Joe Pyfer Stops Adesanya at UFC Seattle | Should Izzy Retire? | Eblen Dominates PFL Pittsburgh

Revel. Revelly, look at it, you Jesus combat. No, you fit in seamlessly in this weird k Marx set.

And hey, it's time to get weird. It's time for Morning Combat. Hello everyone, on this thirtieth day of March, here twenty twenty six, and welcome to another episode of Morning Combat. Holy smokes, we got a lot to talk about today. I am merely one half of your hosting duo. I joined you from the capitol of the Stabs right here in Washington, d joined by my brethren from Connecticut. And yet he's a trader to the city of Detroit. It's Chuck Minton Hall. What's up, Charles.

It's baseball season, throwing a baseball cap, you know, the city alternative whatever they call that.

So says Detroit. I like Detroit. You're a Tigers guy. No, I don't care. I'm a whore. Remember I was wearing the ZUFA boxing hat. One fucking whrror. It's a good start to the show right there. Yeah, exactly, dude. This weekend was great.

UFC Seattle, great BFL Pittsburgh not for nothing. Also pretty great. RAF had kind of some fun moments as well. All the boxing basically came with finishes. I'm like, man, if they could all be like this, I don't think I'd ever leave my studio.

That was all blast right.

Every now and again we get one of these right, like where you get everything alignes, you get like several cards, everything pays off.

You're kind of like having fun no matter which event you're watching. That was. That was really what it was. Like.

I saw you tweet that, and I think you might have even said it before the PFL, but whatever it was, the PFL delivered to at the end of the night, and I was like, hey, man, you can't get better than that.

One of my favorite nights, Chuck, this is true if you'll recall correctly, the night of Michael Chandler versus Eddie Alvarez one.

Was the same.

That's right, shogunhendo dude, and both of those fights are just all time I know, man madness, and they happened on the exact same day.

So yeah, I was thinking about that, man.

That was like I told I was like, you know what's funny is that that actually occurred to me too.

I was like, do you remember that.

I was thinking about that because we had those fights and they were both ridiculous. You get maybe one of those every couple of years, and you got two in one night. I mean that was wild man.

Let's bring in the third member here of the show. He is the intrepid producer and professional girlfriend ignorer. He's my friend in yours. It's Long Island Luke. Hello, fellow Luke.

What's up? Boys?

It was a great weekend of combat sports. Huh UFC Seattle definitely delivered. I let my watch along go a little long. We had rif we had PBC, we had PFL. It was a you know, a great ignorance weekend, as you might call it.

LT.

We have a lot of things to get to here on the show. Right before we do that, though, Long Island put up the picture of our dear friend. Look at this. Look at this fucking photo. Hey, which one of these is?

It's not like the other.

From left to right, it's Brian Custer, who of course does PBC broadcast as well as ESPN. And then of course you've got my hero in the middle, Camron Cameron Giles, and then on the right some fucking goofball that they just threw at the end of a broadcast because they needed someone to do it.

It's Brian fucking Campbell. Can you believe this picture?

So I actually told bc BC hit me up. He's like, yo, I'm doing this show. It was like a pre fight show for the PBC broadcast. They're gonna have Cameron on there, and I was like, oh, dude, you got to tell him that Purple Hayes is one of my favorite albums. In fact, on MK his Street Chuck, they asked us many years ago, you know, make your top five favorite albums. Yeah, Cameron's Purple Haze is on that list for really Yeah, yeah, I do.

Remember when they asked us, I do remember when you guys are going over this. I don't. It's one of the I don't. That album is so fucking good. It's hard.

It just it holds up in all the best ways. Anyway, So I told him to tell him that, and he he claims he did, and he claims that he appreciative.

He's not afraid.

Remember him, Oh you weren't with us, But like he walked up to Peter Yan and the and the casino at one time and just kind of hey man, it's Peter Yan and made this big deal of it. And you can see that Peter was like, dude, come on, gad, Yeah, he's not afraid. He is not afraid to go make an ass of himself.

You know, he certainly isn't, although he did a pretty good job on the broadcast. We'll talk about that Keith Thurman fight a little bit later, all right.

I know what though, Man, just looking at that real quick at the MGM Grand, don't you kind of miss that arena?

God?

I used to love when the MGM, Yeah, the MGM Grand whatever they call it, the Garden arena there, Like, I love that place.

Man. The UFC doesn't go there anymore, but that was that was the place to go.

A ten thousand at no more, I mean fifteen thousands, a little big, but like a ten to tall thousand person arena is fucking perfect, yeah, because there's basically no bad seat, and especially for.

Boxing, and it was so like it's been some of the best fights went down there, man, and just it would get so wildly anyway, all.

Right, let's set this up for the show today. As we mentioned, we're gonna react to all the things we've been talking about here. Uh, follow us on the socials, of course, you can do it everywhere. Morning Combat is everywhere, TikTok, YouTube, ig, Twitter, you name it, so is Chuck and so am I. Of course you can always reach the show Morningcombat at gmail dot com. We're doing fan subs later today. I'm really looking forward to that. Let's talk about the merch

Into the next month.

The very best fan sub that month we're going to give a signed post or two.

All right, So there you have it, all right, Chuck? Am I missing anything else? No?

I think you've hit it all all right. With that in mind, let's start with topic number one. If we can all right, where else to go? But the main event from Ufcattle on a very packed and very fun weekend.

Let's talk about that main event.

Joe Piper stops is Real at Asnia in the second round with strikes basically from the back, from the mounted or back mounted position. So there's a million things, as you can see here on your screen for those watching, you can see here the position from which it ended hip in and he's just unloading and basically is he could not get his base under himself, Chuck. So the question here is I think the ultimate one because it dictates a lot of the subsequent conversation. What is the

Oh man, you know, it's such a chicken shit way to go about it.

But isn't it some of both?

I mean, if I look at it strictly from the piper lens, I'm thinking, yes, that was a very good fight.

I thought he did what he was supposed to do.

It's almost like his eyes lit up though when he stood in front of him in that second round, Because obviously he wanted to play that game, and he played it very well and that's why he won the fight in the end.

So I thought he performed really well.

And sometimes these guys, remember with his Jack Hermanson fin, I think that was a main event, right, and it did not go his way, And there was a little bit of that. There's always this there's always this guy that you worry about who shows up every other time, but when he gets a big spot, he doesn't show up.

And I was a little bit worried about that for Joe.

Pifer, especially given the sort of circumstance against Israel Adisignia.

But I thought he held up really well. Man.

So if I'm if I, if I'm forced to make the decision on that, I would say that I was more impressed with Joe Pifer because I thought, I thought, is he and I'm anxious to hear your thoughts on this too. I thought he was game in this way that you know, he's kind of bold and like, you know, giving into his impulses and things like that at the right times. He's made a name basically in a fight game by being that kind of guy. And it's almost like he was like, you know, what in the second round,

I mean, both is the certainly the more realistic answer, because it's just the way that like, for example, on the Joe Pifer side, Chuck right, Yeah, you have a guy who is still, I think a little limited in what his offensive offensive options are on the feet. But for example, he played an up and down game here the fight finished on the ground, not with submissions, but by taking it to the ground. And he also adapted to that. Right, he didn't take Izzy down against the fence.

And to me, it's like, is his game developing? Yes?

To me, as I mentioned, he's mixing in more of the ground and he's eliminating some of the weaknesses in his defense. Yeah, but I just don't feel like I've seen a huge sea change on the feet. I'm like, just let me ask you, Chuck if the next fight and we'll talk about.

This a little bit more.

But I just as a litmus test, would you favor him over Fluffy?

Oh? Man?

I mean, and that's kind of one of those fights I thought about a little bit, but probably not. I just think, you know, and again, you know, you're talking about Fluffy, who is pretty good everywhere, but I also think that he's got that dog in him that will, you know, kind of reach to certain depths to get

Yeah. No, I totally agree.

And I mean if the rankings in this one had been more close together, that that's what would have been next to Anyway, it's because is he had such a high ranking position relative to Joe that now it creates for like a well, who's the next thing. We're gonna talk about that in a moment. The point I want to make, though, Chuck, was that as you can see, like there are real ways to look at Joe's game and be like this is getting better, you know, and

Right, that's the difference. Uh.

And I just don't know how you can watch this fight and think that is he looks and not diminished. He looks diminished to me, And how could he not? The guys had, you know, new what how many fights this guy ever had in his life? Over I think over a hundred all told. I was like, I think you can see a certain amount of them, but I think there are a bunch of others that aren't even listed. So say nothing of the Jim Wars to say nothing

You know.

I don't take any great pleasure in saying this. I thought, Chuck, what I think what you saw, which was I went back and I watched it today. I actually think he fought a pretty good first round. Leg kicks were working, He wasn't getting baited, you know what I mean? He was he was kind of staying to himself and fought fighting a very disciplined clearly sticking to the game plan, kind of approach. But in the second round, he just started off doing that and then let it go right.

I mean, we've seen its scene. We've seen it before too.

