-cant-keep-sending-alex-pereira-you-up-texts/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:39.000Z Download [COME2387819782.mp3?updated=1730839836](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME2387819782.mp3?updated=1730839836&ref=comainevent.com) Belal Muhammad is out of his scheduled title defense against Shavkat THAT BOY GOOD Rakhmonov at UFC 310, owing to an infected bone in his toe. Say what? An infected BONE? We didn’t even know that was a thing that could happen. The hunt is now on for a replacement and you KNOW who the UFC is going to call first. Alex Pereira, that’s who. Honestly, though, hasn't Poatan done enough? Can’t we just leave this guy a lone for a few months? Meanwhile, Rahkmonov has called out Kamaru Usman for an interim title fight. Hmmmm … not sure what we think about that. Plus, Brandon Moreno reminds us who the F he is and Conor McGregor proves for the 1,073rd time that he is a bad person. ### Episode 622: MMA eats our heroes URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-622-mma-eats-our-heroes/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:39.000Z Download [COME6754725470.mp3?updated=1730150525](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME6754725470.mp3?updated=1730150525&ref=comainevent.com) What a strange mix of emotions we felt watching UFC 308\. On one hand, it was cool to see guys like Ilia Topuria and Khamzat Chimaev score big wins to solidify themselves among the next wave of MMA’s great fighters. But why, oh why, did it have to happen at the expense of our beloved Max Holloway and Robert Whittaker? In the end it was another stark reminder that fighting is not like other sports. In football or baseball or soccer, your favorite player gets old and gets cut from the team. Maybe they embarrass themselves by signing as a free agent somewhere else and hanging on too long before sailing away into a cushy retirement. No biggie. But, in combat sports, JFC, we have to watch them get brutally knocked out or, in some cases, get their teeth broken and their jaws CRUNCHED. ### Episode 621: Big Fran back! UFC 308 next! URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-621-big-fran-back-ufc-308-next/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:40.000Z Download [COME3546850082.mp3?updated=1729632652](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME3546850082.mp3?updated=1729632652&ref=comainevent.com) There are a lot of lean times in MMA. A lot of times where it feels like, for lack of a better term, ain’t shit goin’ on. This is not one of them. With Francis Ngannou making his return to MMA last Saturday with a first-round KO over Renan Ferreira in PFL and this Saturday offering us Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway at UFC 308, well, that’s about as good a couple of weekends as we’re gonna get in the year of our lord 2024. ### Episode 620: Can Francis Ngannou Come up big for PFL? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-620-can-francis-ngannou-come-up-big-for-pfl/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:40.000Z Download [COME3083678412.mp3?updated=1729029797](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME3083678412.mp3?updated=1729029797&ref=comainevent.com) This Saturday in Saudi Arabia, Big Fran returns to the cage for the first time since January 2022\. A lot has transpired since then, as we all know: Francis Ngannou left the UFC amid a bitter contract dispute, he made a lot of money boxing, he suffered unthinkable personal tragedy … and now, he’s going to show up to fulfill his obligations to PFL by fighting Renan Ferreira on the fight company’s “Battle of the Giants” pay-per-view. Seems like a lot could go wrong here, both for the now 38-year-old Ngannou and the PFL, which frankly has a pretty good PPV card here it doesn’t feel like it has promoted very well. So, does Battle of the Giants come up big … or small? ### Episode 619: Alex Pereira saves the day (again!) URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-619-alex-pereira-saves-the-day-again/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:40.000Z Download [COME1737058852.mp3?updated=1728337922](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME1737058852.mp3?updated=1728337922&ref=comainevent.com) UFC 307 was not one for the record books. In fact, right up to the point that Alex Pereira and Khalil Rountree Jr. took the cage for the light heavyweight title fight main event, it was sort of a stinker. But then Pereira and Rountree went to war – and it was pretty glorious. Shoutout to Rountree for showing up and showing out better than we had any right to expect. Ultimately, though, it was Pereira once again proving that not only is he the best 205-pounder in the world, but he’s also the UFC’s MVP. Seriously, though, don’t call him again for a while. He sounds like he needs some time off. ### Episode 618: Alex Pereira tempts the gods at UFC 307 URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-618-alex-pereira-tempts-the-gods-at-ufc-307/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:41.000Z Download [COME3638871899.mp3?updated=1727817843](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME3638871899.mp3?updated=1727817843&ref=comainevent.com) Alex Pereira sure fights a lot. Saturday’s light heavyweight title defense against Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC 307 will be Poatan’s fourth fight in the last calendar year and also his 10th in the UFC since his promotional debut in Nov. 2021\. Especially at the championship level, that’s a fairly absurd output. In fact, it’s the sort of thing that we’ve seen come back to bite people in the past. This weekend, however, Pereira is almost a 5-to-1 favorite against the surprise challenger. So … that should be good enough to get him through. Right? Plus, it’s unfair, but we’re all just sort of waiting for Raquel Pennington and Juliana Pena to get this one over with so one of them can fight Kayla Harrison (assuming Harrison ALSO wins on Saturday). ### Episode 617: We came, we Sphered, we conquered URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-617-we-came-we-sphered-we-conquered/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:41.000Z Download [COME3895733302.mp3?updated=1726600506](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME3895733302.mp3?updated=1726600506&ref=comainevent.com) The UFC’s long-awaited, much hyped debut at Sphere in Las Vegas finally went down Saturday and – you know what? – it was actually pretty cool. The visuals were stunning, the atmosphere was unique and it was refreshing to see the fight company break out of its cookie-cutter mold and take some chances. Now, was it the greatest night in the history of combat sports or whatever? Probably not. Did the venue itself largely overshadow the fights (some of which were kinda meh)? Yeah, it did. But, long story short, we’d like to see more Sphere. We’d like the UFC to continue to Sphere. Added Sphering seems like it would be cool. ### Episode 616: UFC 306 at (the) Sphere! URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-616-ufc-306-at-the-sphere/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:41.000Z Download [COME2708992213.mp3?updated=1726007673](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME2708992213.mp3?updated=1726007673&ref=comainevent.com) Well, Main-iacs, the time is finally here. This is the week the UFC heads across town to (the) Sphere for UFC 306\. Dana White has convinced himself that the dummies on the internet said he couldn’t do it, so a lot is riding on how things come out. The UFC is promising short films between fights and that the fights themselves will take place in “different worlds.” What’s that mean? We don’t know! Oh, also, Sean O’Malley defends his men’s bantamweight title against Merab Dwalishvili and Alexa Grasso looks to settle her feud with Valentina Shevchenko. ### CME Patreon Live Chat for 9/4/24 URL: https://www.comainevent.com/cme-patreon-live-chat-for-9-4-24/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:41.000Z Download [COME4561828735.mp3?updated=1725490397](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME4561828735.mp3?updated=1725490397&ref=comainevent.com) Since we missed the Proper yesterday, we thought we'd go ahead and put this episode of the Live Chat out on the regular free CME podcast feed. For you free listeners, think of it as a view behind the curtain at what's going on at our Patreon Page. Seriously, it's wild! It's weird! Is it sometimes wonderful? Only one way to find out. Join the team: https://www.patreon.com/comainevent For those of you who are already with us, please enjoy this ad free version of the show. This week: the UFC's obsession with Jon Jones being the GOAT gets even weirder, Alex Pereira thinks about going back to middleweight (?), and women's MMA experiences a lull. Plus, one patron will play in the international box lacrosse championship, one patron is about to have his first BJJ match and one patron pulls off his most devious heel move yet. ### Episode 615: All hail the Fighting Nerds! URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-615-all-hail-the-fighting-nerds/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:42.000Z Download [COME3960740051.mp3?updated=1724803447](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME3960740051.mp3?updated=1724803447&ref=comainevent.com) Caio Borralho and Jared Cannonier actually had themselves an entertaining scrap on Saturday in the main event of the UFC's latest offering on ESPN. In the end, it was Borralho notching the unanimous decision win … after coming as close as humanly possible to knocking out Cannonier without them actually scoring it that way on the official record. It was clearly the biggest win of Borralho’s career and rocketed him up to No. 5 on the UFC’s official middleweight rankings. But did it also make him the most interesting title contender for DDP? Plus, Borralho is a product of the Fighting Nerds MMA team. Say what now? ### Episode 614: Don’t doubt Dricus URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-614-dont-doubt-dricus/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:42.000Z Download [COME9287646051.mp3?updated=1724179123](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME9287646051.mp3?updated=1724179123&ref=comainevent.com) How does Dricus du Plessis keep doing this shit, man? This is a guy who fights like he’s in PRIDE in like 2005\. He rushes in, throwing them haymakers, seemingly just hoping for the best — and somehow it’s still working for him. This he proved Saturday at UFC 305, defeating Israel Adesanya via fourth round submission (!) to retain his middleweight title. It really and truly boggles the mind. Plus, Carlos Prates looks like a bad man and Ariel Helwani is on the move. ### Episode 613: UFC 305 is getting the high hat URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-613-ufc-305-is-getting-the-high-hat/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:42.000Z Download [COME3268564227.mp3?updated=1723586868](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME3268564227.mp3?updated=1723586868&ref=comainevent.com) We’re going to Perth for UFC 305 and Dricus Du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya for the UFC middleweight title. It’s both a fight and a fight card that are flying under the radar just a little bit here. There’s a lot on this show that seems like it might be of, uh, local interest. Hold on, though, are we giving this card short shrift? Does this fight between DDP and Izzy actually have bigger implications than we are giving it credit for? Plus, Francis Ngannou’s MMA return is on the books. Too soon? ### Episode 612: Topuria vs. Holloway is *fire emoji* URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-612-topuria-vs-holloway-is-fire-emoji/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:42.000Z Download [COME6824927723.mp3?updated=1722978229](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME6824927723.mp3?updated=1722978229&ref=comainevent.com) The UFC this week made good on its promise to book a men’s featherweight title fight between Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway and we … are … stoked. For hardcore fans, this might be the best fight available right now (if we’re really going through with Jones vs. Stipe instead of Jones vs. Aspinall) and actually getting it is cause for celebration. It’s going down at UFC 308 in October. Only question is, will Holloway’s BMF belt be on the line, too, or are we finally admitting the BMF title is just some shit we hand out to whoever, whenever it fits our needs? Plus, Dana White would like us to believe the judge denying the settlement in the UFC antitrust lawsuit is rooted in some high school bullshit and Conor McGregor showed up to cosplay at Stugis of all goddamned places. ### Episode 611: The name, remembered URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-611-the-name-remembered/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:43.000Z Download [COME5371841248.mp3?updated=1722293910](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME5371841248.mp3?updated=1722293910&ref=comainevent.com) Belal Muhammad went and did it. The man the UFC forced to go 10 fights without a loss between 2019-2024 before finally granting him a title shot. The man who came into Manchester a significant underdog to champion Leon Edwards. The one we all thought faced a terrible matchup of styles behind enemy lines. That guy. He walked out of UFC 304 the new welterweight champ on Saturday. So, shows what we all know. The so-called experts. Something tells us Muhammad’s not going to be the UFC brass’ favorite champ. But at least now we’re all damn sure going to remember the name. Plus, Tom Aspinall upholds his end of the bargain as far as any of these potential heavyweight superfights are concerned. And Muhammad Mokaev won his big grudge match against Manel Kape and still pretty much got fired. That’s actually kinda hard to do. ### Episode 610: UFC 304 preview + Jake Paul, future champion? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-610-ufc-304-preview-jake-paul-future-champion/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:43.000Z Download [COME4568200910.mp3?updated=1721686006](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME4568200910.mp3?updated=1721686006&ref=comainevent.com) Oops! … He did it again. Jake Paul played with our hearts, got lost in the game on Saturday, as he dispatched Mike Perry via sixth round TKO. Things went a little off the rails after that, with Conor McGregor trying to “fire” Perry on social media and calling Paul a “pissbag.” Meanwhile, Paul called out Alex Peireira in a fight which seemed both interesting and also impossible. OK, so hear us out, guys. Paul is now 10-1 as professional boxer. He’s proven himself to be a compelling draw. He’s also a pretty good boxer. Though he’s clearly not championship level, would it ever be possible for him to – let’s say if he wins five or six more fights – to compete for some lesser boxing title? Like, the IBWQZF cruiserweight belt or something? I mean, he probably wouldn't win, but it seems like insane every day to ponder if he might at least get the opportunity. Also, UFC 304 is this weekend, where Belal Muhammad finally gets his welterweight title fight against Leon Edwards and Tom Aspinall accomplishes the dubious achievement of actually defending the “interim” heavyweight championship against Curtis Blaydes. ### Episode 609: Did Jon Jones lose a finger? At the airport? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-609-did-jon-jones-lose-a-finger-at-the-airport/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:43.000Z Download [COME3059819931.mp3?updated=1721180053](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME3059819931.mp3?updated=1721180053&ref=comainevent.com) Things Jon Jones has done on Twitter over the last few weeks include, but are not limited to: Announcing he gained 50/50 custody of a son we (maybe?) didn’t know he had. Posted a picture with his new cybertruck. Forgot his own birthday (maybe?). And also posted that he cut half his finger off at the Las Vegas airport. Maybe? Hard to know. After Jones did the old tweet-and-delete of his finger tweet, he pretty much went back to business as usual. Like, tweeting about how magic is real, and Jesus Christ is the strongest magic of all. Shit like that. Also, like getting charged with a couple misdemeanors in the wake of his recent weird alleged confrontation with drug testers. So, truth is, we don't know the status of any of Jones' fingers at the moment. But, like, if Jon Jones lost a finger, we'll find out about it eventually, right? Maybe? Plus, the UFC is really leaning into the Just Some Fights ass shit this summer and … hey … Jake Paul vs. Mike Perry is this weekend! ### Episode 608: Was Diaz vs. Masvidal actually good?!? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-608-was-diaz-vs-masvidal-actually-good/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:43.000Z Download [COME2680318607.mp3?updated=1720480368](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME2680318607.mp3?updated=1720480368&ref=comainevent.com) Well, you know what they say about sunshine and the proverbial dog’s ass. Hard to believe, but Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal went out there and had an (allegedly) entertaining boxing match over the weekend. We guess the law of averages says it was bound to happen eventually. Question is, though, now that we’re this far down the road into the overwhelmingly disappointing “old MMA guys try to box” period of our declining society, did anybody watch? Plus, Jon Jones says he and Stipe finally have something on the books and Reug Reug wins a fight against a guy named Ketchup that was even more ridiculous than it sounds. ### Episode 607: Alex Pereira is that dude URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-607-alex-pereira-is-that-dude/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:44.000Z Download [COME5005918695.mp3?updated=1719872452](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME5005918695.mp3?updated=1719872452&ref=comainevent.com) Turned out, Alex Pereira didn’t need the dark arts to defeat Jiri Prochazka. He just needed Prochazka to continually rush at him with little to no defenses around his face until Pereira could start landing his bombs. Next thing you know, Jiri was standing there making his sad samurai face while Poatan was getting his hand raised. But now that Pereira is ensconced as UFC light heavyweight champion and one of the UFC’s most interesting draws, what’s next for him? I mean, if you’re the UFC and you want to create a huge spectacle AND make tons of money, it’s got to be Jon Jones, right? Right? Plus, Diego Lopes is now the champion of the 1-6-5 and Andrei Arlovski – who has been with the UFC longer than Dana White – is done. At least inside the octagon. ### Episode 606: The internet don’t want to hear about your toe, bro URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-606-the-internet-dont-want-to-hear-about-your-toe-bro/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:44.000Z Download [COME7847214123.mp3?updated=1719274738](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME7847214123.mp3?updated=1719274738&ref=comainevent.com) So, now we know. It was the toe. The pinkie toe, to be exact. The littlest pig. That’s what kept Conor McGregor out of the fight of the year, his grudge (?) match years in the making against Michael Chandler. And lo, what irony of all ironies it was the original SLG himself, Chael Sonnen, who trolled Conor into posting pics of the injured digit online which … yeah, that went about like you’d expect. With McGregor and Chandler off (perhaps for good), this weekend we get a revamped UFC 303 card that looks, well, just fine. ### Episode 605: The many ins and outs of UFC 303 URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-605-the-many-ins-and-outs-of-ufc-303/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:44.000Z Download [COME5280558858.mp3?updated=1718760434](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME5280558858.mp3?updated=1718760434&ref=comainevent.com) Conor McGregor is out. Alex Pereira is in. Michael Chandler is out. Jiri Prochazka is in. Jamahal Hill is out. Anthony Smith is in. Elsewhere, Khamzat Chimaev is out. Ikram Alizkerov (?) is in. Mike Tyson is out (at least for the moment). Mike Perry is in. Seriously, enough you guys. Plus, Anderson and Chael boxed kind of. And Ben is back from Ireland! ### Episode 604: So close, so far URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-604-so-close-so-far/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:45.000Z Download [COME8931984733.mp3?updated=1717458158](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME8931984733.mp3?updated=1717458158&ref=comainevent.com) Dustin Poirier gave it his all, putting on the sort of gritty and endlessly game performance against Islam Makhachev at UFC 302 that we've come to expect from him during his great career. But it wasn't enough. There was never really a moment in this fight where it seemed like Cool Dusty P was going to win. Poirier had that dog in him, but so did Makhachev. The result? And still. Now, Poirier contomplates retirement while Makhachev waits to see who's next. Plus, Sean Strickland put on another sleepy, split-decision Strickland performance against Paulo Costa. And is there any end to the bullshit the UFC will make us sit through during a PPV? ### Episode 603: Last chance for Cool Dusty P URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-603-last-chance-for-cool-dusty-p/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:45.000Z Download [COME5914171724.mp3?updated=1716932379](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME5914171724.mp3?updated=1716932379&ref=comainevent.com) Dustin Poirier is already an all-time great lightweight. He's a shoo-in first-ballot UFC Hall of Famer. He's beloved by fans. He possesses a resume that will stand-up with almost anyone's. But you know what would be really transformative for him? If he became undisputed lightweight champion. This weekend at UFC 302, Poirier gets what is likely his final opportunity to seize that crown when he takes on Islam Makhachev. It definitely won't be easy. Poirier is going off as close to a 6-to-1 underdog at some sportsbooks. But we can't help but wonder … what if … Plus, Sean Strickland and Paulo Costa should be an interesting match-up of styles between two well-known, uh, characters. But only one of them needs to win it to keep his hype train rolling. Spoiler: It's Sean Strickland. ### Episode 602: Boxing is good right now URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-602-boxing-is-good-right-now/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:45.000Z Download [COME2938982418.mp3?updated=1716244721](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME2938982418.mp3?updated=1716244721&ref=comainevent.com) Hey! It’s the 12th anniversary of the Co-Main Event Podcast! Yaaaay! Didn’t think we’d still be here, did you? DID YOU? Haha, well, screw you haters, we’ll see you in the passion project gotcha videos we get our video staffs to produce making fun of you specifically. Funny to look back where it all began. Most of the fighters we talked about in those early days have faded from view now (or at least have moved on to the bare knuckle boxing portions of their combat sports careers) … with the notable exceptions of a few, including both Jon Jones and Anderson Silva (technically retired, but whatevs), who both just so happen to figure into our discussions THIS VERY WEEK. First though, you gotta take your hat off to boxing, which has a fascinating feud over its undisputed heavyweight title going on right now (and it doesn’t get much better than that). Also, UFC 304 fights got announced and they answer some of our biggest matchmaking questions of the year … while raising new ones. ### Episode 601: Derrick Lewis things URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-601-derrick-lewis-things/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:45.000Z Download [COME2269593713.mp3?updated=1715729855](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME2269593713.mp3?updated=1715729855&ref=comainevent.com) By now we all know what Derrick Lewis brings to the table. You either like it, or you don't. Lewis is going to come into fight week and be cheeky and affable, claiming to have not really trained and/or not to know his opponent's name. Then he's going to either A) Almost lose his fight before winning it or B) Almost win his fight before losing it. Afterward, he's going to take his pants off. This is pretty much what happened on Saturday against Rodrigo Nascimento, where Lewis ultimately emerged with a third-round TKO win after two-plus round where he flirted with the idea of messing around and losing. He won, whipped off his shorts and fanned the nearly unconscious Nascimento with them before sliding his cup out and tossing it into press row. So, yeah, everything went according to plan … until an MMA "journalist" asked Dana White to sign Lewis' athletic supporter at the post fight press conference. Ugh. What the hell, you guys. Plus, Jake Paul and Mike Tyson faced off for the first time this week, while over is Saudi Arabia, the heavyweight boxing match that actually matters in scheduled for this weekend. ### Episode 600: Jose Aldo didn't get the memo at UFC 301 URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-600-jose-aldo-didnt-get-the-memo-at-ufc-301/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:46.000Z Download [COME9517317009.mp3?updated=1715033964](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME9517317009.mp3?updated=1715033964&ref=comainevent.com) Fitting that as the Co-Main Event Podcast celebrates its 600th episode, it's an old dog leading the way out of Saturday's UFC 301\. If Jose Also was supposed to serve as a stepping stone to Jonathan Martinez down there in Rio over the weekend, Aldo did not get the memo. He showed up looking like the Jose Jr. of old, pretty much putting a whipping on the younger Martinez over three rounds. Vintage Aldo! Plus, Alexandre Pantoja successfully defended his men's flyweight title against Steve Erceg but didn't necessarily come out of it smelling like a rose--and Michel Pereira's crazy ass backflips his way into our hearts once again. ### Episode 599: UFC 301 preview + BKFC rewind URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-599-ufc-301-preview-bkfc-rewind/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:46.000Z Download [COME5435266686.mp3?updated=1714431061](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME5435266686.mp3?updated=1714431061&ref=comainevent.com) A few years ago it might have seemed farfetched that one day we'd be sitting here spending the majority of an entire episode of the Proper talking about Bare Knuckle FC and a Jake Paul fight, but that's the reality of where combat sports is at the moment. The big headlines for the weekend were: Mike Perry dismantling Thiago Alves in a minute flat at Knucklemania IV and Paul's fight against Mike Tyson being sanctioned as an actual, real professional boxing match (sort of) by the Texas athletic commission. By comparison, the UFC's Fight Night event got left in the dust. So, there you go, there's our show. Boom. Done. Oh wait, except that UFC 301 is this weekend down there in Rio. So we gotta talk about that, too. ### Episode 598: UFC to Netflix? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-598-ufc-to-netflix/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:46.000Z Download [COME7905000824.mp3?updated=1713825597](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME7905000824.mp3?updated=1713825597&ref=comainevent.com) In all the hubbub over UFC 300, most of us missed the juicy detail that Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos was down there sitting cageside on the elbow of Ari Emanuel during the event. You know who didn't miss it? David Spade. The UFC OG celebrity himself posted a pic on his socials blaming "Ted" for blocking his view of the octagon. So, that's interesting. Just a few weeks after Netflix acquires broadcast rights for WWE, there's "Ted" checking out the merchandise at the UFC's biggest event of the year. Maybe Sarandos is just a hardcore. Or … maybe … Well, we're certainly not going to pass up the opportunity to speculate wildly. Plus, PFL had a pretty good event on Friday and Ryan Garcia's crazy ass actually won that big boxing match. ### Episode 597: UFC 300 proved us wrong URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-597-ufc-300-proved-us-wrong/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:46.000Z Download [COME9278941272.mp3?updated=1713218623](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME9278941272.mp3?updated=1713218623&ref=comainevent.com) Well, don't we all feel stupid now? After weeks of dumping on the UFC 300 card for not living up to our expectations, it finally happened on Saturday and it … was … bonkers. You had Max Holloway put on a performance for the ages against Justin Gaethje in a fight that more than showcased the BMF status of both guys. You had Alex Pereira give Herb Dean the ol' "Not now, Herb!" hand gesture and go straight from a low blow to a highlight reel knockout of Jamahal Hill. Plus, Weili Zhang survived a gritty challenge from Yan Xiaonan and Arman Tsarukyan stayed out of Charles Oliveira's many submission attempts long enough to score a split decision win. And all that barely scratches the surface. ### Episode 596: UFC 300 is nigh! URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-596-ufc-300-is-nigh/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:47.000Z Download [COME9395835116.mp3?updated=1712614010](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME9395835116.mp3?updated=1712614010&ref=comainevent.com) Saturday night, the greatest fight card in the history of fight cards comes at us from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Or, at least, that's what the UFC wants us to think about UFC 300\. Honestly, the card isn't too bad, with two actual championship fights and one "championship fight." Your main event, the light heavyweight title (unification, sort of?) bout between Alex Pereira and Jamahal Hill will be a fun punchy-kicky sort of a deal. Zhang Weili vs. Yan Xiaonan has been somewhat anticipated. Justin Gaethje vs. Max Holloway will no doubt be killer, BMF title or no. Plus, you've got the promotional debut of Kayla Harrison and plucky young underdog Bo Nickal trying to continue his Cinderella march through the middleweight division. So, yeah, good job, UFC, which will definitely not pat itself on the back for putting on a decent fight card to commemorate event No. 300 or whatever this actually is. ### Episode 595: Cheating still works in MMA URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-595-cheating-still-works-in-mma/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:47.000Z Download [COME5034686506.mp3?updated=1712008216](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME5034686506.mp3?updated=1712008216&ref=comainevent.com) Well, Chris Weidman can't very well retire after that one, can he? We had hoped perhaps Saturday's Fight Night bout against Bruno Silva would be the former middleweight champion's last but … not only did he "win," but the circumstances were so weird that Weidman pretty much has to come back for at least one more. After 12 and a half minutes of foul-filled action, where at times he looked much improved and at times looked like he was about to get spectacularly knocked out, Weidman pulled off the here-to-for unseen double eye-poke during the same one-two combination. Silva (understandably) couldn't continue, the fight was stopped and somehow Weidman got a unanimous decision (?) win out of it. MMA, man. It's fucked up. Plus, Manon Fiorot may well be the No. 1 contender at women's flyweight, just as soon as Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko get done coaching TUF and Nate THE TRAIN Landwehr reminds us that he might be the funnest thing going in the UFC. WHOOP HIS ASS AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS!!! ### Episode 594: Did the fighters blink? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-594-did-the-fighters-blink/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:47.000Z Download [COME8614078496.mp3?updated=1711403527](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME8614078496.mp3?updated=1711403527&ref=comainevent.com) The years-long staring contest between the UFC and some of its former fighters is over. The class action antitrust lawsuit between the two parties ended last week with the MMA company agreeing to pay a $335 million settlement to the aggrieved fighters. That's great for the individual fighters, most of whom will now get a chunk of change. Maybe not so great for MMA at large, as the bigger picture structural and competitive changes that might have come along with the lawsuit will likely now not happen. But considering the alternatives, did the fighters do the right thing? Plus, Rose Namajunas returned with a win, though perhaps not exactly the kind of win she needed. Especially not with Erin Blanchfield and Manon Fiorot about to have an apparent No. 1 contender fight this weekend. ### Episode 593: Conor McGregor, whas really goin' on? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-593-conor-mcgregor-whas-really-goin-on/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:47.000Z Download [COME8639969559.mp3?updated=1710799386](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME8639969559.mp3?updated=1710799386&ref=comainevent.com) After showing up to the "Road House" premiere looking like he was in a *cough* heightened state of awareness *cough* Conor McGregor once again iterated that he wants to return to the UFC to finish out the final two fights on his contract. So. Conor McGregor wants to fight. The UFC seems to want Conor McGregor to fight. Michael Chandler DAMN SURE wants to fight. What's the hold up? Plus, what's up with Nate Diaz suddenly being all nice and shit? Plus, we still haven't found something that can kill Mark Coleman, and Rose Namajunas returns on a fairly anonymous Fight Night card at the Apex. Because of course. ### Episode 592: UFC 299 spectacular (for Sean O'Malley)! URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-592-ufc-299-spectacular-for-sean-omalley/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:48.000Z Download [COME1415436562.mp3?updated=1710193703](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME1415436562.mp3?updated=1710193703&ref=comainevent.com) If Sean O'Malley needed a statement win to prove he is perhaps the class of the UFC's growing group of young talent, he got one Saturday, essentially pitching a perfect game against Marlon "Chito" Vera at UFC 299\. O'Malley kept Chito at the end of his reach, dictating the pace and the terms of engagement and the best thing you could say about Vera by the end is that he's one tough son of a bitch. Plus, how about that Cool Dusty P, eh? Yaaaay. And, oh yeah, Francis Ngannou got terribly knocked out. Booo. ### Episode 591: UFC 299 is more than O'Malley vs. Chito URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-591-ufc-299-is-more-than-omalley-vs-chito/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:48.000Z Download [COME4198855890.mp3?updated=1709593959](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME4198855890.mp3?updated=1709593959&ref=comainevent.com) Sean O'Malley looks to avenge his funky 2020 injury loss to Chito Vera on Saturday at UFC 299\. Kinda weird to think that we already consider O'Malley one of the UFC's most established stars and champions when in actuality he'll be gunning for his first successful title defense this weekend. It seems like a pretty good scrap, but make no mistake, UFC 299 has a lot more going for it than just O'Malley vs. Chito. Dustin Poirier vs. Benoît Saint Denis, the debut of Michael Venom Page, Curtis Blaydes vs. Jailton Almeida and Mateusz Gamrot vs. Rafael dos Anjos just to name a few. If that wasn't all, Francis Ngannou heads back to Saudi Arabia to see if he can prove his performance against Tyson Fury was no fluke when he takes on Anthony Joshua. ### Episode 590: Brian Ortega’s wild week URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-90-brian-ortegas-wild-week/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:48.000Z Download [COME5762867894.mp3?updated=1708987885](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME5762867894.mp3?updated=1708987885&ref=comainevent.com) Brian Ortega injured himself before his co-main event fight against Yair Rodriguez even started on Saturday, appearing to roll his ankle during Bruce Buffer’s fighter introductions. Then Ortega got lit up like a Roman candle by Rodriguez in round one. Got dropped. Got pounded on. Got his whole shit broke, basically. Somehow, though, Ortega rebounded in rounds two and three and ended up actually winning this thing with a gnarly arm triangle choke in the third. Damn! Add to this already delightful stew that Ortega entertained (?) reporters during prefight media festivities by telling an obviously bullshit story about eagles and – hoo boy – pretty weird week for that dude. Plus, judges declared Royval the better Brandon (was he thooooough?) and Bellator fighters dominated PFL fighters in all the fights except the one that mattered most. ### Episode 589: Topuria triumphs at UFC 298 URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-589-topuria-triumphs-at-ufc-298/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:49.000Z Download [COME8722076548.mp3?updated=1708378774](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME8722076548.mp3?updated=1708378774&ref=comainevent.com) Everything came up Ilia Topuria on Saturday at UFC 298, as the 27-year-old Spaniard fulfilled his self-avowed destiny with a thunderous second-round knockout of longstanding men’s featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski. The outcome was bittersweet for longtime fans, signaling perhaps both the end of one great champion’s reign and the emergence of a bold new successor. Hold on, though, are we shoveling dirt onto Volk’s grave a little prematurely? And with no obvious No. 1 contender, what’s the right next move for Topuria? Plus, Bobby Knuckles wins, Merab puts on a show and McKenzie Dern continues to baffle us. Plus, presidential trivia! ### Episode 588: UFC 298 is Old Man Volk vs. Whippersnapper Topuria URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-588-ufc-291-is-old-man-volk-vs-whippersnapper-topuria/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:49.000Z Download [COME1605069178.mp3?updated=1707778901](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME1605069178.mp3?updated=1707778901&ref=comainevent.com) Alexander Volkanovski fully embraced his old man status headed into Saturday's UFC 298, in a legitimately hilarious internet video that showed off his stellar general acting chops and comedic timing. Still, that acceptance doesn't take away from the harrowing actual statistics about what happens to UFC champions after they turn 35\. Add in recent concerns over his drinking habits between fights and our nagging memories of him getting KOed by Islam Makhachev his last time out and we are perhaps as nervous as we've ever been headed into a Volk fight. Plus, there is the matter of the weird confidence exuded by Ilia Topuria, who is either setting himself up for a fast rise or a big fall. ### Episode 587: Renato Moicano is A LOT URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-587-renato-moicano-is-a-lot/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:49.000Z Download [COME2123277199.mp3?updated=1707174490](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME2123277199.mp3?updated=1707174490&ref=comainevent.com) Got to admire Renato Moicano’s entrepreneurial spirit. Here’s “Money” Moicano nearly 10 years and 15 fights into his UFC career (he’s 18-5-1 as professional after Saturday’s win over Drew Dober) and it feels like he’s just now spreading his wings to show us the beautiful butterfly he’s become. And, friends, it is weird. After dusting Dober in the co-main event of the weekend’s Fight Night card, ya boi “Money” jumped on the mic and said, among other things, he was going to go home and impregnate his wife to try to keep up with his 62-year-old father (who himself just had a baby), that he wants to join the SWAT team to “kill bad guys,” and that if we don’t respect the law, America would become a “third world country.” So, yeah, it was a lot. Plus, Nassourdine Imavov wore Roman Dolidze around the cage like a hat and next week Joe BODYBAGZ Pyfer tries to become a capital G Guy against Singin' and Dancin' Jack Hermansson. ### Episode 586: UFC 300 adds Kayla Harrison + Jon Anik apologizes?!? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-586-ufc-300-adds-kayla-harrison-jon-anik-apologizes/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:49.000Z Download [COME6085590681.mp3?updated=1706568713](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME6085590681.mp3?updated=1706568713&ref=comainevent.com) It was a triple-whammy announcement from Dana White last week, adding Kayla Harrison to UFC 300, giving her a fight with Holly Holm and having it at women's bantamweight. Clearly Harrison's involvement in the UFC's gala milestone pay-per-view is a big deal. But how big? Does she really deserve to be such an overwhelming favorite? And is she really going to make 135 pounds? We have questions. Plus, after saying what we were all thinking on his podcast last week, Jon Anik apologized if he offended anyone by being so dead-on right about what assholes they are. Was the apology really his idea? ### Episode 585: UFC 297: Dumb and Dumber URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-585-ufc-297-dumb-and-dumber/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:50.000Z Download [COME5099514321.mp3?updated=1705964427](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME5099514321.mp3?updated=1705964427&ref=comainevent.com) Dricus du Plessis beat Sean Strickland for the middleweight title, Raquel Pennington cashed-in on the women's bantamweight strap on her 18th fight in the UFC and the company announced Frankie Edgar was going in the hall of fame. We really wish that's what people were going to remember about UFC 297, but honestly? We'll probably remember it as an event where people said a bunch of dumb shit and then many of the reactions to that shit were even dumber. And that's sad, man. That's a sad place we've reached in this sport. ### Episode 584: UFC 297 preview! URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-584-ufc-297-preview/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:50.000Z Download [COME1563319768.mp3?updated=1705438114](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME1563319768.mp3?updated=1705438114&ref=comainevent.com) Sean Strickland and Dricus du Plessis are set to take it to the cage on Saturday at UFC 297, instead of fighting all over the damn arena like Mankind and HHH in 1997 or whatever. The champion probably still needs to prove to us that his win over Israel Adesanya last Sept. wasn't a fluke. Can a victory here do that? Meanwhile, DDP is out to show he can win a title in a third organization -- and that he can either stop Strickland quickly or withstand the champ's pressure style without gassing out over five rounds. Plus, it's Raquel Pennington vs. Mayra Bueno Silva for the vacant women's bantamweight title. Who knew?!? ### Episode 583: UFC gets back to action for 2024 URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-583-ufc-gets-back-to-action-for-2024/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:50.000Z Download [COME2866049163.mp3?updated=1704751865](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME2866049163.mp3?updated=1704751865&ref=comainevent.com) Friends, the holiday doldrums are over and this weekend the UFC kicks off its sure to be relentless 2024 live event schedule with a rematch between Magomed Ankalaev and Johnny Walker. Maybe not the sexiest main event, but the card isn't too bad, all things considered. In addition to that, we take your listener mail questions, which piled up on us a bit during the break. ### Episode 581: Can Colby + Royval make it a baker's dozen? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-581-can-colby-royval-make-it-a-bakers-dozen/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:50.000Z Download [COME4045739501.mp3?updated=1702336882](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME4045739501.mp3?updated=1702336882&ref=comainevent.com) It's been a year of upheaval in the UFC. All told, the company has crowned 11 champions in 2023--with UFC 296's twin-bill of title fights still on deck this Saturday. Can Colby Covington finally breakthrough and become undisputed welterweight champion with a win over Leon Edwards? Can Brandon Royval unseat newly-minted men's flyweight champ Alexandre Pantoja? Oddsmakers say these fights will be close. Will it continue to be a bad year for sitting champions? Plus, big fights for Shavkat Rakhmonov, Paddy Pimblett and Ian (whispers) MACHADO Garry. ### Episode 580: Long live the king (of violence)! URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-580-long-live-the-king-of-violence/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:51.000Z Download [COME2073010625.mp3?updated=1701730287](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME2073010625.mp3?updated=1701730287&ref=comainevent.com) It's possible there has never been a person better suited to bare knuckle boxing than Mike Perry. Here he was again last weekend against Eddie Alvarez, seeming to wager that he was willing to go out there and accept more punishment than the other guy in pursuit of something called the "King of Violence" belt--and he was right. Perry again emerged victorious after Alvarez's corner stopped the fight after the second round. All hail the king or whatever. Plus, Arman Tsarukyan looked dominant over Beneil Dariush and Bobby Green not so much against Jalin Turner. ### Episode 579: Questions, Comments, Concerns URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-579-questions-comments-concerns/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:51.000Z Download [COME1664238123.mp3?updated=1701123503](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME1664238123.mp3?updated=1701123503&ref=comainevent.com) On the heels of last week's PFL championships and in advance of this week's UFC Fight Night, we open it up to listener questions. What's at stake between Beneil Dariush and Arman Tsarukyan this weekend? Why don't we give Miesha Tate more credit as a pioneer of women's MMA? Is Stipe still relevant? And is PFL fumbling the bag? These topics and more from you, the beloved listeners of the CME. ### Episode 578: It was all a dream … URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-578-it-was-all-a-dream/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:51.000Z Download [COME2002360164.mp3?updated=1700521749](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME2002360164.mp3?updated=1700521749&ref=comainevent.com) It was funny and fitting that Bellator 301 crowned two new champions and advanced one fighter to the finals of the company's ongoing grand prix just a couple days before we got final confirmed it had been acquired by the PFL. At least for now, the PFL says it will continue running something called the Bellator International Champions Series but, come on, we know how these things go. This week, we discuss the end(ish?) of Bellator and what kind of player this could now make the PFL on the national MMA scene. Plus, Brendan Allen roughs up Paul Craig and Tom Aspinall calls out some rubbish. This episode is brought to you in part by NordVPN. Grab your EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to nordvpn.com/comain or use the code comain to get four free bonus months when you sign up for a two-year plan. It’s risk free with Nord’s exclusive 30-day money back guarantee. ### Episode 577: You get a KO! And you get a KO! And YOU get a KO! URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-577-you-get-a-ko-and-you-get-a-ko-and-you-get-a-ko/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:52.000Z Download [COME8134378556.mp3?updated=1699916226](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME8134378556.mp3?updated=1699916226&ref=comainevent.com) We crowned two new champions on Saturday at UFC 295–and neither fight took that long. On a night full of KOs at Madison Square Garden, Alex Pereira emerged with the light heavyweight championship (his second in two different divisions) and Tom Aspinall became the new interim heavyweight titlist. So … the question remains … just how mad is Jon Jones about this? Yeah, he tried to be all nice when he congratulated Aspinal via social media, but you just KNOW it’s burning him up inside that these two guys won belts that Jones technically never lost. We discuss. ### Episode 576: Jiri P. vs. Alex P. at MSG URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-576-jiri-p-vs-alex-p-at-msg/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:52.000Z Download [COME6541844345.mp3?updated=1699311806](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME6541844345.mp3?updated=1699311806&ref=comainevent.com) We’re sad that Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic is off pretty much indefinitely due to Jones’ torn pec, but UFC 295 still looks pretty OK. It’s admittedly a little top heavy – no need to stack the card when you thought you had JBJ vs. Stipe, eh? – but the revamped main and co-main still look pretty cool. Jiri Prochazka returns from the worst shoulder injury in the history of shoulders to take on former middleweight champ Alex Pereira for the vacant light heavyweight title. Tom Aspinall and Sergei Pavlovich duke it out for an interim heavyweight title. Seems like a couple good fights that might clean up the messes in the UFC's heaviest weight classes. Plus, some people were impressed by Jailton Almeida's win over Derrick Lewis and some people weren’t and shit maybe just got really real for the UFC in its antitrust case. This episode is brought to you in part by NordVPN. Grab your EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to nordvpn.com/comain or use the code comain to get four free bonus months when you sign up for a two-year plan. It’s risk free with Nord’s exclusive 30-day money back guarantee. ### Episode 575: Francis Ngannou, god among men URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-575-francis-ngannou-god-among-men/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:52.000Z Download [COME7498255912.mp3?updated=1698701302](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME7498255912.mp3?updated=1698701302&ref=comainevent.com) MMA people, what did we just see? Francis Ngannou went over there to Saudi Arabia over the weekend and DID THE DAMN THING against heavyweight champion Tyson Fury. Ngannou out-performed even our most generous expectations, knocking Fury down in the third and taking him to a (kinda bullshit?) split decision. It was, without a doubt, one of the greatest underdog performances in the history of professional sports. This week on the Proper, we discuss, among other things: My God, Francis showed out. How to even put this fight in historical perspective? So, what's next? Does Francis become a full-time boxer or does he have some MMA left in him? How bad did the UFC fuck up here? And when will we hear from Noted Boxing Fan Dana White about this fight? ### Episode 574: Strange times in Abu Dhabi URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-574-strange-times-in-abu-dhabi/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:52.000Z Download [COME4025657584.mp3?updated=1698103036](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME4025657584.mp3?updated=1698103036&ref=comainevent.com) UFC 294 was a weird one. Islam Makhachev and Khamzat Chimaev both scored big victories over short-notice replacements, but the event also was marred by low blows, fence grabs, illegal knees, some super weird ringside doctoring, a couple people showing up with staph, rumors the UFC had once again banned flags from the Octagon and – of all things – Paulo Costa trying to brawl random fans in the stands. So, yeah, it was bizarre. ### Episode 573: UFC 294 is some tasty chicken salad URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-573-ufc-294-is-some-tasty-chicken-salad/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:53.000Z Download [COME2117081277.mp3?updated=1697492832](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME2117081277.mp3?updated=1697492832&ref=comainevent.com) So, just a couple weeks before the UFC is set to head to Abu Dhabi with a fairly marquee card, they lose BOTH their co-main event and main event to some unexpected misadventure. In this case, it was a cut to Charles Oliveira and surgery for Paulo Costa that forced them out of their respective bouts. This type of swerve might spell disaster for any other promoter, but not so for the UFC. When you've got the power and influence of an organization that controls more than 90% of your chosen market, you just reload, brother. The UFC brought in featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski to take Oliveira's place in a lightweight title fight against Islam Makhachev and former welterweight titlist Kamaru Usman to sub in for Costa in a middleweight bout against Khamzat Chimaev. In other words, still pretty awesome. Damn. Must be nice. ### Episode 572: 'Nothing planned' for Conor McGregor?!?! URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-572-nothing-planned-for-conor-mcgregor/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:53.000Z Download [COME6427003417.mp3?updated=1696887229](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME6427003417.mp3?updated=1696887229&ref=comainevent.com) UFC President Dana White this week confirmed earlier social media posts from Conor McGregor that the fighter had "sent his stuff" to UFC drug czar Jeff Novitsky, but said that McGregor was not back in the USADA testing pool quite yet. "I literally have nothing planned for Conor McGregor right now,” White said. Could this possibly be true? Has White finally realized that it's impossible to plan anything with the wily Irishman? But, if that's so, why did McGregor apply to get back into the pool at the exact six-month deadline he'd need if he were going to headline UFC 300 in April, 2024? It's a mystery. Plus, Bobby Green KOed Grant Dawson so fast he didn't even know what hand he did it with and … well, this seems like a VERY Bellator end for Bellator, doesn't it? ### Episode 571: Is this the end? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-571-is-this-the-end/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:53.000Z Download [COME4610027826.mp3?updated=1696283272](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME4610027826.mp3?updated=1696283272&ref=comainevent.com) Bellator 300 happens this weekend at Pechanga Arena in San Diego. Three titles on the line. Seventeen fights total. Under normal circumstances you could chalk it down as a gala celebration of Scott Coker's alternative American MMA organization making it to the big Three Double Oh. Unfortunately, with rampant rumors that PFL is about to buy it and that Bellator has one, maybe two events left … well, that casts a pall, doesn't it? Plus, the UFC's unstoppable fight engine roars back to life with Grant Dawson vs. Bobby Green and the California State Athletic Commission continues to actually try to do a good job. ### Episode 570: Mailbag bonanza! URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-570-mailbag-bonanza/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:54.000Z Download [COME8681384458.mp3?updated=1695759758](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME8681384458.mp3?updated=1695759758&ref=comainevent.com) We got more listener mail than we expected coming out of last weekend’s Fight Night card – Thanks, Bryce! – and with no UFC event scheduled for this weekend we thought, what the hell, let’s answer as many of them as we can. So, we take your queries about the bummer ending of Fiziev vs. Gamrot, Bryce Mitchell’s bible thumping, excitement levels for Jiri vs. Pereira, whether ALL fighters will soon be DWCS fighters and a whole lot more. This episode is brought to you in part by NordVPN. Grab your EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to nordvpn.com/comain or use the code comain to get four free bonus months when you sign up for a two-year plan. It's risk free with Nord's exclusive 30-day money back guarantee. ### Episode 569: Everybody had fun except Valentina Shevchenko URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-569-everybody-had-fun-except-valentina-shevchenko/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:54.000Z Download [COME3777234151.mp3?updated=1695076879](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME3777234151.mp3?updated=1695076879&ref=comainevent.com) Nobody loves a 10-8 round more than Mike Bell. That Mike Bell is a 10-8in' MFer to be sure. Let him out of your sight for even one second and Mike Bell will score a round 10-8\. Valentina Shevchenko found that out the hard way on Saturday at UFC Noche, as Bell's 10-8 scorecard in favor of Alexa Grasso in the pivotal fifth round of their title fight denied Shevchenko the opportunity to regain the women's flyweight championship and maybe sent her to the back of the contender line. The split draw that let Grasso hold onto the title, however, should not overshadow the fact she and Shevchenko had a hell of a fight (again). So, where does Mike Bell's 10-8in' ass leave the 125-pound division? We discuss. This episode is brought to you in part by NordVPN. Grab your EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to nordvpn.com/comain or use the code comain to get four free bonus months when you sign up for a two-year plan. It's risk free with Nord's exclusive 30-day money back guarantee. ### Episode 568: What. The F@#k. Just Happened? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-568-what-the-fk-just-happened/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:54.000Z Download [COME8798633779.mp3?updated=1694469669](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME8798633779.mp3?updated=1694469669&ref=comainevent.com) It was no dream. There is no waking up from this one. Sean Strickland really DID show up on Saturday at UFC 293 and take the middleweight title from Israel Adesanya by shocking unanimous decision. This was no lucky punch or freak injury. Nope. Sean Strickland just went out there and did Sean Strickland stuff and Adesanya basically had no answer for it. Un-fucking-believable. Did we (and by "we" I mean I -- Chad) make this happen? Look, we were just trying to bring some Silly Little Guy energy to our bets on last week's Power Hour, but it seems possible we did spark the wrath of the MMA Gods by including Izzy in all of our parlays. Sorry about that. Now we all have a few months of a Strickland title reign to suffer through before somebody inevitably beats him. What will that be like? Who's next ? And what does the UFC do with the suddenly 1-2 Adesanya? We discourse. This episode is brought to you in part by NordVPN. Grab your EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to nordvpn.com/comain or use the code comain to get four free bonus months when you sign up for a two-year plan. It's risk free with Nord's exclusive 30-day money back guarantee. ### Episode 567: UFC 293 ain't no bobby dazzler URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-567-ufc-293-aint-no-bobby-dazzler/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:54.000Z Download [COME5858846924.mp3?updated=1693953245](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME5858846924.mp3?updated=1693953245&ref=comainevent.com) Sounds like Sean Strickland is having fun on his trip to Australia, what with showing up on day one and slugging a random fan in the stomach. He's also writing some fire tweets (and by fire we mean offensive), which, let’s face it, he’d be doing no matter where he was in the world. Will that enjoyment extend to Saturday, when he is scheduled to fight Israel Adesanya for the UFC middleweight title? That part we don’t know, though Strickland is facing long odds and what looks like a terrible match-up of styles for him. This wasn’t the 185-pound championship match we were supposed to have at UFC 293, but its the one we got. Anymore, that sort of feels like it sums up the general state of things in the UFC. Also, Ciryl Gane got a bit of a “comeback” win over Sergey Spivac last weekend, though it’s hard to tell how much that means for him while Jon Jones is still heavyweight champion. ### Episode 566: Holloway, Zombie both sweet dudes URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-566-holloway-zombie-both-sweet-dudes/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:55.000Z Download [COME4113194725.mp3?updated=1693261406](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME4113194725.mp3?updated=1693261406&ref=comainevent.com) Max Holloway got the win as expected over Chan Sung Jung on Saturday, but it was still a fairly impressive weekend for the Korean Zombie. Jung was able to find Holloway's chin more than expected prior to his own KO loss, he got a signature Zombie moment surviving a choke in the second round and after the fight pulled off perhaps the classiest and most eloquent MMA retirement we've ever seen. Point being: Max and the Zombie are both sweet dudes. Where they both go from now, only time will tell. Plus, as the UFC rolls into Paris this weekend, will Sergey Spivak look to check that wrestling against Ciryl Gane? This episode is brought to you in part by NordVPN. Grab your EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to nordvpn.com/comain or use the code comain to get four free bonus months when you sign up for a two-year plan. It's risk free with Nord's exclusive 30-day money back guarantee. ### Episode 565: Sean O'Malley, world champion URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-565-sean-omalley-world-champion/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:55.000Z Download [COME5935997722.mp3?updated=1692660120](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME5935997722.mp3?updated=1692660120&ref=comainevent.com) Friends, your new UFC men's bantamweight champion is Sean O'Malley. It's possible that's a pretty big deal. At this point, the UFC certainly seems to have succeeded in its years-long effort at making O'Malley a star. His upset TKO of Aljamain Sterling on Saturday at UFC 292 made him the youngest champion on the UFC's current roster, he received a hero's welcome in Boston and now is poised to perhaps bring an unprecedented amount of attention to the 135-pound division. Only question now is, how long can he stay on top? Plus, Zhang Weili blanked Amanda Lemos and Max Holloway is going to have a fun fight against The Korean Zombie. This episode is brought to you in part by NordVPN. Grab your EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to nordvpn.com/comain or use the code comain to get one free bonus month as well as their exclusive 30-day money back guarantee. ### Episode 564: UFC's O'Malley Experiment gets serious URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-564-ufcs-omalley-experiment-get-serious/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:55.000Z Download [COME5877164616.mp3?updated=1692140955](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME5877164616.mp3?updated=1692140955&ref=comainevent.com) Since his promotional debut in 2017, the UFC has had Sean O'Malley ticketed for stardom. Saturday at UFC 292, perhaps we'll see if he came make good on that promise. O'Malley is going off as about a 2-to-1 underdog to men's bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling, but questions persist about Sterling's health, focus and readiness. Fact is, O'Malley could be a live dog here. Will he prove to be everything the UFC thinks he can be? Plus, Zhang Weili squares off with Amanda Lemos -- wait, who? -- and Vicente Luque is a miracle cured by God. This episode is brought to you in part by NordVPN. Grab your EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to nordvpn.com/comain or use the code comain to get one free bonus month as well as their exclusive 30-day money back guarantee. ### Episode 563: Jake Paul to MMA. Is it time? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-563-jake-paul-to-mma-is-it-time/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:55.000Z Download [COME2695532356.mp3?updated=1691445030](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME2695532356.mp3?updated=1691445030&ref=comainevent.com) Jake Paul did that thing on Saturday where he outduels an aging but beloved MMA star in the boxing ring. This time it was Nate Diaz coming up short on the scorecards against "The Problem Child." It was fine, if you like that kind of thing, but at this point these Jake Paul boxing weekends are starting to feel formulaic, right down to the brawls outside the arena after the actual fight ends. So … is Paul's threatened move to MMA to fight Diaz again actually the smartest move he could make right now? Also, Cory Sandhagen tears triceps, still wins. MMA fans: Boooring! This episode is brought to you in part by NordVPN. Grab your EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to nordvpn.com/comain or use the code comain to get one free bonus month as well as their exclusive 30-day money back guarantee. *Photo by the great Esther Lin.* ### Episode 562: Justin Gaethje, BMF, No. 1 contender URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-562-justin-gaethje-bmf-no-1-contender/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:56.000Z Download [COME4022140795.mp3?updated=1690841390](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME4022140795.mp3?updated=1690841390&ref=comainevent.com) Usually, when Justin Gaethje delivers devastating kicks, they are to the legs. Turns out, he can kick you in the head pretty hard, too. Dustin Poirier found that out the hard way Saturday during the pair's main event fight at UFC 291\. Now that Gaethje has knocked out Poirier and claimed the BMF "title," he's also the assumed the No. 1 contender for the actual, real lightweight title, as well. So, it was a pretty good night of work for him. Plus, we talk Alex Pereira's victorious but frustrating light heavyweight debut, Derrick Lewis landing a flying knee and stripping his shorts off (because of course) and the downfall of Tony Ferguson. ### Episode 561: Doin' it again, brother, at UFC 291 URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-561-doin-it-again-brother-at-ufc-291/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:56.000Z Download [COME2084664581.mp3?updated=1690236134](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME2084664581.mp3?updated=1690236134&ref=comainevent.com) Nobody in the world will argue with Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje re-matching at UFC 291\. That's just a good-ass fight. One so good, in fact, that it probably doesn't need the added silliness of being for the "vacant" BMF title. But, you know, gold on the poster and all that. Plus we get to see how Alex Periera will fare at light heavyweight as he moves up to fight Janny Blackjacks. Plus, several "remember me?" fights round out the main card. We talk all that, plus: Tom Aspinall? That boy good. ### Episode 560: Francis Ngannou rolls a Yahtzee URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-560-francis-ngannou-rolls-a-yahtzee/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:56.000Z Download [COME6985681522.mp3?updated=1689631404](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME6985681522.mp3?updated=1689631404&ref=comainevent.com) At this point, you gotta admire Francis Ngannou's track record of doing exactly what the fuck he says he's going to do. He said he was going to wait out his UFC contract. He did that. He said he was going to sign a lucrative MMA deal that would include unprecedented gains for both himself and his opponents. He did that. He said he was going to sign a big-money boxing match against one of the world's best-known pugilists that would probably set him up for life. He. Fucking. Did. That. How can you not be happy for this guy? On this episode, we look forward to Ngannou vs. Tyson Fury, talk about Holly Holm's submission loss to Marya Bueno Silva and anticipate the return of Tom Aspinall. https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME6985681522.mp3?updated=1689631404 ### Episode 559: UFC 290 is why we watch URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-559-ufc-290-is-why-we-watch/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:56.000Z Download [COME6471445381.mp3?updated=1689026019](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME6471445381.mp3?updated=1689026019&ref=comainevent.com) Holy shit! If you happen to be an MMA fan who struggles with the current landscape of the UFC, Saturday's pay-per-view was a goddamn life-affirming breath of fresh air. UFC 290 was probably one of the company's all-time great PPV events. Alexander Volkanovski reaffirmed his greatness. Alexandre Pantoja won the men's flyweight title from Brandon Moreno in a fight-of-the-year caliber split decision. Robbie Lawler walked away in perfect style. DDP set up perhaps the cringiest middleweight title fight of all time against Israel Adesanya. Bo Nickal knocked a MFer out on the feet (!). It was wild, weird and sometimes wonderful. This is why we started watching this stuff in the first place. ### Episode 558: Are the vibes off for Volk at UFC 290? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-558-are-the-vibes-off-for-volk-at-ufc-290/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:57.000Z Download [COME8852136550.mp3?updated=1688409343](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME8852136550.mp3?updated=1688409343&ref=comainevent.com) There's no real reason to believe Yair Rodriguez defeats Alexander Volkanovski in their men's featherweight title unification bout at UFC 290 this weekend. Volkanovski has been too good, he comes into this fight about a 4-to-1 favorite and the whole idea of making an interim title in this division was kinda bullshit from the beginning. But … are the vibes a bit off for him leading up to this fight? We're not saying they are. We're merely asking questions. Plus, the rest of the UFC 290 card looks fun as hell. You got Brandon Moreno and Alexandre Pantoja doing the damn thing for the men's flyweight title You got Bobby Knuckles and DDP in a probable No. 1 contender fight. You got Robbie Lawler's alleged retirement fight. Oh, and there's this scrappy underdog you may have heard of … Bo Nickal. He's on there too. Also, is it craaaaazy to consider Sean Strickland a viable title contender now? Probably. But still. ### Episode 557: These rich nerds ain't fighting URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-557-these-rich-nerds-aint-fighting/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:57.000Z Download [COME9204251199.mp3?updated=1687811828](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME9204251199.mp3?updated=1687811828&ref=comainevent.com) Mere weeks after Dana White said the UFC "doesn't do" gimmick fights, he's all up in the media talking about trying to book an actual cagefight between Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk. First off, if you needed yet more evidence that White is frequently bullshitting us, well, there you go. Secondly, these rich nerds ain't really gonna fight each other. But wouldn't it be sad if they did? Also, Illia Topuria is super good at fighting. Like, super good. And the PFL puts its finger on the scales in the worst possible way. This episode is brought to you in part by NordVPN. Get your Exclusive NordVPN deal by going to nordvpn.com/comain or use the code comain. ### Episode 556: What would a Bellator-PFL merger look like? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-556-what-would-a-bellator-pfl-merger-look-like/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:57.000Z Download [COME5227442978.mp3?updated=1687201113](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME5227442978.mp3?updated=1687201113&ref=comainevent.com) Bellator staged the top MMA event of the weekend, with Sergio Pettis outdueling Patricio Pitbull in a compelling scrap for the men's bantamweight championship and light heavyweight titlist Vadim Nemkov reaffirming his greatness pitching a shutout against Yoel Romero. With both sides also confirming a Bellator-PFL merger is at least being explored, we'll take a look at what that might mean for combat sports. Plus, Jared Cannonier set a middleweight record for significant strikes in his decision victory over Marvin Vettori. Is that another one of this double-edged sword UFC records? This episode is brought to you in part by NordVPN. Get your Exclusive NordVPN deal by going to nordvpn.com/comain or use the code comain. ### Episode 555: Oliveira Owns UFC 289 URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-555-oliveira-owns-ufc-289/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:58.000Z Download [COME7810293912.mp3?updated=1686606223](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME7810293912.mp3?updated=1686606223&ref=comainevent.com) Amanda Nunes pretty much whooped-up on Irene Aldana to retain her women's bantamweight title and then retired in the cage, which was a nice moment. Canadian fighters went undefeated in front of their home countrymen in Vancouver, which obviously was a feel-good story. But you know who really stamped their name on UFC 289 on Saturday? Charles Oliveira, that's who. Oliveira went out there and spoiled Beneil Dariush's big chance at lightweight contendership by dominating on the ground and on the feet en route to a first-round victory -- and he did so while being hailed as a hero by the Canadian fans. This seemed like the kind of performance that could well net him a rematch with Islam Makhachev and also one that confirmed he's a pretty big star for the UFC. This episode is brought to you in part by NordVPN. Get your Exclusive NordVPN deal by going to nordvpn.com/comain or use the code comain. ### Episode No. 554: Is UFC 289 the last ride for The Lioness? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-no-554-is-ufc-289-the-last-ride-for-the-lioness/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:58.000Z Download [COME3457738590.mp3?updated=1686002302](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME3457738590.mp3?updated=1686002302&ref=comainevent.com) Amanda Nunes returns Saturday to defend her UFC women's bantamweight title against Irene Aldana. Should be a solid little scrap, though we're not sure there's any reason to suspect Nunes might lose … except, well, she is 36 years old, recently left American Top Team to start her own gym and has been openly talking about retirement since her feud with Juliana Pena. So, can Aldana pull the upset here and is there any chance this is the last ride for The Lioness? Plus, Dana White reminds us Jared Gordon is not a doctor and did Kai Kara France get screwed? This episode is brought to you in part by NordVPN. Get your Exclusive NordVPN deal by going to nordvpn.com/comain or use the code comain. ### Episode 553: So many Conor McGregor headlines URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-553-so-many-conor-mcgregor-headlines/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:58.000Z Download [COME1478277220.mp3?updated=1685477874](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME1478277220.mp3?updated=1685477874&ref=comainevent.com) Conor McGregor is "filling out the paperwork" to re-enroll in the USADA testing pool, according to Dana White, which means the biggest star in MMA is back! Almost? Maybe? Remains to seen. Despite the lingering uncertainty, it's clear at least one group of people is VERY glad to have McGregor in their lives again. Those people are the keepers of the MMA news cycle. McGregor hasn't totally done anything yet upon his return to active duty and somehow every other story on the websites is already about him. We talk the McGregor Phenomenon this week. Plus, UFC on ESPN rolls out this weekend and Justin Gaethje says what we're all thinking about the BMF title. This episode is brought to you in part by NordVPN. Get your Exclusive NordVPN deal by going to nordvpn.com/comain or use the code comain. ### Episode 552: Fighter pay drops to 13% in 2022 URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-552-fighter-pay-drops-to-13-in-2022/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:58.000Z Download [COME5033583186.mp3?updated=1684793469](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME5033583186.mp3?updated=1684793469&ref=comainevent.com) Bloody Elbow's John Nash has a new report out on the UFC's finances and, friends, it is mind-blowing. Once again in 2022, the fight company made more than $1 billion in revenue and, largely because it didn't have to pay superstars like Conor McGregor last year, total fighter pay dropped by around $32.8 million (to roughly 13 percent of total revenue). UFC profits were up in every category, while expenses and operating costs were down. So … wow. Plus, Mackenzie Dern went beast mode on Angela Hill and Dana White says he doesn't understand Francis Ngannou's new deal with PFL. This episode is brought to you in part by NordVPN. Get your Exclusive NordVPN deal by going to nordvpn.com/comain or use the code comain. ### Episode 551: Francis Ngannou has some news URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-551-francis-ngannou-has-some-news/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:59.000Z Download [COME3166992637.mp3?updated=1684189428](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME3166992637.mp3?updated=1684189428&ref=comainevent.com) What a tease this guy, Big Fran is. Here he is posting this video to his socials last week promising us that on Tuesday he's going to tells us (what we hope is) his final decision on free agency. We're not sure what he's going to say -- Will it be a boxing announcement? Will it be MMA? -- but that sure won't stop us from wildly and irresponsibly speculating. Plus, Jailton Almeida tapped the Bigi Boy, Matt Brown had a record night and Ian Garry continues to be a problem. This episode is brought to you in part by NordVPN. Get your Exclusive NordVPN deal by going to nordvpn.com/comain or use the code comain. ### Episode 550: UFC 288 doesn't overachieve URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-550-ufc-288-doesnt-overachieve/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:59.000Z Download [COME8679889656.mp3?updated=1683583324](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME8679889656.mp3?updated=1683583324&ref=comainevent.com) You know how some fight cards that look pretty "meh" on paper turn out to be unexpectedly great? Yeah, UFC 288 wasn't really one of those. Headlined by an important but perhaps not best-selling men's bantamweight title fight between Aljamain Sterling and Henry Cejudo, this one didn't really appear to live up to the high standards set by some of the UFC's other PPVs this year. There was nothing wrong with Sterling's unanimous decision win over Cejudo and there was nothing wrong with Belal Muhammad's UD over Gilbert Burns. But this card didn't blow our hair back and these wins probably aren't going to get Sterling and Muhammad the respect they deserve. Speaking of not getting the respect he deserves, Demetrious Johnson looked as good as ever in (yet another kinda nondescript) unanimous decision win over Adriano Moraes in One Championship. Johnson took the trilogy and was noncommittal on retirement, but is he forever destined to be MMA's lost GOAT? ### Episode 549: UFC 288 preview + BKFC's Super Bowl URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-549-ufc-288-preview-bkfcs-super-bowl/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:59.000Z Download [COME9322953028.mp3?updated=1682978284](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME9322953028.mp3?updated=1682978284&ref=comainevent.com) It's not every weekend that the eyes of the combat sports world fall squarely on BKFC, but with the UFC giving new meaning to the term Just Some Fights and no other MMA to speak of, that was the case on Saturday. A bevy of recognizable names -- Mike Perry, Luke Rockhold, Eddie Alvarez, heck, even Conor McGregor -- essentially made this BKFC's Super Bowl. Both for better and for worse. Plus, with UFC 288 right around the corner, we look at the main event and co-main at that pay-per-view. ### Episode 548: Sergei Pavlovich punches his ticket (and Curtis Blaydes) URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-548-sergei-pavlovich-punches-his-ticket-and-curtis-blaydes/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:39:59.000Z Download [COME3650746375.mp3?updated=1682375947](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME3650746375.mp3?updated=1682375947&ref=comainevent.com) Welcome to the heavyweight elite, Sergei Pavlovich. Ya boy went out there and starched Curtis Blaydes in just over three minutes on Saturday at a UFC Fight Night event to become the consensus No. 1 contender in the heavyweight division. Could a lot go wrong between now and when Pavlovich might conceivably fight the winner of Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic? Sure. Did Blaydes engage in kind of a bizarre strategy in this fight? Yes, he did. But is Pavlovich now arguably the most interesting figure in the 265-pound division outside of JBJ and Stipe? Undoubtedly. Plus, Bellator had a pretty good two-night stop in Hawaii, Nate Diaz fought some jabronis on the streets of New Orleans and Bobby Green had a pretty bad Saturday night. ### Episode 547: Max Holloway ain't nothing to fuck with URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-547-max-holloway-aint-nothing-to-fuck-with/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:00.000Z Download [COME6766957289.mp3?updated=1681770078](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME6766957289.mp3?updated=1681770078&ref=comainevent.com) You think the UFC will stop sending its top men's featherweight prospects to Max Holloway? Because so far when they do, all they get back is a box of bones. Holloway continued his up-and-comer ass-whipping tour on Saturday, dispatching Arnold Allen via unanimous decision in the pair's UFC Fight Night main event. This fight was 95 percent Holloway stylin' on Allen with his speed, pressure game and counter-punches and five percent Holloway eating Allen's hardest shots and walking right through them like a man out on a Sunday stroll. So, your basic Max Holloway shit, in other words. Plus, Nate Diaz is gonna fight Jake Paul in a boxing match at 185 pounds. What could go wrong? And Jon Jones teased us with retirement, while the UFC lines up a potential No. 1 contender fight between Sergei Pavlovich and Curtis Blaydes. This episode is brought to you in part by NordVPN. Get your Exclusive NordVPN deal by going to nordvpn.com/comain or use the code comain. ### Episode 546: Izzy gets one back URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-546-izzy-gets-one-back/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:00.000Z Download [COME8951732060.mp3?updated=1681163137](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME8951732060.mp3?updated=1681163137&ref=comainevent.com) Once it was over, you could kinda tell Israel Adesanya had been thinking about this one for a while. He had his bow-and-arrow celebration all planned out. He did every dance he knew how to do. He had his postfight interview scripted in his head. It's been a long time coming for Adesanya, but he finally got one back from Alex Pereira on Saturday at UFC 287\. Adesanya is once again your UFC middleweight champion, which is great but … what now? Plus, Jorge Masvidal calls it a career (maybe) in a pretty weird way. And, holy shit, Max Holloway vs. Arnold Allen is next weekend. This episode is brought to you in part by NordVPN. Get your Exclusive NordVPN deal by going to nordvpn.com/comain or use the code comain. ### Episode 545: Reactions to UFC/WWE super-happy-fun merger URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-545-reactions-to-ufc-wwe-super-happy-fun-merger/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:00.000Z Download [COME3038903060.mp3?updated=1680557430](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME3038903060.mp3?updated=1680557430&ref=comainevent.com) There we all were, just minding our own business, tying to enjoy our weekends when suddenly Endeavor just casually drops that, oh yeah, they're going to buy WWE and roll it into a single, publicly traded company with the UFC. Say what now? As you might imagine, this rather mind-blowing news quickly put to rest any notion of us talking about PFL, Bellator or GameBread Boxing 4 on Monday's episode of the Proper. So, here are our initial reactions to Vince McMahon and Dana White becoming co-workers and (we're just guessing here) best friends. Plus, there actually is a lot to say in advance of Saturday's UFC 287, where Israel Adesanya faces what is almost certainly his last chance to defeat Alex Pereira in literally anything. This episode is brought to you in part by NordVPN. Get your Exclusive NordVPN deal by going to nordvpn.com/comain or use the code comain. ### Episode 544: Sandhagen, Holm reinforce status quo URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-544-sandhagen-holm-reinforce-status-quo/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:00.000Z Download [COME5643024808.mp3?updated=1679954422](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME5643024808.mp3?updated=1679954422&ref=comainevent.com) Cory Sandhagen and Holly Holm (or, Holly Holmes, if you prefer) both looked pretty good at the weekend's UFC Fight Night event. Both veterans dispatched challengers who were looking to break into title contention. Sandhagen took advantage of a slow start by Marlon "Chito" Vera in cruising to an impressive unanimous decision in the men's bantamweight main event. Holm mixed in some wrestling to go with her already formidable striking skills and overwhelmed Yana Santos in the co-main. Theeeeeeen, Holm got on the mic and said some bizarre stuff about how we need to stop "sexualizing children." And somehow, we doubt she meant putting an end to child beauty pageants … This episode is brought to you in part by NordVPN. Get your Exclusive NordVPN deal by going to nordvpn.com/comain or use the code comain. ### Episode 543: A 'Rocky' moment for Leon Edwards URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-543-a-rocky-moment-for-leon-edwards/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:01.000Z Download [COME1334643235.mp3?updated=1679348175](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME1334643235.mp3?updated=1679348175&ref=comainevent.com) Leon Edwards went into Saturday's welterweight title fight against Kamaru Usman at UFC 286 as both the champion and a bit more than a 2-to-1 underdog. As of Monday morning, he's now one thing, but not the other. Edwards pitched a masterpiece against Usman in their third fight against each other, ultimately retaining the gold via majority decision and proving that the oddsmakers had no clue what they were talking about. Plus, Justin Gaethje ain't done! He rebounded to also score a majority decision win over Rafeal Fiziev in the UFC 286 co-main. Get this, Gaethje salted away the third round using his jab and an uppercut. Guy has skills! This episode is brought to you in part by NordVPN. Get your Exclusive NordVPN deal by going to nordvpn.com/comain or use the code comain. ### Episode 542: UFC 286 preview + Merab's dominance URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-542-ufc-286-preview-merabs-dominance/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:01.000Z Download [COME3803261710.mp3?updated=1678744707](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME3803261710.mp3?updated=1678744707&ref=comainevent.com) Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman are going to do it again, brother, for the third time on Saturday at UFC 286 in London. The champion is going off as a fairly significant underdog and conventional wisdom says this time around Usman just needs to NOT get kicked right in his head and he probably reclaims the title. Yet Usman has also reportedly been plagued by hand problems and he'll turn 36 years old a couple months after this PPV. Is it possible Edwards can get lightning to strike all over again? UFC 286 also amounts to the third time in about a month the fight company has asked fans to pay $80 to watch some fights. This time, it goes down just a week after Merab Dvalishvili turned in what will surely be one of the year's most dominating performances against Petr Yan for free (relatively speaking) on ESPN+. Will the people dig into their pockets one more time? Oh, and did you guys see Bellator? Or hear about it, at least? Usman Nurmagomedov retired Benson Henderson and Michael Page did something absolutely horrendous to Goiti Yamaguchi's knee. This episode is brought to you in part by NordVPN. Grab your EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to nordvpn.com/comain or use the code comain to get one free bonus month as well as their exclusive 30-day money back guarantee. ### Episode 541: Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh! URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-541-baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:02.000Z Download [COME3216912506.mp3?updated=1678143943](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME3216912506.mp3?updated=1678143943&ref=comainevent.com) Goddamn, he made that look easy. During the week leading up to UFC 285, Jon Jones said he expected people to be shocked by how effortlessly he'd beat Ciryl Gane for the heavyweight title. Jones said it would be a mismatch and we were all like, well, I don't know if I'd say it's going to be a mis--oh, holy shit. It took Jones all of two minutes, four seconds to choke out Gane and now JBJ is the UFC heavyweight champion, which sounds both outrageous and somehow totally fitting. After it was over, he literally bleated like goat. But IS he the GOAT now? Is he gonna fight Stipe next? How big a shadow does Francis Ngannou's absence cast and do we want to see that superfight even more now? Plus, in the oh, holy shit category, we also present to you: Alexa Grasso. ### Episode 539: Erin Blanchfield is the real deal URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-539-erin-blanchfield-is-the-real-deal/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:02.000Z Download [COME7960198744.mp3?updated=1676931400](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME7960198744.mp3?updated=1676931400&ref=comainevent.com) Erin Blanchfield jumps up to the No. 2 spot on the UFC's official women's flyweight rankings this week after her drubbing of a short-notice Jessica Andrade Saturday at a UFC Fight Night. Hard to say she doesn't deserve it. Blanchfield looked outstanding en route to a second round submission and now has duly earned her chance to compete with the division's elite. Plus, some gnarly shit happened at BKFC Knucklemaina and, speaking of women's flyweight elite, Tatiana Suarez returns this weekend! This episode is presented in part by NordPVN. Grab your EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to nordvpn.com/comain to get a Huge Discount off your NordVPN Plan + a Bonus Gift! It’s completely risk free with Nord’s 30 day money-back guarantee! ### Episode 538: A fight for the ages URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-no-538-a-fight-for-the-ages/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:02.000Z Download [COME8032700792.mp3?updated=1676329331](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME8032700792.mp3?updated=1676329331&ref=comainevent.com) Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski had themselves perhaps one of the greatest fights on all time on Saturday at UFC 284\. For all the hoopla about a superfight and the Nos. 1-2 pound for pound fighters on the planet squaring off, these dudes delivered. Makhachev was a better striker than we anticipated, Volkanovski a better wrestler. And while Islam won the fight, did Alex actually win our hearts? Plus, it wouldn't be MMA without a little controversy. Public opinion seemed to be divided over the judges decision -- Volk 2, 3, & 5, dog? -- and then Dan Hooker had to go and accuse Makhachev of illegally using an IV to re-hydrate after the weigh-ins. So, sigh, that part is exhausting. But now it seems Volkanovski is set for a bout with new interim featherweight champ Yair Rodriguez, which will undoubtedly be very cool. This episode is presented in part by NordPVN. Grab your EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to nordvpn.com/comain to get a Huge Discount off your NordVPN Plan + a Bonus Gift! It’s completely risk free with Nord’s 30 day money-back guarantee! ### Episode 537: Well, that was sad URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-537-well-that-was-sad/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:02.000Z Download [COME3398260486.mp3?updated=1675724288](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME3398260486.mp3?updated=1675724288&ref=comainevent.com) We thought it was weird from the start that Fedor Emelianenko wanted to have his retirement fight against Ryan Bader. It was. Friends, Fedor looked every single day of his 46 years on this planet on Saturday in the Bellator 290 main event. The greatest MMA heavyweight of all time barely threw a punch en route to a first-round TKO victory for Bader. Yep. Sad. And strange. But at least Bellator seemed to understand the magnitude of the moment. Also, UFC 284 is this weekend, featuring a bonafide superfight main event where Dana White can't remember one his champions names. So that's hilarious. Plus, Conor McGregor is back. He's just gonna ease his way back in (to the USADA testing pool and also to competition) by coaching TUF opposite Michael Chandler. This episode is presented in part by NordPVN. Grab your EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to nordvpn.com/comain to get a Huge Discount off your NordVPN Plan + a Bonus Gift! It’s completely risk free with Nord’s 30 day money-back guarantee! ### Episode 536: Is MMA ready to let go of Fedor? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-536-is-mma-ready-to-let-go-of-fedor/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:03.000Z We are led to believe that Saturday's Bellator 290 will include the last fight for The Last Emperor. The 46-year-old Fedor Emelianenko will do the damn thing one more time in a rematch against Ryan Bader. Do we really believe this will be it for him? That's hard to say. If we had our druthers would Fedor's swan song be a rematch with Bader? Nah, not really. But this man was once a phenomenon and he might still be the greatest heavyweight of all time. We guess that means he gets to write his own ticket. Plus, yet more layoffs in the MMA media world and Derrick Lewis finally meets up with Sergey Spivak. ### Episode 535: What will a Jamahal Hill title reign look like? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-535-what-will-a-jamahal-hill-title-reign-look-like/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:03.000Z Download [COME4337190788.mp3?updated=1674513006](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME4337190788.mp3?updated=1674513006&ref=comainevent.com) Jamahal Hill answered all our questions against Glover Teixeira on Saturday night at UFC 283\. Could he handle the step-up in competition? Yes. Was he ready to go hard for the full 25 minutes? Indeed. Would he be cowed by having 13,000 Brazilians chanting for his death? Hell no. Hill emerged with the clean sweep unanimous decision over Teixeira and -- sort of out of nowhere -- also the UFC light heavyweight title. So, what will the Jamahal Hill Era look like? We have some guesses. Plus, Brandon Moreno gets the last laugh on Davey Figgs. Or does he? And Jose Aldo is going in the Hall, brother. This episode is presented in part by Nord VPN. Grab your EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to nordvpn.com/comain to get a Huge Discount off your NordVPN Plan + a Bonus Gift! It’s completely risk free with Nord’s 30 day money-back guarantee! ### Episode 534: Francis Ngannou KOs UFC in contract standoff URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-534-francis-ngannou-kos-ufc-in-contract-standoff/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:03.000Z Download [COME7044505659.mp3?updated=1673906375](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME7044505659.mp3?updated=1673906375&ref=comainevent.com) Well, he did it. Francis Ngannou waited-out his UFC contract while rehabbing from knee surgery during 2022 and now he's a free man. There's never been a better time to be a free agent in combat sports and Ngannou seems like he's in a unique position to capitalize on it. What will he do next? Where will he go? And how much will he make? Meanwhile, Dana White is still sitting in front of microphones telling obvious lies about why fighters increasingly choose to depart the UFC. His claims seem especially hilarious when he's talking about Ngannou, though, right? With the real champ gone, the UFC will now stage Jon Jones' long-awaited heavyweight debut against Ciryl Gane for the vacant title. Hooray? This episode is brought to you in part by NordVPN. Grab your EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to nordvpn.com/comain to get a Huge Discount off your NordVPN Plan + a Bonus Gift! It’s completely risk free with Nord’s 30 day money-back guarantee! ### Episode 533: It's fight week! (and surely there's nothing else to talk or think about ...) URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-533-its-fight-week-and-surely-theres-nothing-else-to-talk-or-think-about/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:04.000Z Download [COME4051696094.mp3?updated=1673306654](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME4051696094.mp3?updated=1673306654&ref=comainevent.com) Well, fuck, you guys. We had just hit "export" on the latest episode of the CME when we refreshed Twitter to see the planned UFC main event between Nassourdine Imavov and Kelvin Gastelum is off and now SEAN STRICKLAND is in for an injured Gastelum. That's certainly unfortunate … but a lot of this week's episode still stands up. It's still fight week and we still feel a weird pressure to stop talking about Dana White slapping his wife in the face at a club in Mexico on New Year's Eve and start talking about fights. Plus, there's still some stuff to unpack about Jake Paul signing with PFL for some MMA fights. Just, you know, do a find-and-replace in your head for "Strickland" every time we say "Gastelum." ### Episode 532: The State of MMA in 2023 URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-532-the-state-of-mma-in-2023/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:04.000Z Download [COME9132695219.mp3?updated=1672781862](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME9132695219.mp3?updated=1672781862&ref=comainevent.com) With video of Dana White slapping his wife in the face in a club in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico on New Year's Eve now spreading across the internet, we are forced to frame this week's discussion around whether MMA is edging ever closer to a world without the longtime UFC president. Regardless if White skates on this incident the same way he's skated without any real consequences so much in the past, it feels like he's getting closer to the exit, doesn't it? How would that effect the UFC? Maybe not at all, honestly. Plus, where do we see the UFC's product headed in general during 2023, perhaps the last year of its broadcast deal with ESPN? How are our personal fan relationships with this sport holding up? And what is in store for the Bellators, PFLs and One Championships of the world? All that and more on the first CME of 2023. ### Episode 531: It was a weird year for stars in the UFC URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-531-it-was-a-weird-year-for-stars-in-the-ufc/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:04.000Z Download [COME9848820934.mp3?updated=1671573285](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME9848820934.mp3?updated=1671573285&ref=comainevent.com) Conor McGregor didn't fight. Jon Jones didn't fight. Francis Ngannou fought once, in January, and then spent the rest of the year rehabbing from injury with perhaps one foot out the door. Nate Diaz left. Israel Adesanya lost the title. It was a weird year for stars in the UFC. But was it also a preview of times to come? We discuss on the last CME Proper of 2022. This episode is brought to you in part by NordVPN. Grab your EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to nordvpn.com/comain or use the code comain to get one free bonus month as well as their exclusive 30-day money back guarantee. ### Episode 530: Paddy Pimblett breaks the internet URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-530-paddy-pimblett-breaks-the-internet/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:04.000Z Download [COME2708598448.mp3?updated=1670886516](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME2708598448.mp3?updated=1670886516&ref=comainevent.com) Paddy Pimblett somehow messed around and was awarded a unanimous decision victory over Jared Gordon on Saturday at UFC 282, in a co-main event bout almost everybody who watched live thought Gordon won. To say there was some, um, discussion about that afterward would be a bit of an understatement. Basically people lost their shit--and they hadn't even seen the main event yet, where Jan Blachowicz and Magomed Ankalaev fought to a split draw over the UFC light heavyweight title. So, yeah, judging is on the table this week. Also, what on earth is the UFC gonna do with Pimblett now that he has proven to be a star who is also maybe not that good at fighting? Plus, after the title fight draw, the promotion needed two random-ass light heavyweights to fight on a random-ass night in Brazil for the belt. So it picked Glover Teixeira and Jamahal Hill. This episode is brought to you in part by NordVPN. Grab your EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to nordvpn.com/comain or use the code comain to get one free bonus month as well as their exclusive 30-day money back guarantee. ### Episode 529: Wonderman! What is the secret of your power? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-529-wonderman-what-is-the-secret-of-your-power/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:05.000Z Download [COME6302338195.mp3?updated=1670281068](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME6302338195.mp3?updated=1670281068&ref=comainevent.com) Score one for the old dogs at Saturday's UFC on ESPN event. Not only did Stephen "Wonderman" Thompson emerge victorious over an injured Kevin Holland in the main event, but Clay Guida, Rafeal dos Anjos and Angela Hill also got wins. So that'll teach these young whippersnappers a thing or two! Plus, it's UFC 282 fight week and we are sad to report that Robbie Lawler is out and his fight against Santiago Ponzinibbio is scrapped. Still a pretty fun card though, all things considered. Also, James Krause, what you doin', baby? This episode is brought to you in part by NordVPN. Grab your EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to nordvpn.com/comain or use the code comain to get one free bonus month as well as their exclusive 30-day money back guarantee. The CME is also present in part by the Draft Kings Sportsbook. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800- GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL/IN/LA/MI/NJ/PA/TN/WV/WY), 1-800- NEXT STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO/NH/KS), 888-789-7777/visit http://ccpg.org (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY), visit OPGR.org (OR), or 1-888-532-3500 (VA). 21+ (18+ NH/WY). Physically present in AZ/CO/CT/IL/IN/IA/LA(select parishes)/MI /NJ/ NY/PA/TN/VA/WV/WY only. Void in ONT. $150 in Free bets: Valid 1 per new customer. Min. $5 deposit. Min $5 pre-fight moneyline bet. $150 issued as six (6) $25 free bets that expire 7 days (168 hours) after being awarded. Bet must win. Stepped Up: Void in NJ. Valid 1 Profit Boost Token per customer. Token must be used on 3-leg same game parlay bet for UFC 282\. Max. $50 bet. Token expires at the start of the main card fight and must be selected before placing bet. Profit boosted 50% on net winnings. Net winnings is the total payout less original bet amount. Profit Boost Tokens have no cash value and are valid only on DraftKings Sportsbook. Ends at the start of the main card fight of UFC 282\. See eligibility & terms at sportsbook.draftkings.com/mmaterms. ### Episode 528: Conor McGregor probably took PEDs, Conor McGregor seems to say URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-528-conor-mcgregor-probably-took-peds-conor-mcgregor-seems-to-say/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:05.000Z Download [COME5378991681.mp3?updated=1669663337](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME5378991681.mp3?updated=1669663337&ref=comainevent.com) Well, this is a new one. After months of speculation on exactly what he was up to when the UFC apparently let him opt out of the USADA testing pool while recovering from the horrible leg injury he suffered at UFC 264, Conor McGregor appeared to admit in a flurry of tweets last week that he took a bunch of PEDs. He also appeared to say "how dare you" to anybody who questioned him about it. Frankly, we're not sure if this is stupid or genius, but it certainly gives us a lot to talk about. Plus, Larissa Pacheco forces game four against Kayla Harrison and the UFC is back with a pretty OK looking TV card this Saturday. This episode is brought to you in part by NordVPN. Grab your EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to nordvpn.com/comain or use the code comain to get one free bonus month as well as their exclusive 30-day money back guarantee. ### Episode 527: Is Vadim Nemkov the world's No. 1 LHW? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-527-is-vadim-nemkov-the-worlds-no-1-lhw/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:05.000Z Download [COME9406187550.mp3?updated=1669069973](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME9406187550.mp3?updated=1669069973&ref=comainevent.com) We have once again reached an odd inflection point where Bellator MMA could lay conceivable claim to having the best fighter in the world in a particular weight class. This time it's light heavyweight champion Vadim Nemkov, who put on a remarkable performance Friday night against Corey Anderson in the delayed final of the Bellator light heavyweight grand prix. Nemkov went and did the thing we're always asking MMA fighters to do: he closed the specific holes in his game necessary to win this fight and walked away with the lopsided unanimous decision win, the giant check and the gold. As ever with Bellator, though, the question is: Will anybody care? Plus, Derrick Lewis got the tummy troubles and PFL will offer its first ever pay-per-view event. This episode is brought to you in part by NordVPN. Grab your EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to nordvpn.com/comain or use the code comain to get one free bonus month as well as their exclusive 30-day money back guarantee. ### Episode 526: UFC 281 was WILD URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-526-ufc-281-was-wild/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:05.000Z Download [COME1673011198.mp3?updated=1668466915](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME1673011198.mp3?updated=1668466915&ref=comainevent.com) This week, we take listener questions on all things UFC 281\. Will Israel Adesanya get an immediate rematch against Alex Pereira after dropping the middleweight title in a fight he was probably on his way to winning on the cards? Should we actually be giving two-time UFC champion Carla Esparza more credit, despite this most recent drubbing at the hands of Zhang Weili? Did Michael Chandler earn his Dundasso blackbelt before getting choked out by Cool Dusty P? And what on earth has happened to Dominick Reyes? This episode is brought to you in part by NordVPN. Grab your EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to nordvpn.com/comain or use the code comain to get one free bonus month as well as their exclusive 30-day money back guarantee. ### Episode 525: UFC 281 preview bonanza URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-525-ufc-281-preview-bonanza/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:06.000Z Download [COME5429561831.mp3?updated=1667860236](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME5429561831.mp3?updated=1667860236&ref=comainevent.com) As has become customary for pay-per-views, two title fights are on the docket Saturday at UFC 281\. One is a hotly anticipated middleweight championship match between Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira that everybody is stoke for and where nobody seems to know what will happen. The other one? Not QUITE so much intrigue. In the evening's co-main event, Zhang Welli challenges Carla Esparza for the strawweight belt in a bout that most assume marks the end of Esparza's reign as champion. Then again, we didn't think Esparza was going to beat Rose, now did we? So, maybe there's a chance? Plus Cool Dusty P and Mikie C. in a banger and … Amanda Lemos upsets Marina Rodriguez at a Fight Night. This episode is brought to you in part by Draft Kings. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800- GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL/IN/LA/MI/NJ/PA/TN/WV/WY), 1-800- NEXT STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO/NH/KS), 888-789-7777/visit http://ccpg.org (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY), visit OPGR.org (OR), or 1-888-532-3500 (VA). 21+ (18+ NH/WY). Physically present in AZ/CO/CT/IL/IN/IA/LA(select parishes)/MI/NH/NJ/ NY/OR/PA/TN/VA/WV/WY only. $200 in Free bets: New customers only. Min. $5 deposit. Min $5 pre-fight moneyline bet. $200 issued as eight (8) $25 free bets. Bet must win. Stepped Up: 1 Token issued per eligible game. Opt in req. Min $1 bet. Max bet limits apply. Min. 3-leg. Each leg min. -300 odds, total bet +100 odds or longer. 10+ leg req. for 100% boost. Ends at the start of the main card fight of UFC 281\. See eligibility & terms at sportsbook.draftkings.com/mmaterms. ### Episode 524: Admit it, Jake Paul vs. Anderson Silva was a fun fight URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-524-admit-it-jake-paul-vs-anderson-silva-was-a-fun-fight/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:06.000Z Download [COME3391847682.mp3?updated=1667241794](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME3391847682.mp3?updated=1667241794&ref=comainevent.com) Two things can be true at once: Is Jake Paul just using these aging MMA fighters to make himself a series of huge paydays from relatively easy fights? Yes, obviously. But did Paul and Showtime also celebrate Anderson Silva better both before and after their scrap on Saturday night than the UFC did at the end of Silva's MMA career? Also yes. So, that seems notable. On top of everything else, Silva and Paul went out there and had a pretty fun fight, even if it didn't end the way most inside the bubble would have liked. Plus, Calvin Kattar's knee came apart and Jon Jones is suddenly in a big hurry to fight, huh? This episode is brought to you in part by NordVPN. Grab your EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to nordvpn.com/comain or use the code comain to get one free bonus month as well as their exclusive 30-day money back guarantee. *(Photo by Esther Lin!)* ### Episode 523: Islam Makhachev is astonishing URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-523-islam-makhachev-is-astonishing/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:06.000Z Download [COME6853807102.mp3?updated=1666641641](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME6853807102.mp3?updated=1666641641&ref=comainevent.com) We did not think it was going to go like that. Both figuratively and literally, our money was on Charles Oliveira to once again become lightweight champion at UFC 280\. As it happened, Islam Makhachev was absolutely dominant, rolling to a second-round submission victory. Now, it seems the powers that be will set him up with a champ-champ fight against Alexander Volkanovski. That sucks for all the other lightweights, but you can absolutely take all our money for it. Plus, who's to blame for TJ Dillashaw showing up to fight a title fight he had absolutely no business fighting? And whether or not you thought Sean O'Malley deserved to win the decision, he kind of put it right in our faces with his performance against Petr Yan. This episode is brought to you in part by NordVPN. Grab your EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to nordvpn.com/comain or use the code comain to get one free bonus month as well as their exclusive 30-day money back guarantee. ### Episode 522: Some of us are a little TOO pumped for UFC 280 URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-522-some-of-us-are-a-little-too-pumped-for-ufc-280/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:07.000Z Download [COME6669912072.mp3?updated=1666043794](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME6669912072.mp3?updated=1666043794&ref=comainevent.com) Let's face it, Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev seems like a heck of a fight for the "vacant" UFC lightweight title. Factor in that this event goes down in the middle of a Saturday afternoon (can't argue with mid-day fights!) and the UFC has efficiently increased our hunger by feeding us a steady diet of garbage Fight Nights in recent weeks and we are pumped. Are we actually a little bit TOO pumped? This episode is brought to you in part by Draft Kings. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800- GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL/IN/LA/MI/NJ/PA/TN/WV/WY), 1-800- NEXT STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO/KS/NH), 888-789-7777/visit http://ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY), visit OPGR.org (OR), or 1-888-532-3500 (VA). 21+ (18+ NH/WY). Physically present in AZ/CO/CT/IL/IN/IA/KS/LA(select parishes)/MI/NH/NJ/ NY/OR/PA/TN/VA/WV/WY only. Eligibility restrictions apply. Free bets: New customers only. Min. $5 deposit. Min $5 bet. Bet must win. $200 issued as eight (8) $25 free bets. Profit Boost: Opt-in req. 1 profit boost token issued per customer. Min. 3-leg same game parlay bet. Max bet $50\. Profit boosted 100% on addt’l winnings. Ends at the start of the main card fight of UFC 280\. See terms at draftkings.com/mmaterms. ### Episode 521: These Conor McGregor steroid rumors aren't going away URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-521-these-conor-mcgregor-steroid-rumors-arent-going-away/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:07.000Z Download [COME8991239960.mp3?updated=1665438954](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME8991239960.mp3?updated=1665438954&ref=comainevent.com) It's been a few weeks now since news originally broke that Conor McGregor apparently hadn't been drug tested by USADA since the third quarter of 2021\. Yet … still nothing. It doesn't appear those reports served as a wake-up call that perhaps the UFC's anti-PEDs partner should put some agents on a dingy and have them motor out to McGregor's yacht with a sample cup. And in the absence of more robust testing, well, these rumors aren't going away. Cue Justin Gaethje, who speculated this week that the Irish fella has been "off doing steroids" during his time away. So, uh, can somebody please drug test this man? Plus, speaking of our old buds from the days before robust drug testing, Alistair Overeem is still out here nabbing wins in kickboxing. Oh, and there's another garbage-ass UFC Fight Night this week. Are they doing this on purpose to get us excited for UFC 280? ### Episode 520: It was Zuck all along. URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-520-it-was-zuck-all-along/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:07.000Z Download [COME6254879242.mp3?updated=1664835183](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME6254879242.mp3?updated=1664835183&ref=comainevent.com) So, Dana White lied right to our faces and it turned out the reason no fans or media could attend Saturday's UFC Fight Night event WAS because Mark Zuckerberg wanted to be there, after all. And even if White tries to claim later that he didn't lie due to some semantic bullshit, we all know the truth now. Zuck just had to be there to watch Mackenzie Dern … who unfortunately lost a majority decision to Yan Xiaonan and then felt the need to apologize if she "made anybody sad" with her performance. So, fuck, was that some super disheartening late-stage capitalism stuff? Yes, it was. Also, though, Bellator turned in a pretty fun event that included Brandon Gibson desperately trying to get Aaron Pico's arm to snap back into its socket between rounds, so at least there was some good stuff to be had. ### Episode 519: 'The Dark Lord' might do OK in BKFC URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-519-the-dark-lord-might-do-ok-in-bkfc/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:07.000Z Download [COME2442071642.mp3?updated=1664227338](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME2442071642.mp3?updated=1664227338&ref=comainevent.com) Ben Rothwell is set to make his first post-UFC appearance this weekend, taking on -- say it with us now -- Bobo "The Bible Belt Brawler" O'Bannon in BKFC. You know what, call us crazy, but considering his size, skills and experience, we kinda think Rothwell might do OK in BKFC. Plus, Melvin Manhoef calls it a career (but not before getting pounded into the Black Lands by Yoel Romero) and this weekend's UFC Fight Night event seems like … well … straight trash. ### Episode 518: That was disgusting URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-518-that-was-disgusting/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:08.000Z Download [COME9795938007.mp3?updated=1663623444](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME9795938007.mp3?updated=1663623444&ref=comainevent.com) If we remember UFC Fight Night 210 at all, it'll likely be as a damn bloodbath. Cory Sandhagen got a much-needed win in a men's bantamweight contender bout against Song Yadong, after springing open an early cut that had multiple ringside officials nearly peering into Yadong's brain. There was also a grusome cut in Gregory Rodrigues' comeback win over Chidi Njokuani in the co-main and in his win over Bill Algeo, Andre Fili said his ear so filled up with Algeo's blood that it "felt like I jumped into a swimming pool." So, uh, yeah, nasty. In addition, we reflect on the UFC/WEC career of Jose Aldo and look ahead to Friday night's Bellator event in Dublin. This episode is brought to you in part by NordVPN. Grab your EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to nordvpn.com/comain or use the code comain to get one free bonus moth and their exclusive 30-day money back guarantee. ### Episode 517: Nate Diaz, the MMA Gods smile upon thee URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-517-nate-diaz-the-mma-gods-smile-upon-thee/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:08.000Z Download [COME8441025112.mp3?updated=1663017832](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME8441025112.mp3?updated=1663017832&ref=comainevent.com) Well, that was fuckin' crazy, eh Mainiacs? Here we thought Nate Diaz and Tony Ferguson were both headed for demoralizing losses in odd match-ups against heavily favored opponents and then -- Boom! -- Khamzat Chimaev screws the whole shit up. Instead of seeing Diaz ragdolled by Chimaev, Nate lucks into a far more advantageous bout against Fegurson … which Diaz WINS and now exits the UFC into free agency with, like, ALL THE MOMENTUM. And Chimaev? Well, ordinarily, a guy who missed weight by 7.5-pounds -- thereby causing the UFC to have to re-book an entire PPV card -- would be in deep shit, but this guy seems like he's going to skate without suffering a single consequence after his own favorable match-up against Kevin Holland. So, we have a lot of thoughts about all of that. This week's episode is brought to you in part by NordVPN. Grab your EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to nordvpn.com/comain or use the code comain to get one free bonus moth and their exclusive 30-day money back guarantee. We are also proudly presented by Draft Kings. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800- GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL/IN/LA/MI/NJ/PA/WV/WY), 1-800-NEXT STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO/NH), 888-789-7777/visit http://ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY), visit OPGR.org (OR), call/text TN REDLINE 1- 800-889-9789 (TN), or 1-888-532-3500 (VA). 21+ (18+ NH/WY). Physically present in AZ/CO/CT/IL/IN/IA/LA(select parishes)/MI/NH/NJ/ NY/OR/PA/TN/VA/WV/WY only. New customer offer void in NH/OR/ONT-CA. $200 in Free bets: New customers only. Valid 1 per new customer. Min. $5 deposit. Min $5 wager. $200 issued as eight (8) $25 free bets. Ends 9/19/22 @ 8pm. Early Win: 1 Early Win Token issued per eligible game. Opt in req. Token expires at start of eligible game. Min moneyline bet $1\. Wagering limits apply. Wagers placed on both sides of moneyline will void bet. Ends 1/8/23 @ 8pm ET. See terms at sportsbook dot draftkings dot com slash football terms. ### Episode 516: Will UFC 279 set a record for sadness? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-516-will-ufc-279-set-a-record-for-sadness/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:08.000Z Download [COME4541126185.mp3?updated=1662504246](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME4541126185.mp3?updated=1662504246&ref=comainevent.com) It's pledge month over at the CME Patreon. If you haven't yet signed up to join the team, we'd love it if you'd consider lending us your support at: https://www.patreon.com/comainevent This week, we set about getting primed for Saturday's UFC 279 fight card. Or, rather, we set about trying to guard ourselves against heartbreak, as Nate Diaz vs. Khamzat Chimaev AND Tony Ferguson vs. Li Jingliang BOTH go down on this card. Dude. Who's idea was THAT? Also, we reflect on Ciryl Gane's third-round TKO over Tai Tuivasa at UFC Paris last weekend, which won Ben a lot of money, perhaps scuttled Chad's heavyweight prophecy and put Gane in line to receive … well … something. This episode is brought to you in part by Draft Kings. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800- GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL/IN/LA/MI/NJ/PA/WV/WY), 1-800-NEXT STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO/NH), 888-789-7777/visit http://ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY), visit OPGR.org (OR), call/text TN REDLINE 1- 800-889-9789 (TN), or 1-888-532-3500 (VA). ### Episode 515: Can the One Championship-Prime Video partnership be a game-changer? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-515-can-the-one-championship-prime-video-partnership-be-a-game-changer/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:09.000Z Download [COME6004994446.mp3?updated=1661834478](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME6004994446.mp3?updated=1661834478&ref=comainevent.com) One Championship took advantage of a UFC-free weekend and made its debut on Amazon Prime Video. You know what? It was pretty good. Can recommend. Would do again. Plus, One maybe kinda lucked out getting a resurgent Demetrious Johnson as its flyweight champion at this event. Now, the biggest question is, can One and Prime make a splash in the American MMA market? And how much of that comes down to whether Prime really wants to invest in live sports? Plus, we look ahead to UFC Paris. This episode is brought to you in part by Draft Kings Sportsbook. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800- GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL/IN/LA/MI/NJ/PA/WV/WY), 1-800-NEXT STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO/NH), 888-789-7777/visit http://ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY), visit OPGR.org (OR), call/text TN REDLINE 1- 800-889-9789 (TN), or 1-888-532-3500 (VA). 21+ (18+ NH/WY). Physically present in AZ/CO/CT/IL/IN/IA/LA(select parishes)/MI/NH/NJ/ NY/OR/PA/TN/VA/WV/WY only. New customer offer void in NH/OR/ONT-CA. $200 in Free bets: New customers only. Valid 1 per new customer. Min. $5 deposit. Min $5 wager. $200 issued as eight (8) $25 free bets. Ends 9/19/22 @ 8pm. Early Win: 1 Early Win Token issued per eligible game. Opt in req. Token expires at start of eligible game. Min moneyline bet $1\. Wagering limits apply. Wagers placed on both sides of moneyline will void bet. Ends 1/8/23 @ 8pm ET. See terms at sportsbook dot draftkings dot com slash football terms. This episode is also brought to you by NordVPN. CME listeners can grab their EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to https://nordvpn.com/comain to get up a Huge Discount off your NordVPN Plan + 4 months for free! It’s completely risk free with Nord’s 30 day money-back guarantee! ### Episode 514: We didn't see that coming and neither did Kamaru Usman URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-514-we-didnt-see-that-coming-and-neither-did-kamaru-usman/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:09.000Z Download [COME7267572050.mp3?updated=1661205310](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME7267572050.mp3?updated=1661205310&ref=comainevent.com) In what has to be the most shocking ending to a UFC pay-per-view card in recent memory, Leon Edwards kicked Kamaru Usman right in his damn face with less than a minute remaining in the fifth round of a fight Usman was about to win on the cards. Thus, UFC 278 and Usman's title reign both came to a close. We're almost certainly running this one back, so gird your loins for a third fight between these two dudes. In other news, Luke Rockhold somehow made it through a three-round war with Paulo Costa even though he looked hella sleepy, capping it by rubbing his head-blood all over Costa's face. And if we told you Merab Dvalishvili was going to go 0-16 on takedown attempts and still win a decision over Jose Aldo, would you have believed us? This episode is brought to you in part by NordVPN. CME listeners can grab their EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to https://nordvpn.com/comain to get up a Huge Discount off your NordVPN Plan + 4 months for free! It’s completely risk free with Nord’s 30 day money-back guarantee! ### Episode 513: Leon Edwards has waited years for this. Can he cash in? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-513-leon-edwards-has-waited-years-for-this-can-he-cash-in/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:09.000Z Download [COME2485309597.mp3?updated=1660602552](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME2485309597.mp3?updated=1660602552&ref=comainevent.com) On Saturday in Salt Lake City (man it still feels weird to type that), Leon Edwards' long, strange journey to a UFC welterweight title shot finally comes to a head. Edwards will fight champion Kamaru Usman in the main event of UFC 278, where Edwards is going off as close to a 3-to-1 underdog. It's been such a long slog, with so many broken promises and missed opportunities, how will Edwards react when he's out there for real? Plus, Dom Cruz looked OK right up to the point Marlon Vera kicked him in his damn face. And Rory MacDonald walks away. This episode is brought to you by NordVPN. CME listeners can grab their EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to https://nordvpn.com/comain to get up a Huge Discount off your NordVPN Plan + 4 months for free! It’s completely risk free with Nord’s 30 day money-back guarantee! ### Episode 512: Mike Tyson is mad online. Should he be? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-512-mike-tyson-is-mad-online-should-he-be/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:09.000Z Download [COME1605000898.mp3?updated=1659996583](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME1605000898.mp3?updated=1659996583&ref=comainevent.com) So, Mike Tyson is big mad at Hulu for producing a mini-series about the boxer's life without any of his input. He's happy with Dana White, however, who Tyson says turned down a lot of money to advertise the new show on the UFC. We ask: Is Tyson right to be peeved? Is this a new business niche for Hulu, since they allegedly did the same shit to Pam Anderson earlier this year? Is that shady or nah? Plus, in MMA, Jamahal Hill out-brawled Thiago Santos and Geoff Neal out-dueled Vicente Luque at Saturday's UFC Fight Event, each winning fighter now planting his flag as a prospect we should probably be giving our full attention. A couple of new TUF champions were also crowned. Oh, and it turns out Dominick Cruz is gonna fight Chito Vera next weekend? Knock us over with a feather. ### Episode 511: Amanda Nunes was the GOAT. Amanda Nunes is still the GOAT. URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-511-amanda-nunes-was-the-goat-amanda-nunes-is-still-the-goat/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:10.000Z Download [COME6453891593.mp3?updated=1659394007](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME6453891593.mp3?updated=1659394007&ref=comainevent.com) More than merely making some physical adjustments in the wake of her title loss to Juliana Pena at UFC 269, it seemed like Amanda Nunes just flat vowed to show the world she was still the women's MMA GOAT on Saturday at UFC 277\. And, yeah, mission accomplished. Nunes battered Pena from pillar to post for 25 minutes in their main event fight, duly recapturing the 135-pound title and reminding us all that we probably don't appreciate her greatness as much as we should. So, sorry if we ever doubted you, Amanda. Also, Brandon Moreno continued to be a badass men's flyweight and a true delight as a human being. Plus, we circle back to touch a bit on the stuff we missed from UFC London. ### Episode 509: Brian Ortega's arm popped (when it wasn't supposed to) URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-509-brian-ortegas-arm-popped-when-it-wasnt-supposed-to/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:10.000Z Download [COME1447434885.mp3?updated=1658171721](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME1447434885.mp3?updated=1658171721&ref=comainevent.com) Yeah, so Brian Ortega and Yair Rodriguez were just getting down to what was shaping up as a pretty fun main event on Saturday's UFC on ABC card when Ortega's shoulder popped out of joint while he was trying to escape an arm bar. So, that was a very specific sort of bummer that might only happen in MMA. Now, you gotta try to explain to your non-MMA buddies what a shame it was that this guy's arm popped … at a time when we didn't think it was going to pop. Also, Dana White doesn't seem like he wants to talk about Nate Diaz anymore and UFC London is actually kind of a stacked card! ### Episode 508: Rafael Fiziev was so impressive in so many ways URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-508-rafael-fiziev-was-so-impressive-in-so-many-ways/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:10.000Z Download [COME5706313022.mp3?updated=1657576393](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME5706313022.mp3?updated=1657576393&ref=comainevent.com) Where to start with this guy Rafael Fiziev? The technique? The power? The composure? How about the takedown defense? Poor Rafael dos Anjos spent 15 minutes trying everything he could think of to get Fiziev down and almost none of it worked. Then, in the fourth round, RDA has a little success, actually lands a couple takedowns and you start to wonder if things are gonna go Dos Anjos' way. Answer: NOPE. Fiziev storms out in the fifth and KOs him in 18 seconds. DAMN. Add ya boi Fiziev to the already crowded list of lightweights knocking on the door of title contention. Plus, Israel Adesanya isn't just gonna sit here and accept your criticisms. And T-City, El Pantera and ABC? Yes, please. ### Episode 507: Few rave reviews for Izzy after UFC 276 URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-507-few-rave-reviews-for-izzy-after-ufc-276/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:10.000Z Download [COME4675592273.mp3?updated=1657054275](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME4675592273.mp3?updated=1657054275&ref=comainevent.com) On one hand, you gotta hand it to Israel Adesanya for beating Jared Cannonier in the UFC 276 main event without really seeming to try that hard. On the other hand, man, it really didn't seem like he was trying that hard, did it? I guess when the Undertaker-inspired entrance gets better reviews than the fight, maybe that's not a great sign. At this point, it's pretty obvious there is a wide gulf between Izzy as advertised and the Izzy who actually shows up. If that's the problem, though, maybe kickboxing nemesis Alex Pereira has arrived as a middleweight contender at exactly the right time? Plus, Alexander Volkanovski kinda wore Max Holloway around like a hat. And TWO MMA retirements in one night? Many of us, it would seem, are getting too old for this shit. This episode is brought to you by NordVPN. Grab your EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to nordvpn.com/comain or use the code comain to get a Huge Discount off your NordVPN Plan + 1 additional month for free + a bonus gift! It’s completely risk free with Nord’s 30 day money-back guarantee! URL: https://nordvpn.com/comain ### Episode 506: Is UFC 276 a killer card with a ho-hum main event? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-506-is-ufc-276-a-killer-card-with-a-ho-hum-main-event/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:11.000Z Download [COME2012124080.mp3](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME2012124080.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) It's international fight week and UFC 276 looks pretty stacked. Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway are gonna go out there and try to make their series one for the ages. Robbie Lawler's gonna be there. Cowboy Cerrone's gonna be there. Sean O'Malley. Uriah Hall. If you recognize any of these names it should be because they're some of the usual suspects the UFC generally calls when it wants to pull off a blockbuster pay per view. This main event pitting Israel Adesanya against Jared Cannonier, though? It doesn't feel overly critical to say hopes don't seem particularly high for that one, right? This episode is brought to you in part by Draft Kings. Download the DraftKings Sportsbook app NOW, use promo code COMAINEVENT, bet FIVE DOLLARS on any UFC 276 fighter to win, and get ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS IN FREE BETS no matter what. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1- 800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL/IN/MI/NJ/PA/WV/WY), 1-800- NEXT STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO/NH), 888-789-7777/visit http://ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), 1-877-770-STOP (7867) (LA), 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY), visit OPGR.org (OR), call/text TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN), or 1- 888-532-3500 (VA). 21+ (18+ WY). Physically present in AZ/CO/CT/IL/IN/IA/LA/MI/ /NJ/NY/ PA/TN/VA/WV/WY only. New customers only. Min. $5 deposit required. Eligibility restrictions apply. See http://draftkings.com/sportsbook for details. ### CME Patreon Live Chat for 6/22/22 [FREE] URL: https://www.comainevent.com/cme-patreon-live-chat-for-6-22-22-free/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:11.000Z Download [COME5661725883.mp3](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME5661725883.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) Since we missed The Proper on Monday due to some family vacationing, we decided to offer up this episode of the Live Chat for free via the CME feed. Hope you all enjoy this hour of unfettered discourse and #WildOnWednesday action featuring the questions, comment and concerns of the beloved patrons of the CME. On tap this week, among other things: fallout from Saturday's UFC on ESPN event, Tony Kelley's remarkably inauspicious UFC run, Joe Lauzon's trick knee scuttling his fight against Donald Cerrone again and that awkward situation between Phil Hawes, Deron Winn and Daniel Cormier. This episode is sponsored in part by NordVPN. Grab your EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to nordvpn.com/comain or use the code comain to get one free bonus month and their exclusive 30-day money back guarantee. URL: https://nordvpn.com/comain Code: comain ### Episode 505: Jiri & Glover wrote a damn epic poem out there URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-505-jiri-glover-wrote-a-damn-epic-poem-out-there/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:11.000Z Download [COME7805191408.mp3](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME7805191408.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) You want twists? You want turns? You want a fight where both guys get to look strong AND vulnerable en route to one of best light heavyweight title matches of all time? Well, we give you Jiri Prochazka vs. Glover Teixeira at UFC 275\. That was a crackerjack, is what that was. Plus, Taila Santos would have won if she hadn't lost against Valentina Shevchenko -- and maybe she would have won if she didn't literally break her face in the third round? Also, pour one out for Joanna Former Champion. This episode is sponsored in part by Nord VPN. Grab your EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to nordvpn.com/comain or use the code comain to get a Huge Discount off your NordVPN Plan + 1 additional month for free + a bonus gift! It’s completely risk free with Nord’s 30 day money-back guarantee! URL: https://nordvpn.com/comain Code: comain ### Crystal Keys to Victory: UFC 275 URL: https://www.comainevent.com/crystal-keys-to-victory-ufc-275/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:14.000Z It’s that time again, Co-Mainiacs! \* *dramatic thunder and lightning*\* IT’S TIME FOR THE STONES!!! Truth be told, I almost did this entire edition about Jiri Prochazka. No other fighters, just a deep dive into a weirdsmobile. A man who meditates: ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/meditate.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/meditating-jpg.jpeg) A man who has an incense burner, and various other accoutrements: ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/incense.png) A man who plucks lizards from the jungle for no reason: ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/lizard.png) I do believe at this point we have to claim him on Team Crystal. There’s no way Jiri doesn’t have a few stones. Everything about him tells me he’s actively harnessing that sweet, sweet energy from the universe, so he’s ours. **UFC 275** **Jiri Prochazka** Rhyolite ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/jiri.png) A great stone for meditation. Facilitates change and progress, brings calm when faced with challenges. Assists in fulfilling one's goals and making one's dreams come true, clears away self-doubt and replaces it with "I've got this". I know Ben Fowlkes is rooting for ol’ man Glover – I mean, um, seasoned vet Glover – so apologies for my actions in this breakdown. **Valentina Shevchenko** Azurite ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/valentina.png) Fortifies long-term career plans, especially in large or very structured organizations. Improves reflexes, releases stress. Perfect stone for self-belief and manifestation. After watching Amanda Nunes lose, and Rose Namajunas lose, you know we can’t go speaking in absolutes. But if we were going to… **Joanna Jedrzejczyk** Ocean Jasper ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/joanna.png) Brings positivity, contentment, tranquility, and bliss. Combines energies of water and volcanic rock. Has both a fiery side and a cooler side. Instills confidence, but makes sure you don’t start to get a big head. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/dog-pun.png) *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### Episode 504: UFC 275 is old dog vs. young weirdsmobile URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-504-ufc-275-is-old-dog-vs-young-weirdsmobile/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:15.000Z Download [COME3055282685.mp3?updated=1654553987](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME3055282685.mp3?updated=1654553987&ref=comainevent.com) Challenger Jiri Prochazka is going off as nearly a two-to-one favorite over light heavyweight champion Glover Teixeira in the main event of Saturday's UFC 275\. That should give you something to chew on, as this bout (just Prochazka's third in the UFC) pits the younger man's unorthodox, oddball style against the older fella's meat-and-potatoes approach. Who wins? It's gonna be interesting to find out. Plus, these Valentina Shevchenko fights keep sneaking up on us, largely because we all think we already know how they're gonna end. At some point though. somebody's going to shock the world. I mean … right? This episode is brought to you in part by Draft Kings. Download the DraftKings Sportsbook app NOW, use promo code COMAINEVENT, throw down FIVE DOLLARS on UFC 275, and get ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS IN FREE BETS INSTANTLY. That’s code COMAINEVENT this Saturday at DraftKings Sportsbook — THE Official Sports Betting Partner of UFC. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800- GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL/IN/MI/NJ/PA/WV/WY), 1-800-NEXT STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO/NH), 888-789-7777/visit http://ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), 1-877-770-STOP (7867) (LA), 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY), visit OPGR.org (OR), call/text TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN), or 1-888- 532-3500 (VA). 21+ (18+ WY). Physically present in AZ/CO/CT/IL/IN/IA/LA/MI/NJ/ NY/PA/TN/VA/WV/WY only. New customers only. Min. $5 deposit required. Eligibility restrictions apply. See http://draftkings.com/sportsbook for details. ### Episode 503: Jorge Masvidal keeps confessing to crimes he says he did not commit URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-503-jorge-masvidal-keeps-confessing-to-crimes-he-says-he-did-not-commit/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:15.000Z Every time somebody asks Jorge Masvidal about his alleged encounter with Colby Covington outside the Papi Steak in Miami, it seems like Masvidal answers with a paragraph-long confession to the crime, only to end his statement with a pronouncement of his innocence. So … is he trying to say he didn't do it? Or is he just saying no jury would convict him? Elsewhere, the UFC has finally confirmed some fights for this weekend's Fight Night card headlined by Alexander Volkov vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik. And Rickson Gracie is standing by his claim of being 450-0 is combat sports, while also admitting that he's totally ballparking it. This episode is brought to you in part by NordVPN. Grab your EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to https://nordvpn.com/comain to get up a Huge Discount off your NordVPN Plan + Free Threat Protection + 1 additional month for free! It’s completely risk free with Nord’s 30 day money-back guarantee! ### Episode 502: Enough already with the judging 'controversies' URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-502-enough-already-with-the-judging-controversies/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:15.000Z Download [COME2484435781.mp3?updated=1653343751](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME2484435781.mp3?updated=1653343751&ref=comainevent.com) We can't do it anymore, you guys. It's too much. Seems like every damn weekend our social media timelines are clogged with people arguing about some MMA judges' decision. Did they score it right? Did they score the ROUNDS right? What about the criteria? How about open scoring? ENOUGH. We're done. Or, at least, we could stand do to it a lot less frequently. This week, new rule: one judging controversy a month. After that, you gotta shut up about it for the next 30 days. Plus, did Holly Holm look a step slower at 40 years old? Did Eagle FC learn the hard way of the pitfalls of promoting fights between old-ass weirdsmobiles? Isn't it GREAT to see Anderson Silva clown fools in the boxing ring? This episode is brought to you in part by NordVPN. Grab your EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to https://nordvpn.com/comain to get up a Huge Discount off your NordVPN Plan + Free Threat Protection + 1 additional month for free! It’s completely risk free with Nord’s 30 day money-back guarantee! ### Episode 501: Live tweeting our thoughts to Dustin Poirier URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-501-live-tweeting-our-thoughts-to-dustin-poirier/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:16.000Z Download [COME2370760846.mp3?updated=1652738839](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME2370760846.mp3?updated=1652738839&ref=comainevent.com) What happens when you sit down to record the CME Proper and right away notice that Dustin Poirier has responded to one of your tweets? Why, you live-tweet him right back as you do the show, of course. That's what happens to us this week, as Poirier mulls the idea of fighting Colby Covington at 170\. Elsewhere, we wonder how much credit -- a little? or a lot? -- is due Jan Blachowicz for defeating Aleksandar Rakic via TKO injury this weekend, when Blachowicz's own leg kicks may well have contributed to said injury. Then there's poor Logan Storely, who won the Bellator interim welterweight title over MVP in a fight so bad even Scotty Cokes had to comment on it. Oh, and Holly Holm (aka Holly Holmes) is back?!?! Well, OK! ### Episode 500: The ups & downs & good & bad of UFC 274 URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-500-the-ups-downs-good-bad-of-ufc-274/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:16.000Z Download [COME8726367396.mp3?updated=1652133218](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME8726367396.mp3?updated=1652133218&ref=comainevent.com) We had ourselves a good, old fashioned emotional roller coaster during UFC 274, didn't we, Mainiacs? First you had Charles Oliveira missing weight (bad!) and being stripped of the title (real bad!), only to rebound to choke the life out of Justin Gaethje (very good!) in the first round of their main event bout. Now, Oliveira will be "no. 1 contender" headed into whatever is next at 155 (pretty weird!). Then, you had Rose Namajunas dropping the title to Carla Esparza (bad!) after pursuing a head-scratching strategy (very bad!) en route to an unexpectedly terrible fight (very, very bad!). And lo, Tony Ferguson, who had already mostly been written off by fight fans (bad!), looked as good as he had in years in the early going against Michael Chandler (so … good?!?) only to get kicked in his damn face (bad!) and knocked utterly unconscious in the second round (very bad!). ### Crystal Keys to Victory: UFC 274 URL: https://www.comainevent.com/crystal-keys-to-victory-ufc-274/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:17.000Z Can you smelllllll what the rocksssss are cookin’?? (lol ok I’ll leave) Before I get to the breakdown for UFC 274, let’s take a moment to appreciate dear Charles Oliveira. You may have noticed after every win he holds up what can only be described as a potato rock. Charles got this lucky stone from his father, and it’s meant to symbolize the story of David and Goliath. So do we claim him as a member of Team Crystal? TEAM STONES OF THE EARTH?! Yes. Yes we do. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/charles-stone.jpg) **UFC 274** **Charles Oliveira** Olivine ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/chucky-o.jpg) Instills a calmness, settles the feeling of “butterflies”. Brings peaceful sleep to those who suffer from recurring nightmares. A talisman of luck, adds charm and eloquence while public speaking, naturally protective against envy, gossip, and deceit. I haven’t felt like this since Lewis vs Tuivasa. Justin Gaethje and Chucky Olives are truly two of my favorite fighters, and I just can’t choose who to root for here. I only chose Charles for this breakdown because I already featured Gaethje in one. So is Oliveira my pick? Not really? Maybe?? I don’t know?!? I wish they could BOTH win, and dance, and do backflips. This will be happy, sad, and (hopefully) fun as hell. **Tony Ferguson** Mookaite ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/t-ferg-1.jpg) Mookaite emanates the energy of animal instinct. It’s restoring to the physical body, boosts confidence, slows aging. Promotes a youthful spirit willing to accept change and seek new experiences. Quiets the mind, is great for focusing on goals, projects, or for a motivational boost in the workplace. Michael Chandler seems like a nice enough guy, but we’re all pulling for Tony here, right? What a moment that would be. If the Boogeyman pulls it off, Chandler’s entry into the UFC would become even more brutal. 1-3\. Bru. Tal. **Khaos Williams** Petoskey Stone ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/khaos.jpg) Native to Michigan, the Petoskey Stone brings peace, harmony, & splendor into your life. Enhances creativity, also has protective qualities, guards against violence, harm, or illness. The word Petoskey originated as a Native American name, Pet-O-Sega, which translates to 'Sunbeams of Promise”. Khaos is 4-1 in the UFC so far, with only 1 decision loss to Michel Pereira. So at just 28 years old, we’re still watching those sunbeams of promise. *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### Episode 499: Who's 'scared-cited' for UFC 274??? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-499-whos-scared-cited-for-ufc-274/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:17.000Z Download [COME3771031811.mp3?updated=1651609138](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME3771031811.mp3?updated=1651609138&ref=comainevent.com) Dueling title fights are on tap for Saturday's UFC 274\. In the lightweight championship scrap, both Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje will no doubt choose violence -- it's just a matter of exactly how and what kind. Plus, Carla Esparza has a chance to shatter the record for longest stints between UFC title reigns if she can beat Rose Namajunas for strawweight gold. Kinda hard to imagine that happening though, right? Also, are we more excited or scared for Michael Chandler vs. Tony Ferguson? Scared-cited? This episode is brought to you in part by Draft Kings Sportsbook. ust download the DraftKings Sportsbook app NOW and use the promo code COMAINEVENT. Throw down FIVE DOLLARS on any UFC 274 fighter to win, and get ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS IN FREE BETS if they do. That’s code COMAINEVENT this Saturday at DraftKings Sportsbook — THE Official Sports Betting Partner of the UFC. Minimum age and eligibility restrictions apply. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800- GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL/IN/MI/NJ/PA/WV/WY), 1-800-NEXT STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO/NH), 888-789-7777/visit http://ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), 1-877-770-STOP (7867) (LA), 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY), visit OPGR.org (OR), call/text TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN), or 1-888- 532-3500 (VA). 21+ (18+ WY). Physically present in AZ/CO/CT/IL/IN/IA/LA/MI/NJ/ NY/PA/TN/VA/WV/WY only. Min. $5 deposit required. Eligibility restrictions apply. See http://draftkings.com/sportsbook for details. ### Episode 498: Tyson Fury & Francis Ngannou seems serious about this shit URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-498-tyson-fury-francis-ngannou-seems-serious-about-this-shit/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:18.000Z Download [COME2282003782.mp3?updated=1650922836](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME2282003782.mp3?updated=1650922836&ref=comainevent.com) It turned out to be a wild weekend in combat sports and, perhaps wildest of all, the guy who ultimately pulled off the biggest coup didn't even fight. Francis Ngannou crashed the party in the ring after Tyson Fury's win over Dillian Whyte and the two heavyweights proceeded to talk about a potential match-up between them in way that made it sound like they are both actually serious about it. So, uh, maybe you done fucked this one up, huh, UFC? Elsewhere, Jessica Andrade reminded us who the fuck she is, Clay Collard and Jeremy Stephens had a banger and there was--gasp!--controversy in Bellator. ### Episode 497: Let's get Jon Jones-Stipe Miocic on the books! URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-497-lets-get-jon-jones-stipe-miocic-on-the-books/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:18.000Z Download [COME3239673695.mp3?updated=1650318099](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME3239673695.mp3?updated=1650318099&ref=comainevent.com) With heavyweight champ Francis Ngannou recovering from surgery and assumedly still on the outs with UFC brass, the company is teasing a potential 265-pound bout between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic. Possibly for an interim heavyweight title. Possibly this summer. Ummmm, yes, please. We'd like that very much. Plus, AJ McKee found out the hard way that it's really tough it win all the fights. And Belal Muhammad extended his unbeaten streak to eight fights. But was his performance enough to get us to "remember the name"? ### Episode 496: Khamzat Chimaev proves his case at UFC 273 URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-496-khamzat-chimaev-proves-his-case-at-ufc-273/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:18.000Z Download [COME9451995777.mp3?updated=1649710631](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME9451995777.mp3?updated=1649710631&ref=comainevent.com) We said we wanted to see Khamzat Chimaev tested and, brother, he sure was during a three-round epic with Gilbert Burns at UFC 273\. You know what? He mostly passed. There are a couple things -- specifically, his willingness to say, 'fuck it' and just brawl -- that still worry us about Chimaev, but it's clear now he is mostly deserving of the hype. Question is: What's next? Also, how you gonna boo Aljamain Sterling after that, man? And if you wanted to be reminded why Alexander Volkanovski is regarded as the best men's featherweight in the world, well, he just went and showed you. ### Which UFC 273 fighter should your mom go on a date with: A highly speculative guide URL: https://www.comainevent.com/which-ufc-273-fighter-should-your-mom-go-on-a-date-with-a-highly-speculative-guide/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:18.000Z It’s been almost two years since your dad died in that tragic though entirely foreseeable hang-gliding accident, and your mom is ready to get back out there. You’ve been supportive of this. She’s too young and vibrant to spend the rest of her life alone. And god knows you don’t want to be the only person she can call when she needs someone to show her which input the TV needs to be on in order to watch a movie. But when she told you she was going to start dating again, you pictured some nice old fella with a straw hat and golfer’s tan. You did not realize her dating pool would include so many fighters from Saturday’s UFC 273 fight card. But hey, she’s your mom and she really wants you to at least meet them and give her your honest opinion. Seems like the least you could do for the woman who birthed you and wiped your ass and mourned alongside you when your dad’s hang-glider flew directly into that wind turbine. So, who’s it gonna be…? **Alexander Volkanovski** He shows up with a bouquet of flowers, which he later explains he not only picked but also grew himself. “Just messing about in the greenhouse, mate,” he tells you with a smile. “I guess you could say it’s one of my hobbies.” He also brought you a book of poetry that he thought you might enjoy, and when you open it up you see that he also got it signed by the poet, who made out the inscription specifically to you. When you ask how he pulled this off he explains that the poet is an old friend from when they attended the same ceramics workshop back in the day. This fucking guy, you think. He’s so accomplished and well-rounded that you kind of want to hate him, but there’s also a warmth and genuine kindness about the man that is instantly endearing. As he guides your mom into the passenger seat of his environmentally responsible yet legitimately dope electric car, you get the sense that everything here is going to be just fine. Then he turns to you after he shuts the door for her and, with a mischievous wink, says, “Don’t wait up, mate.” This slick bastard. Still, you can’t hate it. **Tecia Torres** All your mom said was that she met this “nice young woman” at the gym, so you’re shocked to show up at her house and see someone with biceps that could crack a walnut already hard at work in the kitchen, preparing a delicious and healthy dinner for the two of them to enjoy out on the back deck. “All organic stuff too,” Tecia adds with a shrug. “None of that processed stuff for my lady.” Whoa, wait a minute. Didn’t they just meet? Aren’t things moving a little fast? Your mom and Tecia share a furtive glance before Tecia mutters something about how this is “Venice all over again.” They both fall out laughing while you’re just standing there, utterly confused. “Sorry,” your mom says, “inside joke.” What the fuck. You're about to leave when your mom reminds you that you were going to help her fix that loose shingle on the roof. "Oh, I can handle that," Tecia says. You watch in dumbfounded amazement as she jumps up, grabs the edge of roof, and does a pull-up to easily haul herself up there. What kind of Spiderman-ass shit is going on here? You aren't sure, but you do know you're no longer needed. **Khamzat Chimaev** “I suggested we go to the movies,” your mom says before he arrives. “But he just kept saying that ‘too much movie make your heart weak.’ Isn’t it nice he’s so concerned about cardiac health?” You’re about to say that she might be misinterpreting that, but you’re interrupted by the loud rumble of a Trans Am pulling into the driveway blaring Mötley Crüe. Instead of coming to the door, he just honks the horn to signal his arrival. Only when you look closer do you realize that he’s not alone. Is that goddamn Darren Till in the passenger seat?!? “Mom,” you say, “this doesn’t seem weird to you?” She rolls her eyes and tells you that they’re just really good friends who can’t stand to be apart. “Don’t be such a Cormier!” she says as she floats out the front door with a smile and a wave. The last thing you see before she disappears in a cloud of black smoke and Crüe is Till motioning for her to get in the backseat. When she makes a face, you see him mouth the words, “I bloody well called shotgun.” **Aljamain Sterling** Where did your mom say she met this guy again? “I was introduced to him by a nice man named Ray at my water aerobics class,” she says. Wait … not Ray fucking Longo? “You know, I never got his last name,” she tells you. “I just know that he has piercing blue eyes, a gravelly timber in his voice, and he always gives great advice on technique and breath control.” Well, this ought to be interesting. You stand in the kitchen, waiting for this dude – your mom refers to exclusively as “Aljo” – to arrive. An hour goes by. Then two hours. Son of a bitch stood up your mom. You can’t believe it. “Something must have happened,” she says. “I’m going to call Ray.” Yeah, something happened all right, you think. Ray introduced your mom to a real cad. When she comes back into the room her face is ashen and stricken. “Aljo is in the hospital,” she says. “He was ambushed on his way here, and police are trying to figure out who did it…” **Petr Yan** “Mom, there’s something about this guy that concerns me,” you say once he excuses himself to the bathroom to wash the unexplained bloodstains off his hands. She shakes her head and laughs, saying you’re just being melodramatic. Oh yeah? Then how come this guy’s first question when he came through the door was whether anyone here "talk to police?” And what about his car, did she happen to notice that? She did, she tells you. It’s a Tesla, and those are nice, aren’t they? “Mom, the license plate says ‘ALJO.’ You don’t think that’s a little suspicious?” But you have to cut it short when he emerges from the bathroom explaining that they’d better leave now if they don’t want to be late for the cockfight down at the abandoned warehouse. The … what? He stops and fixes you with a stare that makes your blood run cold. “Rooster have much heart for fight,” he says. “You understand?” Yeah, you understand. But that doesn’t mean you like it. *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### Crystal Keys to Victory: UFC 273 URL: https://www.comainevent.com/crystal-keys-to-victory-ufc-273/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:19.000Z We’re back, crystal friends! Shoutout to the CME commenters who don’t understand this at all, lol. Every sport has a history of good luck charms and superstitions. This is no different. Molly McCann herself has dm’ed me and asked what crystals she can use. And we all see how that’s going for her. \* *wink* \* Also let’s shout out our (Bigi) Boy, Jairzinho Rozenstruik! He’s on site in Jacksonville with his famous quartz crystal necklace, and what looks to be a possibly new opal, sunstone, or moonstone ring. Would love more info on that. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/jairzinho.jpg) Anyyyyway, I dub this Crystal Keys To Victory: Underdog Edition. Are these my official fight picks? No. But do these men need the extra help of the crystals and the universe? Lord yes. **UFC 273** **Chan Sung Jung** Covellite ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/zombie.jpg) Helps transform your dreams into reality, unlocks psychic gifts, helps one come up with solutions to perceived problems and challenges, can make you feel less vulnerable and/or bothered. Truly helps people utilize their powerful skills and pushes them to exceed and master their craft. As I write this, Korean Zombie is the biggest underdog on the card. I chose an extremely rare stone, one that isn’t easy to come by. Volk hasn’t lost in 9 years, so a win against him won’t be easy to come by either. But I really do believe there’s a chance. **Aljamain Sterling** Blue Kyanite ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/aljo-1.jpg) Removes and releases blockages in emotions, assists in dealing with grief, letting go of the past, and curing guilt. Aids in the healing of broken bones, replenishes energy, protects from psychic attack. I can’t imagine the pressure Aljo is feeling. He won his belt in the weirdest of ways, got trash talked for a year, had neck surgery. What a rollercoaster. Will he get his redemption story? What if Aljo illegal knees Yan and loses his belt!? \* *pops popcorn*\* **Gilbert Burns** Dragon Stone ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/burns.jpg) A very powerful manifestation stone. Enhances courage, strength, power, and love. And you’ll notice yourself radiating that energy to others. Will make your wildest dreams seem achievable, and serves as a constant reminder that anything is possible. Am I completely on the Khamzat train? No I am not. We haven’t seen enough. I’ve bet against Burns before and he made me a fool. This will be a huge statement for whoever comes out on top. And obviously the real winners are us at home. After a week off, we deserve this wild, unpredictable card. *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### Episode 495: UFC 273 preview bonanza! URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-495-ufc-273-preview-bonanza/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:20.000Z Download [COME3255796742.mp3?updated=1649109748](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME3255796742.mp3?updated=1649109748&ref=comainevent.com) UFC 273 might be a teensy bit of a lower-profile affair that the last few UFC pay-per-views, but the top three fights are still gonna be a lot of fun. Oddsmakers don't think these bouts will be all that competitive, but this week we take a deep dive into Alexander Volkanovski vs. Chan Sung Jung, Aljamain Sterling vs. Petr Yan and Gilbert Burns vs. Khamzat Chimaev. Who will prevail? What will we learn? Which one of these things could be surprisingly even? You have questions, we have answers. This episode is brought to you by NordVPN. Grab your EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to https://nordvpn.com/comain to get up a Huge Discount off your NordVPN Plan + Free Threat Protection + 1 additional month for free! It’s completely risk free with Nord’s 30 day money-back guarantee! ### Episode 494: Curtis Blaydes has a lot going for him at heavyweight URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-494-curtis-blaydes-has-a-lot-going-for-him-at-heavyweight/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:20.000Z Curtis Blaydes is big, athletic and -- as he proved on Saturday night -- has a well-rounded skillset. On top of that, he's only 31 years old. In the aging and shallow heavyweight division, all those things add up to make him a perennial title contender if not, at some point, a champion. Chris Daukaus? Weeeeeellll, maybe not so much. In other news, Demetrious Johnson and Sexyama nab wins in One Championship and new (troubling) shit has come to light about Chael Sonnen's alleged drunken Las Vegas assaults. This episode is brought to you by Fulton & Roark. Right now at FultonandRoark.com, CME listeners can save 15% on their first purchase with the coupon code "IFYOUNASTY." ### AYFKM Alert: How's it possible Paddy Pimblett made only $12K to show? In the UFC? In 2022?! URL: https://www.comainevent.com/ayfkm-alert-hows-it-possible-paddy-pimblett-made-only-12k-to-show-in-the-ufc-in-2022/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:20.000Z You *must* be fucking kidding me. You have absolutely *got* to be yanking my goddamn chain. There is no way you can seriously sit there and look me in my bloodshot eyes while you honestly tell me that Paddy Pimblett’s main card fight at UFC London on Saturday paid him just $12,000 to show and $12,000 to win. I mean, come on. Twelve and goddamn twelve?!? For the guy who had the London crowd in such a frenzy, wearing those wigs in support of this Prince Valiant-looking motherfucker? He brings in all that attention, energy, and enthusiasm, and for this he gets a UFC contract that pays him like he just came in sixth on “The Ultimate Fighter” a decade ago? That’s goddamn criminal, is what that is. Yet “The Baddy” himself told Dave Portnoy of Barstool Sports that’s exactly what he got before any discretionary bonuses were factored in. And hey, since the UFC and Endeavor have both decided to [lean on the claim](https://huddleup.substack.com/p/the-ufc-has-its-best-financial-year?s=r) that the UFC “has increased fighter pay by 600% since 2005” whenever they come under fire for keeping all the damn money, seems like maybe some historical context might be useful here. You know who else made 12 and 12 to fight in the UFC? How about a fella by the name of Christian Wellisch. Of course, he made that (according to the official reported payout from the commission) at UFC 94 in 2009\. Rich Clementi also made 12 and 12, but that was at UFC 76 in 2007\. Rashad Evans also made 12 and 12 for his win at UFC 63 in 2006. So basically, if we want to make these comparisons to how UFC fighter pay has changed since 2005, we should note that Pimblett is being paid like a guy who won TUF in 2005 and was on his fourth fight in the UFC. And how lucky for Pimblett! He’s only on his second fight in the UFC and he didn’t even have to win TUF! All he had to do was come in as a former Cage Warriors champion who brought his own existing fanbase with him to the UFC. Of course, if you follow the news and what not, you might have heard that $12,000 in 2022 doesn’t go as far as it did in 2006\. So while the UFC can say it’s increased pay 600% since then, fighters like Pimblett aren’t exactly feeling it. But wait! Didn’t Pimblett get a $50,000 bonus for his win at UFC London? Yes he did. But as long as we’re comparing UFC payout figures across the years, you want to go ahead and guess what the performance bonuses were worth at, say, UFC 78 in 2007? G’head, guess. Did you say $55,000? Because if so, you are correct. How about for UFC 81 in 2008? Back then the bonuses were $60,000\. How about for UFC 121 in 2010? Those bonuses were $70,000. That’s right. The bonus money has largely gone *down* as the UFC has grown insanely wealthier. Point is, if you’re arguing that UFC fighters have seen this wild increase in their pay over the last 15 years, you have to reckon with some actual numbers that, even before you adjust for inflation, suggest they aren’t necessarily feeling all that much better off. Even that shit Francis Ngannou was just saying about making $600,000 as heavyweight champ before any bonuses or pay-per-view points were factored in? Dog, that’s only slightly better than the $500,000 in disclosed pay that Chuck Liddell made for *losing* to Keith Jardine at UFC 76 in 2007! And Chuck wasn’t even champ then! Tell you where the numbers have changed significantly, though, and that’s on the UFC’s side. UFC 76 was a pay-per-view event in the Honda Center headlined by one of the biggest stars the company had ever had to that point, and it brought in just under $2 million at the gate. UFC London this past weekend, on the other hand, was a Fight Night event devoid of major UFC stars and it brought in about $4.5 million in ticket sales. That doesn’t even scratch the surface of the increase in TV money the UFC has seen since those Spike TV days. Back then, Spike TV was paying the UFC somewhere in the neighborhood of a reported $35 million per year. When the UFC signed with ESPN in 2019, it bundled the TV and streaming rights together for a reported $300 million per year. That’s not factoring in all the various other international rights deals the UFC has signed around the globe, of which there are many. Then there’s also stuff like site fees for returning to certain arenas and the massive increase in the UFC’s sponsorship revenue. Because, oh yeah, that $12,000 to show that guys like Rashad Evans were making in 2006? That was back when UFC fighters could still sell their own sponsor logos on their shorts and banners, and many fighters were making substantially more money from that than they were in contracted UFC pay. Seriously, if you weren’t following the sport back then you might not believe it, but dudes were *regularly* making tens of thousands of dollars just to wear a certain ball cap to the cage. Then they added more with decals on their ass and crotch and everywhere else they’d fit. The UFC ended that practice with its “exclusive apparel” deals, and then largely routed that sponsorship revenue stream directly into its own pockets. Still want to tell me that fighters are doing so much better than they were 15 years ago? I mean, some of them, sure. It’s worth noting that those payouts from 2006 and 2007 show some guys making four grand to show (again, that’s for fighting another human being in a cage lol). That doesn’t happen anymore (except in Bellator). But in the same period where we’re told that fighter pay went up 600 percent, the UFC has seen an [increase of 1,700 percent in revenue and a 6,200 percent increase in profits](https://huddleup.substack.com/p/the-ufc-has-its-best-financial-year?s=r). You think the massive disparity in those numbers can be explained by any scenario in which fighters are proportionately sharing in the UFC’s success? Because no, there’s just flat out no fucking way. Go ask Paddy if you don’t believe me. And oh yeah, that fake-ass $107k payout that someone just made up for him and put on the internet? The one that [made Pimblett chime in](https://twitter.com/theufcbaddy/status/1505862752400822273?s=20&t=nR635kaDftNmkjxmzKcMhQ&ref=comainevent.com) like, *fuck I wish*! My dude, that’s almost exactly what Josh Koscheck made for beating Anthony Johnson at UFC 106 in 2009\. Except that Koscheck got to sell his own sponsorships. And he got *two* performance bonuses that night. And the bonuses were worth $70,000 each. L O fucking L. *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### Episode 493: Violence abounds at UFC London URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-493-violence-abounds-at-ufc-london/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:21.000Z Download [COME7589182012.mp3?updated=1647983872](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME7589182012.mp3?updated=1647983872&ref=comainevent.com) It had been a couple years since the UFC was able to make the trek across the pond and perhaps that break allowed everybody's aggression to become duly PENT. Because once the ref said "fight"? Hoo boy, some people got busy. You had Tom Aspinall kicking down the door of contendership. You had Paddy the Baddy notching another win and being adorable (as long as you don't find out about his social media presence!). You had Molly McMann throwing spinning shit, chugging Howler Head and stealing peoples' replica belts out of the crowd. And then Paul Craig. Well, what can you even say about Paul Craig? This week's episode is brought to you by Fulton & Roark. CME listeners can save 15% on their first purchase with the coupon code "IFYOUNASTY." Check out the website at fultonandroark.com. ### Just Saying Stuff: The dos and don'ts of the post-fight callout URL: https://www.comainevent.com/just-saying-stuff-the-dos-and-donts-of-the-post-fight-callout/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:21.000Z We’re always telling fighters the same thing: When it comes time for your post-fight interview following a glorious victory in the UFC, have a name ready. Don’t say you’ll fight whoever the UFC puts in front of you. Don’t say you’re not the type to call anyone out. Don’t tell us about the vacation you’ve got planned, even if that might be the thing foremost on your mind after a grueling training camp followed by the immense relief of fighting and winning. We want a name. We want to know what’s next. And it behooves your ass to prepare accordingly, for a couple different reasons. The first is that, if you’re not a champion and you’re not Conor McGregor, then very likely you are in the same struggle to get noticed and remembered that about 95 percent of the roster is experiencing at any given moment. There are so many damn events, so many fighters coming and going. While it seems impossible to imagine when you’re standing there basking in the glow of glorious victory, three weeks from now most of us will have at least partially forgotten this fight even happened. Such are the ravages of the non-stop UFC schedule. What you want to do is give us a narrative to follow so that you don’t just stop existing the second you move out of the camera’s view. That’s the first reason to do it. The second reason is that, if you don’t at least try to plot a path forward for yourself, you might fuck around and let others do it for you. For it is a truth, divinely writ on the ancient MMA scrolls: He who does not call out an interesting opponent next will get matched up with some insanely tough yet weirdly unknown Dagestani badass or some shit. Amen. But if you’re gonna go for the callout, you’re going to want to remember these helpful tips. **Do: Be specific** Have a name. Know how to pronounce the name. Be able to say it directly into the camera without looking at your coaches like, ‘what’s that fucker’s name again?’ When Tom Aspinall won his heavyweight main event in London on Saturday and then called out Tai Tuivasa, it was clear and unambiguous. He was talking about one man, and now he’s got us thinking about it, in part because he also threw in a fun little beer-drinking reference, which is the type of shit that typically goes over well with the fight crowd. That’s how it’s done. **Don’t: Rely too heavily on the rankings** One of the worst post-fight non-callouts is saying you want to fight someone in the top ten or top five next. You may have the rankings for your division memorized, but we sure don’t. Plus, all that tells us is that you are interested in career advancement, which, fucking duh. Everybody wants to fight up (and never down) the rankings. But obviously everybody can’t do that, because the math simply doesn’t work. Give us a name, not just a number. **Do: Be realistic … or else be entertainingly and originally *un*realistic** Swear to fucking god, if we have to hear one more mid-level welterweight call out Conor McGregor or Canelo Alvarez, despite the fact that they don’t have more than two or three UFC wins to their credit so far, we’re gonna start throwing rotten fruit. You gotta know what’s feasible and what’s just a waste of mic time. The exception is if you’re doing something like Paddy Pimblett, who after his win in London called out Mark goddamn Zuckerberg. Is he going to get that fight? Not unless he catches the bloke coming off his private jet. But did it serve as effective sleight of hand to get us to think about something other than a fight with Ilia Topuria, whose smoke Pimblett does not want at this juncture? Kind of, yeah. Plus, who out there actually likes Mark Zuckerberg? The one thing people of all social and political persuasions seem to agree on is that the guy sucks. **Don’t: Be racist or homophobic** It really shouldn’t be that hard. There are a million reasons for you, a professional fighter, to want to fight another professional fighter. Try to find one that doesn’t make you seem like a total shithead. You can ask Cody Durden how it works out when the thing you do with your post-fight interview is make us think, ‘this is what he says when he knows he’s on TV, so just imagine the kind of bullshit he says in private.’ **Do: Have a reason, even if it’s stupid.** You gotta be prepared to answer some follow-up questions is the thing. You say you want to fight this guy, so we’re gonna want to know why. And honestly? The reason can be totally fucking dumb. Could be anything from ‘he’s a terrifying monster and I want to test myself’ to ‘he cut in line at the hotel breakfast buffet’ to ‘he’s taking everything I worked for, motherfucker.’ Remember, this is about crafting a story for us to follow so that we will continue giving a shit about you. It’s like Paul Craig winning on Saturday and then calling out Anthony Smith because he thinks his own “Bearjew-jitsu” is better than Smith’s plain old jiu-jitsu. Does that even make sense? Eh, not a ton. Does it matter? Not really. **Don’t: Ask for a rematch of a fight that most of us have already forgotten about** Fighters *love* to talk about getting another crack at someone who beat them in the past. Sometimes they’ll even explain that it’s because they want to “get that loss off \[their\] record,” which, nah playa, that’s not how it works. Most of the time, it’s someone who beat them in a close-ish decision on some Fight Night prelims three years ago or some shit. And bruh, nobody but you still gives a damn about that. We could see if it were controversial somehow, or if there’s lingering bad blood, but if it’s just that you lost when you thought you could have won? Man, you need to let that shit go. We do not care. The other guy probably sees no upside in giving you another crack at it. The UFC matchmakers are bored at the very thought. Do something new, goddammit. **Do: Turn and walk away once you’ve made your point** You realize you can end those post-fight interviews whenever you’re ready, right? Michael Bisping cannot stop you. Say your thing and then leave on a high note. Don’t stand there and let him quiz you on the game plan coming into this one after, because then it loses all momentum. **Don’t: Throw in a plea for a performance bonus** You think Dana White has ever sat there and thought, ‘oh this person could actually use the extra $50k? Okay cool let’s give it to him then.’ Dog, he knows who’s getting those checks before you say word one. We’re not saying it’s fair, we’re just saying it’s true. *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### From: Marriott Hotels, To: UFC, Re: Security Deposit for Future Stays URL: https://www.comainevent.com/from-marriott-hotels-to-ufc-re-security-deposit-for-future-stays/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:21.000Z Greetings, I’m writing to you today with some concerns about your upcoming reservations at several of our hotels. According to our records, your organization has a group stay planned in Columbus, OH, the week of March 22-26, and then in Jacksonville, FL, the week of April 4-9\. However, we recently received footage from a partner hotel in London that appears to show several members of your group engaged in a violent physical altercation surrounding the breakfast area. Furthermore, our research indicates that this is not an entirely uncommon occurrence at hotels frequented by your company. A quick Google search reveals that there have been multiple incidents of physical fights, shouting matches, elevator slaps, the throwing of various drinking receptacles, and at least one room completely destroyed by a representative of your organization known as “Ragin Al.” Obviously, this concerns us. This most recent incident, or so we have been told, originated with comments that one member of your party allegedly made [about the Russo-Georgian War of 2008](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2022/03/ufc-fight-night-204-ilia-topuria-calls-out-paddy-pimblett-war-remark?ref=comainevent.com). This apparently led to a confrontation with another member of your party who claims to have had relatives killed in said conflict, and the ensuing argument became physical. While zero damage seems to have been done to either party – not even the gentleman who closely resembles [Peter Tork from ‘60s pop sensation The Monkees](https://media.pitchfork.com/photos/5c6ee44b6f31fa3d12a68dd9/2:1/w%5F790,h%5F395,c%5Flimit/Peter%20Tork%202.png?ref=comainevent.com) – but the same cannot be said for the hotel’s breakfast setup. Naturally, we are as concerned about the frequency of these incidents as we are about the cavalier way they are shrugged off by your company and others in your industry. This is apparently “just part of fight week,” according to the prevailing sentiments we encountered online, with a good many responses lamenting the relative *lack* of damage and destruction, human or otherwise. It is for this reason we feel that we must revisit the issue of security deposits for your upcoming stays. In addition to monetary risks, we must also address concerns from our own employees who have access to the same internet footage we do and are understandably especially concerned about the potential for conflict during this period of heightened international tensions. The risks of arguments over various wars, both past and present, as well as long-simmering personal animosities spilling over into destructive violence in our lobby or breakfast nook seems especially high with fighters like Mr. Aljamain Sterling and Mr. Petr Yan booked for your upcoming stay at our Jacksonville location. While we await your reply, we will be securing all hand trucks, glass bottles, chairs, and even removing some of the pointier fruit options. We will also be stationing armed guards at all elevators, at your expense, and instructing them to deploy non-lethal crowd control measures upon hearing phrases such as “what did you say, bro?!” and “talk that shit about the Russo-Georgian War now, motherfucker!” Thank you for your time and attention to this matter. Sincerely, Ebenezer Notafakename Marriott Hotels General Manager *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### Episode 492: Diego overachieves, Ankalaev underwhelms URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-492-diego-overachieves-ankalaev-underwhelms/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:21.000Z Download [COME6647600326.mp3?updated=1647295712](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME6647600326.mp3?updated=1647295712&ref=comainevent.com) We thought Magomed Ankalaev vs. Thiago Santos would be a banger, but instead it turned out to be a tepid 25-minute affair where two aggressive, powerful light heavyweights canceled each other out. So, that was a letdown. But in Eagle FC, Diego Sanchez looked slightly better than expected in a loss to Kevin Lee. So, that was a treat. Plus, now that Bellator really is in the Adam Borics business, maybe that doesn't seem so bad? This episode is brought to you by NordVPN. Grab your EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to nordvpn.com/comain or use the code comain to get a Huge Discount off your NordVPN Plan + 1 additional month for free + a bonus gift! It’s completely risk free with Nord’s 30 day money-back guarantee! (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) ### MMA manager says his fighter will defeat boxing champ, win Tour de France on foot, blast off into space URL: https://www.comainevent.com/mma-manager-says-his-fighter-will-defeat-boxing-champ-win-tour-de-france-on-foot-blast-off-into-space/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:22.000Z A prominent MMA manager says he believes his fighter is the pound-for-pound best in the world, and expects him to prove it this fall with an easy win over a top boxing champion, despite having never competed in that sport. “These boxers, I call them cowards,” the manager said, referring to the multi-millionaire champions in the centuries-old sport in which many people have died over the years. “My guy will knock him out, no problem, then head to France without a bicycle to win that little race they have there, before ultimately launching directly into space in order to personally colonize Mars. Should be done by end of next summer, maybe slightly later.” Naturally, this news immediately made headlines across the MMA world, with websites repeating the claim that included no specifics about how the boxing match would even get made, considering the many difficult contractual hurdles that stand in the way. And that, of course, is to say nothing about the prediction of an easy knockout win for the fighter who has never competed professionally in the sport that his supposed future victim has dominated for years. “What can I say, I believe in him,” said the manager who has been accused of multiple crimes in and out of the sport. “I just can’t see how he doesn’t quickly demolish this boxer and then win the Newbery Medal for a children’s book about a lonely hedgehog that he will write and illustrate entirely in the one-minute break between rounds. Some people might think that’s crazy, but hey, at the end of the day I believe in him as both a fighter and as the literary voice of a generation.” When pressed as to why they were even talking about this, instead of a more reasonable though still incredibly challenging goal such as winning a second title in another division within the sport the fighter actually competes in, the manager stuck his fingers in his ears and began humming a slow, haunting tune. “You like that?” he said. “That’s from my guy’s new mixtape. I played it for some friends of mine at the London Philharmonic and they just started weeping, bro. One of them quit the clarinet forever, said he could never create something that beautiful so what was the point? Totally shattered his life, bro. Now he lives in the subway.” As the reporter stared dumbfounded, the manager began ticking off other accomplishments he genuinely expects his fighter to achieve, noting that he was definitely not just saying stuff in order to pull the predictable levers of easy publicity. “He’s built his own supercollider, that should drop some time in May,” the manager said. “Also we thought we’d swing down the coast and win a few of those sandcastle-building contests over the summer. Might finish up with a PGA Tour victory or two, then maybe some light time travel.” Before the reporter could ask for further details about how the boxing contracts would actually work, seriously, and who would have to get paid what for even allowing it, the manager reportedly wandered off mid-sentence in order to engage in a fistfight with an arena custodian. *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### Can we talk (I mean REALLY talk) about Michael Bisping’s eye real quick? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/can-we-talk-i-mean-really-talk-about-michael-bispings-eye-real-quick/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:22.000Z As we all know by now, Michael Bisping’s right eye is completely fucked. It has been for quite some time, dating all the way back to 2013 when he got kicked upside the head by the most TRTastic version of Vitor Belfort, who looked like a damn action figure and coincidentally fought only in Brazil that entire year, far away from the prying eyes and uncomfortable questions of U.S. athletic commissions. That kick to the head and the ground-and-pound that followed left Bisping with a detached retina that took months for doctors to accurately assess. That delay may have compounded the problems with it, leaving Bisping effectively blind in one eye. You could see how a person might retain some hard feelings for the fighter who did that to him, especially when it’s widely known that the guy was getting away with a lot of synthetic help, but whatever. All that was in January 2013\. Bisping would fight for almost another five years before retiring. He won the UFC middleweight title with one eye. He defended it with one eye. He fought the two greatest fighters of his generation – Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre – with one eye. Arguably the most meaningful and consequential fights of his entire career happened when he was down to one eye. Which is, to put it mildly, totally fucking insane. What’s also crazy is hearing how Bisping talks about it now. On Joe Rogan’s podcast recently he explained [how he managed to continue getting licensed](https://www.bloodyelbow.com/2022/3/8/22966566/bisping-details-lying-cheating-got-through-medicals-georges-st-pierre-title-fight-ufc-217-mma-news?ref=comainevent.com) – again, for almost five more goddamn years – by lying, cheating, and tricking his way through exams and pre-fight medicals. “I fucking lied to so many doctors,” Bisping said, before explaining how he and coach Jason Parillo even came up with a code (that they never had to use) in order to defeat the highly scientific how-many-fingers-am-I-holding-up test. It seems that Bisping’s big fear was not that he’d be at too great a disadvantage while fighting guys who had twice as many working eyes as he did. Nor was his concern that a similar injury to his one good eye would leave him completely blind. (Though, when that nearly happened in a loss to Kelvin Gastelum just three weeks after he lost his title to GSP, it finally convinced Bisping to call it quits.) No, his big worry was that the doctors and athletic commissions might realize just how badly his vision was compromised, at which point they would deny him further opportunities to fight in a cage for money. Herein lies an insight into the fighter’s mind, but also the fighter’s life. Part of what motivated Bisping to keep up the trickery in order to keep his fight career going, he explained, was necessity. He’d just moved from England to America and bought a house. He’d been sued by his former manager over his split with the Wolfslair gym and the “legal fees were just incredible,” he explained. He needed money, and after spending all his adult life pursuing this goal of being a professional fighter, it wasn’t like he had a ton of relevant work experience in any other field. “I couldn’t quit,” Bisping said. “I’d no choice. I had to still fight.” Now pause for a moment and put yourself in this predicament. You’re all in on fighting for a living. It’s getting to be too late to change your mind and go to law school. If you were to quit now you’d probably end up as, what, a coach somewhere? A personal trainer? Maybe a grizzled bar bouncer? Probably not enough money there to pay for that house you’re living in or afford the lawyers in your years-long court battle. (Bisping was eventually ordered to [pay over $400,000 to his former manager](https://www.bloodyelbow.com/2017/12/15/16783716/british-court-michael-bisping-pay-400000-ex-manager-mma-news?ref=comainevent.com) in 2017.) The only way to get the money you need is to keep fighting professionally. And since this sport typically pays you twice as much to win as to lose, you also need to continue being very good at it while competing against other people who are very good at it. That’s hard enough to do with two working eyes. If you can’t see strikes coming from one side of your body, or if your depth perception gets thrown all out of whack so that it’s hard to tell when you’re in someone’s punching range and when you’re *just* far enough outside of it, the job only gets tougher. Want to know how tough? Make a fist and hold it out at the edge of your peripheral vision. Now close the eye on that side and watch it disappear completely. With that eye still closed, rotate the fist around in front of your face and see how long it takes for it to re-enter your field of vision. Now imagine the damage a trained fighter could do to you while attacking from that side. Even worse, imagine while all this is going on you can’t tell anybody. You know all those ‘I don’t want to make excuses but here’s my excuse’ speeches we’re used to hearing from fighters after a loss? Here’s an entirely valid excuse – 'I only had one fucking eye, and that was at the START of the fight, BEFORE the face-punching began' – and yet Bisping not only couldn’t use it, he had to go out of his way to assure everyone that the eye was fine, no problem, totally not as bad as it looks. I remember interviewing Bisping about his fight with GSP. It was a massive fight, headlining a pay-per-view in Madison Square Garden with Bisping’s middleweight title on the line. Before the fight, St-Pierre’s coach, Freddie Roach, came into Bisping’s locker room to watch his hands get taped up. Bisping said he could feel Roach staring hard at that bad eye, as if trying to determine just how blind he was on that side. Pretty goddamn blind, was the report that Bisping expected him to deliver to his fighter, and sure enough it was a left hook from St-Pierre that caught Bisping on that right side and put him down to set up the fight-ending choke. Of course, Bisping had also injured his ribs in training and was debating whether to try to surreptitiously self-administer a pre-fight cortisone shot while FaceTiming with his doctor. (He decided against it, due to the risk of fucking it up and puncturing his lung.) Just in case all that wasn’t enough, his jockstrap snapped early in the fight. Because lol why not, what’s one more fucking thing at that point? All that shit going on, and what do people remember now? That GSP came out of retirement as a middleweight because he thought Bisping was a beatable champ, and then he choked him out and took his belt and peaced the fuck back out of the sport again. Point is, you don’t get a lot of sympathy for extenuating circumstances in this sport. Bisping knew that as well as anyone. For almost his entire UFC tenure he was the villain fans loved to hate. People loved to get online and clown him for his losses. The one thing that might have earned him some more respect and maybe even a little bit of slack – *he was doing all this with one fucking eye, like a goddamn cartoon pirate* – was the one thing he had to keep secret lest his entire career be ended against his will. No severance package. No pension. No disability benefits. Just, so long and thanks for sacrificing your body so that we may witness the fitness of the modern warrior. That is *a lot* to deal with. It’s a lot to carry into that cage with you, especially when you know you’re one more eye injury away from spending the rest of your life in the dark. And his big concern through all this? That the doctors might figure it out and deny him the chance to keep taking that risk. That’s a certain kind of person, right there. Even though in this sport we like to act as if it’s just part of the minimum requirements. *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### CME Ban: Stop bragging about how much money you’re making if you’re not going to tell us how much money you’re making URL: https://www.comainevent.com/cme-ban-stop-bragging-about-how-much-money-youre-making-if-youre-not-going-to-tell-us-how-much-money-youre-making/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:22.000Z There’s an epidemic in MMA, friends. No, this time it’s not ringworm or pulsating picograms. It’s an epidemic of the Just Saying Stuff variety. And it is spreading with terrifying speed. Have you noticed recently that every new major contract signing has been “historic,” one of the biggest ever, showering riches upon the fighters whose names appear on that dotted line? First it was Israel Adesanya, who shrewdly waited until fight week to sign “one of the most lucrative multifight deals in company history,” according to his representatives at Paradigm Sports. Then it was Jorge Masvidal, whose new contract with the UFC puts him either in the top three or the top five of all UFC fighters, depending on when you ask his reps at First Round Management. Now it’s Kayla Harrison, who has re-upped with PFL for a “historic” multi-year deal that will make Harrison “the highest paid women's mixed martial artist ever,” [according to her manager](https://twitter.com/aaronbronsteter/status/1501200485591756802?s=20&t=3XksMkPFrM1dYTHn6AV9Rg&ref=comainevent.com) Ali Abdelaziz. You know what all these signings have in common? Not one of these motherfuckers is willing to tell us, in actual dollars and cents, how much they are getting paid. Which, hey, fine. If you don’t want people to know, for whatever reason, feel free to keep that shit to yourself. But if that’s what you want to do, then STOP BRAGGING ABOUT HOW MUCH YOU’RE GETTING PAID. There are three reasons we hate this particular practice: **1)It’s fucking annoying.** You know what you sound like, telling us you’ve got this insane new contract but refusing to reveal *any* of the numbers? You sound like a third-grader on some ‘I’ve got a secret’ type bullshit. What, you want us all to ask you what the secret is? Just so you can refuse to tell us and soak up all the cheap attention? The shit is undignified, b. For all of us. It’s even more fucking annoying since people do it all the time now. We just went through this with some other fighter, and some other fighter before him. It’s getting to the point where any time a fighter signs any new contract, their reps almost have to claim it’s some groundbreaking shit, lest they look like they’re falling behind. Just aggravating as all hell. **2) It invites us to consider the possibility that you are just bullshitting.** For one thing, if *no one* is saying how much they’re getting paid, how could you even really know that your contract is one of the most lucrative? It’s not like state athletic commissions can be trusted to report accurate payouts, especially since the UFC has gone on a crusade to get them to stop making that info public. (And hey, why do you think the promoter might be willing to go to such lengths to keep that shit secret? Do you think it’s because they care so much about the fighters’ privacy? Because lololol, dog.) Maybe you want us to believe that all these managers – some of whom hate each other so much that they get in fistfights when they see each other at events – are freely getting together and sharing accurate payout information just to help each other out in negotiations with promoters. (Again, lololol.) It *is* entirely possible that the promoter is making these claims in private about how much other fighters are being paid. Former UFC matchmaker Joe Silva used to say he did this all the time, but mostly as a way of explaining why the company couldn’t pay some fighter more than other people with similar records and experience. But in that case, wouldn’t the promoter have a very obvious vested interest in making everyone *think* theirs is the biggest contract around? And then wouldn’t all the goddamn secrecy only help the promoter to maintain that ruse? **3) It makes you seem super insecure.** Which is ironic, because these claims always come as part of some victory cry at the end of prolonged contract negotiations. It’s a bit of public chest-thumping, assuring us all that the promoter finally realized how incredibly valuable this fighter is. So OK, tell us how valuable. Give us a number. Oh, you won’t do that? Maybe it’s because you worry that it won’t seem so great after all, or because some other fighter might speak up and say, ‘Oh that? No big deal, I got more than that on my last contract.’ It seems especially insecure now that everyone is using this same bit. New contract. Big money. One of the biggest contracts ever. Over and over again, this same shit. We know how math works, motherfuckers. You can’t *all* be top three in payouts. Some of you are definitely Just Saying Stuff, and we know it. So please, for the love of the MMA gods, either back your shit up with some numbers – which would actually help all of you, since at least then you'd have something to compare future offers to – or shut the hell up. The ban is hereby activated. We will not be taking any questions at this time. Thank you. *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### Episode 491: UFC 272 wrap-up + Are Conor, Dustin, Colby, Jorge + Nate kinda their own division at this point? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-491-ufc-272-wrap-up-are-conor-dustin-colby-jorge-nate-kinda-their-own-division-at-this-point/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:22.000Z Download [COME8586698545.mp3?updated=1646694940](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME8586698545.mp3?updated=1646694940&ref=comainevent.com) In the immediate wake of his lopsided and predictable unanimous decision win over Jorge Masvidal on Saturday at UFC 272, Colby Covington got right to work building his NEXT big grudge match. This one (he hopes), against Dustin Poirier. Yeah, if we were Poirier's managers we're giving that one a hard pass. At this point however, doesn't it kinda seem guys like Poirier, Nate Diaz, Masvidal, Covington and Conor McGregor are in their own little division? Oh, and at some point, shouldn't SOMEBODY have saved Renato Moicano from himself? ### Which UFC 272 fighter do you want to share this aimlessly drifting lifeboat with: A speculative guide URL: https://www.comainevent.com/which-ufc-272-fighter-do-you-want-to-share-this-aimlessly-drifting-lifeboat-with-a-speculative-guide/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:23.000Z Bad news. Just as the old gypsy woman at the wharf warned you, that whale-watching cruise you signed up for has ended in tragedy. You’re thinking now that maybe you should have listened to her as she pointed a crooked finger at you and bellowed something about a curse after you accidentally ran over her dog in the parking lot. But in your defense: a) you had 10 a.m. departure and weren’t about to miss a chance to see some goddamn blue whales, and b) jeez lady it was an ACCIDENT! Anywho, now that the boat is at the bottom of the ocean and her shrill warnings about the “horrid vengeance of the sea” or whatever are still ringing in your ears, the only fact that really matters is that there are only two known survivors here. It’s you, and one of the fighters from the UFC 272 fight card. Together, you drift aimlessly in this small lifeboat, listening to the waves lap against its meager hull while you both ponder what’s left of your futures and occasionally brainstorm some rescue ideas. Shit has gone sideways, in other words. But as you force yourself to look on the bright side, you realize that this is a great chance to really get to know a fighter from Saturday night’s UFC pay-per-view in Las Vegas. **Rafael dos Anjos:** The whole time you guys have been sitting here together he has never stopped scowling. Then again, he was scowling when he got on the boat, too. He even scowled as that blue whale swam right up to the stern and, after fixing you with one watery eye, smashed a hole in the side with one wallop of its tail. Rafael was standing next to you when it happened. “The whale, she looked right at you,” RDA said as water flooded the ship. “You think so?” you replied. “I think she might have been looking at you.” After a few hours in the lifeboat you try to lift his spirits by offering him half of your last piece of gum. At first he offers no reply as he stares out at the endless horizon. Maybe he didn’t hear you? You tear the gum in two and hold one half out to him. He doesn’t move. “She was looking at you,” he says again. “Deus tenha misericórdia.” **Bryce Mitchell:** Jesus Christ, this motherfucker has not stopped talking about various “deep state” conspiracies since the ship went down. Now he’s somehow convinced himself that it’s all a setup to take his guns away. “You have guns on you right now?” you ask. “Hell yeah, brother,” he says. “Always.” You tell him good, and then close your eyes and point at the center of your own forehead. All you ask is that he make it quick. You can’t listen to another fucking second of this. **Jorge Masvidal:** You know, it’s weird. He doesn’t seem that worried. Why isn’t he worried? He’s just sitting there across from you with a strange little smirk on his face, occasionally closing his eyes and throwing his head back like a man soaking up sun by a swimming pool. “Jorge,” you finally say. “I don’t know about you, but I’m a little concerned.” He looks at you, surprised. “For instance,” you say, “we don’t have any food or water.” He nods along as if he understands, then explains that he has already considered this problem and arrived at a solution. “I’m going to drink your blood and eat your flesh, bro,” he says. Oh. Well. OK. At least that’s settled. **Jalin Turner:** “Don’t worry, little buddy,” he whispers down the front of his life jacket. “We’re going to be just fine.” You look at him. He looks at you. “Jalin,” you say. “Do you have a tarantula in there?” His eyes dart from side to side. “No,” he says, obviously lying. Fuck this, you’re swimming for it. **Kevin Holland:** Try as you might, you can’t seem to get him to take this situation seriously. He’s just continually talking shit, saying stuff about how he’s “built different,” and therefore isn’t worried about dehydration or exposure. “Or sharks,” he adds, unprompted. “Fuck is a shark gonna do to me? I saw all the 'Jaws' movies. Even the one with what’s his name, fucking Anthony Hopkins.” You tell him he’s thinking of Michael Caine, who was in “Jaws IV: The Revenge.” No, he insists, Anthony Hopkins was in that motherfucker too. You’re quite certain he wasn’t, and even though you know you should just let it go, you can't. The two of you argue about it until you’re both unable to form words with your dry, cracked lips. The dark veil of death drops before your eyes, bringing the debate to a merciful end. The only sound now is the boat bobbing on the water. The sea itself seems to exhale with relief. **Brian Kelleher:** You guys aren’t out there more than fifteen minutes before he builds a radio out of his digital watch, some signal flares, and the zippers from the lightweight yet sensible jacket that he brought along on the journey just in case he needed it. He calls for help and before you know it the two of you are being hauled aboard a fishing boat. You’re so grateful to be saved, but Brian seems distracted by the sorrow on the face of the ship’s captain. He inquires after the man, who apologizes for his tears and explains that his wife of forty years has recently died. Brian listens patiently, comforts him with some words from Marcus Aurelius, and brews the man some tea on a hot plate. By the time you pull into port they’re making plans to go on a cross-country motorcycle ride together. Everyone seems to have forgotten you’re even there. **Colby Covington:** For the first hour he seemed like he was holding it together fairly well. But as the day wears on he seems more and more detached from reality. First he started saying things like, “Don’t worry, bro. They’ll have a chopper out looking for me soon. I’m too valuable for them to leave me out here.” Then it was stuff like, “President Trump is probably on the phone with the Coast Guard right now, just making sure they have all my favorite snacks ready for when they pick me up.” You decided to just let that remark slide. He’d snap out of it soon, you thought. But now he seems to be spiraling out of control, muttering things like, “I’m the real champion, I’m important,” and “people only say those mean things because they’re jealous of me that’s all it is.” You tell him that you’ve read as many as three internet articles on survival situations, and the most important thing is to stay calm. But he’s not listening. Instead he’s shouting about being in the VIP section of the club, like the superstar he is, living that high life. “Colby,” you say. “You’re scaring me, man.” He leans over the side, scooping up seawater with his hands and drinking it down. “Popping bottles!” he shouts. “I’m famous and I’m never gonna die!” *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### Crystal Keys to Victory: UFC 272 URL: https://www.comainevent.com/crystal-keys-to-victory-ufc-272/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:24.000Z Hello stone cold rock lovers, Crystal Keys To Victory is back! I feel grumpy about this card so sorry if this edition is grumpy. Is anyone else sick of the same faces spinning around on the same carousel? Do we need new blood? Or just fighters who aren’t jerks? Something is happening because this card isn’t exciting me. So yes, this edition of Crystal Keys is a little shady. And I may end up threatening Greg Hardy’s life just a bit. Lol? Enjoy!! **UFC 272** **Jorge Masvidal** Golden Labradorite ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/jorge.png) A rare stone, beams positivity and carries a heavy masculine energy. A stone of great magic, it awakens our natural gifts, and brings success in any endeavor we dedicate ourselves to. I’m just very blah about this match-up. Jorge has lost some mystique over the past couple years, Colby is out-cringing Cejudo, the trash talk has been yucky, and everything about it is just kinda yucky. Team Masvidal by default. **Bryce Mitchell** Green Aventurine ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/screen-shot-2022-03-03-at-9-22-12-am.png) Brings strength, money, confidence, courage, and happiness. Renews one's optimism for life, and ignites an inner fire to reach for your biggest goals. Encourages one to get out of their comfort zone, to branch out, and to grow as a person. So an episode of UFC 272 Countdown aired on ABC Saturday afternoon. It showed Bryce Mitchell getting ready for his fight, training in front of his house (which was a camper), and above the camper was what can only be described as a gas station canopy. I’m literally stunned the UFC thinks this was a good look. Your main card fighter lives in a field in a Mad Max metal pile. Trust me, go watch it, it’s on YouTube. Anyway, this is why I gave Bryce an abundance stone. He’s a little batty, but maybe some money and travel and life experience would do his brain some good. (HASHTAG PAY FIGHTERS MORE) **Greg Hardy** Bumblebee Jasper ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/screen-shot-2022-03-03-at-9-22-20-am.png) Bumblebee Jasper, while beautiful, is considered highly toxic. It contains a very high concentration of arsenic. It should be minimally handled, should never get through the skin, and should never be ingested. Lemme know how that works out for ya, Greg. *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### Masvidal vs. Covington is a feud created by MMA, for MMA. So is that why it feels so damn annoying? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/masvidal-vs-covington-is-a-feud-created-by-mma-for-mma-so-is-that-why-it-feels-so-damn-annoying/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:24.000Z Get a look at Stephen A. Smith’s face. That dull stare. The slow, heavy blinks. He’s stuck in the middle of this split-screen with a shirtless Colby Covington on one side and a bleeptastic Jorge Masvidal on the other and clearly [this man is *suffering*](https://twitter.com/PauliPromotions/status/1498804576190935040?ref=comainevent.com). But then, aren’t we all? We always knew the absolute worst part about Masvidal vs. Covington in the UFC 272 main event would be their attempts to sell it to us, which in this particular instance means constantly shouting over one another while Stephen A. goes from trying to moderate to simply trying not to lose his will to live. Such is the inevitable outcome of this bad blood headliner between two fighters who are now deeply invested in living their own gimmicks as loudly and obnoxiously as possible. You book these two for the main event, ask them to carry an entire fight card now that they’ve both fallen out of title contention after two losses each against the division’s champ, and this is pretty much what you get. Two guys shouting at each other about who the bigger piece of shit is, all while the ESPN TV personality looks at us like, ‘I should have called in sick today.’ Maybe it’s the current state of the sport. Maybe it’s the current state of the world. But something about the ol’ reliable THESE TWO REALY HATE EACH OTHER! sales pitch feels like it’s falling flat this time around, which is ironic because this actually does seem like one of the more genuinely organic interpersonal MMA beefs in recent memory. Think about it. Two fighters who became friends and training partners when they were both young in the game. As their careers grew, so did their knowledge of and gradual contempt for one another, probably not coincidentally. They hit a real schism once the money got big (well, big by MMA standards) and one guy decided that their shared coach didn’t deserve his agreed upon cut of the fight purse. Or, if you believe the other guy, maybe the split was because the money was never as big as other people thought it was. Oh and also they were jealous of his success. (Sorry, had to stifle a hearty guffaw just now.) Point is, this is an *extremely* MMA feud to even be having in the first place. It is the type of shit that actually happens in MMA gyms all the time, even if it usually doesn’t get talked about so publicly or mined for its fight hype potential. You know how many MMA coaches have been stiffed on their cut of the purse by at least one of their fighters at some point or another? Fucking all of them. It’s what happens when you operate on handshake deals in a sport where there’s never enough money to go around. Every coach out there has a story or two about the fighter who agreed to give him a certain percentage in exchange for the amorphous yet damn near constant work of getting him ready for a fight, only to decide once the fight was over and the money was in hand that, wellll, actualllly, maybe coach didn’t do enough to get paid his share. And you know how many training partners were bros for life until they really got to know each other? Fucking many of them. We like to get worked up about these rivalries between fighters who traded words backstage at event once, or started chirping at each other in Instagram comments before they ever met, but that kind of hate is nothing compared to the hate of someone who actually *knows* you. And sure, as your careers advance at different rates there are also those simmering resentments over the media or the promoter giving the other guy more attention and respect than he deserves. You add in the memory of all those times he made himself some egg whites and then left the pan in the sink to “soak” for two days and suddenly you have yourself a volatile goddamn mixture. In other words, what we have here seems to be a bad blood fight that was formed by the organic upheaveals and erosive forces of the MMA world and is now being sold *to* the MMA world. Yet somehow it still feels … tiresome. Is it that we’re just sick of these two specific dudes, both of whom have been on the same exact bullshit for a few years now? Is it that MMA promoters and fighters have cried wolf on these kinds of rivalry narratives for so long that we don’t want to buy in only to hear “it was all just to sell the fight” once the money has been paid? Or maybe it’s just that, no matter how genuine the underlying animosity may be, we all feel a little like Stephen A. right now, grimly waiting for these guys to stop yelling over one another and just fight already. The fact that the beef is real and developed as a result of the way this sport and the people in it operates might only make it feel like the kind of shit they should have settled in private years ago rather than making us watch their split-screen debates now. Whatever it is, the good news is that it’s almost Saturday. The fight is almost here. Just don’t go into it expect it to settle much of anything. That, too, is usually how it goes when the whole thing is real. *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### Episode 490: Ever feel like Jorge Masvidal & Colby Covington don't like each other? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-490-ever-feel-like-jorge-masvidal-colby-covington-dont-like-each-other/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:25.000Z Download [COME7808306618.mp3?updated=1646089924](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME7808306618.mp3?updated=1646089924&ref=comainevent.com) Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington are set to settle their longstanding personal grudge on Saturday at UFC 272 and, frankly, the end can't come soon enough. At 37, and winless since 2019, this seems like a must-win for Masvidal, but he's going off as a fairly significant underdog. What to think? Also, Islam Makhachev deserves a title shot, which is very different from actually getting one at lightweight. Plus, Gegard Mousasi is one of the best middleweights in the world. This episode is brought to you by NordVPN. Grab your EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to nordvpn.com/comain or use the code comain to get a Huge Discount off your NordVPN Plan + 1 additional month for free + a bonus gift! It’s completely risk free with Nord’s 30 day money-back guarantee! ### The MMA Ethicist: Is it wrong to laugh at Johnny Walker memes? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/the-mma-ethicist-is-it-wrong-to-laugh-at-johnny-walker-memes/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:25.000Z “What’s making me upset is the reaction from the people,” UFC light heavyweight Johnny Walker said after his first-round knockout loss at last Saturday’s Fight Night event. “They just make jokes and they don’t care about somebody getting hurt.” The somebody in question here was him. The jokes, one assumes, were stuff like [this](https://twitter.com/MonstroAG/status/1495221220131983362?s=20&t=ahS9V546MzewEUnEoyUYaQ&ref=comainevent.com) and [this](https://twitter.com/hektic%5Fone/status/1495218826300080129?s=20&t=ahS9V546MzewEUnEoyUYaQ&ref=comainevent.com) and [that](https://twitter.com/MacMallyMMA/status/1495231493597184003?s=20&t=ahS9V546MzewEUnEoyUYaQ&ref=comainevent.com). You know how it goes. Any time there’s an odd knockout, and this one was definitely odd as a motherfucker, the MMA memesters are going to jump on it with a quickness to make that sweet, sweet content. This is a fact of life as a UFC fighter, especially if you’re going to be out here headlining events. But then here’s Walker, showing up on his YouTube channel in the immediate aftermath of the fight, talking at the camera in his bathrobe for a video he titled, “What went wrong & talking about this toxic people social Sport.” Jamahal Hill may have hurt his face. But you toxic people on the socials? You hurt his feelings. To be fair, it seems that Walker (and his girlfriend, who joins the video about halfway through and kind of, sort of hints that it was her idea for him to film this message to the MMA world) is complaining about two different things here. One is the jokes themselves. You know, memes and such. Which, if you just lost your fight, and with it half your paycheck, pushing you further from your career goals while also giving you a concussion in the process, you can see how it might feel like some unnecessary salt in the wound to log on afterwards and see yourself [photoshopped into church revival meetings](https://preview.redd.it/wva83p1tn0j81.jpg?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=f5be26a2533f91667f34d8408b949d6cadb88b91&ref=comainevent.com). But the other thing both Walker and his girlfriend are upset about could best be described as direct online harassment. According to them, people were out here messaging them from anonymous social media accounts, sending them the memes and the screenshots and calling them all kind of names in the DMs. “Excuse my French, but what fucked up person watches a fight, sees someone get a head injury, screenshots it, zooms in, and goes on to social media and finds my Instagram, and messages me to antagonize me?” Walker’s girlfriend says in the video. And yeah, that is fucked up. There’s no excuse for that, no reason to do it at all. But also? It is a separate thing from the people who are just watching fights, discussing them with their online friends, even making or sharing memes that find humor in a pro fighter’s misfortune. That is not necessarily toxic. That is, to a certain extent, what fandom looks like in the realm of combat sports. So fucking deal with it. The important distinctions here are intent and audience. If you’re on Twitter, talking shit with your online buddies about the fights you’re watching, noting how Johnny Walker took that right hand and looked like someone being electrocuted in an ‘80s movie, that is your right as a fucked up fan of this fucked up sport. The fact that this moment could have been legitimately dangerous and damaging to the actual human brain of Johnny Walker does not mean it cannot ever be joked about. You know why? Because this whole sport is dangerous and damaging. We know that. He knows that. The fact remains that it exists as a form of entertainment. That’s why there’s money in it for people like Walker. There didn’t used to be. In the primordial days of MMA there were plenty of “events” that were little more than tough guys in a gym or a basement somewhere just testing out their own skills for the love of the competition and the desire to taste their own blood. It wasn’t a career then, or even an “opportunity,” as Dana White likes to put it. It was just a sick, twisted hobby. But as the sport grew it attracted fans and promoters and media and advertisers and all the trappings of a modern sport. That’s where the money comes from. That’s why guys like Walker get to do this and nothing else for a living. With all that inevitably comes the opinions of other people, and part of what they’re buying with the price of admission is the right to enjoy this bullshit the way they want to – up to a point. Because while you get the right to have an opinion, to boo or cheer, to make or share hilarious memes of the worst night of someone else’s career, what you don’t get is the right to be a dick *specifically to that person* about it. That’s the important difference between posting a meme and talking shit to people in their DMs. The former is for the enjoyment of the community, weird as that may be given that what we’re talking about here is sanctioned, consensual violence. The latter is an attempt to derive some bizarre pleasure out of rubbing someone’s nose in their own failures, and it is a deeply fucked up impulse, especially when aimed at a person you don’t even really know, who has done nothing at all to you. I realize that may be confusing for some people, so let’s see if we can’t simplify the rule: It’s OK to find humor in someone’s knockout loss, but it is not OK to force them to *see you* finding humor in it. It’s why posting a Johnny Walker meme is fine, but tagging him in the post is some real dirtbag shit. You know he’s already going through a hard time. What kind of asshole needs to make sure he sees you laughing at him? If he goes on Twitter and searches his name, or somehow seeks out this stuff, that’s on him. Going out of your way to shove it in his face? That’s on you, and it makes you a real piece of shit. In the aftermath of Walker’s “toxic people social Sport” video, a lot of people got online to do some finger-wagging at all the meme-makers and meme-enjoyers out there. This was largely hypocritical, because who among us hasn’t at least chuckled at some of these here and there at some point? Like the memesters say, it’s always funny until it’s your favorite fighter. But you have to go through some complex mental gymnastics to think it’s fine to watch and enjoy this stuff, even rooting for one person to physically beat up another, yet somehow tell yourself that it’s a sin to laugh when someone gets hit and falls down weird. You can laugh. It's OK. If you want to get mad at something, get mad at how poorly they’re paid, or how much of the money is being hoarded by the people in charge. Don’t get angry at Twitter photoshoppers for caring about jokes over fighter health if you’re not also angry at promoters for failing to provide ongoing health care to the fighters they profit off. Mostly, though, recognize that there is a difference between laughing at the absurdities of this insane sport and trying to personally torture individual, real people with mean-spirited, direct mockery. The internet doesn’t have to be nice. But it also doesn’t need to show up in your inbox when you’re trying to lick your wounds and eat your post-fight pizza. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### Episode 489: When bad things happen to weird people URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-489-when-bad-things-happen-to-weird-people/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:25.000Z Download [COME5351078271.mp3?updated=1645483251](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME5351078271.mp3?updated=1645483251&ref=comainevent.com) Well, Johnny Walker got posterized by Jamahal Hill on Saturday in the UFC. It was his fourth loss in five fights and it was an ugly one. Not does it establish Hill as perhaps the hot new contender at 205-pounds but it raises some questions about what Walker ought to do next. In addition to that, we discuss the highlights from BareknuckleFC and Bellator 274 as well as looking ahead to next weekend's fight between Islam Makhachev and Bobby Green. This week's episode is brought to you by NordVPN. Grab your EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to nordvpn.com/comain or use the code comain to get a Huge Discount off your NordVPN Plan + 1 additional month for free + a bonus gift! It’s completely risk free with Nord’s 30 day money-back guarantee! ### This Fucking Guy: Maybe Jim Miller deserves to call his own shot at this point URL: https://www.comainevent.com/this-fucking-guy-maybe-jim-miller-deserves-to-call-his-own-shot-at-this-point/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:25.000Z I still can’t say I know exactly what the UFC’s thinking was when it matched the veteran of all veterans, Jim Fucking Miller, against a 29-year-old debuting fighter with 15 pro bouts to his credit at Saturday’s UFC Fight Night event. Normally, this type of May-December fight booking means one of two things: 1) The promoter is excited about this new guy and wants to put a little shine on his name by getting him a win over the aged and decrepit version of a formerly great fighter. 2) The new guy sucks and is there to be food to sustain the old bones of the elder fighter for just a little while longer. But as anyone who watched the first round round of Saturday’s fight already knows, Nikolas Motta doesn’t suck. He’s fast, has good power in his right hand, even stung Miller with it once or twice in the opening frame. Then midway through the second Miller dropped him with that right hook and swarmed him on the mat to get the TKO stoppage, so if anyone was hoping that Miller would somehow be easy work for a newcomer you’d have to wonder if they even knew who they were dealing with here. Miller has now had 39 fights in the UFC, which is a literal goddamn record. That’s two more than Donald Cerrone and Andrei Arlovski. It’s six more than Demian Maia and seven more than Clay Guida and Diego Sanchez. This man made his debut in 2005 and still he is holding it down with a two-fight winning streak in one of the most talent-rich divisions in the entire sport. The last time he was stopped in a fight was 2018, when he got submitted by current UFC lightweight champ Charles Oliveira. Point is, that dude isn’t going to be easy work for anyone. So what are we doing putting him in these mid-card matchups on JSF cards against UFC debutants who most fans haven’t even heard of? Miller might be wondering the same thing right now. When asked about potential opponents for his 40th UFC fight – again, pause for a moment here and reflect on how fucking insane that is, especially at that weight class, and spanning multiple eras in which most UFC tenures lasted between two and five fights – he had a couple suggestions. One was Joe Lauzon, with whom Miller had two memorable bouts that brought Fight of the Night honors both times. The other was Donald Cerrone, who knocked Miller out back in 2014. See what both of them have in common, though? They are peers. They are both around Miller’s age, with comparable levels of UFC experience. They are also people we have all fucking heard of, which is nice. And as matchmaking requests go, this seems entirely reasonable. He’s not asking for Conor McGregor in a soccer stadium. He’s not calling for a title shot. He’s saying, ‘Give me a fight against an opponent on my level in a fight that has at least some semblance of a narrative to it.’ Hasn’t he earned that much? I tend to think so, and not only because of his years and years of service to this company. Let’s not forget, Miller had undiagnosed Lyme disease *for years* that left him basically unable to do any of his usual workouts. The worst of it, according to Miller, happened around 2015-2017\. And you know something? Miller still fought in the UFC at least three times in all those years. This is not just another UFC fighter. He’s not just content fodder there to keep the ESPN+ library bulging with new stuff. At this point he’s a living part of UFC history, and he’s not going to be around forever. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) ![](https://ssl.gstatic.com/ui/v1/icons/mail/images/cleardot.gif) *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### Hurt Business History: The crude, rude ballad of 'Two Ton' Tony Galento URL: https://www.comainevent.com/hurt-business-history-the-crude-rude-ballad-of-two-ton-tony-galento/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:26.000Z At some unknown point along the developmental path of combat sports, a clever rascal made an important discovery. What if, instead of every single fighter vying to be the best and baddest at all possible times, there were also room for another kind of pugilist who was there to entertain? What if, in fact, that character leaned into how big and bad he *wasn’t*? What if he made a show of how totally not seriously he took all this, injecting a little lighthearted fun into the dire business of unarmed combat, while still being good enough at it to protect himself and win and give people a show? Thus was born the concept of the clown fighter. And of all the people dubbed with that ungenerous moniker, and there were several who found their niche that way in the early to mid part of the 20th century, there may have been none more fascinating and simultaneously repellent than “Two Ton” Tony Galento. Between 1928 and 1944, this ornery little bowling ball of a man fought 112 bouts, including an unsuccessful stab at Joe Louis’ heavyweight title in 1939\. He stood just 5 feet 9 inches tall, short for a heavyweight even by the standards of the day. While other fighters had physiques that seemed to be made entirely of sharp, chiseled edges, when Galento stripped off his robe in the ring the prevailing feeling was of an overwhelming roundness. Round belly. Round torso. Round face. A dense, hairy boulder standing in the center of the ring and daring the hard men of boxing to try and dislodge him. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/galento-louis.jpg) How did such a specimen make his way in the world of heavyweight boxing for so many years? How did he manage to win 79 professional bouts, and even manage to briefly floor the heavyweight champ in front of a crowd of nearly 35,000 in Yankee Stadium? The answer is wrapped up in some combination of toughness, personality, clever branding, and good old-fashioned, mean-spirited cheating. Born in Orange, New Jersey, to a family of Italian immigrants, Galento claimed to have dropped out of school after the sixth grade and soon went to work delivering ice. The “Two Ton” nickname was supposedly given to him by a manager who demanded to know why Galento only arrived at the arena minutes before fight time for one of his early bouts. Gimme a break, Galento is said to have told the man. I had two tons of ice to deliver on my way here. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/two-ton-tony.jpg) He started fighting in amateur bouts at 16, then went pro two years later, fighting mostly club bouts in his home state of New Jersey. After a few years of this he began to consider retiring from boxing when it appeared he’d never make it beyond the middle of the pack as a heavyweight. The turning point in his boxing career may have come when he joined forces with manager Joe Jacobs, a man ahead of his time in understanding the value of publicity to a prize fighter. Jacobs, who was born in New York to a family of Hungarian Jews, had earlier became the unlikely manager of German fighter Max Schmeling, the unwilling darling of the Nazi Party. In the 1930s, Germany’s Reich Minister of Sports even demanded that Schmeling split from Jacobs due to Jacobs’ Jewish heritage, which prompted Schmeling to [write directly to Adolph Hitler](https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/fight-joe-jacobs-1898-1939/?ref=comainevent.com) in order to explain how vital Jacobs was to his success. Jacobs’ approach to management could be summed up in one of his early instructions to Schmeling: “You need publicity. Not a single day can go by without your name being in the papers.” Schmeling later said that Jacobs “knew nothing about boxing, but he knew how to negotiate and get his man the best deal possible. And he was as nice as he was clever.” Jacobs helped Galento see what could be gained by leaning into all the ways he differed from other heavyweights of the time. He circulated the stories of Galento’s prodigious drinking and eating (on a bet, Galento once at 52 hot dogs before a fight, then, despite barely being able to fit into his trunks, he won the fight via knockout). He made sure reporters received photographs of Galento doing things like chugging beer or “sparring” with a tire swing, which Jacobs would then caption: “Tony in training.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/galento_index-php_.jpg) This type of self-promotion suited Galento perfectly, and it wasn’t so much a gimmick as it was a magnifying glass on his true personality. Galento is said to have done very little training aside from sparring and a little jogging. Heavyweight great Jack Dempsey briefly worked with him but was supposedly “disgusted” by Galento’s lack of serious training. (Fun side note: Galento opened his own bar in his hometown of Orange, called “The Nut House,” and would sometimes do his road work after the place closed. When people asked why he didn’t do his running earlier in the day, Galento replied: “Because I fight at night.”) Galento also seemingly never met a PR stunt he didn’t like. He once fought three men (with minimal boxing experience) in one night, dubbed the “Beeftrust Tournament.” He wrestled an octopus, sparred with a kangaroo and even a bear for the sake of a little media attention. Not surprisingly, it worked. Galento was good copy for the sportswriters of the day. He was funny, crude, and most importantly he offered something different. Seemingly every other fighter at the time wanted people to see how hard he was working, how much he sacrificed in training and how badly he wanted to win. Galento could be found down at his bar, drinking alongside the customers with his round face hovering over a giant plate of chicken or pasta. He also openly embraced the dirty side of the fight game, in more ways than one. Galento wasn’t afraid to headbutt opponents, or thumb them in the eye on purpose. He regularly hit below the belt, even when it cost him rounds. His 1939 bout with Lou Novo was called “one of the most disgraceful fights staged since the days of the barroom brawls,” by Ring Magazine. To Galento, it was all just part of the business. “Who is this guy, Queensberry?” he [reportedly said](https://www.nytimes.com/1979/07/23/archives/tony-galento-brawling-heavyweight-dies-good-show-against-champion.html?ref=comainevent.com) to a member of the New Jersey Boxing Commission, when pressed about his repeated failures to abide by the Marquess of Queensberry rules. “I don't see anything wrong in sticking your thumb into any guy's eye, just a little.” Galento also sometimes intentionally ignored the principles of good hygiene in order to make fighting in the clinch even more unpleasant for his opponents. Former heavyweight champion Max Baer, who fought and beat Galento in 1940, later claimed he “smelled of rotten tuna and a tub of old liquor being sweated out.” But by far the biggest moment of Galento’s career came when he got a shot at Louis’ heavyweight title. This was the part of Louis’ championship reign that he was most criticized for, with detractors dubbing the series of challengers he faced as the “bum of the month club.” It was one of the most active periods of competition for any heavyweight champion, with Louis defending the belt 13 times in a period of just over two years. The way many reporters saw it, Galento was an undeserving challenger who’d been chosen for his colorful personality and ability to sell tickets. While Louis played the role of the humble and respectful champion, Galento verbally berated him both publicly and privately. When reporters asked about Louis in the lead up to the fight, Galento often pretended to have never heard of the champ, famously saying he’d “moida the bum.” Not content simply to hype the fight in the press, Galento also repeatedly called Louis at home and spewed racist invective about both Louis and his wife. This infuriated Louis, as he admitted decades later when both men appeared together on a [TV show looking back at their fight](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LVEV8EriJg&ref=comainevent.com). It was the only fight he ever went into hoping to draw it out, Louis said, solely because he wanted to punish Galento for as long as possible. “I really didn’t want to knock him out at all,” Louis said. “Maybe past the tenth round. Because he had been so bad, calling me all kind of names. …Only time it ever happened. Only time I’ve ever said that.” What changed Louis’ mind was Galento’s powerful left hook. Though he didn’t look like much, short and fat and balding even in his late twenties, Galento really could fight a little bit. He had developed a close-in fighting style that suited his frame, and he could take tremendous punishment. Prior to the Louis fight, he’d supposedly never been knocked down. Galento’s personal physician once described him as “a throwback” due to him being “the thick‐boned, hyposensitive type which does not readily register pain.” Galento’s short, clubbing left hook seemed to surprise Louis in the first round of their title fight. The champion looked genuinely stunned up against the ropes at points, though he quickly found his rhythm in the second frame, battering Galento and lifting him off his feet with one combination that floored the challenger. But Galento was game, coming back in the third to knock Louis down with that left hook, creating an enduring and almost comical image of one physically unimpressive fighter standing briefly triumphant over one of the greatest heavyweights of all time. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/galento-drops-louis.jpg) That moment of glory was extremely short-lived, however. Louis got back to his feet in a hurry and in the fourth round resumed a brutal beating of Galento, pasting him with repeated right hands until Galento turned and collapsed onto one knee against the ropes, prompting referee Arthur Donovan to finally stop the bout. At the time, Galento claimed to be angry at the stoppage. He blamed his cornermen, saying they wouldn’t let him fight “his” fight, by which he likely meant a dirty fight that flowed outside the bounds of boxing rules. However, in later years Galento also claimed that he never listened to his trainers between rounds because “he’s not the one getting hit – I am.” Galento would return to his rule-bending style in the next bout against Nova, in which he repeatedly thumbed his opponent’s eye en route to a knockout victory in the 14th round, though many observers thought he deserved to be disqualified well before that. His next two fights came against the Baer brothers, first Max and then Buddy, and he lost both, taking terrible punishment in each fight. Soon after that, Galento began to drift away from life in the boxing ring. He did some pro wrestling, a little acting, even had a small role as a mob henchman in the 1954 Marlon Brando film “On the Waterfront.” He was never known as an easy man to get along with, and even some of his closest friends regarded him as unbearably crude and mean at times, though somehow also charming and funny at others. He once got into a fight with his own brother in the hours before one of his bouts, which led to his brother smashing a beer glass in his face and badly cutting his lip. Galento fought that night anyway. He died in New Jersey in 1979, after several years of failing health related to diabetes. He’d had portions of both legs amputated by then, due to circulatory problems related to his condition, and finally succumbed to a heart attack that June at the age of 69. Maybe one of the most revealing anecdotes about his personality outside of the ring came from the famous actor and comedian Jackie Gleason, who encountered Galento without realizing it one night while hosting an event at a Newark night club. “I have made a few mistakes in my life, and that was one of the big ones,” Gleason told heavyweight great Rocky Marciano on the TV show “Main Event,” in 1960\. “I was working at a joint called The Miami Club, in Newark. And it was a real tough joint. As a matter of fact, they called it ‘the bucket of blood.’ And one night I was doing the show and there was a little fat, bald-headed guy at the ringside. Every time I came out to introduce an act or tell a joke, he would say something derisive, you know, nasty. I was hoisting a few at the time, and I said to the owner of the joint, ‘That guy is driving me nuts.’ I said, ‘Now if he doesn’t stop, I’m going to take care of him.’” “So I come out another time and he began to heckle. And I said, ‘Ladies and gentlemen, will you excuse me for a moment, I would like to invite this gentleman to step out on Clinton Avenue and I’d like to take good care of him and then we can do the show without any interruptions.’ I never saw anybody get up as fast as this guy did. Now we get out on Clinton Avenue. I said, ‘Now you’re going…’ and that’s the last I remember. The next thing I recall I was on the floor of the cellar, next to the furnace. A doctor was there, the owner of the joint. They had brought me to and I said to them, ‘Who was that guy?’ He said, ‘That was Tony Galento.’ I said, ‘Did you know it was Tony Galento?’ He said, ‘Sure.’ I said, ‘Well why didn’t you tell me?’ He said, ‘Well you’re a wise guy. I thought I’d let you go up against him.’ That was really a big mistake.” *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### Risk Analysis Alert: The pros and cons of Bobby Green stepping in to face Islam Makhachev URL: https://www.comainevent.com/risk-analysis-alert-the-pros-and-cons-of-bobby-green-stepping-in-to-face-islam-makhachev/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:27.000Z Maybe you’ve noticed already, but Bobby Green seems to be having himself a moment. In his tenth year with the UFC, most of which has been spent knocking around the middle of the pack, beating the lesser-knowns and losing to the good fighters, it’s like Indiana Jones just yanked Green out of a booby-trapped cave, blew some ancient dust off him, and held him up to the light so we could see how he sparkles. First, Green knocked out MMA’s favorite realtor, Al Iaquinta, at UFC 268 in November. Then on Saturday he won a unanimous decision over Nasrat Haqparast at UFC 271 in a fight that actually had fans in the Toyota Center *chanting his name*, which isn’t something that’s happened for him all that often. Now? He’s reportedly stepping in to face Islam Makhachev in the main event of the February 26 UFC Fight Night card, following the injury withdrawal of Beneil Dariush. For Green, who seems to have verbally accepted the bout on Wednesday, that means he’s basically agreed to go five rounds with a top lightweight up-and-comer just two weeks after going three rounds with an unranked also-ran. He’s also coming in as about a 6-1 underdog, according to early odds, so you kind of have to wonder whether or not it’s a good idea for him to put his hand up for this assignment. Fortunately, CME Consulting Services LLC is here to do a little analysis of the potential risks and rewards. And because we like Bobby, we won’t even ask for our Venmo fee upfront this time. **PRO: This is easily the biggest fight and most high-profile opponent Green has had in at least five years, if not ever.** Makhachev is currently ranked no. 4 in the UFC’s lightweight division. Green is … not anywhere on those rankings. He’s fought a couple people who are on there – Dustin Poirier, Rafael Fiziev – but he lost those fights. Should he fuck around and beat Makhachev, it would instantly put him on the lightweight map in a way he’s never really been before in his entire career. **CON: There is a reason Makhachev is ranked that highly and Green isn’t.** Makhachev is really goddamn good. He’s only lost one fight in his pro career – a knockout against Adriano Martins in his second UFC fight – and he’s won nine straight since then. Chances are he will win this fight, which would snap the two-fight winning streak Green has going for him right now, thus halting this newfound momentum almost as soon as he’s discovered it. **PRO: Maybe this is one of those rare moments when a short-notice fight actually works in favor of the guy who’s stepping in at the last minute.** Think about it, Green just fought and won. So he’s probably in shape, reasonably close to the weight, and still riding that confidence boost that comes from victory. He’s also got a tricky striking style that Makhachev won’t have a ton of time to prepare for. If Green gets a chance to do his stuff, maybe it’ll be Makhachev who struggles to make the necessary late adjustments. **CON: Makhachev’s whole shit is denying other people the chance to do their stuff.** We’ve seen this. He puts people on the defensive, makes them devote all their attention to stopping his takedowns, then drags them into the dizzying spin cycle of his grappling game until they eventually get lost in the sauce and end up in a submission. He’s also been through this sort of thing very recently. Remember when Dan Hooker stepped in for an injured Rafael dos Anjos to face Makhachev at UFC 267 in October? Like Green, Hooker was making a quick turnaround after a win. Also like Green, the win he was still savoring had come against none other than Nasrat fucking Haqparast. Guess what? He made it about two and a half minutes before being submitted by Makhachev. So yeah, the precedent here ain’t great. **PRO: Bobby Green is 35 years old.** He’s been at this since 2008\. He is not exactly sprinting up the lightweight ladder at this point in his career. He could hang around on the middle of UFC fight cards, taking only the bouts for which he has a full training camp to prepare, and even if he won his next three or four it still probably wouldn’t get him into a main event against the no. 4 lightweight. In other words, why the fuck not take a chance here? If not now, when? **CON: Bobby Green is 35 years old.** He relies on hand speed and footwork, two things that are pretty dependent on reflexes and athletic ability, neither of which tends to improve as one edges into one’s mid-thirties. Plus, you think bouncing back and making weight and showing up feeling good and ready to fight twice in two weeks is the kind of thing that gets *easier* as you age? Not bloody likely. **PRO: The UFC – and its fans – love a fighter who says fuck it and steps up to fight even when it’s a tough assignment on short notice.** Matter of fact, the harder the fight and the shorter the notice the more they applaud the giant brass balls on the fighter who’s willing to do it. The next couple weeks will come with plenty of Bobby Green love on the ol’ MMA internets for precisely this reason, so that should be nice to bask in. And if he actually shocks us all by winning the fight? Instant legend shit. Call your own shot after that. **CON: Thing is, though, if you don’t win? All that brass balls talk evaporates pretty much instantly.** Remember the Dan Hooker example mentioned above? Yeah, ain’t nobody still talking about what a G he is for taking that Makhachev fight on short notice. They’ve probably mostly forgotten about it, and that was only, what, four months ago? There’s just so many damn fights, so many events. Stuff like this gets washed away by the tide so quickly. If Green loses here – which, again, is very likely – will anyone still remember the specifics by summer? **PRO: You don’t make any money sitting on the couch, waiting for just the right offer to come through.** **CON: You only make half as much money when you lose, even if the job you’re being asked to do is twice as hard.** **CONCLUSION: Yeah, it’s probably worth the risk for Green at this point in his career.** The upside to a longshot victory is so great, and the Fuck It, Why Not quotient is so high, that he might as well take the chance and hope for the best. He just shouldn’t expect that love from either the UFC or fans to last forever. Especially if Makhachev trucks him the way he has damn near everybody else. *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### In honor of Johnny Walker fight week we ask, what makes an MMA weirdsmobile? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/in-honor-of-johnny-walker-fight-week-we-ask-what-makes-an-mma-weirdsmobile/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:27.000Z If everything proceeds as expected, this Saturday the man the MMA world knows as Johnny Walker will come dancing to the cage for the UFC Fight Night main event, probably swiveling hips in a lascivious manner as some poor cutman has to try to get him to pause the lap dance moves just long enough to smear Vaseline on his face. It will be a spectacle. It will be a scene. And all this is before the fight even starts. This is before he flings his gangly limbs at Jamahal Hill in an attempt to render him unconscious. Should he succeed at that task, you just know the ensuing celebration will be its own delicate mess. Don’t forget, this is a man who has actually injured himself while celebrating a victory before. He is not the type to settle for a quiet fist pump and an appreciative glance up at the almighty. The reason behind all this behavior is actually quite simple: Walker Johnny da Silva Barra Souza is an MMA weirdsmobile. We know this about him. For the most part, we love it. It is a big part of his appeal to the MMA fanbase, because this sport truly loves its weirdsmobiles. It always has. Walker is just the latest in a grand lineage that stretches all the way back to the beginning. It is a sacred truth that as long as there is MMA, there will be weirdsmobiles. But while it’s easy to know a weirdsmobile when you see one, listing off the key criteria that make a weirdsmobile is actually kind of difficult. Simply being quirky or strange or funny isn’t enough. MMA has tons of those people, but precious few weirdsmobiles. It’s also not enough to have an unconventional fighting style or a penchant for potentially harmful celebrations. That might just make you dumb without making you interesting. So what are the key ingredients for a true MMA weirdsmobile? Here, let’s take a stab at outlining them. **It’s style and substance, each flowing into one another** A key element of weirdsmobiles is how their fighting styles seem to stem from their personality quirks. This is what separates the weirdos, of which MMA has many, from the weirdsmobiles. Consider the case of Georges St-Pierre, the former UFC two-division champ and welterweight GOAT. Was he always a bit of a weird dude? Sure. He talked about possible alien abduction scenarios, seemed almost childishly obsessed with dinosaurs. At the same time, his fighting style was entirely rational, even scientific. He exploited opponents’ weaknesses. He fought smart even when it meant being boring. At times he seemed like a fighting robot, which is what made him so successful. He may have been weird outside the cage, but he was a machine driven by sound logic and extensive research and preparation inside of it. Conclusion: not a weirdsmobile. On the other hand, consider someone like Yoel Romero. Intensely religious outside the cage, with a love of jaunty hats and light, breathable fabrics. Inside the cage he often fought like a man who had completely forgotten that he was once an Olympic medalist wrestler. Even when it would have been to his advantage to rely on ankle picks and top control, he instead opted for a style dependent on flying knees and sudden bursts of bungalows. He’d point off in one direction to distract you during a fight. He’d knock you out and then try to plant a delicate kiss on your lips right after. Totally bizarre shit, and yet somehow internally consistent. Which brings us to our next criteria. **It’s effortless and natural, and possibly lacking in any sense of self-awareness** The weirdsmobile is not *trying* to be a weirdsmobile. This is very important. The weirdsmobile may not even know that he is a weirdsmobile, and as such may be baffled by the nature of people’s interest. This is why someone like Sean Strickland will never be an MMA weirdsmobile. He is far too interested in actively and intentionally cultivating that type of sales pitch. Plus, once he gets in the cage he fights much too intelligently, as if for all his talk about wanting to bathe in blood he is at his core a defensively sound fighter who mostly doesn’t want to get hit. Contrast that with someone like Nick Diaz, who never tried to get us to think of him any certain way and in fact seemed pretty bewildered at times by what it was we all liked about him. Sometimes that confusion gave way to anger. What, we were all just gawking at him like an animal in a zoo? We wanted to know whether he was excited to fight someone in a cage? Fuck no. Who would be excited by that? While the performative psycho might lean into that perception, Diaz always seemed entirely guileless. If he got punched in the face he’d punch back because he couldn’t not do that. But it didn’t mean that he enjoyed fighting. He just had to make some money and there didn’t seem to be any other way to do it. The fact that we were all looking at him seemed to make him a little embarrassed for us. What kind of people were we that we wanted to see his blood so badly? He wasn’t trying to be this character. He wasn’t pleading for our attention, and in fact seemed a little uncomfortable with it. This was just who he was, which brings us to our last point on the list. **The weirdsmobile can’t turn it off … ever** Combat sports are filled with people working various gimmicks. Pro wrestling-style heels. Hardworking church boys who just want to compete and do their best. Glowering menaces driven by an urge to do great bodily harm. Fighters often adopt these ready-made personas because they seem easy and reliable, but the mask always slips at some point because it’s more a character than a personality. The weirdsmobile did not choose this life, however, and therefore cannot choose a different one when it is convenient. A weirdsmobile is a weirdsmobile for life. Just ask someone like Wanderlei Silva, who will probably still be threatening to stomp people’s teeth out when he’s in the nursing home and no one even has any real teeth left to stomp. That's very different from a try-hard like Colby Covington, who seemed to hope that he could take the character on and off when he felt like heading to the hotel buffet. This frequently complicates our love of the weirdsmobile, because it so easily drifts from entertaining in the context of the fight world to dangerously criminal in the context of the real world. A prime example of this is Jason “Mayhem” Miller. Here was a true MMA weirdsmobile, a guy who seemed to have been born a spaz but found a constructive way to channel that energy thanks to MMA. Then his MMA career wound down and his behavior became increasingly, disturbingly violent toward the people in his life, resulting in multiple arrests amid an ongoing spiral toward serious incarceration. It’s the worst-case scenario of the MMA weirdsmobile, and it is not all that uncommon. Look at Charles Bennett, the fighter formerly known as “Krazy Horse.” There’s a guy who brawled with Chute Boxe backstage at a PRIDE event, and also once attacked a training partner with a metal pipe. He’s also been arrested multiple times on battery-related charges, including violence against women. To be clear, domestic violence does not *make* someone a weirdsmobile. There are sadly way more domestic abusers in MMA than there are weirdsmobiles, and there are weirdsmobiles who have never, ever been accused of hurting a woman or a partner. But it’s a fact of MMA fandom that sometimes we love a quirky berserker right up until we realize that the same traits we cheered when it led to brawls in a hotel lobby might carry over into their home lives when no one was looking. Then we tend to get uncomfortable with our own role in all this, wondering if we might be complicit by having encouraged this behavior in the past. Then we may try to ignore them and pretend none of it ever happened. Even when the activity doesn’t spill onto the wrong side of the law, the weirdsmobile is often his own worst enemy. Think about Paulo Costa drinking wine before a title fight, or rolling in way too heavy on fight week. Think about old school guys like Drew Fickett, who had a fight called off when he showed up drunk. Think about Diego Sanchez following his love of unconventional training methods right into the hands of an obvious con man and phony who attached himself to the fighter like a virus late in his career. The weirdsmobie walks a razor’s edge. The weirdsmobile sometimes appears to have little choice. And yet, how can MMA, itself a land of misfits, not love these people? We are drawn to them. This little world sometimes seems like it was made just for them. When one leaves we wave a tearful goodbye before turning our attention to the next, newest one. When the last weirdsmobile leaves MMA, may he tear down the cage and turn out the lights. This sport needs them, maybe even more than they need it. *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### Episode 488: Israel Adesanya was just too good URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-488-israel-adesanya-was-just-too-good/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:27.000Z Download [COME8310053956.mp3?updated=1644942289](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME8310053956.mp3?updated=1644942289&ref=comainevent.com) Robert Whittaker made some big improvement between his two bouts against Israel Adesanya, making Saturday night's UFC 271 main event a very competitive affair. In the end, however, it was just too much Adesanya. And still. But now who's next at 185-pounds? Jared Cannonier? Sean Strickland? And what of Whittaker? In the co-main, Tai Tuivasa continued his unstoppable march to the UFC heavyweight title (or so we are all desperate to believe). This episode of the CME is brought to you by NordVPN. Grab your EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to nordvpn.com/comain or use the code comain to get a Huge Discount off your NordVPN Plan + 1 additional month for free + a bonus gift! It’s completely risk free with Nord’s 30 day money-back guarantee! ### Crystal Keys to Victory: UFC 271 URL: https://www.comainevent.com/crystal-keys-to-victory-ufc-271/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:28.000Z Magical Greetings, Co-Mainiacs! Welcome to another edition of Crystal Keys To Victory! Yes, before you ask, I sure did skip Derrick Lewis and Tai Tuivasa because it’s an impossible choice. We’re going to watch it, and someone has to lose, and we’ll hate it. But I can sprinkle a little crystal favoritism on a few other fighters so away we go! **UFC 271** **Israel Adesanya** Turquoise ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/turquoise.jpg) A talisman of luck, success, ambition, and creativity. Good for exhaustion, depression, stress, and protection while traveling. Elevates and attunes all chakras. There was a pretty disappointing post going around Twitter this week where a bunch of basement-dwellers judged Izzy for painting his toenails. Real ones know his uniqueness is his strength, and something tells me our weeb King would fuck with crystals too. **Jared Cannonier** Pyrite ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/pyrite.jpg) A powerful protective stone that creates a shield against negative energy. Pyrite increases strength, energy, willpower, and confidence. Brings good fortune and should always be present in your workspace. Jared is the man who started it all. He held up a big chunk of Pyrite at the ESPN desk after he beat Jack Hermansson, and soon after Crystal Keys To Victory was born. If anyone is gonna make Brunson put his arms down, it’s Jared Cannonier. **Roxanne Modafferi** Garnet ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/garnet.jpg) Known as a Warrior’s Stone, it balances, strengthens, and protects. Helps let go of old behavior patterns and boosts self-confidence. Brings love, passion, and great accomplishments. I’m not ready to see Roxy go. Someone follow her and Sam Alvey around with a video camera and let them do interviews or plant flowers or something, I don’t know. A significant amount of sunshine will be missing from the UFC when Roxy is gone. Someone must carry on this great responsibility. Lookin’ at you, Chris Barnett. *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### Episode 487: Can an Israel Adesanya-Bobby Knux rematch be different? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-487-can-a-israel-adesanya-bobby-knux-rematch-be-different/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:29.000Z Download [COME7264573492.mp3?updated=1644274950](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME7264573492.mp3?updated=1644274950&ref=comainevent.com) It would an understatement to say things didn't go Robert Whittaker's way at UFC 243, the first time he fought Israel Adesanya for the middleweight title. But that was 2019, in The Before Times, and it feels like a lot has happened since. Given a second opportunity to take on the champ this weekend at UFC 271, can Bobby Knuckles make things more competitive? Plus, Derrick Lewis and Tai Tuivasa in a potential No. 1 contender fight? Yes, please. And Sean Strickland, man. What can we do with this guy? This week's CME is sponsored by Nord VPN. Grab your EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to nordvpn.com/comain or use the code comain to get a Huge Discount off your NordVPN Plan + 1 additional month for free + a bonus gift! It’s completely risk free with Nord’s 30 day money-back guarantee! ### Episode 486: Is Sean Strickland's psycho gimmick working at all? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-486-is-sean-stricklands-psycho-gimmick-working-at-all/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:29.000Z Download [COME3996625018.mp3?updated=1643669696](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME3996625018.mp3?updated=1643669696&ref=comainevent.com) This week Sean Strickland took us all on a virtual tour of his apartment, where he keeps his guns on the kitchen counter and you have to reach into the toilet tank to make it flush. Strickland's going to fight Jack Hermansson in a UFC main event on Saturday and, while it does feel like he's getting more attention than he otherwise might, we ask: At what cost, bro? Plus, Bellator and Eagle FC had their events. Let's discourse! ### Dana White had stuff to do and OMG some idiots actually thought he was disrespecting Francis Ngannou?!? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/dana-white-had-stuff-to-do-and-omg-some-idiots-actually-thought-he-was-disrespecting-francis-ngannou/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:29.000Z Dummies and goofs. That’s what the MMA internet is full of. How can you tell? Why, just look at how many people thought that there was some intentional disrespect going on when UFC President Dana White skipped out on putting the heavyweight title around Francis Ngannou’s waist after his win at UFC 270. Idiots! Can you even imagine thinking that White would do something like that? And why, just because he’s been in a contentious contractual battle with Ngannou and his management, whom White has publicly criticized? Fucking morons! White had a very good reason for not being in the cage after Ngannou’s victory over Ciryl Gane in the main event. It was because he had to do … something. Backstage. Because of, you know, stuff that was happening. “I wasn’t out there for the main event, I actually walked out of the arena right after the co-main event, because there was stuff going on backstage that I was dealing with,” White said [during a fan Q&A session with ESPN](https://www.mmafighting.com/2022/1/26/22903781/dana-white-reveals-why-he-didnt-put-title-around-francis-ngannou-waist-after-ufc-270?ref=comainevent.com) on Wednesday evening. “For anybody to think that I was showing any type of disrespect towards Francis, I saw Francis all week, you idiots. I shook his hand, I said hi to him, I was out there for the staredowns, the whole thing.” Yeah, idiots! How could you think that the UFC President would dare disrespect the heavyweight champ that way? I mean, yes, the UFC did reportedly send an email to Ngannou’s manager [threatening a lawsuit just hours before the fight itself](https://www.bloodyelbow.com/2022/1/25/22900316/francis-ngannou-ufc-threatened-sue-his-team-racist-text-message-boxing-mma-news?ref=comainevent.com). And yeah, White also skipped out on the post-fight press conference and all post-fight interviews. Presumably because of the aforementioned stuff, which apparently dominated the next several hours of his life and no one could possibly deal with it except White. Now you’re telling me that some stupid jackasses actually thought that was him being a jerk about Ngannou winning?? Ridiculous! Did they not notice that, prior to the event, White said hello?!? Honestly, where do these people even get these absurd ideas. Just because the UFC has been beefing with Ngannou over his contract? Just because they threatened legal action right before the fight? Don’t be stupid! That’s all totally normal stuff for a Saturday afternoon as your heavyweight champ is getting ready and focused. You tell him good luck, be safe out there, and oh by the way we are going to sue your ass. It's just business. And hey, hate to break it to you morons, but sometimes stuff happens backstage that requires the head honcho’s attention. Happens all the time. Like six years ago when Michael Bisping won the middleweight title and White was backstage “dealing with some stuff.” “I sprinted from the back, I didn’t even have my jacket on,” White said. “I only had my shirt on to go out there and put the belt on Bisping.” So, OK, that actually turned out to be a story about a time when he *did* make it back into the cage to put the belt on a guy he liked, but still! You can hear that anecdote and understand how, when you’re dealing with *stuff*, sometimes you might be able to sprint back to the cage in time and other times you might have to disappear entirely for the remainder of the evening. It happens, is the point. And naturally, when unavoidable incidents such as that occur, you want to make sure people don’t get the wrong idea. That’s why you wait four days to offer your very vague and entirely non-specific excuse. I mean, that just makes sense. Only a true idiot could fail to grasp why that’s the clear way to play it. Honestly, some of you people. Where do you even come up with these crazy conspiracy theories? It’s like you see one kinda weird and very uncommon absence, paired with one aggressive legal threat sent out just prior to the fight, combine it with the fighter’s manager saying he got [an extremely fucked up racist text message](https://www.lowkickmma.com/francis-ngannou-manager-received-racist-text/?ref=comainevent.com) from a Las Vegas phone number before the fight, and somehow you spin it into the UFC President being something other than extremely happy for Ngannou’s success? That’s crazy, you guys. Just absolutely, idiotically insane. What makes it even worse is that the explanation is so much clearer and more reasonable. Stuff was going on. Backstage. Fucking duh. How could you ever have thought there might be anything else to it? *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### Very Serious Investment Analysis: UFC NFTs vs. Jake Paul's Endeavor stock buy-up URL: https://www.comainevent.com/very-serious-investment-analysis-ufc-nfts-vs-jake-pauls-endeavor-share-buy-up/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:29.000Z You’re a savvy investor. Of course you are. That’s why you wake up every morning, put on that three-piece suit, and slick your hair back with a half-pound of gel before you read the crop reports. But you’re also an unconventional, outside-the-box type motherfucker, which is why you’re always scoping out new ways to invest in everything from cryptocurrencies to cartoons of monkeys. Thing is, now you’ve got a dilemma on your hands. You just heard about the UFC NFT “drop,” but mere days later you see that [Jake Paul is investing in Endeavor](https://twitter.com/jakepaul/status/1485915346385002497?ref=comainevent.com) and trying to rally others to do the same so they can change the UFC from within. There’s only room in your portfolio to get down with one of these, so now you’ve got to decide. Which is the better investment: the UFC NFTs or Jake Joseph Paul’s venture capital-led takeover of Endeavor? First, maybe you need to decide what you mean by “better,” in this instance. Because if it only means ‘is more likely to leave me with more money than I started with,’ then yeah, it’s the Endeavor investment thing. We know this because, as savvy investors ourselves, we bought Endeavor stock BEFORE IT WAS COOL, way back in the spring of 2021 when the company first went public. Since then, our one (1) share of Endeavor has gained 6.48% in value as of the time of this writing. Those UFC NFTs, on the other hand? Well, I don’t know how to break it to you, but NFTs in general seem to be pretty much bullshit. With most of them what you end up getting for your money is essentially a certificate saying that you own a digital picture or whatever, even though absolutely anyone could copy and save that exact same picture. The only way to make money off it is to find an even bigger sucker to pay you more for it than you paid originally. And though the market for suckers is incredibly robust these days (see also: the fact that NFTs even exist), you don’t hear too much about people getting rich off NFT flipping just yet. The UFC NFTs, however, do seem to be a little different. In what way, you ask? Well for one thing, instead of being the only person who gets to say you own the digital image, you get to be one of many. According to the [UFC Strike blog](https://blog.ufcstrike.com/posts/ufc-strike-launch-update?ref=comainevent.com), they sold 100,000 “packs” at $50 each, with a maximum of five packs per person. But also, there were [only 35 fight “moments” available](https://www.mmamania.com/2022/1/25/22900183/midnight-mania-ufc-nfts-sell-out-fighters-average-18k-payout-espn-mma-cryptocurrency?ref=comainevent.com), which means a bunch of people necessarily ended up with some of the same shit as each other. That makes this less like buying an original Picasso and more like buying some digital trading cards that are actually GIFs or whatever. You buy a pack and get whatever you get. Like baseball cards, only you can't stick them in the spokes of your bike and also there’s no gum (which frankly is some bullshit). Are these ever going to make you any money? You should assume the answer is: absolutely fucking not. Because not only would you have to convince someone to buy your precious GIF of Michael Chandler (bro they could just find it on the internet and save it to their phones if they love it so much), you’d also have to convince them to buy it off *you* and not one of the other saps who “owns” it. Plus, after “selling out” of these packs (lol at your artificially constructed sense of scarcity, dog), it’s not like the UFC and its NFT partner will just hang up their digital spurs and not make any more. People who want to buy this crap are going to get more chances, rest assured. There’s also the fact that the UFC already did trading cards a while back. I know because they sent me several packs that I definitely did not want or ask for. Did those become a hot item? Nope, sure didn’t. But if you want to buy some hit me up. They must be around here somewhere and I never even opened the packs on account of I did not give a shit. But here’s where it gets weird trying to compare these two exciting investment opportunities. What if your concept of better is not simple financial gain but actually helping UFC fighters with your investment dollar? That is, after all, the purported goal of Paul’s whole program. Buy up Endeavor stock, gain a voice as a shareholder, force them to improve pay and working conditions for UFC fighters. That’s the only reason it’s even newsworthy that he’s investing in Endeavor. Without that angle of him trolling the UFC by trying to buy into the parent company, the story is just ‘Area Man Buys Stock In Publicly Traded Company.’ Realistically, though, he and anyone who invests along with him have virtually zero chance of steering the ship from within. You can buy a ticket on the boat, but the [real voting and decision-making power](https://twitter.com/heynottheface/status/1485987172532441088?s=20&ref=comainevent.com) is still going to be in the hands of Endeavor honchos like Ari Emmanuel, as well as the Silver Lake private equity firm that used to own a good chunk of the UFC after the initial sale to Endeavor. You think the stone-hearted money men are really going to let Jake Paul and his merry band of misfit investors buy in and reshape something like the UFC, which constitutes a giant part of Endeavor’s core business? Not bloody likely, friendo. Plus, if you’re an Endeavor shareholder, you’d be acting against your own interests if you demanded better pay and benefits for UFC fighters. One of the major reasons the UFC is so valuable to them, as both Endeavor and outside financial analysts have said *repeatedly*, is that the UFC business model allows it to keep almost all the damn money. Endeavor said it to investors at the time of the sale. Fucking Merrill Lynch and whoever else have said it when assessing the stock risk. Low fighter pay, and the historic inability of fighters to do anything at all about that, is a key reason why it’s seen as a sound investment. The most likely scenario for Endeavor shareholders to make money off their investment then is to continue paying fighters poorly. Maybe even pay them worse, if you can manage that. Fill the roster with Contender Series guys making ten and ten, while continuing to rake in that guaranteed TV rights money. So it stands to reason that if you’re seeing big returns on your Endeavor investment, you are not improving the lives of UFC fighters. Those NFTs, on the other hand? The UFC made a big deal about giving half of its share of the revenue from those to the fighters featured in them. Some back-of-the-envelope math from Aaron Bronsteter suggested that the average payout from this first batch was [about $18,000 per fighter](https://twitter.com/aaronbronsteter/status/1485636490218647554?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1485636490218647554%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1%5F&ref%5Furl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mmamania.com%2F2022%2F1%2F25%2F22900183%2Fmidnight-mania-ufc-nfts-sell-out-fighters-average-18k-payout-espn-mma-cryptocurrency&ref=comainevent.com), with some maybe making as much as $36,000\. That’s not life-changing money or anything, but it’s not nothing either. Plus, it’s not like the fighters had to do anything extra to get it. In that sense, buying a UFC NFT definitely does more to materially improve the lives of UFC fighters. Also though, and we cannot stress this enough, it is not a good financial investment in the sense of your own bank account. It’s also pretty fucking dorky, honestly. You go around telling people that you own some UFC NFTs and you will have definitely painted yourself as a certain kind of nerd. But maybe you’re at peace with that at this point in your life. Maybe you’re even proud of it. If you are, cool, we’ll even listen to you talk about which UFC “moments” you got in your pack. Then we’ll go save the GIFs of those same moments to our phones for free just so we can taunt you with it down at Buffalo Wild Wings, ya fucking goof. *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### Episode 485: Francis Ngannou wins it all URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-485-francis-ngannou-wins-it-all/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:30.000Z Download [COME5053013551.mp3?updated=1643065149](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME5053013551.mp3?updated=1643065149&ref=comainevent.com) Well, he did it. Big Francis Ngannou went out there and gutted-out a unanimous decision win over Ciryl Gane on Saturday at UFC 270\. Maybe it wasn't the fight we all expected, but the world must now come to him. He says he'll sit out the rest of this year and either let the UFC entice him with a better offer or he'll split for boxing. This week, we talk about all his options. Plus, are Davey Figgs and Brandon Moreno going to do it again, again, AGAIN, brother? ### Is Francis Ngannou setting a new precedent, or proving again that he's an exception? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/is-francis-ngannou-setting-a-new-precedent-or-proving-again-that-hes-an-exception/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:30.000Z In retrospect, maybe UFC President Dana White should have just swallowed his pride and put the heavyweight belt around Francis Ngannou’s waist. It wouldn’t have been so hard, would it? To stand there like a good sport and at least pretend that, as the promoter of the UFC 270 main event, he was not *for* one fighter and *against* the other? Maybe he could have even, I don’t know, showed up at the post-fight press conference and congratulated the UFC heavyweight champion. Or at least just showed up. He didn’t do that, though. And in not doing it, White has further cemented the narrative that this wasn’t just Ngannou vs. Ciryl Gane at Saturday’s pay-per-view – it was Ngannou vs. the UFC. For now, it seems as if Ngannou has won. And of all the things to have made the critical difference, who’d have thunk it would be the big fella’s wrestling skills? For the first ten minutes of that fight, Ngannou’s big bet on himself seemed like it might backfire. He’d opted to fight out his UFC contract, to test the waters of free agency, and the way Gane was chipping away at him it looked like he was about to do it on the heels of a loss. Then came the takedowns, and you could almost see the lightbulb snapping on. *Holy shit*, Ngannou seemed to realize, *this guy has worse wrestling than I do. What great news.* That’s not saying it wasn’t a gutsy and smart performance by Ngannou, because it was. The guy who seemed to be the ultimate one-trick pony showed that he also had a plan B in his pocket, and damned if he didn’t pull it out right when he needed it. After the fight he revealed that he’d suffered a serious knee injury before the fight, which only made it more impressive that he’d stayed in it and found a way to win. If that knee injury also gives him more cover for sitting out while he waits for his UFC contract to expire, well, that’s probably not the worst thing that could happen. Now things are about to get tricky. Ngannou has said he’s unhappy with both his pay and his treatment in the UFC. The aftermath of UFC 270 showed why he has valid complaints about both. His disclosed payout for the event (prior to any pay-per-view cut) was only $600,000, also known as an amount of money that wouldn’t even roust a boxing heavyweight champion out of bed in the morning. Then there’s the whole lack of respect thing. The head of the company reacted to Ngannou’s win like it was part insult and part disaster. Ngannou said before this fight that he didn’t feel like he even had a promoter, and White did everything he could to prove him right. Fleeing the cage after the fight and then no-showing the press conference sent a pretty clear message: *your win is our loss.* And that doesn’t exactly bode well for contract negotiations. Ngannou now seems to have three options, presented here in order of how likely they seem at the moment: 1) Sit out a year and then try his luck in boxing, 2) Sit out a year and then sign with another MMA promoter, possibly with a more flexible contract that also lets him box on occasion, or 3) re-sign with the UFC. You’d think that third option would be a real priority for the UFC. Ngannou just defended the heavyweight title after a week in which he was written up in the NY Times, featured on the cover of ESPN the Magazine, and interviewed as a guest on “The Daily Show.” He’s in the new Jackass movie, for crying out loud. This guy is clearly a star, and you can tell by the fact that he’s getting attention from corners of the media and entertainment worlds that normally don’t even recognize that MMA is a thing that’s happening on this planet. But the UFC seems focused on a bigger picture. Obviously, it would be better to keep the heavyweight champion than to lose him. But if the cost of keeping him is higher guaranteed pay and/or a less restrictive contract, the UFC might see that as a dangerous precedent. If you let Ngannou set the terms of his contract or hold you up for more money, what next? Soon every champion will demand to be paid what he’s worth and be treated with respect. Can’t have that. And realistically, the UFC could absolutely let Ngannou walk and not suffer too much for it in terms of revenue. This is one of the benefits of getting paid by TV partners whether the pay-per-views sell or don’t. The only real danger is if Ngannou leaves and ends up living his best, most prosperous life outside the UFC. Because that? Other fighters might actually notice that. Like people in a lot of career fields, pro fighters have a difficult time imagining a totally different world. This is the way MMA worked before they got here, so they assume it’s the only way it can work. For a lot of them, the message is [reinforced often by their managers](https://twitter.com/malkikawa/status/1485369221705973760?s=20&ref=comainevent.com). Of course you don’t deserve to be paid well for fighting on a UFC pay-per-view. You’re new here and that’s just not how it works! But if they see it for themselves – if they watch someone like Ngannou stand up for himself and get paid better and treated better – maybe that’s different. Maybe it all starts to seem less theoretical and way more possible. Of course, it’s also possible that Ngannou is a very special case. Not every UFC champion is a GQ-looking motherfucker with an incredible personal story, natural charisma, and the power of the gods in his fists. But while there may be only one Ngannou, that doesn’t mean there aren’t others who could benefit from fighting out their contracts and exploring life outside the UFC. And while it might not impact the UFC a ton to lose one Ngannou, there’s more than one way for the heavyweight champ to establish a precedent. *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### We watched the weird-ass UFC 270 press conference so you don't have to URL: https://www.comainevent.com/we-watched-the-weird-ass-ufc-270-press-conference-so-you-dont-have-to/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:30.000Z All those pandemic MMA adjustments we’ve gotten used to, and you know one thing I don’t think I ever heard anyone say? ‘Man, I really miss those big press conferences with booing fans and various jackass media members who may or may not have any clue what they’re talking about.’ Turns out, yeah, we could just totally do without those. But with UFC 270 bringing two title fights to Anaheim, guess we had to remind ourselves just to be totally sure. If you missed this particular pre-fight shit show, here, let us go ahead and fill you in on some of the more notable stuff to save you from having to sit through [all 46 minutes and 59 seconds](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZGGDnO4%5Fg8&t=2587s&ref=comainevent.com). 1:30: Naturally Francis Ngannou is going to show up looking like a page of Esquire, while Ciryl Gane decided to go with jorts, a sweatshirt, and a ball cap with the California state flag. It’s like he thought he’d have to time to go back to the hotel and change but traffic was bad so he had to come straight from an Orange County mall. 3:05: Ngannou assures us there’s no bad blood with Gane, a claim that is slightly undermined by the fact that they’ll spend the next four and a half minutes arguing about whether or not Ngannou knocked Gane out with a head kick in sparring or merely dazed him. 7:30: At last, this argument has concluded with both men agreeing to fight each other for the UFC heavyweight title on Saturday night. Glad we got that all worked out. 8:20: Brandon Moreno begins playing music from his phone into the mic. Mmmkay. 12:20: Deiveson Figueiredo begins what will turn out to be a sustained and poorly received verbal attack on Moreno with the acccusation: “Brandon Moreno crybaby. Is crybaby, motherfucker.” 12:45: Moreno has decided to reply to these attacks by making fart noises into the mic. Say this for him, he understands the UFC audience. 14:45: Okay, now this next part is pretty rigoddamndiculous. Some “reporter” gets on the mic and asks UFC President Dana White the following question: “With all the cryptomania happening at the moment, I was very happy to see that the UFC have now released their NFT collection. I was just wondering if basically you could elaborate a little bit on what the collection is and why it’s such an exciting opportunity for UFC fans around the world.” Seriously, that’s his actual question. Word for word. And you know what the most incredible part is? White, after thanking this joker for the “lob,” tells him he’d rather just talk about the fights and they can discuss NFTs another time. Is this because White, like the rest of us, can’t really even explain what an NFT is or how it’s in any practical sense different from a jpeg that you pay money for even though others can right click and save that shit for free? Maybe. But the key takeaway is, this credentialed media member reached for the brass ring of shameless brown-nosing … and *got shut down.* That’s got to sting. 18:50: Figgy is still at this, man. Still trying to shit talk Moreno. Still getting mostly booed by the crowd each time he does it. Moreno, who has mostly just been rolling his eyes and banging his head on the table in bemused frustration, finally asks: “Do you really think this is working on me?” It’s like he actually wants to know. 19:30: You know who is genuinely working his ass off, though? Figgy’s interpreter. He has to keep translating the shit talk into English, even when it means interrupting Moreno as Figgy intends, and he also has to keep talking louder and louder to be heard over the boos. 20:15: Figueiredo outlines a plan to beat Moreno for the flyweight title, then celebrate in Moreno’s home country of Mexico on his honeymoon. Moreno, ever the good-hearted lad, replies that he should definitely do that because Mexico is a beautiful country and a great place to vacation. 21:45: Now someone is asking Figgy about his entrance music for this fight, which will apparently be an original song about him or some shit. This prompts Figgy to get his phone out so he can try to play it for us, which, Jesus Christ no, don’t do that. 24:12: The same person is now asking Ngannou to plug the UFC NFTs and, my god, what the fuck is this? Look, I get that the whole idea behind this and every pre-fight UFC press conference is that it’s a big commercial for the event itself. But now that alone isn’t good enough anymore? We must use the opportunity to plug every other little thing too? And media members are just there to play the role of the people in the infomercial who ask, ‘but does it also slice and dice?’ Fuck, man. That’s bleak. 27:15: Ngannou would like to correct you on a fact. He and Gane? They were never teammates, he says. Gane, of course, takes issue. So we’ll spend the next few minutes debating what the definition of “teammate” actually is. CAN YOU FEEL THE (MOSTLY PRETTY POLITE) HEAT?!?? 30:30: Figgy says he’ll give Moreno a LEGO belt, since the guy likes LEGOs so much. Moreno: “Man, I saw the last one and it’s so ugly. I don’t need the Lego belt from you. Thank you so much.” Daaamn. He basically said you and your whole crew got trash LEGO skills, dog. Then he ended it with a thank you just to further rub it in. 34:00: Now we have come to the portion of the press conference where members of the French media take turns trying to antagonize Ngannou. Seems like the Frenchies are all in the tank for Gane here… 34:45: Holy shit. Some motherfucker in a denim shirt is now trying to make a Mike Tyson comparison with Ngannou, pointing out how many first-round knockouts Tyson had in his boxing career and suggesting that Ngannou’s complaints about pay might somehow be solved if he could win this one in the first two minutes. Bro. Monsieur. What the fuck are you even talking about. First of all, you realize this is Ngannou, right? His whole thing is knocking people out with his superhuman punching power, often very quickly. That’s been his deal for a while now. But you don’t get paid more for winning in the first two minutes. In fact, one of the things that *hurt* Tyson’s pay-per-view sales was people’s certainty that they wouldn’t get more than a minute or two worth of action for their money. So how did you convince yourself that money would magically flow into Ngannou’s bank account if only he could finish some fights slightly faster? 36:00: Denim guy, strongly implying that Ngannou is ungrateful to his former team in Paris: “You don’t recall MMA Factory in your process anymore?” Okay, so this guy is just a dick then. Got it. 38:55: More arguing between French media and Ngannou. And you know what? He’s not having it. Ask the question in whatever language you like, but if Big Fran hears you mischaracterize his past statements he will call you out. 42:50: Even Dana has had enough of this bullshit now. Time to snap some faceoff photos and get the hell out of here. *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### Crystal Keys to Victory: UFC 270 URL: https://www.comainevent.com/crystal-keys-to-victory-ufc-270/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:32.000Z Happy New Year, Co-Mainiacs! Welcome to the first Crystal Keys To Victory of 2022. My year has started with a new, slightly crazy dog, sub-freezing Michigan temps, and Conor McGregor directly copying one of my tweets. Here’s to more chaos going forward! \[*clinks beers with you*\] Now on to the stones that could (or could not) make all the difference at Saturday’s big UFC pay-per-view… **UFC 270** **Francis Ngannou** Smoky Quartz ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/smoky-quartz.jpg) Eliminates worry and doubt when faced with challenges. An extraordinary amulet of protection, enhances survival instincts, assists in reaching personal and business goals, and helps manifest dreams and ideas into reality. The protection boost would serve him well against former training partner/gigantor Ciryl Gane, and the business part would urge someone to maybe not accept a cryptocurrency that has fallen 30+ percent since November for half their purse I’m just saying. **Brandon Moreno** Crazy Lace Agate ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/crazy-lace-agate.jpg) Known as the “Laughter Stone”, its warm, protective energy encourages composure and self-confidence. Useful when ghost hunting or visiting very old places to prevent sudden fears or negative vibes. Also useful as a protection amulet when traveling, and it’s especially effective against car accidents. Perhaps with this stone Moreno could stop being haunted by Deiveson Figueiredo. They are the only set of fighters in UFC history to fight each other three consecutive times and it has to end somewhere. **Michel Pereira Lima** Lepidolite ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/lepidolite.jpg) Helpful for chaotic energy and recklessness. Encourages thought before taking action. Instills a renewed sense of confidence and purpose, and is an excellent stone for overcoming social anxiety. I don’t know when the Lima got added but that’s how he’s listed on the UFC website so I guess here we are. A weirdsmobile by any other name would smell as sweet, am I right? *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### Episode 484: Is this Francis Ngannou's last UFC fight? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-484-is-this-francis-ngannous-last-ufc-fight/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:32.000Z Download [COME2054890215.mp3?updated=1642539958](https://traffic.megaphone.fm/COME2054890215.mp3?updated=1642539958&ref=comainevent.com) Francis Ngannou's contractual status with the UFC has dominated the storylines leading up to Saturday's "title unifcation" bout against Ciryl Gane. But what happens when these two guys actually get in the cage together? How will the fight go? What's the best case scenario for Ngannou? What's the worst? We discuss. Plus, Brandon Moreno and Davey Figgs out here about to do it again again brother. ### Episode 483: Can Giga Chikadze steal that spot? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-483-can-giga-chikadze-steal-that-spot/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:32.000Z Giga Chikadze's Fight Night main event against Calvin Kattar coming up on Saturday may well have gotten more interesting this week, when Max Holloway pulled out of a featherweight title shot at UFC 272\. Right now, Chan Sung Jung and Henry Cejudo are both pursuing that open slot against Alexander Volkanovski, but you know how this sport is. Who's to say Giga can't steal that spot with an impressive performance? Plus, we look at the recent bonanza of heavyweight fight bookings and discuss Sean O'Malley saying most fighters don't make any money for the UFC. ### Episode 482: Dana White keeps taking these Ls from Jake Paul URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-482-dana-white-keeps-taking-these-ls-from-jake-paul/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:33.000Z Download [Episode\_482.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F482.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) If Dana White had actually read "The Art of War" he might understand that it is a bad idea for him to continually engage Jake Paul on the battlefield where Paul is strongest. Unfortunately, the longtime UFC president just comes out of every skirmish in this feud looking more and more out of touch. Plus, we wonder: Is the UFC really gonna let Francis Ngannou go? Also, fun with futures! ### Once again, Jake Paul proves that his greatest talent is target selection URL: https://www.comainevent.com/once-again-jake-paul-proves-that-his-greatest-talent-is-target-selection/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:33.000Z Imagine how perplexing all this must be for UFC President Dana White. For pretty much his entire time as UFC President, he’s operated by one playbook. It’s always worked, too. If a fighter wants more money, you say he’s scared to fight. If a media member criticizes the way you do things, say no one but you knows anything about this business. Anyone with any critique, valid or otherwise, can be written off as a “scumbag.” Do you even need to explain what makes them a scumbag? You do not. You are Dana White. You just say shit, and a certain contingent of UFC fans will log on to tell you how badass that is right after they send tweets to actual pro fighters calling them pussies and losers. This is the way the world as you know it works, and it is good. Then along comes this fucking YouTube kid. By now we’ve all seen this back and forth between Jake Paul and the UFC President. And as you may have noticed, the old man DW is absolutely getting his ass handed to him by the 24-year-old “social media personality” turned pro boxer on the worldwide web. It’s not even close, either. These are goddamn 10-7 rounds at this point. Even Herb Dean would stop this shit now. The core problem for White is that he is an analog dude who’s been drawn into a fight in a digital world. Paul, who has succeeded as a boxer mostly because of his ability to pick the right targets, has once again chosen wisely in drumming up a beef with an out-of-touch, narcissistic, 52-year-old fight promoter. Things here jumped up a notch recently when Paul officially [Took It To Notes](https://twitter.com/jakepaul/status/1477365412744552454/photo/1?ref=comainevent.com) to lay out a list of demands that White had to meet in order to get him to retire from boxing and sign with the UFC. These demands were all geared around fighter pay and treatment, possibly because Paul actually cares about that, but more likely because one of his great talents is knowing how to trigger a motherfucker. The motherfuckers being triggered here are not just White himself but also us, the MMA fans and media. He knew we’d eat this shit up, just like he knew White wouldn’t be able to resist taking the bait. He was right on both counts. MMA websites did the ol’ Reading Social Media So You Don’t Have To stories around Paul’s list of demands. Then White fired back the only way he knows how – by ranting into a camera like [it’s still 2009 and he’s mad at Loretta Hunt](https://www.espn.com/extra/mma/news/story?id=4038031&ref=comainevent.com) or some shit. The effort White put into this could best be described as minimal. Ever seen one of those Cameo videos from an aging pro fighter or pro wrestler that made you wonder, did he put any thought into planning what he was going to say? Did he know he was allowed to do more than one take? Yeah, it was basically that. Just White holding the phone too close to his face, like he’s FaceTiming with family on Christmas, and talking all around Paul’s points without really addressing any of them. At one point, he tries to shift focus to Paul’s manager, who he naturally deems a scumbag, and he does so by attempting to describe the man before giving him the nickname of “The Warlock.” After that, he presumably put his phone away and went back to playing Snood, confident that he had totally scorched this kid and put him in his place. Problem solved. Trouble is, White had now waded obliviously into Paul’s waters. If White had ever actually read “The Art of War,” rather than just sticking the words in giant letters on his wall, he might know that one thing you don’t want to do is fight on your enemy’s preferred terrain. And talking shit to people via internet videos? That’s basically Paul’s whole thing, and he’s pretty good at it. > [](https://twitter.com/jakepaul/status/1477591772683505666?s=20&ref=comainevent.com) You guys? This motherfucker is over here on a beach, smoking a cigar and drinking out of a goddamn chalice while he clowns White with Photoshops and actual video editing – even a voiceover pointing out what he claims is a UFO over his shoulder at one point. Basically White came to this fight with some strip mall karate skills like it’s MMA in 1995 and Paul hit him with a flying gogoplata. He’s in over his head in this kind of battle, and it’s only a question of whether he’ll realize it. But near the end of this audio-visual battering, Paul did make a pretty goddamn good point. As he put it: “Everybody else needs you, Dana. I’m the only person who doesn’t need you.” This is a little bit of an exaggeration, obviously, but it’s also kind of true because Paul seems to be the rare figure who can draw in and profit from the UFC’s core audience without having to ever sign with the UFC to do it. You look around every time he fights, and it’s not hardcore boxing fans who are paying attention – it’s us, the MMA crowd. Most people have to go through the UFC to reach that audience, but Paul didn’t. He has money, influence, and an audience that he can take with him wherever he goes. And now that he’s gotten White to take the bait, he’s got an enemy he can mercilessly pick on without it ever feeling like bullying. Again, you have to credit the man’s target selection. White is a monstrously wealthy fight promoter who got rich by effectively seizing control of an entire sport while it was still in its infancy, which allowed him to go nuts with power in the near-total absence of oversight or worker protections. That’s not a sympathetic figure in our current economic and cultural climate. No matter what Paul says to a guy like that, it’ll always look like he’s punching up rather than down. Even better, it’ll look like he’s doing so on behalf of the poor, exploited fighters in the UFC, whether he actually gives a shit about them or not. Where before he seemed like a spoiled brat here masquerading as a fighter, he now gets to position himself as a workers’ rights advocate using his power to wage war on the greedy capitalist. It’s perfect, really. And it’s working already. He’s winning over a lot of MMA fans, even if they absolutely hate to admit it. Maybe it’s even a lesson to us all. Want to endear yourself to people who aren’t inclined to like you? Position yourself against someone they dislike even more, and then totally fucking embarrass that person. Tell ya, if that shit ain’t already in “The Art of War,” it ought to be. *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### Hey, degenerate gamblers, you ain’t got shit to do, let’s amuse ourselves with these UFC heavyweight title odds URL: https://www.comainevent.com/hey-degenerate-gamblers-you-aint-got-shit-to-do-lets-amuse-ourselves-with-these-ufc-heavyweight-title-odds/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:33.000Z Shoutout to the Big Homie [Aaron Bronsteter for sharing](https://twitter.com/aaronbronsteter/status/1476205479105904642?ref=comainevent.com) some UFC heavyweight championship futures betting lines on Wednesday morning, courtesy of something called [BetOnline.Ag](https://www.betonline.ag/?ref=comainevent.com). Must admit, it was a pretty canny move by all parties involved to release these lines during the International Fun Dead Zone four days after Christmas, when there ain’t shit going on and we basically have no choice but to spend a few futile minutes obsessing over them. You got us again, Bronsteter, you sly fox. Now, normally, we would scoff at the notion of trying to predict the future of the heavyweight division. These MFers are out here trying to predict the unpredictable, we’d shout! Injury, inactivity and the sudden onset of serious intestinal diseases are just a few factors that make the 265-pound class impossible to crystal ball. We’d reply to these numbers with ol’ James-Harden-Rolls-His-Eyes-And-Slides-Away-From-The-Microphone GIF and call it good. But, frankly, we’re bored and—also—we don’t know if you guys have noticed, but things are pretty interesting right now around the perpetual trash fire that is the UFC heavyweight title picture. So, assuming you had $20 You Never Wanted to See Again, let’s take a look at some of these odds and game this out, shall we? **Francis Ngannou +225** The sharps at Bet Online dot Ag declare Big Fran the odds-on favorite to end 2022 out at the club with UFC gold casually tossed over one massive shoulder. And yeah, that seems right. That seems right, considering that during his current streak of five straight KO wins dating back to Nov. 2018, Ngannou has looked more and more like he hath become death, destroyer of worlds each time out. EXCEPT! Well, you already know. These numbers hit the streets amid reports of the champ’s deteriorating relationship with the UFC. Ngannou has said he’s down to the last fight on his current deal and his manager this week disclosed that he hasn’t heard from Hunter And The Gang in Las Vegas since June. Since June! So, yeah, that doesn’t seem GREAT for Ngannou’s “futures” in the UFC, generally speaking. At this point, conventional wisdom says if he beats Ciryl Gane in their title unification bout at UFC 270 in January—thereby likely automatically extending his contract for at least one fight—Ngannou might choose to sit out and run out the clock on his UFC deal rather than fight again in the octagon. A loss to Gane and Ngannou might just peace-out the promotion immediately. So, there’s the conundrum, right? Any bet on Ngannou to be UFC champ at the end of 2022 requires that several dominoes fall: First, he would have to beat Gane (either in January or a rematch at a later date), THEN reach an agreement on an extension with the UFC, and THEN maybe win at least one more championship fight in order to have the belt as the sun comes up on 2023. Clearly, we have all the faith in the world in Ngannou the fighter, but taking this bet means you’re also sort of betting on the UFC to at some point cough up a deal good enough to get him to stick around which, LOL, GTFOH. **Ciryl Gane +275** Gane is obviously knee-deep in the Ngannou Saga and the bad blood remains THICC, with Big Fran accusing Gane’s camp of [“manipulating”](https://www.bloodyelbow.com/2021/12/27/22855217/manipulation-francis-ngannou-upset-at-edited-sparring-video-with-cyril-gane-being-released?ref=comainevent.com) some sparring footage between the two released just this week. Gane has been damn good while winning seven straight UFC bouts and amassing an overall pro MMA record of 10-0\. Most recently, he wore Derrick Lewis around the cage like a hat at UFC 265 in August to win the bullshit “interim” heavyweight title and set-up this unification bout with Ngannou in the New Year. So, any bet on Gane to be undisputed champ at the end of 2022 involves him defeating Ngannou at least once (their UFC 270 fight is currently a pick ’em) and maybe winning one more fight against someone of the Jon Jones, Stipe Miocic, Curtis Blaydes variety. Athletically speaking, he’s perfectly capable of doing it but \*leans in close to whisper conspiratorially\* honestly? We’re not really buying it. I mean, have things at heavyweight ever been that straightforward? That’s not typically how it works around here, is it? Aren’t we all expecting some surprises? Frankly, you want to interest us in a bet, run some numbers on Ciryl Gane mysteriously getting diverticulitis by the end of next year. Then we’ll talk. **Curtis Blaydes +600** OK, now we’re having fun. Miami-area private detective Curtis Lionel Blaydes had an up-and-down 2021, rebounding from a KO loss to Lewis in February with a unanimous decision over the Bigi Boy at UFC 266 in September. He’s currently ranked No. 4 in the UFC’s 265-pound standings, but champion? Champion, dog? That would constitute a fairly goddamn grandiose turnaround in Blaydes’ fortunes, considering he’s already been starched by Ngannou (twice) and Lewis. Could it happen? Well, yeah, fuckin’ anything could happen in the land of the giants. If you told us that Gane beat Ngannou in January and then the UFC couldn’t come to a financial agreement with Jon Jones or Stipe Miocic (or whoever) to be the next challenger and Lewis was indisposed (either being retired or not wanting a five-round fight) and Blaydes got the call, we wouldn’t exactly be gobsmacked. Is Blaydes liable to actually WIN a matchup with Gane or anybody else in the heavyweight title picture? Probably not. Perhaps the best news for Blaydes is he’s only 30 years old and could hang around this division for another decade if he so chooses. But champion? Next year? We can’t see it. **Stipe Miocic +650** Remember just a handful of months ago, when Miocic was universally regarded as the greatest UFC heavyweight champion of all time but then lost the belt to Ngannou in their rematch at UFC 260 and was basically never heard from again? God, it feels like a lifetime ago. How the hell was that only March? First, the bad news: Miocic turns 40 next August and the last time he fought someone NOT named Ngannou or Daniel Cormier was his UFC 211 win over Junior dos Santos back in \*gasps\* 2017\. Plus, it has been eight months now with little to no sign that he’s still an active member of this division. But, the good news: If we are to assume Miocic is still alive and well and living somewhere in the greater Cleveland, Ohio area … maybe … he isn’t the worst guy on this list to take a flier on? The logic (if you want to call it that) goes like this: Ngannou beats Gane in January and begins a lengthy holdout. The UFC ain’t trying to hear that, see, and strips the big man almost right away. By spring, they’re shopping around for candidates for a vacant title fight. Who ya gonna put in that, hmmm? Gane, sure, but who else? Jon Jones? Maybe, if you can make a deal. Derrick Lewis? Maybe, but he just lost to Gane. Blaydes? Eh, probably not. But what about this motherfucker right here? What about the former champion who always grumbled about not getting paid enough but then always signed on the dotted line anyway? This guy who has been just cooling his heels at home, fighting fires and doing the attack ropes at the gym, waiting for his phone to ring? Doesn’t he suddenly look like a pretty attractive option to plug in there for a summertime title fight? Maybe he does, and then, friends, you are just one win away from cashing your bet. Because if Miocic does mess around and pulls the upset over Gane, guess what? He probably ain’t fighting again that year! Congrats on your winnings, player. **Jon Jones +650** I mean, Jonny Bones has to fight again at some point, right? And when he does, it’s either going to be for the UFC heavyweight title or in a No. 1 contender fight. So, I guess if you’re betting on Jones here you’re convincing yourself that A) he and the UFC can make a deal for a heavyweight title fight by the end of next year B) he can make it to the cage without any further, uh, incidents and C) he can win. Not sure which of those seems like the biggest hurdle, to be frank. Jones has suddenly stopped being so aggressively online about his various contract complaints in the wake of his latest arrest. On the plus side, perhaps that means he and the UFC aren’t as far apart as they once were in their negotiations. On the obvious downside, Jones hasn’t done a damn thing to make us think he’s gonna be able to keep himself eligible for all of 2022 so, you know, buyer beware. There’s also the small matter of his most recent fights (against Thiago Santos and Dominick Reyes, respectively) not doing a TON to stoke our confidence in how he will fare when the opponents get even bigger and stronger. But, fuck it, he’s still Jon By God Jones and this is probably the only time in your life you will ever get 6-to-1 odds on him doing anything MMA-related. Might as well take the chance, if you can find a way to respect yourself in the morning. **Derrick Lewis +700** Ah yes, The Black Beast. Somehow in a division full of absolute wild cards, Lewis remains perhaps the biggest enigma on this list. In the wake of his recent KO of Chris Daukaus we talked at length on The Proper about how--despite the fact he would very much like us to go on believing he’s just a goof who gets by on power punches and hot balls—he’s actually developed into a well-rounded heavyweight MMA fighter. Can Lewis be UFC heavyweight champion in 2022? Sure, if opportunity and preparation meet-up in exactly the right synthesis of blah blah blah. But will it happen? To cash this bet, you’d probably need a lot of help. Lewis’ best chance at becoming champ likely still remains being in the right place at the right time, when a last-minute injury situation necessitates a late replacement that just happens to be him. At that point, just one bungalow would separate him from the gold. An unlikely longshot perhaps, but still a respectable bet, if you’re so inclined. **Alexander Volkov +900** Nah. **Tom Aspinall +1600** The 28-year-old from Manchester, England-England (sing it: across the Atlantic Sea!) is obviously quite talented, as evidenced by his 4-0 start in the UFC and 11-2 record overall. Again, like Blaydes, he’s just a pup in this division of graybeards, but short of a charter bus accident or mass food poisoning incident at the Mandalay Bay buffet, he ain’t working his way into title contention during 2022\. Don’t bet him just yet, but keep your eye on him for your future futures. **Jairzinho Rozenstruik +1800** Little surprised to see the Bigi Boy Dumpster diving down here below the likes of Volkov and Aspinall, but that’s what going 2-3 during the last two years will get you. As it stands, we don’t really see how the Large Lad works his way back into title contention next year, what with those recent losses to Blaydes, Gane and Ngannou. Actually, now that we really look at it, Rozenstruik—who at 33 is pushing into territory where we might insist he change that nickname to the Bigi Man—is dangerously close to becoming the gatekeeper you gotta beat just to fight the gatekeeper to the heavyweight elite (Lewis). Not sure how bullish we’re feeling about his future all the way around. **Chris Daukaus +2500** No. Nope. Uh-uh. **Tai Tuivasa +2500** First of all, as Mr. Tuivasa’s official legal representatives, allow us to say we are fucking OFFENDED that he is ranked so low on this list. Fuck is this shit, B? Below fucking *Daukaus*, who just got tucked in for his long winter’s nap against Lewis? Below the slumping Bigi Boy? Below Alexander “I still somehow haven’t established my identity in the UFC, even though I am a five-year veteran of the octagon” Volkov. The DISRESPECT! We won’t stand for it. Look, if Gane was the breakout heavyweight star of 2021, Tuivasa was easily the Breakout Fun Fighter of the division. Another spry 28-year-old, he’s riding a four-fight win-streak (including three in 2021). Is he gonna break into title contention in 2022? Well, no, probably not, BUT Tuivasa has already done the yeoman’s work of turning himself into a fun, charismatic fan favorite and known entity, which in today’s UFC is actually incredibly hard to do. If, by the end of next year, some injury or—ahem—arrest had derailed the big heavyweight title fight the UFC had planned as the slam-bang finish to what will undoubtedly be ITS BEST YEAR EVER!!!! well, you couldn’t do much better as a late replacement than Tuivasa. And at that point, like Lewis before him, this man would be just one swing of a giant Australian fist and shoey chug away from actually being champion. What we’re saying is, if you put a twenty-spot down on Tuivasa to win the gold by the end of 2022, you could feel both morally good about where you spent your money AND … well … crazier things have happened. Plus, that shit pays out huge. ### Hurt Business History: How Primo Carnera got done dirty by boxing, the mob, and even Humphrey Bogart URL: https://www.comainevent.com/hurt-business-history-how-primo-carnera-got-done-dirty-by-boxing-the-mob-and-even-humphrey-bogart/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:34.000Z Before he left sportswriting for life as a novelist, Paul Gallico took one last look back at the world he’d covered for the New York Daily News in his book, “Farewell To Sport,” which included this reflection on former heavyweight boxing champion Primo Carnera: “There is probably no more scandalous, pitiful, incredible story in all the record of these last mad years than the tale of the living giant, a creature out of the legends of antiquity, who was made into a prizefighter. He was taught and trained by a wise, scheming little French boxing manager who had an Oxford University degree, and he was later acquired and developed into the heavyweight champion of the world by a group of American gangsters and mob men; then finally, when his usefulness as a meal ticket was outlived, he was discarded in the most shameful chapter in all boxing. This unfortunate pituitary case, who might have been Angoulaffre, or Balan, or Fierabras, Gogmagog, or Gargantua himself, was a poor simple-minded peasant by the name of Primo Carnera, the first son of a stone-cutter of Sequals, Italy. He stood six feet seven inches in height, and weighed two hundred and sixty-eight pounds. He became the heavyweight champion, yet never in all his life was he ever anything more than a freak and a fourth-rater at prizefighting.” It goes on like that for about ten more pages. And it does not get any kinder or more generous. Gallico describes Carnera as a great big fraud, a “floundering giant” with jagged teeth and gummy lips who “invariably smelled of garlic,” and who couldn’t fight even a little bit, though both he and the public were made to believe otherwise. The fights he won – and there were 88 of those, between 1928 and 1946 – were almost all fixes, according to Gallico. And he’s not the only one to have said so. If modern fight fans know Carnera at all, this is probably how they know him. As a phony. A giant hype job. Discovered as a French circus act, conned into believing he was a fighter, brought to America like King Kong in chains and then handed over to the mob, which swindled him of nearly every penny while making him a celebrity and, at least nominally, a champion. This somewhat simplistic version of Carnera’s story seems to have taken hold gradually, and then all at once. In 1956 it was further solidified into fact by the Humphrey Bogart film “The Harder They Fall,” based on a novel which was obviously supposed to be a retelling of Carnera’s rise and fall with a few names and details changed just enough to allow it to pass as fiction. Carnera even sued Columbia Pictures over the film, alleging irreparable damage to his reputation, but the lawsuit went nowhere and the damage took hold for good. To what extent this narrative is true is still difficult to determine, but either way Carnera’s story stands as an example of how exploitative the fight game can be. Here was a man who was pulled into it more because of how he looked than because of what he could do. Once in that world, he made millions of dollars that he never personally saw or spent, yet the public scorn for his perceived fraudulence was laid entirely on his shoulders. All indications are that none of this was anything Carnera had planned for his life as a young man growing up in the northeastern corner of Italy. According to Carnera’s own recollections, many of which were passed on by his children, the prevailing feeling of his childhood and his teenage years was hunger. He was always large. He never seemed to get enough to eat. He moved to France to work as a bricklayer and later a carpenter, and when he was 17 he began training at a nearby gym frequented by other Italian immigrants. His size and natural physical power caught the attention of a traveling carnival, which offered him a job as a strongman. What Carnera wanted to know was, would he finally get enough to eat? When he was assured that he would, that seemed to be enough for him. It was an improvement on the circumstances he’d known all his life. Part of Carnera’s strongman duties involved flexing his muscles and lifting weights, but also wrestling and fighting volunteers from the crowd. Sometimes those matches were fixes and the “volunteers” were planted in the audience, but other times they were genuine fights. One night while the carnival toured the French coast in 1928, Carnera knocked out a tough local challenger in front of a journeyman heavyweight named Paul Journee, who ran a gym in town. Journee later convinced Carnera that he could have a more lucrative career as a boxer, and soon he began training him. It was Journee who introduced Carnera to Leon See, the “wise, scheming little French boxing manager,” and See who later brought Carnera to America and into the clutches of organized crime figures. But even here, at the very start of his boxing career, the mold was already set. For “discovering” Carnera and passing him onto See, Journee owned a 25 percent stake in Carnera, according to a later story in *The Ring* magazine. See also came in for a piece of Carnera’s future earnings, though his share was later diluted by some of the unsavory Americans who gradually took over Carnera’s career while pushing See out. From the beginning, Carnera was owned and controlled by others, with very little of the money he earned actually finding its way into his hands. Carnera was not a naturally gifted boxer. In his book, “Primo Carnera: The Life and Career of the Heavyweight Boxing Champion,” Joseph S. Page points out that after watching him spar for the first time, See initially passed on him, dismissing Carnera as too big and not at all athletic. He improved quickly with training, however, and after being called back to look at him a second time some weeks later See remarked: “That is not the same boy, that is a different person!” Still, Carnera’s handlers knew what they had and what the appeal was. Carnera was a physical spectacle. Usually billed somewhere around six-foot seven inches, he towered over most heavyweights of the era and wowed audiences with his muscular physique. Right away, the move was to play up his size, strength, and raw physical ability, even as he fought his way to some unimpressive early wins on the European scene. Later, the same managers and handlers who helped launch his career would go on to claim that Carnera’s early fights were all fixed. See, who by then had long been cut out of the money and had reason to be bitter about it, claimed that Carnera’s European opponents had been paid to take dives. Walter “Good Time Charley” Friedman, who was See’s initial connection to the American market, made similar claims once he was no longer in a position to profit off Carnera. Most of the time, the story they told insisted that Carnera had no knowledge of the fixes. He thought he was legitimately winning these fights. It was his managers and opponents who knew different. Page’s biography is certainly written with a pro-Carnera slant, and the author explains early on his intention to dispute the notion that Carnera was never a legitimate boxer. But it also makes some fair points about these retroactive fix claims. If you look at early opponents like Feodor Nikolaeff, what you see is a boxer with a losing record, on a very long losing streak, who took a fight with Carnera and lost, just like he had done in his ten previous bouts and the five bouts that followed. But as students of the modern fight game know, you don’t select a guy like that as an opponent if you also need to pay him an extra thousand dollars to lose. The whole reason you choose him is because of how likely he is to lose all on his own. That is very much his function as the "opponent," in boxing terms. There was a lot of that in Carnera’s early years, and it was all part of a plan. This plan would not be unfamiliar to fight fans of today. How do you create hype for a new prospect who generates a lot of interest but isn’t yet a seasoned fighter? You do it through careful matchmaking. Carnera’s official record shows five fights in his first year as a professional. Only one came against an opponent with a winning record. (That opponent, Epifanio Islas, was 5-3 when he met Carnera, but finished his career 10-20-7.) Many of his opponents retired soon after facing him, and sometimes even immediately after. The managerial play with Carnera was as much about billing him as an oddity worth paying to gawk at as it was about establishing him as a legit heavyweight – and it worked. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/primo-carnera-training1.jpg) Before he even crossed the Atlantic, Carnera was being written up in New York newspapers as a bizarre coming attraction. The month after he arrived in New York by ship at the end of 1929, the United Press ran a headline that read: “Giant Italian to Tour Country and Take Things Easy For About Six Months.” Newspapers ran stories about the eight-foot bed that was constructed to accommodate Carnera’s frame during the Atlantic crossing, or about how much he ate during the trip. All this succeeded in piquing people’s curiosity. Whether the guy could fight or not, he began to seem like a show worth seeing. Once in America, Carnera’s career fell increasingly under the control of people who, if they weren’t straight-up gangsters, at least kept very close ties with those who were. Friedman immediately introduced See to his friends Bill Duffy and Owney Madden in New York. They met at a Manhattan speakeasy owned by Duffy, an interesting man who by this point had been to both Sing Sing and the U.S. Navy, but had found his calling as a nightclub and restaurant owner with ties to both the fight game and organized crime. He was reported to be a good friend of Jack Dempsey’s, and was sometimes rumored to be the secret manager for Dempsey and other top fighters. (Fun story about Duffy: He was once picked up by police in connection with the murder of a nightclub performer in Brooklyn. When they brought him into the station, the cops discovered Duffy had a fresh bullet wound in his shoulder that he refused to explain.) Madden was even more notorious in New York, where he’d come up among the tough street gangs in Hell’s Kitchen. He earned the nickname “clay pigeon of the underworld” for how many times he’d been shot, though he was probably better known simply as “Owney the Killer.” After a prison stint for manslaughter, he found success as a bootlegger, eventually muscling his way into an ownership share of various nightclubs and speakeasies. He even bought the famous Club Deluxe in Harlem from former heavyweight champ Jack Johnson. These were the people who would shape Carnera’s boxing career, and it was well-known that they’d bent a law or two in the past. They soon bought out See (though later speculation would suggest this was one of those "offers he couldn’t refuse," in the gangland sense), and installed Carnera at Stillman’s Gym in New York. There he worked with former featherweight champion Abe Attell, who was almost as renowned as a fight trainer as he was for his alleged involvement in Arnold Rothstein’s plot to fix the 1919 World Series. The plan for Carnera’s stay in the U.S. wasn’t exactly a secret. The United Press ran a story asserting that Carnera would be “built up into the biggest fistic attraction since Jack Dempsey’s hay-day by touring the country and fighting more or less easy opponents.” How did the writer come by this information? Straight from “the giant Italian’s crafty board of managers,” the story claims. This is more or less exactly what happened throughout 1930, Carnera’s first year of competition in the U.S. He fought 26 times that year – six times in the month of March alone – and he won every fight except for a decision loss to Jim Maloney in Boston. (He’d get his revenge with a decision win over Maloney five months later.) Still, right away some of these fights drew scrutiny and suspicion. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/primo_carnera-0-0.jpg) Carnera’s first-round win over Elzear Rioux in Chicago was met by boos and chants of “fake!” from a crowd angered by Rioux’s repeated flops. The Illinois State Athletic Commission initially withheld the purses and suspended both men, but in a hearing shortly after the fight both Rioux and the referee for the bout attributed his poor performance to overwhelming fear at Carnera’s size and physique. There was a similar incident a couple months later against former Notre Dame and Chicago Bears offensive lineman George Trafton in Kansas City. It took Carnera less than a minute to put him away, during which Trafton landed no punches and seemed to go down without being hit. The Missouri Boxing Commission suspended Trafton for what it called a “54-second swooning session,” but laid no blame on Carnera. The most suspicious fight yet came the following month in California, when Carnera knocked down Leon Chevalier in the sixth round, only to have Chevalier’s manager throw the towel as soon as he got up. This enraged fans, who immediately called it a fake, and resulted in Carnera’s entire entourage having their licenses suspended by the California State Athletic Commission. Both Chevalier and his wife would later claim that he’d been asked to lay down in the fight, but had refused. It was also later rumored that his manager, Tim McGrath, had rubbed some foreign substance in his eyes between rounds, and only when that failed to stop his fighter did he throw in the towel. The California commission eventually released Carnera’s purse, since it couldn’t prove he was to blame for the actions of Chevalier’s manager, but the suspensions had a ripple effect on other commissions, some of which backed up California by issuing matching suspensions of Carnera and his management team. Suddenly the plan to build up Carnera seemed to be in danger. The great sportswriter Grantland Rice later called the towel thrown by McGrath “the mostly costly piece of tapestry ever known.” Once rumors of fixes had made the rounds, other fighters from Carnera's past came forward to claim they'd also been paid to lose. Whether it was true or just a way of jumping on the bandwagon in an attempt to erase a loss off their records, it was hard to tell. It didn’t help that, even when Carnera’s wins didn’t appear suspicious, they came against handpicked opponents who seemed obviously hired to lose. Sportswriters opined that, while Carnera might actually be able to fight, he wasn’t getting much of a chance to prove it. That began to change the following year, as Carnera faced legit heavyweights like Jack Sharkey, (who beat him on points before taking the heavyweight title from Max Schmeling in his next fight) and King Levinsky, a heavyweight mainstay who Carnera beat by decision. But while Carnera’s career prospects were improving, his financial outlook was crumbling. He was dogged for years by a lawsuit and subsequent judgment in favor of a waitress in London who claimed Carnera had promised to marry her. He faced bankruptcy proceedings in New York, where his financial advisor (who was likely also helping to fleece Carnera for his mob friends) told a court that there was no point in trying to discuss money with Carnera, according to Page’s biography. “He simply will not listen,” Luigi Soresi said. “He does not understand financial problems, and, what is worse, cares less.” If this was true, it was perfect for Carnera’s team of handlers. In his first two and a half years of fighting in North America, it was estimated that Carnera had earned about $900,000 – roughly $19 million, in today’s money. He personally saw almost none of that money. When he eventually rematched Sharkey in 1933, this time with the heavyweight title on the line, his purse was $17,000 ($363,000 when adjusted for inflation). After his management and trainers made their deductions for “expenses,” that was whittled down to about $360 ($7,600 in 2021 dollars) that actually made it into Carnera’s pocket. The validity of the title fight against Sharkey is still debated by boxing historians. The official record shows that, in the sixth round at the Madison Square Garden Bowl, Carnera knocked out Sharkey with an uppercut to claim the title. Sharkey would go to his grave denying that the fight had been fixed, though some would never believe him. Even Carnera’s former manager Friedman, who claimed that the early fights were fixes, insisted that his win over Sharkey was for real. “Every once in a while Carnera could complete a perfect punch,” Friedman said. “That’s what happened when he caught Sharkey with that right uppercut in the sixth round.” When you watch the film of the fight, it’s hard to imagine this as a clear fix. For one thing, Sharkey lands several hard blows on Carnera’s jaw, which would seem risky if the plan was for Sharkey to lose in the end. For another, while Carnera doesn’t look like the slickest technical boxer, he also doesn’t look anything close to the total fraud that some people made him out to be. His style is built around his height and reach. Even his detractors usually gave him credit for developing a strong jab. The final uppercut that floors Sharkey doesn’t look completely devastating, but it’s also worth remembering that Carnera was about sixty pounds heavier than the champion in this fight, and stories of his almost freakish strength followed him everywhere he went. (According to one such tale, Carnera once stopped during an afternoon stroll to lift a car that had flipped onto its side, setting it upright again before continuing on his way.) Carnera would later tell his children that he truly wasn’t sure whether his early bouts had been fixed, but he did believe the title fight was legit. In his words, it was “too important” to be a setup. Sharkey also maintained that it was on the level, even if that meant insisting that he really had been knocked out by a fighter regarded as a phony by the rest of the sport. Carnera would defend the title twice, winning decisions against Paulino Uzcudun in Rome and Tommy Loughran in Miami, before dropping it to Max Baer in a one-sided drubbing that saw Canera dropped twelve times, including three knockdowns in the first round. In the retelling of Carnera’s career that maintains he was always a fraud, this is often held up as his first totally legitimate fight. In Paul Gallico’s version, the Loughran fight, which Carnera won mostly by using his size and weight in the clinches, made it “obvious that he was a phony and the first stiff-punching heavyweight who was leveling would knock him out. Max Baer did it the very next summer.” Of course, Carnera also got up eleven times after being floored by Baer, which would suggest that he was tough, if nothing else, and game for a fight. Also, to buy this total fix narrative you’d have to believe that Carnera’s mob-connected handlers successfully fixed nearly four years’ worth of fights – easily over 50 pro bouts, at least – many of which went the distance and required Carnera to get drilled and dropped and cut open just like any other fighter. The right hands he took from Sharkey alone would seem to have put the mob’s betting proceeds in serious jeopardy. And if you believe he beat Sharkey on the level, but none of the bouts that preceded it, that would mean he was good enough to beat the champion but none of the contenders along the way, which seems farfetched. What is clear is how Carnera was treated after he lost the title and his value to his handlers had diminished. After a few wins in South America, he returned to face a young, undefeated Joe Louis in 1935\. It was the classic fight game move of feeding a former champ to a future one, all for the rub that a famous name would provide. Louis took Carnera apart with right hands, dropping him several times before the fight was stopped in the sixth. It signaled the end of Carnera’s time in the heavyweight title picture, and vaulted the future champ Louis into contention. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/primo-carnera-and-willie-ritchie.jpg) Carnera would fight a few more mostly inconsequential bouts. His serious attempts at a career ended in 1938, when he lost a kidney to diabetes. He was used as a fascist propaganda tool by both the Italian and the German governments before and during World War II, though Carnera himself seemed to have no real political affiliations beyond a desire to be liked. He returned to the ring in the mid-1940s, just to earn enough money to finance a return to the U.S., where he’d been promised a job in professional wrestling. Ironically, this was to be the most lucrative chapter of his life. Wrestling promoters treated him fairly and paid him what he was owed, according to Carnera. He became a bankable attraction for them, working with wrestling greats like “Strangler” Lewis and Lou Thesz. As his health declined, Carnera returned home to Italy, where he died of liver disease and complications from diabetes in 1967\. In his final years, nothing hurt him as much or did more to solidify his reputation as a fraud than the film “The Harder They Fall.” In it, a South American giant named Toro Moreno is propped up by mob interests, aided by an unemployed sports writer played by Humphrey Bogart. Moreno has no boxing ability whatsoever, but believes himself to be a great fighter after winning a couple dozen fights that were fixed without his knowledge. The character is childlike and simple, and is eventually cut entirely out of the money by some tricky accounting work. The film is so obviously and brazenly based on Carnera’s career that at times it feels like it’s taunting him. For instance, the character of Moreno wins his first fight after his opponent’s corner rubs a foreign substance in his eyes and then throws the towel against his wishes. He’s also involved in a fight where his opponent, brain damaged and hindered by a bad flu, dies shortly after the bout. This is a clear reference to the death of Ernie Schaaf, who died of meningitis a few days after fighting Carnera in 1933. Perhaps most cruelly, the fighter who eventually exposes the character of Toro Moreno is played by Max Baer, the man who was said to have done the same to Carnera when he took the title from him in 1934\. Baer had done a number of film roles and was a decent actor, but he was also nearly 50 when the film was made and he looks every bit of it. There would seem to be no reason to cast him as a champion in his prime except to make it more clear that the movie is really about Carnera. Just to extend the cruelty to Baer himself, the script also requires Baer's character to give a short speech in which he laments that Moreno got credit for killing the man who he had battered nearly to death in an earlier bout. “I’m the guy who nailed Gus, murdered him for 15 rounds,” Baer’s character says. “Don’t know what held him up, but when Gus left the right that night he was a dead man. All your joker did was tap him. I did all the work and they gave your guy all the glory.” In reality, Baer really did put a severe beating on Schaaf before he fought Carnera, but so did several other opponents. Baer had also been involved in another fight in which he really did kill an opponent named Frankie Campbell in the ring, and it haunted him for the rest of his life. Baer later wrote that nothing in his life could ever affect him more than the death of Campbell. His son recalled how Baer often woke up in the grips of the same nightmare, “muttering, ‘You’re okay! Please be okay!’” Imagine, then, when Baer was asked to play a thinly disguised version of himself, beating a thinly disguised version of Carnera, and complaining that he hadn’t gotten the “glory” he deserved for killing a man in the ring. Carnera’s $1.5 million lawsuit against Columbia Pictures alleged that his reputation had suffered irreparable harm as a result of the film. A judge dismissed the suit, explaining that a person “who becomes a celebrity waives the right to privacy and does not regain it by changing his profession from boxer to wrestler.” Carnera seemed more hurt and confused than angry. “That’s not true,” he was quoted of saying about the film in a British newspaper. “That’s not my story. I haven’t done any harm to anybody, why do they want to punish me?” There is one notable area where the movie veers into pure fiction. It’s at the end, when a guilt-ridden Bogart takes his share of the money and gives it to the fraudulent boxer, then puts him on a plane home to South America and out of the clutches of the mob. In real life, no one ever did give Carnera the money he’d earned as a boxer, nor did they put themselves at risk to look out for his well-being. Even this movie, which ends with a call for the federal government to investigate corruption in boxing, ripped him off and gave him nothing in return, just like his many handlers had since the beginning of his career. But maybe Carnera should have been used to it by then. One final act of exploitation in a life dominated by them. *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### Close Reading: Is it really 'all good' with Dana White if heavyweight champ Francis Ngannou wants to leave the UFC? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/close-reading-is-it-really-all-good-with-dana-white-if-heavyweight-champ-francis-ngannou-wants-to-leave-the-ufc/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:34.000Z UFC President Dana White donned his finest gray hoodie for a [sitdown with his broadcast partners at ESPN](https://www.espn.com/mma/story/%5F/id/32897551/dana-white-conor-mcgregor-nate-diaz-trilogy-amanda-nunes-defeat-francis-ngannou-contract?ref=comainevent.com) this week, and wouldn’t you know it, one of the topics that came up was current UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, who is none too pleased with his contract as it winds down. Can’t imagine why, right? Mere months after Big Fran took the title from Stipe Miocic, the UFC demanded he return to defend it in Houston, where the UFC had a lucrative site fee deal with an arena. When Ngannou had the audacity to suggest that he fight the following month instead, the company created a brand new interim belt, ran a promo package suggesting that it was because Ngannou had gone on vacation, then slapped the fresh belt on interim champ Ciryl Gane. So that's not exactly super respectful to the champ, who was already complaining that he wasn't being paid like the baddest man on the planet. Now Ngannou and Gane are set to fight at UFC 270 next month, and it is sort of, kind of the last fight on Ngannou’s contract, depending on how it goes (more on that later). So what happens if the UFC can’t give him a deal he likes enough to sign? White had this to say to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto: “These things happen. Sometimes you don't always come to terms with people. When you're a fighter, you have to be careful who represents you. I don't think he's had the best representation. Look, if you want to be with us, we'd love to have you. If you don't want to be with us, no problem. It's all good. I think his contract, and this is off the top of my head, if he wins he still has time with us after this fight. He'd probably have one more fight.” Oh boy. There’s a lot there, even if it seems like White is trying very hard to play it cool. Is White just saying stuff? Is he revealing that he no longer even cares enough to make shit up? Best to take this one step at a time and break it all down piece by piece, and you know what that means... It’s time for a motherfucking Close Reading. **“These things happen. Sometimes you don’t always come to terms with people.”** Yeah, fuck it, right? Here you’ve got an electrifying knockout artist as champ, someone with an incredible life story of struggle and perseverance against terrible odds and through unimaginable hardship, a fighter dripping with star quality and possessing almost godlike one-punch power. But hey, if he doesn’t like the deal that’s on the table what can the UFC possibly do? It’s whatever, bro. **“When you're a fighter, you have to be careful who represents you. I don't think he's had the best representation.”** Lol ok. Now we’re having fun. Ngannou is represented by Creative Artist Agency (CAA), which happens to be the main rival and competitor to the athlete management side of Endeavor's business. As in, the same Endeavor that owns the UFC. In other words, CAA has no incentive to play nice with the UFC and convince Ngannou to take a lowball deal. It doesn’t represent many other UFC fighters, so unlike the *vast majority* of MMA managers, it isn’t motivated by keeping the UFC happy at the expense of its own clients. This means that if CAA reps think Ngannou would be financially better off fighting out his contract and taking his services elsewhere – a boxing ring, for instance – they’ll say so. Bad representation, in White’s view. **“Look, if you want to be with us, we'd love to have you. If you don't want to be with us, no problem. It's all good.”** First of all, you gotta love the phrasing here, like he’s inviting Ngannou to join them for a picnic. They’d love to have him if he wants to come along, maybe bring some potato salad to share, but it not that’s fine too. Totally no pressure or anything. Quite a departure from how the UFC has looked at departing fighters – especially champions – in years past. But is it possible this is not merely tactics on White’s part, but actually his true position? The current UFC business model is built largely on rights fees and guaranteed contracted money from one source or another. The promotion rakes it in whether people watch these fights or not. Obviously, it’s better to sell a bunch of pay-per-views, but it’s no longer super necessary. That means no one fighter is essential. They are all replaceable and largely interchangeable. If Ngannou wants to walk, fine, the UFC will make what it can out of Gane. Even if he sells a couple hundred thousand fewer PPVs each time out, the contracted money from ESPN and other TV rights deals is still there. There’s no competitor even close enough to the UFC right now that it has to be concerned about letting a big star fall into enemy hands. The only real threat to the business model would be allowing the fighter share of revenue to creep up over that 20 percent mark. If you let Ngannou hold you up for more money, maybe other champs get it in their heads to do the same. Safer to let one walk every now and then rather than cave to his contract demands and start an avalanche. Plus it shows other fighters who do not have Ngannou’s value on the open market that the UFC machine will gladly roll on with or without them. So maybe White really does think “it’s all good.” The UFC doesn’t have to base its sales pitch on the biggest fights or the best fighters anymore. It is selling the brand, the consistent schedule, the absolute mountain of content. And the most important thing is that it is doing so cheaply by keeping the cost of talent low. **“I think his contract, and this is off the top of my head, if he wins he still has time with us after this fight. He'd probably have one more fight.”** Oh yeah, that’s just off the top of your head, huh? You’re not sure what the heavyweight champion’s contract says? Just ballparkin’ it? Cool, cool. Kind of feels like we’re trying to avoid the phrase “champion’s clause” here, but whatever. As [Bloody Elbow’s John Nash has reported](https://twitter.com/heynottheface/status/1473109330278989828?s=20&ref=comainevent.com), UFC contracts seem to have changed some time in the last few years to include an eventual end date, so that the so-called champion’s clause no longer extends them indefinitely as long as the champ keeps winning. The UFC will never admit it, but you’ve got to think the antitrust lawsuit had something to do with this. A contract that never ends maybe isn't a great look in court. It’s good news for fighters who want to eventually finish their contracts without having to tank a fight to do it. It’s still a curious bit of business to essentially admit that the champ could get right out on that open market if he loses next month, while if he wins he’d have to stick around for probably at least one more fight. Also kind of lol-worthy to act like you, the company president, aren’t even totally sure how it works. **Conclusion:** White is definitely downplaying some stuff and kind of going out of his way not to say certain phrases or admit certain realities, but it also seems like this shrugging indifference is at least partially genuine? That’s a little bit insane, when you consider that we’re talking about the goddamn heavyweight champ, a guy with an inspiring rags-to-riches tale and a Mike Tyson-esque allure as a knockout artist. But it’s also a reflection of where the UFC finds itself headed into 2022. The money is rolling in whether the fights sell big or don’t. The power of the brand, along with the guaranteed money coming in through rights deals, ensure a certain baseline profitability. And since the UFC keeps the vast majority of the money, that baseline is still very, very profitable. This allows White to genuinely not give a shit about keeping an exciting heavyweight champ. What a beautiful dream for a fight promoter. Maybe not so great for fans, though. *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### Episode 481: Jake Paul, Derrick Lewis & UFC fighters' letters to Santa URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-481-jake-paul-derrick-lewis-ufc-fighters-letters-to-santa/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:35.000Z Download [Episode\_481.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F481.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) Derrick Lewis became the UFC's all-time knockouts leader with his win over Chris Daukaus on Saturday night, for whatever that's worth. On the other side of the country, Jake Paul walloped Tyron Woodley in their hastily arranged boxing rematch. We discuss those fights, and welcome Sir Nigel Longstock to read UFC fighters' letters to Santa Claus during the CME office holiday party. *(Photo by Amanda Wescott/Showtime Sports)* ### This week's CME Patreon Power Hour is FREE for all! Happy holidays, you bunch of moochers URL: https://www.comainevent.com/this-weeks-cme-patreon-power-hour-is-free-for-all-happy-holidays-you-bunch-of-moochers/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:35.000Z This week's CME Patreon Power Hour is FREE FOR ALL, so just [head over to the Patreon page to listen to it,](https://www.patreon.com/posts/60038196?ref=comainevent.com) if you nasty. The Power Rankings demanded to take over the entire show again this week and what the Power Rankings want, the Power Rankings get. It's been a little bit of a nondescript lead-up to Jake Paul's and Tyron Woodley's short-notice rematch, but with the UFC also putting on a middling Fight Night event on Saturday, there's plenty to talk about. This week: Paul and Woodley both pause during their pre-fight trash talk to ponder the inscrutability of the moon, Kevin Lee will get paid in Bitcoin, Endeavor wants UFC execs to be in the Metaverse, Vice News Reports found out about UFC fighter pay and much, much more. ### AYFKM?! Alert: UFC will reportedly make fighters pay for their own COVID tests lol wtf URL: https://www.comainevent.com/ayfkm-alert-ufc-will-reportedly-make-fighters-pay-for-their-own-covid-tests-lol-wtf/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:35.000Z To begin this post, we’d like to first congratulate the UFC on what the company has said is its most profitable year ever. Wow, what a great run, huh? Both Endeavor and the UFC have said they are smashing their financial goals, breaking all sorts of records, and the UFC is reportedly on pace to break $1 billion a year in annual revenue soon. Good job, you guys. Now we’re just gonna take a great big sip of coffee before we pull out our phones and look at what’s in the news in the MMA world today. Oh. Would you look at that. It’s a [little note from Ariel Helwani](https://arielhelwani.substack.com/p/kevin-lee-to-link-up-with-khabib) saying that, beginning with Saturday’s UFC Fight Night event, the UFC will now be making fighters pay for their own damn COVID tests. https://giphy.com/gifs/spit-take-celebs-CkyV1ZWhU3oGI One doesn’t wish to engage in hyperbole, but *this*? This shit right here? It might actually be the biggest Are You Fucking Kidding Me of all time. Because if this is true (more on that in a second), it would mean that the company notorious for keeping all the money while also nickel-and-diming its already cash-strapped athletes has found yet another way to nickel-and-dime those same cash-strapped athletes and it is by making them pay for the COVID tests *that the company itself requires*. One more time, just so we all get it. Here we are, still in a pandemic that has killed over 5 million people worldwide, and the UFC is saying that the free ride on COVID tests is over for fighters. Even though UFC President Dana White could personally write a check to cover everyone’s COVID tests just out of his own blackjack winnings, he has decided instead to transfer that cost over to the people who are pretty much the poorest pro athletes you’ll regularly see on ESPN. Oh, and Merry Christmas, everybody. Almost forgot to mention that while doing some straight-up Ebenezer Scrooge bullshit. Seriously. We are asking sincerely now. *Are* you fucking kidding us? Is this actually just a tasteless joke? Because it feels like it must be. There’s no way this company can go from patting itself on the back for its performance during the pandemic to then making its fighters pay for their own UFC-mandated COVID tests. That seems too greedy, too petty, too heartless even for the UFC. It can’t be true … can it? And that’s the other thing. This gets reported as some minor tidbit from Helwani’s Substack – item no. 14 of 15, following a note about an Eagle FC press conference – and as of this writing we’ve heard nothing directly from the UFC about it. White will undoubtedly get asked about it at some press conference sooner or later, and the promoter playbook really only gives him two options for a response: 1) Act like *of course* the insanely profitable fight promotion couldn’t be expected to pay for everybody’s tests indefinitely, or 2) Call Helwani a liar, reverse course on this, and claim it was never true to begin with. My gut says it’ll be door number one. If the UFC is implementing this policy this weekend, it means fighters and corners have already been informed of the move and will have already paid for their tests, making it tough to deny. So White will tell John Morgan or whoever that, hey, it’s a minor expense for fighters and coaches, but a big expense collectively for the poor, poor UFC. What, we thought they were going to bear the financial costs for their own COVID safety program FOREVER?!? I mean, c’mon, they’re running a business here! You goofs just don’t know what that’s like. In other words, some real Montgomery Burns bullshit. > [](https://twitter.com/SimpsonsQOTD/status/890623360828178432?s=20&ref=comainevent.com) And you know what? Pretty soon we’ll move on. Fighters and coaches will pony up for their tests because they have no choice. Their managers will tell them how lucky they are for the chance to continue getting kicked in the dick by the UFC in all these petty little ways. After a while no one will even mention it anymore, because we’re all so used to the UFC being such innovators in the field of finding new ways to screw its own fighters. Just, you know, every once in a while don’t you wish you could see the look on an NFL player’s face when you explain how things work in the UFC? The shock, the confusion, the total bewilderment that these tough-ass motherfuckers who fight in a cage on ESPN every weekend would allow themselves to be jerked around like that. It would be sad to see, but also maybe worth it. Plus a good reminder to go home and say a little prayer of thanks for players’ associations and collective bargaining agreements. *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### This is just to remind you that Amanda Nunes is still the UFC women's featherweight champ URL: https://www.comainevent.com/this-is-just-to-remind-you-that-amanda-nunes-is-still-the-ufc-womens-featherweight-champ/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:35.000Z Hello, it has come to our attention that some of you seem to have forgotten that Amanda Nunes is still the UFC women’s featherweight champion. True, she lost the UFC women’s bantamweight title in a fight with Julianna Pena at UFC 269 last weekend, but you see the thing is that she had two. Titles, that is. UFC belts. She had two of those. She was the champ in two different weight classes, and she actively defended both titles. So now that she lost one she still has the other one. It's still hers. She's still the champ there. We just thought we should remind people. Because some of you seem to need it. For instance, there’s UFC President Dana White, who showed up at the post-fight press conference and immediately started acting like a fight between Nunes and current PFL lightweight kingpin Kayla Harrison had now been rendered obsolete. “If Amanda Nunes had won tonight, the Kayla Harrison fight would be one of the biggest fights that you would have ever seen,” White told reporters. “… For like a Kayla Harrison, the Amanda Nunes fight was huge. I mean, if they would have faced off, it would have been a massive, you know, mega-million-dollar fight.” See but the thing about that is though? If Harrison were to sign with the UFC, she would most likely enter the UFC’s 145-pound division. The UFC doesn’t currently have a 155-pound division for women, and Harrison has competed at 145-pounds in the past. She has never competed at 135 pounds in MMA, so it seems unlikely that the title picture there would affect her much. And if it happened that Harrison came to the UFC 145-pound class? The current champ there is Amanda Nunes. So that would still be the fight. We understand how people may have briefly forgotten this, what with all the excitement around Saturday’s fight. Pena taking the 135-pound title from Nunes, you know, that was pretty unexpected. But the whole champ-champ thing means that Nunes has two belts. She can really only lose one at a time. The one she still has is the one Harrison would be most likely to challenge for. The 145-pound title, that is. Which Nunes still holds. She’s still the champ there. Just so everybody knows. Want to do a Nunes vs. Pena rematch first? That’s understandable. But acting like Nunes vs. Harrison is a ship that has sailed once and for all? That doesn’t make much sense. Because if Harrison were to come into the UFC and fight someone for the 145-pound women’s title, that person as of right now would be Nunes. Because she is, and we cannot stress this enough, still the champ there. Anywho, this has just been a reminder. That Nunes is still the featherweight champ. Don’t forget now. You won’t forget, will you? Haha, nah. You won’t forget. You got it firmly established in the ol’ brain now. It’s in there. You’re not going to forget again. Right? Right. *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### Episode 480: UFC 269 was crazy! Let's discuss URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-480-ufc-269-was-crazy-lets-discuss/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:36.000Z Download [Episode\_480.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F480.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) CME listeners had a lot to say in the wake of UFC 269\. You filled up our inbox, so we had no choice this week but to take listener mail throughout the episode, while we discuss Charles Oliveira's submission win over Dustin Poirier and Juliana Pena's shocking upset of Amanda Nunes. Plus, not for nothing, but doesn't it seem like you could make some fun fights with these results? ### UFC 269 fighters ranked according to whether we think they committed this murder on a train URL: https://www.comainevent.com/ufc-269-fighters-ranked-according-to-whether-we-think-they-committed-this-murder-on-a-train/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:36.000Z A bone-chilling shriek in the night. Hurried footsteps down the corridor. Click-clack, click-clack, goes the train. Rumbling along the tracks toward the next station. But something is amiss aboard this first-class carriage. There’s been a murder! MMA media luminary Ariel Helwani lies dead in his sleeper compartment, and everyone on the UFC 269 fight card is a potential suspect. But who did it? You, the intrepid detective, must solve the case. One by one you bring the fighters into the dining car to question them. And a few emerge as prime suspects… **Charles Oliveira** He slides into the booth across from you without removing his sunglasses and immediately begins picking at your German chocolate cake with his fork as you question him. Where was he during the night? “Sleeping,” he tells you via an interpreter. Did he not wake with all the commotion? “Airpods,” comes the reply. “Whale songs every night, bro.” But surely he had his disagreements with Helwani over the years. The champ only shrugs and answers in English, “I like Schmo. Schmo is funnier to me.” And it’s true he does seem awfully relaxed during this interrogation. But perhaps that is part of his ruse… You dismiss him back to his compartment just before the doctor on board tells you that he has completed his examination of the body and found signs of strangulation. Curious. Anything else, you ask? Just this, he replies, holding up a single black olive. “I found it in Monsieur Helwani’s breast pocket.” **Julianna Pena** “Helwani? No, the name does not sound familiar,” she says, sliding into her seat dressed head to toe in fur. Surely madam, you tell her, she is joking, no? “What did you say his first name was again?” she asks while sipping from her vodka tonic. Ariel, you say. The interview guy? The one she’s talked to dozens of times over the years? Everyone knows him. And now he has been murdered. “A pity,” she says while stabbing at the ice in her drink with a little black straw. What game is she playing here? It’s not possible that she doesn’t remember him … is it? And merely pretending to forget the man would only make her look more guilty. Unless she’s covering for someone else… “Oh, I did hear one strange thing in the night, now that you mention,” she says. “Footsteps. *Heavy* footsteps. But the pattern was uneven. As if a large man were running past my door wearing only one shoe.” Very interesting, you say. Only you hadn’t asked about sounds in the night. You hadn’t even mentioned it. **Tai Tuivasa** Shirtless, disheveled, with the bags under his eyes screaming ‘hangover,’ he plops himself down across from you. “Last night?” he says. “Nah, I didn’t hear anything last night. Course, I sleep pretty hard after fourteen to eighteen beers.” Of course, you say. And how else do those beers affect him, you ask. “What you mean?” he replies. “You mean like, by making me happy and such?” Happy, yes. But also perhaps violent? Gripped by an uncontrollable rage? Here he flashes his boyish smile. “Aw, yeah. That too,” he says, looking directly into your eyes. “But that part’s always there.” As he walks off you can’t help but notice the wet squishing sound coming from one of his shoes. **Cody Garbrandt** “I’ll tell you where I was,” he says, staring longingly at the cake in front of you but holding tight to his own hands, as if he’s frightened they might reach out of their own accord. “I was the same place I am every night: hanging with the boyyyssss.” And did he hear or see anything strange before or after Helwani was killed? Well actually, Garbrandt replies, he did poke his head out of his compartment when he heard a strange sound. “But it was dark,” he says. “All I could see was a silhouette. It was in the shape of a big curly mop of hair.” **Sean O’Malley** The odor of marijuana precedes him into the dining car. Then a man – half scarecrow, half clown in appearance – slides lithely into the booth. Before you can even ask a question he opens his mouth. “In my mind, I’ve never murdered anybody,” he says. Then the two of you just stare at one another for what feels like a very long time. Finally it is he who breaks the silence. “You know who’s a dick,” he says, “is Cruz.” **Dominick Cruz** “Why would I kill Helwani? I’ve always liked him. Well, maybe ‘like’ is too strong a word. But I don’t hate him. He does his research. I respect a man who does his research. That’s more than you can say for some people.” He goes on like this for the next half-hour until you finally dismiss him, your head aching from the constant prattle of his voice. It’s only when he’s gone that the conductor hands you the train’s original manifest. It seems Monsieur Helwani was a late addition after that compartment became available at the last minute due to a cancellation. “And the passenger who was originally supposed to be sleeping in that compartment?” you ask. The conductor flips the pages on his clipboard. “Ah, here it is,” he says. “A Monsieur Daniel Cormier.” **Randy Costa** “You don’t even know who I am, do you?” he says. You realize you’ve been zoning out, sitting there without asking a single question. It’s true, you admit. You don’t know him. Is he on this card? “Yes!” he replies. “I’m fighting Tony Kelley on the prelims?” Nothing. “I’m 2-2 in the UFC?” Nope. “My nickname is ‘The Zohan’?” Ah, right. That one. No further questions. He may go. **Dustin Poirier** Well, that’s strange. You didn’t ask to interrogate him. “I know you didn’t,” he says. “What, you don’t think I could have done it?” It’s true, you don’t. “Is it because I’m too nice a guy?” he says. That’s exactly why. “Yeah, OK, fine. But what if I’ve just been faking it all this time? What if it’s all just so I could strangle this fucking guy and get away with it?” Who told him Helwani had been strangled, you ask. A smile tugs at one corner of his mouth. “Oh, I hear things,” he says. “I hear all sorts of things.” Now then. All the potential suspects have been heard from. And the train is pulling into the station. Who did it?? (Scroll down for the answer key) They all did it. Of course. You never read Agatha Christie? All of them. Except for Randy Costa. We still don’t really know who that is. *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### For the last time, no, the UFC doesn't pay its fighters fairly you idiot, you gullible moron URL: https://www.comainevent.com/for-the-last-time-no-the-ufc-doesnt-pay-its-fighters-fairly-you-idiot-you-gullible-moron/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:36.000Z It’s the same damn thing every time. Complaints about fighter pay reach a certain volume. UFC President Dana White assures people that it’s totally fine and these people make great money, don’t you worry. Media people who have actually followed this shit for a long time push back on that claim. Then out come you dummies, you mouth-breathing morons, you absolute shit-for-brains idiots. To be fair, many of the people reading this are not so unbelievably stupid. They’ve actually been paying enough attention to know that one of the core principles that makes the UFC so wildly valuable to its owners at Endeavor is how little it pays its fighters. This one is not for them. This is for you, the brainless dullards who heard White claim that UFC fighters make way more than boxers and then went, ‘sure that sounds right, guess I’ll go back to eating paste now.’ Here’s the quote from White to [Yahoo Sports](https://sports.yahoo.com/dana-white-says-don-t-162535890.html?ref=comainevent.com) this week, just so we’re all on the same page: “Listen, when you talk about the elite, I’m putting on 44 fights in a year, right? And people are buying these pay-per-views, you know, 13 or 14 a year, watching all the other ones building, whatever. Then, when you look at what most of these guys make, most UFC fighters make more than boxers, OK? Most UFC fighters make more than boxers, especially at a lower level. Then, the guys, you know, the Khabibs, the Conors, the Rondas, you know, even the Jon Joneses, these guys make more than most of these guys that are fighting for big title fights. Don’t believe the bullshit. Don’t believe all the stuff you hear. These guys make a lot of money.” Oh cool. Yeah, that should settle it. The guy who is wealthier than anyone who has ever fought for the UFC just assured us it’s fine, and he used the super timely and relevant example of Ronda Rousey to make the point. That’s convincing … if you’re a fucking idiot. First of all, this comparison to boxers. The term “boxing” refers to an entire sport. And he frames it that way so anyone who’s ever seen payouts from a boxing event where some 2-1 prelim fighter was making $800 to show can go, ‘yep, he’s totally right the UFC is paying more than that.’ That person is also not about to look at [actual comparisons](https://twitter.com/heynottheface/status/1469064871534759939?s=20&ref=comainevent.com) between UFC pay and pay for comparable boxing events, on account of they are fucking stupid, so they never have to find out they’re wrong. But forget all that. We don’t even need to be having these intricate arguments about UFC vs. boxing in order to determine whether or not the UFC pays fighters fairly. That argument has been settled. It’s over. No need to have it anymore. And you know what settled it? The fucking revenue split you dumbshit, you hopeless dope. Ain’t it funny how, when Endeavor was first buying up the UFC, we got to see documents where the company straight up said that the great thing about the UFC was how it kept almost all of the money and gave so little to fighters. It *said* this, multiple times. A big part of the UFC’s value to Endeavor is that it keeps somewhere between 80-85% of the revenue, and it will not allow fighter pay to creep up and eat into that share. THEY HAVE FUCKING TOLD YOU THAT. Investment firms that study this stuff have told you that. Lawsuits and document leaks have backed this up at every turn. Athletes in other major pro sports make somewhere in the neighborhood of a 50-50 split. The UFC and Endeavor are *telling you* that they want to keep fighters at 20% or less and have been successfully doing so for years. There’s no debate anymore once one side admits it’s doing the thing they’re being accused of doing, you dim-witted child. The UFC is rounding the corner on a billion dollars a year in revenue while fighters are still begging for the same old $50,000 bonuses and going into debt just to complete a training camp, and still you believe it when the mega-rich promoter tells you everyone is making out just fine? He says UFC fighters are making more than boxers, then [ACTUALLY PUBLICLY SCOFFS](https://www.mmafighting.com/2020/5/29/21275020/dana-white-jon-jones-wanted-deontay-wilder-money-for-heavyweight-fight-with-francis-ngannou?ref=comainevent.com) at Jon Jones for supposedly wanting to be paid as much as Deontay Wilder, and still you believe this bullshit? He *told* you. He told you to your fucking stupid face. The very idea of a top UFC fighter making as much – not even more than but simply as much as – a top boxer? Laughable. Absurd, even. Francis Ngannou can sell as many pay-per-views as Tyson Fury and make a fraction of the payout and WE ALL KNOW IT. And still White turns around and tells you that UFC fighters are getting a better deal than boxers and your ignorant ass actually buys it? Look, you can get in the weeds on low- or mid-level boxer pay vs. UFC pay all you want. You should probably also include the long-term, extremely restrictive contracts UFC fighters have to sign. And the fact that they got automatically enrolled in a 24/7 anti-doping program without getting any say in the matter. And the fact that they have to wear the UFC mandated uniform and can’t sell sponsors on their trunks like boxers can. But whatever. The only thing that matters is the split. The UFC is keeping almost all the money, damn near 90% of it. They don’t care if you know that, because they are so confident that your crippling idiocy will keep you from understanding and/or caring. They just have to every once in a while have the super rich magnate step out there and assure you that it’s fine and no one knows the real numbers except him and trust him these guys are making lots of money regardless of how many different times and in how different ways they find to tell us otherwise. And then you’ll get online and agree with him. Because you’re that dumb. You fucking idiot. You puerile fool. *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### Crystal Keys to Victory: UFC 269 URL: https://www.comainevent.com/crystal-keys-to-victory-ufc-269/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:37.000Z Hello Co-Mainiacs! And Merry Crystalmas! (ok I’ll stop) This week we have the Battle of the Nicest Dudes Ever, so prepare your heart and don’t cry into your Modelo. We’re gonna get through this. As the pay-per-views go by, if any of these Stones of the Earth sound like something that would help you or someone you love, and you don’t know where the heck to get them, may I suggest [TheCrystalCouncil.com](https://thecrystalcouncil.com/?ref=comainevent.com). There are a lot of fakes on the market these days, and these people are a trusted source for me. I wouldn’t want my Co-Main Event homies to get ripped off. Now on to the stones! **UFC 269** **Dustin Poirier** Diamond ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/diamond.jpg) Known as a “Stone of Invincibility”, Diamond brings victory, superior strength, and courage to its wearer. Brings a sense of radiance, a loving energy that cleanses the aura and allows the soul’s light to shine out and be shared with others. I’m not going to pretend I’m picking Dustin to win, in fact I think my little underdog-loving heart is rooting for Charles Oliveira. But I don’t want either smiley, positive man to lose. There’s a scene on “Friends” where they’re asking each other, if they had to, which would they give up, food or sex? And Joey goes “food … no, sex … no, food … no, sex … I want sex on bread!” That’s precisely how I feel right now. No way to choose. **Amanda Nunes** Jade ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/jade.jpg) Jade is the stone of calm in the midst of storm. It balances nerves and instills confidence. It prevents illness while traveling, brings happiness in business, and material abundance. Who are we kidding, Nunes doesn’t need this crystal and she’s not going to lose. We’re going to sit back and watch a sure-fire win before the main and that’s that on that. I hope Julianna Peña has a lovely holiday season though, lol. **Geoff Neal** Hematite ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/hermatite.jpg) Increases ability to focus, protects against negativity and self-sabotage, great for healing – specifically arms and legs. Helps in business and troubles with the law (ahem). Reports say Neal was arrested on DWI and weapons charges on Thanksgiving, but he maintains that a submitted blood sample will exonerate him. This could go one of two ways on fight day: He could be highly motivated, or highly distracted. *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### It is getting damn hard to convince people that anyone has a chance against Amanda Nunes URL: https://www.comainevent.com/it-is-getting-damn-hard-to-convince-people-that-anyone-has-a-chance-against-amanda-nunes/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:37.000Z So there I was, catching up on my UFC Embeddeds, hoping to get my fill of haircut footage and people arriving at airport baggage claim, when I stumbled across the sections dedicated to UFC bantamweight title challenger Julianna Pena. This ought to be interesting, I thought. With what will they hope to convince me that Pena has a good or even decent chance of dethroning longtime champ Amanda Nunes? And the answer Embedded came up with was … well she’s been in the gym, at least. Seriously, if you’re looking for visual pre-fight evidence that Pena is bringing something Nunes has never seen before, it ain’t here. Granted, it would be a dick move for Embedded to give away a fighter’s top secret game plan in the days before the fight. (Pssst, call the Young Serge instant knockout play!) And, hey, Nunes has to lose some time, right? Even the greatest female fighter in MMA history can’t be perfect *forever*. But when you’re listening to Pena’s boxing coach talk about how they’re preparing for Nunes’ big right hand while you’re simultaneously watching Pena eat right hands from a sparring partner who is, we’re just going to guess, somewhere below Nunes’ skill level? Yeah, that feeling that comes flooding in is not overwhelming optimism. Which is not us trying to dunk on Pena. She’s a good fighter. She’s tough, resilient, and has some legit skills. She hasn’t won two or more fights in a row in the UFC in over five years, but still, was there any other better choice who Nunes hasn’t already thumped? At least Pena was adamant about asking for the fight. And that’s pretty much what a lot of the UFC’s promotional material has chosen to focus on. Pena called Nunes *out*. So here, watch these highlights of [Pena landing some good strikes on Germaine de Randamie](https://www.ufc.com/video/amanda-nunes-vs-julianna-pena-co-main-event-preview-ufc-269?ref=comainevent.com) and try to forget that she actually lost that fight via third-round submission. Really, you’ve got to feel for the people whose job it is to sell this one. Just according to what we’ve seen from each of them, there is no sane reason to think Pena beats Nunes. What’s she going to do, submit the champ? Pena has exactly one submission victory in the UFC. Knock her out? Pena has two UFC wins that way, and the last one came against Milana Dudieva in 2015\. Nunes has more UFC title fight wins than Pena has UFC fights. She has almost as many title fight wins as Pena has professional victories. So if you’re trying to pitch Pena as a live dog here, you really have to veer into the realm of fantasy and imagination. The official recorded evidence offers zero help. In fact, the best reason to think Pena has a chance is that the fight *seems* so one-sided on paper. Knowing how the MMA gods love to fuck with us, and how hard it is to stay at the top for so very, very long, you might be tempted to think Pena will shock the world just *because* it seems so implausible. So then the best possible hype job is not ‘Pena might win because of the skills she has’ but rather ‘Pena might win because MMA does occasionally fuck with us in this specific way.’ Maybe it’s no wonder that so much of the pre-fight stuff has leaned on Pena’s willingness to talk that shit to and about Nunes. She’s been out here accusing Nunes of ducking her, calling for the most dominant women’s champ in UFC history to be stripped. (Nunes, for her part, has responded by calling Pena “delusional,” which actually seems pretty understated). It’s a page out of the Chael Sonnen playbook, where a fighter basically says, ‘maybe I can’t convince you to believe I’ll win, but I can convince you to believe I’ll make the champ mad enough that she’ll do something awful and memorable to me.’ As title fight sales pitches go, that's the one you go with when you can't think of anything else that makes even a little bit of sense. And really, what else is there at the moment? You look at Nunes’ last few title defenses at both bantamweight and featherweight, and what you see is a lot of long odds followed by a lot of one-sided beatdowns. She was a 6-1 favorite over Felicia Spencer, a 10-1 favorite over Megan Anderson. Even against former champs like de Randamie and Holly “Holms” Holm she was a hefty 4-1\. What the fuck can you even say anymore to convince us that these fights might be competitive? These are fights that are happening, is the most realistic and factual way of putting it. This is a person who will fight for the UFC women’s bantamweight title because someone has to. Claiming anything beyond that is just hoping and wishing. At least as long as this version of Nunes is still here. *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### Very Serious prop bets for Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley II URL: https://www.comainevent.com/very-serious-prop-bets-for-jake-paul-vs-tyron-woodley-ii/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:38.000Z Good news, you guys. We finally got our offshore casino up and running. And after a lot of bribes and kickbacks and at least one failed coup, we are ready to begin offering bets on sporting events. Thing is, we didn’t fully realize when we started just how many online sportsbooks there already are. And you know what else? They all mostly offer the same odds, same bets, same old shit. How’s a newcomer to the field supposed to stand out, we wondered. Then it hit us: By coming up with prop bets that you can’t find anywhere else. And what better event to roll this out for than the newly signed boxing rematch between Jake Paul and Tyron Woodley? Fucking genius move by us, really. I’m so confident we’ll get rich off this that I’m writing this entire thing while wearing a tuxedo (T-shirt). So without further delay, here’s what we’re offering from CME Gaming Services Inc. for next Saturday’s shitshow boxing match: **Will Tyron Woodley walk out to one of his own songs?** Yes -105 No +105 **Will Jake Paul walk out to his own voice dubbed over one of Woodley’s songs?** Yes +200 No -240 **Over/under 3 condom/ball cleaner/pube trimmer sponsors on Woodley’s trunks?** Over +140 Under -180 **Will Jake Paul’s giant robot become sentient?** Yes -350 No +400 **If the robot becomes sentient and realizes what it’s been a part of all this time, will it be moved to sadness or rage?** Sadness -105 Rage -105 **Will Woodley finally let his hands go?** Yes +700 No -850 **Will Woodley come close to letting his hands go, only to let Paul off the hook, lose a decision, and demand a third fight?** Yes -165 No +200 **Will Woodley’s beard be fucking immaculate?** Yes -1000 No +700 **Will the evening end with the Paul brothers being arrested by Interpol for a string of daring jewel heists for which their “boxing” “matches” served as the perfect distraction?** Yes +300 No -475 **Will Woodley try to collect the $500,000 knockout bonus only to find that the contract stipulates it is to be paid in sunken treasure that’s currently sitting somewhere on the bottom of the Pacific?** Yes +210 No -275 **Is the sunken treasure protected by the curse of a pirate king?** Yes -450 No +510 **In his quest to find the treasure and lift the curse, will Woodley find love and/or enlightenment, and will he realize that this was the real treasure all along?** Yes +600 No -900 **Will the fight start Round 2?** Yes -400 No +350 **If the fight does not start Round 2, will it be because a giant fucking snake swallowed everyone at the event in order to punish mankind for its wickedness?** Yes +200 No -150 **Will the giant fucking snake go on to become the most successful social media influencer of all time?** Yes -250 No +200 **Will Jake Paul ever fight a real boxer?** Yes +275 No -300 *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### Episode 479: UFC 269 preview + Jose Aldo reclaiming his legacy URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-479-ufc-269-preview-jose-aldo-reclaiming-his-legacy/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:38.000Z Download [Episode\_479.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F479.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) The UFC offers up the final PPV of 2021, with two title fights on the main card at UFC 269\. Charles Oliveira defends his lightweight title against Dustin Poirier and Amanda Nunes puts the women's bantamweight title on the line against Juliana Pena. Should be a banger. Plus, look at 35-year-old Jose Aldo out here slowly but surely reminding us he's one of the greatest ever to do it. *Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC* ### Are we ready to revise some of our bullshit previous opinions about Jose Aldo yet? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/are-we-ready-to-revise-some-of-our-bullshit-previous-opinions-about-jose-aldo-yet/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:38.000Z Time doesn’t work the same way in the fight game as it does other places. It’s like that water planet in “Interstellar.” An hour or two is sometimes the equivalent of years elsewhere. That 13 seconds Jose Aldo spent in the cage with Conor McGregor back in 2015, for instance? The weight the MMA world gave it, you’d have thought that it swallowed up five years of Aldo’s career in either direction. How about now, though? After his win over Rob Font in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night headliner, are we ready to revisit our prior judgments on Aldo’s career? Especially in light of recent revisions we’ve made as to our opinions on McGregor’s resume, are we ready admit that Aldo was more than we gave him credit for? Are we ready to come right out and say that, while long-ass winning streaks and title reigns are awesome, it takes something different to find longevity and consistency in this game – especially when you have to pick yourself up and put yourself back together a time or two in there? Back way up and take a big picture look at your dude Jose Aldo da Silva Oliveira Junior. For about nine years, that man didn’t lose. Not fucking once. He went undefeated for his entire run in the WEC, which only ended when that organization was dissolved by its parent company and mostly absorbed into the UFC. Then he reeled off seven straight title defenses as the UFC featherweight champ. Even if he’d retired then on some straight-up Khabib shit, he’d be remembered as an all-time great. No question about it. But then came those 13 seconds against McGregor, and suddenly a lot of people were ready to forget about all those years before it. This was the dark time in Aldo’s career. Days of struggle and woe and what not. He beat up Frankie Edgar a second for an interim belt, then lost twice in a row to Max Holloway, at which point we were mostly ready to thank him for coming and bid him good day. Fucking idiots, is what we were. Because you look up now and Aldo, at 35, is on a three-fight winning streak in a division *below* the one he dominated a decade ago. That shit simply does not happen in this sport. And it’s not like he’s beating up old guys are also-rans, either. These are ranked opponents, all seemingly on their way up, and then they ran into the dude who was champ back when this shit was on Versus with nothing but energy drink ads and condom sponsors on the TV. (Okay some stuff hasn’t changed all *that* much.) But think about Aldo’s career arc compared with McGregor’s ever since that fateful night. Two weeks out from it – even two years out – we all would have said that Aldo had tanked while McGregor soared. Now look. McGregor has drifted into part self-parody and part inside joke, while Aldo has scratched and clawed his way to industry-wide respect. And it’s the kind of respect you can’t get just with money fights and marketing gimmicks. It is paid for in blood – your own and other people’s – and Aldo has earned his. If you’re the kind of fighter who’s only in it for glory and paychecks, you don’t make it to where Aldo is right now. You’d have to be either stupid or delusional to look at this sport and expect something like this for yourself. To be in your mid-thirties, with 17 years as a pro, almost all of which came at or near the very highest level and against the toughest competition, and *still* find way to gut out wins against hungry contenders on Fight Night cards? It just doesn’t happen. It’s fucking special. It also makes you think we owe that man an apology. We were the ones who could only see what was right in front of our faces. We lacked perspective, is one way of putting it. One guy lands and the other guy drops facedown on the mat? Must be the new pecking order forever and ever amen. Aldo’s career shows us that time still has the ability to wring the truth out of people. We just have to be patient enough to let it. *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) ### This Fucking Guy: Clay Guida URL: https://www.comainevent.com/this-fucking-guy-clay-guida/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:39.000Z *Welcome back to This Fucking Guy, where we here at the CME take a long, hard look at someone in the MMA world with the hope of answering the question: this fucking guy, what is his deal?* *Today*, *ahead of his bout with Leonardo Santos on Saturday's UFC Fight Night main card, we look at MMA vet and former actual carpenter Clay Guida*. Some of you just don’t get it. You don’t understand how long Clayton Charles Guida has been a professional MMA fighter. You think you do, solely because he’s been considered a “veteran of the sport” for at least as long as you’ve been watching it, but that barely scratches the surface. Because what a lot of people don’t understand is what a different world MMA was back when guys like Guida started. For instance, prior to breaking into the big time, you know how many different promotions Guida fought for that had some version of “extreme” in the name? There was the “Xtreme Fighting Organization,” which operated mostly in Wisconsin and Illinois (Guida fought in seven of their first eight events). Then there was Xtreme Kage Kombat, a fight promotion with an admirable commitment to unconventional spelling choices. There was also the long-running midwest staple Extreme Challenge. You wanna tell me you started MMA in 2003 without actually telling me you started MMA in 2003? Show up with a bunch of different Extreme/Xtreme events on your record. That’ll do it. This man made what he considers his pro debut at an event during the goddamn Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. I know because [I did a story on it](https://www.mmafighting.com/2012/6/5/3065271/my-first-fight-clay-guida?ref=comainevent.com) back in 2012, by which point Guida was already considered an experienced and respected pro. He fought on the very first Strikeforce event … ever. He fought for years in a pair of shorts he’d bought at Walmart *on the way to the event*. He had an entire career’s worth of fights – 26 bouts, give or take – before he ever signed with the UFC. And then, when he did finally sign on, he remained in the UFC uninterrupted for the next 15 fucking years. Think whatever you want about the man, his fighting style, or his future prospects now at the age of 39, with some scalp finally starting to show through amid those once glorious locks. But dammit, respect the *grind*. The hustle. The sheer resilience and longevity and utter refusal to go the fuck away. On Saturday night, Guida fights Leonardo Santos on the main card of UFC Fight Night Vegas Apex ESPN+ Fortywhatever. It will be somewhere in the neighborhood of his 58th professional fight, the last 31 of which have come in the UFC. Think about that. I mean, 31 fights is an entire career’s worth. And for Guida it just represents the UFC portion of his work – which itself is somehow still onfucking going. And you know something else? He’s still pretty decent. He can still win some fights here and there. That’s tough as shit in the lighter weight classes. There may be plenty of damn near 40-year-old heavyweights hanging around, but there are almost no lightweights of similar age and experience still doing it up at this level. Even now, you know what you’re going to get with Guida. He’ll come bouncing down to the cage, overflowing with energy, probably get slapped around by his brother before entering, then mix inexhaustible wrestling with awkwardly effective boxing for roughly 15 minutes, after which point he’ll either win or lose a close decision. You know what you call that? Goddamn consistency, is what. If that’s not enough for you, consider this partial list of people Guida has beaten over the last couple decades: Nate Diaz, B.J. Penn, Anthony Pettis, Takanori Gomi, Joe Lauzon, Rafael Dos Anjos, Josh Thomson, Tatsuya Kawajiri. And his last four losses? Mark Madsen, Bobby Green, Jim Miller, and current champ Charles Oliveira. Not too fucking shabby. Away from the cage, Guida is a simple man. His Instagram page is as much about fishing as it is about anything related to combat sports. He somehow manages to embody the ethos of The Dude while also clearly being majorly into fitness and fighting. At times he actually seems to be the rare person with a healthy work-life balance in MMA. This shit is his job, but it’s not his entire world. This T-shirt is basically his world view summed up in visual form, and honestly we’ve all seen fighters who built their lives around much worse ideologies. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/screen-shot-2021-12-03-at-10-48-27-am.png) Fun side note: Back in 2008 I covered a UFC Fight Night event in Omaha for Sports Illustrated, and the UFC PR people installed me in Guida’s locker room all night leading up to his fight with Mac Danzig. I was curious to see what his preparations and level of overall nervousness would be like before a fight. You’d have thought he was getting ready for a bowling tournament. The most memorable part now was an extended discussion among Guida and his cornermen about UFC commentator Mike Goldberg, who they did imitations of while imagining what it would be like if he did commentary on porn. (“Really going to town on this chick, is the pizza delivery guy.” That sort of thing.) It was actually pretty funny. To remind you that it was 2008, I also recall Guida getting excited at the news that his mom was in the crowd, sitting with the guys from 311 and a couple of The Foo Fighters. (“Not Dave Grohl. The other guys.”) Then he got up, got warm, and went out to totally Guida the fuck out of Danzig, who at the time had a full head of steam after winning The Ultimate Fighter. It was Danzig’s first loss in the UFC. It very much felt like just another night of work for Guida. Afterwards the “press conference” was just Guida and Nate Diaz both sitting in folding chairs in front of reporters in an empty locker room. Diaz stayed for about 20 seconds before his brother convinced him that it was bullshit, then he got up and left. So Guida shrugged and then sat there for as long as we wanted, answering questions. Good dude, is my point. Can you still have this kind of career in today’s MMA? Which is to say, the kind where you have an entire career’s worth of fighting before landing in the UFC, where you then stay for 15 goddamn years without ever becoming a champion or even really coming close? I don’t know. That feels like the kind of the thing today’s UFC doesn’t allow for, which might make Guida a dying breed or a holdover from a bygone era. And whatever anyone else makes of what that means or of where his career ranks, you get the sense he wouldn’t really give a shit. Which is probably a pretty good way to be about it. And if you need him in the meantime, you can definitely find him out on the water with a fishing pole in one hand and a beer in the other. There are worse ways to fill up a life. *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### So Dana White got the COVID, you guys... URL: https://www.comainevent.com/so-dana-white-got-the-covid-you-guys/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:39.000Z You know what’s interesting about UFC President Dana White describing to Jim Rome his experience of coming down Ye Olde COVID? It’s two things, really. One is how many different ways he accidentally reminds us that he is super wealthy and living nothing resembling a normal person’s life. This happens in ways that are subtle but also in ways that are not. For instance, take this quote (via [MMA Junkie](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/12/dana-white-tests-positive-covid-19-relying-on-joe-rogan-recovery?ref=comainevent.com)), where he first explains how he and his whole family came down with the virus: **“We just went up to my place in Maine and for Thanksgiving it’s tradition we go up there, and somebody had it, and we get back, and we all tested positive for COVID.”** See, right there? The phrase “my place in Maine”? Yeah, that is some rich guy shit. But that’s nothing, really. Because White, who added that he is vaccinated, is also going to tell us how he first realized that he’d gotten sick: **“We got back on Saturday. On Sunday, I cold plunge and steam every day. So I get out of the cold plunge and steam, and I spray the eucalyptus and I was like, ‘What the hell?’ I couldn’t smell anything. So I opened the bottle and start sniffing the bottle of eucalyptus, and I couldn’t smell and I was like, ‘I know what this means.’”** Yep. Just your normal, regular guy kinda experience right there. Talking about how you cold plunge and steam every day. Of course you do. Why the hell wouldn't you? Then – and we’ve all been there – you go to spray the eucalyptus. And when you can’t smell the eucalyptus? Brother, then you got a problem. So what does White do once he realizes he has COVID? Naturally he calls Dr. Joe Rogan: **“I literally got out of the steam and got on my phone and called Joe Rogan. I get up, 9 o’clock Monday morning, and I get tested. He said get monoclonal antibodies in you as soon as possible, so I did. By noon, I had the monoclonal antibodies in me. Then he told me to do a NAD drip. I did that right after. The next day – so Sunday at 8 o’clock at night I have no taste or smell. I get up Tuesday getting ready to shave. Cleaning my razor, I could smell the alcohol. My taste and smell were back by the next day by 11 o’clock. Then I took a dose of ivermectin. Then yesterday I did a vitamin drip, and today I’m doing another NAD drip.”** And see, this is the rich guy version of getting COVID. Whatever medicines you want, you get. Even if they’re usually reserved for people with more severe cases. Even if they are not at all approved or recommended to treat the sickness you have. Rich people get to name their own health care regimen, and it begins right away. Which brings us to the other interesting thing about this whole story. Remember back in the early days of this here pandemic when White kept brushing it off as insignificant bullshit? Efforts to mitigate the spread of the virus were just the world turning “into pussies overnight,” according to him. But ain’t it funny how, when the same people who said COVID wasn’t shit actually get COVID themselves, suddenly they want *all of the drugs*? Much like Dr. Rogan himself, White went from shaking his head at other people’s COVID concerns to attacking the virus with a full battery of treatments pretty much as soon as he actually got the damn thing. And yeah, maybe now it makes sense why he didn’t give a shit about this virus. (Those are [his exact words](https://twitter.com/aaronbronsteter/status/1236553733405736962?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=comainevent.com): “I don’t give a shit about the coronavirus.” He knew that, even if he got it, he’d be able to get all the rich guy shit to treat it. He’d also have the expert medical advice of Joe Rogan just a phone call away. Because when you wake up one morning and you can’t smell the eucalyptus after your daily plunge and steam, who the fuck else you gonna call? *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### *SPECIAL MARKET REPORT* To: Khamzat Chimaev, From: CME Consulting Services LLC, Re: You suddenly being so Aggressively Online URL: https://www.comainevent.com/special-market-report-to-khamzat-chimaev-from-cme-consulting-services-llc-re-you-suddenly-being-so-aggressively-online/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:39.000Z Greetings Mr. Chimaev! Thanks for commissioning CME Consulting Services to take a look at your recent online activities and provide some analysis on your engagement, how you might shape your message and best interact with your online community in the future. We’ve received your $40 via Venmo and, while we don’t totally understand your attached memo inviting us to “call the cops” accompanied by a skull emoji, we’re pleased to have completed this special market report for you. Apologies in advance for the long email, but we do have some thoughts. First of all, wow! 2.9 million followers on Instagram and 216K more on Twitter! Not too shabby for a guy who has only been in the UFC for 15 months, especially considering as recently as March you were posting pictures of blood-spattered sinks accompanied by grave pronouncements that you might never fight again. We’re glad you appear to have fully recovered now from your serious bout with COVID-19—as we think Li Jingliang can attest! Haha!—and have gotten back to your bread and butter: Whipping that ass and making fun of Colby Covington. Let us say we love a LOT of what you’re doing right now, sir. Most of your social media interactions are probably best described as “classic MMA-fighter-on-Twitter stuff” and it seems like it’s really working out well for you. In fact, you’ve been on a roll lately, calling out Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz, Leon Edwards, beefing with The Brothers Paul, posting pictures of yourself posing with small school children and/or giant firearms as well as the aforementioned non-stop mockery of Mr. Covington. Frankly, we wouldn’t change a thing about any of that. But your message has taken an unexpected turn during the last week or so, hasn’t it, Mr. Chimaev? In fact, our in-depth research indicates that for five-plus months between mid-May and late October, you didn’t post a single tweet. “Not one tweet!” as a certain neighbor to our north likes to say. Then, on Oct. 31, just one day after that three-minute, 16 second submission victory over Mr. Jingliang at UFC 267, you seemed to remember the password to your Twitter account. Since then, you’ve been posting a lot—and, again, your insistence on continually publishing embarrassing photos of Mr. Covington is GREAT. More of that relatable content, please! So, that’s the good news. The bad new is, we regret to say that some of your current online activities are missing the mark. Case-in-point: This week's back-to-back-to-back offers to fight Georges St-Pierre, Daniel Cormier and Brock Lesnar. We’re not totally sure what those messages are accomplishing for you, sir. They’ve taken on a bit of a sawed-off shotgun vibe, to be honest. It’s as if you’ve resorted to blasting whatever well-known MMA figures happen to be running through your mind at that exact moment, regardless of weight class, career status or contractual obligation. Our opinions on active fighters continuing to call-out Mr. St-Pierre are already well-documented. We feel strongly that it’s time for MMA to let him go. St-Pierre seems to have found true happiness amid his retirement: growing his hair, appearing in whatever sidecar Marvel projects he can get himself cast in and unveiling halfway creepy-looking statues of himself. Giving the impression you want to drag him back into this mess is, frankly, unseemly and unbecoming of your current status as a top contender, sir. Our advice would be to cease and desist those invitations immediately. Cormier, though? Bless his heart. Calling him out for a grappling match was actually pretty savvy of you. Clearly, you understood that the singular combination of America wrestler/American dad that makes up the very fiber of Mr. Cormier’s being wouldn’t allow him to take any kind of challenge lightly. Sure, he tried to laugh it off, but his reply to you was essentially (we’re paraphrasing here): “Haha you’re crazy for this one Khamzat! But I WOULD DEFINITELY BEAT YOU IN A VERY LOPSIDED AND SERIOUS MANNER.” It seems like you got to him, sir. You forced DC to pretend to be cool with your message while also signalling that he was maybe secretly offended by it. That, for the moment, is a victory. You and Mr. Cormier are obviously well separated by size and weight, but it doesn’t seem *completely* outlandish that with some added needling you might convince him to face you in a grappling match in some poorly-lit cage somewhere in Europe. Kudos to you for opening lines of communication on that. Would you *win* that match-up? Well, haha, technical fight analysis isn’t the focus of this report, now is it? We are aware that you recently wore Jack Hermansson around the cage like hat in a similar match a couple weeks ago, but Cormier would be a much, um, bigger challenge. If and when such a bout might become a reality, we strongly encourage you to once again retain the CME Consulting Service, at which time we could give some serious thought to whether you should actually go through with it. Finally, this Lesnar thing. We feel compelled to weigh-in here, despite the fact Mr. Lesnar almost certainly will not. Calling out Brock Lesnar? That’s some 2012 stuff, Mr. Chimaev. We thought a man of your obvious instinct for the fight game would have realized how that would look: Borderline desperate. Or, at best, like you are doing what we here at CME, LLC like to call: Just Sayin’ Stuff. That fight’s never going to happen and, if we had to guess, we might hazard an opinion that Mr. Lesnar probably doesn’t even know who you are, sir. No shame in that. Mr. Lesnar likely barely knows the names of the people he sees every day over in his current stomping grounds of WWE. But, brass tacks: He’s never going to reply to you and so any call-out of him is wasted effort. These days, if you want to make a senseless, hopeless challenge for a fight you’re never going to get, might we suggest firing off a tweet at Tyson Fury or Canelo Alvarez? Those are the people fighters take needless potshots at these days. Just something you may want to incorporate into your content strategy for the future. The larger point here, sir, is that it suddenly seems that you have become Aggressively Online. Nothing wrong with that, though it's a bit of a tricky line to walk. Last thing we’d want for you is to become a Conor McGregor or Jon Jones-type figure, constantly tweeting-and-deleting some mean-spirited quip that seems designed merely to steal our focus away from whoever happens to be getting any limited media exposure on that given night. Less is more, you might say, when it comes to your social media engagement. Lately, however, it seems like you’ve been coming down on the more is more side. It gives the impression that perhaps you’ve just now found your phone where it had fallen—months ago now—into that crack between the driver’s seat and the center console. Is it possible, Mr. Chimaev, that you are just bored? In the one month since your victory over Mr. Jingliang, have you grown so listless that you’ve resorted to shitposting online? If so, we get it. There’s no shortage of people in this space who do that every day. If you are the sort of person who doesn’t deal well with downtime—we might suggest the mere fact you recently had that match with Mr. Hermansson is evidence of that—we understand if you’re having trouble filling the days right now. Maybe the answer is that we find your something else to do. Another fight, perhaps? Sooner than most might have expected? There is obviously a lot of people who want to fight you at this point and you seem, dare we say, game as hell. So, our advice would be to look into that ASAP. Until then, here are some helpful dos and don’ts for navigating the sometimes tricky online world: **DO** continue to call out any active welterweight you might actually conceivably fight. **DO** continue to position yourself as the next great UFC badass and the potential heir to Khabib Nurmagomedov. **DO** continue to seek out challenges like grappling Mr. Hermansson, so long as those challenges seem likely to continue building your mystique and not to undermine it. **DO**, by all means, continue to post any and all content embarrassing to Colby Covington. 100 percent yes on that. But **DON’T** muddle your message and waste time calling out people who are never going to fight you. This includes retired icons, current professional wrestlers and people so outlandishly outside your natural weight that athletic contests with them appear untenable. These seem like fairly straightforward suggestions and we do hope you can see your way to following them, Mr. Chimaev. The last thing we want is to wake up one morning and find you’ve published a video of yourself silently pacing back and forth in front of a television with a picture of Max Holloway on it. Thanks again for your business. We look forward to a long and profitable partnership. Feel free to reach out any time. Sincerely, Ben and Chad, CME Consulting Services LLC *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### Hurt Business History: The tragic yet familiar partnership of Tom Molineaux and Bill Richmond URL: https://www.comainevent.com/hurt-business-history-the-tragic-yet-familiar-partnership-of-tom-molineaux-and-bill-richmond/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:41.000Z Some time in the winter of 1809, a friendless unknown named Tom Molineaux showed up in London telling anyone who would listen that he was the “champion of America” come to fight for England’s heavyweight title. This got a lot of laughs. Molineaux was a stocky, muscular Black man who claimed to have been born a slave, possibly in Virginia, before earning his freedom in a series of no-holds-barred prizefights that enriched his owner to the point of overwhelming gratitude. He also claimed to have made his way to New York City, where he continued to make a living with his fists, before stowing away on a ship bound for England, the epicenter of professional pugilism at the time. It’s hard to know how much of that is true. Boxing historians have questioned everything from the details of his Atlantic passage (more likely a crew member than a successfully hidden stowaway for the length of the journey, some say) to his release from bondage (would an early 19th-century slave-owner willingly part with a slave who continually won him money?), but like any good self-marketer in the fight game, Molineaux was never shy about mythologizing his own past. His eventual backers in the English prizefighting scene may have also seen the value in playing up his mysterious origins, and thus the story was born. What most agree on, however, is that he appeared in London that winter as a raw, unschooled talent with an impressive physique, an abundance of ambition, and not much else. When he told people he’d come to fight Tom Cribb, the heavyweight champion of all England (which effectively made him the heavyweight champion of the world at the time), few took him seriously. If he wanted to break into the fight game of the London Prize Ring, they said, he should go see Bill Richmond. In other words, the one Black fighter should seek out the other, since no one else would want anything to do with him. The arc of the fighter-coach relationship that developed between the two men would be familiar to any modern fight fan. We’ve seen it so many times by now it’s become a tired cliche. A grizzled vet takes on a prospect who no one else seems to want. He puts some polish on his rough exterior, even when it’s a thankless task. The new kid learns fast and rises quickly through the ranks. Success goes immediately and irrevocably to his head, until soon no one can tell him a damn thing. Once the frustrated teacher can no longer control his pupil, he settles for exploiting him financially instead. It all ends in fiery human wreckage, as the fight game chews up and spits out another victim. The saga of Molineaux feels archetypal now, but at the time it was novel. Then again, so was the very concept of a professional fighter. Prizefighting as we know it truly began with the bare-knuckle bouts of the London Prize Ring. They weren’t the first boxers – the Greeks were trading bare fists thousands of years earlier and the Romans even got the bright idea to add leather gloves, studded with metal to inflict maximum damage – but the Brits were among the first to maintain an active professional fight scene comparable to our own modern sport. They had a consistent rule set, even a version of their own athletic commission to settle disputes, enforce rules, and make sure debts were paid. They had fans, often called “The Fancy,” who represented an uncommon mix of social classes for England in the time period. They even had media, like the early fight game chronicler Pierce Egan. Richmond is generally regarded as the first Black fighter to break into this nascent sports scene. Born a slave in colonial America, he spent his early years in New York, in bondage to a wealthy loyalist there. It was his natural fighting ability that first caught the eye of Hugh Percy, the British general in command of New York at the onset of America’s war of independence in 1776. In his excellent history, “[Black Genesis: The History of the Black Prizefighter 1760-1870](https://www.amazon.com/Black-Genesis-History-Prizefighter-1760/dp/0595288847/ref=tmm%5Fpap%5Fswatch%5F0?%5Fencoding=UTF8&qid=1621882214&sr=8-1&ref=comainevent.com),” Kevin R. Smith relates Percy’s own recollections of first encountering Richmond, who was then just an 11-year-old boy: “A young Blackamore was ostling the officers’ mounts, and fetching water to the horses, when a corporal of the Brunswicke division chaffed the black boy and he did make sport of the ostler’s colour. Two more Hessians joined in the folly, and one of them tripping the black boy a-purpose so that he dropped his water-can, spilling the lot. The stable-boy fetched his right hand sidelong to the corporal’s great beak of a nose, then he layed into the other two Hessians with both fists set flailing. The three men were taller than the Blackamoor boy, and their arms more prodigious of reach. Still he easily payed them in full for their merriment, and laced his right fist again and once more into their ears and shoulders, his left arm parrying and blocking their efforts to hit him in turn until at last, two of the Hessian rogues gave flight and ran, as the Brunswicke corporal fell to bleeding hard by the horse-trough. The Blackamore warrior triumphant, he fetched his water-can and went again to his work as if nought had occurred.” The story goes that General Percy so enjoyed watching Richmond beat up grown men that he arranged fights between the boy and adult redcoat soldiers for the entertainment of his guests. Percy soon took possession of Richmond, either by buying him from his owner or just seizing him as the King’s property to help in the war effort, and afterwards Richmond became his servant. The young Richmond is even said to have participated in the hanging of Nathan Hale, a famous American spy. In several depictions of that event you can clearly make out a young man of dark complexion readying Hale for execution. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/nathan-hale-execution.jpg) 22nd September 1776: British soldiers preparing to hang the American patriot and spy, Nathan Hale (1755 - 1776). Before his execution Hale declared that 'I only regret I have but one life to lose for my country'. (Photo by MPI/Getty Images) Percy brought Richmond back to England with him in 1778\. Though Richmond probably didn’t have much choice in the matter, the relocation across the Atlantic gave him a better life than the one he likely would have lived if he’d remained a slave in America after the war. Percy enrolled him in a school in York, and afterwards Richmond became an apprentice to a cabinetmaker, a field he is said to have excelled in. But even though life was better for a young Black man in England than it was in America at the time, it still wasn’t easy. All throughout his life, even after he was a famous fighter who’d befriended Lord Byron and put on a boxing exhibition at the behest of King George, Richmond faced all manner of racism, ranging from casual to at times aggressively violent. He had a reputation for levelheadedness, which mostly meant a willingness to absorb the racist taunts without flying into a rage, but he was also known to challenge his tormentors to settle things with a fight – provided they could do so as gentlemen, at the appropriate place and time. This is how he found his way into the fight game while working as a personal valet to Lord Camelford, a famous ex-Navy captain. Camelford was a “sporting man” who loved to attend horse races and dog fights while dressed in the finest fashions of the time. He insisted that his valet also be decked out in eye-catching clothing while accompanying him, which made it even harder for Richmond to blend in with the crowd. One day at the horse races, according to Smith, a local bully named Dockey Moore zeroed in on Richmond, berating him for his skin color and his clothes. When Richmond answered back, Moore challenged the much smaller Richmond to a fight, which Richmond gladly accepted. Away they went to find a flat piece of ground, and a half-hour later Richmond had beaten Moore into bloody submission. But Moore was a soldier, and his friends weren’t going to let it go that easily. The next time he showed up to the races, Richmond faced challenges from two members of the Inniskillings Dragoons. So he beat both of them up too. You can see how a man might get a reputation this way, and so it was only a matter of time until Richmond ended up fighting for money. The trouble was his size. Richmond was not a big man, usually weighing no more than 150 pounds, and his first go with a much larger professional named George Maddox was a total mismatch that resulted in a one-sided beating. Richmond didn’t fight again for almost a year. But in that time, he studied the fight game intensely and eventually developed his own style to negate the size disadvantage. “At some point he realized that his speed and agility were his best assets and that they could be used in a manner to offset a stronger or larger man,” Smith writes. “He was also a true believer in the benefits of a good defense. Thus, Richmond developed a ‘strike and duck’ or a ‘hit and get away’ style that was quite revolutionary for its time.” Richmond would go on to have great success in the London Prize Ring, eventually earning the nickname “The Black Terror.” His most notable bout came in 1805, when, despite being in his early forties, he challenged the young up-and-comer Tom Cribb, who was a couple decades younger and, depending on the source, anywhere from 20 to 50 pounds heavier than Richmond. But instead of being just another brutish slugger, Cribb actually had some technique. He became known for his ability to “mill on the retreat” – basically a counterpunching style that allowed him to fight going backwards while still prioritizing defense to minimize the damage he took. Cribb defeated Richmond after 90 minutes of fighting, though the fight itself might have been more stalemate than fierce combat. It effectively ended Richmond’s career in the ring, apart from a few carefully selected one-off returns, while vaulting Cribb to a heavyweight title fight against the great Jem Belcher, who he dispatched in a little over a half-hour. Richmond retired from the ring after the loss to Cribb, but maintained a connection to the fight game in two ways. One was by training and cornering other fighters, leveraging his reputation as a “scientific” boxer to rebrand himself as a coach to pros and amateur enthusiasts alike. The other was by leaning into the classic second act of pro fighters at the time – opening a pub. Richmond ran The Horse and Dolphin on Saint Martin Street, right near the famous Fives Court, a noted rallying point for London’s sporting crowd. It put him directly in the center of London’s pugilistic scene, and was a generally successful business venture for him. It was here Molineaux was directed once he circulated word of his plan to fight Cribb for the heavyweight crown. This might have been partially because of Richmond’s reputation as a trainer and teacher of technical boxing, but it was also pure racism. Who was going to train one Black man from America if not the other Black man from America? ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/fives_court.jpg) A Visit to the Fives Court', 1822\. Scene showing a prizefight in progress at a venue in St Martin's Street, Westminster, London. Most accounts agree that Molineaux wasn't an actual boxer when he arrived on English shores. Prizefighting as the British knew it hadn’t yet firmly taken root in America. The bouts that Molineaux participated in were much more likely no-holds-barred brawls in the “rough and tumble” style. Particularly when he was matched against other slaves, they might have often been fatal encounters. But the London Prize Ring had specific rules, even if the sport of prizefighting itself was technically outlawed by then. There was no biting, kicking, scratching, or headbutting allowed. Rounds ended only when one fighter hit the ground, either from a punch or a throw, but to go down without cause was considered a potentially disqualifying foul. Breaks between rounds typically lasted 30 seconds, after which point the referee would call time and fighters had to “come to scratch” – stepping up to a line in the dirt to mark their readiness to begin the next round – or else be counted out. A fighter could be knocked cold at the end of one round, but if his seconds managed to wake him up in time to answer when time was called for the next round, he could continue. Molineaux knew nothing of these rules or of the finer points of boxing as it existed at the time. But he was a physical specimen, standing about 5’8” and weighing around 200 pounds of chiseled muscle. Just the sight of him stripping off his shirt before a bout was said to sway betting odds. He also had an excellent teacher in Richmond and he learned quickly, even if Richmond had to undo some bad habits, like his tendency to throw his right hand with a kind of hammerfist style. It’s unclear whether Richmond thought of Molineaux as a genuine prospect or simply a novelty good for generating some interest and a quick buck, but he soon matched him against a novice fighter trained by his old rival Cribb. Molineaux dropped the man early and often, but took more than an hour to finally put him away. By then, Pierce Egan wrote, Molineaux had beaten the man so badly that “it was impossible to distinguish a single feature in his face.” The English fight crowd was intrigued right away. Molineaux looked the part, and he could fight, but he also had personality. He was often described as loud and outgoing, even arrogant He liked to drink and he loved women, many of whom loved him right back as they announced their intention to “try the black.” With his love of attention and his eye-catching physique, he became a famous local fighter in a very short period of time. While the fighting at the time was done by people lower down on the socioeconomic ladder, it was financially supported by the upper classes. Fighters typically had to find a backer or a patron to put up the stakes for their fights, and Molineaux attracted significant attention from people like Lord George Sackville, who was ready to match him up against Cribb right away. Richmond, however, insisted that Molineaux needed more experience. Then, as now, the fight game was susceptible to instant hype, getting overly excited about a new talent based on little actual evidence. “Mostly Tom was a curiosity: a boisterous, black American prizefighter who rather fancied himself and his accomplishments,” Smith writes. “For the most part, the Fancy regarded Molineaux as ‘spice.’ That is to say, he brought a new life and a new interest into a sport, which had recently seen some of its slower days in England. Cribb had been champion for several years and had, for all intents and purposes, cleaned up his challengers. Without a worthy challenger for the champion, the game had fallen into a small decline.” Many looked at Molineaux as the cure for that ailment, and Molineaux was more than happy to stoke that fire. He continued to refine his craft under Richmond, improving both his punching technique and his footwork. In August of 1810, just about a month after his first win on English soil, he fought and defeated a well-known boxer and sailor named Tom Blake, known in the fight game as “Tom Tough.” This time an even bigger crowd showed up to watch, and Molineaux eventually knocked Blake out cold with a right hand. More than the victory itself, he had clearly improved enough to convince those who mattered in the fight scene that a worthy challenger for Cribb had been found at last. The two would meet for the first time later that same year, just about five months after Molineaux’s debut bout. But by then, the curiosity surrounding Molineaux had turned to anxiety. It was fun having him around as a loud, brash American who fought a couple of also-rans and injected some quick entertainment into a floundering fight game. But once they truly began to consider the possibility that Molineaux might beat Cribb – that the heavyweight title of England might be held by an American, and a Black man at that – that was when “the jealousy commenced,” according to Egan. It took a concerted effort from Molineaux and Richmond to goad the partially retired Cribb into taking the fight, and a condition of his eventual agreement was that he be given time to get in fighting shape. In later preparation efforts, he trained with an infantry captain named Robert Barclay who had risen to national fame when he walked 1,000 miles in 1,000 hours to win a bet of 1,000 guineas. Barclay was regarded as something of a fitness guru and an amateur boxing enthusiast, and he was something of a revolutionary how he trained Cribb using a regimen that consisted of sparring as well as long hikes and short runs. The fight was set for December 18, 1810, in a field some 30 miles outside London. Right away, Richmond didn’t like the timing. Giving Cribb time to prepare after a long period of inactivity was a mistake, he thought, and fighting outdoors in the cold winter months was something Cribb was far more accustomed to than was Molineaux. Still, after such an effort to call out Cribb, the challenger couldn’t dictate terms. Molineaux and Richmond had to take it or leave it, even if it meant meeting the champion in a cold, stinging rain. “Notwithstanding the rain came down in torrents, and the distance from London, the Fancy were not to be deterred from witnessing the mill,” Egan wrote. “And who waded through a clayey road, nearly knee-deep for five miles, with alacrity and cheerfulness, as if it had been as smooth as a bowling-green, so great was the curiosity and interest manifested upon this battle.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/boxeurs.jpg) Théodore Gericault's "Boxeurs," The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Rogers Fund, 1922 (22.63.28) http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/357998 Thousands turned out even in these conditions, and the fight they witnessed that day is still considered one of the greatest and most significant of the bare-knuckle era. In an article later collected in his book, “Boxiana; or Sketches of Ancient and Modern Pugilism,” Egan provided a round-by-round summary of the fight. He repeatedly referred to Molineaux as “the moor,” and noted that betting odds started out heavily in favor of Cribb, with many betting that Molineaux wouldn’t last 30 minutes with the champion. After Cribb threw Molineaux to the ground to end the first round, Egan wrote of the second: “The moor rallied with a left-handed blow, which did not tell, when Cribb planted a most tremendous one over his adversary’s right eye-brow, but which not have the effect of knocking him down, he only staggered a few paces, followed up by the Champion. Desperation was now the order of the round, and the rally re-commenced with uncommon severity, in which Cribb showed the most science, although he received a dreadful blow on the mouth that made his teeth chatter again, and exhibited the first signs of claret (blood). Four to one (odds) on Cribb.” The battle continued back and forth like this. In the fourth round, Molineaux went down off a slip on the wet, soggy ground. The fifth saw both fighters plant their feet and throw nonstop for about 30 seconds, according to Egan, which thrilled the crowd but also left them confused as to how to adjust the odds. (“The knowing ones were lost for the moment, and no bets were offered.”) In the eighth Molineaux stood up to such punishment that Egan claimed Cribb was now feeling “somewhat mistaken in his idea’s of the Black’s capabilities.” To begin the ninth, Egan wrote: “The battle had arrived at that doubtful state, and things seemed not to prove so easy and tractable as was anticipated, that the betters were rather puzzled as to how they should proceed with success.” After Molineaux rallied to flatten Cribb with a punch that broke through his guard, Egan described the faces of those who had bet on the champion as “panic-struck.” After this point, the picture painted by Egan’s description is less of boxing than it is of surviving. A “war of attrition,” we’d call it in the modern fight game. Both men exhausted. Both men hurt and bleeding and peering at each other through swollen slits of eyes. Both of them standing shirtless in a cold rain, trying to work up the energy to throw a punch with any force, when often enough a swing and a miss was enough to send them tumbling to the wet ground. The next major swing happened in the nineteenth round. By this point, Egan wrote, “to distinguish the combatants by their features would have been utterly impossible, so dreadfully were both their faces beaten.” (Though, he also helpfully pointed out, looking at their faces was unnecessary since the men had different skin colors, lest we ever be allowed to forget it even for a moment.) The crucial moment came when Molineaux battered Cribb back against the ring ropes and then trapped him there, holding Cribb and holding the ropes in such a way that Cribb “could neither make a hit or fall down” as Molineaux punished him. An argument ensued about whether this was legal or whether the referee should break them up, but while this discussion was going on most sources agree that an incensed crowd rushed the ring and pried Molineaux’s hands from the ropes, possibly breaking one of his fingers in the process. Finally Cribb went down, with Egan noting that if Molineaux hadn’t been too tired to throw punches with any real force, the blows he took in that round might have “proved fatal” to the champ. What happened between that point and the end of the fight is still the subject of some controversy. Several sources say that in the twenty-eighth round Cribb threw a punch from too far out, missed, and was knocked out by a counter from Molineaux that left him completely incapable of making it to scratch in time for the start of the next round. That should have given Molineaux the victory and with it the title. But according to this version of events, one of Cribb’s cornermen bought him extra time to recover by complaining to the referee that Molineaux had been using bullets secreted away in his closed fists in order to give his punches extra weight. An argument followed. Confusion ruled. An already exhausted Molineaux was left to stand there in the rain displaying his empty hands while Cribb was allowed to recover. And then the fight went on. If true, this would be a delay tactic familiar to modern fight fans. We’ve seen corners who “accidentally” spilled water or ice on the canvas, or just conveniently forgot to remove the stool at the end of the break between rounds, all to buy their fighters more time. Several contemporary sources agree that this happened. Egan’s round-by-round account makes no mention of any of this, and instead states only: “Cribb received a leveller in consequence of his distance being incorrect.” Is it possible Egan was so biased in favor of his fellow Englishman that he omitted this entire controversy? Absolutely. At other points in his account of the fight, he seems slow to give Molineaux credit for anything other than surprising the crowd with his ability to withstand punishment. Then again, he did note the earlier interference from the spectators, and mentioned that they’d probably injured Molineaux’s hand when prying his fingers loose from the ropes. Later, after Molineaux’s death, Egan would write that “his colour alone prevented him from becoming the hero of that fight,” so it would seem he allowed for at least some unfairness to Molineaux in the bout. Whatever the case, the fight technically went on until the fortieth round, though Egan wrote that the thirty-fourth was “the last round that might be termed fighting.” Molineaux was fading, and after Round 39 he is said to have told his corner that he “could fight no more.” Richmond rallied him up to try another round, but Molineaux soon fell as much from total exhaustion as accumulated damage. Cribb was declared the winner. And still the champion. The fight itself, as well as the possibility that he may have been cheated out of the title in one or more ways, was hard for Molineaux to swallow. Days after the fight a letter was published under Molineaux’s name (likely written for him since he was said to be illiterate), challenging Cribb to a rematch and noting that his “friends” thought he might have won the fight if the weather had not been “so unfavourable.” He added: “As it is possible this letter may meet the public eye, I cannot omit the opportunity of expressing a confident hope, that the circumstances of my being of a different colour to that of a people amongst whom I have sought protection, will not in any way operate to my prejudice.” This was an appeal more to the British sporting crowd than to Cribb. Poking at their pride in their own sense of fair play, Molineaux suggested he’d been robbed without explicitly saying it. As the modern fight game knows, the fans hate nothing more than a loser who makes excuses. And yet sometimes, especially to the loser, those excuses are nothing more than totally valid reasons. Cribb wasn’t overly eager to do it again. He publicly accepted the challenge, but only under the condition that they fight for an increased purse of 250 guineas a side – a sum he knew Molineaux and Richmond couldn’t easily raise. Until his price could be met, Cribb would wait. In the meantime, Richmond found other fights for Molineaux, some against much lesser fighters who had no real hope of beating him. On at least one other occasion Molineaux again faced trouble from a white crowd that couldn’t stand to see him beat a white fighter, rushing the ring and trying to tip the scales in his opponent’s favor. Richmond never had much control over Molineaux outside the ring, but as they toured the countryside for a series of exhibitions and money fights, the relationship between them unraveled further. Molineaux had become a very famous man in England, and he wanted to enjoy it in the form of women, fancy clothes, and what passed for fast living at the time. Soon, observers began to speculate that Richmond had given up on trying to keep Molineaux reasonably sober and in something close to fighting shape, and was instead intent on wringing all the money he could out of his fighter in order to recoup his investment before it all fell apart. Cribb and Molineaux finally met for the second and final time in September of 1811, with an even bigger crowd – some estimates pegged it at 20,000 – there to see the rematch. Cribb was even fitter and trimmer than in the first fight, having put in a full training camp with even greater focus this time. Molineaux, who may have been suffering from the early stages of tuberculosis by then, was very much the opposite. He and Richmond had been part of a touring fight troupe, earning money with shows and exhibitions right up until fight time in order to pay back the debt they’d gone into trying to raise the money for the second Cribb fight. If the first fight was a glorious clash of titans, the rematch was more of a gross spectacle. Cribb easily battered the out of shape Molineaux, doubling him over with body punches that pounded at his now soft belly. Still, Molineaux had that same tremendous heart and punching power that he’d started with. In the fifth round, he knocked Cribb down with damaging blows that had Cribb’s supporters genuinely worried. But his condition soon betrayed him, and Cribb took over the fight. In the ninth, Cribb knocked Molineaux out so severely that there was no hope of him making it to scratch in time to continue. The fight should have ended there, but Cribb refused to accept the victory. Maybe he wanted to make a point after the accusations that he’d been given too much to recover in the first fight. Maybe he was just angry at Molineaux for some of the things he and Richmond had been saying about the champ in an effort to entice him into a rematch. Whatever the cause, he seemed to want to punish Molineaux, and so he insisted on giving him nearly two minutes to recover. When the bout resumed, Cribb pummeled him mercilessly, at one point breaking Molineaux’s jaw with a punch. Again Molineaux failed to come to scratch in time, and again Cribb refused to accept victory. Even though Molineaux was clearly finished, Richmond pushed his fighter out for another round. In the eleventh, Cribb knocked him completely unconscious to settle the matter for good. The whole thing took just under twenty minutes. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/bill_richmond_1810.jpg) Richmond’s association with Molineaux dissolved right there. Some sources say he abandoned his fighter the same day, leaving him to make his own way home with a broken jaw and battered body. In a distinguished life as a fighter, trainer, and businessman, it’s one of the only critiques anyone could plausibly lodge against Richmond – but it’s a bad one. In his historical novel, “Black Ajax,” George MacDonald Fraser depicts Richmond as thoroughly fed up with a man in whom he’d placed his own vicarious hopes. In a chapter from Richmond’s perspective, Fraser imagines his lasting animus toward Molineaux. “He could ha’ been the Champion, the *black* Champion of England! He threw it clear away. I used to dream ‘bout that Championship, long ago, when I was a young miller, and thought myself a prime chicken. But I soon saw ‘twould never be, for me, and time passed – and then came Tom, and when Buck Flashman and Pad Jones showed me what was in him, oh, ten times what there ever was in me, or any other fighter I ever saw, black or white … then I dreamed again, and knew such a burning ambition as I’d never felt for myself – to see him cock o’ the Fancy, Champion of England, and pay back all those years and sneers and see their pride humbled and their insults thrown back in their teeth. … Guess you think the Championship of England ain’t worth that much hate? Mister, you don’t know the English. Guess you think I must be dicked in the nob to feel the bitterness I feel? Mister, you ain’t a nigger … and you never been a slave.” Molineaux would go on to have several more fights of an increasingly depressing nature. He was clearly unwell, but continued on anyway, making what money he could off the lasting power of his name. In some fights he seemed to break with reality, talking to people who weren’t there and accusing opponents of fouls that never happened. Eventually he was destitute, taken in by a few Black soldiers who took pity on him in Galway, where he died on August 4, 1818. The boxing historian Henry Downes Miles, author of “Pugilistica,” later described him as “illiterate and ostentatious, but good tempered, liberal, and generous to a fault. Fond of the gay life, fine clothes and amorous to the extreme, he deluded himself with the idea that his strength of constitution was proof against excess. He was a brave but reckless and inconsiderate man, on whose straightforwardness and integrity none who knew him ever cast a slur; nevertheless he was the worst of fools, inasmuch as he sacrificed fame, fortune and life; excusing himself by the absurd plea that he was a fool but no one but himself.” It’s fair to say that without Molineaux and that first fight they shared, Cribb’s legend would never have grown so immense. For a time he was the country’s most famed sportsman. He also ran a pub, and one which bears his name and likeness still stands in London today. His triumphs were eventually celebrated with the presentation of a belt made of lion skin. It was probably the first championship belt ever awarded, and it helped establish the tradition that continues now, some two centuries later. What’s strange is that, while the story of Cribb and Molineaux captivated England at the time, there was almost no mention of it in Molineaux’s home country. In America, the exploits of a Black fighter apparently weren’t considered newsworthy. Back home, the slave who’d very nearly become a champion by beating the British at their own game was still just another nobody, hardly even worth mentioning. The familiar arc of the life he'd lived, however, was doomed to be repeated again and again. *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### Episode 478: Can't wait for the new shapes to drop URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-478-cant-wait-for-the-new-shapes-to-drop/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:41.000Z Download [Episode\_478.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F478.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) The Trillers revolutionized modern hand-to-hand combat with the Triad or whatever over the weekend, and the results were a real mixed bag for the former UFC fighters on the card. Not to worry, however, since we all return to the world of Serious MMA this weekend. Bellator has a super compelling men's bantamweight title fight on Friday, pitting Sergio "YOUNG SERGE!" Pettis vs. Kyoji Horiguchi. On Saturday, the UFC matches-up its own set of perhaps surprising surging bantamweights in Jose Aldo and Rob Font. ### Why it's so hard to make a good MMA movie, and why Halle Berry's "Bruised" ain't it URL: https://www.comainevent.com/why-its-so-hard-to-make-a-good-mma-movie-and-why-halle-berrys-bruised-aint-it/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:41.000Z Here’s the thing I still don’t understand even after watching all two hours and ten minutes of “Bruised” on Netflix over the holiday weekend. *Why* did Halle Berry want to make an MMA movie? What did she feel like she wanted to say about this sport or the people in it? There must have been something, right? At least initially. Berry made her debut as a director with this film, and she cast herself in the lead role, even though that meant asking the audience to ignore the fact that she’s 55 years old and playing an elite athlete who is meant to be roughly two decades younger. I guess it could be that she just loves MMA and the martial arts *that* much – she has been hanging around in the front row at UFC events for a while now – but physically she never once manages to look even halfway credible as an MMA fighter in this film, even with the benefit of slick editing and stunt choreography. That sounds harsher than I want it to. Plenty of actors, even ones closer to their physical primes, have tried and failed to pass themselves off as believable athletes on film. When it comes to delivering lines and evoking a character just with her eyes alone, Berry is still really, really good. So is co-star Sheila Atim, who is probably the best thing about this movie in her role as the mystical, mysterious coach “Buddhakan.” But what Berry has given us here is a meandering, unfocused mess of a film that seems like it’s constantly introducing new subplots and then immediately abandoning them, so that by the end it’s hard to tell what she thought this was a story *about*. There are lots of good movies about boxing and/or boxers. From the true boxing movies (“Rocky”), to the ones with boxing somewhere in the background (“On The Waterfront”), to the biopics (“Raging Bull”), it’s been fertile ground for generations of filmmakers. For some reason, MMA hasn’t been the same. For a while we could tell ourselves that it was just too new a sport, that its “Rocky” was still out there waiting to be made. One of the few positives about “Bruised” is at least shows us that MMA is now mainstream enough that you can make a movie about it without ever stopping the entire plot to explain the rules or how it all works. Still, when you sit down to make a list of good film/TV representations of MMA, it’s pretty much the 2011 film “Warrior” and the Byron Balasco TV series “Kingdom” – and nothing else even worth mentioning. Revisiting them now, “Warrior” feels like it’s more a commentary on the crushing forces of American capitalism around the time of the Great Recession, while “Kingdom” feels like a show that wanted to get deep into the weeds of the MMA world (and did so more accurately and effectively than anything before or since), but knew it had to sprinkle in a family soap opera just to stay on the air. “Bruised,” on the other hand, should have been a new opportunity to say something about women’s MMA, which is really its own world nestled inside the larger MMA ecosystem. There were points in the film where it felt close to confronting big topics like domestic violence, sexual assault, and the whole idea of working through personal trauma via organized and sanctioned violence. But in trying to do too much, bouncing between one subplot after another, cutting each one off before it did anything with it, the film ended up doing very little. The decision to use the real-life Invicta FC brand, but replace its female president Shannon Knapp with a cardboard cutout of a fight promoter named “Immaculate” who’s just a stack of unclear motives, suggested that the movie didn’t really want to say anything about this world after all. And making Valentina Shevchenko into this film’s Apollo Creed, but making no effort to develop the character at all, left the climactic fight scene feeling like one big sports movie cliche. That’s disappointing, but is it really surprising? I doubt many of us heard that Halle Berry had chosen herself to star in an MMA movie she was directing and thought, ‘well here comes our “Rocky.”’ But then, maybe we’re also part of the problem. It’s hard to make a movie that caters to the MMA fanbase because: a) there aren’t that many of us, compared with other major sports, and b) we tend to be overly protective dicks about this thing we love. In order to be successful, an MMA film has to appeal to a broader audience, which often means leaning hard on sports movie cliches, as “Bruised” does in the end. So what’s it going to take for someone to get this world right while also having something interesting to say about it? I’m not sure I know. But I have to think it is possible. It'll just take someone with a clearer vision and more disciplined, efficient story to work with. Maybe it'll even have to come in biopic form, assuming someone out there still has the guts to give us a warts-and-all portrait of some fighter and not the just-make-me-look-cool version that we get in fighter autobiographies. *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### I am the mythical MMA fan who grew to love the sport during the pandemic URL: https://www.comainevent.com/i-am-the-mythical-mma-fan-who-grew-to-love-the-sport-during-the-pandemic/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:41.000Z You gotta hate proving Dana White right. This isn’t a slight on the UFC boss. It’s just that there is no one on earth who so delights in being right, especially if he counts you among his imagined enemies. For a man purportedly worth $500 million, White certainly believes a lot of people are out to get him, the UFC, and anything else he feels is under his purview. You might think the piles of cash he drives his all-terrain vehicles through would prove that he had already bested those enemies—so much so that getting Ws would have become a tired exercise. But not so! No one revels in a win quite like Dana does, his shit-sly grin constantly permeating press conferences as he takes yet another victory lap in a perceived war that he is continually winning. All you have to do is ask him. That’s why it pains me so much to say this. Remember during the early days of the pandemic, when other sports leagues were being cancelled around the globe, White was one of the few people who said he wanted to just keeping running UFC events no matter the circumstances? In fact, remember when he tried to do just that, only to be rebuffed by pesky things like state laws and athletic commissions and, ultimately, the corporate bigwigs at Disney? And remember that once he *did* get things moving again, in Jacksonville, Florida in May of 2020, there was a theory being floated that, simply by being the only game in town during this period, the UFC would be able to pick up a large number of new fans? That concept always sounded like bullshit, right? Well, unfortunately, that’s me. I’m that fan. I am that fictional MMA fan that Dana White told us time and again he was creating by running events senselessly during the pandemic. I should say, I’ve always enjoyed watching MMA, in large part because I am Canadian and so is Georges St. Pierre. But even as GSP’s fights increasingly became appointment viewing, the rest of the UFC didn’t appeal much to me. I’d watch the odd fight here or there if it was on and would be occasionally become interested in various fighters—your Ronda Rousey here, your Brock Lesnar there—but I was never a dyed-in-the-wool fan. Fight Nights? Forget it. A PPV without a massive headliner? No thanks. As a massive fan of multiple other sports and an athlete competing at a high-level myself (in curling, but that’s a story for another time), I just didn’t have the time to add something else. And then wouldn’t you know it, I suddenly had all the time in the world. Dana White was banking on this. For the first time in centuries, we all had a forced, collective vacation from all the other things we enjoyed, and White was betting we’d want to fill it with whatever we could sink our teeth into. He even smartly preyed on people who wanted the pandemic to feel like a true vacation by calling an arena with no distinctive characteristics “Fight Island,” while selling flimsy merch with palm trees on it, as though simply getting to watch the UFC was vacation enough. But look, he was right. I saw the tiny cage they built on the beach at Yaz Island and thought the fighters were fighting there, like an old WCW pay-per-view. I saw his plan to stage fights every weekend, rotating between the UFC’s warehouse in Las Vegas and the venue in Abu Dhabi. In the immortal words of Neil Young, I was an old man who took a look at his life and realized … this looked a lot like me. It started with one event. A craven need to fill the sports hole in my soul, and a tossed-off “hey whatever, I like UFC, why not?” Then it became another, and another. Perhaps most crucially, it turned out my fiancée liked it, too—and then it was all over. My fiancée, Becca, doesn’t mind sports, but never goes out of her way to watch them. You can convince her that a live sporting event is good, and you can convince her to get involved once the playoffs roll around, but other than that? She’s not interested. So, it came as a surprise to me when she expressed an interest in watching UFC. In fairness, this too came before the pandemic, as she’d join me in heading over to a buddy’s house to watch UFC PPVs on occasion. But again, the idea of her carving time out of her schedule to watch a weekly Fight Night was never going to happen. It was simply a marriage of convenience and wanting to spend time with me, bonding over something mostly I enjoyed. But then COVID hit, and she started to love it. As anyone who is in a relationship with someone who doesn’t love sports as much as them (or even close) can understand, this was a very welcome development. It became our weekly routine at a time when there were both no sports, and no routine. Having SOMETHING fresh on the calendar to look forward to every weekend became one of the things that kept us sane during those early pandemic days. Then, even as things began to open-up, and our lives achieved some degree of normalcy again, we found that we were invested, and it continued. A year and a half later, we’ve missed just one Fight Night since this thing started. We’ve seen every PPV. We both developed favorite fighters. We critiqued post-fight interviews, press conferences, and grew to dislike Dana White even more. Becca, to her credit, even developed a real love for referee Jason Herzog well before he became the newly-minted “Best Ref in the UFC” by the general public. Hell, we even watched a Bellator card. So, what does this mean now? Being a UFC fan isn’t easy—what with the Trump supporters, anti-vaxxers, and just generally bad people that populate the sport. The fighter pay and treatment is terrible. It doesn’t always feel great. But we’re here now. We are invested. It was something that we needed in a time when the need for something fresh was great, and White correctly assumed the sport could sell itself if you gave it time. There’s something about the fighters’ stories—and there’s something about the violence—that does draw you in. And the pandemic ensured we had the time to get drawn in. So you win, Dana White. Goddammit. *John Cullen is a comedian and podcaster from Vancouver, Canada. Check out all his stuff [right here](https://twitter.com/cullenthecomic?ref=comainevent.com).* ### The Potato Index: Who's up and who's down in MMA for the week of 11/22/21 URL: https://www.comainevent.com/the-potato-index-whos-up-and-whos-down-in-mma-for-the-week-of-11-22-21/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:42.000Z Who’s up? Who’s down? Who might we have discussed on this week’s CME podcast if we weren’t taking the week off from recording on account of the Thanksgiving holiday and travel plans related to same? (Psst, that's your reminder that the CME audio offerings are off this week.) The Potato Index is here to tell you. **Ketlen Viera +78** Always good to get a win over a former UFC champ. Not so great to do it mostly while moving backwards in a fight that it looked like you really could have dominated if you wanted to. She’s big, athletic, and has a cracking right hand. So why does it seem like she’s the one least likely to believe any of that? **Miesha Tate -43** Still has heart for days and doesn’t particularly mind bleeding her own blood, but the comeback tour hit a snag here with the first serious opposition she’s faced since returning. Would we still watch her against peers like Holly Holm? Probably we would. Would that be preferable to just feeding her to the younger crop until she gets sick of it all? Absolutely. **Jon Jones -58** Your man is pleased to announce he’s 60 days sober. Nevermind that his arrest for “what happened in Vegas,” as he put it, was only 58 days ago. You ever know him to be restricted by the truth when it comes to patting himself on the back? **Adrian Yanez +99** A win in the “Fight of the Night.” His fourth straight victory in the UFC. Hasn’t lost in three years, and even that was a split-decision. And still he is, as of this writing, unranked at bantamweight. If he did all this at heavyweight he’d be the top contender by now. **Davey Grant +/-0** The guy’s a goddamn bonus machine, owing in part to the fact that he does not appear to experience the sensation humans call “pain.” Bad part about that is it only encourages matchmakers to give you tough-ass fights just so crowds can delight in your ability to take punishment. **Khamzat Chimaev +45** So the exciting welterweight contender basically ragdolled middleweight Jack Hermansson in a grappling match, which probably isn’t going to make anyone *less* excited about seeing what he can do against the top guys in his own division. **Sean Brady +78** Starting to think he might be pretty good, you guys. And before you ask, yep, it was the undefeated record that tipped us off first. **Michael Chiesa -11** With another two or three or five rounds to work, who knows, he might’ve pulled this one out. **Cody Durden -66** Good job finding a way to make sure that no one is talking about your win, dude. Instead they’re talking about what a racist asshole you seem to be, so that’s fun. Good thing the UFC has already made it very clear that there is no such thing as too racist in the fight game. **Lupita Godinez +51** She’s 2-1 in the UFC since the start of October, and her loss in that time was in a new weight class just seven days removed from her last fight. Wonder if she sheds a tear whenever the UFC takes a week off and denies her another chance to fight. **Joanne (Calder)Wood -44** Nothing but love for The Whispering Warrior, but is this where we start to ask if her best years are now behind her? She got submitted pretty damn easily by a younger and seemingly hungrier Taila Santos here, and it’s not like there are a ton of easy matchups to be had for her at this point in her career. **Rani Yahya +38** Has this man aged at all since 2007? He still looks (and mostly fights) exactly the same. Not going to win them all with that style, but you fuck around on the mat with him at your own peril, and chances are he’s going to make you put in a full night of work one way or another. Respect to a dude who came up on the blue canvas of the WEC and is still at it today. **Just Some Fights -53** If we’re saving the good stuff for the pay-per-views, fine. And hey, the pay-per-views have been legitimately dope lately. It’s just that the trade-off appears to be this, a more or less weekly Fight Night show that is pretty damn skippable, especially when you get a string of decisions to numb any sense of potential excitement. *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### CME Patreon Power Hour: What is Miesha Tate after with her comeback? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/cme-patreon-power-hour-what-is-miesha-tate-after-with-her-comeback/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:42.000Z Miesha Tate this weekend seeks a second-straight victory since returning to active duty in the UFC after a years-long absence, but oddsmakers forecast a close fight against Ketlen Vieira. On this week's Power Hour, we discuss: What exactly is the former Strikeforce and UFC women's bantamweight champion trying to get out of this comeback attempt? Plus, in Power Rankings, Ragin' Al calls it quits (maybe), all 20 BFKC fighters who fought on the organization's recent Montana card get suspended and Anthony Smith maybe overthinks it on why Conor McGregor is being such a dick. Want to hear the CME Patreon Power Hour? Well, you gotta be a patron first, my guy. Head on over to Patreon and[ join the team](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). *(Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)* ### Doin the Damn Thing: Alaska Fighting Championship 161 + Kraken Up URL: https://www.comainevent.com/doin-the-damn-thing-alaska-fighting-championship-161-kraken-up/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:42.000Z Look, when we found out that our beloved Alaska Fighting Championship had just pulled off another event (link below!) inside a hotel ballroom up there in The Last Frontier and the total run time was just over 57 minutes? Son, you KNOW we were going to watch that. As always, it feels like a journey. Plus, we check in with the skidding Seattle Kraken and start to ask some tough questions about whas really going on out there on the ice. Watch along with us: https://ufcfightpass.com/video/267022/alaska-fighting-championship-161 Want to listen to Doin' the Damn Thing? Just head on over to Patreon and [sign up to join the team](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). ### Maybe Miesha Tate knows what she's talking about on the subject of female fighters dating their male coaches URL: https://www.comainevent.com/maybe-miesha-tate-knows-what-shes-talking-about-on-the-subject-of-female-fighters-dating-their-male-coaches/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:42.000Z You know what is actually tricky as all hell? Trying to direct a serious, substantive criticism at a person who everybody knows you already have beef with. It just doesn’t really work. You can be saying totally legit things that are worth listening to and considering, and the response from a lot of people is bound to be: *Dog you just hate them.* Such is the situation that Miesha Tate now finds herself in. She’s had some stuff to say recently about the dynamic between Aspen Ladd and her coach/boyfriend Jim West, after the latter got all up in the former’s face to let her know she was blowing it in her fight with Norma Dumont last month. But see, this all comes after Tate getting into it with Ladd and West (especially West) via the ol’ Twitter recently. So even when she makes solid points, to some people it’s bound to look like kicking your foes when they’re down. But for real, though? When Tate talks about the trouble with female fighters dating their coaches, she does actually know what the fuck she’s talking about. And it is, sport-wide, an incredibly common relationship dynamic. It’s also a goddamn minefield, even if we rarely talk about it beyond Jon Anik casually mentioning it on the broadcast when some female fighter’s cornerman also happens to be her life partner. Initially, Tate was talking about West’s approach with Ladd between rounds in that one fight. But on a recent appearance on [The MMA Fortnight](https://www.mmafighting.com/2021/11/15/22783672/miesha-tate-defends-aspen-ladd-criticism-thinks-female-fighters-dating-coaches-generally-problematic?ref=comainevent.com), she got more big picture once she was asked whether, having been through that dynamic with ex-partner and fellow fighter Bryan Caraway, she now thinks it’s a bad idea for fighters to be coached by their romantic partners. “Absolutely, especially your lead coach,” Tate said. “I would absolutely say you don’t want that. And that’s where Johnny and I differ very much from what I was used to. … We don’t have someone who’s in charge of the other one. We are just there to support each other, because it’s difficult when someone always gets to be the boss of you. And that translates over into the personal life, too, where you just start to feel like you lose yourself. Because where do you draw the line? Where’s the difference? If somebody always gets to be the boss of you, and it’s 24-7, pretty soon you’re swallowed up in that. Especially if you’re not with the right person to give you that guidance. It’s a very tricky thing to do. I don’t think very many people are able to make a head coach relationship \[work\]. And it’s always women. It’s always women that end up dating their head coach.” That last part rings especially true. At least anecdotally, it feels like we only ever hear of two relationship options for female fighters: date your coach, or date a fellow fighter (who often ends up in some type of assistant coaching capacity in your corner on fight night anyway). This holds pretty true even across lines of sexual orientation. Male fighters date whomever. Sometimes they’re in the MMA world in some capacity, often they are not. But female fighters? They almost exclusively seem to date within this sport. And for heterosexual female fighters, that very frequently translates to some manner of coach-fighter dynamic. I did [a story](https://theathletic.com/1085498/2019/07/19/its-nice-to-have-someone-who-gets-it-why-fighters-find-love-with-other-fighters/?ref=comainevent.com) on this a few years ago, and when I asked female fighters why they thought it happened this way so often, the answer was basically twofold: 1) There are way more men in MMA gyms than there are women, so it’s partly a numbers game, but also 2) female fighters have a tougher time dating outside the sport. That second point is really about lifestyle and flexibility within relationships. As one female fighter told me, you need to have a partner who understands why you can’t meet them for happy hour, or take the weekend to go to their cousin’s wedding, or even allow a pint of ice cream to sit in the freezer where it might call out in the middle of the night and ruin a weight cut diet. Not everyone is going to get that, or want to work around it in a long-term relationship. This lifestyle can be all-consuming. Plus, if you're spending all your time in the gym or else at home recovering from the gym, it becomes your whole social life. Where else are you going to meet people? Also, as more than one person pointed out, women who don’t fight or train might think it’s cool or at least inoffensive if their boyfriend does. Men who don’t fight or train, on the other hand, are considerably more likely to have their egos threatened by it in one way or another. So in other words, the argument goes, female fighters have fewer options. But there also seems like there has to be some other part to it. Especially when you think about how often we see female fighters who first meet their eventual partners in a fighter-coach situation, and then later begin a romantic relationship with them. How can it not have an effect on how your relationship develops if your first interactions with one another take place within this hierarchical power dynamic? In fight sports, your coach might be responsible for telling you everything from how to train to how to eat. The gym culture fosters this “[yes, sensei!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oP2F5CM30k&ref=comainevent.com)” mindset which feels pretty incompatible with a romantic partnership between two equals. Of course, when you ask they’ll usually tell you they can turn it on and off. Coach at the gym, boyfriend at home. But that’s harder than it sounds. Tate, whose first experiences in MMA were with Caraway as her coach, knows all about that. I remember talking to both of them for [a story](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2014/12/for-tate-and-caraway-learning-how-to-live-and-love-in-the-mma-spotlight-is-an-ongoing-process?ref=comainevent.com) about their decision to have the late Robert Follis take over as head coach when they both relocated to the Xtreme Couture gym. The analogy Follis gave them was, imagine standing there and holding a glass of water. Easy enough. But then imagine holding it all day, never putting it down, carrying it to work and then back home again. Soon it feels unbearably heavy. Kind of weird, then, that this is the dominant dynamic in women’s MMA. It seems damn difficult for both parties, but especially for the fighter. And for the most part, it seems like no one in this sport wants to talk about it too much, or delve into why it’s so common, or think too hard about the power dynamics at work. No one except for people like Tate, who have done a little living and learning in that regard. But it’s hard not to wonder if the people she’s talking to on this stuff are even able to hear her at the moment. *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### Why is the field of MMA fighter management so – how shall we put this – crime-adjacent? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/why-is-the-field-of-mma-fighter-management-so-how-shall-we-put-this-crime-adjacent/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:43.000Z Stop me if you’ve heard this one: A prominent MMA manager is accused of committing some crimes. I know, hard to believe, isn’t it? And yet there it is, splashed across all the usual MMA websites, a story about Iridium Sports Agency CEO Jason House being [charged with felony battery](https://www.mmafighting.com/2021/11/12/22779011/mma-manager-jason-house-charged-with-battery-after-allegedly-punching-father-in-business-dispute?ref=comainevent.com) for allegedly *beating up his own father in a restaurant.* First of all, there is a finite window of time when it is borderline acceptable and possibly even cool to punch your dad. We all know this. That window is generally regarded as the early teenage years, but can sometimes be extended very slightly depending on how much of a dickhead your dad is. Jason House is 37\. His dad, Kevin, is 60\. That is well outside the acceptable window for proving your manhood by squaring up with the old man, so you’d better have a good goddamn reason for it. According to reports, House whaled on his dad in a Mesquite, Nevada, steakhouse (*bro*) in full view of diners and staff (*brooooo*) after an argument over ownership shares in the MMA management company. So in other words, not a great reason to allegedly punch a 60-year-old man in the face so much that he requires a blood transfusion and 18 stitches. Granted, this is just one very fucked up incident, but are we the only ones who can’t help but notice that MMA managers seem pretty damn likely to end up being accused of crimes at some point? Many of them are of the violent variety. How many times has Ali Abdelaziz alone come up in the MMA media for [attacking fellow managers](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2019/10/ali-abdelaziz-abe-kawa-backstage-altercation-pfl-playoffs-las-vegas?ref=comainevent.com) or [busting into someone’s hotel room](https://thebodylockmma.com/pfl/ali-abdelaziz-and-the-pfls-exceedingly-controversial-past-and-present/?ref=comainevent.com) or bossing up on a rival fighter like some dime store tough guy? The shit [happened again ](https://www.mmafighting.com/2021/11/8/22769676/dillon-danis-slapped-by-manager-ali-abdelaziz-in-backstage-altercation-at-ufc-268?ref=comainevent.com)just a couple weeks ago at UFC 268, for crying out loud. And that’s to say nothing of the whole thing where he was leveraged into [becoming a damn FBI informant](https://www.bloodyelbow.com/2018/9/21/17885492/why-did-conor-mcgregor-call-khabib-nurmagomedov-manager-terrorist-snitch-mma-news?ref=comainevent.com) after being arrested on document forgery charges. But it’s not just Abdelaziz (though it is, and we cannot stress this enough, *often* Abdelaziz). MMA managers have regularly run afoul of everyone from local police to the SEC. They habitually accuse each other of all sorts of unethical shit – poaching clients, promising things they know they can’t deliver, double-dealing, you name it – but so damn many of them have also been accused and convicted of straight-up illegal shit. (Side note: I ever tell you about the time Shane Carwin’s old manager, Jason Genet, got so mad at Sports Illustrated for reporting the *fact* that he’d been busted by the SEC for a pump-and-dump stock scheme that he threatened to cut off all access to Carwin back when he was a UFC heavyweight title contender? Lol dog.) When you’ve been around this sport long enough and seen this shit happen over and over again, at a certain point you can’t help but wonder what’s really going on. There are some genuinely capable and honest people who work or have worked as MMA managers. They also seem to be way more the exception than the rule. It makes one ask oneself, does something about the job of MMA manager attract shady-ass dudes? Does it take formerly law-abiding types and turn them into all manner of criminals? Or is this just the type of environment where the ones who survive and thrive are also the ones not burdened by an overly stringent moral code? And if it’s that? Well, shit. What does *that* tell us? At least some of the issue has to be the extremely low barrier to entry in the field of fighter management. As with pretty much all aspects of MMA, there’s long been a wide-open, wild west feel to the management side of things. You don’t need a law degree or any degree. You don’t need any form of certification. At no point do you have to even prove that you understand the basics of what constitutes a legal contract. All you have to do is convince some fighter to call you his manager and then, boom, you’re a manager. I’m old enough to remember when there were only a couple different types of MMA manager. At the lower levels, it was almost always a friend or relative. Some fighter’s parent or girlfriend. A guy from the gym who happens to be a lawyer or sometimes a literal used car salesman. A coach or gym-owner. Part-timers in the field of athlete representation, and it usually showed. Then there was the handful of actual managers. Guys like Ken Pavia and Monte Cox and Ed Soares, who came from adjacent fields and then increasingly made MMA their full-time business. They represented a ton of fighters, knew their way around the developing MMA landscape, but also benefited from a complete lack of regulation or oversight. Many of us assumed that, sooner or later, MMA would get big enough that major sports management firms would move in and push the less sophisticated players out. There were times when that even seemed to be on the verge of happening. Jeff Aronson, the Cash4Gold guy (another business model built on a foundation of exploitation) who started the Alchemist management company? He came right out and said that he got into this business because his experience sponsoring fighters taught him that their managers were a bunch of amateurish rubes. There was a time there when it felt like everyone was waiting for this part of the game to jump up a notch. But the thing about MMA? The athletes really don’t make much, especially when compared with the major sports. If you have the education and the credentials to represent NFL players, earning you a piece of their multi-million-dollar contracts, why would you waste your time trying to get your ten percent of some fighter’s forty grand in show money? It’s not worth the headache. The result is that there are really only two ways to make really big money as an MMA manager. One is to stick to the few big stars who really are commanding huge paychecks (someone like Conor McGregor, who’s repped by Paradigm, a firm with its roots in NFL management). The other is to amass a huge stable of fighters. There’s always been this built-in tension between the UFC and fighter managers. How often have we heard UFC President Dana White going out of his way to publicly bury a manager for not giving the UFC exactly what it wanted? In the past, the company regularly elbowed managers out of the way, telling top stars like Matt Hughes or Chuck Liddell that they didn’t need some manager taking a cut of their money. *Why not just deal directly with us?* the UFC would tell them. *We’ll take care of you.* It worked like that for years. As a promoter, if you can’t have zero managers, the next best thing is having compliant managers. Managers who actually serve you, the giver of money and opportunities, while only tangentially serving their actual clients. These managers gain access through a good relationship with the promoter. They maintain that good relationship by convincing their fighters to do what the promoter wants, at a price the promoter likes, all without rocking the boat by demanding more. They then turn around and sell that promoter access to other fighters – *I’m the guy who gets people signed to the UFC/gets them big fights/gets them title shots* – and fighters go along with it because, hey, this guy seems to be getting results. This is how you create a system where a lack of ethics is a major benefit if not a prerequisite. It also helps that there’s almost zero professional standard or accountability in this field. Remember when Abdelaziz was basically negotiating with himself by acting as matchmaker for WSOF (now named PFL) but also managing many of the fighters who fought for the organization? He was [literally paying himself](https://www.bloodyelbow.com/2015/11/23/9624066/wsof-lawsuit-raises-questions-of-a-conflict-of-interest-for-ali-abdel?ref=comainevent.com) with the promotion’s money. He could give his fighters better opportunities and deny them to fighters who signed with competing managers. That's pretty obviously a problem. But when he got caught doing this, which was a pretty blatant violation of Nevada Athletic Commission regulations? There were effectively no consequences. He just gave up the matchmaker job and focused full-time on management. And by then, he’d used his position and his power to gain a better foothold in that business. Now, years later, he’s probably the single most powerful and prominent manager in the sport. The fact that he has a criminal past (both distantly and very recently), that he’s been deemed untrustworthy by everyone from the FBI to the WSOF, that he’s publicly described how he [looks out for the promoter’s business](https://www.comainevent.com/nobody-seems-to-care-if-henry-cejudo-returns-and-honestly-thats-kind-of-a-bummer/) at the expense of his own clients’ interests? It doesn’t seem to matter. To a promoter these are features, not bugs. Wouldn’t you rather deal with someone who’s proven he’ll step on anyone for a dollar as opposed to some slick asshole who actually went to law or business school and has a sense of fiduciary duty to his client? And his fighters seem to like that their manager will haul off and hit people among civilized company. Truly, [they love this guy](https://theathletic.com/1850937/2020/06/04/mma-managers-ali-abdelaziz-adequately-represented-fighters-are-split/?ref=comainevent.com). They’ll even hand over their Twitter passwords so he can argue with himself in public under their names. It’s fucking nuts, and we’ve just come to accept it as normal. Is it really any wonder that this might be type of world to attract and reward people who aren’t so hung up on right and wrong? As if, maybe fighter management is not the business you usually get into as a result of asking yourself, hey where can a decent fella make an honest buck for an honest day’s work? No, this is the shady-ass fight game. So naturally it’s dominated by shady-ass people. And the fact that the UFC is now wholly owned by a giant company that itself started as a talent and sports management firm? Well, that’s just the cherry on top. Agents everywhere you look. Agents all the way down. And the athletes’ share of the revenue is less than half of what it is over in the big sports. Ain’t that something. *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### Episode 477: Holloway-Rodriguez was art. Hang it in the Louvre! URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-477-holloway-rodriguez-was-art-hang-it-in-the-louvre/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:43.000Z Download [Episode\_477.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F477.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) Max Holloway showed out, but perhaps needed to dip deeper into the ol' bag of tricks than we anticipated to defeat Yair Rodriguez in ANOTHER FOTY candidate UFC main event. And did it surprise anyone that while all this happened, Conor McGregor was EXTREMELY ONLINE? No, it did not. Over in Bellator, meanwhile, Cris Cyborg housed a 40-to-1 underdog and had some words with Kayla Harrison. So that made for a nice moment. *(Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)* ### The Potato Index 11/14/21: Who's up and who's down after UFC and Bellator events URL: https://www.comainevent.com/the-potato-index-11-14-21-whos-up-and-whos-down-after-ufc-and-bellator-events/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:43.000Z Who’s up, down, and all around after dueling events from the UFC and Bellator (plus maybe even a little pro wrasslin’) over the weekend? There’s only one imaginary metric you can trust to tell you. **Max Holloway +356** If you sign your name on a piece of paper that says you have to go five rounds with this guy, your next move should be to reserve your bed at the hospital. Win or lose, you’re going on a trip through the meatgrinder. And if you’re anything other than the best featherweight on the planet, chances are you’re going to lose. Totally understand why Dana White is out here talking about Holloway getting a third crack at Alexander Volkanovski now, but what happens if/when he finally wins one of those fights? Then it’s 2-1 in favor of the little Australian guy and we’re locked into a best-of-five (at least) playoff series. Not saying that couldn’t be fun. Just saying. **Yair Rodriguez -4** If only someone could get him to fight maybe 20 percent smarter but without losing that buck wild creativity that makes him such a constant threat. Is that even possible? To tone down the yen without losing the yang or whatever? Maybe not. But here he clearly has the physical tools and the almost terrifying toughness, but can’t stop himself from front flipping onto his back at inopportune times. **Herb Dean -184** My dude, you know we can see you, right? When you act like you’re going to jump in and stop it after Ben Rothwell gets clipped by Marcos Rogerio de Lima, then you try to fade out once Rothwell snaps back to it and goes for a takedown, you’re aware that we can all see that on the TV, are you not? And then when Marcos looks up at you like, ‘dude I thought you were getting in here’ and *that’s* what convinces you to stop it? We can all clearly see that. And it’s not great. > [](https://twitter.com/WonderbreadMMA/status/1459651612889157634?s=20&ref=comainevent.com) **Cris Cyborg +45** It’s not her fault that almost every opponent you could give her, save for maybe two or three women in the entire world, just feels like feeding time at the Coliseum. **Sinead Kavanagh -10** If you’re in Bellator and they tell you it’s your turn in Cyborg rinse-and-wash, what else can you do but take it and hope for the best? At least she managed to jack Cyborg on the jaw with a good hook before realizing with sudden horror that it had no apparent effect at all. **Khaos Williams +83** Whatever you do, don’t let that guy hang around and keep throwing those hammers at your head. Sooner or later one of them is going to do what they do. **Aaron Pico +72** Blazed through a previously unbeaten opponent and looked damm good doing it. It’s been an interesting ride as Bellator has tried to figure out the right matchmaking approach, but clearly this dude can really fight. He’s also just 25, but has had people hanging on every fight ready to deliver a final verdict basically since he started. **UFC women’s featherweight division -33** It does, technically, still exist. What this entry presupposes is, maybe it wouldn’t be so terrible if it didn’t? **Song Yadong +84** This man froze Julio Arce with that headkick and right hand follow-up, then took exactly one second to look at him like, ‘oh that actually hurt, huh?’ before he went ahead and closed out the show. Not bad, bro. **Junior Dos Santos +55** Don’t look now but the big homie is over in pro wrestling living his best life, hitting acrobatic moves and shit. Didn’t anyone tell him he’s supposed to be a broke-down heavyweight?? Go on and get it, JDS. We love to see it. > [](https://twitter.com/marc%5Fraimondi/status/1459734967856943107?s=20&ref=comainevent.com) **Valerie Loureda +11** We might need a new term for what it is that her fights are actually selling us. Allow us to suggest “fight-adjacent entertainment” as one possibility. *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### CME Patreon Power Hour: The enigma of Yair Rodriguez URL: https://www.comainevent.com/cme-patreon-power-hour-the-enigma-of-yair-rodriguez/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:43.000Z It feels like a high risk/high reward fight for Yair Rodriguez, as he makes his first appearance in the octagon since 2019 Saturday against Max Holloway. Win it, and the sometimes enigmatic fighter is right back at the front of the line among the elite in the men's featherweight division. Of course, winning it … that's the trick, isn't it? Especially against a guy as good as Max Holloway. Plus, in $20 We Never Want to See Again, Ben takes a patron up on his parlay, and in Power Rankings, it's the Wonder Man vs. Belal Muhammad, Cris Cyborg is a 40-to-1 favorite and Jon Jones' "new team" is the same as the old team. *To listen to the CME Patreon Power Hour, head over to the Patreon page and [join the team](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com).* *(Photo by [Juan Cardenas](https://www.instagram.com/desautomatas/?hl=en&ref=comainevent.com))* ### This Fucking Guy: Max Holloway URL: https://www.comainevent.com/this-fucking-guy-max-holloway/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:45.000Z *Welcome back to This Fucking Guy, where we here at the CME take a long, hard look at someone in the MMA world with the hope of answering the question: this fucking guy, what is his deal?* *Today, in advance of his main event bout with Yair Rodriguez at Saturday's UFC Fight Night, we look at former featherweight champ Max Holloway.* Ready for a statement of fact that will shake you to your very core? Jerome Max Keli’i Holloway is, at least for the next few weeks, still in his twenties. How?! How is that even possible that he’s still only 29? It feels like he’s been in the UFC longer than that (when in fact it has been merely about a decade). It also feels like he’s got such a fun-loving middle-aged dad vibe, bringing his son Rush to various events and posing for the cameras to show off the fact that they have the [exact same hairline](https://www.instagram.com/p/B6xfAz2B1Ta/?ref=comainevent.com). The man seems like a wizened veteran of this here game. He’s already had a memorable run with the UFC featherweight title, several classic fights, and enough individual UFC records that the promotion has basically had to create a separate category – fights not featuring Max Holloway – in order to give anyone else credit for impressive striking stats. And you’re telling us that he’s not even 30 yet?? All this dadness, this fight experience, this venerable air, and he’s still just half a Randy Couture?!? It doesn’t seem possible. And yet here we are. If you really want to shock your whole system, go back and watch the video of teenage Holloway talking about how he first got into MMA. You think he was baby-faced when he showed up in the UFC at 20, after making his pro debut at 18? Here he looks like a damn zygote. But the other thing from that video (aside from the fact that they sent him into a fight with three days of training) is, clearly teenage Max has already had to grow up pretty fast. You hear him talking about his mom’s drug use, his dad’s total absence in his life, the domestic violence he’s grown up with, and you get a sense that this kid has been through it. Then you see the man he is walking around now and you almost can’t help but be struck by the overwhelming joie de vivre and shit. Here’s a guy who had every reason to become darkly bitter early on in life. But his defining feature as a person has always been his downright fucking radiant positivity and warmth. How the hell did he do that? It’s especially noticeable when you start comparing him with peers. You might say this business naturally lends itself to dark, negative, awful shit. The whole thing is built on a physical expression of conflict, and often the most reliable way to generate headlines is to drum up a blood feud with other fighters. We’ve seen fighters desperately claw for attention by purposely being raging assholes. \[https://comainevent.com/2021/11/04/this-fucking-guy-colby-covington/\] Yet how many times can you recall Holloway *really* getting heated before or after a fight? Quick, tell me who Holloway’s most hated rival is? In a sport that turned the idea of “bad blood” into a tired-ass cliche long ago, Holloway has managed to be a marquee fighter without any of that. And it’s not a gimmick either. He’s not out here trying to Sam Alvey his way into our hearts. Part of the reason for his popularity is that after you listen to him in interviews or watch him in fights, he genuinely come away feeling like you know who he is as a person – and that person is good. Of course, another part of his popularity is based on kicking copious amounts of ass. Sometimes fighting Holloway can look like fighting a swarm of bees. There you are swatting at the air and still getting stung somehow everywhere all at once. This is a guy who’s done his training camps via Zoom. This is a guy who’s been adamant about telling other fighters they spar too much and should save their brains. Even the people he’s beaten to sad, bloody pulps can’t really hate on the guy, and the vibe he exudes is that of a the life coach you didn’t know you needed. More than anything, what stands out is how genuinely happy he seems to be, even in this, a sport not known for producing happy, well-adjusted individuals. It would be easy to view that happiness as a by-product of his success. But what if it’s the other way around? What if being such a positive motherfucker is a big part of how he got here? Because that seems entirely possible. Way more possible, in fact, that him doing all this stuff and living all these different lives in this sport before he’s even hit his 30th birthday. *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### Dune the Damn Thing: We are all-in on the new 'Dune' franchise URL: https://www.comainevent.com/dune-the-damn-thing-we-are-all-in-on-the-new-dune-franchise/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:47.000Z Download [Dune-5.mp3](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/media/2026/06/dune-5-1.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) We both approached the new "Dune" movie with bit of skepticism, but now that we've actually seen it? Hoo-boy, we are all-in on this new vision of Frank Herbert's legendary sci-fi/fantasy series--one where frankly director Denis Villeneuve just styles on everybody who has tried to make a "Dune" adaptation in the past. This movie represents the best-case scenario of how to get cool shit made amid the current landscape of Hollywood. Plus, Kraken Up and VERY SERIOUS RANKINGS: Which MMA fighters do you think could keep their hand in the box for longest? *Hear a five-minute excerpt from "Dune the Damn Thing":* *Want to listen to the rest of "Dune the Damn Thing"? Join the team at [our Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com).* ### To: Leon Edwards, From: CME Consulting Services LLC, Re: All This Bullshit URL: https://www.comainevent.com/to-leon-edwards-from-cme-consulting-services-llc-re-all-this-bullshit/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:47.000Z Hey Leon, thanks for reaching out. We received your $40 via Venmo and your request to help, as you put it, “sort out what the fuck to do now, bruv.” We agree, it is indeed a sticky wicket. A quick glance at your Tapology page confirms that you’ve really been through it these last couple years. A fight with Tyron Woodley cancelled in March 2020\. Two fights with Khamzat Chimaev, cancelled first in 2020 and then again in 2021\. The no-contest against Belal Muhammad. Another cancelled fight with Mr. Chimaev. Finally the decision win over Nate Diaz June, followed by the booking of this Jorge Masvidal fight that was supposed to (hypothetically) set you up for a title shot if you won. And now, so it seems, Mr. Masvidal is injured. Bummer, man. That’s a bummer. So what should you do next? We know your initial reaction was to take a parting shot at Mr. Masvidal (understandable, considering the history between you two) before shifting your focus to the champion Kamaru Usman (after some time off to spend with family, which is also understandable). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/screen-shot-2021-11-11-at-8-51-24-am.png) But our read on the situation? Bruv, you gotta fight somebody. Preferably soon. And you need to really beat the shit out of them. We know this is easier said than done. We also know it might not be what you want to hear right now. You’ve got these jokers in your mentions, guys like Mr. Muhammad and Mr. Chimaev, both of which you have tortured histories with, and they’re both trying to get you to accept fights with them when, \[*Chris Barnett voice*\] in your mind you’re already the number one contender. But Leon, you have to look at this through eyes other than your own. That’s what you paid us the princely sum of $40 for, and we can tell you that the UFC and the MMA viewing public and Mr. Usman himself are all probably thinking some version of the same thing right now, and that thing is definitely not, ‘screw it let’s just give Leon the title shot right now.’ We’re not saying it’s fair, but consider the public’s most recent image of you. That would be you doing the stanky leg after Mr. Diaz walloped you with maybe his only good punch of the fight back at UFC 263\. Yes, you held on to win that fight. But that shaky moment did happen right there near the end, and it was one of the most memorable exchanges of the entire bout. A lot of MMA fans are not unlike MMA judges: they remember best that which they saw last. And, no offense, but you didn’t exactly leave them with an image of pure dominance. Then there’s Mr. Usman. Have you noticed the way he talks recently? Does he sound to you like a man who is dying to get in there and defend his title again any time soon? Like you, he seems to be longing for some family time. He fought three times this year. He’s probably going to want to go away and rest for a while before he even thinks about booking another fight. If you wait around for him to return, there’s a good chance some other 170-pounder will make a case for the title shot in the meantime. And last time we checked, Mr. Usman hardly ever even mentions your name of his own accord, so it’s not as if *he’s* going to be the one pushing for you two to fight again. Lastly, there’s the UFC. Those tricky devils. Perhaps it has escaped your notice, but you are not the welterweight contender who UFC President Dana White seems most enthralled with as of late. That distinction pretty clearly belongs to Mr. Chimaev. He’s dynamic in the cage. He captures the imagination of the public. He has a bloodthirsty dictator on his side, which in most other sports might be a detriment but in this one somehow is not. He also seems to want to fight constantly, which we all know Mr. White loves. Can you not imagine a scenario, Leon, where you sit out waiting for a title shot to materialize while Mr. Chimaev fights and wins two or three more times between now and Spring 2022? Because we sure can. And in that scenario, it’s not your phone that rings once Mr. Usman is ready to return. We’re not saying it’s fair. We’re not saying it’s right. We are saying it is absolutely something that can happen and has happened. You know this, Leon. This is why we think the thing to do is for you to very publicly push to stay on the UFC 269 fight card. Make someone else take it on short notice. Pretty much anyone else. If it’s Mr. Chimaev, hey, we understand the reluctance to go down that road again, but wouldn’t you rather fight him now than a year or two from now, when he’s gained more experience? And if it’s Mr. Muhammad, weren’t you handling him pretty well last time before the, you know, incident? Point is, we don’t think you can afford to sit out and wait right now. Too many variables are working against you. If you want a shot at being UFC champion – and while you’re still young enough to do something about it – the thing to do is to beat somebody’s ass soon. Even if you have to catch Mr. Masvidal leaving a pro wrestling taping in order to do it. Hopefully this helps. Please let us know if there’s anything else we can do. Sincerely, Ben and Chad, CME Consulting Services LLC *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### "Call me when you have a worse fighter": CME Live Chat for 11/10/21 URL: https://www.comainevent.com/call-me-when-you-have-a-worse-fighter-cme-live-chat-for-11-10-21/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:47.000Z A great time was had by all during [this week's CME Live-ish Chat](https://www.patreon.com/posts/cme-patreon-live-58556951?ref=comainevent.com). Thanks as always to our beloved patrons for showing up and showing out with the great questions. This week, is Jon Jones too toxic to let into your gym? So who's the heel and who's the face when it's Ali Abdelaziz vs. Dillon Danis? Plus, if GSP had stuck around too long like all these other fighters, which welterweight would've taken his crown? Sup with all this sportswashing? And who got the more raw deal – Sage Northcutt or Edmen Shahbazyan. Oh, and it's MAX HOLLOWAY FIGHT WEEK!!! For access to this and other killer content (plus being the kind of awesome person who supports this whole endeavor and makes the CME in all its forms possible) [become a supporter on Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com) for as little as $1 a month. One dollar! What's that?! That's nothing at all. ### How does Chris Barnett just keep getting more and more delightful? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/how-does-chris-barnett-just-keep-getting-more-and-more-delightful/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:48.000Z The Biggest Star in Professional Sports capped his breakout UFC 268 weekend—where he knocked Gian Villante into retirement with a spinning/wheel/tornado/hook kick and celebrated with a triumphant front flip/butt drop—with an appearance on *The MMA Hour* with Ariel Helwani on Monday. You know, like you do. Naturally, Chris Barnett kept it 100. 100 percent adorable! Sorry ... sorry. These outbursts of enthusiasm aren't like us. It's just that this Barnett attitude is downright infectious. We can't get enough of it. Take this for example: Turns out, Barnett’s mom and dad are blackbelts in the taekwondo and reacted to their son’s KO of Villante exactly the way you’d expect a couple of lifelong Martial Arts Parents might do. They thought it was cool and all, but they had some pointers—for both Barnett himself and the MMA world in general. “Literally, my mom yelled at me when I got home,” he told Helwani, with a special shoutout to the [Big Homie Steven Marrocco](https://www.mmafighting.com/2021/11/9/22770806/chris-barnetts-black-belt-parents-on-highlight-reel-knockout-literally-my-mom-yelled-at-me?ref=comainevent.com) for the transcription. “She was like, ‘Why do they keep calling it a wheel kick? Why do they keep calling it a tornado? It’s a spinning hook-kick. I was like, ‘I’m sorry.’ Now, see, Barnett Family, that’s our bad. It can be a struggle at times to apply the proper nomenclature to the proper technique when so many of these motherfuckers are out here fighting like life is a damn video game. We’re sorry in this instance for not exactly nailing it. Also, Chris Barnett, as The Biggest Star in Professional Sports, it’s not your responsibility to apologize for our incompetence, but we appreciate the gesture. Barnett’s father, who had been his longtime coach and worked his corner for many of his fights, has been unable to accompany his son on recent trips to the cage after suffering a stroke. But that also didn’t stop him from dadding out of control about his son’s recent performance. “He’s still one of my biggest critics, which is awesome, because he was mad at me that I put my hand down for the spinning hook kick,” Barnett said. “He was like, ‘If you would have done it clean, it would have been down, but good knockout, I guess.” “Good knockout, I guess.” Goddamn it, is it getting dusty in here? Plus, there’s this stuff about Barnett grappling with his newfound fame and how it’s going to affect his online life. “Man, things just ain’t the same for gangsters,” he said. “It’s wild. It’s drastically changed. I literally gained 100,000 followers overnight. I was trying to keep up with my Instagram, and I’m at the point now where I’m ready to delete all of it. I can’t keep up with everything.” How does he do it? How, whenever we think “The Beastboy” has reached max levels of relatability and likability, does he continue to one-up himself with Every. Single. Public. Appearance. Look, if Barnett is going to keep on being so delightful and life-affirming all the time—telling fucking heartwarming stories about his family that are also lightly tinged with that particular melancholy we all feel for our aging parents—we don’t know if we’re going to be able to take it. We might self-destruct. Our bodies might turn to pure energy as we ascend to a higher realm of consciousness. Dare we even dream that Chris Barnett is really this good and pure? Might he finally be The One? Co-Mainiacs, you know how it usually goes in this sport. Lot of shall-we-say undesirables running around. You’ve heard us talk about it at length. Every time some new, potentially fun person comes along we think might have what it takes to become one of our Capital G Girls or Guys, we do some digging, only to find out they are very vocal about their belief that puppies make a tasty snack, or we discover they were once a vicious and notorious sea captain who is wanted in several maritime districts due to their cruel treatment of their crew. Well, that last thing might actually be pretty cool. We’re keeping our minds open on that last one. We hate to keep singing this same old refrain: But it seems like a fool’s errand to get our hopes up over Barnett. In the coming days, will we learn something terrible about him? Will the UFC even understand what they have in him? Or will they just turn around and make him fight Greg Hardy or some other terrible bullshit that will just make everybody go on Feeling Sad About MMA? You know what, maybe that would actually be for the best. Because if Chris Barnett just continues being this amazing, we honestly don’t know if our cold, black hearts will be able to take it. ### This Just In: Frankie Edgar is one tough motherfucker URL: https://www.comainevent.com/this-just-in-frankie-edgar-is-one-tough-motherfucker/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:48.000Z Okay first of all, how come none of you told us that Frankie Edgar has a podcast? Did you not think that we would enjoy that? Did you somehow think a show called “Champ and the Tramp,” wherein Frankie and some other dude sit in matching leather chairs beneath black and white photos of themselves with [a New Jersey poster hanging in between them](https://twitter.com/benfowlkesMMA/status/1458492008838746113?ref=comainevent.com), was something we would NOT want to know about? Because if so, dog, you got us fucked up. Fortunately, [this story](https://www.mmafighting.com/2021/11/9/22772888/frankie-edgar-undecided-on-retirement-reveals-he-fought-after-recent-hip-replacement-surgery?ref=comainevent.com) clued us into the show’s existence just in time for [episode 100](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzuo6bmM32g&ref=comainevent.com), which sees Edgar return from UFC 268 with stitches in his tongue to discuss his knockout loss to Marlon Vera. And do you know what we learned? We learned that Frankie Edgar is as tough as armadillo shit. Though, in fairness, we already kind of knew that. But still! The 40-year-old former UFC champ revealed on this podcast that, without revealing it to the public, he went and had hip replacement surgery in April. As in, April of this year. That means he fought Cory Sandhagen in February, had a major joint in his body completely replaced two months later, then got back in the cage to fight another ranked bantamweight about six months after that. Which is, just in case you were unclear, pretty fucking bonkers. Most people are doing good if they can return to their normal activities within a couple months of a hip replacement. Others can take five or six months just to get back to normal. And for most people? Normal is not fighting inside a goddamn cage for money. But Edgar apparently recovered from the surgery, got back in the gym, got back in fight shape, then showed up to Madison Square Garden ready to go toe-to-toe with “Chito” Vera. And also, he looked damn good for a 40-year-old bantamweight. Right up until the point he got [Simpsons-ized by that front kick](https://www.comainevent.com/the-potato-index-whos-up-and-whos-down-after-ufc-268/). But see, the fact that Edgar is still in this game at all, much less still hanging around as a relevant force in a division two weight classes below the one where he became a UFC champion 11 years ago, that right there tells you he’s a special athlete in this sport. The more you listen to him discuss his present condition over a couple of tall boys, however, the more you realize what insane toughness and resiliency all that requires. For starters, there’s the hip, which Edgar seems to realize he bounced back from with uncommon speed. “A lot of people think you get something like that, it’s the end of something,” Edgar said. “And not only did I do it, I fucking did it quickly. And I felt amazing. My hip fucking felt amazing.” But there’s also an issue with his back, Edgar added. Which is to say there *has* been an ongoing issue with his back for at least the last four years. During that time when he was struggling with nerve damage in his back that now extends all the way down to his foot, he fought: Yair Rodriguez, Brian Ortega, Cub Swanson, Max Holloway, Chan Sung Jung, Pedro Munhoz, Cory Sandhagen, and now Marlon Vera. So basically, he’s been a middle-aged dad with a bad back and a deteriorating hip out here fighting these hitters across two different weight classes. I mean, look at that list above. You see any easy fights in there? You do not. The body has been breaking down, as it will do with time and overuse. Still he’s been fighting some of the baddest dudes out there, again and again. This man has been in the UFC for close to 15 years without interruption. When Edgar made his UFC debut, in 2007? Fucking Tim Sylvia was still heavyweight champion. Anderson Silva was still considered the *new* middleweight champ. The event Edgar debuted on – UFC 67: All or Nothing (!!) – was the same event that Lyoto Machida debuted on. All these years later, Old Man Edgar is the one still in the UFC, still fighting ranked opponents, even as the bill for his chosen profession comes due in ways that are harder and harder to ignore. So this is the point where we ask, how much longer can this possibly go on? Edgar’s not dumb. He knows he’s gotten to the point where retirement is going to be a question before and after every fight – especially when he loses. “I don’t like being on this end, and it seems like I’m here often as of late,” he said. “So I’m being real about it, but I’m not gonna make a decision.” Which is to say, if you’re waiting for some big announcement, you can forget it. Edgar’s just not that dude to make a big deal about hanging up the gloves, in part because he’s been around this sport long enough to know such announcements don’t always stick the first (or second or third) time. Instead, he explained, he’s going to take his time and lick his wounds and … then who knows. With a dude like Edgar, whose superhuman toughness is both an asset and a liability beyond a certain point, maybe that’s the best you can hope for. Because the thing about this business is that you’ve got to be tough to last at all. Then there’s a select few who are so tough they can last for a long, long time. But if you’re that kind of person – the dude who bounced right back from a hip replacement, or fought Max Holloway on a bad back, or got your face smashed by Gray Maynard while barely even noticing somehow – the downside is that you probably are not going to know when to quit. Because, honestly, if you knew that you wouldn’t have ever made it this far. *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### A Very Serious Ranking: The Best Skateboarders in MMA URL: https://www.comainevent.com/a-very-serious-ranking-the-best-skateboarders-in-mma/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:49.000Z *The following is a guest post from friend of the podcast Cole Nowicki. Think you have something of your own to contribute that the CME audience would be interested in? Go ahead and [email the podcast](https://www.comainevent.com/email-the-podcast/), dog.* Like boxing, wrestling and judo, skateboarding is now an Olympic sport. Does that also make it a good base for MMA? Will we see the next Henry Cejudo or Kayla Harrison come from this world? No, absolutely not. Why would you even ask that? Jesus. That said, there are a lot of current and former high-level fighters who skate. Did riding around on that ol’ wooden toy help them reach those heights? No! Come on, stop with the ridiculous questions. But is it nonetheless important for us to compile the definitive Very Serious Ranking of the best skaters in the MMA universe? You’re damn right it is. The people deserve to know. 1. Marlon Vera ![](https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/k31Fhl5Br1ZkxCPtKvH0E5-YISYYyImVCHzmKkxuTxOMffzICkLRZ5a_xJV5oj2u6esGsWfpaO_oSE-p2neuKvkn8neOHlMQ-4NLoBtHrraUhFNMqlUBU_bhLX4rgymxQIqPKQLG) While doing the extensive research required for this article, it became clear that a great many fighters have dipped their toes into skateboarding, but most peak with the “drop-in” – where the skateboarder enters a quarter pipe or embankment by pressing down and leaning forward on their board. It is admittedly frightening to learn how to do when you aren’t familiar with the bodily physics required to not wind up on your head, ass, or a combination of the two. Most will eat proverbial shit on their first attempts as it takes a level of commitment and courage that isn’t often encountered in a regular person’s day-to-day. But fighters aren’t regular folk. Marlon Vera and Luke Rockhold (who we’ll touch on later) paid a visit to Ryan Sheckler’s private skatepark back in February. Under the Sheck’s careful tutelage, Vera was able to ride away on his first attempt at dropping in – an impressive feat. That’s good enough to land him in the top ten. 1. Andre Fili ![](https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/SZKJ1Xr5MZlqrfr_XUBmrVtTkz_vdUa2KTg9RXfjbUJg2GeCGD5_ibxZycxA_X7tpmpHxlKA1XYpuclHs9VdGuYecAeSgklVJyKmqHyK1v7LjExCF8oOswawtlxSmzUm8yjb8dpf) “When you fight, you don’t want to let anyone down. When I skate, I can come out here and be the worst guy in the park, and everyone’s still just having fun … there’s no pressure.” That’s Fili in a 2013 interview. And honestly, that’s a great attitude to have. While it doesn’t mean he’s technically a better skateboarder than Marlon Vera, as they both seem to be at the “drop-in” stage of their development, Fili does seem to really enjoy it, proclaiming as much on Twitter before his 2012 armbar win over Ricky Wallace in Tachi Palace Fights. And hell, he even has a mini-ramp in his backyard. That distinction alone places him at the nine spot. 1. Max Holloway ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/max-holloway-skate.jpg) Photo via [@BlessedMMA](https://twitter.com/BlessedMMA?ref=comainevent.com) on Twitter Is Holloway any good on a skateboard? Not really. We’ve seen him competently ride around on a longboard, which seems to be about the extent of his abilities. But riding around is all he needed to be able to do to interrupt a Conor McGregor interview pre-UFC 264 and provide us with the only funny/accurate thing McGregor’s said in years: “Is that Max Holloway on a skateboard?” 1. Kiichi Kunimoto ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/screen-shot-2021-11-09-at-8-42-49-am.png) Screenshot via this [UFC video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UG7%5FH4InLSA&https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UG7%5FH4InLSA&t=290st=290s&ref=comainevent.com) This is a tricky one. Kunimoto’s Wikipedia page says that he was a professional skateboarder in a former life. He has said the same thing in interviews. Yet I can’t find any photos or video of him riding except for [these fleeting few seconds](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UG7%5FH4InLSA&t=290s&ref=comainevent.com) from a UFC mini-feature on him. But Wikipedia says he was a pro, and I'm as willing as everyone else to trust that resource blindly, so Kunimoto lands at #7. 1. Kron Gracie Kron really likes skateboarding. It was his “first love” before jiu-jitsu and he’s pretty good at it, too – blue belt is a fair approximation of his level. He’s said in the past that he wanted to pursue skating over fighting, but family pressures directed him back to the mats, where it’s fair to say he’s found much more success. Also, where is that guy? Can he and Ryan Hall fight already, please? 1. Nick Diaz Skill-wise, Nick Diaz does not deserve to be ranked this high. But judged on the Very Serious Ranking RubricTM, he could very well be #1\. At the beginning of the above video, we see Diaz clumsily tick-tacking around a kitchen table in the goofy-footed position (right foot forward on the board, akin to southpaw stance). Towards the end of the video, we find him in the living room sort of doing a switch kickflip (“switch” meaning his feet are in the opposite stance from what’s comfortable, making the trick much harder). There is sincere shock and surprise at seeing Diaz almost executing the move, as sloppy as it is. But much like his gogoplata of Takanori Gomi, we know he technically did it – but if he had done it clean, it would have counted. 1. TIE: Luke Rockhold ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/rockhold-skate.png) Photo via Luke Rockhold's [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/p/CQq4FzQD4yu/?ref=comainevent.com) The former UFC Middleweight champion is the most decorated fighter in these rankings and one of its best skaters. From what we’ve seen, he seems to have a fairly limited bag of tricks he deploys, but the ones he has he does fairly well. It’s an unusual sight to see such a preposterously chiseled human skate, every available muscle in his arm bulging as he crailslides. Does that advanced musculature make us jealous and affect his placement here? Of course not. We’re nowhere near as petty and arbitrary as some other official rankings out there. TIE: Jason Ellis The most decorated skateboarder here who’s also … technically a fighter. While his MMA record is a paltry 2-0, and noted engineer Shane Bannister Carwin knocked him out in a charity boxing match with [one arm duct-taped to his chest](https://youtu.be/bnMj%5FeKnLYU?t=138&ref=comainevent.com), Ellis was a legitimate professional skater. His second win in mixed martial arts came against Gabriel Rivas (14-26-1) in KOTC by keylock – at 4:59 of round three. That’s pretty cool. Rivas’ fight before that? A loss to future PFL champ Ray Cooper III. Thanks, Tapology wormhole. 1. Brennan Ward ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/brennan-ward-skate.png) Photo via Brennan Ward's [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/p/2txBxruyvA/?utm%5Fsource=ig%5Fweb%5Fcopy%5Flink) Okay Brennan, we see you ollieing those plates in the gym. While probably not great for the mats, it is great for the ‘gram and your standing in these Very Serious Rankings. A few years back Ward told Fighters Only, “I actually love skating more than fighting,” which continues the trend of fighters on this list seeming to not like fighting very much (*cough* Diaz). 1. Chris Leben Take a minute out of your day to watch this strange, shaky video of a 2009-era Chris Leben ripping around some nondescript skatepark. Leben is rarely fully in the frame and the footage cuts awkwardly before tricks are landed, but in those brief in-between moments, we see a version of “The Crippler” I’m not sure we ever have before. There’s a sense of calm apparent in his person. Body language loose. Fun perhaps even being had. That personal illumination will shoot you right up into contendership. 1. Eric Spicely Far and away the best fighter and skateboarder in this Very Serious Ranking is Eric Spicely. Over the course of multiple skate videos, he’s taken on the gritty East Coast streets with serious finesse and an enviable trick selection. And remember when he choked out Thiago Santos as a +505 dog? That ruled. While currently on a bit of a skid in MMA, Spicely still reigns supreme here. *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### Episode 476: Are there even words to describe Gaethje-Chandler? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-476-are-there-even-words-to-describe-gaethje-chandler/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:50.000Z Download [Episode\_476.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F476.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) Somehow Justin Gaethje vs. Michael Chandler exceeded even our lofty expectations. That was just bananas, and now they better damn well let Gaethje fight the winner of Chucky Olives vs. Dusty P. Plus, we are sure Rose Namajunas vs. Zhang Weili should've been scored 3-2\. Just … you know … we're not sure for who. And finally, after besting Colby Covington, does Kamaru Usman need some big, momentous challenge to be considered the GOAT? ### Wild Speculation Time: Did Dana White actually pay for the Canelo Alvarez PPV? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/wild-speculation-time-did-dana-white-actually-pay-for-the-canelo-alvarez-ppv/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:50.000Z Few things we know about UFC President Dana White: – He loves gambling. – He loves boxing. – He *hates* digital piracy of pay-per-view sporting events. At least, you know, the ones that directly put money in his pocket. Because we know these things, it was interesting to hear White explain at the UFC 268 post-fight press conference that, yes, he was indeed watching Canelo Alvarez’s boxing match with Caleb Plant on a cage side monitor at his own event. And yes, it was primarily because he bet a hundred fucking thousand dollars on Alvarez. Nevermind that that’s probably more than anyone on the prelims made for actually fighting in a cage before his very eyes. For White, it’s goddamn pocket change. But, some intrepid reporter asked, did White actually pay for the Alvarez-Plant pay-per-view? His answer, after a moment’s pause, was yes. But you *really* need to hear his tone of voice to get the full picture. > [](https://twitter.com/MichaelBensonn/status/1457245272791203840?ref=comainevent.com) You hear that? That was the sound of a man inviting some wild speculation. And so, without further ado, let us oblige him. **Reasons to Think Dana White Did Not Pay for the PPV:** – The shit was on Showtime, which White has publicly beefed with for years. To pay Stephen Espinoza and his crew $79.99 for their product, all while he had his own LIVE UFC TITLE FIGHTS happening right before his eyes, that might have been too much for his pride to bear. – History has shown us that White does not exactly live his life by the golden rule. Just because he thinks it’s wrong for people to pirate the UFC’s content does not necessarily mean he thinks it’s wrong to pirate anyone else’s content. – All that shit he was going on about when it came to cracking down on digital pirates? It was all pretty much bullshit. He never even talks about it anymore. He went from ‘we’re watching your house and listening to your phone calls’ to total silence on the topic. Meanwhile, UFC PPV streams are still easily available. (Or so we are told.) So maybe, if he learned anything at all from that experiment, what he learned is that you can feel free to watch pirated streams with impunity, since no one is going to do a fucking thing. **Reasons to Think Dana White Did Pay for the PPV:** – He’s so fucking rich, why wouldn’t he? Seriously, he could have paid for every single person in Madison Square Garden that night to get their own personal paid stream of that fight, and he’d barely even notice the blip on his bank statement. – He is 52 years old, which already puts him in the increasingly out of touch demographic when it comes to technological expertise. Add to that the fact that he is, once again, gluttonously wealthy. What you have there is a perfect recipe for a man who does not know how to do shit for himself. This is especially true when it comes to technology. Ever watched a 52-year-old college professor try to run a power point presentation? Now imagine that same fucker is so rich he can pay someone to change the batteries in his remote control. Honestly, do you think White could even reset the clocks in his own house for the end of daylight savings? No way. Now imagine him trying to find an online stream of a boxing match he wants to watch. – To add to the above point, no way he did any of this himself. He told a UFC staffer to set it up. And do you think that person wanted to take a chance on having some pirated stream crap out just as Alvarez was putting it on Plant? White has absolutely fired people for less. – Let’s not act like there isn’t some chance that he might actually believe enough of his own bullshit to worry that Stephen Espinoza was watching him and waiting for him to turn on the illegal stream, just as White himself has threatened to do to others. Not worth the risk. Better to just buy the damn thing. **Reasons to Think Dana White Genuinely Does Not Know If He Paid for the PPV:** – Again, rich guy bullshit. You think White was sitting there at cageside, going to Showtime.com on his computer, and entering his credit card info? Not a fucking chance. – Here’s what probably happened: White told a UFC underling that he wanted to watch that fight while his own fights were on. He did not specify anything beyond that. He said it the way Captain Picard gives an order on the Enterprise, with that “make it so” energy. Then, sure enough, a screen appeared before him at cageside. Other people did the boring work of pressing buttons and entering numbers until, lo and behold, a fight started playing on that screen. No way he troubled himself with any of the tedious details about how it all happened. He spoke a desire into the world and, as so often happens when you’ve grown monstrously rich off other people’s labor and literal blood, the wish was granted. Chances are he never even thought about whether or not he’d paid for it until someone asked. – Come on. Think about it for even just a couple seconds. Doesn’t that scenario above just *feel* like the most accurate one? **Conclusion:** That pause before answering? That totally unconvincing tone of voice when he answered in the affirmative? That was White taking his best guess. Sure, he paid for it … probably. But if I had to speculate wildly, I’d say he actually had no fucking clue. *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### The Potato Index: Who's up and who's down after UFC 268 URL: https://www.comainevent.com/the-potato-index-whos-up-and-whos-down-after-ufc-268/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:50.000Z Who’s up, down, and all around after UFC 268? There’s only one cryptic and arbitrary metric you can trust to sort it all out. The Potato Index has you covered. **Kamaru Usman +474** Yep, still really good at fighting. You can’t really threaten him with wrestling. His hands only seem to get sharper with time. Maybe the worst thing you can say about him is that he doesn’t go all out for the finish when he could, but let’s not act like we wouldn’t bury him for poor fight IQ if he tried that and screwed it up. It’s just, is it too much to ask that we refrain from freaking out with the GSP comparisons? Could we possibly maybe just let Usman be Usman without getting mired in pointless GOAT arguments? No? Okay, just checking. **Colby Covington -411** This sorry motherfucker. Loses his second fight to Usman. Gets dropped and bloodied and never really comes close to winning the fight. Gets caught by cageside audio sounding humbled with that ‘it was all just to hype the fight and get paid’ bullshit, but then has magically transformed back into a gaping asshole by the time he shows up at the press conference. Fuck outta here, b. **Justin Gaethje +391** My god. What stuff is this man made from? Think he ever goes into the garage and hits himself upside the head with a monkey wrench just to delight in how little it seems to affect him? No one in MMA does almost-losing-before-you-start-winning better than this fucking guy. Wherever he goes, he brings that Fight of the Night energy with him. All he needs is someone willing to match out, usually at their own peril. Islam who? Nah, son. Rockhead Gaethje got next for the lightweight strap. Doesn’t matter who’s wearing it by then. **Michael Chandler -3** It is a truth, divinely writ on the golden scrolls of CME wisdom, that it’s always better to win a fight than to lose one. But when you lose like that, going balls out with all types of blood dripping from your face, still standing after taking several shots that should have sent you to the ER or maybe even the morgue? Well then you don’t fall that far in our collective esteem. Hard to think of anyone who’s gone 1-2 in his first UFC fights yet still so thoroughly convinced us of his awesomeness. **Rose Namajunas +230** “Thug” Rose had to dig deep and fight smart this time, but she got it done. And still, motherfuckers. But, hold up, why aren’t we immediately slotting Carla Esparza in for that next title shot? Why is it even a question? As much as we might wince at the idea of yet another rematch for Namajunas, at least this one isn’t immediate, plus it also makes too much sense *not* to do. **Zhang Weili -16** She put up a hell of a fight and surely deserved to win in lots of people’s eyes. Then again, the same could be said for Joanna Former Champion back when Weili edged her out on the scorecards. That’s just how it goes with those close five-rounders. She’s still one of the best fighters in the division and likely a nightmare for most people not named Rose Namajunas. And hey, maybe we could actually appreciate her in this fucking country and not make it so she has to include preparation for asshole American crowds in her pre-fight training? Just saying. **Marlon Vera +112** Your dude “Chito” probably woke up on Sunday morning to a message from the front desk saying they had a package for him. Then he goes down there to check and it’s a sweet leather jacket with a silhouette of someone front-kicking a dude in the face stitched onto the back. The note attached just says, ‘You’re one of us now.’ It’s signed Anderson Silva and Lyoto Machida. **Frankie Edgar -89** This one hurt to watch, man. The knockout. The aftermath. The punchface to end all punchfaces. Do we want to see shit like this keep happening to Old Man Edgar? We do not. He’s 40 years old and has already given more blood, guts, and brain cells to this sport than all of the top five in his division combined. And yet whenever he gets asked about retirement his answer is essentially, ‘I would prefer to die in the cage.’ That’s … concerning. Because with his name and pay tier, the UFC probably isn’t going to serve him up too many gimmes. And at 135 pounds? Bro, there aren’t many gimmes to be had in the UFC, even if matchmakers were so inclined. Do we need to show up in a hotel conference room with mics and cameras and all his family, asking if he’s willing to accept the help we’re offering him today? Because dammit, we will. **Shane Burgos +91** You just know he watched Gaethje and Chandler and said, ‘fuck, well there goes any hope for the Fight of the Night bonus.’ Still, first win in two years has to feel like a giant relief. **Billy Quarantillo -17** Leave it to your man Billy Q to prove that just because you can’t really walk anymore that doesn’t mean you can’t still limp across the finish line in a close fight. **Alex Pereira +72** Let’s see here, come into the UFC as a decorated kickboxer, get smothered by grappling in the first round, then say fuck it and end things with a flying knee KO to start the second? Yep, that all checks out. You have our attention now. **Phil Hawes -44** He would have won if he hadn’t lost. **Chris Curtis +44** He would have lost if he hadn’t won. **Chris Barnett +69** In his mind, he’s an acrobatic 170-pound man. In our minds, we absolutely fucking love that for him. **Edmen Shahbazyan -37** He’s 23, has a ton of physical talent, yet keeps getting put in the worst match-ups possible, as if they’re *trying* to ruin him. Who the fuck is responsible for guiding this man’s career? Oh. Right. **Bobby Green +51** Still not totally sold on the facial hair design that looks like he’s angling for a bit part in a “Fifth Element” remake, but that combo to drop Al Iaquinta in front of all his fellow New Yorkers? That shit was cleeeaaaan. *(Photo by Louis Grasse)* *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### CME Patreon Power Hour: Justin Gaethje & Michael Chandler agree to choose violence URL: https://www.comainevent.com/cme-patreon-power-hour-justin-gaethje-michael-chandler-agree-to-choose-violence/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:52.000Z Download [Power-Hour-sample.mp3](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/media/2026/06/power-hour-sample-1.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) After giving short shrift to Justin Gaethje vs. Michael Chandler during Monday's episode of The Proper we felt like we had to circle back and give this absolute banger the attention it deserved. Gaethje and Chandler could be fighting over No.1 contender status, yet somehow it kinda feels like they both really need this win. We look at both guys' prospects headed into a sure-fire Fight of the Night. Plus, we do $20 We Never Want to See Again and, in Power Rankings, Dana White has a message for the "morons," the Trillers seem poised to make every possible combat sports promotional mistake all in one event and WHAT IS UP WITH THOSE SUITS, MAN??? Here's a five-minute preview of this episode: *To listen to the rest of this week's Patreon Power Hour, head over to Patreon and [join the team](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com).* ### Which UFC 268 fighters would help you with that sofa: A speculative guide URL: https://www.comainevent.com/which-ufc-268-fighters-would-help-you-with-that-sofa-a-speculative-guide/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:52.000Z Forget rankings. Forget titles, wins and losses, betting odds. All of that shit. The only evaluation of the UFC 268 main card that matters is this. Say you and your dad are trying to move a sofa through an open doorway, but the thing is big and unwieldy and with just the two of you it’s a struggle. A person happens by on the sidewalk. You recognize this person as a UFC fighter, but before you can say anything or even fully register this fact your dad calls out, ‘Hey buddy you mind giving us a hand real quick?’ Fuck. Embarrassing, right? But that’s your dad. He doesn’t watch MMA, which he often conflates with professional wrestling, and to him this professional fighter on the UFC 268 main card is just a potential extra set of hands. But now you’re about to get a window into this person’s soul. Are they the type to help some strangers with a sofa real quick or nah? Here, based on nothing but gut feeling (and in some cases, years of close study) are our best guesses. **Michael Chandler:** Oh yeah, he’ll definitely help you with the sofa. But he’ll do it with such eager, bright-eyed sincerity that you can’t stop wondering if he’s going to ask if you’ve heard the good news about our lord and savior as soon as you guys set this thing down. Still, help is help. **Justin Gaethje:** Bro, of course he’ll help you with the sofa. Probably even has some helpful tips that he’ll explain are the result of once holding a part-time job as a mover, which he eventually quit because the owner was a dick. Ain't that always the way, your dad observes with a chuckle. When you finish up and your dad offers him a couple bucks for his help he’ll turn it down with a wave of his hand before remarking that he ‘wouldn’t say no to a brewski, though.’ The three of you end up drinking Busch Lights on the tailgate of a pickup truck. It's a pleasant afternoon. **Shane Burgos:** He looks up, hears your dad’s request for help, and makes a sharp turn to come get his hands on that sofa without a word. Once you get it through the doorway he gives you both a quick nod and is gone before you know it. Later you’ll wonder if it ever really happened or if you just imagined it. **Billy Quarantillo:** He comes jogging over with a big smile, ready to help. But halfway through someone shouts from up the street, ‘Hey Billy Q, what’s happening my man?’ He drops that sofa like a hot potato, nearly straining your dad’s bad back as you both adjust to take the extra weight. The last thing you hear is him saying, ‘Paulie you son of a bitch, where’s my hundred from the Jets game?!’ as he disappears up the block. **Marlon Vera:** Nope, not “Chito.” He knows a setup when he sees one. You think he didn’t see “Silence of the Lambs”? Motherfuckers may get him one day, but not today and not with that lame-ass help with the sofa bit. **Frankie Edgar:** He hears your father’s hail, then pauses to remove his spectacles and put them in their case, which he keeps tucked in the interior pocket of his houndstooth coat. Certainly, he will help you with that sofa. His movements are deliberate but not slow. Zero energy is wasted. When you set it down he runs a thoughtful hand over the worn fabric. He knows an upholstery guy in Teaneck, he tells you. Does good work. Helped him refresh his whole living room set. He takes out his spectacles and cleans them with a cloth before putting them back on. ‘Sofa like this,’ he says, ‘with that quality, old-world craftsmanship? Sometimes all it needs is a new suit of clothes to keep it going for the next generation.’ Your dad could not *possibly* agree more, and he will never stop talking about this interaction. Even years later when he enters hospice and you drop by to see him, his face will brighten as he looks up and says, ‘Hey remember that time we were moving that sofa and that guy helped us?’ Yeah, you remember. How could you forget? **Rose Namajunas:** She would help you. Probably. Except she doesn’t *even fucking notice you*. Her gait never slows. Her face betrays no recognition that she is even being spoken to. She marches forward with steely determination, the sole occupant of her own world. Whatever frequency she’s on, your dad’s plea doesn’t reach it. ‘Must not have heard me,’ your dad says as she passes. And there’s a part of both of you that’s glad. **Zhang Weili:** Her head snaps over at you, two people carrying this sofa, and you feel as if you’re both being scanned by the Terminator. Threat level: neutral. She offers a curt nod before moving to the job like an army ant. That’s weird, it’s like the sofa suddenly weighs nothing as soon as she puts her hands on it. Later, once she’s out of sight, your dad will ask if you saw the “guns” on that broad. Her arms. He means her arms. **Colby Covington:** He definitely hears your dad call out. His head turns. His lip curls. He keeps walking. ‘Jerk,’ your dad mutters in a semi-shocked tone of voice, appalled at one human's callous disregard for others. The look of distaste will stay there on his face for hours, like he is remembering a bad smell. **Kamaru Usman:** Doesn’t even hear you. He’s got earbuds in. 'Must be the noise-cancelling kind,' your dad says. Yeah, you tell him. Must be. *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### Doin' the Damn Thing: Our batshit mayoral election + favorite WWF finshers URL: https://www.comainevent.com/doin-the-damn-thing-our-batshit-mayoral-election-favorite-wwf-finshers/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:54.000Z Download [DDT-sample.mp3](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/media/2026/06/ddt-sample-1.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) We don't know if we can fully describe to you guys how batshit fucking crazy this year's Missoula mayoral election was, but we're sure as shit gonna try. Plus, we do VERY SERIOUS RANKINGS of our favorite old-school pro-wrestling finishing moves, check in with our beloved Seattle Kraken in Kraken Up and dish on our most embarrassing childhood political convictions. *Doin' the Damn Thing is available exclusively to top-tier patrons of the CME. If you want to listen to the rest just head over there and [join the team](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com).* ### This Fucking Guy: Colby Covington URL: https://www.comainevent.com/this-fucking-guy-colby-covington/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:54.000Z *Welcome back to This Fucking Guy, where we here at the CME take a long, hard look at someone in the MMA world with the hope of answering the question: this fucking guy, what is his deal? Today, in advance of the welterweight title rematch at UFC 268, we turn that lens on Colby Ray Covington.* Serious question to start us off here, does Colby Covington have fans? Again, this is meant sincerely, as in I actually want to know. Are there people out there who are like, ‘hell yeah Colby is my dude and I’d never miss one of his fights’? I’m not talking about people who will cheer for him when he’s fighting someone they dislike, or even people who only know him because he loudly supported the same political candidate and/or causes they did. I’m talking about people who, when the conversation down at B-Dubs turns to MMA, will honestly and seriously answer the question ‘who’s your favorite MMA fighter’ with the straight-faced answer, ‘Colby fucking Covington, bro.’ It seems like, according to what we know of how MMA fandom works, those people should exist, right? There’s someone for everyone in this fucked up little fiefdom. And Covington has been a top guy in the UFC’s 170-pound class for at least the last four years or so. He also went sort of insanely out of his way to align himself clearly on one side of extremely divisive political issues – pro-Trump, anti-Black Lives Matter, pro-claiming that COVID is bullshit, anti-vaccine mandates – which seems like it should at least win over the people on his side of the aisle. And to an extent, maybe it does. Covington does seem to make A LOT of appearances on the kinds of internet-only right wing talk shows that no one outside that particular echo chamber would ever even know about. And when he gets on his Twitter to post thoughtful political commentary such as “Fauci Lied & American Businesses Died,” he gets a few thousand likes. But does that mean there are thousands of people out there who are actually fans of Colby Covington the fighter? Or even, dare I suggest it, Colby Covington the person? Because it really doesn’t feel like it, at least within the MMA bubble. Instead, Covington has become our cringey cousin. We see him at family reunions, clearly wearing a uniform he saw on TV or YouTube and then adopted in full as his entire personality. Occasionally we might be called upon by grandparents or confused uncles to explain his schtick – he’s acting like a dickhead on purpose because he feels he can reliably generate hatred but not admiration or affection, I guess? – but the gimmick itself is most embarrassing for how contrived it is. For his first three or four years in the UFC, nobody really noticed Covington. It’s tempting to say it was purely because of his wrestling-heavy fighting style, but he had more finishes in those early years than at any point since, and still the MMA world was totally indifferent. So he took a page out of Chael Sonnen’s book and decided to form himself into a character that we *had* to feel some type of way about. The character was that of an obnoxious Trump-supporting asshole – and the asshole part was definitely crucial to the whole thing. Simply being an MMA fighter who supports Trump is not in any way remarkable. To the extent that pro fighters notice or care about politics at all, they are on the whole *waaay* more likely to support Trump than any other political figure. But Covington’s thing was intentionally being a dick, sneering and chuckling the whole time, basically an ongoing impression of the dim-witted, buffoonish bully Biff Tannen from the “Back to the Future” movies. He even has the [same fucking haircut](https://www.denofgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/biff%5Ftannen.jpg?fit=620%2C349&ref=comainevent.com). But somehow Covington succeeded in making MMA fans hate him without actually making them *care* about him. As in, when he shows up for this UFC 268 fight week spouting prepared material about how “Cumshot Chimaev” nearly retired due to “the common cold,” it provokes exactly the eye-rolling revulsion he’s going for. But when he’s not around? When he essentially disappears from view, as he did while waiting for his title shot over the course of the last 13 months? It’s not like anyone appears to miss him. Instead of the man we love to hate, he’s the man we hate but could absolutely, unequivocally do without. So how did he fuck this up so bad? Part of it is execution. If you’re going to be an effective bad guy, you have to also be cool or scary or funny or *something*. Someone like Ken Shamrock, at least in his prime, was scary. Conor McGregor, before he fell down the backside of a VH1 “Behind the Music” episode, was cool. Chael Sonnen was funny and even occasionally clever. The way Covington plays it? It just comes off dorky. When he’s flanked by girls in bikinis in his low-budget videos, it gives off an ‘I have to pay women to even stand next to me’ vibe. When he comes up with Trumpian nicknames for opponents that only he ever uses – “Marty Fakenewsman” is a good example – it only reminds you that the core feature of good nicknames is that people actually *want* to use them. He’s been kicked out of his gym. He's been jumped in buffet lines. When he tried to claim that he’d been having sex with female fighter Polyana Viana, she quickly pointed out that she had a boyfriend and called the very suggestion of sex with Covington “revolting.” In other words, if what he’s going for is cool, swaggering bad boy, it is failing on every possible front. He has become the MMA version of the kid who swears he has a hot girlfriend but you guys don’t know her because she goes to a different school. The response this provokes isn’t so much anger, which comes with at least some emotional investment. Instead it’s that special brand of second-hand embarrassment that makes you want to look away and forget you ever saw it. There’s also the fact that, of all the sports in which to make ostentatious Trumplove your personal brand, MMA might be the worst choice. That’s because *a lot* of MMA fans and fighters already do genuinely like and support Trump. So not only does it fail to distinguish you from the pack when your whole thing is Trump cosplay, it also probably confuses the Trump supporters in the crowd when you try so hard to make clear that a) you’re on their side politically, but also b) you are supposed to be the villain, detested by everyone. And Covington really does go hard after that particular villain narrative. He talks often about how hated he is, while in the next breath insisting that he doesn’t care. Take this tortured quote he gave to [ESPN](https://twitter.com/espnmma/status/1455559380305334276/photo/1?ref=comainevent.com) in the lead up to UFC 268: “The most difficult thing to overcome is just myself. Everything that is stacked against me, all the people that hate me, all the people that try and think they know me. But no one really knows me. I let them see what I want to show them. I don’t show them the true me, they don’t know the true me.” That right there? That is an individual who is at war with himself. Even within the context of this one brief quote we see him being torn apart by this emotional tug-of-war. The most difficult thing is … myself? But wait, it’s not so much me as all the people who hate me. But wait, they can’t really hate me because they don’t even know me. Because I won’t allow them to know me. I have a true self that is forever hidden and therefore cannot be judged. So for all you or anyone else knows the real Colby might be awesome. That’s a deeply insecure dude. That’s a dude who signed up for a ride without knowing where the ride was going. Now he’s in over his head and he has no choice but to plow forward in the hopes that victory might eventually redeem him. This is the other tricky part about being the Trump Guy in a sport that is already filled with and watched by a lot of Trump Guys. They *might* be persuaded to get on your team and hold you up as an example of how their side is strong and right and good – but only if you win. If you get your jaw broken by the Nigerian immigrant? If you then insist, contrary to several forms of evidence, that [your jaw was never broken](https://twitter.com/hektic%5Fone/status/1456053157910523907?ref=comainevent.com)? If you go running in shame from the arena and then have to walk around with your sad flannel over your head because you can’t bear to show your face? No, man. They will not proudly proclaim you as one of their own. Not a chance. That’s the bind Covington has put himself in. He’s bet everything on a gimmick he can’t fully sell, and the only chance he has to keep it all going is if he beats a dominant champion in a sport whose whole appeal is that the bullshit eventually stops when the fighting starts. That’s a tough place to be. But Covington put himself there with a series of calculated actions over a matter of years. It just doesn’t always seem like he really knew what he was doing, or that he’s always glad he did it. *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### Ever wondered what those CME Patreon Live Chats are like? Here's one... URL: https://www.comainevent.com/ever-wondered-what-those-cme-patreon-live-chats-are-like-heres-one/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:54.000Z As our loyal supporters already know, a highlight of our week is getting hashtag WildOnWednesdays with our beloved patrons. Any topic is fair game. No discourse is the least bit fettered. And there's always an intense battle to be first in the comments. This week we discuss the plan for Khamzat Chimaev (and possibly Nate Diaz), plus brainstorming nickname ideas for Glover Teixeira, explaining big time college sports to a French patron, and speculating on how those anti-vaxx fighters will slip into Madison Square Garden for UFC 268\. It's fun. The best part? You can join this party every week for just $1 a month. What's that?!? That's barely even money! Anywho, we thought we'd offer up a free taste if you'd like to try before you buy, so here, check out this week's chat and consider [becoming a patron to support the Co-Main Event](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com) and allow us to keep bringing you this sweet, sweet content. ### It’s a mystery why The New Yorker would publish a long-ass profile of Jake Paul, but here are the best/worst parts URL: https://www.comainevent.com/its-a-mystery-why-the-new-yorker-would-publish-a-long-ass-profile-of-jake-paul-but-here-are-the-best-worst-parts/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:54.000Z Pretty early on in Kelefa Sanneh’s [long but pitch-perfect new profile](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/11/08/can-jake-paul-fight-his-way-out-of-trouble?ref=comainevent.com) of Jake Paul, the Disney scamp turned YouTube jabroni turned trollish professional boxer is described as a “mediagenic villain with a quixotic plan.” And that, my friends, is when you are 100 percent sure that you’re reading a story in *The New Yorker*. I don’t know what possessed the tastemakers at the country’s toniest but simultaneously cheugiest lit/pop/culture magazine to want to do a deep-dive on Jake Fucking Paul, but I’m sort of glad they did. Imagine the eye-rolling—the copious eye-rolling!—that must have accompanied this assignment from inception to completion. Yet, somehow, there it is: One of the lead stories in *The New Yorker’s* latest issue right there alongside a review of Anne Carson’s latest poetry book and a theater piece headlined: "Work, Motherhood, and Capitalism Onstage." Come to think of it, I also don’t totally know why Jake Paul would want to be in *The New Yorker*. How do I put this gently? It doesn’t really seem to cater to his demo? There was never a single, solitary hope he would look good in this story? There’s probably a zero percent chance that anybody who reads about him in *The New Yorker*—except maybe, like James Ellroy—would ever spend a dime to watch Jake Paul fight? But whatever. Maybe Jake Paul is still operating under an “all press is good press” media philosophy. Maybe he thought he needed to raise his profile among spinster Broadway enthusiasts and adjunct English professors at small liberal colleges across the country. Maybe Jake and Logan secretly have a stack of unread *New Yorkers* tucked in the bottom shelf of the coffee table next to their half-completed Sunday *New York Times* crosswords and the hardcover copy of *Cloud Cuckoo Land* they’re gonna get to as soon as this Tommy Fury bout is over. In any case, a long-ass, probably like 4,000-word *New Yorker* Profile of Jake Paul is now a thing that exists in the world. Shoutout to Kelefa Sanneh, who reported this piece mostly during the lead-up to Jake Paul’s fight against Tyron Woodley, and did a really good job on the finished product. I mean, it’s in *The New Yorker*, so it’s not like it was ever going to be *bad*, but Sanneh does an extraordinary job creating something that could be read with equal interest by both total noobs and combat sports fans. He presents Jake Paul as he is—giving him enough rope to hang himself at times, you might say—while avoiding most of the pitfalls that usually accompany boxing/MMA journalism written by someone from outside the bubble. It also must have been a challenge to write a sprawling, in-depth feature story about someone who, frankly, just doesn’t have a lot of depth. So, yeah, it’s good but it’s long (have I mentioned how long it is?) and so I read it because I knew you motherfuckers wouldn’t. Here are the best/worst parts, so the next time you’re at a cocktail party with Stacey Kent and Karl Ove Knausgaard you can impress them by pretending you did, in fact, read it. Quotes from the original article are in italics: **The part where we realize we are all Lou DiBella.** Veteran boxing promoter Lou DiBella doesn’t have a huge role in this story, but the parts where he does appear seem to tell a real story about where we’re all at with Jake Paul. Check out this part, where DiBella goes from hating Jake Paul to kinda admiring him in a single paragraph: *Lou DiBella is a promoter known for strong opinions and an inability to keep them to himself. Last year, when Paul was gearing up to fight Nate Robinson, DiBella told an interviewer, “The idea that I gotta watch Jake Paul or some of these other numbnuts fighting ex-professional football players and shit like that—who the fuck wants to see that?” This year, on Twitter, he was less dismissive. “There’s a reason @jakepaul has star power,” he wrote. “He’s smart and he’s a master button pusher. And when it comes to #boxing, he shows more respect for the sport (and its potential) than most others in it.”* Sounds familiar, right? Like, when we all started out hating Jake Paul because he’s fucking Jake Paul, but then we realized he was just trolling MMA fans (we were totally falling for it). And then we had to admit we begrudgingly respected him for essentially making a bunch of money in the fight game on a goof? Stupid Jake Paul out here almost making us like him. Almost. Well, DiBella actually comes to see enough of Jake Paul’s positives that he gets in business with him, sending one of his fighters, Amanda Serrano, to fight on the undercard of Jake Paul's fight with Tyron Woodley. And everything went well! Serrano won! There could have been a happy ending! Except! Except! That Serrano had such a good time that this happens: *A few weeks after \[the fight\] she announced that she was leaving DiBella to work exclusively with Paul, who had launched a boxing-promotion company.* Stupid Jake Paul. **The part where Jake Paul has a briefly sobering exchange with Tyron Woodley’s mother, in which he has to try to explain himself.** *... Paul was visited in his dressing room by Woodley’s mother, Deborah, an expressive and charismatic woman widely known as Mama Woodley.* *“We’re out here doing business,” Paul told her, almost apologetically. “Selling pay-per-views.”* *She beamed. “You and Tyron gon’ get out there and beat each other’s ass,” she said.* *She departed, and Paul was left alone with his entourage, which included at least two videographers and his girlfriend, Julia Rose, a social-media star with a similarly prankish sensibility. (During the 2019 World Series, Rose positioned herself near home plate and flashed the television camera; earlier this year, she claimed to have helped change the Hollywood sign to read, briefly, “HOLLYBOOB.”) Paul was explaining his plan to knock Woodley unconscious. “It’s a bit bittersweet now, with Tyron’s mom,” he said, his bravado fading for a moment. “I’m going to try and forget that we talked.”* See, it’s all fun and games until you have to meet a guy’s mom and explain to her why you’re being such a dick. **The part where Sanneh quotes Logan Paul, “bros” and “likes” and all, while explaining how Jake Paul approaches his boxing career:** *“Jake’s definitely way more serious, bro,” Logan Paul told me, backstage. “Before Floyd, bro, we were, like, making TikToks and shit,” he said. “He’s not like that. He’s big on mental visualization.”* Yeah, see, you don’t GOTTA put all the “bros” and “likes” in there when you quote Logan Paul. You could, if you felt more charitable to your subject, take at least one of those “bros” out. Only reason you’d leave those “bros” and “likes” in there is if you were trying to paint a certain picture—which this quote definitely does. **The part where Jake Paul listens to rain forest sounds and explains that the earth or the higher powers or whatever definitely want him to beat Tyron Woodley.** *Late one night, Paul grew philosophical. “What I will do with this platform, this following, this attention is far more impactful than what Tyron Woodley would do if he would win,” he told me, as rain-forest sounds burbled from his iPhone. (He had been sitting in an ice bath earlier, and hadn’t bothered to turn off the meditative music he likes to listen to.) “I think the higher powers, or God, or whatever you want to call it or whatever it is—maybe there’s nothing there, maybe it’s just, like, a placebo, and just thinking there’s something that is guiding me, which then gives me the ultimate confidence to go and win, so I don’t even question it—but I do think that the earth would rather me win than him.”* Hahaha, go fuck yourself, Jake Paul. **The part where Sanneh perfectly explains boxing’s relationship to MMA.** *To a mixed-martial-arts fan, boxing might seem dull: an ancient sport in which two people merely stand and hit each other, following rules that haven’t much changed since they were set down in nineteenth-century London. And to a boxing fan M.M.A. might seem inelegant: a mishmash that occasionally resembles a bar fight, with combatants trading haymakers and then collapsing onto the mat to roll around.* *In M.M.A., Paul … found a supply of fighters who were not necessarily any more skilled at boxing than Paul was, combined with an army of fans who might be willing to pay for the opportunity to see their sport vindicated. Who says M.M.A. fighters can’t punch?* Goddamn it, that’s us. That’s totally us. Also, gotta love the way *New Yorker* style insists on calling it “M.M.A.” like it’s the damn 1930s or something. **The part with the not-incorrect description of Jake Paul’s eyelashes.** *Paul is twenty-four and blond, with a confident smirk that is softened, slightly, by feathery eyelashes.* **Holy fucking shit, this fucking anecdote about Mark Gastineau!** *... to gauge Paul’s place in the sport, it may be helpful to consider a different precursor: Mark Gastineau, the former football player, who in 1991 began a new career in professional boxing—“fighting for respect,” as the Los Angeles Times put it. Like Paul, Gastineau was a famous white guy, strong but untutored, and, like Paul, he seemed sure that hard work and determination could make up for missed decades of training. His success, if he achieved it, would debunk the old-fashioned idea that champions are formed through years of patient gym work, but it would also affirm the idea that every boxing match is a test of wills, and that an unusually willful man might therefore triumph against the odds. He won his début bout, against a fighter named Derrick Dukes, by knockout.* *Gastineau’s boxing story was complicated by the broadcast, in 1994, of a “60 Minutes” investigation in which Dukes revealed that the fight had been “totally fixed.” Dukes, a former pro wrestler, gave a demonstration: he asked Steve Kroft to throw an imaginary punch, and dropped at once to the ground, imaginarily knocked out. Gastineau denied cheating, but by then the fantasy that he was a boxing savant had already been dispelled, by a journeyman named Tim (Doc) Anderson, who beat him easily in a five-round decision. There was a rematch, which Gastineau won, although apparently not without some help: Anderson later said that the fight’s promoter, Rick (Elvis) Parker, offered him half a million dollars to throw the first fight and, on the night of the second fight, secretly poisoned him. Years later, during a confrontation over the alleged poisoning, Anderson shot and killed Parker.* Fuuuuuuuuuck. AYFKM? **The part where Sanneh succinctly sums up Jake Paul’s boxing ability.** *A Web site called BoxRec uses a mathematical formula to rank every active professional, and it recently listed Paul as the five-hundred-and-eighty-third-best cruiserweight in the world, out of nine hundred and twenty-eight. That doesn’t seem wrong.* No, it does not. **The part where he explains what it means to be “mediagenic villain with a quixotic plan.”** *Boxing has spent decades trying, and generally failing, to transform its top athletes into big celebrities. \[Paul wants\] to achieve that transformation in reverse.* Ah, I see. I get it. I think. **The part with the unflinching description of Jake Paul’s alleged sexual assaults, where we must confront not only the reality that Jake Paul is probably a huge and terrible piece of shit but also begin to ask ourselves questions about the entire endeavor of fight sports and what exactly we’re doing here.** *“One thing that is great about being a fighter is, like, you can’t get cancelled,” Paul told me. In fact, boxing can be a way to monetize a bad reputation: people who would never dream of buying a Jake Paul T-shirt might nevertheless pay to watch someone try to punch him in the face. Paul is not a great boxer, and it is by no means obvious that he will ever become one. But he is already one of the top-grossing fighters in the world.* *...* *The world of YouTubers thrives on endless reaction—a dizzying cascade of claims and counterclaims. But the accusations of sexual assault raise the possibility that Paul was not just a jerk but a predator. Earlier this year, a performer named Railey Lollie told the Times that she had begun working with Paul when she was seventeen, and that he often referred to her as “jailbait.” She also said that he had once groped her; in the paper’s account, “She forcefully told him to stop, and he ran out of the room.” Justine Paradise, a social-media personality, told a more detailed story in a video posted to YouTube. She said that she was friendly with Paul and that one night he took her to his bedroom, where they danced and then began kissing. In her account, Paul “tried to put his hands places that I didn’t want,” and she moved them away, but Paul ignored this rejection. “He undid his pants and grabbed my face and started fucking my face,” she said. Afterward, he brusquely told her that he wanted to rejoin his friends elsewhere in the house.* *Paul has called both of these allegations false. He told me he never would have called Lollie “jailbait” or groped her. And he said, of Paradise, “I didn’t even have any sort of a run-in with this girl.” More than once, he characterized the women’s accounts as “a cry for attention,” which might sound mean-spirited even to people who are inclined to believe his side of the story.* Yeah, OK, fuck Jake Paul. ### Crystal Keys to Victory: UFC 268 URL: https://www.comainevent.com/crystal-keys-to-victory-ufc-268/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:55.000Z *The following is a guest post from friend of the podcast Jessica Knapik. Think you have something of your own to contribute that the CME audience would be interested in? Go ahead and [email the podcast](https://www.comainevent.com/email-the-podcast/), dog.* Since the UFC decided to smash these two pay-per-views together, Crystal Keys To Victory is back already! Thank you for all the kindness and support on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/JessicaKnapik?ref=comainevent.com), it means a lot. (I want to put a heart emoji here REAL bad, but the CME is serious business.) On Saturday the UFC is back at Madison Square Garden, and your Queen of Quartz will be in attendance! That’s right. Ya girl (that’s me, Jessica) paid over a thousand bucks for her 10th row floor ticket. Just so I’m clearly getting this point across, that is over $1,000 (US) for one (1) ticket to UFC 268. I should be asking my crystals for at least $800 back, but together we are excited! If you’re at MSG for this event and you see me, please say hello. I just might bring some stones of the earth to give you. As I wrote [last time](https://www.comainevent.com/crystal-keys-to-victory-ufc-267/), this is mostly just some fun, adult whimsy. I don’t take it overly seriously and neither should you. Now onto this week’s guide to which crystals are best suited to help which fighters at Saturday’s pay-per-view event. **UFC 268** **Kamaru Usman** Fire Agate ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/fire-agate-jpeg.jpg) Builds a protective shield around the body. Has the unique ability to take negative energy and ill-wishes and return them back to their original sender. And if anyone deserves their nasty words and thoughts bounced back to them, isn’t it Colby Covington? **Rose Namajunas** Rose Aura Quartz ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/rose-aura-quartz-jpeg.jpg) Encourages you to be kind to yourself. Instills a calm, peaceful energy, the perfect remedy if you work too hard or tend to beat yourself up over things. Eases guilt, lowers stress, attracts love in all forms. Zhang Weili is tough as hell, but I can’t see this going different than the first time. Crystals and manifesting go hand in hand. “I’m the best. I’m the best.” **Justin Gaethje** Peridot ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/peridot-jpeg.jpg) Protects against sorcery and evil spirits. Eases fear and nerves. Instills confidence in one’s own abilities. It’s a talisman of luck, wealth, health, and happiness. I think Michael Chandler is going to be easy work for Gaethje. Green stones in general bring money money money, so bring on that 10th Performance or Fight of the Night bonus. *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### Is The Great Russian UFC Takeover finally upon us? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/is-the-great-russian-ufc-takeover-finally-upon-us/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:56.000Z You didn’t have to be a cultural anthropologist to note the theme at UFC 267. Of the six main-card fights on Saturday at the organization’s oddball *non*\-pay-per-view, five were won by Russian fighters. Plus, there were three more wins by Russians during the prelims. In total, 10 of the 28 fighters who competed at UFC 267 hailed from Russia, which for all you mathletes out there meant that the event was 35.714 percent Russian overall. Eat your heart out, advanced analytic nerds. Petr Yan (hometown: Dudinka, Krasnoyarsk Krai) reasserted himself at men’s bantamweight, claiming the interim title with a scary-ass performance against Cory Sandhagen. Khamzat Chimaev (Beno-Yurt, Chechnya) and Islam Makhachev (Makhachkala, Dagestan) made their bones as real-deal contenders in the welter and lightweight divisions, respectively. Alexander Volkov (Moscow) out-dueled Marcin Tybura at heavyweight and Magomed Ankalaev (Makhachkala, Dagestan) put on a performance against Volkan Oezdemir in the newly wide-open light heavyweight division that should have you stroking your beard and muttering "interesting ..." On the undercard, Zubaira Tukhugov (Grozny, Chechen-Ingush ASSR), Tagir Ulanbekov (Makhachkala, Dagestan) and Albert Duraev (Volgograd, Russia) all nabbed victories (Duraev's came, alas, over countryman Roman Kopylov \[Novosibirsk, Siberia\]). Only poor Shamil Gamzatov (Makhachkala, Dagestan) lost to a non-Russian, suffering a first-round TKO to Poland's Michał Oleksiejczuk. No other nation showed-out in such numbers. Because MMA, there were also six Brazilians on the card—and Glover Teixeira’s title win over Janny Blackjacks will likely be the lasting headline here—but it was clear this night was for flying the *Trikolor* flag. That’s the *horizontal* red, white and blue, if you nasty. Much can be attributed to sheer geography, of course. UFC 267 went down in Abu Dhabi, which, especially during #EverythingThat'sBeenGoingOn, has been an important way-station for the organization’s international fighters. It’s also a popular vacation destination for Russian travelers, so if you’re looking to showcase some Russian fighters in front of a partisan Russian crowd, Abu Dhabi is the spot to do it. (Editor’s note: Abu Dhabi is going to keep on being A Thing in the UFC for the foreseeable future, so it makes both good competitive and financial sense for the UFC to keep the pipeline of Russian fighters rolling. As of UFC 267, however, the promotion seemed to be making merely a halfhearted effort to get us all to continue calling the venue “Fight Island,” so at least *that* long nightmare might soon be over.) Nothing about this new Russian wave will surprise hardcore MMA fans. If you hang around online and follow people like the inimitable [Grabaka Hitman](https://twitter.com/Grabaka%5FHitman?ref=comainevent.com), then you already know there's some kind of MMA event going on in Russia 24/7/365\. These events typically feature seemingly unlimited rosters of fighters who all look like slightly different versions of the same dude beating the shit out of each other. Either that, or there’s, like, [team obstacle courses](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GixDXD44%5FyA&ref=comainevent.com) and whatnot. If watching that kind of stuff is your jam, then you’ve been predicting literally for years that the Russians were coming. There was always the sense that Khabib Nurmagomedov was just the tip of the spear and now that he's retired to become more powerful than we could possibly imagine as a coach/promoter/frequent Dana White dinner date, the UFC is on the hunt for The Next Khabib™. It’s no accident, then, that “Makhachkala, Dagestan” has already appeared in this article no fewer than three times. Hoo boy, those dudes can wrestle, am I right? But for a time the Great Russian UFC Takeover advanced at more of a trickle than a rush. But now, as the year of our lord 2021 prepares to draw to a close, here they are. The Russians are finally, fully at the gates. And they brought numbers. We know these things are cyclical. At least in the American MMA scene, the Brazilians broke through first and have stayed at the party ever since. Then White declared Canada the new Brazil. Then we forgot about Canada and Conor McGregor claimed the Irish weren’t just here to take part, they were here to take over. More recently, we’ve had a mini-influx of Australian/New Zealanders with the rise of City Kickboxing and champions Israel Adesanya and Alexander Volkanovski. Now it feels like the Russians are about to take their turn, possibly in a way so dominant it'll make McGregor’s quip about “taking over” look somewhat foolhardy. And that's cool, man. One of the most interesting things about MMA has always been its international flavor. There are a lot of different ways to skin this particular cat and half the fun is that there are such diverse philosophies on how to find successs. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu folks, for example, have largely gone about it with a much different attitude than, say, the American wrestlers. Now we might be about to get a good, long look at the Russian way of doing things. Of course, the Russians aren't brand new to the party. Far from it. I don’t need to tell you guys about Mr. Fedor and Igor Zinoviev and the like. You already know. But most of those Russian legends did the bulk of their work outside the UFC. Way back in the pioneer days, you had Oleg Taktarov do some good things—he placed second at the Ultimate Ultimate in 1995—and then went on to a nice career as an actor. You had a couple Belarusians like Andrei Arlovski and Vladimir Matyushenko being fairly major players, but Belarus split away from the USSR in the early '90s, and I'd be very surprised if either of those guys would be super excited about any description of themselves as "Russian." (BTW, if you want to read the story of Matyushenko's defection, check out[ this Josh Gross joint](https://www.sherdog.com/news/articles/Vladimir-Matyushenkos-Journey-to-Freedom-174934?ref=comainevent.com).) Likewise, the UFC would obviously very much like to make Valentina Shevchenko a star in that part of the world but, again, Shevchenko is from Kyrgyzstan, which broke away from the Soviet Union around the same time as Belarus. Kyrgyzstan, in case you’re wondering, now has an [incredibly dope flag](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyrgyzstan?ref=comainevent.com). But, honestly, there’s been surprisingly little purely Russian influence in the modern UFC until, I guess, right now. Khabib was the first UFC champion to (seemingly proudly) compete under the Russian flag, and he didn’t win gold until UFC 233 in 2018\. So, if you count Khabib and Yan, that’s just two Russian champions in the entire modern history of the UFC. That’s not very many! And maybe that’s why UFC 267 seemed like kind of a landmark event for Russian fighters in the world’s largest MMA promotion. Because, brother, if you look at some of these guys who competed on Saturday, it’s pretty easy to imagine that the total number of Russian UFC champions is about to INCREASE. Maybe by a lot. Nothing is a given, of course. Once-promising MMA careers can short circuit in a million fucking ways. But one of the things that sets this new Russian wave of fighters apart from previous contributions by those Canadians, Irish and New Zealanders, is the feeling that a whole BUNCH of these dudes are about to be a PROBLEM. If you told me that we fast-forwarded a year or 18-months into the future and Yan, Chimaev, Makhachev and Ankalaev were all champions in their respective weight classes, I wouldn’t be surprised. Oh, and all of this is to say nothing of dudes like Askar Askarov, the 14-0-1 flyweight who fought current champ Brandon Moreno to a draw in his UFC debut in 2019; Damir Ismagulov, the 9-0 lightweight with a four-fight UFC win-streak; Arman Tsarukyan (pictured above), the 17-2 lightweight who just beat the brakes off Christos Giagos in September; or Movsar Evloev, a 15-0 featherweight with five straight UFC wins. And those are just the guys that I, an idiot (!), can name right off the top of my head. In the end, the question may not be whether Russian fighters are about to become major players atop multiple UFC divisions, but exactly *how* Russian we can expect things to get around here. For a potential answer to that, I’m just going to leave you with this, a look at Albert Duraev’s current profile photo at [Tapology](https://www.tapology.com/fightcenter/fighters/18658-albert-duraev?ref=comainevent.com): ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/albert_duraev_back_in_black_2.jpg) Yep, that's pretty Russian. *(Lead photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)* ### To: Nate Diaz, From: CME Consulting Services LLC, Re: Khamzat Chimaev URL: https://www.comainevent.com/to-nate-diaz-from-cme-consulting-services-llc-re-khamzat-chimaev/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:56.000Z Hey Nathan, thanks for reaching out to CME Consulting Services LLC. We received your $40 via Venmo and your request to “figure out what to do about this motherfucking Khamzat bullshit or whatever.” We think we have a pretty good handle on where things stand right now, but it’s always helpful to begin by laying out the facts and looking at the situation critically. For starters, it’s our understanding that you’d like to finish up this last fight on your UFC contract and then try out life as a free agent. It’s also our understanding that Mr. Chimaev has volunteered to be your opponent in that final contracted fight, and UFC President Dana White has said he is “100 percent” interested in making the fight a reality. So the question before us is clear: should you take this fight if and when it is offered? Here’s where we must address an uncomfortable possibility. No offense, Nathan, but this guy might beat you. But, you know, he’ll probably only “beat” you the way others have, which is to say by manipulating the rules and judging criteria and, as you might put it, running like scared little bitches. But still. The man is a pretty good fighter, plus he’s big and strong and knows his way around a takedown. Let us say, just for the sake of argument, that he were to beat you. That would be your third consecutive loss in the UFC, and it would no doubt be accompanied by Mr. White denigrating your current abilities and past accomplishments in an attempt to drive down your value on the open market. There could also be – how shall we put this – certain physical consequences accompanying such a fight. But those have never seemed to bother you much before. What we have to consider, for the sake of this worst-case-scenario, is how much it matters in the big picture sense. We hesitate to speculate too much on what your future plans might be, but it seems at least possible that they might include a boxing match against some blonde man by the name of Mr. Paul. If that were the case, would a loss to someone like Mr. Chimaev in the final bout of your UFC tenure really alter the financial equation so drastically? We tend to think not, and one reason for that is exposure. Clearly, the UFC is invested in the success of Mr. Chimaev. Your bout with him would be featured prominently on whichever fight card it appeared on, with plenty of pre-fight promotion that gets your name in the news. Even if you were to then lose in front of this large audience, well, forgive us for noting that prior losses have not significantly damaged your personal brand or overall fan appeal. People like you, Nathan. They enjoy cheering for you. They don’t seem overly concerned with whether you win or lose. You could fight Mr. Chimaev, accept whatever outcome results from it, and still remain a marketable commodity in a hypothetical boxing match with either of the Brothers Paul. It might even be better if you were to lose to a grappling specialist like Mr. Chimaev, since it would give you the opportunity to remark that you are sick of opponents who just want to hold you down and you would much rather stand and bang in boxing, where the paydays for popular fighters such as yourself are also much bigger and without onerous contract restrictions. On the flip side, let’s think about what happens if you decline to fight Mr. Chimaev. According to the standard UFC contract, turning down an official fight offer allows the UFC to extend your contract by six months. Even then, the offer you do receive may be even less appealing, perhaps against someone lesser known who brings far less exposure to the fight. One thing we can be sure of is that the UFC will want to end your contract on a loss if at all possible. And if you keep turning down uninteresting, unknown, or unfavorable opponents, your contract could be continually extended until the public loses interest or the Brothers Paul move to a Mars colony and/or are jailed for their part in a money laundering scheme. Really, Nathan, there’s only one reason we can think of why you shouldn’t take a fight with Mr. Chimaev. That reason is spite. To accept this fight, at this time, would undoubtedly feel like playing into the UFC’s hands. We know you value your independence. You are very much your own man. Something of an iconoclast, if you will. To allow yourself to be manipulated by such a classic and well-used UFC scheme as this would probably sting a little. But that sting, Nathan? That, as Marcellus Wallace might say, is pride fucking with you. And on the other side of that sting waits free agency, a potential big money boxing match, and an unfettered life outside the confines of a UFC contract. We believe the trade-off is worth it for you. Furthermore, we think you should not only accept the fight but demand it. The sooner the better. And if the fight does not materialize for any reason? Please do not hesitate to suggest publicly and repeatedly that it is due to the UFC trying to protect Mr. Chimaev from ending up on the business end of a Stockton slap. We hope that this advice has been helpful and useful. Please do reach out with any further questions or concerns. It has been a pleasure doing business with you. Sincerely, Ben and Chad, CME Consulting Services LLC *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### Episode 475: All hail the great and powerful Glover URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-475-all-hail-the-great-and-powerful-glover/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:56.000Z Download [Episode\_475.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F475.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) You know what, in this sport, we'll take the feel-good stories where we can get them. Glover Teixeira winning his first UFC title at 42 while being universally liked and unyieldingly positive is a feeling we want to hold onto. Perhaps the only downer here was the Janny Blackjacks (also seemingly a good dude) had to lose. Plus, Petr Yan starts off scary and only gets scarier, big wins for Khamzat Chimaev and Islam Makhachev and we look ahead to dueling title fights at UFC 268. (Photo by H John Voorhees III/Hearst Connecticut Media) ### The Potato Index: Who's up, down, and all around after UFC 267 URL: https://www.comainevent.com/the-potato-index-whos-up-down-and-all-around-after-ufc-267/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:57.000Z UFC 267 turned out to be just as fun to watch as it looked on paper, and not just because the early start time made watching it with a bunch of donuts slightly less weird. Now a look at who raised and lowered their stock on Saturday in Abu Dhabi. **Glover Teixeira +4200** This delightful motherfucker really went and gave us the feel-good UFC title victory of the year. Goes in there a couple days after his 42nd birthday, wallops Janny B upside the head and then sinks the choke, and now he’s the UFC light heavyweight champ. Anyone still sad that Jon Jones bailed on the division? Because so far it’s been a refreshing change to see some good dudes get their chance with the belt. **Jan Blachowicz -33** Obviously it would be better to win your title fight than to lose it. But if you can’t win it? The next best thing is handling it that well. He just flat out got beat this time. It happens. **Jon Jones -56** You knew he’d have some shit to say no matter how things went. Reveling in Blachowicz’s misfortune on Twitter earned him the predictable responses that all said something along the lines of, ‘fight someone who’s not the mother of your children, bro.’ Only Jones could find a way to look bad in a division he’s not in at a fight card he didn’t compete on. **Petr Yan +518** Goddamn this guy is good at fighting. The more we see of him, the more it seems like the best bet is to get after him early. Because once he settles into a fight as the rounds wear on he starts putting together some Van Damme shit in there and then you’ve basically got no chance. As long as he can maintain his tenuous grasp on the unified rules, he’s got a very good chance to unify that bantamweight title and hold onto it for a good long while. **Cory Sandhagen -47** On paper, this looks like a two-fight losing streak for a dude who seemed like the potential future of the division a year ago. But that just goes to show you that wins and losses don’t always tell you the whole story, since you’ve got to be pretty damn good to even make it that close against a guy like Yan. Sandhagen still probably smokes 90 percent of the division. And he might have to in order to get another title shot soon. **Islam Makhachev +72** It’s starting to seem like pulling out of a fight with this dude is a smart career move. Unless you just really love getting your arm all bent out of shape while Khabib shouts encouragement from three feet away. **Dan Hooker -36** The guy’s got some stones to even take this fight under these circumstances, but that might just be another way of saying he did something dumb and paid for it. This was always going to be a tough style match-up for him. Jumping in there without a full training camp to prepare for it yields predictable results, and now there goes whatever momentum he’d created for himself. **Khamzat Chimaev +117** This dude may have cracked the code for career longevity in this sport. It involves winning quickly and taking basically zero punches in the process. Woe be unto the UFC executive who gets caught looking at his phone during this guy’s fights. Because you know he’s going to notice while he’s picking people up and carrying on a conversation with you at the same time. **All this Hasbullah shit -208** Near as I can tell the appeal here is: what if angry and violent but small? Which, fine, social media phenomenons have been built on shakier ground than that. But when you’ve got all these fighters treating him like he’s part pet and part mascot, I don’t know, it just gets weird and cloying, man. **Lerone Murphy +95** He had the best finish on the card with that knee to Mr. Finland’s dome, and he seemed pretty confident it would get him a $50,000 bonus. Apparently he forgot how often the UFC acts like prelim fighters aren’t even really eligible for those. Murphy has some legit skills and is worth keeping an eye on. **Referee Vyacheslav Kiselev -171** It’s not just that he was on some ‘if he dies, he dies’ shit in that EZ Dos Santos vs. Benoit Saint Denis fight. It’s also that he stood right there as Saint Denis told him he couldn’t see and his response was essentially: bummer but game on. Then he somehow finds it necessary to deduct a point from Dos Santos for a pretty typical accidental low blow? What a mix of under and overreactions. *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### CME Power Hour: Glover Teixeira is in our Tree of Trust URL: https://www.comainevent.com/cme-power-hour-glover-teixeira-is-in-our-tree-of-trust/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:57.000Z Glover Teixeira had a birthday this week, turned 42 years old, which would make him the oldest fighter to capture his first UFC title if he manages to upset Janny Blackjacks on Saturday. Tell you what, it's been downright heartwarming to watch Glover and Blachowicz interact this week. Just a couple of super nice guys about to go out there and fight each other in a cage. In $20 We Never Want to See Again, we both dabble with some new betting systems, though only one of us pushes the limit to the limit. Plus, in Power Rankings, Joanna Former Champion would like to get paid, Sean Strickland says he used to be a neo-Nazi, and how can we go on living our normal lives now that we know Reug Reug wants Pudzian? That's all over at the [CME Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/posts/cme-patreon-hour-58036786?ref=comainevent.com), where you can support our endeavors and unlock a ton of extra content. ### Ranking the nicknames at UFC 267, from worst to best URL: https://www.comainevent.com/ranking-the-nicknames-at-ufc-267-from-worst-to-best/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:57.000Z UFC 267 is almost upon us, and we’d be lost if we didn’t have a detailed examination of all the nickname options coming to us from Abu Dhabi this Saturday morning. Here they are from worst to best. **NR: Jan Blachowicz** **Glover Teixeira** **Islam Makhachev** **Magomed Ankalaev** **Amanda Ribas** **Roman Kopylov** **Andre Petroski** **Tagir Ulanbekov** That there are this many fighters without nicknames really highlights two things: 1) There are a ton of fights on this fucking card, and 2) If you’re lovable enough we might not even notice you don’t have a nickname until we go check. Your boy Janny Blackjacks? The big homie Glover Teixeira? Even Amanda Ribas with her infectious enthusiasm. They kind of don’t even need an official nickname. Islam Makhachev, though, might want to consider one. Otherwise we *will* just call your ass New Khabib. Don’t think we won’t. But also, before we go any further, there are several fighters on this card who have a nickname on sites like Tapology or Sherdog, but not on the UFC website. This suggests that the UFC doesn’t actually know all these people that well. In fairness, there’s a ton of them. **20\. Hu Yaozong: Bad Boy** Okay, bro. **19\. Zubaira Tukhogov: Warrior** Calling yourself “warrior” in the world of pro fighting just seems a little too on the nose. It’s also just unremarkable. Look around, my dude. It’s all warriors here. This is one step up from just nicknaming yourself “fighter.” **18\. Benoit Saint-Denis: God of War** I was just about to be all like, ‘you’re telling me the god of war is a French welterweight on the damn prelims?’ And then I saw he’s undefeated. So, hey, maybe? **17\. Shamil Gamzatov: Umar** This either refers to the Muslim caliph and father-in-law of the prophet Muhammad or a Marvel comics character described as an “energy being” trapped in human form. I think you know which one we’re rooting for. **16\. Marcin Tybura: Tybur** It’s off-putting when your nickname looks like someone just stopped when they were almost done typing your last name. **15\. Michal Oleksiejczuk: Lord** This one is really only fun if you imagine being said as part of a frustrated sigh. **14\. Elizeu Dos Santos: Capoeira** Still think he’d be much better off, career-wise, leaning into our suggestion that he rebrand himself as “E.Z. Dos Santos.” Choosing instead to go with a nickname that’s nothing more than the name of one of the least useful “martial” arts, well, at least he doesn’t have to worry that a ton of other fighters will do the same. **13\. Ricardo Ramos: Carachinha** According to everybody's favorite Brazilian friend and media goddess [Fernanda Prates](https://twitter.com/NandaPrates%5F?ref=comainevent.com), this is basically the diminutive form of “carcass.” As in, when he started out he was so skinny his coaches called him the carcass. Only there already was a dude nicknamed carcass, so they altered it to make Ramos essentially “Lil Carcass.” Also? He apparently didn’t like the nickname, which is when it *really* stuck. Classic nickname story, honestly. **12\. Lerone Murphy: The Miracle** In a way, aren’t we all miracles? The miracle of life. The miracle of birth. Why is there something rather than nothing? It’s a goddamn miracle, is what it is. **11\. Cory Sandhagen: The Sandman** I get it. It was right there. You’re mainly a submissions guy and you already have “sand” in your name. It just feels a little too Rocky movie for my tastes, but it ain’t terrible. **10\. Dan Hooker: The Hangman** Objectively cool. And when your last name is Hooker, you either go for a regrettable pun or you do anything you can to draw attention away from it. **9\. Makwan Amirkhani: Mr. Finland** Listen, you put this on your dating profile and you’re gonna be swimming in it, know what I’m saying? **8\. Albert Duraev: Machete** Much better if you pronounce it like you’re Danny Trejo. **7\. Virna Jandiroba: Carcara** Also from Fernanda, it’s a bird. As Jandiroba once explained: “The carcará is very known for being an opportunistic, incisive bird. I go in with that spirit. I wanted to pick something that represented the spirit of the sertão of the Northeast, where I come from, and this idea came up.” Listen, you adopt the name of an opportunistic bird and I am immediately on your side. **6\. Alexander Volkov: Drago** Tall blonde Russian? Yep, it checks out. Now I know why it’s so satisfying for Brazilian people when a fighter’s nickname is just a direct reference to some TV show character only they know about. **5\. Petr Yan: No Mercy** The existence of No Mercy implies the existence of Some Mercy and All Mercy. Frankly I’d rather fight either of those other dudes. Bet they wouldn’t knee you in the skull when you’re down. **4\. Allan Nascimento: Puro Osso** Google tells me that this translates to “pure bone,” which is fucking rad to think about. No muscle. No ligaments. Not even any internal organs or skin. The man is just bone all over. Even though it may come with some built-in deficiencies, I promise you don’t want to tangle with that man. Or even really be touched by him. **3\. Li Jingliang: The Leech** Others have tried, but there’s only one. It fits his fighting style. It’s fun to say. There’s an alliterative element. He IS the leech. You can’t fuck with that. **2\. Khamzat Chimaev: Borz** Imagine you show up to fight someone and people are like, ‘well he’s undefeated.’ Okay, that’s a little worrying, but maybe he’s just a can-crusher. Then they tell you he’s from Chechnya. Now that’s concerning. Then they tell you his nickname is Borz. The fuck is a Borz? ‘It’s the Chechen gray wolf, the national animal.’ Well that ain’t a *great* sign. ‘It’s also the name given to improvised machine guns used by Chechen guerillas.’ Nope, fuck this, I’m going home. **1\. Volkan Oezdemir: No Time** When your nickname comes with its own signature hand gesture – let this man knock someone out and just SEE if he doesn’t point to the place on his bare wrist where a watch might normally be worn – you know you’re doing something right. His relevance in the UFC might have faded in recent years, but the nickname still kicks serious ass. *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### STOP THE PRESSES: Reug Reug wants to fight Mariusz Pudzianowski & This. Is. Not. A. Drill. ... Or is it? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/stop-the-presses-reug-reug-wants-to-fight-mariusz-pudzianowski-this-is-not-a-drill-or-is-it/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:57.000Z Oh my fucking god, you guys, Reug Reug wants to fight Mariusz Pudzianowski—and he reportedly wants to do it to avenge the honor of The Bombardier. Speaking to French language show [Lutte TV](https://luttetv.com/video-urgent-en-colere-reug-reug-veut-prendre-la-revanche-de-b52-contre-pudzian-dina-ko-doumeu-en%5F22056.html?ref=comainevent.com) this week, Oumar Kane (aka Reug Reug, aka the fucking "Lightning of Thiaroye" \[!\] apparently) said his guy Serigne Ousmane Dia (aka The Bombardier, aka the fellow who just got flattened by Pudzianowski in 18 seconds) has been taking some heat in their home country after his poor showing last weekend at KSW 64. Reug Reug is not trying to hear that, see. “What hurts me the most are the critics in Senegal after the defeat of Bombardier,” he said, though the magic of Google Translate and a transcription from the equally French [WiwSport.com](https://wiwsport-com.translate.goog/2021/10/27/mma-reug-reug-pret-a-prendre-la-revanche-de-bombardier-contre-mariusz-pudzianowski/?%5Fx%5Ftr%5Fsl=auto&%5Fx%5Ftr%5Ftl=en&%5Fx%5Ftr%5Fhl=en-US&%5Fx%5Ftr%5Fpto=nui&ref=comainevent.com)\*. “The Senegalese should know that he represented our country so everyone should encourage him and not criticize him … Mariusz Pudzianowski doesn’t scare me. If I am offered a contract against Pudzianowski I will take it and I will beat him.” Reug Reug is described by Lutte TV as being “very angry” and these certainly sound like fighting words. Full disclosure, there’s also a sentence in the original quote where he says, “Shooting planes is nothing at all and the Senegalese want to do something incredible with it.” Yeah, not sure what that means at all, unless it’s a reference to The Bombardier that lost a little something in translation. Honestly, this fight gives me a tingling feeling in my extremities just thinking about it. This guy Reug Reug out here casually trying to set up an MMA bout between two of the mightiest forces in the known universe that would have the potential of tipping the earth from its very axis and HOLY SHIT IS THIS A THING THAT COULD ACTUALLY REALLY HAPPEN??? Now, wait. Slow down, Chad. Slow down. Just breathe into this paper bag for a minute. Do that thing where you touch the tip of each finger with your thumb—the one your therapist says will help keep you grounded and in the moment. Do your eight-count breathing. There. OK. You ready to go on? We all know you’re excited, but you can’t just fly off the handle like that, OK, buddy? People are reading this shit. This isn’t your fucking dream journal. You gotta play it cool. And listen, there are some pretty big real-world obstacles in the way of a fight like this ever becoming a reality. I mean, last we heard, Reug Reug was still under contract to One Championship. You remember them—Chatri and them dudes? Guys who always make the wild claims about the viewership numbers? Send out the outlandish press releases? Yeah, them. Reug Reug fought three times for One in 2021, going 2-1\. The last was that weird loss to Kirill Grishenko in April that involved both a last-minute change of opponent due to some COVID stuff and then an incident where Grishenko maaaybe seemed to punch Kane after the bell. But wait! The plot thickens. Lutte TV reports that Reug Reug is in America right now getting ready for a “fight” against Gouye Gui on January 2\. That contest—and it’s frankly really hard to tell what kind of contest we’re talking about here—is reportedly being promoted by something called the IGFM and is set to go down in “the national stadium.” [Lutte TV says ](https://luttetv.com/video--gouye-gui-vs-reug-reug-pour-le-2-janvier-mawo-cisse-di-ngen-giss-lou-graw-bess-ba%5F21941.html?ref=comainevent.com)Kane and Gui are “sworn enemies” and “will not give each other a gift.” Again, Google Translate, y’all. If I had to guess, I’d say we’re probably talking about a traditional Senegalese wrestling match here between Kane and Gui, which would be fucking awesome in its own right. But obviously that raises some questions. Does Reug Reug have a carve-out in his One contract that allows him to compete in his primary discipline? Are his MMA fortunes still controlled by One? Is he under contract to One at all? Seems like One would be foolish to let him go, so I’m additionally guessing the answers to those questions are in order: Yes, yes and yes. So, is Reug Reug hashtag Just Sayin’ Stuff here? It’s possible. His contract situation obviously could make it tough for this unbelievably awesome weirdsmobile fight to actually happen. But, my god, if ever there was a time for the fun-loving carnival barkers of KSW and the straight-laced, honor-obsessed nerds of One Championship to kick down the forbidden door and co-promote some shit THIS IS FUCKING IT. Until then, I’ll be over her dream journaling about it. \*Special shoutout to the eagle-eyed members of the CME Patreon for apparently being out here scouring the French-language MMA scene and tipped us to this story. You all are the true heroes. (Photo by OneFC) *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### Come friends, let us LOL at every single thing about Khamzat Chimaev's UFC 267 weigh-in URL: https://www.comainevent.com/come-friends-let-us-lol-at-every-single-thing-about-khamzat-chimaevs-ufc-267-weigh-in/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:58.000Z Bless this dumb sport of ours, for it always finds ways to surprise us. Take, for example, Khamzat Chimaev’s weigh-in at UFC 267 over there in Abu Dhabi. This motherfucker rolled up in here for his first fight since a lengthy and severe battle with Covid and then was last on the scale at the very end of Friday’s weigh-in window, which right there ain’t a great sign. But then! Then he went and did the ol’ Daniel Cormier towel trick RIGHT IN FRONT OF EVERYONE’S FACES. > [](https://twitter.com/btsportufc/status/1454037378247577601?ref=comainevent.com) You’d think that the sea-faring regulators over there on Fight Island would be hip to this move by now, wouldn’t you? Especially since it’s basically just the UFC regulating itself. But no, Chimaev got up there with his fingers pinching cotton and they looked right at him like, ‘yeah no this is all looks fine to us.’ And yet! Even then he came in a half-pound over weight, clocking in at 171.5 for the welterweight fight. So fine, let’s give him another hour to lose that weight. Only when he came back to try again, this man went and leaned on the towel so hard you could see the cloth *straining*. But it worked. Too well. And this time he was 166 pounds. LOfuckingL. Here’s where we must pause and shout out the efforts of the UFC’s Heidi Dean, who can be heard off-camera pointing out the absurdity of this turn of events. Because, see, the dude running the scales? He seemed content to just accept this. ‘Oh the fighter struggled to get down to 171 pounds just a little bit ago? Sure I see no reason he couldn’t suddenly be WAY UNDER the welterweight limit.’ That seemed reasonable to him! But it sure sounds like the voice of Dean – a consummate pro and veteran of working this here fight game – you hear asking incredulously, ‘He lost five pounds??’ Because no he fucking didn’t, and we all know it. He just figured he’d better get it right this time and in his exuberance he leaned on the towel too hard. And yet the answer that comes back from the brainiac running the scale? “There’s something wrong with the scale.” No, my guy. There’s something wrong with your eyes. You stood right there in front of him and didn’t even notice that Chimaev was blatantly pulling a well-known weigh-in trick on you. How is that possible? How is it that the only person in MMA who doesn’t know this maneuver by now is the one guy responsible for reading the scale when fighters step on it? Finally, we get the bright idea to have this dude weigh-in with his hands over his head and he makes 171 pounds. At last, this comedy of errors can come to an end. And we trust that no one has learned a single thing. See, this is where the absurdity of the fight game really shines through. We treat these weigh-ins like an event unto themselves. It is vitally important that these people be not just around the same size, but zeroed in down to the fucking ounce. Oh you’re half a pound over? Unacceptable! Even though it is widely known and accepted that neither of you actually weighs this much, that you’re in fact only going to weigh this for about the next 30 seconds, we *insist* that you maintain the grand illusion by hitting the right number on the scale. To do anything else would be disgustingly unprofessional. But even then, our dedication to exact weights and measures can be fooled by a guy holding onto a towel right in front of our fucking faces. The only thing that gives him away, in fact, is doing it *too well*. If he’d just taken it easy without absolutely forcing us to confront the physical improbability of what we were seeing, he would have gotten away with it! Oh, the wondrous ridiculousness of it all. See? MMA always finds ways to entertain. You just have to relax your eyes and your expectations to appreciate it all. *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### Doin' the Damn Thing: Ghosts, aliens, monsters & conspiracy theories URL: https://www.comainevent.com/doin-the-damn-thing-ghosts-aliens-monsters-conspiracy-theories/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:58.000Z In accordance with this, the spookiest time of year, we channel our inner Joe Rogans for a sweeping discussion of the supernatural and the unexplained. Do we believe in ghosts? No way! Unless we're scared. Plus, our children are freaking out at the prospect of their first real Halloween since the pandemic began, we dip into the world of conspiracy theories AND check-in with our beloved Kraken. Don't be scared, homie! Unless you're scared. *Want to listen to this episode of Doin' the Damn Thing? Just zombie shamble over to [our Patreon page](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com) and join the team.* ### Serious Question: Do you tell someone his father has died before or after he fights for $1 million? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/serious-question-do-you-tell-someone-his-father-has-died-before-or-after-he-fights-for-1-million/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:58.000Z So the grand ol’ PFL wrapped up its 2021 season on Wednesday night, which it tried repeatedly to brand as the “biggest night in mixed martial arts.” Which, first of all, how you gonna have the biggest night in MMA on a Wednesday? And why does it start in the mid-afternoon but somehow take forever to get to the good stuff? But fine, this was the one where we go through the annual ritual of awarding Kayla Harrison another big-ass check for beating up some human sacrifice. Plus we got to see that the MMA evolution of boxing champ Claressa Shields has apparently stalled at the ‘just hope they don’t go for takedowns on you’ stage. But wait, what’s this about this year’s heavyweight winner Bruno Cappelozza? You’re telling us his father died three days before his fight and no one told him?? That … is some heavy shit, man. Apparently Cappelozza’s dad Joao died on Sunday. But his fight with Ante Delija for the 2021 PFL heavyweight title was on Wednesday (the biggest mid-week day in MMA). So rather than send the guy in there overcome by grief, everyone kept his father’s death a secret from him. Which seems like the kind of thing you might be grateful for in a way, if you’re Cappelozza, but also might leave you with some complicated goddamn feelings. I mean, we all see the logic. If you’re not able to be with your family or help out in any way, seeing as how you’re in Hollywood, Fla., getting ready to do the damn thing, what’s the point of knowing? And if you do know, it’s bound to distract you from your work, which in this case is fighting a fellow heavyweight in a cage for a million bucks. That’s the kind of thing you want to be fully focused on. Still, it’s some cold-ass shit to keep that secret from a person. For three days. And then, right after he wins the biggest fight of his life, you hit him with the bad news portion of his day. And the bad news is really, really bad. It makes you wonder, would they have still told him right away after the fight if he’d lost? What if he’d gotten knocked out, raising the possibility that you might tell him only to have him forget? Coaches have told stories about having the same exact conversation with their recently concussed fighters over and over in a maddening loop while sitting around the ER or a hotel room. You really want to do that with news like ‘by the way your dad is dead’? Because that actually sounds like pure hell – for everybody. But if you don’t tell him right away, maybe it becomes a slippery slope. You say you’ll tell him in the morning. Then you put it off until after breakfast. Then you decide you don’t want him sitting there on the whole flight home being tortured by it. Next thing you know you’re in some kind of emotional “Weekend At Bernie’s” situation and you have become a monster unrecognizable to yourself. Luckily, Cappelozza won. That does make for a hell of an emotional rollercoaster – [on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/p/CVj12f0glV6/?ref=comainevent.com) Cappelozza called it the “happiest and saddest day of (his) life” – but you also know it could have been worse. Just gotta wonder, how do you not go into future fights without worrying that people are keeping important info from you? Maybe you really wouldn’t want to know until all the punching is over. Or maybe you wouldn’t want everyone else making those decisions for you. I tell ya, this goddamn fight game. Just when you think you’ve seen all the impossible choices it has to offer, it finds new ones. *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### Crystal Keys to Victory: UFC 267 URL: https://www.comainevent.com/crystal-keys-to-victory-ufc-267/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:59.000Z *The following is a guest post from friend of the podcast Jessica Knapik. Think you have something of your own to contribute that the CME audience would be interested in? Go ahead and [email the podcast](https://www.comainevent.com/email-the-podcast/), dog.* So here you are, about to read a guide matching up fighters with the crystals (also known around the Co-Main Event as “stones of the earth") that will help them the most in their battles to come. I should explain. Those of you who follow me on Twitter ([@JessicaKnapik](https://twitter.com/JessicaKnapik?ref=comainevent.com)) have no doubt seen Crystal Keys to Victory before. But the origin story is this: I used to work at a tattoo shop that was an hour away in the car, so podcasts became a good friend. I was listening to one of my favorites, MMA Fighting’s “The A Side,” and our old pal Jared Cannonier was coming off a big win over Jack Hermansson. José Youngs and Petesy Carroll were discussing how, after his fight, he excitedly held up a hefty chunk of Pyrite, something he saw as a powerful good luck charm. They were, of course, poking a little fun at him. It’s not every day a killer holds up a healing crystal on national television. But I’m something of a crystal head myself, so I hit them up on Twitter to show them my car crystals. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/car-crystals-jpeg.jpg) Guess why I call them my car crystals. Go ahead. Just take a guess. Obviously, I was kidding. Kind of. But I also believe in them. Kind of. Plus I wanted to have Cannonier’s back (like he needs my help). It quickly took on a life of its own, and nearly every episode of “The A Side” going forward had a mention of crystals … and the Crystal Crew … and Team Crystal. By nature I’m one of those people who will take a joke to the furthest extent possible, so I came up with a super serious-looking weekly Twitter crystal fight breakdown called, you guessed it, Crystal Keys To Victory. It involved a surprising amount of research for something that was about 70 percent a joke to begin with. I’ve also had actual UFC fighters you know and love reach out to me to ask which crystals they should bring to the cage. Seriously. By now you’re probably wondering, ‘is this person a total whackadoo?’ I assure you I’m not a whackadoo. Not entirely, anyway. I just feel there’s nothing wrong with adults having a little whimsy in their lives. We all remember finding a stick or a rock in our yard as a kid and for whatever reason thinking it was special. To me that’s all this is. And I encourage you, as Crystal Keys To Victory continues to drop prior to UFC pay-per-view cards, if any of the particular crystal attributes sound like something you need help with, by all means, Google your local metaphysical store. You will likely meet some true whackadoos there. But go anyway and throw a crystal in your pocket. What’s the worst that could happen? ## UFC 267 **Jan Blachowicz** Polish Flint ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/polish-flint-jpeg.jpg) This rare stone from Poland has a unique & magnificent energy. Known as a protective talisman, dispels negativity from haunted places, relieves shyness, brings physical strength during confrontations. All things you might want to have going for you as you defend your UFC title against a lovable underdog. **Cory Sandhagen** Sandstone ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/sanddstone-jpeg.jpg) Often called a “Stone of Creativity,” keeps you from getting distracted, keeps your mind clear when making decisions, controls mood swings, helps you determine who around you is full of shit. In this way you might avoid making the same errors others have made when they freak out and blatantly break the rules in a title fight they were otherwise on their way to winning. Not naming names, just saying. **Khamzat Chimaev** Black Sapphire ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/black-saphire-jpeg.jpg) Provides a calm strength in high stress or chaotic situations, boosts employment prospects & assists in retaining a job. Loved by cats & may be rubbed on their paws to keep them from running away. Just the thing for when you’re returning to work after long absence due to illness and you weren’t always sure you’d ever make it back. *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### Mike Perry signs with BKFC, thus fulfilling ancient prophecy of doom URL: https://www.comainevent.com/mike-perry-signs-with-bkfc-thus-fulfilling-ancient-prophecy-of-doom/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:40:59.000Z Okay, so, we weren’t sure whether or not we should mention this, but recently we unearthed these ancient scrolls in one of the many caves hidden high on the barren rock face of Mount Xyience. At first we didn’t think much of it. Just your typical dusty parchment foretelling a coming age of doom and darkness. You know, basic cursed scroll kind of shit. But you guys? Lately some of the stuff in there has been coming true. First the “fallen emperor who shall regain his throne.” (Fedor, obvi.) Also the “sudden, unstoppable bloat” within the middleweight division. (Looking at you, Paulo Costa.) But we were totally mystified by the mention of a “platinum crown to be forged from uncovered hands.” Then we got a press release from Bare Knuckle FC on Tuesday afternoon. “BKFC Signs Former UFC Star ‘Platinum’ Mike Perry!” the email proclaimed. That’s when everything clicked. And lo we did look to the sky with ashen faces. And lo did we cry out vainly for mercy from brutally indifferent gods. I guess another way of putting it is, we have concerns. On one hand, sure, now that we see it in print this move seems inevitable. The whole damn career arc, from UFC flavor of the month to noted problem child to accused criminal with entire sections of his Wikipedia page that feature headings such as ‘domestic violence allegations’ and ‘restaurant fights in Texas.’ Of course it all flows like this, one thing to another, until the river empties into the sea. Mike Perry was born to be a goddamn bare-knuckle boxer. If that sport didn’t already exist they’d have to re-invent it for him. But just looking at this list of evil portents that lead up to a doomsday scenario, Perry to BKFC is right down there near the bottom. It’s basically just this, Randy Couture coming out of retirement, and ever meeting anyone in person who admits to regularly watching ONE Championship events. So you can see why, with this Perry thing, we’re starting to get worried. And then there’s this Conan the Barbarian-ass shit he’s quoted as saying in the press release: “Let’s skip all the formalities! This sport is evolving and I am here to strike fear into the hearts of my competitors! I plan to intimidate the world when I show what a truly skilled combat specialist is capable of with his bare hands. I will dismantle the opposition and reach the glory I have longed for my entire life. I will be crowned King of the streets and King of combat sports! They will make me a Platinum Crown and carry me on the bloody backs of my defeated rivals! I am here to go straight to the top and make anyone think twice about entering my world! BKFC is my world! #BloodSportDreamsandNitemares” I mean, talk about a statement that leaves you with more questions than answers. Questions such as: – You plan to intimidate … *the world*? – And when they carry you on the bloody backs of your defeated rivals, is it like piggyback style? Or like they’re laid out long-wise and lashed together in some sort of human raft? – Wait did they actually tell you that they’re going to make you a platinum crown? Like, is it in your contract? And when you asked for it, did the vibe in the room get weird as people sort of nodded their heads and mumbled without making eye contact? – The part at the end with the hashtag, did you actually say "hashtag" out loud? We’re not saying that Perry should be stopped by any means necessary from achieving these goals. We’re just saying that if this comes to pass then we have it on good authority that the oceans will boil and the sky will rain blood and darkness will consume the earth and Brendan Schaub will put out another comedy special. End fucking times, in other words. Though, hey, maybe by then we’ll be glad to get it over with. *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### Dana White has some, uhhhh, interesting thoughts on Nate Diaz & free agency URL: https://www.comainevent.com/dana-white-has-some-uhhhh-interesting-thoughts-on-nate-diaz-free-agency/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:00.000Z Shoutout to Canadian Big Dog [Aaron Bronsteter of TSN](https://www.tsn.ca/ufc/video/dana-white-on-teixeira-s-ascent-favourite-upcoming-fight-costa-situation-and-more~2308423?ref=comainevent.com) for using part of his regular Skype sesh with Dana White this week to try to dig up some clues about *The Mysterious Case of Nathan Donald Diaz and His UFC Contract*. With just one fight reportedly left on his current deal, Diaz has been hinting at a couple un-Diaz-ish potential options against Vicente Luque and/or Tony Ferguson. Considering Nate’s last fight was *also* a bit of a surprising match-up (against the long-suffering Leon Edwards), it has fueled speculation that Diaz is intent on fighting out his contract so he can test free agency. Couldn’t blame him if that was the case, right? The current lay of the combat sports land could be pretty sweet for a suddenly unencumbered Diaz. Former Known Associate Scott Coker would no doubt invite him for lunch at a San Jose-area gastropub the moment he hit the streets. The PFL is handing out those giant million-dollar checks to anybody who can get past a couple guys with “Magomed” in their names. The bareknuckle thing somehow is still going. One Championship keeps doing … whatever it is they do. Oh yeah, and then there’s that *other* set of fighting brothers out there offering allegedly big paydays to aging MMA fighters to strap on the big, goofy gloves for one-off punching-only fights. Don’t even sit there and try to pretend like you wouldn’t get-up for Nate Diaz vs. A Paul Brother in a boxing fight because that would make you a goddamn liar. Nate Diaz vs. A Paul Brother in a boxing fight would set the pay-per-view world on fire and everybody knows it. So yeah, if right now Diaz was thinking it might make good career sense to get paid more money to blow his weed smoke during somebody else’s prefight press conference, we could all understand. According to White, however, when Bronsteter asked him about Diaz’s future, the primary reason somebody might want to test free agency would be … you guessed it … if they were afraid they weren’t good enough anymore to keep fighting in the UFC. “Listen, for a lot of these guys, there’s no secret about it. If you believe that you are one of the best in the world and you believe you can win a world title here, or hang with the top five, then this is where you should be,” White said. “The minute that you start doubting that is the case, you’ve got to start looking at other options.” LOL. OK, couple things. First, we’d be remiss if we didn’t point out that White makes these statements—without a hint of irony—while *sitting in front of a wall that literally says ART OF WAR on it in huge letters*. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/screen-shot-2021-10-26-at-9-52-32-am.png) Just look at that fucking wall, man. I tell ya what, sometimes this sport … it’s a little bit too on-the-nose, you know what I mean? Second, this is obviously a hilarious thing to say. The first and maybe ONLY rule of how to conduct your prizefighting career should be: Always get paid the most money you possibly can. Negotiating your first fight? Get paid the most money you possibly can. A decade deep in the game and regarded as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world? Get paid the most money you possibly can! Maybe you’re, say, 36 years old and 1-3 in your last four but still a marketable and popular commodity in the industry? GET PAID THE MOST MONEY YOU POSSIBLY CAN. That’s it. That’s the entire calculus. For White to say anything else is just him flipping to page two of *The Dana White MMA Promoter Playbook*, scanning down through the sections labeled “Kid just doesn’t want to fight!” and “She looks like Wanderlei Silva in a Dress!” and reading whatever is written there. It’s also some shallow dime-store psychological BS. It’s a bit like what the high school football coach might say if you went into his office to tell him you were leaving the team because you think you might be able to get a scholarship to Julliard to play the cello and you want to focus your energy there. You’re really good at the cello, after all. “Well,” Coach White might say, leaning back on his creaky-ass office chair, adjusting his white visor and staring steadily at you, his second-team all-state free safety, “if you don’t think you’ve got the GUTS for football anymore, son, I understand.” And hey, let’s be honest. Dana White has spent the last twenty years or so being really, really good at saying exactly this kind of stuff. He’s been so good at it, he’s essentially convinced an entire generation of fight fans that they love MMA *fighting* but don’t suuuuper love MMA *fighters.* A beat later, White goes on: “There’s tons of other places where you can go fight and where you can make a lot of money,” he said. “A lot of these guys once they’ve built and established their name here, move on to these other promotions and make crazy money—and good for them. That’s just how it works. As far as Nate Diaz goes, I don’t know where Nate feels he is right now and what he feels his future could be if he signs another four or five-fight deal here.” OK, now that’s a lot more reasonable, but—as Ben Fowlkes [has already pointed out](https://www.comainevent.com/saying-the-quiet-part-out-loud-dana-white-on-kayla-harrisons-obscene-pfl-pay/)—it’s a little weird that the UFC seems to have established itself as the No. 1 fight promotion in the world that will absolutely NOT pay you No. 1 fight promotion money. And besides, if you’re Nate Diaz, do you really want to take career advice from your boss, while he sits inside his sprawling corporate headquarters in front of his custom-built ART OF WAR wall? Seems like a guy like that might not COMPLETELY have your best interests at heart. *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### Saying the Quiet Part Out Loud: Dana White on Kayla Harrison's 'obscene' PFL pay URL: https://www.comainevent.com/saying-the-quiet-part-out-loud-dana-white-on-kayla-harrisons-obscene-pfl-pay/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:00.000Z Two-time Olympic gold medalist Kayla Harrison is going to fight for another one of those giant PFL checks on Wednesday night, which means it’s time again for reporters to ask UFC President Dana White if he’s ready to get serious about signing her. The answer? Eh, not really. Not if she actually expects to be paid that kind of money on the regular. Here’s White [talking to the Canadian homie Aaron Bronsteter](https://twitter.com/aaronbronsteter/status/1452717866252443656?s=20&ref=comainevent.com). “They pay her an obscene amount of money to fight over there. If I was her, I’d stay right where she is and keep picking off the people over (there). When you come here? You know, Amanda Nunes is no joke. (Valentina) Shevchenko is no joke. Rose Namajunas is no … these are all the best women in the world. These are the best female fighters in the world. I don’t blame her. I would stay there and keep fighting the type of women she’s fighting there before I would come here and fight an Amanda Nunes, that’s for damn sure.” So that’s helpful career advice for Harrison. Might give you something to chew on if you’re one of those women fighting in the UFC, however, especially when you consider the ramifications of that whole “obscene amount of money” comment. When Harrison signed a new deal with PFL in the fall of 2019, she said it would likely make her one of the highest-paid female fighters in the sport. Her disclosed payout for her win at PFL 7 that October was $125,000 – and $100,000 of that was in base pay. Of course, that was two years ago and she also gets to fight for the million-dollar grand prize at the end of the season, which at this point feels like money in her pocket seeing as how she is much, much better at fighting than everyone she faces in PFL. That’s good money, sure, but is it really so crazy? She’s a goddamn Olympic gold medalist who gets in a cage and fights people three or four times a year. She’s basically the main attraction for PFL these days, and even if you take the grand prize as a given for her, she’s still probably making mid-range NFL kicker money after you take her training camp expenses and management fees into account. So if you’re a female champion in the UFC and you just heard your boss refer to that kind of money as “obscene,” what has he just told you about the limitations on your own earning power within his company? Here’s where we could also point out that the UFC itself is obscenely profitable. And White? He’s gotten obscenely wealthy over the years. (Just saying, it ain’t Harrison who’s buying her neighbors’ houses so she can knock them down. Shit, she might not even have a weapons room in her house. Fucking pauper by comparison.) But forget all that for a minute. Just picture yourself as a female fighter in the UFC. Maybe you’re already champ. Maybe you’re trying hard to get there and hoping for a $50,000 bonus on your next fight to keep you from falling into debt. Then you see the boss out there rolling his eyes at the idea of another female fighter – an undefeated one with two gold medals on her shelf at home – making *actual pro athlete money*. Not Lebron James money, mind you. Not Aaron Rodgers money. Just, like, pretty good left fielder money. And in MMA! How obscene! So say you're a UFC fighter. How are you not supposed to hear that and not spend the rest of the day staring blankly out the window and thinking about your life? And then there’s the other part, all this stuff about quality of competition. White’s not lying when he says Nunes and Shevchenko and Namajunas are great fighters. But he’s also offering all this up as a sort of public negotiating strategy. The unstated premise is, ‘of course she’d rather make more money fighting easier opponents, because she’s not BAD ASS enough to come take a pay cut in exchange for harder fights.’ Don’t kid yourself, that is really the argument he’s making here. Instead of trying to offer Harrison more money than she’s making in the PFL, he’s trying to make the case that she’s overpaid already and doesn’t have what it takes to fight cheap. Does that seem likely to bring Harrison running to the UFC? It does not. But White has the luxury of not having to give a shit, since the current UFC business model is based on churning out hours of content and doing it as cheaply as possible. And. It’s. Fucking. Working. Just don’t think too hard about it if you’re one of those women he name-checked as a contrast to Harrison. If you do, you might realize what he’s really saying here. And then you’ll just get sad. *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### Episode 474: Getting nervous for Costa, excited for Fedor & pumped for UFC 267 URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-474-getting-nervous-for-costa-excited-for-fedor-pumped-for-ufc-267/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:01.000Z Download [Episode\_474.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F474.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) Marvin Vettori was surprisingly businesslike all week, considering all the nonsense Paulo Costa was pulling, and that approach extended to the fight. Vettori notably wouldn't share his wine with Costa after the bout was over, though, which seems kinda unfortunate. Plus, can you really believe we're out here strategizing another fight for Fedor? And what's on tap for UFC 267? For one thing, that shit is free! [Listen in iTunes](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-474-getting-nervous-for-costa-excited-for-fedor/id529919021?i=1000539690049&ref=comainevent.com) (Photo by Lucas Noonan/Bellator MMA) ### The Potato Index: 10/25/21 URL: https://www.comainevent.com/the-potato-index-10-25-21/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:01.000Z Who’s up? Who’s down? Who’s had it with you sons of bitches poking each other in the eyes? The Potato Index is here to tell you. **Fedor Emelianenko: +7,383** Step forward and be shamed, all ye doubters. Who among you hath predicted his demise against Tim Johnson – and on Russian soil! – let your lack of faith in the great Fedor hang like an anchor around your neck for the rest of your miserable days. **Mariusz Pudzianowski +587** He said he was going to beat the pork chop, and damned if he didn’t do it. The Bombardier may have been bigger, but that just means Pudzi has to clear out more space for him to fall. Still the best actual strongman in MMA, higher power. **Marvin Vettori +205** He had already done a pretty good job of cultivating a ‘I don’t give a fuck let’s fight’ aura even before this past week. But shrugging off Costa’s weight bullshit like it was nothing more than amusing antics only improved that standing, resulting in a bigger bump for Vettori than if he’d just won a regular-ass fight. Funny how that works. **Paulo Costa -185** So you’re telling us this was all because of a torn biceps? And now you may have gone and moved yourself permanently to a higher weight class? Well, all right. We’d say it’s weird how that might actually end up working out better, career-wise, but surprisingly entertaining weirdness is shaping up to be Costa’s brand. **Alex Caceres +111** This fucking guy. You think you got him and then next thing you know he’s on your back. His youthful joie de vivre makes it easy to forget he’s actually kind of a grizzled vet at 33, with a decade’s worth of uninterrupted UFC experience. He also went got a damn five-fight winning streak going while no one was looking. **Khama Worthy -97** That’s three first-round knockout losses in a row. These look increasingly bad, and they all happened in the span of about a year. Probably not great for the ol’ brain, man. **Jason Herzog +52** This man is not fucking with you cheaters. Wanna throw an illegal knee? Maybe poke someone in the eye? He will smack you right upside the head with a point deduction. What, you wanted endless warnings instead? Motherfucker, you already know the rules. They go over them before every fight. Come correct in J. Herzog’s cage or suffer the consequences. **Daniel Cormier -47** You are wrong. Herzog is right. Matter of fact, in the future you can spare yourself some bad takes by stopping and asking: Am I in accordance with Jason Herzog on this? If the answer is no, think again. **Gregory Rodrigues and The Iron Turtle +103** First of all their pairing sounds like the best new cartoon on Netflix, but did you see the absolute slobberknocker these two wildmen put on? It was basically a contest to see who could zombie their way through more punches there for a few minutes. If you only go back and watch one prelim from UFC Fight Night: Just Some Fights Part XXXVII, make it this one. *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* (Photo by Lucas Noonan/Bellator MMA) ### Ranking the best and worst nicknames at UFC Fight Night: Costa vs. Vettori URL: https://www.comainevent.com/ranking-the-best-and-worst-nicknames-at-ufc-fight-night-costa-vs-vettori/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:01.000Z You already know what time it is. With another one of those UFC Fight Night events (which tend to have about three different names themselves) coming up on Saturday, it’s time to dig through all the fighter nicknames on the card to see who’s making us care and who’s phoning that shit in. **(NR) David Onama** **Zviad Lazishvili** These two bastards got nary a nickname between them, according to the usual sources. Which is fine. But if you end up becoming someone we actually need to know in this sport? We do reserve the right to give you a nickname and force it upon you. Be advised. **25.** **Ricky Glenn: The Gladiator** No dude, you can’t be *The* Gladiator. Know why? Because Tapology lists at least 50 other fighters with some version of Gladiator as their nickname. At this point we could form an actual Roman legion with the dudes who think they’re the first one to go by Gladiator. Might we suggest spicing it up by including where you’re from, some physical descriptor, or a quirk of your personality? Just saying, “The Obsessive-Compulsive Gladiator” would be someone we’d remember. **24\. Jeffrey Molina: El Jefe** Boooooring. **23\. (tie) Mason Jones: Dragon** **Jonathan Martinez: Dragon** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/c-658vsxoao3ovc.jpg) **22\. Jessica-Rose Clark: Jessy Jess** The UFC website lists her as having no nickname, but Tapology has this summer camp-ass moniker. Jessy Jess sounds more like someone who will make you a dreamcatcher to hang on your bunk than it does a pro fighter. But maybe when you’re walking around with face tattoos like that you don’t feel the need to do too much more. **21\. Paulo Costa: The Eraser** It’s a testament to what a total weirdsmobile he is that you really never even think about him having a nickname. You don’t need to. There’s only one Paulo Costa, and he’s the guy who never seems to have his shit all the way together. **20\. Livinha Souza: The Brazilian Gangsta** Where’s that damn shrug emoji… **19\. Isaac Villanueva: Hurricane** Just imagine what you’d have to do to become anything more than, at best, the second-most famous fighter with [that nickname](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubin%5FCarter?ref=comainevent.com). **18\. Joselyne Edwards: La Pantera** If you could see my face right now you'd know I'm wearing the expression someone gets when you give them a perfectly nice gift that they already have at home. **17\. Marvin Vettori: The Italian Dream** I think we all know that the real Italian dream is to own a moped and a little apartment with a balcony from which you can shout at friends and enemies alike as they pass by in the piazza. But I guess this ain’t bad, especially if you insist on starting a [“streetwear” brand of the same name](https://www.comainevent.com/this-fucking-guy-marvin-vettori-edition/). **16\. Maria Oliveira: Spider Girl** Either she’s got a sticky guard with long limbs that can snare you from all over, or else she likes to perch in the corner where the wall meets the ceiling and watch people shower. Either way, makes you think. **15\. Randa Markos: Quiet Storm** This one is at least half-true. **14\. Dwight Grant: The Body Snatcher** Yep, that is definitely one of the available nicknames you can choose in the EA Sports Fight Night create-a-fighter mode. **13\. Tabitha Ricci: Baby Shark** Honestly, I hope she sticks around in this sport long enough that the reference is lost on people and they think she’s just out here calling herself a newborn fucking shark, ideally well into middle-age. **12\. Grant Dawson: KGD** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/4ilz_ior_400x400-jpeg.jpg) **11\. Nicolae Negumereanu: Nicu** I suspect it is not, but I really hope this is pronounced like NICU, as in the hospital intensive care unit for newborn babies. I just think it’d be rad and strangely intimidating if you’re basically telling opponents that you’ll hurt them so badly that they’ll wake up in the infant ward, surrounding by babies with heart murmurs and shit. **10\. Francisco Trinaldo: Massaranduba** I know from my old days of doing this feature that this is one of those nicknames that refers to a TV show only Brazilian people know about, which is itself a whole entire nickname genre. This particular character wore a muscle suit under his clothes. Some might call it a goose suit. (It’s an old circus term.) **9\. Alex Caceres: Bruce Leeroy** In retrospect, it might have set expectations too high early on. Still pretty cool, though. **8\. Gregory Rodrigues: Robocop** Hey remember when Robocop shot that guy in the dick? Actually, fuck it, let’s all take one minute and 49 seconds out of our day to revisit that moment. **7\. Laureano Staropoli: Pepe** I mean, the shit is fun to say. **6\. Khama Worthy: The Death Star** A command base and weapon constructed for the sole purpose of committing planet-wide genocide from afar. Not bad, but did he not see how that movie ended…? **5\. Daniel Da Silva: Miojo** First I Googled this and it told me Miojo was a brand of ramen noodle. No, that can’t be right, I thought. So then I asked Fernanda Prates (she’s back from vacation, finally) and she told me, nope, that’s exactly what it is. Then she even went above and beyond and translated a portion of an interview where he explains it: “I left my town, at the time I worked at a coffin factory. I had been working there for a while, but then one day I saw ‘Cowboy’ on the TV. I had a friend, Eduardo, who also trained at ATS Tubaroes (where Alex 'Cowboy' Oliveira trains). One day I resigned from my job, and the lady felt bad for me because I quit and gave up all of my rights. So she gave me 50 reais. She was a cool lady. So I bought my ticket to Tres Rios and bought miojo with what was left, 25 reais. I was able to buy about 50 packages of miojo. I went to the gym like that, the guys asked me where I’d stay and I said I didn’t know. Eduardo welcomed me into his home, let me stay there. I didn’t want to be an imposition, so I ate only my miojo. Everybody kept saying, ‘You only eat miojo.’ I said, ‘That’s what I have. I’m not gonna eat your stuff, bother you.’ They said, ‘No, you can eat,’ and stuff. But then the story started going around the gym, that I arrived with a huge bag of miojo. And Andre said, ‘You’re gonna be miojo now.’ And it stuck.” So yeah, that’s a hell of a story. But am I the only one sort of wishing we had done more here, nickname-wise, with the opportunity afforded us by the fact that he USED TO WORK IN A COFFIN FACTORY?? **4\. Seungwoo Choi: Sting** Fuck yes, bro. I don’t want to know why or how. I don’t want to ruin it by discovering any explanation. I just want you to be Sting, now and forever. **3\. Jai Herbert: Black Country Banger** Yep, there you go. This sounds like an extra nickname you could add to Buster Scruggs’ list (San Saba Songbird, Texas Tit, Black Country Banger, etc.) and feel right at home. Even better is that I don’t think there’s much risk of him one day showing up on the same fight card with another fighter by the same handle, nickname, appellation, or cognomen. **2\. Jamie Pickett: The Night Wolf** I mean, yeah, this is obviously totally awesome. We all see that, right? We see why this is a great nickname? Fucking night wolf. Hell yeah. Sounds like a show that would come on right after “A-Team” and before “Beretta.” Totally into it. **1\. Jun Yong Park: The Iron Turtle** First of all, it’s perfect. It could not possibly be improved upon. I know nothing about this man and already I am a colossal fan. Are there T-shirts I can buy? Please say yes. In a better world The Iron Turtle would already be UFC champ, if not dictator for life. Whatever else happens from here, know that Jun Yong Park just became One of My Guys. ### Dear Mr. Fedor, we're all hoping this doesn’t make us sad, sir URL: https://www.comainevent.com/dear-mr-fedor-were-all-hoping-this-doesnt-make-us-sad-sir/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:02.000Z Greetings Mr. Fedor, I hope this letter finds you well. It’s me, Chad, writing you today regarding this weekend’s bout against Mr. Johnson at Bellator 269 in Moscow. You don’t remember me, but we’ve talked on the phone a couple of times. On one occasion, I even made you laugh—more of a slight chuckle, actually, and through an interpreter on top of that—and, while you definitely don’t remember it, either, for me it was a pretty big moment. I almost had to take the phone away from my ear and stare at it for a second like, wow, I just made Fedor laugh. The great Fedor Emelianenko. I made him laugh. That was cool. See, I've been watching you do this for a long time. Somewhere, maybe in the closet in my office, I still have a "Fedor" sweatshirt a friend gave me as a gift back during your Pride days. I wouldn't describe the sweatshirt as particularly my style or particularly well made, but I still like it because it reminds me of your days as champion. Maybe I'll dig it out and try to wear it this weekend. I know you're busy, sir, so I'll get right to the point. I understand you haven’t had the opportunity to fight in Russia in a little more than five years and I’m betting that’s important to you because, well, you seem really, really into Russia. Like, kind of worryingly into it, frankly. I know it will be an emotional experience for you—we’ll all be experiencing our own emotions!