With these guys who've been elusive over their careers, they're able to kind of get out of the way of trouble or they're very just good at dick from a counter position where they can, like you know, they let they punish the aggression come in at them. This one felt like a minefield the whole way because I think, you know, you go back to is he's last fight against uh Nacerdine, and you you know, the way he was finished in that one kind of raised the red flags.

I wasn't.

It's almost like because he's been so different, you know, and You've talked to him tons of times, man, I know he's like a fan of yours too, like in your breakdowns and stuff. And it just seemed to me like he was like, you know what, man, why am I doing? Like he said in his post fight, like he wanted to feel like he's in a fight, and I just felt like he was like, let's just throw down,

I mean, I think people need to ask themselves a question and listen. He's not going to listen to me about this, nor do I expect him to. And who knows if he listens to his coach. Who knows if he listens to his own inner dialogue about this.

I don't know if.

These decisions about when to walk away are tough for anybody, and I fully respect that, but like, you know, if you're going to do this job, I think you have to do the job kind of honestly, and how I want folks to think about something. How can you reconcile the same guy that was so mentally focused before the fifth round of a Gastolm fight where he's swollen and beaten up and he looks across the octagon and he says,

Know, Yeah, And then you know, we've seen him lose in these situations. That Sean Strickland fight was only like a downhill on slot at some point. It just seemed like he just once it started going in a certain direction, he was not able to correct it and get it

It's not the worst way to go out.

Now.

I have no idea, like you said about you.

Know why he chose to basically go that direction, But I mean, if you just look at the at the results over the last bunch of years he had and I'm I hate using the word outclass, but he has not been the same right Like, And that show on Strickland one was the first one that I really saw where You're like, man, what's going on with Israel out of son And I'm not sure he's ever really gotten it back. Even in that Perira fight that we're talking about where he won, he wasn't doing great in that fight.

And one last thing, I'm glad you brought that up again. I don't know if this is true. I have no idea speculative show, Luke, I mean, yeah, I mean, this is what we do in the show.

We baselessly speculate.

But the thing for me is, I think it took him more of himself to get that win over Poeton that way, you know, this sort of triumphant final, say not in their overall careers, but.

In their particular fighting history together.

I think it took so much resources for him to get there, and he had to give so much to that process, and I think it meant so much to him in terms of like just satisfying his soul that I don't know that he had the same fire afterwards.

I mean, you haven't realize, dude.

Think the older you get, you'll realize events in your life. Sometimes they can add things to you, and sometimes they can take things from you and your character and who you are. Again, it can go both ways. I'm not saying it's all negative or all positive.

Chuck.

Life is a funny way of just changing you. But sometimes, Chuck, and I know you can speak to this too. I'm not making this up. Sometimes you can feel it, like if there's a traumatic event right in them mediate and something, you can feel it happened to yourself. But a lot of times there'll be an inflection point in your life and it takes you years before you can even see that. I don't know if you agree with that, but I feel like that's true. I agree one hundred percent.

And remember too, like the psychological toll of the Perreira series, essentially because we were talking about everybody talked about like this goes back to Glory. This guy was basically invented, you know, to come into the UFC and be the guy to kind of be the boogeyman for Israel out of son and at the time it seemed like it was even a thing. But as he got closer and closer, it felt like, Okay, this guy was put on earth to come and you know, haunt Israel out of Sonya.

And then he does. And I think, you know, we talked about this.

I know BC used to bring it up because we talked about on a show where like maybe this has never been about Israel out of son Maybe this has been Alex Perreira's story the whole way, you know, And he kind of took that attitude like he was sort of like I felt like a little bit of his identity where he was like, you know, what is unfolding here. I remember him talking a lot about this and he

No.

I mean, we all treat it like you can just cut you know, not that you can reproduce the same kinds of will you know forever. Of course it all comes to a close, you know. But I think there's times that fighters don't realize that they have to give something to a mission that takes something from them where they're gonna succeed, but then they're not going to be able to be the same afterwards as a result of what that contribution took. How true that is with this, I guess we'll see.

He seems to be and I mean, maybe you can speak to this a little bit, but like he seems to be dissociating almost with victory, Like so the wins and losses, He's like, all right, that's great, I might lose, but I'll stay undefeated. And I mean this is an attitude to take, you know, And especially I wrote about this like a cruel game that basically takes away everything that it gives you in the end. You know, he's

I want to keep doing this. Let me say something about that. I'm so glad you brought this up, Chuck. Yeah, I'm really, really, I'm quite glad. One of the arguments I'm gonna I'm gonna make this work. Just follow me for a second. One of the arguments actually in favor of boxing's pay structure relative to MMA. Is what you'll hear is this is common chuck you for just a million times. I'm sure, hey, MMA may not pay the high end guys the same. But it's got a middle class.

Right, that's the way.

Or you get out early enough, like Habib got out early so that the trade was pretty good actually in the end. And if you have a middle class, what ends up happening is you just have guys that you know, they have to fight for a very long time. They actually, you know, they earn a respectable living by middle class standards, but they end up taking like an enormous amount of abuse because they go much longer than they ordinarily would. It's something to think about. Why do I bring this up?

It will just destroy you. There's no way to beat this. It cannot be done.

And I really really think that people around him need to be in his ear to make him see this is going to do nothing but deplete you from here on out.

That's what I believe. It's one hundred percent well stated.

And I mean the Anderson Silva thing is very similar, right, like in in a way like because Anderson Silva. In fact, they kind of fed Anderson Silva too, Israel out of sending to kind of get him over and take the juice. Remember, but it's kinda he knows that he knows how this goes. Man, he knows the dog eat dog nature. That's what's so crazy.

Who do you put him against? Do you? Are you trying to get him back on track?

Because there's a there's a little bit of a you know, and I remember talking about this with BJ Pennet. Didn't work out for him obviously, but like if you if you put him against the guy that he should beat and he ends up winning, what does that do? Does an extend his kind of mindset as to how far he wants to take it again? That can be a brutal thing, right, just giving somebody some false, you know, confidence,

You know what I mean, Like, what would you do with him?

I'm sure you can get another one of these type of events where he can be a main event and and some fight night or something like that. But if the stakes, like he's a guy who's a high stakes guy, right, Like he's played the high stakes the whole time, I'm not sure what it does for anybody here other than the make I mean, especially if he goes out and wins. I mean, it's just it's a weird situation because I think, how did you did you think that he might hang

Yeah, I thought I didn't think he would call it a day at Seattle, But I thought if he lost this way, he might like, hey, you know, I don't know what's left right and have to go back and think about it something like that.

And then no, Yeah, I mean so it's would you who would you match him? If he's going to fight? Like, what what do you do with this guy?

At this? So it's a great question.

I mean, Robert Whitaker sitting at nine that one again, I guess he's going to two.

Five or whatever.

I don't know, but I talked about this yesterday's Mission Radio.

How about Kelvin Gastolam rematch?

Wow, It's like, yeah, I know you're scoffing at it, Luke, and I know fame Luke as relevant as he is today.

But you can make that a fun fight and you don't have to make it a main event either. You could have it. And I'm just honest. Can I just be honest? Man?

Like I when I say this, I mean this with one hundred percent sincerity.

I don't care if he never fights.

I mean I do care, but I'm saying I don't want him to fight another round ever. Again, I agree, and like to the point where you're asking me, who could you put him against I don't even want to think about it, you know what I mean. I'm at that place like I don't it doesn't like this has come to a close for me in all its usefulness. Everything after this is bad.

If he walks away right now, you still think, like in my mind because you even look at the reception he got eighteen thousand people Seattle. It's not his hometown, right obviously, like they drop the lights, he comes out, big pop. I felt like the whole room was a partisan crowd for him. He walks away right now, don't you think that he's still like his legacy is intact.

He's the second best middleweight of all time.

Yeah, you know, he just is. There's not really much debate about it.

I mean, Poeton, you know, went to get a belt in another weight class, and he might do it again in another weight class, and that's its own separate level of achievement. But like within the middleweight division, this is the second best guy.

To ever do it, period.

It's not a very difficult argument to make, you know, so to me, yes, it is intact.

You know, I heard somebody mention putting him against I know you don't want to talk about who he should fight, but if you're going to like it out, a step backwards would probably be the right way if he's trying to get back on track. But like, what about the U Stree thing, like they fought and kick by I think I think r we would fucking beat him.

They fought.

You remember you were at the Broomfield in Colorado, right like the Glory where they fought, and it.

Was I believe I was. I'm not sure if I was at that one.

Okay, I was eminly at that one. I remember That's when I was introduced really to both of them. I didn't really know both the guys, and uh, you know, good fight, and I know they had one previously that year that was like a split decision or you know, it was very close as well. So I mean, if they were looking to play backstory type things against the guy and you're trying to get a guy over, and that's where that's unfortunately the way that matchmakers might see things.

They might do it that way.

I'll say this for the UFC and Joe Pifer, the UFC wanted they always get guys. This was not a title fight, but they always get guys like leaving a division before someone else can even threaten to the to beat them, and there's no transfer of star power, you know, generationally, Piper makes it very difficult to like him, right, Oh my god, do you hear these revelations? He was like, I nearly killed myself and then you find which is and I you know I'm not this is.

You know, you have to take those things seriously.

I was really mad at DC at first for not even we're just skipping over it, but go ahead, go ahead.

Well maybe he knew what I know was which was later.

He admits to Chee and his girl, which then made him want to kill himself and then found Jesus through that. This is all like in like what a month or something like, you just can't believe how insane like some of these people are. But all right, putting that aside, the UFC did their job right to an extent, because now you got a young guy beating an older guy with a lot more star power. The younger guy's American. Like as a promoter, you're gonna be to have to

Them off if I may.

Kyle Bahalio, I'm sorry, Kyle boholliow at five, when Brendan Allen at six, Fluffy it's and Rnier de Ritter at eight. I gotta tell you in Whitikard nine ken a near ten.

RoboCop eleven RoboCop would be a good one like that whereat fights seriously, that's the type of fight he should take.

That's the kind of fight he should put in.

But be put in next because I was saying it, man, I just don't think a little too raw still to be like, let's just catapult him.

I don't know if he ends up.

I mean, obviously the rankings themselves, the UC rankings are a mystery in terms of how they end up where they are. But if he ends up in that, like number five or something like that, I think he should fight below him, like it should be the guys still coming up. I don't think that he I don't think he belongs yet in that top five conversation. I think there we need to see one more thing at the

Fair enough, I agree with it.

We'll see what happens, but certainly a dramatic finish for topic number one. All right, let's go to topic number two. Let's talk the rest of that Seattle main card if we can, which the best UFC main card of the year, Chuck, before we even talk about anything else, I know, we've got a bunch of questions here to answer due that main card that was the first of all. The UFC Seattle event was the best event of the year for UFC by a million miles. We've talked about it on MK.

Yes, yeah, man, And I mean sometimes I think that things feed off of like every now and again, it's like a baton pass. The kind of electricity just keeps going through the event. We've seen events like this before. I don't know if you get that at the Apex because there's no crowd to kind of push forward. And I'm not saying I mean, obviously this is just me speculating, but I do think that the ambiance of a room,

You know, right, all right, So let's talk about that co main event. I'm not even sure where to start this. Alexa Grosso just I mean sends Maycy Barber Chuck and I think the official description in the records is sent her to the land of wind and ghosts. Look at this scene here. I was scared for her. Man, Yeah, me too. This was the most scared I'd been since Bryce Mitchell. God was twitching, yeah when Josh Emma hit

In the history of women's MMA? Oh?

Man, I mean, okay, so you've had You've had more iconic moments, right, Obviously, like Holly Holme beating Ronda Rousei a UC one ninety three would be hard to top if you're talking about it from a certain way. And I mean like rosenaum Munis has been involved in some of the craziest finishes, including the slam that she got knocked out in with with andrage. Remember that was like one of those ones you're like, oh my god, that's

Like animal like.

I don't it was it was it was predatorial the way that she put her away, that that punch straight into snatching that neck and I mean so deep into the neck and just laying like laying her down like a carcass at the end. It's just like, I don't think I've ever seen anything like that. If it's not the best, it's gonna be the most memorable. I think that that was one of those that you will not soon forget.

Man.

Yeah, again, I think that's exactly the right analysis. You know, that win that Holly Holm had where she pushes Ronda into range and then fires the head kick as she wanders into just the right spot. I mean, I don't know if anything's gonna top that, but I agree with you in terms of like the kind of mma is very good for a level of brutality that you hadn't even contemplated.

You know, where that wakes it up when you see some shit right like that that wakes that thing back up, spins her like a top with the left and then hits her with another shot and then jumps on the back to the point where like put the.

Picture up one more time. I don't know if you can see it.

Yeah, you can't see it great from this angle top right corner. Macy was almost biting her own tongue off. Yes, I did see that, Like I mean, just like do you you know, like an animal on the side of the road. I'm not I'm not trying to be difficult about it, but you know what I'm saying, Like, here's but by the way it responded to all this, saying quote, God is good all the time. No place else I would have rather been than last night. Excuse me, even

Especially because if you looked at this main card, the six fights on it, you'd be look at this one.

I like, well, that one's going to decision.

I was talking to Long Island Luke before we started taping here, and we were like, you know, if you were to pick a fight that you're like, Okay, this one's going the distance and probably Maycy Barber comes out on top. This was the one right like, and that's what made it that much more of like a shock to the system. Was just Alexa Grasso. We'd seen her.

She's been around a little bit.

But to land that, to land that punch as clean as she did, and then to like just snatch the neck all in one motion like like a like an animal Like, that's what it looked like to me. And and to kind of have that finish and the visual too, because for just a second Barber is trying to go for a single leg on the uh or grabbing the leg of the referee as a last you know, the last moment before she kind of falls away like and fades out for the next like five It was just

But there's something crazy.

Animal about like when you see something like that, you oh my god, it awakens this thing back in you what you're watching.

Yeah, the way her like Barber's body gets just like grabbed and whipped, you know, to your point, it's like it's like a hawk or an eagle coming down and then grabbing a fish off the top of the water. You can see it kind of flailing in. It's why I know it in its talons. All right, But let's talk about the fight itself. So what does this mean? On the one hand, Chuck, I mean a massively redemptive moment for grosso.

You could start there if you want.

But the other the other question here is okay, this is a bad loss for Barber, but there is an open question of at twenty seven years old, how bad of a loss is it?

Exactly? Was way in here? Please? Well?

I mean, do you remember the rockstam out a fairy fight where she was like a heavy favorite I'm talking like minus of one thousand type favorite and she ends up losing it. She was very young, and I remember thinking, then, you know, it's either she's too young or she has a mindset that something something with Haywire and how she perceived herself, And I didn't quite I thought that she was building herself with the victory she's had this last

Yeah, she has time and she has the opportunity. The lesson to me just when the ex's and O's chuck is you know, you go back and you watch the first fight. It was in the APEX, but I think this was like the middle of the pandemic. I'm not sure exactly what year was, maybe twenty twenty one, so something like that, and Barbara had a hard time closing the distance. She was able to do it a little bit.

She was.

She was electing to take the fight to those places much more readily, which I do think is a good, good thing. However, she got in trouble here because she like grossly overstepped and then had to go off balance and then her head in the line and couldn't move, And so as a consequence, like so overstepping and then using you know, kind of suspect defense for that position, you know, a Luke Rock hold against Michael Bisping right, or you're just leaning but you've over committed that it

Yeah, do you think that she just did not view Grasso as a threat to put her away that way? Because I just was checking. I'm like that has Grasso had a KO before it? And I don't think she had in the UFCA. You have to go back to Invicta before she put somebody away on the feet.

I mean, she definitely wanted to pressure hard.

Yeah, I just I mean in the end, I'm not that it was.

It seemed incautious exactly, but it just it didn't feel like the respect fact. I don't I don't think she really believed that she could get knocked out with a single shot like that. And that shot was so violent and it was like a piston bom. It was just on her flush, right on the chin. I mean, as

Yes, I felt I initially had tweeted, oh my god, submission of the Year. I couldn't quite I knew she was she was obviously dazed from the punch, but I didn't know she was out.

Uh.

And then I showed the replay and I was like, no, she was fucking out, Like.

I know, Long Island. You said that somebody, what was your story? You were saying that, like somebody thought that they.

Gaff had gaff had Grosso by Ko and we were all disappointed because we thought it was a sub win.

We found out like five minutes later they called it.

I mean, I don't remember that happening before. I don't remember where. You're like, oh, that was a submission. They're like, no, no, no, she was well out by the time her neck was being wrong.

Can you imagine it's like, uh, hey, so bad news. Uh we don't know how to describe how badly you lost.

You know what I mean?

Well, she was one of the I remember talking to Ben Askrin and I was like, when did you you know, because when you get knocked out or you get like, it's to create, like when did you really come become alert? And he's like in the hospital and I was looking around. I'm like, I get I'd taken it. I didn't win, And you're like, well, that's kind of I felt.

Yeah. I felt like she was.

I felt like she was in that space you could see them kind of like telling it and she was just looking around in a bewildered way when she came to which I was just happy that she came back for a minute there, Man, I was like, it was a little nerve racking to see her just staring off into the distance with the lifelessness in her eyes.

You know, yeah, amazing. All right, so we'll see what happens from here. Let's talk about it. Usually Bill Gari Man, this was for me his best performance at MMA, and I just I don't know which one would be better, because you know, did everything go perfectly? No, However, this was a very good opponent in front of him and Mansort abdel abdul Malick. So let me just ask you, Chuck. I have my own thoughts, but I want.

To hear yours. Yeah, what to you?

Really made this performance from Bill garwiso special.

I mean he was just able to make like he kept the thing, who is he six ft six, He kept the thing in his in his you know, his realm of expertise, which is the kickboxing. But he was

And that's what he did, man. He made the fight his own.

He kind of dictated the terms and he used the range and stuff when he had it because he that's his advantage, right. He was able to use that brilliantly in that fight. And I agree with you one hundred percent. I think that that was his best performance. And now he feels like, I don't know how you feel. I felt like he was the B side a little bit in this matchup, but now it feels like suddenly he's one of those prospects you got to keep an eye on.