—but I’d be lying if I didn’t say I have some concerns about how all this is going to go. Please understand, I say this only in the interest of complete transparency. I winced a bit on Friday morning when I saw you'll be giving up a 30.5-pound weight advantage to Mr. Johsnon, to go along with his advantages in height and reach. Size isn't everything, obviously, but, well, I can't help but think this doesn't bode well. It had previously come to my attention that oddsmakers see you as a slight underdog in this bout, which in and of itself is a commentary on the late stage you’ve reached in your professional career. While I was heartened by your recent first-round victory over the rampageous Mr. Jackson (a sincere congratulations!), I can’t bring myself to anticipate a repeat performance this time around. Mr. Johnson was on quite a roll in Bellator before running into your teammate, Mr. Moldavsky, back in June. Perhaps it’s possible Mr. Moldavsky’s success can provide you with some advance knowledge in what to expect in your own meeting with Mr. Johnson. Maybe this will be important not only in preparing a strategy but also with instilling some extra confidence. You can never have too much of that, I always say! I do hope this is the case, sir. While Mr. Johnson, a native of the great state of Minnesota, if I’m not mistaken, is himself quite likable, sentiment still remains with you. Myself and, I'm wagering, a large portion of the audience (both live and on television!) will be pulling for you. Perhaps that’s part of the problem, as I get the distinct impression a sizeable percentage of your fan group approaches these final (?) contests of your career with no small amount of trepidation. We're all eager to find our way to a positive outcome, not just in this fight but in your martial times at large. There are so few happy endings in this sport, I'm sure you can understand our fears. We hope the result here won’t make us sad. I, personally, keep thinking about that disappointed, bruised face you make when you lose and, I don't mind telling you, sir, I could do without seeing that this weekend. Especially in your home country. Why, I can remember as far back as your fight with Mr. Arlovski at Affliction: Day of Reckoning, thinking you appeared slower than normal and that Mr. Arlovski was having an easier time hitting you. Of course, you stormed back to score quite a knockout, didn’t you! It was the same story in another comeback win against Mr. Rogers later that year, but—ha ha!—I’ll spare us both the awkwardness of rehashing all the nasty business in Strikeforce. You were there, after all, sir. You remember it. Seems like a lifetime ago, though, at least to me. Following your rehabilitative stint of fights overseas (5-0! Very impressive!) I was excited when you signed with Bellator owing, I’m sure, to your positive existing relationship with Mr. Coker. You fellows make a good team, and I’ll again be honest that things have actually gone somewhat better for you there than I might have guessed. But we are all getting older, sir, and, well, you know what they say about Father Time and his uninterrupted string of victories. This can't go on forever, is what I'm getting at. You have spoken recently of another retirement, albeit in a general sort of way. I do hope you’ll deliberate on the matter more fully following this weekend’s contest, no matter what the outcome. We’re all rooting for you. Warmest regards, Chad *Photo by Bellator MMA* *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### This Fucking Guy: Marvin Vettori Edition URL: https://www.comainevent.com/this-fucking-guy-marvin-vettori-edition/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:03.000Z *Welcome to the CME blog’s newest feature – This Fucking Guy – where we take a long, hard look at an individual figure in the world of MMA and ask ourselves: This fucking guy (or girl), what’s their deal? Today, we examine Italian enigma Marvin Vettori ahead of what’s looking like it’ll be a crazy catchweight fight against Paulo Costa in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night headliner.* Angry hotel guest. Fashion icon. Occasional bald guy. “Mad” Marvin Vettori is many things. For a hot minute there, he was even a UFC middleweight title contender. Then he lost to Israel Adesanya for a second time in as many fights (though he doesn’t think he really lost either of those), and now he’s back to the drawing board for what’s shaping up to be an interesting fight in the UFC’s weirdsmobile division. But this guy, what’s his fucking deal? Let’s start with what we know about him. The most obvious thing, of course, is that he doesn’t seem like one of those people who keep their feelings all bottled up. If you’re friends with Marvin and he gets all quiet while the two of you are driving to Target to look at Lego sets on a Saturday afternoon, you’re not going to have to ask if he’s mad at you. If he’s mad? Chances are you’ll know. You’ll know because he’ll be standing two inches from your nose gesturing and shouting in a mix of English and Italian. That was a lot of people’s introduction to Vettori, back when he lost every last bit of his shit on Karl Roberson in a Jacksonville hotel in the early days of pandemic UFC. In fairness to him, the fight had been booked and cancelled and rescheduled a couple times already, and then Roberson missed weight and got pulled from the fight due to medical issues stemming from his weight cut. In other words, the way Vettori saw it, this guy was jerking him around. And he was not. Fucking. Having. It. Bro. A couple things about this video. For one, all these people standing around this hotel lobby, gawking and filming as Vettori freaks out, and no one thought to help the poor son of a bitch in the black suit who’s trying to use his body as a human shield? But also, does anyone else get the sense that maybe this was not the first time Vettori had ever found himself standing around in public and begging someone to fight him? He just seems so … *comfortable* with the whole concept. But Vettori is more than just a human volcano of emotion. For instance, did you know he has his own “streetwear clothing brand,” called [Italian Dream Apparel](https://italiandreamapparel.com/en?ref=comainevent.com)? It is mostly T-shirts. And yet! Come fight week, you can’t help but get the sense that this guy has some strong opinions on fashion, even if many of them are wrong. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/screen-shot-2021-10-21-at-1-40-23-pm.png) For instance, is it really a true pre-fight sitdown with “Mad” Marvin if he *doesn’t* wear a dope tracksuit that looks like something you’d see in the background of “New Jack City?” And don’t even get me started on Press Conference Marvin. He showed up ready to fight for the UFC title looking like a goddamn Spiderman villain. That’s right in the faces of all these people who roll in there in a button-down shirt and actually think they’ve done something. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/screen-shot-2021-10-21-at-9-14-03-am.png) Plus, who else but a true Italian fashion icon would dare to make the boldest possible sartorial choice – wearing his Venum trunks backwards? ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/nex30xktwi471.jpg) (Okay, jokes aside, can we admit that the UFC staff did Marvin dirty there? We got him in there taking promo pictures, all these lights and expensive cameras and what not, and couldn’t nobody speak up to say, ‘Bro they go the other way’? C’mon, you guys.) In terms of his social media presence, Vettori is more of an Instagram kind of guy. (His Gram also shows how brave you have to be to post a picture of your mom if you’re a famous pro fighter with a public account.) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/screen-shot-2021-10-21-at-2-02-57-pm.png) He is an outspoken yet infrequent tweeter. He seems to mostly get on there for fight nights, when he is prone to talk all sorts of shit in short, terse bursts. (“Till for real come by we can do some wrestling,” he tweeted as Darren Till was getting worked by Derek Brunson. This followed a series of facepalm emojis, natch.) He also got into it with Paul Felder recently after tweeting that he had to mute the commentary because Felder was, in his view, the “worst to ever do it.” Felder clapped back, using his superior command of the English language, and even this week Vettori was walking around talking about how he was eager to sort this out “face to face” with Felder in the pre-fight meetings. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/screen-shot-2021-10-21-at-1-51-22-pm.png) “Paul Felder tried to be the smart kid in the comments when he replied to me,” Vettori [said this week](https://www.mmafighting.com/2021/10/19/22734110/marvin-vettori-explains-problem-with-paul-felder-commentary-plans-to-speak-to-him-during-fight-week?ref=comainevent.com). “I didn’t really like that. It’s not that I didn’t like it, it’s just coming from him, it’s not like it really made sense but he tried to be funny. I addressed the thing that was important to me.” Marvin, you literally started it. You tried to talk shit about him on Twitter, which as we all know is the internet’s comment section. And you can’t really say he’s fucking up by offering his opinion on the fight when that is what he is paid to do. It’s actually his job, my guy. But see, that’s Vettori for you. He seems to be a full-tilt kind of dude. All the time. He also seems sort of myopic about it, in the sense that he doesn't understand any other way to be. When people ask him about being the angry guy, he typically tries to laugh it off. As if he's saying, hey I have other facets to my personality! Which is understandable. But you don't get the sense that he often thinks he's been wrong in too many situations (the Felder thing, for example, or the decisions he definitely lost but still sort of thinks he won). Vettori does not appear to struggle with self-belief in any sense. He decides quickly, latches onto a certain position, and refuses to budge an inch. That's a trait that also helps him in this world, since it's one where you'd better commit all the way or not at all. And honestly? He seems to genuinely love the shit out of fighting in all its forms. This is a guy who grew up in Trento, Italy, not exactly known as a hotbed of martial arts. But still he managed to cobble together some semblance of a mixed martial arts education by training at five or six different gyms at once, even when it meant taking trains all over the damn place to get that work in. As he said in one of those [UFC.com pre-fight puff pieces](https://www.ufc.com/news/marvin-vettori-always-authentically-him-ufc-263-adesanya-vs-vettori-2]?ref=comainevent.com), he’s been about this life since he was a teenager and first saw Fedor Emelianenko on video, which is when he decided to become a fighter. “I remember at 4 p.m., my friends would hang around, do whatever normal kids would do,” Vettori said. “But for me, I would come back from school, eat, rest for a moment and go, and I wouldn’t be back until 11 p.m. at night to go to sleep.” Vettori would later move to London just to continue his training, which was a pretty big deal for a kid who’d never lived outside of Italy and didn’t really have any serious Italian MMA role models he could look to as a blueprint for success. He just believed that he could make it in this world, then he put in the work and went after it. So, you know, respect. And when you see him blow his fucking stack over any and everything, you gotta be a little grateful he found this productive means of channeling that energy. Otherwise you might run into him at a Marriott continental breakfast one day when you just used the last packet of strawberry jam, and he might not be so understanding. So there you go. This fucking guy? That's his deal. ### "Snacks" Costa has entered the chat – but what if he's crazy like a fox...? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/snacks-costa-has-entered-the-chat-but-what-if-hes-crazy-like-a-fox/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:04.000Z Fucking Paulo Costa, man. I mean \[extremely Tony Soprano voice\], *the freaking bawls on this guy.* Here we are, on Wednesday of fight week, and the former middleweight title contender gets up there in front of god and the MMA media to say, you know what? He’s not going to make 185 pounds for Saturday’s main event bout against Marvin Vettori. Not even gonna get close, honestly. So, uh, maybe we can work out some other arrangement? “I think this fight will happen,” Costa told reporters at today’s media day. “It just will not happen if (Vettori) don’t want to fight me. Maybe we can do a catchweight, 195 \[pounds\], maybe.” Costa would go on to say that his current weight is around 211 pounds – which, hey, if he were fighting at light heavyweight that’d be pretty damn good for two days before weigh-ins – and it was his understanding that, after a talk between his manager and Vettori’s, it is now no longer “on the schedule” to fight at 185 pounds. So yeah, two things come to mind right away here. The first is: Hey what the fuck, Paulo? You’ve known about this fight since at least early August, since that’s when it was announced. That means you had around two and a half months, minimum, to plan for it. Then you’re gonna show up on fight week and act like the friend who is trying to convince everyone to ditch the diet we all agreed to and just order a pizza instead? My dude, does that seem to you like the best possible move, image rehabilitation-wise, for your first bout since admitting that you went into a UFC title fight with a goddamn wine hangover? Because it seems to me like the kind of thing you’d only do if you wanted to make sure we all think of you as a permanent fuck-up. But then there’s this other thought. What if our guy “Snacks” here has actually cracked the code? What if this is the best possible way to totally mess up a weight cut, by casually admitting it’s not going to happen days in advance, and then putting it all on the *other* guy to accept that? Think about what we know of the MMA news cycle. If you roll in Friday morning and miss weight by a Christmas ham that’ll pretty much dominate the headlines until fight time. Everyone’s mad at you, wondering if you've put the whole fight in jeopardy, and basically assuming that you must not have your shit even a little bit together. But if you tell us on Wednesday that the “schedule” has changed? Whether that’s true or not, we have a couple days to get over it and shift our focus over to the other dude, looking at him like, are we or are we not gonna go in there fat and stupid and show these fans a good time? Then if he won’t accept the fight under these new terms, somehow *he’s* the one who ends up looking like an asshole. And on a fight card like this, damn, we really can’t afford to lose a halfway decent headliner. It also allows Costa to basically make a preemptive health and wellness argument. We’re always complaining about drastic weight cuts and the scary results, right? Well, here’s a guy saying he won’t even attempt it, so let’s make some other kind of deal instead. What are we really going to do then, tell him to get his puffy ass in the sauna and don’t come back until he’s lost 25 pounds in 48 hours? Only if we want to sound like a bunch of hypocrites. Course, the sticklers in the audience will still helpfully remind him that he agreed to this weight, that this is in fact the division he fights in, the division in which he ostensibly hopes to one day get another title shot. But that’s just details, man. Because if you look deep within your soul and interrogate what you know about this sport and its fans, you’ll be forced to admit that there’s a whole lot of people out there who could absolutely be won over by a guy like Costa basically saying he could give us a much more entertaining slobberknocker if only we agree to let him roll in there a little jiggly. And Paulo? He had the genius idea to start making the case early. To throw it out there mid-week and give us some time to sit with it. Then he presumably headed back to the hotel room, opened up that room service menu, and with a mischievous smile called down and ordered all of page two. *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### Processing my many emotions as I watch this epic Pudzianowski vs. Bombardier trailer URL: https://www.comainevent.com/processing-my-many-emotions-as-i-watch-this-epic-pudzianowski-vs-bombardier-trailer/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:04.000Z OK, Co-Mainiacs, brass tacks: Who or what do we have to sacrifice to the MMA gods this week to make sure the goddamn Bombardier stays healthy and makes it to the cage for his fight on Saturday against Mariusz Pudzianowski at KSW 64? Because after the disappointment of last time, I am willing to do anything to make sure this Absolute Hoss Fight happens. *AN-Y-THING.* (\*looks steadily into your eyes until you fully understand my meaning\*) The good folks at Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki (which Google tells me loosely translates to English as "Martial Arts Confrontation") aka KSW aka everybody's favorite bat-shit crazy European fight company, have done it again, brother. After plans for Pudzianowski to fight Senegalese wrestling legend Serigne Ousmane Dia (aka THE BOMBARDIER) back in March were scrapped when Dia got the appendicitis at the last possible minute, KSW has once again harnessed its Legendary Polish Promotional Power and re-booked that shit for THIS SATURDAY. Fuckin' *awesome*, right? Right. Of course, they've produced a typically epic video trailer to get us all hyped for the bout and MOTHERFUCKERS IT IS WORKING. Since KSW doesn't really ever half-ass anything, this video is six minutes and 21 seconds of pretty much amazing bullshit from start to finish. You know who else doesn't half-ass their bullshit? CO-MAIN EVENT ENTERPRISES, ASSHOLE. For that reason, we're all going to watch this video together while I produce a stream-of-consciousness blow-by-blow account of my emotions. The agony. The ecstasy. All that jazz. Can you tell I'm excited? If you love yourself even a little bit, you will take this journey with me. Just scroll down and press play. Do it. DO IT. LET'S GO! OK, we're rolling ... **0:00-0:13:** There's KSW promoter Maciej Kawulski and OH SHIT his watch matches his shirt! Kawulski is just here to provide some basic prematch hype, except—BOMBSHELL!—he lets slip that Pudzi *doesn't like to face fighters bigger than him!* And The Bombardier is VERY BIG! It's kind of his whole thing! Exactly how big? Not sure, as Sherdog lists him at 6-foot-3, 309-pounds, while Tapology goes with 6-foot-6 and weight N/A. That's some Hulk Hogan-level disagreement on height and, obviously, the only way you'd ever say somebody's weight was N/A is if they were too big and scary for you to even ask, which The Bombardier absolutely is. He's also 45 years old ... and just 2-0 in MMA ... with one fight in 2018 and one in 2020 and now has a fresh scar across his belly from the aforementioned appendicitis but, hey man, we're focusing on the positives here. **0:18-1:00:** Flashback to March, where we get to see this pair's prefight staredown and, Jesus H. Christmas, The Bombardier really is massive. Then a rundown of Dia pulling out pretty much on the day of the event. We catch up to Pudzi to get his reaction—and he's bummed—but during the interview he's also getting his hands wrapped to go out there and drown his sorrows in a 70-second TKO win over Nikola Milanović at KSW 59\. So, things seemed to turn out pretty OK for him. Cut back to Kawulski and he drops this quote on us: "In the world of effects, you don't explain your failures. Instead, you work really hard to achieve those effects. Pudzianowski vs. Bombardier, we apologize once again and invite you to watch this bout." Yeah, I don't know what that means, exactly, but I'M IN, Maciej. **1:01-2:15:** Some drone shots of Senegal! Shots of Bombardier running on the beach! Oh man, he's so determined! Travel montage! And then Dia meets with some guys in suits—Who are they? What's happening here? We don't know!—while he tells us that he's not just here in KSW for a one-off crash grab. He's here to take over. And Pudzianowski is just the beginning. Ali Abdelaziz would be so relieved. Dia says he felt "gready" during the weigh-ins with Pudzi and was pumped to fight before the appendicitis got him. Gready? Do they mean "greedy" (?) because that still doesn't totally make sense in this context. But the appendicitis was "pain (like) I've never felt before." Hmmm, I wonder how that sort of pain compares to, say, the pain of a right hand thrown by the World's Strongest Man™? Anyways, Bombardier looks really cool leaning up against that tree so I'mma let it slide for now. **2:17-2:55:** Pudzi: "He got appendicitis few hours before the fight, higher power. Nobody is here to blame." Well, that's very reasonable of you, Pudzi. Also, is "higher power" something you say at the end of every sentence like a TV preacher might casually toss in an "amen," because, if so, I'm definitely going to steal that, higher power. Dia, essentially: "It's nobody's fault but my own that I got appendicitis." I mean, don't be too hard on yourself big guy. Shit could happen to anyone, higher power. Pudzi: "With my experience, I'm not afraid of him. He's two meters, 150 kilograms, I want to tire him out. As I usually say, I will have to beat the pork chop." WHAT THE FUCK? Holy shit, this is awesome. **3:00-3:40:** There's KSW promoter Martin Lewandowski and he is dressed like he's either the head chef at the best restaurant in town or the owner of that one cool record store where you can order the 1950s Philadephia-scene jazz LPs you can't get anywhere else. Why are these polish MMA promoters so fucking cool??? Don't they know powerful fight promoters are supposed to wear black T-shirts, designer jeans that your stylist picked out and throwback Adidas sneakers and THAT'S IT? Lewandowski drops an Ariel Helwani reference (MMA media STAND UP!) and says the whole world will be watching this fight. I mean ... if we can get The Bombardier to the cage without a sudden, emergent medical event. **3:46-3:52:** Both guys say they're going to win and then Pudzi hits us with this gem: "We'll see how he does, fortune favors the brave. We'll confront his Senegalese wrestling with my MMA." THIS IS THE GREATEST THING I'VE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE. **3:52-4:59:** A montage of Pudzi knockouts! A shot of the Bombardier dancing! I think I'm having an emergent medical event! Pudzi: "It's not personal. We are human beings. Anything can happen. If he's healthy, we enter the cage and do our jobs." God, Pudzianowski is so wise. Dia: "I know how he fights. We will both go forward. It's going to be really intense and it's not going to distance." It's not going to distance! I love this. I love this so much. Cut back to Pudzianowski, casually sitting in his gym getting interviewed in an athletic gray T-shirt like it's just an ordinary day ... Interviewer: "What if Bombardier comes to you to Poland, shakes your hand ..." Wait, what's happening right now? Where is this car pulling up? Holy shit, it's The Bombardier. Is he? IS HE ... Interviewer: "...and asked you to take this fight again. How would you react?" HE'S THERE. THE BOMBARDIER IS IN POLAND! HE'S WALKING INTO PUDZI'S GYM RIGHT NOW! Pudzi: "This is sport. It's not a fight for survival. It's not a matter of life and death ..." PUDZI! TURN AROUND! HE'S RIGHT BEHIND YOU! OH SHIT OH SHIT OH SHIT OH SHIT **5:01-5:30:** PUDZI AND THE BOMBARDIER MEET! THEY DO THE DILLON-AND-DUTCH HANDSHAKE FROM PREDATOR! THEY DO BRO HUGS! THEY'RE ... THEY'RE ... they're actually having a very respectful and professional conversation. Men of honor. Let's have a great fight on Oct. 23\. Yadda yadda yadda. Except the whole time Dia's interpreter is translating what he's said, Pudzi is standing there with the look you get when a panhandler stops you on the street and says, hey man, I promise I'm not going to ask you for money, but could you spare a few moments to listen to my tale of woe? Sort of like, how long do I have to stand here before I nod and give this guy a few bucks and then I walk away? Pudzi to the Bombardier: "I understand the situation. These things happen in MMA." HE FUCKIN SAID IT. HE SAID THE THING. HE ACTUALLY SAID THE THING WE ALWAYS SAY. WE SAY IT AS A JOKE BUT HE SAID IT AND IT SEEMED LIKE HE WAS SEROUS. I CAN'T BELIEVE HE SAID IT. We've reached the mountain top. We've crossed some invisible Rubicon and things will never be the same again. The universe collapsing on itself. Alternate timelines. Secret histories. The alpha and the omega and—shit, how is there still almost a minute left in this video? **5:30-6:21:** Ah, it's all wrap-up. Let's have a fantastic fight. Let's leave the world in shock. Some grab-ass in the cage. We're just messing around pretending to wrestle except also maybe we're not? Because we're about to fight each other? And fade to black. Fuck, I'm spent. We've done it, Mainiacs. We've touched the void. We've looked into the eye of the storm and emerged better people, higher power. I'm going to go take a shower. *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### The Potato Index: 10/19/21 URL: https://www.comainevent.com/the-potato-index-10-19-21/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:04.000Z Who’s up? Who’s down? Who won by virtue of not losing and who lost only because they didn’t win? For that info, we turn to the mysterious yet valuable Potato Index. **Corey Anderson +191** Your man Beastin Overtime needed less than a minute to knock out the former Bellator champ-champ and punch his ticket to the 205-pound grand prix finals. Then he went and got himself in a Twitter pissing match with Janny Blackjacks over who the best light heavyweight is, which is maybe not the best idea when the other dude knocked you out in the first round the last time you saw each other. Still, if he beats Vadim Nemkov and wins the whole tourney, that would actually mean something. Course if he does that he’ll probably still ghost Ariel Helwani’s show because his brainiac manager thinks limiting media exposure after a big win is the way to go. **Norma Dumont +3** It’s like you could see her, midway through the first round, wondering to herself, ‘wait am I going to be able to just sit here and jab-cross this chick from a safe distance all night?’ And she was. And so she did. And seemed to feel no special compulsion to do anything more than that. Good work if you can get it. **Aspen Ladd -145** She tried to replace the ‘missed weight’ headlines with ‘wins first fight at featherweight headlines.’ Instead she made us all feel like the frustrated coach who couldn’t understand what she was doing in there as Dumont racked up the rounds on her. **Vadim Nemkov +63** Yep, still good. Even beat the most dangerous man in any tournament – the unknown alternate. **Fight of the Night bonuses -50** Another week where the UFC opts not to give any bonus for Fight of the Night at one of these lackluster UFC Fight Night cards. Are you basically just admitting that the cool shit was limited to one-sided ass-kickings? Because it kind of feels like you are. **Jim Miller +182** Still our favorite fighter who seems like he finished cleaning the gutters and got off the riding lawnmower just in time to make it to the cage. What else do they expect when they schedule these fights on a Saturday? Already looking forward to watching him beat up some current UFC lightweight’s son at UFC 300. **Ryan Bader -78** Damn, dog. How’d you go from having a plethora of belts to having nary a one, all in like three fights? Might need Bellator to start that cruiserweight division so he can get another crack at fresh gold. **Junior Dos Santos +50** You see Mr. Why They Do That out there [looking like a real pro wrestler](https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1449231125994475521?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1449231125994475521%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1%5F&ref%5Furl=https%3A%2F%2Fmmajunkie.usatoday.com%2F2021%2F10%2Faew-rampage-junior-dos-santos-debut-match-highlights&ref=comainevent.com)? We don’t often say this when someone gets slammed through a piece of furniture, but good for him. **Justin Barry +92** Did … did this guy just invent a new way to knock someone out with a kick they’ll never see coming [over in Cage Warriors](https://twitter.com/UFCFightPass/status/1449926128769056773?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1449926128769056773%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1%5F&ref%5Furl=https%3A%2F%2Fmmajunkie.usatoday.com%2F2021%2F10%2Fcage-warriors-130-crescent-kick-ko-video-highlight-justin-barry&ref=comainevent.com)? We’re into it. **Chuck Liddell +/-0** What’s the next best thing to just not getting arrested at all for alleged domestic violence? We guess it’s having the charges dropped pretty much right away while also immediately filing for divorce so you can both get the hell away from each other. We can’t exactly call it a happy ending but, uh, could be worse? **Andrei Arlovski +67** This dude he just beat was four fucking years old when Arlovski made his pro debut in St. Petersburg. With what would you hope to frighten or intimidate a man such as that? **Conor McGregor -474** All the obnoxious fucking DJs in the world and he has to go and sucker punch the one who seems like a delightful Italian man who loves pizza and his kids? Fuck outta here, b. **Brent Primus +81** It’s a cold, cold move to beat a guy who’s fighting on the same card as his wife, but that’s what you’ve got to do if you want to end up fighting for that Bellator lightweight title again. Also go ahead and tell everyone what bullshit it is that you’re not already fighting for the vacant strap. Why not, right? **Benson Henderson -64** It’s like we blinked and he’s lost three in a row, giving him an overall losing record of 5-6 since making the jump to Bellator. **Danny Roberts +55** How you gonna win a split-decision while also getting your scalp split all the way open? (Are we the first ones to make this observation? Please say yes.) **Nate Landwehr +47** Actual post-fight quote from this guy after pulling off the late submission victory: “The new game plan is as long as I don’t get beat up, I’m probably going to win. As long as I don’t lose, I’m probably going to win.” Do we even need to tell you how much we love this approach? So many fighters out there would have won if they hadn’t lost. They just forgot that key part. The part where they avoid losing. *Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC.* *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### Episode 473: All Questions Considered: Conor McGregor, UFC: Ladd vs. Dumont, Bellator GP & More URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-473-all-questions-considered-conor-mcgregor-ufc-ladd-vs-dumont-bellator-gp-more/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:04.000Z Download [Episode\_473.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F473.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) It's amazing how naturally the phrase, "Conor McGregor punched a DJ," rolls off the tongue at this point. Yeah, that just feels right. That feels like something McGregor would do. This week, on an All Questions Considered episode of the CME, we take your questions on Connie Mac's latest run-in with the law, Aspen Ladd's stinker against Norma Dumont (and the weird coaching that went along with it), as well as Scott Coker's asseertion that the winner of the Belaltor light heavyweight GP will be the best in the world. *Photo by Lucas Noonan/Bellator MMA* ### Why is the UFC so royally screwing things up with Francis Ngannou? Because it can! URL: https://www.comainevent.com/why-is-the-ufc-so-royally-fucking-things-up-with-francis-ngannou-because-it-can/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:05.000Z Ah yes, it’s that age-old fairy tale: The story of a man from humble means who immigrates to the land of opportunity and fights his way out of poverty, eventually achieving superstardom based only on his brains, brawn and insatiable desire to be the best. And, of course, the fairy-tale ending we all know so well: The part where the man sees his lifelong dream crushed by a soulless multi-billion-dollar corporation, squandering his boundless charisma and unlimited potential for seemingly no reason whatsoever. Or, as we might say in the parlance of our current times: My dudes, it’s hard to put into words how badly the UFC is fucking things up with Francis Ngannou right now. Ngannou went on [Ariel Helwani’s show](https://www.mmafighting.com/2021/10/13/22722928/the-mma-hour-with-francis-ngannou-leon-edwards-dominick-cruz-corey-anderson-mike-winklejohn?ref=comainevent.com) last week to lay out a laundry list of questions, comments and concerns about the way the world’s largest MMA promotion has been treating him, basically since the moment he won the UFC heavyweight title from Stipe Miocic a bit more than six months ago. "The UFC tried to discredit me ...," Ngannou told Helwani. "You don’t do that to somebody that you want to promote.” Hard to disagree with him, frankly. During Ngannou’s short reign—which in a perfect world might have ushered-in a brave new period of stability and profitability in the 265-pound weight class—UFC President Dana White and the rest of the brain trust down there in Las Vegas have engaged in some of their classic *un-*promotion of the new champ. The earth had barely righted itself on its axis after Ngannou’s thunderous second-round KO of Miocic at UFC 260 when Jon Jones started making noise about a heavyweight superfight. That mind-blowing clash of titans would almost certainly have produced the biggest PPV buyrate in UFC history and was a clear opportunity for a historic, once-in-a-generation spectacle the likes of which we’ve never seen in the octagon. Somehow, the UFC responded with a resounding: Nah. Too expensive, we were told. The UFC passed on the potential greatest fight in MMA history at the mere suggestion it would have to pay the fighters a slightly higher percentage of revenue. Right there, we should have known where all this was headed. “How about Derrick Lewis?” The UFC offered instead. “He’ll do it on the cheap.” “Haha,” we said, “that’s funny.” “…” “You’re joking, right?” We said. “…” “You … wait … why are you staring at us like that?” It turned out the UFC was deadly serious, but when even *that* fight failed to materialize in time to make the arbitrary date the organization had picked-out on its jampacked calendar, it took Ngannou out of the equation entirely and hustled-up a hilarious interim title bout between Lewis and Ciryl Gane. Gane won that fight via third-round-TKO at UFC 265 on August 7, in front of Lewis' hometown fans in Houston, Tex. During one of the broadcast's prefight promo videos, White charged Ngannou with being "on vacation." That didn't seem to be totally accurate or fair and, to hear Ngannou tell it, the UFC wasn't just messing with him in public. It was also kind of fucking with him behind the scenes. Weird feelings between White and Ngannou go all the way back to 2018, when the promoter blasted the fighter after his stinker first meeting with Lewis at UFC 226\. White called Ngannou arrogant and said his “ego was just so out of control.” This was kind of funny, because it was clear that Ngannou's problem in that fight was the exact opposite: he was still suffering an emotional hangover from the first loss of his career (in his initial fight against Miocic five months earlier at UFC 220). Plus, as elite heavyweight MMA fighters go, Ngannou has always actually seemed incredibly down to earth. But whatever. It certainly wasn’t the first time White decided he believed something and then stuck to it despite any and all evidence to the contrary. Anyway, the heat on these simmering bad feelings only turned up after Ngannou won the championship. First off, the new champ hoped to make his first title defense in September—which would have amounted to a six-month respite between bouts. Allegedly, that was way too long to wait for the UFC. The company wanted Ngannou in August, around the date that eventually went to Lewis vs. Gane, and that one extra month apparently was A DEAL BREAKER. There was also the matter of Ngannou’s contract. Big Fran has been pretty upfront all along that, in his new status as potentially transformative champion, he’d like to be paid in kind. Wanting to get paid more has always been a cardinal sin in the UFC and Ngannou now suspects that’s what is causing most of the friction between himself and the executives who want to just keep all the money. "I don’t want to sign a new deal on certain terms," Ngannou said to Helwani. "I don’t feel protected in those terms. In the past two years, I've fought twice and I have to borrow money to live. Nobody cares about that. I have no guarantee and I have no protection, so based on that experience I want to get something better, better terms on my contract, and obviously paid what I deserve.” And so, here we are. The UFC claims it has a title unification bout set-up between Ngannou and Gane for January, and maybe even had Jones slated to face the winner before Jones went and pulled the pin on that Life Grenade he constantly carries around with him. But to hear Ngannou tell it, it sure doesn’t sound like any deal to get him in the cage with Gane is actually signed—or anything close to it. All of this is an incredibly roundabout way to ask the question: Why they do that? On the surface, isn't it incredibly dumb for the UFC to treat its heavyweight champion like this? Yes. Yes it is. So, when gifted with a fighter with the obvious potential of Ngannou, why on earth does the UFC seem so hell-bent on royally screwing things up with him? Short answer: Because it can. Obviously it would be, like, the most Dana White thing of all time if he arbitrarily decided he just *didn’t like* this guy who could otherwise be the biggest star in his company’s history and then resolved to be a dick to him for the rest of time. That may be the case here, but there's also something else going on. Fact is, the UFC doesn't totally need fighters like Ngannou anymore. At least not as much as it did 10 years ago. All of this is rigmarole with the new heavyweight champ is really just another reminder that the most important thing to the UFC right now isn’t fighters or fights or even fans. It’s the schedule. Gotta make those dates! Gotta get that money from ESPN! If you’ve been paying attention even a little bit, you know that at this point we’re fully through the looking glass into a whole new era of UFC programming. In the Just Some Fights Era, the UFC cares *waaaay* less about booking the cool fights fans actually want to see than it does about just being a nonstop content factory for ESPN+. That makes sense, since the UFC’s biggest guaranteed revenue streams in this era are the licensing fees it gets from the broadcast giant for exclusive rights to its Fight Night events and pay-per-view cards. Said licensing fees have changed the damn game, and effectively mean the UFC has EVEN LESS incentive to negotiate with big name fighters now than in the past. And the organization was never great about that in the first place! So, while PPV buyrates and whatnot are still pretty important to the UFC’s bottom line, the most important thing of all is simply to keep cranking the handle on the sausage grinder. Keep that sweet, sweet live event content spewing out like so much ground beef, regardless of who is in the fights or if anybody actually cares. Being a significant PPV draw—previously the only metric the UFC taught us was important to a fighter’s worth—matters less than ever now. That means the UFC doesn’t really even have to care too much about dudes like Ngannou, despite the fact that he’s obviously the biggest potential PPV draw to come along since Conor McGregor and maybe the biggest potential heavyweight star of all time (Sorry, Bork Lazer!). What's crucial now is just to fill all the dates on the calendar, pocket that Mickey Mouse money and keep it moving. Would it be easy to turn Francis Ngannou into an enormous PPV star? Sure would. Easiest money you ever made in your damn life. But the UFC will only do it if it comes hassle-free. And it won't lose one minute of sleep if it has to crush some guy's fairy tale dream when it gets in the way. *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### Are you fucking kidding us, Conor McGregor? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/are-you-fucking-kidding-us-conor-mcgregor/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:05.000Z This fucking guy, you can’t take him anywhere. Not to the corner pub. Not to the VMAs. Definitely not to the Fontainebleu. And, apparently, not even to party with some famous DJ in Rome. Fucking Conor McGregor, man. Here we thought that maybe confining him to a rascal scooter for a while would at least cut down on the number of crimes he gets accused of. What we failed to factor in, however, was that once his leg healed up enough to allow him to limp around on a cane he would inevitably head back out on another one of his vacations. And damned if a Conor McGregor vacation ain’t the surest way to raise the crime rate in Europe. News of the latest incident broke over the weekend, when McGregor was accused of punching Italian DJ Franceso Facchinetti in the face more or less completely out of the blue as they were hanging out in Rome. According to Facchinetti and his wife, they were chilling with McGregor and his crew, having a nice time, when for no apparent reason McGregor started throwing them bungalows. [According to Facchinetti’s wife](https://prosportsextra.com/conor-mcgregor-allegedly-attacked-famous-dj-francesco-facchinetti-while-in-rome-and-broke-his-nose/?ref=comainevent.com), Wilma, the whole shit was about as unprovoked as it gets. “He was inviting us to another party,” Wilma Faissol wrote on social media after the incident. “Francesco said, ‘Okay, let’s go’ and (McGregor) hit him.” Now what the hell kind of way is that to act? Facchinetti, who is apparently kind of a big deal in Italy, had a swollen lip to show off on Instagram afterwards. He said his nose was broken and that he plans to sue McGregor. His wife added, by way of public warning, that McGregor would be in Italy until October 26 and advised people to avoid him if they see him. “Don’t go near him and ask for autographs because he is an unstable and dangerous person,” she wrote. So that’s what it’s come to. Once an international superstar, now treated like a rabid dog in godawful overpriced polos. Real nice. It is at this point that we must ask: What the fuck, man? How did you turn into such a joke? Don’t you know that it’s a bad enough look for pro fighters to go around laying hands on regular people, but it’s an even worse look when you do it between ass-kickings served up by their peers? Throwing a drink at Machine Gun Kelly is one thing. Seems a little Real Housewives-ish, but whatever. When two attention-seeking fame-whores occupy the same red carpet at the same time, we expect someone’s Gucci loafers to get stepped on every now and then. But here we are, what, a month later? McGregor is running around Rome with his family and he hauls off and hits some Italian DJ who, according to the one account we’ve heard so far, was guilty only of being willing to kick it? I mean, [look at this guy](https://twitter.com/frafacchinetti/status/1447898737238491158?ref=comainevent.com), running around these Italian streets talking about “I love pizza.” *That’s* the guy you want to haul off and punch at 2:30 a.m.? That’s you being some gangster tough guy? But then, what else do we expect? It’s not like McGregor has faced any real consequences for any of his bullshit so far. Remember when he punched some old guy minding his own business in the pub? Remember how it was only when the rest of us saw the surveillance video that he claimed to be sorry for it? Remember how he threw a goddamn hand truck through the window of a bus filled with UFC fighters, resulting in injuries to several people and the cancellation of a couple bouts on that week’s fight card? Remember about a dozen other various crimes and misdeeds, up to and including multiple sexual assault allegations? And what happens each time. He ends up writing a check. In extreme situations he may even have to say he’s sorry in public. UFC President Dana White has to go from pretending to care how UFC fighters behave to saying shit like “I got 700 lunatics under contract here” just to excuse McGregor’s bullshit. (Which, hey, you must really love that if you’re one of the UFC fighters under contract who *doesn’t* act a damn fool all the time, since now the UFC boss just went and said ‘hey they’re all unhinged psychos’ all so he had an excuse to do nothing about the richest brat on the roster.) For crying out loud, a couple years after getting arrested in Miami for smashing and then stealing some dude's phone he was [GIVEN THE KEY TO THE CITY](https://www.bloodyelbow.com/2021/9/30/22701603/ufc-star-conor-mcgregor-granted-key-to-the-city-in-miami-mma-news?ref=comainevent.com) for no apparent reason. Meaningful consequences for his own actions must be a totally foreign concept at this point. So now this man is running around punching DJs. And not even for a good reason! You want to punch a DJ, shit, start with that dude at UFC events who keeps playing his own garbage version of “Hotel California” that no one but him seems to enjoy. Instead you’re like, ‘hey do you want to go to a party with me?’ Then bombing on anyone dumb enough to say yes. The fuck is that? Guess what we’re saying is, MMA deserves a better class of bad boy hooligan. If you’re going to wild out in the club, at least make it seem fun. If you’re going to throw drinks at celebrities, make sure you don’t need someone to pick up your cane for you afterwards. Punch someone who’s got it coming, and who is in a position to punch back. Or better yet, restrict your punching to the people who have agreed to it in advance for money, since that is YOUR WHOLE FUCKING JOB. Instead, he’s basically paying people after the fact all so he can punch them when he’s feeling froggy in the club late at night. That’s the opposite of how the money is supposed to flow when you’re a pro fighter! But then, when you can't land the left hand in the cage maybe you have to look for chances to land it in the club. That's not totally sad or anything. *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### To: Sean Strickland, From: CME Consulting Services LLC, Re: Belal Muhammad beef URL: https://www.comainevent.com/to-sean-strickland-from-cme-consulting-services-llc-re-belal-muhammad-beef/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:05.000Z Hey Sean, thanks for reaching out. We received your CME Consulting Services request, along with your $40 via Venmo. We’ve been looking into this situation between you and Belal Muhammad and we just had a few questions before we offer our advice on next steps. First, the facts. From what we can tell, it seems this all started when Luke Rockhold pulled out of his scheduled fight with you and Mr. Muhammad offered to step in, correct? It seems he also [made things personal](https://www.mmafighting.com/2021/10/13/22724005/belal-muhammad-offers-to-fight-piece-of-trash-sean-strickland-responds-with-expletive-filled-tirade?ref=comainevent.com) right away, calling you a “piece of trash” and taking issue with past comments you may have made regarding Palestine, is that accurate? (Side note: As a general rule, CME Consulting Services LLC strongly discourages clients from offering ANY opinions on decades-long conflicts that they are not unimpeachable experts on. We know you didn’t ask, but consider this a free add-on to the services you’ve already paid for.) Furthermore, your initial response to Mr. Muhammad appears to be have been fairly innocuous, dismissing him as a non-factor from a different division, and one who will not help you move closer to a middleweight title shot. You did add that you had previously offered to spar with him because it was “a good excuse” to hurt him, which, we must point out, is maybe not the best message to send to current and future sparring partners. But things seem to have taken a turn recently, from what we can tell, and [this video](https://twitter.com/Tranracialangel/status/1448789223008444416?ref=comainevent.com) you posted appears to be the culprit. Just for the sake of getting the full picture, let’s go ahead and lay out the text here so we can examine your choice of words together: “Muhammad, you need to know something man. The UFC will never let us fight unless I get fucked up or if you come to middleweight and get ranked. And honestly man, I will give you an offer because I fucking like you dude. I think you’re fucking funny. I laugh at your Instagram posts. It’s fucking hilarious. But I want to make you an offer. We can go – you’re going to be in Vegas next week – me and you, we can meet up in the desert, dude, and we can just do some weird shit together, dude. Because it’s so wild to me, like, this is something that I’ve always fantasized about, you know? And you’re like a gazelle that wants to be a lion, and you’re accepting what I want to do to you. And like, dude, I want to do some weird shit to you, man. Oh man, it’s so exciting that you’re just so ok with doing it. Like there’s some things I’ve fantasized about for a long time, and I feel like you’re going to let me do it to you.” So, yeah, a lot to unpack there. First, this is why we strongly encourage clients to contact us *before* posting on the internet. But also, and we’re not sure how to put this delicately, it seems like you’ve chosen to frame this conflict between yourself and another professional fighter in a strangely sexual context? Like, very sexual? And very strange? We realize that nothing here explicitly references sexual acts. But the general tone, Sean. The tone is undeniably sexual in nature. Surely you see that, right? But then, as if to remove any doubt, you also posted this image, in which you clearly label both yourself and Mr. Muhammad in what appears to be a crude depiction of two (clothed??) individuals engaging in (doggystyle) sexual congress. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/fbwhxwcwyaitzuk.jpg) Sean, we have concerns about this strategy. Unless we’re misreading the situation entirely, it appears as though you’re using sex as a stand-in for violence here. The two seem, in fact, completely interchangeable for you. That’s troubling, Sean, and not just from a public relations and communications standpoint. It suggests to people that you see sex – the physical expression of love and affection between two consenting adults – and extreme physical violence in a recreational sporting context as essentially one and the same? In fact, an attentive observer might come away from these posts wondering if this might be how you, as a person, approach sex in your personal life. We’re not sure you really want to invite those kinds of questions, whatever the answers may be. While we’re on the subject, Sean, it seems that in general lately you’ve chosen to go with what we might call a “sadistic and potentially genuinely homicidal maniac” approach to self-promotion. That’s fine. It’s a choice. We wouldn’t exactly call it sponsor-friendly, but this is professional fighting and there will always be a subset of fans who naturally gravitate toward a certain gleeful brand of human cruelty. You are in a good position to corner that market. But one concern we have is that if, god forbid, you were to ever find yourself accused of a violent crime up to and including homicide, these posts would not paint you in a positive light for any prospective jury. They might even be quite damning, Sean. Just based on what we know about you through social media and post-fight interviews, we’re halfway ready to vote for your conviction on any and all unsolved murders within 200 miles of your location. But back to the specific situation with Mr. Muhammad. Had you engaged our services earlier, we would have advised you to publicly voice support for the fight, inviting Mr. Muhammad to move up to middleweight and come get that smoke, as it were. We believe you are correct in your assertion that the UFC would likely not book such a fight, but a) that doesn’t mean you can’t still get credit for accepting it, and b) if the UFC did make the fight, it would come with serious grudge match potential that would put you in the spotlight once again. Also, c) don’t you think you’d probably win that fight against a guy coming up from welterweight? And wins are wins, Sean. It doesn’t have to always make sense. Sadly, this approach seems closed to you now, given your very public support for a bizarre desert meeting instead. In other circumstances we might suggest that a client claim to have been hacked, but the very clear and unambiguous video of you addressing Mr. Muhammad by name and requesting that he let you do “some weird shit” that you have long “fantasized” about makes that difficult and maybe even impossible here. In light of all that, we think the best possible next move for you is to become best friends with Mr. Muhammad. Possibly even roommates. Ideally, you could later claim that these exchanges were all in good fun, and it was your shared love of acting up on social media that brought you together and helped each of you find the comfort of friendship in the cutthroat world of mixed-rules fighting. Do we expect this to be easy? We do not. In the event that Mr. Muhammad remains unwilling to become your friend, we would advise that you claim to *be* his friend nonetheless. In fact, this might even be preferable. While he continues to call you out for a fight, you respond by telling people how hilarious he is, how much you appreciate his friendship, how he honestly helped you through some really difficult times and you’re extremely grateful for him. Perhaps a badly photoshopped image showing the two of you hanging out together would help. The occasional tweet in which you shoutout “my brother Belal, who always picks up when I call and knows just what to say when I’m feeling blue.” You might even consider an affectionate nickname. Our suggestion is something along the line of “B-Mac,” but feel free to come up with your own. Eventually, we believe this strategy will either win both Mr. Muhammad and the fans over, or at least leave them all feeling confused and disquieted. As a bonus, you get to appear to have actual friends in MMA, rather than an assortment of sparring partners who all find you troubling and off-putting. Hopefully this helps. If you have any more questions, or run into any issues with the implementation of this strategy, please don’t hesitate to contact us again (with the inclusion of an additional $40 via Venmo). Sincerely, CME Consulting Services LLC *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) ### Nobody seems to care if Henry Cejudo returns and, honestly, that's kind of a bummer URL: https://www.comainevent.com/nobody-seems-to-care-if-henry-cejudo-returns-and-honestly-thats-kind-of-a-bummer/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:06.000Z Ali Abdelaziz said the quiet part out loud again this week. On the topic of Henry Cejudo’s possible return to MMA after a 17-month retirement, Abdelaziz told [TSN’s Aaron Bronstete](https://twitter.com/aaronbronsteter/status/1448075810708017165?ref=comainevent.com)[r](https://twitter.com/aaronbronsteter/status/1448279861391409153?ref=comainevent.com) he wouldn’t even try to broker his client a deal for a bout against featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski if he thought Cejudo was only interested in a one-and-done money grab. Why the hell not? Abdelaziz said he just couldn’t bring himself to do the UFC like that. “If I thought Henry would beat Alexander and move on, I would never be involved,” Abdelaziz said. “I value the relationship with the UFC and Dana (White) and all these guys in the UFC ... Listen, it's a conversation. Henry has to come to Las Vegas, he has to sit with the UFC people and look them in the face and tell them he will fight for the title and he will defend it. But I would never be involved if I didn't think Henry would defend it, because I think winning the title and just walking out on them? It makes the title not good for them. It's not good for business. ” Now, it feels weird to even have to make this point, but: Abdelaziz is HENRY CEJUDO’S MANAGER. It's literally his job – his one job! – to look out for Cejudo's best interests. And yet as so often happens with this dude, here he is not only kiiiiinda sounding like he's on the UFC's side of the negotiation but pretty much explicitly stating that he "values the relationship" he has with the promoters and what's "good for business" (whose business, exactly?!?!) more than getting the best deal for his own guy. In some ways, you gotta admire the man's naked pragmatism. Adbelaziz's business is a numbers game, after all. He deals in bulk, making his nut not by getting tons of money for each individual client, but by having a ton of clients who all get deals that are "good for business" for the UFC, Bellator, PFL and others. Perhaps the most crucial part of that equation is maintaining a chummy relationship with the UFC. However, if you were Cejudo – or any of Abdelaziz's one hundred bazillion clients – how could you read this (and other) quotes from him and not ask, "Who's side are you really on, man?" In any other sport, such an omission would be shocking, but in this situation, it’s just a bummer. Cejudo vs. Volkanovski would be a dope fight. In fact, it might well be the most interesting thing the men's 145-pound division could muster at this exact moment. Max Holloway and Yair Rodriguez are set to fight over potential No. 1 contender status next month, but Holloway is already 0-2 against Volko since December 2019\. Those two will definitely end up doin' it again, brother, at some point, but right now? Eh, I dunno. I guess. Rodriguez, meanwhile, hasn't fought at all since his ugly saga with Jeremy Stephens in 2019 and still sorta exists under the cloud of that one weird time the UFC [claimed to have cut him](https://www.latimes.com/sports/boxing/la-sp-yair-rodriguez-cut-ufc-20180510-story.html?ref=comainevent.com) back in 2018 for turning down too many fights. He's a fun guy but opened as a 3-to-1 underdog to Holloway and has all of one career win over anybody currently in the featherweight Top 10 (Chan Sung Jung). Under these circumstances, honestly, give me Cejudo. Give me Cejudo trying to jump up in weight and make history as Olympic gold medalist and three-division UFC champ. That's actually good. That's actually interesting. I'd take that walking away – and I don't even care if Cejudo returned for one night or one hundred nights. Yet, here’s your boy Triple C— who, like it or not, can at least make the argument that he’s the greatest combat sports athlete of all time — telling anybody who will listen that he wants to re-start his martial times and it feels like nobody's all that interested. Even his own manager says he'll only do the deal IF IT MAKES SENSE FOR THE UFC. And the UFC? Well — how shall we put this — the organization doesn't exactly sound like it's willing to smash open the Endeavor piggy bank to get Cejudo back, nor does it seem all that stoked to pony-up the sort of opponents (cue extremely Jon Anik voice) befitting a champion. “He’s retired…,” White said at a recent [postfight press conference](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tge-2psy96I&t=1874s&ref=comainevent.com), when asked about the possibility of Cejudo vs. Volkanovski. “There are so many kids right now that are here, that want to fight. Those are the people that I’m focused on.” Ouch. That’s cold, Big D. But then, it’s always kind of been this way for Cejudo, hasn’t it? Remember back in May 2020, when he “retired” in the cage following a successful bantamweight title defense against Dominick Cruz in what seemed like an obvious ploy to try to squeeze a slightly more lucrative deal out of the UFC? But then White showed up to the press event later that same night already being like, “Well, I guess we need to find a new champion!” I mean, sheesh. When Khabib Nurmagomedov retired at age 32 White essentially spent the next six months buying him dinner at every four-star restaurant on the Vegas strip, assuring us that under the right circumstances he’d be able coax him back in the cage. Cejudo tried the same move and fifteen minutes later White was ready to slap a “50 Cents or Best Offer” sign on the 135-pound belt and leave it out on the street corner. Granted, Cejudo isn't Nurmagomedov. He doesn't have a pre-loaded grudge match with Conor McGregor waiting for him if and when he ever decides to pull the trigger on it. But the speed and ruthlessness with which the UFC called Cejudo's bluff on his attempt to get even a little more money was astonishing, even for a company long known for its astonishing ruthlessness. And the fans? It goes without saying the fans don’t care about Cejudo. Never have. That’s sort of how we got into this mess in the first place. Look, I get it. I fully understand how unlikable Cejudo is. Eventually, in his madcap quest to hashtag *brand* himself, he became like the fight game’s little brother — a kid standing on a chair at a wedding shouting for everybody to watch him dance. But isn’t the uncomfortable truth that Cejudo at least tried to do exactly what fans, the media and the UFC are always asking fighters to do? Didn’t he at least attempt to make himself interesting and marketable by leaning all the way into his innate corniness? It wasn't great. No, it was not. In fact it was extremely cringe but, shit, this man could only play the hand he was dealt, you know what I'm saying? Plus, the fact that Cejudo always seemed to be halfway in on the joke himself made it all a little bit less terrible than it otherwise might have been. And, fact is, the guy was an incredible fighter. He successfully supplemented his Olympic-level wrestling with a dangerous striking game and finished his career on a six-fight win-streak which included winning titles in two different weight classes. Titles that he never lost, by the way. At least Cejudo wanted us to care about him and about the lighter weight classes. That's more than you could say for some of his predecessors. It's more than you could say, at times, for his promoters. Yeah, he was annoying AF about it, but at least he had some passion to go along with his incredible skills. Now, the prospect of seeing him try for a *third* title in a *third* weight class should be tantalizing to people who claim to support actual, good, high-level MMA fighting. So, why not Cejudo? Why can’t anybody — not fans, not White, not even Cejudo’s own manager — drum up any enthusiasm to see this guy come back to MMA? Did we really dislike his gimmick so much that we can’t admit that giving him a shot to become a three-weight champ might actually be compelling? That it might actually be the best move here? That injecting Cejudo into the mix could only spice up a featherweight division that kinda seems like it needs new faces anyway? Was he that annoying? Does he really want that much money? Is his manager really so worried that he might pull a Georges St-Pierre and come back for one fight, move up in weight and actually win, before peacing-out the game forever? Right. Because that worked out so terribly for GSP, a guy who ... seems to be out there living his best life ... having a bunch of money ... looking happier and younger every time we see him. Yeah, definitely don't let Henry Cejudo do that. That would be bad for business. *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### Introducing: Doin’ The Damn Thing URL: https://www.comainevent.com/introducing-doin-the-damn-thing/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:06.000Z Download [DTDT\_free.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/DTDT%5Ffree.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) Hey friends, allow us to introduce our brand new podcast, “Doin’ The Damn Thing.” Moving forward, this mean dog is going to be available exclusively to top tier patrons of the Co-Main Event but for week one, we wanted to share it with all of you for free. We’ve never done anything exactly like this before and we’re excited about it. This is a show where we’re going to talk about some of the other things we like, whether that be movies or books or music--some non MMA related stuff--but hopefully in a way that is still of interest to the CME listening audience. And frankly, the maiden voyage of Doin’ The Damn Thing is jam-packed with CME goodness. We spend the first part of the show discussing the first couple episodes of Ken Burns’ new PBS documentary on Muhammad Ali and some of the ways it either changed or reinforced our views of one of the most iconic figures in all of sports. We also talk to our friend Dan Brooks about the death of Norm Macdonald, as Dan and Norm had become acquainted during the final years of Macdonald’s life. Plus, the debut of KRAKEN UP. You won’t want to miss it. If you like it, please consider signing up to [join the team on Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com) to check out all the cool stuff over there. ### Close Readings: Paul Felder talks through his feelings on a UFC comeback URL: https://www.comainevent.com/close-readings-paul-felder-talks-through-his-feelings-on-a-ufc-comeback/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:06.000Z You know what we here at the CME say about how you know when a fighter retirement is legit, don’t you? Wait five years. Paul Felder has made it about six months so far, and already it seems like he may be toying with the idea of hitting the undo button on his retirement announcement from earlier this year. We should note, it’s difficult to know yet how seriously he’s considering this. Based on Felder’s comments in [this short video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOG0t0QAxjI&ref=comainevent.com) posted to co-commentator Brendan Fitzgerald’s YouTube page, sounds like he might be still in the Just Saying Stuff phase of it for now. But it also sounds like the saying stuff is coming from genuinely thinking about stuff, which maybe shouldn’t surprise us since Felder has always seemed like a thoughtful dude. Here’s how he put it when talking to Fitzgerald and Laura Sanko from the UFC Apex, where he was calling those Dana White Contender Series fights this week: “I feel like since the triathlon season has slowed, and there’s not a lot of races, I’ve really had a chance to reflect on that it’s over, that I’m not fighting anymore, and I’ve missed it tremendously. I started hitting pads, I started doing stuff. That’s not to say that I’m making some comeback, but I’m definitely gonna go home, I want to train with Sean Brady and the guys a little bit. I wanna see how I feel after a week of training with somebody like Sean Brady, Jeremiah Wells, Pat Sabatini, Andre Petroski, these guys who are all Philly guys in the UFC, (have them) kick my ass, and we’ll go from there.” There’s a lot going on there, even in a relatively brief, somewhat off-the-cuff statement, so let’s dig into it with a close reading and see if we can’t discover whether this is a good or terrible idea. **“I feel like since the triathlon season has slowed, and there’s not a lot of races…”** OK I’m going to stop you right there, just for a second, because what it suggests is that if the triathlon schedule was more robust year-round maybe we wouldn’t even be having this conversation? Which feels … telling in some way. But go on. **“…I’ve really had a chance to reflect on that it’s over, that I’m not fighting anymore, and I’ve missed it tremendously.”** Now there’s something I’ve heard from a lot of fighters over the years. You know what he’s really talking about? The void. All your adult life, you were focused on this one thing. It was more than just a job – it was an identity. It was the unchanging, permanent answer to the question: what am I going to do today? You’re going to try to become a better fighter is what. You’re going to take further steps toward beating whoever it is you signed to fight next. Simple. Then that’s gone, and maybe at first it feels good and right. No more hurting all the time. No more of the fight game’s exploitative bullshit. Then some more time goes by and you wonder, wait is this thing really gone *forever*? Because that’s a lot longer than it seemed at first. **“I started hitting pads, I started doing stuff.”** Yep, that’s how it starts. Bet the triathlon stuff started with just going for a couple runs, riding the bike around the block. Now look. Think maybe you might have one of those personalities that naturally takes things to the extreme? **“That’s not to say that I’m making some comeback…”** Bro, the video began with Fitzy over here saying, “What’s with this comeback stuff?” The video on YouTube is entitled: “Is Paul Felder making a comeback to the UFC?” Seems hard to believe he just pulled that out of nowhere and then turned the camera on to catch you unawares. **“…but I’m definitely gonna go home, I want to train with Sean Brady and the guys a little bit. I wanna see how I feel after a week of training with somebody like Sean Brady, Jeremiah Wells, Pat Sabatini, Andre Petroski, these guys who are all Philly guys in the UFC, (have them) kick my ass, and we’ll go from there.”** Okay by the end we’re in shoutout territory but this is actually the smart way to approach it. You feel good hitting pads? They don’t hit back, but your gym buddies who are active pro fighters sure do. Go do that for a while and see if it still seems like a great idea to get back into that life. And hey, maybe it will. But I remember a retired fighter who once told me that every time he thought about a comeback he’d go to pro practice at American Top Team, just to remind himself what it would really take to do it. Then he’d go back home sore and aching from the beating he'd received, but with peace of mind. For a while. Felder would go on to say that he’s not in the USADA testing pool but thinks he could jump back in and get an “expedited” clearance that would take less than six months, since he hasn’t been out of it long. Also sounds like his mom would support him if he really wanted to but maybe his partner is less convinced it’s such a great idea. But then he gets to talking about his weight and bringing the science of his triathlon training over to MMA and damned if it doesn’t sound like maybe he’s already made up his mind. Is it a bad idea? Really depends why he’s thinking about coming back and what he hopes to get out of it. Not trying to be a jerk or anything, but 37-year-old Paul Felder is not going to become UFC champion at this point. And unlike most fighters, he actually has steady work as a commentator, which he is very good at and could conceivably continue doing for years and years. So is it just about filling the void? Is it about trying to put some distance between himself and that ‘oh shit it’s really over’ feeling? Because if so, brother, best you can hope to do there is delay that stuff. But it’s still going to catch up with you eventually. Maybe he really thinks there’s a few good fights left in him. And maybe he’s right. Maybe he thinks leaving anything in the tank would be worse than the pain and suffering of being absolutely, completely sure that it’s all the way empty. That can, of course, go way wrong. But then that was always part of the bargain and he knows it. One thing I can say for sure is that if UFC matchmakers put Felder back in that cage it better not be with some 27-year-old killer they’re trying to build up. Don’t you do it. You fuckers. If Felder is to fight, let him fight a peer. A fellow gentleman of a certain age. And on sufficient notice. If you do that human sacrifice thing you usually do with older fighters, after all he’s done for you? Well, we might not forgive you. (Photo by Anne Marie Fox/HBO Max) *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### So it turns out you can still get fired from the UFC for domestic violence arrests ... sometimes URL: https://www.comainevent.com/so-it-turns-out-you-can-still-get-fired-from-the-ufc-for-domestic-violence-allegations-sometimes/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:06.000Z Finally we have an answer to the question of whether getting arrested on domestic violence charges can get you fired from the UFC, and that answer is a resounding: Occasionally. Eventually. Sometimes. Luis Pena – a fighter whose nickname “Violent Bob Ross” now seems not only unfortunate but potentially prejudicial to a jury – helped to clarify the issue this week by getting himself released from the UFC following an arrest for allegedly punching two women. One of those women was his partner and one of them was allegedly trying to stop him from hitting his partner “[multiple times with a closed fist](https://www.mmafighting.com/2021/10/12/22723081/luis-pena-accused-of-punching-partner-other-woman-with-closed-fist-in-latest-incident?ref=comainevent.com),” according to the police report. In case you forgot, this is the same dude who was arrested in a different alleged partner assault incident back in June. And that was separate from the battery charges he faced after an arrest in May. But okay, *now* he’s fired. When asked to explain what finally triggered the pink slip, UFC President Dana White [put it to reporters this way](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/10/ufc-news-promotion-terminates-luis-penas-contract-after-learning-of-disturbing-allegations-in-domestic-violence-arrest?ref=comainevent.com): “This was a bad case and we knew that he had problems before that we were trying to help him with. This is a pretty nasty one. I don’t know if you guys read the police report, but yeah, this one had to happen.” The official statement that the UFC put out Tuesday night laid it out in a slightly more delicate fashion, saying the promotion was aware of the “disturbing allegations” and pointing out that Pena "has been open about his struggles with mental health and substance abuse issues and the organization has on multiple prior occasions attempted to help him get professional treatment.” The statement added that the UFC believes Pena “needs to deal with the health and legal issues in front of him,” and in the meantime his contract has been terminated. You already know where this goes next. People are going to ask why Pena gets cut right away and someone like Jon Jones, who was [*just* arrested on similar charges hours after a UFC hall of fame ceremony](https://www.comainevent.com/your-bench-press-max-was-never-the-problem-jon-jones/), stays on the roster. Of course, anyone who knows enough to ask also knows the answer: Jones can still make the UFC a lot of goddamn money. Pena? As far as the UFC’s profits are concerned, he’s Just Some Guy. Totally replaceable, and not worth the headache of being linked with him if he’s going to be out there generating headlines like ‘UFC fighter arrested for punching women again.’ Telling reporters that you cut him because “this was a bad case” is not the ideal way to put it. That suggests there might be cases where professional cage fighters go and beat up the women in their lives and it could somehow be considered *not* so bad. But it is weirdly and maybe accidentally honest. It suggests that where Pena really fucked up was by getting arrested for an incident in which the ugly details got reported too clearly, and by doing so while being not very valuable to the UFC. That’s it, really. All the other deflections we sometimes hear – got to let the legal system play out, innocent until proven guilty, two sides to every story – are ultimately bullshit. Incidents like this one prove that. What actually matters is this simple calculation to determine when your worth to the promoter is eclipsed by the amount of shit you are forcing them to eat from media and fans over your continued employment. For someone like Jones, who might still fuck around and wind up in a heavyweight title fight worth tens of millions of dollars just in pay-per-view buys for the UFC? Promoters are willing to eat a whole lot of shit. For someone like Pena, whose presence on a card doesn’t sell one extra ticket, the amount of allowable shit per bite is much, much lower. Honestly, probably the only reason Pena stayed on the roster through this many arrests was *because* of people like Jones and Greg Hardy and Mike Perry and at least a half dozen others you could name over the years. The UFC knows that every time you cut a Pena for a domestic violence arrest, you’re going to be asked why the same standard doesn’t apply to the famous guys. Easier to cut none of them than only some of them. But then wouldn’t you know it, fighters like Pena ruin it for everyone by getting arrested for the same shit over and over, with more and more “disturbing” details making it into the news stories. Eventually you *have* to cut them. Which is exactly what White said, possibly without realizing the implications: “This one had to happen.” Note how different that is from, ‘we find this shit despicable and don’t want to be in business with anyone who would do this.’ Nah, it’s just that he forced your hand by fucking up *too* badly. The other part we can’t avoid mentioning, however, is that the UFC knows its would-be competitors are no more scrupulous about this shit. If the UFC, outraged by Jon Jones’ behavior, were to immediately cut ties with one of the greatest pound-for-pound fighters on the planet, how long do you think it would be before Bellator reached out? Or PFL? Or ONE Championship? Or goddamn bare-knuckle boxing? He could be crushing cans on a river barge outside Biloxi in no time. A history of domestic violence accusations isn’t a career-killer in pro fighting. That's just a sad fact. Look at the anti-cautionary tale of Floyd Mayweather. Fans tolerate it. So promoters tolerate it. So it only becomes a problem when people have already decided they don’t care about you for other reasons. Just try to keep the details vague, if possible. Otherwise, we might *have* to do something. *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### Pretty sure this is the world's first Dundasso tattoo URL: https://www.comainevent.com/pretty-sure-this-is-the-worlds-first-dundasso-tattoo/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:07.000Z Perhaps this is the point where we lean-in close to listeners of the Co-Main Event Podcast and whisper, throatily: "You never stop surprising us." Because, friends, we did not see this coming. It seems longtime Co-Mainiac, [beloved $10 patron](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com) and, at this point, FRIEND OF THE SHOW Josh K. went and got himself a Dundasso tattoo this week. Here's the full photographic evidence of it in all its eye-poking, groin-kicking glory: ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/josh-k-tattoo.jpg) This, we're pretty sure, is a first. Now, do we recommend that *EVERY* CME listener run out and get a podcast-related tattoo as soon as possible? Well, honestly, we'd really like to, but our lawyer has advised against it. Seriously, though, when we sat down almost a decade ago (!) and decided to start an MMA podcast just for the LOLs, we never even dared imagine that someday people would get our weird iconography inked onto their bodies in a more or less permanent way. So, shout out to Josh, who has been a cool guy supporting the show for YEARS and now probably gets free beers 4 lyfe if we ever meet-up in person. Gonna be honest, this feels like a whole new era for the show. What's next, you crazy wildmen? Sir Nigel back piece? Olde English script that says "Listener Mail" across your chests? Maybe "Capital G Guy" along your knuckles? The possibilities are endless\*. One thing is now clear: All the little Co-Mainiacs have endowed us with a great and terrifying power and we promise to always treat that responsibility with the careful, sober consideration that it deserves. Either that or we'll drink a bunch of those new Mountain Dew alcohol drinks, drive out to the 10,000 Silver Dollar Bar and use your Patreon money to buy big fuckin' Viking swords for our weapons room. One or the other. Oh, hey, before we let you go, if you're not totally into the whole tattoo thing, did you know you can still buy this design on an actual T-shirt? Hell yeah, you can, dog. Hustle over [to the CME shop](https://cottonbureau.com/products/dundasso?ref=comainevent.com#/1962331/tee-men-standard-tee-vintage-black-tri-blend-s) and get you some. \*Seriously, though, please don't get a CME tattoo unless you've spent, like, years thinking about it and deciding if it's right for you. Because that's a straight-up lifestyle choice, right there. *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### Questions for the person who made that edit to Norma Dumont's Wikipedia page URL: https://www.comainevent.com/questions-for-the-person-who-made-that-edit-to-norma-dumonts-wikipedia-page/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:07.000Z Did you show up on the website that day thinking it would already be there? Is that how it started? Were you sitting in your study, enjoying a nice glass of cognac and cough syrup, as you always do after a long day at the bullet factory? Then you looked up suddenly from your volume of Dickens and said aloud: “That time referee Jason Herzog prevented Norma Dumont’s breasts from being accidentally exposed during a bout with Ashlee Evans-Smith, surely it’s already documented on her Wikipedia page, right?” Yes of course, you told yourself. Of course it’s been added by now. But you couldn’t shake the feeling, could you? Did you think back to the time you noticed that the redcoat infantry depicted in the 1995 film “Rob Roy” were carrying rifles with socket bayonets – clearly, plug bayonets would have been the correct variety for the time period – yet no one had thought to list this under the “goofs” section on the IMDb page? No one except you, that is. If you hadn’t acted quickly to add it there, why, who knows how the fabric of society might have unraveled? And is that when you had to get up and go to your desktop Gateway computer just to check, just to be sure? And when you pulled up Dumont’s Wikipedia page and saw no mention at all of the time referee Jason Herzog prevented Norma Dumont’s breasts from being accidentally exposed during a bout with Ashlee Evans-Smith, did your heart leap a little? Were you happy to feel of use to the world, to be the internet’s indispensable man? ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/screen-shot-2021-10-12-at-7-23-46-am.png) But once you went to add this detail, did you worry that you might not be able to find a suitable citation? *You* remembered this moment, of course. How could you forget the time referee Jason Herzog prevented Norma Dumont’s breasts from being accidentally exposed during a bout with Ashlee Evans-Smith? But what if the rest of the world was content to forget? What if the moment had been lost, swallowed by the dark maw of history? What if you knew it happened but couldn’t prove it to the satisfaction of Wikipedia’s standards? Is that when you Googled ‘the time referee Jason Herzog prevented Norma Dumont’s breasts from being accidentally exposed during a bout with Ashlee Evans-Smith’? And did your face light up when you found [that article from 7News in Australia](https://7news.com.au/sport/ufc/ufc-referee-intervenes-during-fighters-wardrobe-malfunction-c-1682434?ref=comainevent.com)? But did it bug you a little how they insisted on using the phrase "wardrobe malfunction," like it was all some big joke? Are you a completionist? Is that your deal? You couldn’t stand the thought that we might only record who fought and who won, who missed weight and who pulled out for undisclosed reasons, without also noting this thing that almost happened but didn’t? Or is all this actually about referee Jason Herzog? Were you worried that he might not get the credit he deserved, that this small but noble act of his might go missing from the permanent record? How about all those times we almost or even actually did see the crack of some heavyweight’s ass as his ill-fitting shorts drifted down toward his knees while he stuffed a takedown attempt? Do you go and add those incidents to their Wikipedia pages too? Or was it the human element that made this different, the fact that one person performed a thoughtful act to protect another person’s modesty and dignity? Or was it just about boobs? Do you ever worry that some day the whole internet will disappear? Nuclear armageddon, maybe. A meteor strike. Some bullshit with weaponized electromagnetic pulse stuff. What if it all goes dark and never comes back? Our family albums on Instagram. Our self-righteous Facebook screeds. Our pithy and hilarious tweets. All just gone in an instant. But worst of all, Wikipedia, the Library of Alexandria of our time, will vanish. And what then of your works? What of all your time and labor? What of this record of the time referee Jason Herzog prevented Norma Dumont’s breasts from being exposed during a bout with Ashlee Evans-Smith? Will it all have meant nothing? If the record does not survive, did any of it even happen? Was it all just the dream of some mad god, over in an instant and forgotten entirely save for some vaguely unsettling feeling, the nagging thought that something has been forgotten and can never be reclaimed? Does that ever bother you? Even just a little? *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### Chuck Liddell got arrested & we are getting extremely fucking tired of this shit URL: https://www.comainevent.com/chuck-liddell-got-arrested-we-are-getting-extremely-fucking-tired-of-this-shit/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:08.000Z You know what would be great? If everybody in this sport could just stop being awful all the time, that's what. Seriously, this shit is getting fucking exhausting. TMZ [broke the story](https://www.tmz.com/2021/10/11/chuck-liddell-arrested-domestic-violence/?ref=comainevent.com) on Monday that former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell was arrested over the weekend on domestic violence charges—and frankly, it was just another day in what has been a fairly soul-crushing news cycle for MMA fans lately. Liddell’s arrest, of course, comes immediately after news that the UFC’s Luis Pena [had been arrested](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/10/ufc-news-luis-pena-arrested-felony-charges-domestic-violence-battery?ref=comainevent.com) for domestic violence (his second arrest this year) last week, which came immediately after news that Jon Jones [had been arrested](https://www.mmafighting.com/2021/9/28/22698776/jon-jones-police-report-reveals-details-arrest-fiancee-found-blood-covering-her-face-and-clothes?ref=comainevent.com) (again) for domestic violence last month, which came immediately after news that Jason “Mayhem” Miller [had been arrested](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/09/jason-mayhem-miller-arrested-felony-domestic-violence-los-angeles-police-taser-crime-bail?ref=comainevent.com) for domestic violence on Sept. 10 and, seriously you guys, what the fuck? This is exactly the type of shit that makes you afraid to refresh your twitter timeline because half the time you find out someone you used to admire has done some terrible shit. Makes you afraid to google the UFC’s latest up-and-coming star for fear you’ll find out they’re into some Qanon bullshit or they think the vaccines are made from the tiny little angels of aborted fetuses or whatever. Oh, that cool-seeming wrestler guy we all just found out about a few months ago? Turns out, he narrowly dodged [allegations of sexual assault](https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory/charges-minnesota-wrestlers-alleged-sex-assault-67855516?ref=comainevent.com) back in 2019. The fun new guy from Dana White’s Contender Series? Oh, what's this? He's maybe [sorta pro-beheading](https://www.bloodyelbow.com/2020/10/19/21523149/ufc-fighter-praises-chechen-teen-beheaded-french-teacher-decapitation-prophet-mma-news?ref=comainevent.com) and was [captured on video](https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/other-sports/mma/hes-like-rocket-outrage-mma-12500035?ref=comainevent.com) abusing a cat? Cool cool cool. This Liddell one maybe even stings bit worse because unlike Jones or Miller or Pena, he doesn’t really have a history of this kind of thing. When a guy like Liddell gets arrested for domestic violence out of the blue early in the morning on a goddam Monday, it leaves the foggy, uncertain impression that maybe *everybody* in this sport is a dirtbag. And that sucks real bad. Real bad. The TMZ report had Liddell pumping his fist to reporters as he was released from jail Monday afternoon. So, that's a thing that's impossible to know how read. Last time we saw “The Iceman," he was losing to Tito Ortiz in a fight for Golden Boy Promotions in 2018, where just from the way he was hitting the heavy bag during the prefight promos, you knew he wasn’t going to win. Hard to know what kind of physical or mental shape he’s been in these past few years. But look, we all understand that to carry on being a combat sports fan occasionally takes some mental gymnastics. You have to find a way to make peace with the fact that a certain percentage of the people you’ll be watching are reprehensible. There’s some brain science to it, actually, and a few years ago I [wrote a story](https://theathletic.com/1476862/2019/12/20/why-do-some-fans-still-cheer-for-mma-fighters-they-find-immoral-turns-out-its-partly-science/?ref=comainevent.com) for The Athletic about the process of “morally decoupling” what the athletes you admire do in the cage from what they do in life. But this stuff? Gotta be honest. This makes it tough. UPDATE: Liddell posted this to social media after his release. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/screen-shot-2021-10-11-at-5-01-20-pm.png) *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the* [*Co-Main Event Patreon*](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com)*. There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### Episode 472: Fury & Wilder had a classic URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-472-fury-wilder-had-a-classic/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:08.000Z Download [Episode\_472.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F472.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) Boxing owned the weekend, no doubt about that. Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder crafted a classic in their trilogy fight, capturing the attention of the sports world in a way it feels like MMA can never quite muster. Plus, does Mackenzie Dern need to decide what kind of fighter she wants to be? And what will you watch this weekend? The UFC? Bellator? Or both? ### Fight sports should be a big, loud, dumb spectacle – and boxing knows that better than MMA these days URL: https://www.comainevent.com/fight-sports-should-be-a-big-loud-dumb-spectacle-and-boxing-knows-that-better-than-mma-these-days/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:08.000Z When you cover fight sports but also have two small children, there’s a sound you eventually get used to. That sound is a groan of despair and anguish. It is often followed by the words, “…not fights again!?” There is much rolling of eyes and gnashing of teeth, the international body language that says: you’re telling me we get to turn the TV on, but instead of “Mr. Peabody & Sherman” we have to watch people fighting each other? AGAIN?? My kids don’t love it, is the point. Sometimes I can get them briefly interested when it’s a women’s fight. I have two daughters, and their first question of any TV show or movie is, are there any girls in this? (I’m ashamed to admit that it wasn’t until I became a dad that I realized how often the answer is: no, not really.) So when we got back from a Saturday afternoon outing just in time to catch Marina Rodriguez beating Mackenzie Dern in the main event of a UFC Fight Night, eh, they were willing to give it the briefest of glances before going off to jump on the trampoline. Fights again. Two girls this time. Let us know when it’s over. Fast-forward to Sunday morning. I’m sitting there with a coffee and an old-fashioned donut. I’ve got the TV on and I’m reliving the violent heavyweight fun from the previous night’s Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder trilogy fight. Yeah, that’s when something caught their eye. That something was a giant man in a bedazzled mask, followed by another man walking out dressed like an extra in “Hail, Caesar!” That’s when my daughters had several questions, most of which boiled down to: what the hell is happening here and can we see more of it? There were dancers and drummers. There was a guy rapping into a microphone. There was a *show*. Clearly, this was something special and important. Of course, eventually the costumes must come off and fighting is still fighting – this particular fight happened to be awesome, and worth the pay-per-view price – but how you dress it up (sometimes literally) does actually matter. And fight sports? They are at their best when they are dressed up as a big, loud, semi-dumb spectacle that you roll your eyes at even as you find yourself unable to look away. Boxing has been better than MMA when it comes to remembering that lately. It’s not just Fury and Wilder, either. It’s also Jake Paul. It’s that fake-ass robot he walks around with. It’s the array of money-burning ADHD bullshit we’ve seen from The Trillers. All of it. Here are some people who understand that fight sports are about entertainment. And since they can’t always guarantee us an entertaining fight (especially true when a lot of your fighters aren’t actually fighters), they know they’d better damn well deliver that entertainment outside the ring. There was a time when the UFC used to do more of that. Maybe it was the pressure to compete with PRIDE FC, or just a desperate plea for attention from the broader sports world, but those of us who’ve been following this sport for an embarrassingly long time can remember an era of walkout ramps and pyrotechnics and even that [bizarre Chuck Liddell hype video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0cXOMpj5RQ&ref=comainevent.com) with “Mask” from Tapout. The goal with all that was the same. Give these fuckers a show. Make this shit feel important and expansive. Do it up big, even if it’s kind of stupid. And you know something? That fucking works. Years later, people might forget little details about actual fights. But pageantry sticks with people. (I know because while I remember being in the Saitama Super Arena when Akihiro Gono did a choreographed dance routine with his cornermen, pausing every few feet on his way to the ring to remove his trunks, thus revealing a slightly smaller pair of trunks underneath, I don’t remember anything that happened in his fight or even who he fought that night.) The UFC has mostly gotten away from this brand of showmanship in recent years. To the extent that anyone is allowed to do anything fun – Israel Adesanya’s dance routine with his coaches just before he went out and took the middleweight title off Bobby Knuckles in Melbourne, for instance – it always seems like they first have to convince a reluctant Dana White to get out of the way and let them do it. His instinct is always to play it as minimal as possible. Play the music and make the walk. Make sure people can see the company logo of the apparel sponsor. Don’t get in the way of the stuff the puts money directly in the UFC’s pocket. Some fighters still find ways to get creative. Remember Brian Ortega and his team coming out in Purge masks just before he went 25 death-defying minutes with Alexander Volkanovski recently? Stuff like that still sneaks through on occasion (at least until the UFC signs an official mask sponsor), but even then it feels like it’s almost in spite of the UFC and never because of it. These days the UFC seems to see itself as a content-production company more than a live sporting event property. That’s working financially. Churning out hours of content every week is a lucrative enterprise for the UFC. Maybe that’s why it doesn’t want to waste time or energy on little extras like entertainment value. Instead, it mostly feels like fighters just materialize in the cage, interchangeable and anonymous, one after another after another. That’s fine, I guess. It’s a certain kind of product. No bells and whistles, just right to the business of hitting each other in the face. The audience for that is relatively small, but it’s consistent. It’s just, how do you watch Tyson Fury out there with his retinue of dancers and drummers looking like out of work pickup artists and not come away feeling like boxing is having more fun than we are? They’re not afraid to be ridiculous, is the thing. Not as long as they swing big. There’s a lesson in there somewhere. It's just too bad the UFC is making too much money doing things in a more boring way to ever consider an alternative. *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### Back by semi-popular demand: Ranking the best and worst nicknames at UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Rodriguez URL: https://www.comainevent.com/back-by-semi-popular-demand-ranking-the-best-and-worst-nicknames-at-ufc-fight-night-dern-vs-rodriguez/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:09.000Z Ever since we here at the CME started rattling these damn ol’ keyboards, we’ve been hearing from you the people about what kind of content you’d like to see. Most of those suggestions fall into the category of pornographic fanfic, and we have taken that under consideration. But the deafening cacophony of literally several of you also asked for the return of the pre-fight nickname rankings I used to do for a former employer. Since that’s easier than churning out 5,000 words imagining a forbidden romance between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Arianny Celeste, I figured sure why not. And so, without further delay, here’s what we’re looking at in terms of nicknames\* for UFC Fight Night 194\. (Also known as UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Rodriguez, as well as UFC Vegas 39, and also UFC on ESPN+ 52\. Seriously those are all real. We didn’t make any of them up. Four different names for one mediocre event.) \*nicknames via Tapology, then cross-checked with UFC.com 1. **(tie)** **Mackenzie Dern** **Marina Rodriguez** **Tim Elliott** **Matheus Nicolau** **Mariya Agapova** Yep, these are the sorry bastards with no nickname whatsoever. It includes both fighters in the main event, which frankly should not be allowed. You’re going to give us a headliner that features zero nicknames?!? Actually yeah, no, that’s probably fitting for this extremely low-wattage card. 1. **Charlie Ontiveros: The American Badboy** No. First of all, not specific enough. America is a big goddamn place, guy. And seeing as how you fight for an American promotion that primarily runs events in America, you’re going to need to dial it way in to get any sort of region-based support. Also, I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but Tito Ortiz has kind of fucked up the “(Place) Badboy” nickname for everyone. It used to be fun. Then he forced us to consider that maybe what he meant by “bad boy” was ‘male who is bad at thinking, talking, and behaving ethically.’ Which is a lot less fun than the irascible scamp-type image it initially conjured. 1. **Steve Garcia: Mean Machine** This is like the name you come up with for your rec league kickball team when you show up for the first game and you didn’t know you were even supposed to have a cool name and everyone else has teams named stuff like “Multiple Scoregasms” and “Swift Kick In The Grass.” So you’re like, uhhhh, “Mean Machine”? And they look at you like, eh fine whatever. Then later when your teammates are looking at the schedule and they’re like, “Wait are we the Mean Machine?” And you lie and say that the league just gave you that name and it’s too late to change it now. 1. **Alexander Romanov: King Kong** Bro, how you gonna walk around with a Russian Czar-ass name like Alexander Romanov and then fuck it all up by going with “King Kong”? Swear to god, heavyweights are the worst when it comes to nicknames. So often they just go with something about how big they are – which, fair enough, most of them are big dudes among the general population – but then they end up fighting some other dude who is also big so it’s usually a moot point. Also, “King Kong” here? He’s like six-foot-two and 260 pounds. Big for normal people, but nowhere near big enough to be worshipped as an ape god by an isolated island people. Just saying. 1. **Jared Vanderaa: The Mountain** See? What’d I tell you. Goddamn heavyweights, man. 1. **Damon Jackson: The Leech** Sorry, but we already have a leech in MMA, and it’s Li Jingliang. One leech is plenty, thank you very much. 1. **Chris Gutierrez: El Guapo** \[*stares Bas Rutten-ly*\] 1. **Felipe Colares: Cabocão** No fucking clue. Tried to Google it and only came up with this guy in my results. Normally I’d ask Fernanda but she’s on vacation in Spain and isn’t answering my emails. She really let us down here, is the takeaway. Update (no thanks to Fernanda): ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/screen-shot-2021-10-08-at-12-24-40-pm.png) 1. **Charles Rosa: Boston Strong** Very fitting, once you meet the man. But also? This is a guy where you don’t need the nickname to know he’s from Boston. You only need him to open his mouth. 1. **Sabina Mazo: Colombian Queen** Pros: tells us where you’re from, suggests a royal lineage. Cons: sorry but we all know Colombia has been a republic since 1886 with a duly elected government divided into executive, legislative, and judicial branches. 1. **Jared Gooden: Nitetrain** I’m not sure what you gain by misspelling “night” here. Trying to avoid confusion with the Guns N’ Roses song? Or just don’t want to get sued by the makers of that super classy wine? Still, you tell me I’m supposed to fight some dude they call “Nitetrain” and I do start to have serious misgivings, so it kind of works. 1. **Lupita Godinez: Loopy** See, now this is one of those nicknames that actually feels like a nickname. It’s not the result of her and her coaches sitting around the gym, trying to think of something cool. Her name is Lupita and her friends call her Loopy. It makes fucking sense. Not a lot of razzle-dazzle to it, but so what? It’s ya girl Loopy. Wouldn’t you love to know her well enough that she lets you call her that? Imagine you show up to a house party, you’re looking around to see who you know there, then across the room you see her. You shout, LOOPY! She throws up the deuces and gives you a warm smile and a head nod. You feel like you belong. Life is good. 1. **Randy Brown: Rudeboy** It’s fun to say, connects with his Jamaican heritage, and also invites us to consider him as the possible leader of a ska band, rolling up to fight in a black-and-white checkered suit. All good stuff, really. 1. **Silvana Gómez Juárez: La Malvada** The internet tells me this is Spanish for “The Wicked.” You know something? I dig it. Imagine you’re traveling through Argentina and go out partying with this weird French couple you meet. Things get out of hand. You blackout and come to in a deserted railyard. No money, no belongings, no identification. Shit. But wait, someone tells you they can smuggle you back home, but first you have to do them a solid. See there’s this underground fight tonight and one of the participants just got torn apart by wild dogs. They need you to step in. Well, okay, you don’t have any other options. But who are you fighting? “La Malvada,” they tell you. All right, maybe that’s not so bad. Maybe it’s Spanish for “The Merciful” or something. Then someone reads the confused yet stupidly hopefully expression on your face and decides to fill you in. “It means, ‘The Wicked.’” Oh fuck. Is she good, you ask. But it’s like no one will look you in the eye anymore. They’re all just staring sadly at the ground. "La Malvada," someone repeats in a somber tone, sadly shaking his head. Another person spits on the ground and crosses himself. *La Malvada*. Oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck. *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### The idea that all main events need to be five rounds is utter horseshit URL: https://www.comainevent.com/the-idea-that-all-main-events-need-to-be-five-rounds-is-utter-horseshit/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:10.000Z So, Bellator went and did it. The Frank Stallone of American MMA promotions announced via its vaunted and widely-read [Public Relations Twitter account](https://twitter.com/bellatorpr/status/1445807840476553219?s=21&ref=comainevent.com) on Wednesday that beginning January 1, 2022, all of its main event fights will be five rounds henceforth and forever, on and on into eternity or whatever. This move obviously comes on the heels of two well-publicized main event-related snafus over in Bellator. First, Yoel Romero was noticeably surprised to learn, following his split decision loss to Phil Davis on Sept. 18, that their bout was only scheduled for three rounds. Then, last weekend, Michael Page eked out his own controversial split decision win over Douglas Lima, in a rematch that sure seemed like it could have used 10 more minutes. And lo there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth. Not sure if you guys know this or not, but MMA people in general really like to make a big deal out of stuff. There was noted criticism online that Bellator hadn’t yet adopted an all-five-rounds-all-the-time main event policy like the UFC. Apparently, that criticism was heard and, eventually, Bellator capitulated to it. From the looks of the first few replies to the Bellator Public Relations Twitter account’s tweet, the move seems to have been well-received: ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/screen-shot-2021-10-06-at-12-46-03-pm.png) You know who’s actually right here, though? @ClickClackCathy, that’s who. It *does* seem like Bellator got bullied into this. And you know what else? It was the wrong move. The idea that every MMA main event needs to be five rounds is utter horseshit. Always has been. Always will be. In fact, it makes no goddamn sense. Title fights should be five rounds. All the time. That makes sense. But when it comes to deciding whether or not a non-title bout is scheduled to go five rounds that shit should be based on two factors and two factors alone: 1) If the two fighters involved agree their fight should be five rounds. and 2) If the fight itself is generally regarded as being awesome enough to demand five rounds. That’s it. That’s the list. Whether a fight happens to be the “main event” of a certain fight card should have nothing to do with it. When you do that, you’re essentially deciding that a fight should be five rounds based *not* on the quality of that match-up itself, but the quality of the *other* fights scheduled for the same night. Here’s an example: Take Mackenzie Dern vs. Marina Rodriguez. Nothing wrong with that fight. Seems like a perfectly good fight. Right now, it’s scheduled to go down this Saturday as the main event of a very lackluster Fight Night card and is therefore automatically scheduled for five rounds. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/image0021.jpg) Because that’s how you do it, right? It’s a main event, so it must be a five rounder. But wait. Let’s say you postponed Dern vs. Rodriguez for three weeks. Then, their fight would land at UFC 267 on Oct. 30, where it would share the card with a couple title fights and obviously wouldn't be the main event. Hell, it might not even be on the main card. So, in that case, it would only be three rounds. WHAT? How does that make any sense? It's the same damn fight! But you’re gonna sit there and tell me that on Oct. 9 it's good enough to go five rounds and on Oct. 30 it’s not? Insane. Now, granted, in a perfect world every main event would be a match-up good enough to justify going five rounds. In the #JustSomeFights era, however, that’s becoming less and less true all the time. It hardly means anything for a fight to be the “main event” anymore. It actually feels totally random these days. What is more, fighters should get paid more when they go five rounds. As Dan Hardy once told me when I interviewed him about fighting GSP for the title at UFC 111, five rounds is almost twice as long as three. It’s almost two fights! But, by and large, fighters don’t get paid any more just because they main event some shitty Fight Night card in the middle of October. So, not only is it totally random to make them go five rounds, you could make the case that it’s also a super crappy deal financially. You know what this really is? It’s just another example of how completely the UFC controls and indeed shapes the fabric of this wackadoodle sport. Here's how it works: At some point, the UFC makes some policy decision, usually at the whims of one bald man who got mad one night about some thing nobody will remember a few weeks later, but uses it as an excuse to make sweeping rules or structural changes. Then, time passes and people come to accept the change--which was almost certainly completely arbitrary and nearly always based in the exclusive best interests of that one bald fellow--and they think things must have always been this way. They assume this was just as the MMA gods intended it from time immemorial. That's what happened with five round main events. Basically, back in 2011 the UFC announced that all pay-per-view and Fox Sports main events would be five rounds. In early 2012, it expanded that to include all main event fights—which at the time meant fights on Fuel TV and whatnot. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/a41i4226.jpg) Fast-forward nine years and just because the UFC does it, we’ve come to think of five-round main events as “normal” and any promotion that doesn’t do them as weird or “five years too late” in making the switch. But you know what? Bellator actually had it right to begin with. Some fights should be three rounds and some fights should be five rounds. It should be decided according whether that particular fight is expected to be awesome. It shouldn’t have anything to do with whether it’s the main event. Bellator fucked up with MVP-Lima II—that one should have been five, because that's a good-ass fight. But Davis vs. Romero? Ehhhhhh, maybe not. Maybe we were actually all set after sitting through 15 minutes of that one. On the bright side, at least we now know there is Bellator Public Relations Twitter account. *Photos by Lucas Noonan/Bellator MMA* *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### Guest Post: Ranking every NHL team according to their MMA fighter equivalents URL: https://www.comainevent.com/guest-post-ranking-every-nhl-team-according-to-their-mma-fighter-equivalents/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:10.000Z You’ve seen it done with everything from [European soccer teams](https://severemma.com/2021/06/the-mma-fans-guide-to-euro-2020/?ref=comainevent.com) to [“RuPaul’s Drag Race” contestants](https://www.fanbyte.com/sports/mma-drag-race/?ref=comainevent.com). Sometimes the only way for a shit-eating wildperson to understand any non-MMA part of the world is to put it in terms a fight fan can understand. So with hockey season now upon us, the CME turned to Ya Boi Cat Pope to help us all make the transition from the cage to the ice by comparing NHL teams (shown here with their current betting odds to win the Stanley Cup) to their MMA fighter equivalents. Feel free to go argue in the comments if you’re a Patreon supporter. And if you’re not? Well, you might consider remedying that and [joining the damn team](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). Take it away, Cat Pope, you glorious bastard. **Colorado Avalanche +550** An unrelenting machine with all tools they need. They can beat you at every facet of the game and are smart enough at the front office level to know where they need to improve each offseason. They haven’t won it all with this team yet, but greatness just feels like an inevitability – and they dare to be great. MMA equivalent: Israel Adesanya **Tampa Bay Lightning +600** A damn juggernaut that looks unstoppable. They have depth and, after a hard offseason where they lost a full line of forwards to the expansion draft and free agency, they still look like the team to beat out of the east. With their ability to replace talent year after year, there are very few reasons as to why they shouldn’t compete for their third cup in three years. They’re basically a kickboxer that throws their opponent to the mat just to show they can. MMA equivalent: Valentina Shevchenko **Vegas Golden Knights +700** The Knights have known nothing but success after entering the league in 2017, however they’ve been missing a true top-line center since their inception. They have great depth on their roster and a strong defensive core. No one really looks good playing against them and no one wants to run into them in the playoffs. They’re a serious title contender and it wouldn’t surprise anyone to see them raise a cup this June. MMA equivalent: Leon Edwards **Toronto Maple Leafs +1200** They have everything you could want in the skill department up front. One of the best shooters in the league in Austin Matthews, and an amazing complimentary playmaker in Mitch Marner on their top line. But somehow they never get it done in the playoffs (they got knocked out by bitter rival Montreal last season), and their great roster is now another year older. They’re a serious contender. Unfortunately, they’re in a loaded division and time may be running out. MMA equivalent: Justin Gaethje **Boston Bruins +1400** This team is staring down their last big shot at what is likely the end of an era. Their long time second line center David Krecji did not resign with the team this season, and goalie Tuukka Rask doesn’t seem to be in any hurry to sign a new deal or even declare his health status. While they do have the bones of a very good roster remaining and they’re only three years removed from a Stanley Cup appearance, father time waits for no one. They might be left chasing ghosts of bygone glory in a rascal scooter. MMA equivalent: Conor McGregor **New York Islanders +1700** They’re not a ton of fun to watch and they don’t really care. They have a smothering offense and their defensive acumen is second to none. They don’t have incredible finishing ability or power, but they get the job done through superior game plans and getting everything they can from their roster. They aren’t anyone’s top pick to win a title, but no one would be surprised if they ground out a high-flying offense and then showed up with the belt around their waist. MMA equivalent: Curtis Blaydes **Pittsburgh Penguins +2000** Had a dynastic run for two back-to-back cups in 2015 and 2016, and looked poised to do it again in 2017 before losing to the eventual champion Washington Capitals. However, all the true heads know how good those teams were back then, and time has shown that as long as Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin can get into the lineup the Pens can still compete for a cup. They’re an aging striker that everyone knows isn’t the same as they were in the past, but they have adapted their game and under the right circumstances they might just make the most of one last shot. MMA equivalent: Jose Aldo **Florida Panthers +2200** A great roster with strong depth players throughout the lineup, which should make for an exciting team. They also have the most expensive goalie in the league, Sergei Bobrovsky, and he might not even be in the starting role to begin the season. Three of their divisional rivals have already been named ahead of them on this list, so the Panthers are already fighting for their playoff lives before the season even starts. They’re a super talented team that is just in a shark tank of a division, meaning they might get lost in the shuffle. MMA equivalent: Yair Rodriguez **Carolina Hurricanes +2200** After years of being the trendy analytics pick to have a breakthrough, the Hurricanes finally had some sustained success starting in their conference finals run two seasons ago. This offseason the Hurricanes made some shrewd moves, but also some that seemed to be purely about spite and revenge while stealing talent from division rivals. The Hurricanes should remain competitive and could very well be the best team in their division, but the way they made headlines this offseason shows that ever since they playfully embraced the we’re-a-bunch-of-jerks persona, they might have gotten a little too committed to living their gimmick. MMA equivalent: Colby Covington **Washington Capitals +2300** The Capitals have been one of the top teams in the league for over a decade. They have Alexander Ovechkin chasing down Wayne Gretzky’s goal record over the next few seasons, and also an aging core. They likely won’t be a top contender for the cup this year but they’re still a dangerous squad and if things break their way they can add another ring. But right now it seems like they’re just out there to stack up goals and rewrite the book on offensive output. MMA equivalent: Max Holloway **New York Rangers +2400** A former perennial contender that went through a rebuilding stage and came out of it with all the potential in the world. They have the reigning Norris winner in Adam Fox, and one of the top players in the league with Artemi Panarin. But after a late season run-in with Tom Wilson and the Capitals, they now seem to think that toughness and grit are going to solve their problems rather than developing the outstanding existing skills they already have. MMA equivalent: Cody Garbrandt **Minnesota Wild +2500** The Wild have spent the last decade toiling in the mushy middle of the NHL standings. Last season they caught lightning in a bottle when their long-awaited prospect, Kirill Kaprizov, came over from the KHL and set the league on fire as one of the most prolific playmakers. As of right now they are going to be a competitive team with exciting potential in a winnable division. But even though they’re set up for success this year, they still seem like they’ll have a hard time making a case as one of the best even when hitting the top end of their potential. MMA equivalent: Phil Davis **Dallas Stars +2800** One of the flashiest offensive units in 2020 during the bubble playoffs, and had outstanding goaltending by their entire platoon before losing to the Tampa Bay Lightning. But that feels like ages ago, and they missed the playoffs entirely last season. They should be healthy and competitive again this season with Tyler Seguin returning for the start of the season, but it doesn’t seem like they’re going to be the offensive juggernaut they once were and might still be relying on name recognition to get them this high on the list. MMA equivalent: Jorge Masvidal **Philadelphia Flyers +2900** Every year since 2012 they’ve made the playoffs one year only to miss them entirely the next. Their franchise is the model for being consistently inconsistent. They have talent that could carry them deep on a playoff run, but they also have so much potential volatility on their roster. Any outcome feels equally likely at this point and nothing would be truly shocking. But somehow they always end up surprising you anyway. MMA equivalent: Nate Diaz **Edmonton Oilers +2900** A one-dimensional specialist in a weak division, but that one dimension happens to be the generational talent of Connor McDavid. Backed up with the supporting skills of second line center Leon Draisaitl, they can ride these skills straight to the top if everything breaks correctly, but they have some glaring weaknesses in their shaky goaltending tandem and their defensive core. Still though, when your one bright spot is very, VERY bright, you just never know. MMA equivalent: Derrick Lewis **Winnipeg Jets +4100** Quietly went out and had a very good offseason by filling in some gaps on their blue line with veteran talent with the likes of Brendan Dillon and Nate Schmidt, and in net they have one of the best in the world with Connor Hellebuyck. Their approach isn’t going to produce high-flying highlights, but they’ll be dangerous and drag teams into deep waters. At the end of the season don’t be surprised if they’re kicking around in the Western Conference Finals. MMA equivalent: Michael Chiesa **St Louis Blues +4100** Feels like they’re a lifetime removed from their Stanley Cup win in 2019, but that might not be entirely their fault considering, well, the state of the world since that. The Blues are just a solid team in every aspect of the game and could easily contend for another title under the right circumstances. The Central Division will be a tight race, but they’ve done it before and could do it again if everything clicks when it needs to. MMA equivalent: Robert Whittaker **Chicago Blackhawks +4100** Had an interesting offseason, signing a couple potentially helpful if aged free agents, but just because a few things have turned around doesn’t mean this former dynasty is going to reopen the history books for another cup run. They have their captain Jonathan Toews returning from a very vague injury, and they’ll be better than they were last season. But name-recognition aside, they’re not ready to compete with the upper echelon of the league once again. MMA equivalent: Junior Dos Santos **New Jersey Devils +4800** Went out and made a splashy free agent signing in Dougie Hamilton, a puck-moving defenseman that the analytics community loves. Also drafted Luke Hughes, the brother of their highly touted center Jack Hughes, who looks primed to be a star in this league. But even with all this talent and a few flashes of brilliance, they also exist in a division that won’t give them a chance to break through. For now they seem content to pursue some moral victories, make a few headlines, and build the hype for what the future may hold. MMA equivalent: Sean O’Malley **Calgary Flames +4800** Tons of personality, toughness, and grit. The Pacific division is a wide-open race, but there may be no team in the NHL that has a more diverse range of plausible outcomes. Matthew Tkachuk should be the new captain as well as the person they build this franchise around for years to come, but he’s already hinted that he’d like to be gone sooner rather than later. At the end of the season, they could have gone on a deep playoff run or they could be be entirely irrelevant. MMA equivalent: Paulo Costa **Montreal Canadiens +5000** No team benefited more than the Habs from the realignments of the divisions due to the closed border during the pandemic. After beating the Leafs in the first round of playoffs, they went on a tear to sweep the Jets and upset the Golden Knights, only to get stomped in the cup by the Lightning, who will be in their division this season. They’ve lost more than a few key pieces, so it’ll be a tough rebound for the Habs after going on a run where everything seemingly went right for them – up to a point. MMA equivalent: Marvin Vettori **Seattle Kraken +5000** A true mystery box. The organization has no history and has quite a few players playing in roles they’ve never been elevated to before. That could make for some surprises that we all get legitimately excited about, or the team’s inaugural season could end up as something that’s kind of cool as a novelty but doesn’t have what it takes to go beyond that. MMA equivalent: Reug Reug **Vancouver Canucks +7000** Almost went to the conference finals in the weird bubble playoffs during what we thought was the COVID peak. While no one should rightfully expect much from the Canucks, the Pacific Division is wide open, so they might sneak into the playoffs and make something happen. Vancouver is the kind of team that channels the energy around them, for better and worse. With the right stones of the earth, who knows. MMA equivalent: Jared Cannonier **Los Angeles Kings +8500** After having reached the top of the mountain once in the past decade, they now seemed poised to compete once again. But they also play in the coin flipping contest known as the Pacific Division, so their possible outcomes range from being one of the worst teams in the league to being a virtual playoff lock. They have the talent to be interesting, but may not be a championship threat right now. MMA equivalent: Miesha Tate **Nashville Predators +8500** Sitting on the edge of what should be the start of a rebuild. This offseason they traded away a key piece in Ryan Ellis, and their long time goalie Pekka Rinne retired. Juuse Saros is poised to be a great replacement and even earned some Hart Trophy votes last season for league MVP, but overall this team appears to have their best days behind them with little to show for it. MMA equivalent: Stephen “Wonderman” Thompson **San Jose Sharks +8500** They spent over a decade and a half as the team that could win the cup any year. Unfortunately they didn’t do that in any of those years. They might not have immediate title aspirations, but in a weak division they’ll be a team that can possibly make the playoffs and pose a threat on a nightly basis. They’ll show off some old magic in favorable match-ups, but the cup seems like an unlikely goal at this point. MMA equivalent: Tony Ferguson **Arizona Coyotes +10000** It’s not even clear what arena they’ll play in next season and they’re trading away anyone that another team shows any level of interest in. Honestly, they’re a strange one to compare to any pro fighter, because traditionally fighters don’t go through clear rebuilding stages in their career. But there is definitely one dude out there tearing everything down to the studs and starting the process anew over and over again… MMA equivalent: Diego Sanchez **Anaheim Ducks +10000** There was a time when the Ducks were a lock to win the Pacific division and were always in the conversation for cup contention. That time is also known as the Obama years. Theoretically they’re coming toward the end of their rebuilding period and could be making a push toward playoff contention if their prospects hit their ceilings earlier than expected – and if John Gibson returns to form as one of the best goalies in the world. But in the current landscape it seems unlikely that they’re immediately bound for the promised land. MMA equivalent: Frankie Edgar **Detroit Red Wings +10000** Detroit owns a record that will likely never be broken in North American sports with a 25-year playoff streak. Unfortunately, since that streak ended five years ago they have been, by design, one of the worst teams in hockey. They’re supposedly coming out of their rebuild soon but it doesn’t seem promising. We’re all going to be better off remembering them for what they were, not what they are right now. MMA equivalent: Fedor Emelianenko **Ottawa Senators +10000** Another organization that also should be turning the corner on their rebuild, however they aren’t a former champion. They’ve never been the team to beat. They’ve been to the cup final once before and came within a goal of going again in 2017, but since that it’s been hard times. If you want to be optimistic, their play down the closing stretch last year showed that if you take them lightly they can still make you pay. But in a stacked division they’re miles out of the title picture. MMA equivalent: Donald Cerrone **Buffalo Sabres +15000** A team that seems to be in a perpetual rebuild, yet cannot get out of its own way. They have pieces in the organization that should develop into promising players down the line. But their track record doesn’t inspire much hope for true title contention after the past few years, and now they’ve turned into something that’s part league punchline and part cautionary tale. MMA equivalent: Mike Perry **Columbus Blue Jackets +15000** They’ve struggled since their start and have had a hard time getting their star players to stick around. They had some success a few years ago when they loaded up at the trade deadline, and because of that risky play they are the last team to beat Tampa Bay in a playoff series. But they’re not that team anymore, despite some interesting players with high-end potential. They’re going to have to overcome a lot, and right now seem destined for a rebuild rather than a championship run. MMA equivalent: Darren Till *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### Upon further review, Khabib Nurmagomedov has the only correct opinion on ring girls – "I don't care" URL: https://www.comainevent.com/upon-further-review-khabib-nurmagomedov-has-the-only-correct-opinion-on-ring-girls-i-dont-care/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:11.000Z The hierarchy of dumb MMA arguments goes a little something like this, presented here in order from dumbest to least dumb: – Hypothetical fights between fighters from different eras – Pound-for-pound debates – Anything having to do with ring girls – Anything having to do with imagining how various pro athletes from other sports would do in MMA even though they’d never try because their sports actually pay well and have pensions and shit – “MMA Mt. Rushmore” That’s it. That’s the list. So when your boy Khabib Nurmagomedov spouts off about ring girls being totally pointless and unnecessary, and when a whole bunch of people up to and including UFC women’s flyweight champ Valentina Shevchenko take the bait and go all in on arguing the other side? Partner, what you have is the makings of a debate that is just dumb enough to survive in the MMA news cycle for a couple few weeks, but only once every few years. You probably thought it was over already, didn’t you? Khabib said his thing about ring girls being “the most useless people in martial arts.” (For once, MMA media is spared.) Arianny Celeste said the same thing she always says about how you must respect her because she’s not *just* a ring girl – she’s [also a landlord](https://middleeasy.com/mma-news/arianny-celeste-khabib-ring-girl-insults/?ref=comainevent.com)! (Yep, that always commands instant respect.) Valentina said her thing in defense of the ring girls, which was unusually forceful and even included a claim that “[beauty will save the world](https://twitter.com/bulletvalentina/status/1442520829502181380?ref=comainevent.com).” (Cool, guess we can stop worrying about climate change as long as we've got enough Instagram models.) So yeah, we’re finished here right? Oh no, because Khabib is out there on his tour of England’s soccer stadiums or whatever. And so they asked him. And so he answered. “Everybody has their own views on something,” Nurmagomedov said in [this story](https://www.rt.com/sport/536532-khabib-nurmagomedov-ring-girls-ufc/?ref=comainevent.com) from RT.com, which bravely begins its headline with the phrase “I don’t care,” which I hope we can all agree is awesome. “For example, a couple of months ago someone spoke about my own promotion, Eagle Fighting Championship (EFC), and asked why there are no ring girls there. I said it is because, in my opinion, there is no reason \[for them\]. Some people don't agree with this, but who cares? I don't care because I have my opinion.” In other words, if you think it is very important to include women in bikinis at your MMA events, Nurmy is totally fine with letting you have your dumbshit opinion on that. He’s just not going to have them at his Eagle Fighting joint – which, btw, you could tell me that Eagle Fighting Championship has had a dozen events already or you could tell me it exists so far only in theory and either way I’d believe you – because of course he’s not. This is the same dude who got super mad about a sexually suggestive play that he didn’t even go see, let’s not forget. But really, this clarification on his original point makes his position more clear, and that position is this: Khabib *does not give a fuck* about ring girls. He doesn’t care if you have them. He doesn’t care if you don’t. He doesn’t care if you think they’re important or if you are capable of looking at the damn jumbotron to tell what round it is. He does not care. And this, we must admit, is the *only* correct opinion on any issue regarding ring girls. To cling to any position, on either side, that veers too far away from ‘fuck it, whatever,’ is to declare yourself some manner of dork. Be advised, and act accordingly. *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### Episode 471: These are not the Weirdsmobiles we came to see URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-471-these-are-not-the-weirdsmobiles-we-came-to-see/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:11.000Z Download [Episode\_471.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F471.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) Well, shit, what can you do? Seemed like Thiago Santos and Johnny Walker kind of forgot to fight during the UFC's main event on Saturday night. That happens sometimes, but it certainly wasn't what we wanted to see from these two strange purveyors of violence. Over in Bellator, Michael Page defeated Douglas Lima via the sort of split decision that didn't tell us much about how good MVP actually is. And the CME debuts the brand new feature: "HOW HYPED?" Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC ### (Re)Introducing The Potato Index: 10/4/21 URL: https://www.comainevent.com/reintroducing-the-potato-index-10-4-21/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:11.000Z Gather ‘round, children. Let me tell you of days of yore. Days when, in the aftermath of a busy weekend of combat sportsin’, the shining beacon on the MMA media hill known as Cage Potato would assess the action via a mysterious and completely bullshit numerical index. It used to piss people off something fierce. ‘What do these numbers even mean?’ they’d ask. ‘What is being measured?!’ they’d fume. And oh, how we’d laugh. And say, ‘Shut up, nerd.’ And then do it again next week. Now that shining beacon is no more, but its spirit lives on. That’s why we’re reviving it here. Not even gonna change the name, honestly. Don’t even care that there is no potato in this site’s name. And if that’s a problem for you? Shut up, nerd. With that said, on to this week’s Potato Index. **Johnny Walker -213** [What the fuck happened to you, man?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhkzCQ7Dz3A&ref=comainevent.com) You used to be fun. You used to be crazy. You didn’t win them all, but you won enough and either way we could count on you for a good time. Then you decided to become the worst kind of point fighter – the kind who doesn’t even win. If the best part of your performance is the lap dance for the cut man, well, that ain’t great. **Thiago Santos +3** Always better to win than to lose. Sometimes, though, it’s only a little bit better. **SBG Ireland -108** You know you guys are going to get blamed for ruining everything good about Johnny Walker, right? I mean, right? You know that? Course you do. **The "Unified" Rules -13** Lol at this fucking sport. There’s an accidental clash of heads that basically results in a flash KO on Kevin Holland. Referee Dan Miragliotta sees it and thinks about jumping in, but then inexplicably decides not to. The fight continues and moments later Kyle Daukaus wins via RNC. Which then results in a cageside tribunal that includes officials and at least two UFC employees for some reason. Not saying a no-contest was necessarily the wrong outcome, given how severe the clash of heads was, but anybody else get the sense that we’re still just making this shit up as we go in MMA? We got rules and replay, and yet it all comes down to Herb Dean whispering in Big Dan’s ear as the ESPN+ broadcast helpfully silences the audio just as we’re learning too much about how the sausage is made. **Kevin Holland +44** But you know what is rad? Holland showing up after the fight and saying that no matter what’s on his record, he considers it a loss due to the principles of both kung fu and streetfighting. Then he’s gonna go and stop a car thief on Monday morning because fuck it, why not? Hell yeah, brother. **Michael “Venom” Page +77** Maybe it was fitting that he shouted out “London!” after he won this split-decision in the Bellator main event, since I don’t know if that would have gone his way anywhere else. Kidding (kind of). It was a close fight. We could have done with two more rounds (this three-round main event bullshit in Bellator is really getting old). But now MVP has a solid win over a former Bellator champ that he can point to whenever they call him a showboating can-crusher from now on. **Douglas Lima -12** If I were him, I would never ever stop claiming that a) I deserved that decision, and b) definitely would have proved it with two more rounds to work. Might even add c) I was pacing myself because my good buddy Yoel told me it was a five-rounder. **Childcare -85** Niko Price and Alex Oliveira have 17 kids between the two of them, but no post-fight bonuses to be found after this fairly unremarkable decision win for Price. Guess the UFC, like Oliveira, also said ‘fuck them kids.’ **Douglas Silva de Andrade +233** This dude landed a single left hook and turned that man into a damn flying squirrel. Haters will say it’s photoshopped. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/screen-shot-2021-10-04-at-10-14-44-am.png) **Misha Cirkunov -61** What was that shit Chad was saying about how you don’t have much of a future at middleweight if you can’t beat Krzysztof Jotko? Yeahhh… **Antonina Shevchenko -52** So basically when the MMA gods were on the create-a-fighter screen upon the birth of the Shevchenko sisters they used up all their skill points making Valentina, which would be fine if they didn’t also somehow put it in Antonina’s head that she should become a pro fighter too. That was just cruel, man. **Casey O’Neill +60** Still undefeated. Still looking sharp. But I don’t know if it was such a good idea to brutalize Valentina’s sister like that with the champ standing there watching. You just know she’s keeping a list and is just waiting for you to climb high enough for revenge to become an option. **Bethe Correia -102** Our expectations were low, but damn. Miss weight for your retirement fight? Then show up and fight like you actually retired six weeks ago and just didn’t get around to telling people? That’s one way to make sure we don’t miss you once you’re gone. **Jamie Mullarkey +79** Don’t even care if his name sounds like some shit Joe Biden would come up with. He was getting touched up in the first and looked like he didn’t have the speed to hang with Devonte Smith. But maybe you don’t always need speed when you got that dog in you. **Aspen Ladd -139** Goddammit, she has simply got to find a way to show up for these fights without looking like she’s going to die on the scale. Maybe that means going up a weight class. Maybe it just means a major lifestyle change. But this shit is untenable. Pretty soon no one will even agree to fight you, since they never know if you’ll make it into the cage come Saturday. **Alejandro Perez +116** Maaaaaan, this guy goes out there and gets an armbar from a side control scarfhold position? That’s the kind of catch-as-catch-can shit you do when you’re trying to become one of Josh Barnett’s guys. Oh and [it's working](https://twitter.com/JoshLBarnett/status/1444447353843302400?s=20&ref=comainevent.com). **Daniel Cormier +63** Not everyone loves it, but I am all for DC just straight up telling us when a main event sucks. Especially because he’s not wrong. Any time the color commentator has ample opportunity to sit there during your headlining bout and recall *other* fights he’s seen that were also awful? Yeah, that’s not a good sign. Keep on keeping it real. *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com). There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* *(Top image by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)* ### Why do people get so weird about Joe Rogan? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/why-do-people-get-so-weird-about-joe-rogan/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:12.000Z For a moment there, after seeing people like Daniel Cormier and Michael Bisping tweet out their blanket support for Joe Rogan seemingly out of nowhere this week, I thought maybe Rogan had been diagnosed with cancer or some shit. Wait, I thought, why are we all talking about Rogan all of sudden? He didn't even show up to the last UFC pay-per-view. Is he dying? Did his COVID case take a turn and he’s somewhere on a homemade Onnit ventilator and so people are offering up thoughts and prayers? See, this is what happens when you rely on Twitter as a news source. You join the discourse already in progress and have to try to reverse-engineer your way to some understanding of what the hell is happening. It’s one of the many shitty things Twitter has done to my brain. It’s why I know the Supreme Court is up to something before I know what that something is. It’s how I know some celebrity fucked up just by the sheer number of jokes roasting him before I ever know why. It’s how I even know the Met Gala is a thing that exists, and I’m still pissed about that. Now it seems like almost every day Twitter wants to plunge me into some sort of Joe Rogan discourse. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/screen-shot-2021-10-01-at-9-51-45-am-1.png) Near as I can tell, this latest round of Rogan Studies was kicked off by Trent Reinsmith’s [opinion piece on Bloody Elbow](https://www.bloodyelbow.com/2021/9/29/22699566/ufc-266-showed-joe-rogan-can-and-should-be-replaced-paul-felder?ref=comainevent.com), essentially arguing that the UFC doesn’t need Rogan on commentary anymore and should give that spot to someone else. So yeah, you can guess how that went over. People get weird about Rogan, man. Fighters fucking *looooove* him, as we learned doing our fighter survey for The Athletic. Fellow UFC broadcasters, from Jon Anik to Laura Sanko, will readily step up in his defense either because they really do like and respect him as a colleague or because they have more sense than to talk shit, either actively or by omission, about the richest and most famous member of the commentary team. And for the portion of fight fans who are also hardcore Rogan podcast fans, supporting him has basically become a part of their identity. In the last few years the idea of the Rogan-loving dudebro has become basically a [goddamn meme all on its own](https://twitter.com/hannah%5Frfh/status/1329407014980759552?lang=en&ref=comainevent.com). There are women on dating apps who will tell you it’s one of their top red flags to avoid in men. There are [Reddit dating threads](https://www.reddit.com/r/dating/comments/m1h3ui/when%5Fhe%5Fstarts%5Fsending%5Fthe%5Fjoe%5Frohan%5Fvideos/?ref=comainevent.com) of women wondering how to handle dudes they’re seeing who keep sending them Joe Rogan links. (Side note: Gurrrrrl the real concerning thing here is that he is not listening to you and you don't need that in your life.) In certain circles Rogan fandom has become a cultural shorthand for a certain type of half-informed, comment section libertarian lunkhead. So if you’re someone who listens to and enjoys his podcast, you probably resent that. Then you either you have to hide your fandom like a secret shame, or you have to wave that red flag proudly in the faces of all the sheep who are too afraid to QUESTION EVERYTHING. Point is, it’s hard to just talk about the job Rogan does as a UFC commentator without also talking about all the things Rogan has come to signify and represent both for his own audience and for the people who only ever hear about his shit secondhand. Whether he wanted this or not, this is the cultural space he’s come to occupy. (That space also apparently comes with hundreds of millions of dollars, so maybe he can't complain.) Plus, for a lot of MMA fans he *is* the voice of the UFC, if not the entire damn sport. They think about their favorite MMA moments and they hear Rogan going, “OHHHH HE’S HURT!” They remember when they were new to all this and it was Rogan who actually took the time on the broadcast to explain how a fucking D’arce choke works. He was one of the only people who could straddle that line between recognizable celebrity ("News Radio" was criminally underappreciated there I said it) and genuinely knowledgeable guide to the world of this sport. *He’s not just the “Fear Factor” guy*, you can almost picture some newbie fan shouting into a date's face at a loud college bar circa 2007\. *He actually fucking trains.* Also, let’s not forget that there was a time when the UFC was sort of a low-rent joke to a lot of people – the kind of bloodsport that only psychopaths and mall rent-a-cops would watch as their goateed faces hovered above microwave dinners in grim studio apartments – and Rogan’s involvement and articulate advocacy for the sport truly did help to change that. (To an extent. I mean, the psychos and mall cops are still here among us, but they have company now.) Of course, people sometimes also get carried away in giving him credit for his role as a paid commentator, like your man Big John here who seems one step away from writing a John Henry-esque ode to the imagined version of Rogan who built the MMA railroads. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/screen-shot-2021-10-01-at-11-06-30-am.png) And see, I think we can give Rogan his due daps for being an effective early advocate for MMA. Also for being an informed commentator who understood a lot of the intricacies of the sport back when that was a very rare thing. But we should also be able to admit that it ain't 2008 anymore and he seems less interested and engaged these days, probably for some pretty understandable reasons. (Remember the aforementioned hundreds of millions of dollars?) The Rogan who shows up for UFC events these days often comes across as way less prepared and informed than some of his colleagues. He seems generally less interested in the low-level minutiae of this sport, which to be fair is constant and almost maddeningly voluminous in a way that could tire out anybody over time. He missed the last pay-per-view, which happened to be one of the best cards the UFC had put together in months, because he was going on a hunting trip. You don’t have to be an Alpha Brain to figure out that maybe this shit is not his highest priority anymore, which would be pretty understandable. His mere presence still excites a large portion of the fanbase, because to them Rogan on the mic equals a big, important UFC fight night, especially now that he doesn’t bother with the actual UFC Fight Nights. And the fact that he's rich as Roosevelt now also sometimes means that he can say shit on a UFC broadcast that the commentators with less job security would be scared to say, which can sometimes be refreshing. But what you can’t do is sit there with a straight goddamn face and tell me he brings the same energy and enthusiasm and detailed preparation that some of the UFC’s other broadcasters do. You just can’t. You take Anik, Cormier, Sanko, Paul Felder, Megan Olivi, Bisping – shit, the UFC has a motherfucking embarrassment of riches to choose from when it comes to commentary – and those people are great at this. They’re also all pretty much *only about this life* these days, so it makes sense that they’re more focused on it than the dude who has reached Feudal Lord levels of personal wealth. So couldn’t we just admit that times change? Rogan definitely doesn’t need the UFC anymore, either as a platform or an income source. And the UFC at this point is a self-guided machine that doesn’t need him or *any* one person. Rogan can still show up for the big events if and when he wants to and it'll be fine. But the general awesomeness of the UFC 266 experience also reminds us that we can all still have a good time even if he can’t make it that day. Maybe MMA blogs don’t even need to write whole posts solely about the fact that he’s NOT going to be there. Just saying. Did Rogan play a significant role in helping the UFC get here? Yes. Is it weird to watch him gradually drift closer to Rush Limbaugh territory over the past decade or so? Also yes. Do I blame him for the YouTube algorithm that thinks anyone who watches MMA videos must also want to see some Jordan Peterson bullshit after that? A little. But dammit, we don’t need to be so weird about it all the time. If there’s one thing I’m sure of, it’s that the people who want to will continue to get many opportunities to hear Joe Rogan talk into a microphone. *Hey, if you made it this far and didn’t hate it, you should consider signing up for the [Co-Main Event Patreon.](https://www.patreon.com/comainevent?ref=comainevent.com) There you can comment on these posts, argue with other people about them, even call us names or whatever. You also help support the CME and keep the discourse free and unfuckingfettered.* ### Real question: Should Lauren Murphy's corner have been allowed to phone a friend at UFC 266? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/real-question-should-lauren-murphys-corner-have-been-allowed-to-phone-a-friend-at-ufc-266/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:12.000Z So there I am, surfing the MMA internet like Mark Zuckerberg with his [sunscreen kabuki mask](https://www.usmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Mark-Zuckerberg-Spooks-the-Internet-With-Too-Much-Sunscreen-on-His-Face-in-Hawaii-01.jpg?w=1600&quality=86&strip=all&ref=comainevent.com), when I come upon [this story](https://www.mmafighting.com/2021/9/30/22700827/lauren-murphy-coach-positive-covid-19-ahead-of-ufc-266-reacts-to-daniel-cormier-corner-criticism?ref=comainevent.com#comments) about Lauren Murphy having to do a damn title fight without her head coach in the corner. Seems that Alex Cisne popped positive for COVID-19 earlier in the week and got shuffled into quarantine by the UFC, which also meant he couldn’t be there to whisper the magic words that would have kept Murphy from getting clobbered by Valentina Shevchenko in their title fight. (OK I’m kidding about that part, but shouts out to MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck for making sure to include this line in his write-up of this interview: “Murphy is not making any excuses whatsoever and gives full credit to Shevchenko and her next-level skillset.” Know why that’s there? Because Heck knows people are going to jump in the comments and accuse Murphy of making excuses, which of course they do here anyway. And also because he knows that Murphy is definitely one of those fighters who will get mad at you publicly on social media if she thinks there’s even a chance you’re taking her comments out of context. So he adds this disclaimer to basically be like, 'she knows she would have got her ass beat regardless so don’t be a dick about it.' We see you, bro.) Anyway, Murphy says she initially considered pulling out of the fight if she couldn’t have her head coach in there. But she knows how that would have gone and so do we. First Dana White yells to some reporters about how you’re scared to fight. Then the UFC gives your title shot to anyone else who’ll take it. Then you have to win eight fights in a row to ever have a prayer of getting back there. So yeah, you take that fight even if you have to grab a hobo from the nearest boxcar and make him serve as your corner. However! A solution presents itself. What if her coach could watch a live feed of the fight in some COVID-safe clean room or whatever, then tell her other coaches what to say her in the corner? What if this could be accomplished via some form of electronic communication, perhaps with the coach speaking into one device that delivers his voice into the ear of another person? If such James Bond shit were even possible, would it be legal under the sacred rules of MMA? See, that’s where shit gets tricky. Here’s how Murphy tells it: “We had gotten cleared for Alex to be in an earpiece in Paris \[Moran’s\] ear — who was our fourth corner that was there to pretty much warm me up — so he could watch the fight on mute with the commission sitting there. They didn’t want any cheating or anything, but he would watch the fight with the commission watching him, he would talk into Paris’ earpiece, but he was on a full minute delay. So we would be in the corner and he would have something to say, but already the next round had started.” Sounds fine, right? He’s on mute, so it’s not like he can steal some info from the broadcast about a Shevchenko injury or whatever. Can’t listen in on her corner’s advice and then counter it in his advice to Murphy. (Though, even then, what’s he going to tell her? That Shevy Shenks’ plan is to continue being faster and sharper and just all-around better in every facet of mixed martial arts?) So it seems like we’re all good with athletic commission clearance. But then… “Then we got to the arena and the UFC came back to the locker room as was like, ‘No, that’s not fine. You can’t do that, you can’t have your coach on a fucking ear piece while you guys are in the corner.’ Like, we’re at the arena. I was warming up, so Joe started freaking out like, ‘Hey man, we agreed to do this fight because you guys said her coach could electronically be in the corner. This is a big fight.’ He kind of talked them into it and that’s how Alex got to be in the room with the commission, then there was the 40-60 second delay, so there was one point in the corner where Joe would say something to me, look over at Paris and Paris was supposed to repeat what Alex had said, and Alex was on such a delay that he didn’t even know we were in the corner, so he didn’t have anything to relay to Paris, so Paris was like, ‘I got nothing.’” Bro. AYFKM? So first of all, the UFC is going to overrule the athletic commission? On fight night? But then Murphy’s team makes a compelling case and the UFC gets “talked into it”? But then the delay on the broadcast is roughly the same amount of time as what you get between rounds, so the whole thing ends up being pointless anyway? LOfuckingL, dog. What’s weird is that, I don’t even know if there are any official rules necessarily prohibiting this in principle. I know I’ve seen coaches with their cell phones out at cageside, usually to use the stopwatch function during and between rounds just so they have some fix on the time. For all we know they could be getting texts from their buddies on the coach watching the broadcast and hearing Dr. Joe Rogan diagnose the opponent’s blown ACL. Or, shit, they could just be sitting close enough to the broadcast table (especially when the fights are in the mostly empty UFC Apex) that they can hear it for themselves. So calling any of that “cheating” feels like a gray area. Furtherfuckingmore, if you look at the detailed [Nevada Athletic Commission rules](https://www.leg.state.nv.us/nac/NAC-467.html]?ref=comainevent.com) it’s hard to find anything that explicitly bans shit like this. (Though there is a rule saying that cornermen “may not coach loudly or excessively from the corners during a period of unarmed combat.” Okay. That’s like half their job though.) Personally? I think you ought to be able to have whoever you want in your ear talking to you. One of your coaches who couldn’t make it out for the fight? Sure. Steven Seagal? Him too. Get a a goddamn conference call going, everyone shouting at your coach about how he should tell you to get out there and roughneck Valentina Shevchenko. Will it help? Probably not, no. But is it cheating? Nah, playboy. It’s just intelligence-gathering. ### Your bench press max was never the problem, Jon Jones URL: https://www.comainevent.com/your-bench-press-max-was-never-the-problem-jon-jones/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:13.000Z No. He. Did. Not. Please tell me this man did not go get himself arrested in Las Vegas in the wee morning hours, then return home amid reports that it was all over an extremely ugly domestic violence situation, all just so he could post a damn workout video to Instagram set to the tune of the song from “Toy Story.” Dude. Jon Jones. What the fuck, man? How is it possible that you continue to miss the point so thoroughly and completely? You knew he was going to say something. He had to. Reports were everywhere following his arrest on charges of domestic battery and vehicular “tampering” (which sounds a lot cooler when you picture Eddie Murphy in “Beverly Hills Cop,” putting a banana in the tailpipe and riding off like lol, rather than what allegedly really happened, which was Jones headbutting a police cruiser). He made bail and got back home just in time for the police report to surface, which is when we found out that it was allegedly one of his children who asked the hotel staff to call the police. So what’s he have to say for himself now? [This](https://twitter.com/SandhuMMA/status/1443012325234167820?ref=comainevent.com). A video on Instagram in which he is bench-pressing to the tune of the Randy Newman joint “You’ve Got a Friend in Me,” surrounded by text in which he claims he’s quitting drinking and is ready to “turn this nightmare into the best thing to ever happen in my life.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/screen-shot-2021-09-29-at-11-36-06-am.png) “Now is the time to work harder than ever,” he writes. “What the devil means bad, God means for good.” And of course: “Get right back on my horse.” As if the big concern is that this latest arrest might fuck up his gym schedule. You know what’s missing here? Any mention or acknowledgement that his actions have negatively affected people other than him. The police report sets a scene where his longtime fiancee, also the mother of his children, is standing around with blood on her face and clothes, telling people she’s scared to go back into the hotel room with him there. His child is the one allegedly asking for the cops to come. So yeah, that does sound like a nightmare … *for them*. Not sure how you getting right back on your horse in the weight room is what’s going to help that. Feels like years we’ve been waiting for Jones to get his shit together, grow up, and stop being MMA’s most gifted problem child. Also feels like years of him shooting himself in the dick over and over again to drive home the point that that’s never going to happen. Now we’re left to sit with this image of him allegedly terrifying his own family on the same night that the UFC honored him in a hall of fame ceremony, and his answer to all this is to assure us that he’s still hitting the gym hard while swearing off alcohol. Man, that’s just not even anywhere close to the right response here. If you didn’t know better, you’d think he was referring to something that happened *to* him rather than something he (again, allegedly) actively did. And maybe that is genuinely how he sees it. But if so? Shit, that might be the most worrying thing of all. Because it makes you think he’s nowhere near figuring any of his own bullshit out, which means it’s only a matter of time until we’re right back here again. ### Episode 470: UFC 266 reaction + Jon Jones gets arrested, like, IMMEDIATELY URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-470-ufc-266-reaction-jon-jones-gets-arrested-like-immediately/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:13.000Z Download [Episode\_470.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F470.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) UFC 266 was a hell of a fight card, basically from start to finish. While there weren't any surprises in the evening's "big three" bouts, Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega put on an absolute crackerjack in the main event and the prelims were just flat wild. Oh yeah, and Jon Jones made his fist official appearance at a UFC function in months and got himself arrested, like, RIGHT AWAY. ### Episode 469: UFC 266 preview + Anthony Smith in DGAF mode URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-469-ufc-266-preview-anthony-smith-in-dgaf-mode/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:13.000Z Download [Episode\_469.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F469.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) Anthony Smith had some words for Ryan Spann in the cage Saturday night, after Smith scored a first-round submission victory. "Lionheart" admits he let some of Spann's pre-fight trash talk get to him but now says he no longer gives a fuck. Plus, UFC 266 is right around the corner and Yoel Romero finally made his Bellator debut ... and maybe he didn't know how long his fight was supposed to be? *Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC* ### Episode 468: That time Anderson Silva clowned you so hard, people said it was fixed URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-468-that-time-anderson-silva-clowned-you-so-hard-people-said-it-was-fixed/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:14.000Z Download [Episode\_468.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F468.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) It took Anderson Silva a little under one minute, 30 seconds to leave Tito Ortiz in the black lands during their boxing match Saturday at the Trillers. Silva styled on Ortiz so badly, some people thought Tito took a dive. That's gotta hurt. Plus, we look ahead to this weekend's #JustSomeFights UFC event and Yoel Romero's impending Bellator debut. ### Episode 467: What will become of you, Darren Till? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-467-what-will-become-of-you-darren-till/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:14.000Z Download [Episode\_467.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F467.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) Derek Brunson went out this weekend and reminded us all that he is a very good fighter who thus far in his UFC career has only lost to the elite in the middleweight division. So, that was good for him. Bad, though, for Darren Till, who now drops to 1-4 in his last five and needs to find some answers quick if he hopes to have much future as a high-level UFC fighter. Plus, hey there, Florida, how you doin'? Say, the Trillers want to know if you might let them put on this fight this weekend? Let us know! Kthanxbye! *Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC.* ### Episode 466: Oh right, this is a Tyron Woodley fight URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-466-oh-right-this-is-a-tyron-woodley-fight/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:14.000Z Download [Episode\_466.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F466.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) It turns out, Tyron Woodley boxes a lot like he fights in MMA, which is to say watching him was one of the more frustrating experiences in all of combat sports. So, yeah, Jake Paul improved to 4-0 or whatever. Also, is it finally, actually GigaTime in the octagon? And, holy shit, UFC 268 is stacked … for now (card subject to change). *Photo by Amanda Westcott/SHOWTIME.* ### Episode 465: Jared Cannonier is 'broke.' That's a bad look. URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-465-jared-cannonier-is-broke-thats-a-bad-look/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:14.000Z Download [Episode\_465.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F465.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) Jared Cannonier edged Kelvin Gastelum in a competitive and entertaining UFC main event on Saturday night, then immediately hopped on the mic and announced that he's "broke." Is that a good look for the UFC? That's a bad look, right? Plus, does Kayla Harrison actually have this whole shit figured out? And … uh-oh … Sunday, Sunday, Sunday, it's Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley. *Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC.* ### Episode 464: All Questions Considered! URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-464-all-questions-considered/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:15.000Z Download [Episode\_464.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F464.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) On an All Questions Considered episode of the show, we take a grab bag of queries from you, the Co-Mainiacs, including: Will Conor ever be champion again? Which UFC titles will change hands before the end of the year? Was it wise for Bellator to move to Showtime? Is the PFL commentary team the best in the business? Should our guy Dak wear a bolo tie to a wedding? And is Jon Jones actually on double-secret steroid suspension? (Spoiler: No. No he's not.) *Photo by Bellator MMA/Lucas Noonan.* ### Episode 463: 'Good Kid,' mad city URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-463-good-kid-mad-city/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:15.000Z Download [episode\_463.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/episode%5F463.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) Ciryl Gane pretty much ruined the entire city of Houston's weekend with his third-round TKO of Derrick Lewis at UFC 265\. Does the "Good Kid's" forthcoming title unification bout with Francis Ngannou now present a storyline so good "fucking Vince couldn't have wrote it better"? Plus, we put some hespect on Jose Aldo's name and talk the politics of booking a fight for Fedor Emelianenko in Russia. ### Episode 462: Can AJ McKee become a star if he stays in Bellator? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-462-can-aj-mckee-become-a-star-if-he-stays-in-bellator/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:15.000Z Download [Episode\_462.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F462.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) AJ McKee pretty much annihilated the competition during the Bellator featherweight grand prix, including Saturday's championship finale, where he stopped Patricio Pitbull in just a minute, 57 seconds to win the title. Ratings for that event weren't stellar, however, and McKee has now essentially cleaned out the 145-pound division by virtue of winning the tourney. It brings up the question: Is Bellator capable of making McKee the star he deserves to be? Plus: we look ahead to UFC 265. ### Episode 461: Exactly how 'back' is TJ Dillashaw? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-461-exactly-how-back-is-tj-dillashaw/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:15.000Z Download [Episode\_461.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F461.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) TJ Dillashaw surprised a lot of people--including your humble co-hosts--Saturday night by emerging with a split-decision victory over Cory Sandhagen in Dillashaw's return after a two-year JPD suspension. Did Tilly Dills actually deserve to get the nod? Ehhhh … maybe not, but he still put on a hell of a performance. During this week's show, we discuss how far the former champ can go now. *Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC (Getty Images)* ### Episode 460: Miesha Tate is immediately a player again URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-460-miesha-tate-is-immediately-a-player-again/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:16.000Z Download [Episode\_460.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F460.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) Miesha Tate perhaps benefited from some friendly matchmaking Saturday night as she returned to the cage for this first time since 2016, but she still made it look pretty easy against a retiring Marion Reneau, en route to a third-round TKO. The win immediately makes Tate a player at 135-pounds again. Will the same player-status ultimately be bestowed on that dude Islam Makhachev? He certainly looks the part, but will have to fight somebody first. Plus, what does Tyler Jeffrey Dillashaw have left to give? ### Episode 459: THIS IS NOT OVER! (but it should be) URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-459-this-is-not-over-but-it-should-be/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:16.000Z Download [Episode\_459\_2.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F459%5F2.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) Conor McGregor broke his whole leg shit on Saturday night against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264\. The good news is, Poirier will probably now get to fight for the title while McGregor convalesces. The bad news? Yeah, depending on a bunch of factors, we're probably gonna have to sit through Poirier vs. McGregor 4 when he comes back. Also, Tai Tuivasa stole the flippin' show at this biggest PPV of the year. ### Episode 458: Does anybody really know what Conor McGregor has left? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-458-does-anybody-really-know-what-conor-mcgregor-has-left/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:16.000Z Download [episode\_458.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/episode%5F458.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) This weekend at UFC 264, Conor McGregor returns to the octagon for just the fifth time since 2016 to complete a trilogy with Dustin Poirier. At this point, we've got so little recent intel on McGregor as a fighter, do even hardcore fans know what to expect? Also, so the UFC went and pissed off new heavyweight champ Francis Ngannou by setting up a interim title fight between Ciryl Gane and Derrick Lewis, huh? Sure, that sounds like a great idea. ### Episode 457: Anderson Silva deserves this moment URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-457-anderson-silva-deserves-this-moment/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:17.000Z Download [Episode\_457.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F457.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) Kind of funny that we all, as MMA fans, are going to look down our noses at these boxing vs. MMA crossover fights until we win one, and then suddenly we're out here in the street lighting couches on fire and ordering bottle service in the VIP. All jokes aside, however, Anderson Silva's win over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. provided a nice moment "The Spider" absolutely deserves. Plus: Chan Sung Jung back and a heavyweight doubleheader on tap. ### Episode 456: No babies are safe! URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-456-no-babies-are-safe/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:17.000Z Download [Episode\_456.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F456.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) Honestly, Brandon Moreno kinda stole the show at UFC 263, what with winning the men's flyweight title in overwhelming fashion while simultaneously seeming like the nicest damn person in the world. In this episode, we react to The Assassin Baby's win, the reality of Leon Edwards winning 24 minutes of a fight and Nate Diaz winning one minute and Israel Adesanya blanking Mad Marvin Vettori in the evening's main event. ### Episode 455: Don't mess around and lose this one, Izzy URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-455-dont-mess-around-and-lose-this-one-izzy/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:17.000Z Download [Episode\_455.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F455.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) Israel Adesanya defends the middleweight title Saturday at UFC 263 against Marvin Vettori, in a championship fight that feels like it's happening just because. Does that make this a sneaky trap fight for Adesanya, who has already defeated Vettori once? Also, can Davey Figgs and the Assassin Baby have another slobberknocker? And are Nate Diaz fans gonna come out of this one, like, suuuuper bummed? ### Episode 454: Your questions on Cyborg, Font, Fabia & More URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-454-your-questions-on-cyborg-font-fabia-more/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:17.000Z Download [Episode\_454.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F454.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) Cris Cyborg battered Leslie Smith for nearly the full 25-minutes to retain the Bellator women's featherweight title on Friday night and the following evening Rob Font did something close to the same against Cody Garbrandt in the main event of a UFC Fight Night. We talk about those bouts and then take your questions on this week's episode of the CME. ### Episode 453: King Chuck takes the throne URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-453-king-chuck-takes-the-throne/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:18.000Z Download [Episode\_453.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F453.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) Charles Oliveira is the lion of lions. He weathered the early storm against Michael Chandler, won the vacant UFC lightweight title via second round TKO and then smeared blood on Dana White. Not a bad night at the office. Plus, what's next for the elite in the 155-pound division and will Tony Ferguson still be part of it? ### Episode 452: Bellator won the weekend. Does it matter? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-452-bellator-won-the-weekend-does-it-matter/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:18.000Z Download [Episode\_452.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F452.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) There's no doubt that Bellator's Friday night event on Showtime was the best MMA card of the weekend. With MVP's whole-shit-broke KO win, Rumble Johnson having a fun one with Jose Augusto and Young Serg upsetting Juan Archuleta for the bantamweight crown, we packed a whole lot of living into this event. But with the UFC now firmly entrenched on ESPN and cranking out content every weekend--cough, Rodriguez vs. Waterson, cough--how much does it matter when Bellator steals the show on a single night? ### Episode 451: Jiri Prochazka is an absolute wildman URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-451-jiri-prochazka-is-an-absolute-wildman/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:18.000Z Download [Episode\_451.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F451.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) Just two fights into his UFC run, it sure looks like Jiri Prochazka is closing in on a light heavyweight title shot. And hey, if we're being honest, anything that keeps this suddenly Jon Jones-free division fresh is probably a good thing. Also, Thursday and Friday nights are STACKED with non-UFC action and Saturday night is … well … what's the opposite of stacked? ### Episode 450: We all went on an emotional journey at UFC 261 URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-450-we-all-went-on-an-emotional-journey-at-ufc-261/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:18.000Z Download [Episode\_450.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F450.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) From seeing Chris Weidman's leg shatter against Uriah Hall's leg to a trio of stoppages--at least a couple of them fairly shocking--in the event's three title fights, there were a lot of mood swings during UFC 261\. An emotional toll was exacted, you might say. If nothing else, this won't be one we forget for some time. ### Episode 449: UFC 261 & Triller's weird alternate universe URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-449-ufc-261-trillers-weird-alternate-universe/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:19.000Z Download [Episode\_449.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F449.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) Given the assembly-line nature of the UFC content these days, you can't blame MMA fans, boxing hardcores and casuals alike for being interested in Triller, which is (if nothing else) EXTREMELY different. So, when that dude Ebenezer Paul knocks out Ben Askren in under two minutes, it's going to be kind of a big deal. We discuss that and look ahead to UFC 261. ### Episode 448: A bad deal for everybody URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-448-a-bad-deal-for-everybody/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:19.000Z Download [Episode\_448.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F448.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) Marvin Vettori defeated Kevin Holland in the main event of UFC on ABC 2 on Saturday, but it turned out to be the sort o fight that didn't really help either guy's standing in the middleweight division. Plus we talk about last week's efforts from One Championship and Bellator as well as look ahead to Robert Whittaker vs. Kelvin Gastelum. ### Episode 447: Is Pitbull the world's best featherweight? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-447-is-pitbull-the-worlds-best-featherweight/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:19.000Z Download [Episode\_447.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F447.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) Patricio "Pitbull" Freire advanced to the final of the Bellator featherweight grand prix Saturday night during that promotion's debut on Showtime, by choking Emanuel Sanchez to damn sleep with a quickness. Now, as he prepares to take on AJ McKee for all the marbles, how good is Pitbull's claim to being the best 145-pounder in the world? Plus, the "Right Guy" Championship fight is now official and the UFC readies for its second broadcast on ABC. ### Episode 446: Francis Ngannou does it all right URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-446-francis-ngannou-does-it-all-right/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:19.000Z Download [Episode\_446\_2.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F446%5F2.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) Francis Ngannou pitched damn near a perfect game on Saturday at UFC 260, stopping Stipe Miocic via second-round KO to claim the heavyweight title. By all rights, Jon Jones should be next, but somehow it feels like the UFC is going to screw us out of that one, doesn't it? So, what happens? A rematch with Derrick Lewis? A trilogy with Miocic? We talk our way into the Francis Ngannou Era on this week's CME. ### Episode 445: I'll follow you home, bitch URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-445-ill-follow-you-home-bitch/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:20.000Z Download [Episode\_445.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F445.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) The UFC heavyweight title rematch between Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou is set to go down this weekend. The featherweight title scrap between Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega? Not so much. Plus, Kevin Holland drops a unanimous decision to Derek Brunson and suddenly we DON'T think it's cool that he talks through all his fights? Huh, OK. Seemed like that was one of the reasons he found himself in a UFC main event to begin with, but whatever. ### Episode 444: Sometimes it be like that URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-444-sometimes-it-be-like-that/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:20.000Z Download [Episode\_444.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F444.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) Well, fudge. That's not how we wanted it to go. That's obviously not how Belal Muhammad wanted it to go. Dare we say, that's not how Leon Edwards wanted it to go, either, though his suggestion that maybe we just let it go and book him a title fight anyway was--yeah, no, that's not how this shit works. This week? We discuss the eye poke, which makes it three DQ/NC results during the last two weeks of UFC action. ### Episode 443: Speak your truth, Jan Blachowicz URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-443-speak-your-truth-jan-blachowicz/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:20.000Z Download [episode\_443.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/episode%5F443.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) Israel Adesanya's foray into the light heavyweight division did not go as planned, courtesy the Legendary Polish Power of Jan Blachowicz. Oh, Janny Blackjacks, you never stop surprising us. Plus, Amanda Nunes still ain't nothing to fuck with and … PETR YAN WHAT ARE YOU DOING??? ### Episode 442: Can Adesanya defeat The Legendary Polish Power? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-442-can-adesanya-defeat-the-legendary-polish-power/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:20.000Z Download [Episode\_442.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F442.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) Knock on wood, people: Five UFC titles are scheduled to be on the line during March, including this weekend's UFC 259 and its triple bill of championship bouts. Can Israel Adesanya end Janny Blackjacks' Cinderella run with the light heavyweight title? Is Petr Yan the guy we thought he was? Is there any way Megan Anderson beats Amanda Nunes? We discuss. ### Episode 441: Heavyweight Bacchannal! URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-441-heavyweight-bacchannal/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:21.000Z Download [Episode\_441.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F441.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) The current moment in the UFC belongs to the big fellas. With Derrick Lewis' KO of Curtis Blaydes last weekend and the Biggi Boy vs. Ciryl Gane coming up next, the heavyweight division is taking center stage. On top of that, it looks like Stipe vs. Big Fran II is actually gonna happen. So, get hyped, America. Now let's just hope Jon Jones didn't put on all that extra weight for nothing. ### Episode 440: Real Champ Shit from Kamaru Usman URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-440-real-champ-shit-from-kamaru-usman/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:21.000Z Download [Episode\_440.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F440.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) After a first round where it looked like Gilbert Burns was on the verge of capturing the UFC welterweight title, Kamaru Usman put his foot down. The power jab, the low kicks, the third-round TKO victory--all these things served to make Usman look like an ever evolving puzzle for the rest of the 170-pound class. All things being equal, Usman would probably be a much bigger star. Unfortunately, we know that's not how it works in this sport. ### Episode 439: A tough one for the old guys URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-439-a-tough-one-for-the-old-guys/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:21.000Z Download [Episode\_439.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F439.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) Both Alistair Overeem and Frankie Edgar had rough nights at Saturday's UFC. Alexander Volkov busted Overeem's nose en route to a second-round TKO. Corey Sandhagen put Edgar's chin into the stratosphere with a KO-of-the-year-candidate flying knee. So, that was hard to watch. Plus, Ben watched BKFC and we look ahead to UFC 258. ### Episode 438: All Questions Considered URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-438-all-questions-considered/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:21.000Z Download [Episode\_438.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F438.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) Alistair Overeem fights Alexander Volkov this Saturday during Super Bowl weekend, but you already knew we weren't going to spend the entire show talking about that. Instead, we take listener queries in another one of our All Questions Considered episodes. ### Episode 437: Put some respect on Dustin Poirier's name URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-437-put-some-respect-on-dustin-poiriers-name/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:22.000Z Download [Episode\_437.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F437.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) Dustin Poirier walked out to James Brown's "The Big Payback," stopped Conor McGregor in the second round and then declared himself the uncrowned champion. A pretty nifty piece of business from The Diamond all the way around at UFC 257\. Now, we ask what should be next for Poirier, McGregor and, oh yeah, Michael Chandler in a suddenly Khabib-free lightweight division. ### Episode 436: Does McGregor fight week still have that magic? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-436-does-mcgregor-fight-week-still-have-that-magic/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:22.000Z Download [Episode\_436.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F436.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) Max Holloway amazed us all with his performance at Saturday's UFC on ABC card. Never one to rest on its laurels, however, the UFC ramps back up for two events this week. (We see you, Michael Chiesa vs. Neil Magny!) And as Conor McGregor prepares to return at UFC 257, any effort to figure out what he has left just feels like guesswork. ### Episode 435: What to expect from UFC on ABC URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-435-what-to-expect-from-ufc-on-abc/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:22.000Z Download [Episode\_435.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F435.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) The UFC returns to network television this week for the first time since 2018, as Saturday afternoon it presents its debut broadcast on ABC. What to make of this, especially after the fight company's tenure on Big Fox started with a bang and then slowly petered-out over the lifetime of that deal? And what can we surmise from matchmakers using Max Holloway vs. Calvin Kattar as the first main event in this new series? ### Episode 434: All Questions Considered URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-434-all-questions-considered/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:22.000Z Download [Episode\_434.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F434.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) On the first episode of The Proper since mid-December, we've got some catching up to do. So, we're going All Questions Considered this week. What's up with the UFC raising PPV prices? Have we witnessed the fatal flaw in Greg Hardy's MMA evolution? And what's the UFC really doing with its "Performance Center"? Those questions and more … ### Episode 433: CME Office Christmas Party URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-433-cme-office-christmas-party/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:23.000Z Download [CME\_Christmas\_Party.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/CME%5FChristmas%5FParty.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) Let's be honest, ain't nobody doing any work the week of Christmas. This episode, we present (or, uh, re-present, as the case may be) our year-end awards. Plus, Sir Nigel Longstock stops by to read the best tweets of 2020\. We pop champagne and hand out white elephant gifts. You'll like it. ### Episode 432: The greatest majority draw of all time! URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-432-the-greatest-majority-draw-of-all-time/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:23.000Z Download [Episode\_432.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F432.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno threw DOWN on Saturday in the main event of UFC 256 and, while it probably wasn't the fight of the year, it was perhaps the greatest majority draw of all time. In the co-main, Charles Oliveira wore Tony Ferguson around like a hat. Don't look now, but on the heels of a crackerjack pay-per-view card last weekend, there's another potentially dope card coming up this week. ### Episode 431: Say it ain't Yo-el! URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-431-say-it-aint-yo-el/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:23.000Z Download [Episode\_431.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F431.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) The UFC says its release of perennial title contender/lovable weirdsmobile Yoel Romero is one of about 60 cuts it will make before the New Year to trim its "inflated" roster. Inflated, huh? That's an interesting, hey-this-was-nobody's-fault kind of way to say it. So, that's a bummer. We also talk about Marvin Vettori's recent win over Jack Hermansson and preview UFC 256--a fight card that looks fun enough to make us feel uneasy with six days still to go before fight night. ### Episode 430: Tyson-Jones delivers, UFC plays musical chairs URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-430-tyson-jones-delivers-ufc-plays-musical-chairs/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:23.000Z Download [Episode\_430.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F430.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) Ben watched the Mike Tyson-Roy Jones Jr. exhibition boxing match on Saturday night and gleefully reports that he got his money's worth … of entertainment, if not exactly top flight boxing action. Meanwhile, the UFC scrapped Curtis Blaydes vs. Derrick Lewis at the the last minute while simultaneously shuffling the line-ups for its next two events as well. ### Episode 429: Figgy Smalls, Shevy Chenks & the 'McKee Lock' on AQC URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-429-figgy-smalls-shevy-chenks-the-mckee-lock-on-aqc/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:24.000Z Download [Episode\_429.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F429.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) UFC 255 was definitely a thing that happened, as Deiveson Figueiredo and Valentina Shevchenko retained the men's and women's flyweight titles, respectively. This week on an All Questions Considered episode of The Proper, we talk the greatness of Figgy Small and Shevy Chenks, as well as A.J. McKee pulling off a heretofore unseen submission in the Bellator GP. Plus, a lot of other odds and ends. ### Episode 428: Did Felder's gamble pay off? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-428-did-felders-gamble-pay-off/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:24.000Z Download [Episode\_428.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F428.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) Paul Felder didn't beat Rafael dos Anjos Saturday night, but it still feels like Felder's choice to step in on short notice for a five-rounder against a former champion was the right thing to do. Plus, the Bellator 145-pound grand prix deserves your attention, while UFC 255 maybe … well, you make the call. ### Episode 427: Five questions about the light heavyweight division URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-427-five-questions-about-the-light-heavyweight-division/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:24.000Z Download [episode\_427.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/episode%5F427.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) So, Glover Teixeira pretty much handled Thiago Santos in their main event fight Saturday night. This week, the CME turns its attention to the most vexing questions facing the 205-pound division, including: In a world where Jon Jones is absent, could Teixeira be the best light heavyweight in the UFC? ### Episode 426: Can the UFC just end Anderson Silva's career? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-426-can-the-ufc-just-end-anderson-silvas-career/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:24.000Z Download [Episode\_426.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F426.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) Anderson Silva lost to Uriah Hall on Saturday via fourth-round TKO. It wasn't great. It also wasn't terrible. But, jeez louise, Dana White sure showed up at the postfight presser in a shitty mood. He says Silva still has one fight left on his UFC deal and White will NOT be offering it to him. So ... uh ... what happens next? Plus, Isreal Adesanya will fight Janny Blackjacks for the light heavyweight strap (wait, what?) and this weekend we finally get to see the Covid Cup ... you know ... unless ... something ... bad ... happens. ### Episode 425: Do svidaniya, Khabib Nurmagomedov URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-425-do-svidaniya-khabib-nurmagomedov/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:25.000Z Download [Episode\_425.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F425.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) Khabib Nurmagomedov called it quits on Saturday after UFC 254 in what has to be considered one of the most emotional retirement announcements in MMA history. Naturally, we got a lot of mail on the subject. This week’s All Questions Considered show talks Khabib’s legacy, his performance against Justin Gaethje and what now to do with the vacant lightweight title. ### Episode 424: You sly dog, Brian Ortega URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-424-you-sly-dog-brian-ortega/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:25.000Z Download [Episode\_424.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F424.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) Brian Ortega returned from his first career loss and an extended absence from the cage looking like a new man on Saturday and straight-up put a whipping on Chan Sung Jung. Sup with that??? Plus, we look ahead to UFC 254’s main and co-main events. Hype level is high! ### Episode 423: Welcome to immortality, Joaquin Buckley URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-423-welcome-to-immortality-joaquin-buckley/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:25.000Z Download [Episode\_423.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F423.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) If what you want out of your UFC content is a no-strings-attached experience where one semi-anonymous dude might do something unbelievably awesome (and terrible) to another semi-anonymous dude then, brother, Saturday night was your JAM. We discuss that and other stuff on this week’s CME Proper. ### Episode 422: A couple old road dogs URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-422-a-couple-old-road-dogs/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:25.000Z Download [Episode\_422.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F422.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) Holly “Holmes” Holm and Carlos “Conduit” Condit both went out there and reminded us who the fuck they were on Saturday. But what now for our two old pals? Plus, the Jon Jones-Israel Adesanya beef gets capital “W” Weird and–oh, look!–another fairly low profile UFC event this weekend. ### Episode 421: Adesanya made it look easy URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-421-adesanya-made-it-look-easy/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:26.000Z Download [Episode\_421.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F421.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) Israel Adesanya froze Paulo Costa like a statue, battered him with leg kicks from range and then toppled him with strikes to the dome piece in the second. It was, in short, exactly the kind of performance you’d want from a budding UFC superstar. Speaking of stars, how about your dude Janny Blackjacks? How long can we reasonably expected him to hang onto the strap? ### Episode 420: Colby Covington, still reprehensible URL: https://www.comainevent.com/colby-covington-still-reprehensible/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:26.000Z Download [Episode\_420.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F420.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) Colby Covington pretty much shut down Tyron Woodley en route to a fifth-round TKO victory on Saturday night. Then Covington opened his mouth and spewed awful racist bile all over the place during the postfight. You know, like he does. Plus, Donald Cerrone draws Niko Price and, hey, UFC 253 is this weekend! ### Episode 419: All Questions Considered URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-419-something/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:26.000Z Download [Episode\_419.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F419.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) There were a ton of fights this weekend, and the CME will forego its normal three-round format in order to talk about as many of them as possible. We discuss Michelle Waterson’s win over Angela Hill, Ed Herman’s Dundasso and those terrible low blows in Bellator, among other things. ### Do not, we repeat, DO NOT watch Mike Perry pee ... URL: https://www.comainevent.com/do-not-we-repeat-do-not-watch-mike-perry-pee/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:27.000Z > "I was taking a piss at the bathroom in this club, and the security guard – there's one by the entrance to the bathroom, and after the entrance there's like a hallway – then there's another one right behind him in the bathroom. I was pretty drunk and I was taking a pee and I said, 'Yo how much do they pay y'all an hour to stand there and watch me pee?' Because they were like, mad at me as soon as I came in there peeing. I'm like, it's the bathroom. It's not my fault you work in here. So I was like, 'how much do they pay you to sit here and watch me pee?' And they was so mad, because I just kept laughing." > > – Mike Perry [telling a story](https://comainevent.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=be707ea417fdad1cbe2c433ff&id=888a378d30&e=3071112d1b&ref=comainevent.com) of an incident that, improbably enough, led to fisticuffs in the end **Manager:** Gentlemen, come in. Sit down. I was just going over this incident report from last night and I had a few questions. **Bouncer #1:** Sir, I know what you're going to say, but this one was absolutely not our fault... **Manager:** It's all right, I'm not mad. I just want to better understand what actually happened. Now you say this customer came into the bathroom acting quite inebriated? **Bouncer #2:** It's true, I wrote that part. He was pretty drunk, sir. **Manager:** And you say here that he seemed to be taunting you about your hourly wages? **Bouncer #1:** He asked how much we were being paid to stand there and watch him pee, sir. **Manager:** And what did you tell him? **Bouncer #1:** Nothing. We ... we were both quite mad by then. He was laughing at us. **Manager:** Boys, I don't understand. Don't I pay you well? **Bouncer #2:** You do, sir. **Manager:** I know I do. Three times as much as most other clubs in town, in fact. And when you both came in for your interviews, do you recall what I told you? **Bouncer #1:** \[sighing\] You said our primary duties would be to watch male customers pee. But sir, with all due respect, they really seem to dislike it. **Manager:** Of course they do. That's why I put two of you in there, to ensure there's no trouble. **Bouncer #1:** I guess what I'm getting at, sir, is I don't understand why we need to watch them pee. Why anyone needs to watch them pee. **Manager:** Oh, now I must explain myself to you, eh? **Bouncer #1:** No, sir, it's just... **Manager:** I'm running a business here. Do I need to tell you how much I pay for liquor too, or what my property taxes were last year? Damn your impudence! I should fire you both. **Bouncer #2:** Sir, please, I can't lose this job. My mother's dialysis... **Manager:** Your mother's dialysis indeed! You think about that the next time you feel like you're in danger of forgetting your place. Both of you! **Bouncer #1:** Yes sir. **Manager:** Now get back out there and watch my customers pee! Dismissed, gentlemen. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/screen-shot-2020-10-03-at-10-36-05-am.png) Photo: @jonnybones on Instagram. Jon Jones says he's not coming back any time soon. Says he's willing to sit out years if he has to, and seems to be hunkering down for a long battle with Dana White, which he believes will help out all the younger fighters. We're not sure we believe it, but then you've also got Jorge Masvidal saying he won't budge an inch. Usually this means we're no more than two weeks away from fight announcements for both guys. But could this time actually be ... different? We'll discuss that on this week's Power Hour. We'll also get buck wild with those Power Rankings you know and love. It's a whole other podcast coming to you every Friday, and all for just five bucks a month that goes to [support the cause.](https://comainevent.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=be707ea417fdad1cbe2c433ff&id=89ac314676&e=3071112d1b&ref=comainevent.com) ### Episode 418: The Reem rolls on URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-418-the-reem-rolls-on/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:27.000Z Download [Episode\_418.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F418.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) Alistair Overeem’s late-career dream continues, in the form of a fifth-round TKO over Augusto Sakai. All the props in the world to Overeem for remaking himself as a crafty veteran, but how far can he continue to roll at age 40? Plus, Nick Diaz back? Fight Island back? ### Episode 417: Anthony Smith didn’t find what he was looking for URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-417-anthony-smith-didnt-find-what-he-was-looking-for/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:27.000Z Download [Episode\_417.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F417.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) Anthony Smith made a somewhat short turnaround after his high-publicized de-toothing by Glover Teixeira back in May, just to return Saturday night to get outpointed by Aleksandar Rakic. Chances are, Smith’s not going to be happy with that. Plus, are we seeing the end of the Brutal Bob Lawler Era? And Chad invents a time machine and sends Ben on a mission with an important message for 2010 Alistair Overeem. ### Episode 416: Frankie can still Frankie URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-416-frankie-can-still-frankie/ Last updated: 2020-09-08T02:52:58.000Z Download [Episode\_416.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F416.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) Frankie Edgar finally made his bantamweight debut on Saturday and … well … it looked a lot like what we’ve seen from him at every other weight, which is to say quite good, but also prone to producing fights that could go either way. Plus, Ryan Bader finds out why you don’t tempt the MMA Gods and–what’s this???–some actual UFC vs. Bellator beef? ### Episode 415: Did the Stipe-DC trilogy have a satisfying end? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-415-did-the-stipe-dc-trilogy-have-a-satisfying-end/ Last updated: 2020-09-08T02:51:02.000Z Download [Episode\_415.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F415.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) Stipe Miocic will continue being the man after his unanimous decision victory over Daniel Cormier at UFC 252 concluded that pair’s heavyweight title trilogy. As for Cormier? We’re not totally sure, though we hope it’s something good. Plus, just to add to this event’s weirdness, Sean O’Malley’s leg went kablooey. ### Episode 414: What’s your hype level for UFC 252? URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-414-whats-your-hype-level-for-ufc-252/ Last updated: 2020-09-08T02:49:06.000Z Download [Episode\_414.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F414.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier fulfill the trilogy this weekend. Kind of feels like it snuck up on us, no? Plus, we love Derrick Lewis, but is he trying to do too much? And shouldn’t some MMA company just give Michael Chandler whatever he wants? ### Episode 413: Not so fast, Edmen Shahbazyan URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-413-not-so-fast-edmen-shahbazyan/ Last updated: 2020-09-08T02:47:21.000Z Download [Episode\_413.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F413.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) Score one for the grizzled veterans, as Derek Brunson became the first professional fighter to crack the riddle of Edmen Shahbazyan on Saturday night. Plus, chaos ruled at UFC Fight Night 176 and–what’s this???–a certified weirdsmobile fight between Derrick Lewis and Aleksei Oleinik is on tap. ### Episode 412: That's a wrap on #FightIsland URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-412-thats-a-wrap-on-fightisland/ Last updated: 2020-09-08T01:29:51.000Z Download [Episode\_412.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F412.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) Robert Whittaker reasserted himself as one of the UFC’s elite middleweights–and reminded us he has no qualms about stomping a motherfucker’s knee to shreds. Plus, Shogun and Roger Nog didn’t make us sad, while Khamzat Chimaev and Tanner Boser arguably emerged as the Pandemic Era’s breakout stars. ### Old guy fight alert URL: https://www.comainevent.com/old-guy-fight-alert/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:27.000Z > When I say this from my heart, I’m truly gutted about my relationship with Mike Perry, because we was good friends. We was DMing each other and it was fun and then I don’t know what happened. I must have crossed a line.” > > – Darren Till, recounting the demise of a beautiful friendship that ended over jokes gone too far. Brother, we been there. ### AYFKM?!? So get this. Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. are going to box. Each other. In the year 2020\. In an eight-round exhibition bout. And before you rush off to Google it, we’ll save you some time and tell you that Tyson is 54 and Jones is 51\. So yeah, hitting each other in the head for other people’s entertainment sounds like a good idea. Lest you worry that this might the kind of event you should take seriously, please be aware that the YouTube guy Jake Paul is apparently also on this card, boxing a former NBA player. Because we’re all just doing whatever as our species rockets toward an extremely dumb extinction. Will we end up watching some bullshit like this? Maaaaan, probably. I mean, shit, we watching Tito Ortiz beat up an aged and hapless version of Chuck Liddell, so clearly we do not respect ourselves. Do we expect to feel good after consuming this content? We do not. But maybe if we all do it together on Zoom we can at least feel like lowlife degenerates together? Something to think about. ### Power Hour Preview Our guy Bobby Knuckles is in kind of a weird place in his career right now, isn’t he? He lost his title to Izzy Adesanya. He had to take some time off when the MMA burnout got to be too much. Now he’s back to close out the “Fight Island” experiment in a main event bout with Darren Till on Saturday, and it kind of seems like we’re all going to read waaaay too much into whatever the result is here and use it to decide whether Robert Knuckles is moving up or plummeting down. ### Unverified listener mail rant of the week On Tuesday mornings I listen to the Proper while working out in my garage gym. During a heavy (heavy for me) set of squats I heard Chad's deadpan, with a hint of exasperation and a dash of incredulity, delivery of the phrase (regarding a disparaging comment on Joey B) "he even sits like a bitch." Gentlemen, snot shot out of my nose, my tight core collapsed and unable to recover, I had to dumb the bar racked with steel plates. This calamity caused my dogs to bark as if Rousimar Palhares was breaking into the house, my son to drop his cereal bowl, shattering it into pieces and for my wife to come out and say "What fuck was that about??" At that point it had lost its immediate humor and I could only reply "You don't want to know and I don't want to explain it." I still get a chuckle out of it, though. \-- Dave S. ### The Bikin' Beast URL: https://www.comainevent.com/the-bikin-beast/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T03:41:28.000Z > **“I think you’ll see something you haven’t seen from me in a long time in the octagon. I’m going to come out balls blazing. Something crazy. Something different. You’ll see something different that you haven’t seen before. That’s all.”** > > **– Derrick Lewis, who knows that you’re only listening to his interviews in the hopes of hearing him mention his balls** You know how, during this week’s CME live-ish chat, we were talking about the ways in which the pandemic has altered our normal exercise routines? Turns out we’re not alone. UFC heavyweight Derrick Lewis, who fights your dude Aleksei Oleinik in Saturday night’s main event, says it’s forced him to get really into cycling. As in, on an actual bicycle. Not that spare room Peloton shit that Chad does. “I bought a bicycle and I’ve been cycling a lot early in the morning like doing 20 miles a day,” Lewis told [MMA Fighting](https://comainevent.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=be707ea417fdad1cbe2c433ff&id=deedac2065&e=3071112d1b&ref=comainevent.com). “It really helped me a lot.” So wait, you’re telling us that early of a weekday morning, people in Lewis’ neck of the woods might peek out their windows and see his big ass, hopefully clad in one of those geeky skin tight cycling suits, getting his road work in while shouting “on your motherfuckin’ left!” at old people out walking their dogs and shit? Because that’s wonderful. That’s the mental image we needed in order to get us through the end of this week. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ef/69ef48b8-8728-4472-93cd-571043e8b13e/content/images/2026/06/screen-shot-2020-10-03-at-10-45-13-am.png) Photo: @chrisweidman on Instagram. Oh, Chris Weidman. What are we going to do with you? You took out Anderson Silva and claimed the UFC middleweight strap without ever losing a fight. Then you dropped the belt against Luke Rockhold and went on to lose four of your next five. Talk about a precipitous fall and what not. Now 36 years old, Weidman desperately needs a win on Saturday to avoid becoming the middleweight version of Johny Hendricks. Can he do it? And what, if any, lessons can we learn from the tremendous highs and lows of his career? We’ll discuss that and a whole lot more on this week’s [CME Power Hour](https://comainevent.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=be707ea417fdad1cbe2c433ff&id=28515e6fdf&e=3071112d1b&ref=comainevent.com) later today. ### Episode 411: More heartbreak for Joe B. at UFC Fight Island 2 URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-410-this-is-a-new-episode/ Last updated: 2020-07-27T04:17:16.000Z Download [Episode\_411.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F411.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) Joseph Benavidez likely saw his last, best chance at a UFC title evaporate when he got choked unconscious by new undisputed flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo on Saturday. Plus, what did we miss from Wednesday and — hoo boy — the UFC’s Yas Island vacay looks to end with a bang.sdfsdfsdfdsfsdf ### Episode 410: The cold, hard reality of Kamaru Usman URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-410-the-cold-hard-reality-of-kamaru-usman/ Last updated: 2020-07-27T03:17:28.000Z Download [Episode\_410.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F410.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) The legend of Street Jesus collided with the best welterweight in the world at UFC 251 and … well … it was a long night in the Bread Game. Plus, Max Holloway maybe got jobbed (or maybe not!) and Petr Yan beat Jose Aldo into a living death there at the end. ### Episode 409: You’re crazy for this one, Jorge Masvidal URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-409-youre-crazy-for-this-one-jorge-masvidal/ Last updated: 2020-07-10T02:35:27.000Z Download [Episode\_409.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F409.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) Gilbert Burns is out and Jorge Masvidal (probably, almost certainly) in against Kamaru Usman in the UFC 251 main event. It was a circuitous route to the fight that should’ve been headlining this pay-per-view all along, but all’s well that ends well, right. RIGHT? ### Episode 407: Curtis Blaydes just got interesting URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-407-curtis-blaydes-just-got-interesting/ Last updated: 2020-07-09T04:07:37.000Z Download [Episode\_407.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F407.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) Curtis Blaydes told us exactly what he was going to do to Alexander Volkov on Saturday night and then he went out and did it. He also warned some of you more punch-and-kick-oriented types that you might not like it. One person who didn’t? Dana Frederick White Jr., though in fairness it was likely Blaydes’ comments on fighter pay that set the UFC Prez off. Plus, Emmett vs. Burgos slays and Poirier vs. Hooker is now on deck. ### Episode 406: Every UFC event is a perfect, beautiful snowflake URL: https://www.comainevent.com/episode-406-every-ufc-event-is-a-perfect-beautiful-snowflake/ Last updated: 2020-07-08T04:09:24.000Z Download [Episode\_406.mp3](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/comainevent/Episode%5F406.mp3?ref=comainevent.com) Cynthia Calvillo established herself as a women’s flyweight contender with a win over Jessica Eye on Saturday. Would we say she looked ready for Valentina Shevchenko, however? No, we would not. Next up: Curtis Blaydes fights Alexander Volkov, while Dana White says every UFC card is wonderful and if you’re a fight fan, you’ll watch them all.