Well, it was against another decent prospect prospect. Yeah, yeah, Malick, like Malick wrestling out of Maryland. Like he had looked really good prior to this one, and I still think there's plenty of potential for him.

This was.

He doesn't have a lot of fights, this was. I mean, let me look it up exactly here. I've got it. Malick has only excuse me, Yeah, he only has eleven fights total.

This was. This was his eleventh fights. So I was in education then, you know, educational fight. Yeah, this was a step up.

You know, he certainly felt it, and I think he's definitely gonna learn from it. But dude, this was I'm so glad you brought it up to me. It's like, obviously he's good on the feet one, you know, between and we'll talk about the Douglas fight.

A good jab and a good leg kick.

If you have strong fundamentals, you can win a UFC title with just those two things.

I swear to God that that is true.

I fully believe that, and you saw just you know, did he build more offense around it as the fight went on, Yes, of course, but what set up everything the jab in the leg kick.

Absolutely.

And then in these wrestling positions, you know, is he objectively stronger than Abdel Mallick and some of these probably you know, like who can bench more or whatever? Maybe maybe not, but in those positions he has clearly worked on how to leverage his strength more maximally. And it's sent like, you're right, dude. Abdell Mallick locked up with him and was like, oh.

This is not I can guarantee you. Yeah, six foot six frame, very lanky.

You think you know, if you come in there and the leverage you get low, you're gonna be able to dump the guy. But it was it was you could see that that was a problem man, and that I mean, if you get that's what makes it so intriguing. A six foot six frame that knows how to you know, kind of keep it in his room, stay on the feet and like, uh, basically kind of make it ugly and where he needs to to stay on his feet. That's going to be a problem for guys. And I

I mean, he low on the Contender Series to Marco Tulio, which I don't think is a terrible loss, but it's like, yeah, yeah, I think Abdoll Malik is way better than him, and you saw this from him, like he is clearly leveled up. Dude, those fucking guys out of your state, Connecticut, Old Glover man, Old Glover to share a boy man, Yeah.

He sure does.

Like it's easy to walk away from fighting when you've got like these monsters in your gym here, you're like, well, I'm just gonna like vicariously go through you guys. But I mean, he the way that they train in there, I mean, I'm sure it's it's like this in other places. There's not a lot of coddling going on, you know what I mean. It's kind of baptism by fire in that gym. And I mean for some guys that works.

Also, Glover is one of the things that was underappreciated about him was he he was not the best guy two five suck. He was never he didn't. He didn't have like that refinement of ability. But one of the things you have to say about Glover's abilities when you watched him fight was he was very technical and He was a big believer in fundamentals. His game represented fundamentals as like that's a great point, as like this is

It's great, man, because I do think that the you know, how old is I don't know how a user is not Super year three, Okay, I mean, but you know he's got he's got a run in him, Like if he can, if he can put it together in these next couple years, it'd be fun to watch him and how far he's able to get.

Let's move through these as quickly as we can.

Hear. Anything to say for Michael Kass's retirement, Not really.

It almost seemed to me that Nico Price was booked into this, Like I kind of convinced, you know, in the way that he he didn't put up much of a resistance in this fight. He was almost like they were like, hey, man, don't retire yet. Fight one more. So it felt it was just too easy. But I you know, there's always a little bit of a hey man, like this is great for a guy who's been around the game. I don't know when he broke in in terms of Michael Kissa, but it's been it's been over

So great for him, man, And then I don't have much to add.

I mean people were bitter he got a highlight package and I'm like, I mean.

He was the UFC gives it to people that they like, what do you want me to say?

Like, yeah, yeah, that's true. And he's like, you know, he's one of their broadcast guys. You know they're going to give him the special treatment.

Yep.

Leke On Douglass just absolutely demolishing, juicy j Juliana Rossa on the feet, takes him off of his feet three times, Chuck. You can see it in the top here with a jab. How legiti of a prospect does he appear to be? I mean he looked pretty legit.

This is a dude too, who had like some losses in his career, and I think that that sometimes blinds people. They see, oh, he's he's a journeyman guy. He got in the UFC. Okay, but he's got like what four or five losses on his record. He's probably not that great.

He lost via basically like a head kick and the subsequent punches in LFA back in twenty twenty three, and then went on an absolute tear in that organization, winning a title in twenty twenty four, then defending it in twenty twenty five, stopping Cam Tigue, who I did not

Arosa may have been like the best dance partner for him too, just given that he was going to kind of accommodate the style that would that he could showcase on like that that that seemed like it was an evidence as well. There were some good exchanges in that fight, you know.

Yeah, for sure, for sure, but it was I mean, it was for the most part one way traffic.

Yeah. Uh.

And then last but not least, I mean, what is there to say about Terrence McKinney, Chuck.

The evil Knievel of MMA. This guy, look at it, he gets up.

I mean, this is the most amazing part to me about Keep this picture up. Look at the top photo here of Kyle Nelson. He's raising a leg to Annie's getting his arm down. Annie's burying his head. The foot even of McKenny even lands on the shoulder, and it still does enough to rock.

Him the shoulder. Was it the shoulder the winner in the chin?

Because it did look like his head snapped as this happened, Like mss must have been a connective impact there or something.

I'm not sure. Yeah, I mean.

He's got to be one of the like you you mentioned, like is he one of the most exciting fighters or is the most fun fighter in the UFC. He's got to be up there, right. The dudes fought twenty six pro fights and he's there's never went to a judge's scorecards. I mean that that tells you, and that so that tells you that he's going to play roulette with whoever

Does here's his run if you count Contender series and UFC. I'm not gonna read everything, just just the rounds, ready, So round two, Round one, Round one, Round one, Round one, Round two, Round two, Round one, Round one, Round one, Round one, Round one, Round one.

Wow, round one, Round one. He's not even a three? Did you even name it? Three? No?

He hasn't touched on this third round. I mean that's what I'm waiting to see. What does he do in the third round? As he still got stammin at that point.

You know he is evil. Canievel of MMA shot out of a cannon. It's incredible.

Yeah, I mean usually guys cool off when they start like that, and he hasn't at all.

It's fun. He's committed. Guys.

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What?

What do you make of the Musaiav and bab Mondes fight? A fun fight in general, Musaiav gets the nod, but there's a fair amount of cheating that happens between fence grabbing, headbutting and the like what how do you understand what happened here?

Well, I mean watching it in real time, the most pivotal moment in that fight, do you guys hear me? Yeah, okay, I saw that this thing was like, okay, the most pivotal moment in the fight was I think second round, right, and uh Bahamandez is getting like he looks like he has a chance to either put the fight out, like he can finish the fight, or he's going to put himself in a dominant position by suplexing him off that,

What a turn of events.

And I honestly I was racking my brain to remember something where it changed that drastically off a fence grab.

Can you come up with a fight that did?

I know, we've had some bad ones in the past, but like in a moment of clear offense where you have the moment to put a guy away or to at least really establish and dominate with the position, and the fence grab changes everything.

Long Island, Luke come on in this one where on all time fence grabs relative. Chuck's question, are you and also what did you make of this fight?

Well? I told you pre show that.

I mean, I was, you know, gone few beers in twenty bond hits and by the time this fight is happening, I didn't even notice the fence grab in real time.

I'm just going, Wow, what a war. This is a crazy fight. But again, you know, I'm juggling, I'm reading the chat. You know, I'm doing a bunch of shit.

So I'm really not a good person to ask for that as far as it changing the momentum of like, as far as egregious fence grabs and UFC history, I'm really trying to think of a different one.

There was, like, there's got to be one. I gotta go.

There're so ubiquitous that it's honestly it is hard to remember.

But but one that just clearly one eighties the fight from where it was heading to something else like that's it's that was drastic.

You know, I don't know if the Commission would do anything about it, because at the end of the day, it's they give so much latitude to referees to be shitty that Yeah, I don't know the I don't even know if this is reviewable. But if I was bombed one as this team, I would absolutely be bringing this up. Chase Hooper has now been stopped twice in two fights. What do you what do you think here?

What? What?

What lesson can we in for from the results in this one?

Doesn't it feel like?

I mean, I know he started very young, but it feels to me like he's got to bulk up a little bit.

Man. You know, I like this this particular fight. Who's the Who's the cat?

I'm sorry, Who's Lance Gipson Junior? Lance Gibson kind of knew what he was going to do. It was obviously he knew what he was going to do. They had a plan to counter it, and that plan worked, and it didn't feel like Chase had a plan B of his own. And so like he just went in there, you know, trying to get the fight to where he's comfortable and you know, on the ground and where he's got some submissions and we know he's very good, but

Right?

Like a big elbow he ate in close and then like that changes the fight. And I feel like in his last fight too, uh, he was fighting Alexander Hernandez, he wasn't able to kind of get it into his realm and then he gets knocked out in that fight as well. It just seems to me like if you need if you're going to dictate, if you want to put the fight where you need it, you need to bulk up a little bit. I just feel like he's not able to get the fight where he wants it.

Yeah, I mean, it's just I agree in general, and I think, you know, just working on his athleticism through training is really I think quite important, both for like static isometric strength as well as you know, working on reflexes. And I mean one of the people always think like, oh, being rangy is good.

Being rangy is good if you know how to use range, But.

If you don't, it's actually like yeah, no, no, no, you know, if you but if you're tall and you're not like you know, if you're Stephan struving it, you're just gonna get bombed.

On, you know.

I mean, he's he's was he twenty six, he's still very young. He's like, I know, he's in his six, twenty six years old, and you're like, you can't He's got time to do what we're talking about. He's got time to put some tools together and to get better into bulk up and to like you know, get gettle more a little more wily in there, maybe like mix

And Chase Hooper's got time.

I just think he's got to like dedicate himself to some aspects of the game and then he, you know, well get himself a little more well rounded.

Yeah, I would largely agree with that.

Then we have Okay, give me your score for the Ricky Simone versus uh Adrian jan Yez fight.

I had Yanez so okay. The first round on this scorecards is where it all went wacky, right, because I had Janaz winning. I thought, I mean, I was a close round, but I thought it was definitive enough. But then you see these scorecards and you're like, okay, wait a minute, this is we're all off on the wrong foot here, or at least us who believe that Janas was winning the fight. So I either had it twenty nine to twenty eight Janaz or twenty nine twenty seven.

Yeah, I think twenty nine twenty eight.

I could even see a draw if you to me, it's one in three Yan Yeas third round ten eight, although in one of the cards that only gave him ten nine, right, but I could so for me, it's round two, simone, round three ten eight, Yan, Yes, like, no question about it. Yeah, question is round one. I think you can go either way on it. It really just depends, but like death, so I don't hate that

That's the Stockton rules as well. That's the way an ideas.

Uh well, but you know what, it is an interesting way of thinking about a fight, like there's you know, like dividing it up by rounds and then counting who won those without a consideration like you're just judging each as a individual unit. This has many benefits, but it has downsides too because it doesn't capture like that scoring criteria. I can't capture the example clear essence of the fight. And also I'll say this for you, and yes, people were kind of burying him, and I was a little

It was like suddenly like if there was a lot a lack of confidence or maybe a little bit of a gun shy feeling towards I don't know what, like you saw it a little bit in the first round, second round certainly like he got kind of nullified. But that third round, man, he found a rhythm, he found his range, he was landing, those shots were clean. He almost puts them away at the end to come in in the third round and really take it at that point.

Man, that was I thought that that was eye opening. Yes, I totally agree.

So I think he unfortunately does not get the nod, but he definitely showed me there's still a little bit of gas in that tank for sure. All right, okay, what the fuck marching Tybora Tyrrell fortune Man, Chuck, Chuck.

I don't know about old Buffy. Dude.

Buffer might be losing this fastball, y'all.

I don't know. I mean, I'm not trying to kill him, but this is a great like look at that. Yeah, I know, man, Ever, since this was.

Bad, dude, because like the guy left the fucking cage, they had to call him.

Back like that was bad. You know, Bruce has never been the same. So was it UFC one hundred when he tore his a cl trying to do the three sixty?

Remember that? Yes, yes, that was the beginning.

And no, I do you know that's a lot of shows that that dude, That dude has gone through and uh, you would expect some mistakes, but that these types of mistakes are always so bad, aren't they.

Again the Long Island you had a story about this one too, right, I bet on marching Tya.

So they they say ty Bora and I'm celebrating, and then and then they're just staring at him, and I'm like, oh, he's waiting for a post fight.

Interview and they don't want to give him one.

But no if they were waiting to call back Tyrrell Fortune. So yeah, the whole card was wacky with that.

Yeah, I don't give a fuck about the fight. Although I thought Fortune was the rightful winner too, I was like, what the fuck?

The only thing the only thing with him is remember when he came up and Bellatorre was kind of like they had signed this pack of wrestlers and we were like, okay, man, this is this could be the future. They might have a bunch of guys. Aaron Pico and these guys that are going to do something. Stuck him on it, and it's like they never got out of that prelim mode, you know, And here we are with this was his debut, right, like, this was his debut in the UC and.

Still on the prelims.

You know, yes, yes, it's just been insanely strange to watch that Casey O'Neil gets an absolute barn. We talked about the women's of m A side. This was another example of that, where Casey O'Neill beating Gabriella Fernandez Fernandez however you say it properly just bodying her. And this is what I love, Chuck, is that you know, I've been waiting for, like so often these women's fights that are like you could say, you could say they're competitive because there are a lot of you know, twenty nine

To see, you know, you know, And doesn't that like when you talk about the overall product you know of a car like a fight night if you get too crazy finishes in the women's ranks because I fairly or unfairly like, you look at those and you're like, okay, those may that may be a distance fight, and in the prospect of it, you're like, well, you know, these fights may not be that, they may not stand out, but they both stood out right like, and I think that that's big when you have an event like to

Should I care that Nava host Sterling be Bruno Lopez?

No, but I did cash the over one and a half and Sterling by Ko and that lets go lunches on on island.

Yeah, Casey O'Neil got robbed, dude, Casey O'Neil should have got the performance bonus.

It's honestly, it's about McKenny, that poor guy.

Sure, Terrence McKinney should have too, you know, I mean no, but let's be real Terrence wasn't as aesthetically pleasing as Casey's was.

Casey and Grosso should have got the bonuses. They give it to Joe Pifer, like Joe Pifer, nice win. Wait a minute, Grasso didn't get it. No, no, Grasso did. Okay, I was like, what but with Joe Pifer and I feel you should have gone to both girls.

Fight of the night was Mussaiah Bahamundai's Rifley. So that was a banger.

Yeah, it was a good fight, just weird that it went the way it did because of laytant cheating. Okay, yeah, uh so that What is the UFC Seattle card? Quite a fun one. Let's go to topic number four. If we can't hear Chuck pfl Pittsburgh, honestly they had a great night too. Let's start with that main event. Johnny Eblin bulldozed Brian Battle. I mean, this was one way traffic. If ever there was one gets it in the first round,

I thought it was great, Like, we know the dude is a competitor, like he's gonna be that guy. He's coming off a loss in which he was kind of you know, he was winning that fight. He was when he was going and going away until he gets caught in the last minute against Costello Vansinaz ends up losing. This felt to me like a little bit of a buzzsaw moment, because if you got a competitor like that, they just they pin their ears back and they get

I mean, on Friday's MK, I was I've said it, you can look it up. It's not that I didn't.

I wasn't curious about Brian Battle. I was curious, but I was not. I was because the fan basic responded really favorably to him before he left the UFC in a way that kind of surprised me. And because they were all like, well, you got it. This guy's marching people downla blah blah blah. And I'm like, that's true, the long jab, powerful puncher, Like again, there's reasons for enthusiasm, but he hadn't beaten anybody good. And I was like, well, what the fuck are we doing here?

Yeah?

Uh, and then he goes up against Evelyn. To your point, who's not just a competitor. You know, you could comfortably put Eblin in top ten middleweight division of UFC, and it's just a dogged wrestler. Randy Brown took Battle down twice in the first round of their thing.

I'm like it did.

If Randy Brown is taking you down like that, I fucking Johnny Eblin is going to put you into the woodschipper, And that is exactly what he fucking did. So I don't you know, you can question the value of the win in the sense of Battle is good, but against this kind of calor of opponent is definitely untested. But I'm gonna say I think it's pretty redemptive for Eblin. He needed a dominant, good, okay, solid win and he

One in one or something like that.

In the UFC misses wait a couple of times, you know, and the second time as a middleweight, he still comes in over and they they part ways, but they were trying to book him for the fight that got canceled in Chicago. I'm trying to remember the guy they had him against, a guy who would have probably exposed Brian Battle in the exact way that Eblin did, and I was kind of when the fight was supposed to happen, I thought that was maybe going to be the case.

Yeah, it has been kind of weird. Well, that one came to a screeching halt. Nevertheless, Brian Battles still good signing for PFL. I think still can be a part of some fun fights there. I don't think it's a bad thing that he's part of that organization. I just think Evelyn put out a reminder being like right, I'm gonna be able to do things this division that only a couple of guys at PFL are gonna be able to deal with, if at all.

Rusov, Right, that's that's who the guy that the Long Island is supposed to.

Yeah, that was the guy.

I mean, if we didn't find out against Eblin, we're gonna find out at that moment, right.

Yeah, exactly, good point.

Uh In Kasanga and I in the comain. I'll tell you what, man, look at this photo, bro, look at this photo of him just gyrating and cavorting people.

Yeah, in that in that octagon.

Yeah, he stops fucking a Dalton Rosta in the first round just three minutes and eighteen seconds. Dalton Rosta from the Pittsburgh area. PFL was in Pittsburgh. Unfortunately, IMPA silenced the crowd, which was not great. However, however, I gotta tell you, dude, Implicasang and I just continues to be a part of, like, I don't know, memorable fights, memorable action.

You know.

So what do they do here with him? Do they give him a title shot? What do you think?

I mean, they've seem to think so on the broadcast, I mean, the the Eblin fight like if Evelyn and obviously he showcased very well, but you're like to put him against Costello, right, It's it's an obvious slam dunk. It's the way the fight down went down. It was almost cinematic storybook ending for one guy. You give the other guy the chance to get it back, but you do set up the possibility of a trilogy all that stuff. I would almost like put that on the back burner.

Hmmm.

Uh Impkasanganai's last UFC fight was against Carlston Harris. Oh wow, and he lost in the first round. Uh, getting punched out and then finished off on the ground. It's like, dude, they rematch today. Who's picking Carlston Harris?

Nobody? I forgot all about that fight. But that's that's good on him.

Again.

There are certain guys who go over and they make the most of their transition, right like they they He's he'll always be part of that Joquing Buckley, you know footage forever, the b roll like it's it's going to exist forever. But he has been like you said, man, there's something about him. You see his name and it's it's all, it's not in the it's it almost has that feeling of something will happen, right, Like something good, something wild is going to happen in his fight.

That's kind of what you want with a guy like that. For sure.

With Dalton Rosta, I feel bad, but like it's kind of you know, like students of the game pay attention. Rasta over commits and Kasanga and I makes him pay for it positionally with his feet, I mean. And then same thing with Macy Barber chucks. She over commits and then has to get back up a little bit with yourself.

Is it just dunk?

Is it straight dunked them that they do this like it's going to be teached out of it, because I feel like it.

Can definitely be teached out or taught out. It's just you got to have the right. I mean, the student has.

To want it and the teacher has to demand it. And I often find that that's not the case. It isn't boxing, but it's not the case in MMA. You gotta remember, though, like it's a tough thing to do. Pressure in MMA yields so many rewards that getting people to not pressure is hard, Like pressuring just the right amount.

Did you think you'd fare better better?

I mean, like when you the promotion risks something, when they're like, all right, you're from Pittsburgh, gonna put you on a comin event against a guy who's could like silence the room, and I mean everybody kind of knew that. Did you think that it would be a closer fight than it ended up being?

Yes, I still would have favored Kasank and I what were the pre fight odds on that one?

Long aland do you know.

Yeah, Dalton was like a minus one eighty five inpo was like plus one fifty.

Yeah, Rosta was coming in off of a fucking loss.

You know.

Yeah, I thought I thought that it would be kind of a back and forth fight, like you'd see some fireworks both ways, just guy fighting, no someter, But it ended up being you're we were talking about the you know, craziest women fights. Reminded me of the Jessica eye when she got knocked out. Wasn't that in Cleveland? I feel like it was in Cleveland she fought Valentino, but I

After that headgag?

The rest of the card maybe up to your interest. Josh Fremmed got a very nice stoppage over Al Salawe. I'm not sure to say his first name, so there's some interesting moments on that one. I will say that this young up and coming twenty four year old prospect Alexei Paragonde pra Gone. I'm not sure he pronounced his name.

Are you have two TV set up? Like? Or is all of it?

Because I went from the UFC over to PFL and it was kind of already on the comain, but I didn't have two TV setups.

I had to watch it after the fact because I went out to my post fight show, so I was actually I was getting updates.

About it when I was doing Diligent. I know, well, gotta make that money, you know what I'm saying. Very quickly before we go to topic number five, Let's talk about our good friends at I got it right here. How about this Clervo.

Yes, April eighth, you can join us again in studio. It's going to be a fun ass time April eighth. That's right when we get ready for UFC three twenty seven. From face off to final decision, Fight Night delivers the adrenaline and Quervo the energy to match it. Whether you're hosting your crew at home or catching the action at a bar, Quervo brings the good vibes that turn every

No matter who.

Walks out with the belt with Quervo in hand, everybody, you're already celebrating like an undisputed champion for every round.

Keep it fun, keep it.

Quervo, and we're gonna be enjoying some querrevo April eighth, April eighth in New York City to get you ready for UFC three twenty seven. It's always the best, all right, very good, big thanks to our friends at Quervo. Let's go to topic number five here if we can chuck just combat sports from around the weekend. There was a lot going on in all of this. So one of my favorite results this weekend, I mean, Moses e Tama

Oh man, I mean we've still got marchenz Heborah. Let me thank here.

No, I mean, come on, in the UFC, it's like in the UFC, there's nobody right now who's matching this. And honestly, in boxing, when you get a young dude like this, I mean I hate them. Mike Tyson references to stuff like this. But you see an uppercut from a twenty one year old guy, does it not remind you of before? Trevor Burberck, like kind of the the Marvin Frasier type. The guys he was just knocking out before he got to that moment, and you're like, this

That's exciting stuff. Man. Yeah, he sets up shots.

You know, he takes his time, he picks his punches, but he's fast, he's athletic.

Holy shit, boys like he just looks like it's not even bothered by it. You know, he's ready for the moment.

He looked incredible. All right, let's go to what our friend of the show, Brian Campbell, was commentating this weekend. Sebastian Fundora basically stops Keith Thurman, I believe a six round stoppage and not it didn't just stop. It mean, this is basically a pretty good indication this is the final sequence obviously, Chuck. But like it was, I mean,

Bad for him.

Has Sebastian Fundora, who looks like a gigantic praying mantis. He does, Man, is he convinced you to take him seriously?

Now? I think so.

Man, it was a six foot six at one hundred and fifty four like fighting it. Yes, it's just it's such a it's a it's a bizarre a praying mantis is exactly what I say it. But man, he he's he's in there now, and there are fun fights. Did you just see it looks like they just made the Boots Zayas fight by the way, Yeah, yes, no oh, I mean I was actually gonna say, like one of those types of fighters might be a lot of fun for him, But but that fight's a great one too.

I thought he was great. The only thing that wasn't so great was after the fight. I don't know if you saw this, he basically was like, you know, I'll fight anyone, but you know he's going to prioritize a PBC opponent. And it's like, dude, Fundora is I believe the regular, like the normal WBC champion. Virgil Ortiz is the interim one right of the same weight class, same sanctioning org. And he's like, oh, I don't want to fight Virgul because he's not PBC.

And it's like, I'm like, boxers, this is the worst time. I mean, it's a little late now. I suppose maybe it doesn't matter anymore.

But like while they're going through Congress to get laws rewritten about how this shit's gonna go, these guys are like, yeah, I still don't want to fight outside of people in my organization.

You're you guys, you deserve what's coming to you, you know what I mean.

Also, such a buzzkill on the microphone to do that, like you're like, dude, just let people believe that it might happen at least, why you don't have to express that, you know, Yeah, just lie to us. That is the fight to make. That is the fight to make. Now that the other guys, yeah.

Arvin sar Yuki in side Quest Chuck, they keep yielding good results.

He wins nine to three.

Over Georgia o'poulis, and he gets watch here, he's gonna pinch him down right here, and then he's gonna go to the back and scoop around and here comes a four point throw boom. So he closed it out. He was five to three and that made it nine to three. He wins the rivalry. I don't know, you still enjoying these What do they do for you?

I mean, I am, but it's like it's it's kind of new. I've told you before, you know you. I confess I don't watch a ton like I should watch the n C Double A's as they're kind of happening. I know you you check in on those, I just don't do it. So even the scoring and stuff like what we're what we're looking at, especially tactically, I'm like, you know, I don't know what everything that's going on. But dude, when he makes that and it's a four point and it's in a fairly close match at that point,

It's kind of fun to do it this way. It certainly is. Uh.

Colby Covington gets the win over Dylan Danis. Here's the end of it via tech Fall. For folks who don't know what tech Fall is that basically means mercy rule when you just absolutely I mean it's twelve at the n C douable as I forget what it was for Raf, but you know, look at this, he's gonna he's gonna turn him here. This is called a gut wrench right there, boom, you know, just just beating the bags off of him.

He just ran out of gas. And it seemed like that like he didn't have the stamina to it's. I mean, he started off, it started off a little more competitive, but just as it went on, it felt like he had nothing for Kobe.

Yeah, well, these guys who've been wrestling since they were my daughter's age, you know, they've just got a certain level of comfortability with it all. And it was hilarious, like chill Son and asked these questions and then Colby did a chaill Son and on him where he answers, not the question he was asked, just whatever he wanted to, like make it a focus.

On you know, Chie could appreciate that he better.

He's the one who did it, you know in MMA. Anyway, all right, that's our five. What a great weekend. With that in mind, let's go to our segment. Where you get to ask us questions. It's time for dms from dogs. Yeah, that's the first thing you hear before the police come out and say this is a prostitution bust, all right? Topic number one from Perk three thousands, three thousand.

Excuse me.

I understand the fans calling for Iszzy to retire, not wanting to see him lose another fight, But other than that, why should he He gets paid a couple million every fight. He does not get paid a couple million every fight, let me fucking assure you. And this is the thing he loves to do most in this world. It's not like he's getting destroyed as he is, like Tony Ferguson was on his way out. If he wants to keep going and this isn't taking serious damage, why not. Every

Yeah, it's a tough thing.

I mean, we covered this pretty addnuging, but like it's just it's a tough thing, right. I don't know why. I guess I just don't like the open endedness of what he's doing.

I don't really love that.

You guys, got to kick me out, Like I there's something about his comportment and his makeup that I feel like I should know better than that. Maybe he's just saying it, but I'm like, I don't like that kind of mentality. When a guy doesn't seem to be meeting the standard of who's standing in front of him.

It's it's it's it's it's amazing that people would think in a non title main event, he's making two million dollars, No fucking chance that's true. That's probably three or four times what he's actually getting.

That's an insane thing, I think. Yeah.

But the the other part too, is like, Okay, is he getting abused like Tony Ferguson was getting abused against Justin Gachee. No, he's not getting that, but that's what's next. You keep going, and that's what's going to happen.

You can't get out of the way the punches, man.

Yeah, And the other part two is like, dude, like getting battered like he did, Like maybe his nose got broken. I don't know, but I'm saying just the punch is like he took generally, Dude, these these are gonna fuck your life up if you take enough of them, like looking at this and thinking, oh, this is the thing you can just he's treating it like the question was like, you know, it's like playing pickleball, Like you know, he's everything's fine. We're just you know, hitting the ball out

He used to have a little bit more of It's just like a spring springy evasiveness, so he could just kind of get out of the way. And once that goes, it just changes everything, you know. And so like there was one, I know, there was one big punch. I think it was a right hand that Piper landed. That was pretty telegraphed, and I mean it was just it was just standing there and then just telegraphed and and it connects full of connects, and you're like, that's just not a punch he would have gotten.

Hit with earlier in his career.

All right, Question number two from pursue uh or no excuse me, per uh, per use dreams uh or whatever the per us dreams, whatever the fuck?

Who cares? What are your.

Thoughts on the AI slow. I'm so glad someone asked about this. What are your thoughts on the AI slop argument from Dana or lack thereof Just shut the fuck up and watch the fights our Dana's thoughts. By the way, Let's let me set this up for the audience, Chuck,

What do you think, Chuck, Well, you did have a good night of fights, so you understand. Like he's like, Hey, why are we talking about this. We just said that we finally have the best night of twenty twenty six with on paramount plus.

Yeah, the same made it worse. Here we are talking about made it worse.

And I'm like that Unfortunately, anything that feels cheap or lazy is going to glare at you, and especially in a new era like where you think they're going to go the extra mile to do these things. I noticed it right away, did you. Like when you're watching it,

Me, like, dude, just think about something for a second. Like, you know, Dana White makes probably a lot of money. Does he make as much money as like the McDonald's CEO or something like that, right, Like, yeah, maybe it's maybe it's on par maybe it's even a little bit more, but you know, like the McDonald's CEO is a pretty

Can you imagine something like that?

The reason why you can't imagine it, even though that's a huge company and they have a big market share and the owner, I should say that the owner, but the president of the McDonald's or the CEO makes a lot of money, is that it would be automatically ruinous for any brand that still has to answer to their customers. This is the kind of thing that not even a fucking power company, an electric fucking company says to you about your fucking bill, even and they don't do it.

They don't, they know it. They know they.

Don't owe you shit, and they there's nothing short of just leaving the shit completely alone that you can do about it. And they fucking know it. That's the fucking problem.

Well said man, It's true. It drives me fucking crazy.

You know what's crazy is even us talking about it and pointing this out, like you know, there's a there is such a knee jerk fan reaction from certain fans who are who are being talked to that way, that will be like dude Dane's worries that because you know, they're just gonna defend it anyway it does. That's the craziest thing. There's certain dogs beneath the hail who liked the abuse.

Yeah yeah, Oh, dude Dana told us to go fuck ourselves.

Hell yeah, he's so cool for that. You know. It's like, dude, you ate paint as a kid.

I can just tell bro, you don't have any sense of self whatsoever. And then the other part two here chuck last thing on this and we'll move on. But the other part two is it's like part of listen. I use AI at times as a way because I just don't happen twenty four hours in a day to be able to do all of the things I want with the kind of manicured process, with all the things I've got going on, I just don't have the ability to do that, but I try to.

I gave up my chat GPT account.

I only use Anthropic, you know, So I try, and there's no responsible to choice, but I feel like that's a better one than open AI. And I try to be very very limiting in the ways in which I use it, either for research or to help up with thumbnails on my political channel, because I just don't have time to sit there and make them, and so there can be use cases for it, and I try to lean into those, and I try to be my full

Billion dollar deal.

They could easily afford the kinds of teams that they need to be able to make stuff that looks really great on camera. They're just doing it cheaply. And it's like this is emblematic of everything. You're giving us a worse product because you're cost cutting and.

We're all poorer for it.

For then Dana to be like, go fuck yourselves, it's like it's like, dude, they don't customers understand. They don't give a fuck about your opinion because they know you can't do shit about it. That's the truth. A man, right, it's true, all right. Topic question number three, you don't know, Tyler says, is it time for UFC to change out commentary teams more frequently?

Do we need to rotate shock? What do you think? I mean, they already rotate obviously. Do you ever go back?

Like I you know, you go on the fight pass, which I love because you can go watch old fights and just get a sense of whatever happened and or just revisit.

But like you get Mike Goldberg and he's just like, that's it's.

Hard to be a rock star, right, well, you know, or something like that, right when Ronda Rousey's getting knocked out and you're like, oh my god, every's panicking and he's like throwing out.

It has gotten so much better from those days.

We don't realize it because you just kind of watch it in a linear way and you just keep going. But it's so much better than the old days. Yet I understand the question. I understand the concern because there are times where the booth gets almost a little too giddy, where they just go off on these little side johnts, and that can be fun, but when it becomes too fun, like where it becomes a little too loosey goosey. There's times that that bothers me. I don't know why.

Like it's usually a Cormier booth, you know, where he's just laughing and having a good time and talking about something a little bit. That's cool.

But there's there's all also, I don't know there's a great jew at all. Like there's just times where I'm like, come on, guys, stay on point here a little bit, you know.

I think that we got like you got to be kind of precise about the criticism. First of all, I feel like the play by play side that UFC has is super strong. Yes, so that'd be John Annick, Brendan Fitzgerald, John Gooden, and even Dan Helly.

I'd throw in there as well. Yeah, yeah, they're all good. And John Anna keeps everything on point. Like the thing I'm talking about, he'll reel it in. He'll he'll know when it's going too far like the I don't.

I just don't have any meaningful criticism about that side of the Ledger at all. To me, the real problems are on the color side. I think Paul Felder's good. I think Laura Senko is good. I recognize that there are limits because you know, DC can get a little bit giggly with Rogan. That's not a great combo. But in general, especially when he's really leaning into the wrestling, when DC is focused and talking about technique, I love his commentary.

Yeah, you know, Cruise, he's just I feel like he's really up on what's happening. Like I'm not trying to. I know, it's a big workload. Man, They're running shows every week and there's seven hour shows. It's a lot of fights, it's a lot of knowledge you have to carry around from week to week. Sure, so you have to give him some grace on this, but I do sometimes I'm like, you know, I don't know, maybe the like the research part of it could be stronger, and you know, not just with DC.

I'm saying like in general, Uh, there's there's some of that, and there's some other ones in there.

Like you know, I'm not going to go through all of them, but you know, I like most of what I I just feel like they haven't they kiss coming up and I think they're still trying to get him. Yeah, you know, some reps, I feel like they need to be a little bit more aggressive with trying out some other names, but they'd like to keep their guys.

So I agree with you, Dominic Cruz, Paul Felder.

Those types of guys really do a great job if you were just like kind of towing that line between the aficionado who's watched a lot of fights and the person who hasn't watched a lot of fights, kind of given you the basis of what you're looking at, you know, and it's especially certain setups, and you know where why it's why it's effective. But whatever it is, they do a very good job of toying that line, and that that to me, is very good commentary.

It's good to the next question, This is from v Sanchez Underscore eighty eight Well Long Island. Luke ever do a fan edition? Oh, prop quiz Long Island.

I'm not against this, not against this whatsoever.

The problem being is that obviously I cater every topic to the guests, and like if a random fan is doing it, I obviously know nothing about this fan. So maybe if I come up with just some generic topics, I'd be into it. But I definitely need to broaden the contestants. We need to bring more people in. So anyone seeing this hit me on.

He's like, I'll take any fan as long as they're celebrity and they're gonna bring a lot of traffic to myself, as.

Long as Brian and your wife. Yeah, all right, last, but not least, that's the best one I know. Question for five, do you do.

You have any April any funny April Fool stories? No, I'm not a fucking idiot.

No. I mean, do you remember, though, who was it? The dude?

Like, there was fighters. There were a couple of fighters, and they were bad. They were in really bad taste. They when Twitter became a thing and they would he's out say yeah, or they they'd be like, my fight is canceled or whatever, and you'll be like, it's news outlets, whitn't you know?

They would almost be trying to run with this, and then they'd be like, no, it's all a joke. You know.

There's been some bad ones. April fool, I'm not fools is for dullards, just straight up. You can you can quote me on that for dullards or kids, But I mean the adults who play it out.

I'm like, come on, heay listen. If you're my daughter's age and you want to do April Fools.

Cool exactly, I'll play along, but for anybody else go fuck yourself.

Yeah here, I want to turn to Dana White.

Shut the fuck up and watch m k okay, who the fuck do you think you are?

Brother, You're gonna you're gonna have to long Only.

You're gonna have to get the snippet of the the uh of the you know whatever we're just talking about where he's going on about the AI.

You need that one in the in the repertoire here, Yeah, exactly, I'll add it. But for now, I got this. This weekend I'll be doing the crack do.

Long Island's gonna get you with that sound machine. Don't think he won't, Oh baby, all right, With that in mind, remember we're still running a contest, so keep sending him Morning Combat at gmail dot com. But it's time now for some fan subs.

Let's do it. You've got mail futures, all right.

This is from first one. It's from Quinn. It's a meme and she's are he or she says? What the fuck are those hats?

Oh?

Chuck Mintenhall Whenever Long Island Luke puts him on full screen with that wide angle shot. Yeah, because you go see all the hats in the background. Yeah, I got to pile them over there.

You know.

That's how I end up with Detroit. So I could just grab something put it on. I wish I had that many hats.

I have like three hats.

I don't even I don't think i've ever seen you where at only when you're going into public and you're trying to avoid like fans.

I've definitely seen you do that.

I definitely put a hat on in a hood up and then like just walk around like this, middle fingers.

Just don't fucking talk to me.

You know, I'm teazing, all right, topic number I'm not talking, but number two here on this says good day gents. Is from Jeff making a meme competition has stirred my creative juices. All right, we've got five memes and a video as well. Here we go UFC champions reading legal documents defining what their championship belts actually mean.

All right, off.

BC as an orangutang and then the strawweight.

He's going to interview how it appears to them at least I don't know if you can ride a tricycle.

Here's Mark Zuckerberg. Hi, I'm your neighbor that booed you at a UFC event. If you need anything, I'll do my best to make it worse. Come by the Data Center anytime.

I do hate Mark Zuckerberg. Yeah, look at that, all right.

Your choice is become a lawyer or cover the most racist and sexist sport ever.

And then there's Jed who's sweating it out. That's pretty good.

It's the this is this is MMA is the official sport of fascism. It is just I mean, in funnsane, how full of awful people?

It is? All right?

Next, uh, here's the urinal And then coming up, did you hear Kid Rock is performing at UFC Freedom to fifty.

Do you think they're gonna have Kid Rock at the White House? I think i'd sprits on that guy if that happened, like if somebody came up to me empty years.

I don't know, but it does feel that fits kind of the the motif they've been going with. Every time you see trumpet event, isn't Kid Rock right on his side? Like they come out together. The oil is gonna.

Be at like two hundred and fifty dollars a barrel and there's gonna.

Be dying Digger Digger.

And people are gonna be like, yeah, we want you to take mma. Seriously, that's not no, what's the video?

Fire the person that does that. But now you have been promoted.

You are now one of my elague employees.

Uh, you missed some trash over there, honey.

It's not bad, not too dissimilar from Halliwent. All right, this is from Kelsey.

Is this a girl? Is this a girl? Apparently? All right?

Longtime fan of the show, Kelsey Wrights listening for a few years now, So yes, you do have female listeners slash donks.

She might be the only one. This is the meme I came up with.

I think the Netflix card is better than the White House card and agree with the sentiment that it should have been better star power matchups, But Long Island's hate for it is high for how much he loves Fight Night prelims.

It's a good point, fingers crossed.

The cards get better matchups that are more relevant to the rankings. Keep up the great work. What's wrong with this meme? This is a great meme.

Yeah, what's wrong with this meme is I've actually defend did the White House card.

I'm anti it. Oh, so she should have put the m v P card. There you go.

But her point was that she's holding the m v P card higher than the White House card.

You know what your problem is with the m v P card. It's just that there are too many prohibitive favorites on it.

And you're like, nah, yeah, it's not a good betting card. That's how it is, you know what it is. People gave me a lot of ship for those comments, by the way, and they're like, bro, you stream, you stream apex prelims, and I'm like, I never said I'm not going to stream the m v P card.

I said I'm not going to go to it.

I said I wouldn't go to it if it was the local thing in town, just like I wouldn't go to a shitty APEX card if it was the local thing in town.

What if they were giving out free banana head liqueur or whatever it is, cowlderhead.

I don't even know.

I don't think they're still involved with that, are they. I haven't seen that around much anymore.

They are involved with bud Light though, and anyone who knows. But that's how you got me to a place.

Is that your beer of choice bud Light?

Sadly, yes, I'm not a beer snob at all, Like I don't think you need to drink great beer, but bud Light is also just bad, you know what I mean.

I'm dumb tea and I really want to vape. That's fair, all right?

From Donagan Donagan Anderson Day one. DONK still sad over Brian's leaving, but I'm excited about the new full time Friday host, the famous and talented glup Shitdow. And just like Brian, he is a huge fan of women's one hundred and fifteen pound of age.

So do you know who? Glup Shadow is? A Shock Words character? I know, not really.

Sort of so yes and no, so he's not a real Star Wars character. Okay, someone had to explain this to me a while ago, but I learned it my understanding, and if I'm getting this wrong, some nerd can correct me. My understanding is that like the Star Wars fan base is so accommodating of like new characters that they don't ever quite like like, oh, we like jar Jar Binks, we like like all the awful ones.

Yeah, and so like they could roll out one called glup shitdow. You don't know anything about it.

You'd be like, yeah, he fucking rules, you know, glup shidow the banana slug, you know, the.

Banana slug that no one gives a fuck about.

You know, did you I don't know if you ever gave me like a do you have an opinion of like the Star Wars charge of being said episode?

Though all of those like did you like those?

Or George Lucas and that whole crew should be sent to the Hague?

Dicks everywhere? Dicks dude.

These people who grew up with the Phantom Menace when they were kids arguing with me that it's actually great cinema is one of the most embarrassing things I've ever seen. I genuinely am like, I like, if I see that, and then I also see that you got charged with like some sex crime.

I'm I'm gonna think poorly.

Of you in either way, but like you'd be surprised how competitive. Not thinking Phantom Menace is bad is on par with me looking at your sex crimes on your rap sheet. I'm like, these are not These are both really fucking bad.

You know, what are you doing with your life? Exactly? Embarrassing that people.

All Right, from Matt we got a meme here, he says, I'm coming for that signed.

Poster Brian Campbell. Holy smokes. I'm so glad I was there for that event in Vegas when you guys were Yeah, I don't remember you being there.

I tell you, I showed up on stage. I showed up on stage for a little while.

I know I do remember that on teasing, but like Jesus, I'm never gonna.

Live that down.

All Right, last min alleys, we have one from John McClain says Long Island Luke's brain ten beers and bong hits into the main car.

Oh god, this is accurate. That was me in that moment. I was.

I was, you know, I lost my Nacy Barber moneyline bet and that was me.

It's like so funny.

It's like I missed the Mussaiah bab Munda's fight live and then I went back and watching him, like, oh wow, this is so fucked up. And then I talked to the Long Alley He's like, I didn't even notice.

I made a fans up while we were live, Luke, because I noticed you were wearing the UFC Seattle flannel.

So who wore it better? Guys? Kyle Nelson? Wait, is that legit? Dude?

They were giving these out there? It looks exactly like what sharing. Yeah, so every fighter was in macy Ward for media day. You know everyone had.

Hell yeah, bro, this is the only car heart thing that I think I own.

So this wasn't deliberately a homage to like the fight. Oh no, I just wore like a fucking idiot incidence.

All right, Uh, Chuck, why don't you tell the good folks what you have that they can read or they can watch.

This weekend, I'll be doing the crack. Yea, yeah, I'll be doing the crack. I'll be besides Spendel I h this week.

Are doing the crack on Wednesday, so you can cut that off Long Island, Luke.

I don't know.

I'm not exactly sure why, but it's a Wednesday show this week, and I'll have a couple I have like some columns coming up, and I'll have a feature probably rolling out on Monday in bols Cup of Swansen.

Very good, long, Luke, what you got cooking?

I have a bet breakdown for this really terrible UFC Vegas one fifteen event.

We got this. Have you looked at this card? It is awful. Shout out to the main event. It's a fun main event. But what's the main Chris Donk?

Al Right, it should be a bloodbath, you know, but I'll bet breakdown for that.

New tourny for Pop Quiz starts on Friday. Hopefully, you know, I can get an episode before that.

But yeah, so tune out for that, and you know, watch along for this apex slop on Saturday.

Hell yea, I will not be watching the Apex Slop this Saturday, you can. I'm gonna be spending time with my family. Let's see what do we have going on for me? You can just go to my YouTube channels and all that good stuff there.

Go check that out.

Of course we're always on social Chuck is as well. Yeah, we can find everything on ig and Twitter for him. Reminder Morningcombat at gmail dot com. Keep the memes coming. We're gonna announce the winner for the last month this coming Friday, so be on the lookout. We'll get that done. To keep sending them in. We love them, we appreciate them. They make the show better. So thank you to everyone who contributes them. Even if we like them where we don't.

Then that is it.

All right for Long Island Luke for Chuck Mindenhall, I am LT. We'll see you guys on Friday. Appreciate you guys watching until next time. May all of your gains be loyal