This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC Abu Dhabi looks pretty good on paper with four ranked fights and several ranked fighters. But more importantly, we got sensibly booked matchups, and some really interesting pairings. Are there some contests that could (and should) have been left to an Apex event? Absolutely, but there are still some very solid scraps that should appease even picky f…...
Jul 24, 2025•1 hr 6 min
UFC 318 gave us lots of tremendous moments, starting with six finishes. That’s right, folks, the first six fights were all finishes. As a matter of fact, they would be the only finishes, too, as the next eight went to decision. We had some real bangers though, leading from the top with Poirier-Holloway. What a scrap, but it would be Holloway leaving with his arm raised. The tribute to Dustin was well-done and had many in the arena crying, and even some outside the arena. Other notable bouts were...
Jul 20, 2025•1 hr 7 min
UFC 318 might have the hallmarks of a solid PPV—four ranked fights and 10 ranked fighters—but when you get to the alternative stats, that’s when the whole thing falls apart. Fifteen fighters are coming off losses! And a 16th went to a draw. Fifteen fighters hail from the Contender Series. This seems an unacceptable sendoff for the Diamond, even if it is happening in his back yard. We have a genuinely great trilogy match between Dustin Poirier and Max Holloway. Max looks better than ever against ...
Jul 17, 2025•1 hr 21 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC Nashville has the distinct odor of the glue factory, and the stench of forced rankings. Being that this event is an on-the-road Fight Night, it tracks that they’d want to fluff out the card in some way. Does this show have a hidden gem here and there to break up the monotony of a below-mid card? Sure, but the fine folks of Nashville got shafted, in …...
Jul 10, 2025•1 hr 13 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC is taking another break, this time for Independence Day. Our analysts are all together again, though, and that is what counts. Phil being out for the last two of these left Zane and Connor to their own devices and they got up to all sorts of mischief without our staunch Brit to keep them in line—and by keep them in line, I mean join in the hijinx. We…...
Jul 03, 2025•53 min
UFC 317 looked great on paper and delivered in practice, as well. Ilia Topuria became the tenth man in UFC history to claim a title in a second division, and he did it in devastating fashion, knocking Charles Oliveira out cold. And he did it inside the first round, as he predicted. The brass has a rare opportunity here with Topuria and they should get behind him with every ounce of their marketing heft. This guy will be selling out arenas and making PPVs soar. And the way he torched Paddy Pimble...
Jun 29, 2025•1 hr 37 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC 317 is a solid pay-per-view event. In this current era, the promotion puts forth very little into their shows, but this particular one seems to have been crafted with at least some level of care. The main card is obviously where most of the meat is centered, and four of the five ranked fights are crammed in there. We get two title fights and some re…...
Jun 26, 2025•1 hr 27 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC Baku seems to still be on, despite the conflict that rages on in the Middle East. Looking at the card on paper, it leaves a lot to be desired. Lots of fighters coming off losses and just a single ranked fight for this on-the-road Fight Night. There are some match-ups that look promising from an action standpoint, but Fiziev being on a three-fight sk…...
Jun 19, 2025•1 hr 22 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC Atlanta started with one helluva bang but went out on a whimper. With three spectacular knockouts on the prelims, it looked like the show was going to be a great one. There was even an illegal upkick stoppage controversy in the featured prelim, but the main card was a bit of a snoozer. Let me explain. Of our three former champions, two would emerge v…...
Jun 15, 2025•1 hr 8 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC Atlanta is not as bad as the alternative stats would suggest. Let me tell you why. We have three former champs on the main portion. It doesn’t matter that none the trio is likely to end up with a strap again, but we do have some recognizable talent for this on-the-road card. The other, more obvious reason is that we’ve become so used to digesting th…...
Jun 12, 2025•1 hr 33 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC 316 was a solid card on paper that managed to deliver some big moments in its application. We got a terrific performance out of Merab Dvalishvili, who had his way with Sean O’Malley and ended up ultimately submitting him. O’Malley’s lifestyle changes did nothing—in fact, Sean seemed even less competitive than their first fight. Kayla Harrison blessed…...
Jun 08, 2025•1 hr 21 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC 316 is blessed relief from the constant grind of the Apex and lackluster Fight Nights that happen outside of it. If one thing has been driven home, it’s that UFC is going to give us slop and somehow, people still love it. This weekend doesn’t have a wealth of great fights, but it has two titles on the line and some solidly decent contests. 10 years …...
Jun 05, 2025•1 hr 46 min
UFC Vegas 107 looked absolutely awful on paper, but in practice, we did have some exciting moments. The ladies’ fights were somewhat underwhelming, though. Alice Ardelean defeated Rayanne dos Santos, which wasn’t a terrible watch and even won FOTN. However, Macy Chiasson vs. Ketlen Vieira was a complete slog of a contest that saw Vieira victorious. Side note: Chris Leben turned in an awful score card for that fight. Dusko Todorovic was bested by Zachary Reese in another ho-hum bout of no consequ...
Jun 01, 2025•41 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC Vegas 107 is not giving what it needs to give, stat-wise. A whopping 12 fighters are coming off losses—on a card that only has 11 fights. Fourteen of the athletes hail from the Contender Series. Could it provide a bunch of action? Sure. Will it matter to the advancement and growth of the competitors outside the two ranked bouts? All movement here is…...
May 29, 2025•1 hr 29 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC is taking another break, just a month after its last one, because of Memorial Day. Not that we’re complaining, just making note of the situation. Our analysts are without their man across the pond, though. Phil is likely battling crime or doing some other civic duty that aids and benefits the public, but Zane and Connor have done a swell job of com…...
May 22, 2025•49 min
UFC Vegas 106, much like last weekend’s UFC 315, looks okay on paper. It’s got a couple ranked fights—which is amazing for an Apex card—as well as fairly low stats for fighters coming off losses. There is a downside because a lot of the fighters with losses have some problematic losing streaks. Gilbert Burns is on a three-fight skid and he’s sitting at the top of the card. Ditto for Paul Craig. In the immortal words of somebody I cannot name, it is what it is. Now, let’s take a look at the fight...
May 19, 2025•1 hr 51 min
UFC 315 delivered some terrific finishes and good fights on the undercard. We saw Bruno Silva felled for the first time in a terrifying finish that left him with a dented skull (think Cyborg Santos vs. MVP). Silva left the arena on a stretcher. We also bore witness to Jessica Andrade being swarmed and finished in under three minutes, and without ever landing a shot on Jasmine Jasudavicius. And Mike Malott destroyed Charles Radtke destroyed in the second round, bouncing his head off the canvas. T...
May 11, 2025•1 hr 10 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC 315 has great stats and two title fights, but the big PPV feel of it all is severely lacking. And if ticket sales are a true indicator, the Canadian fans aren’t feeling that big card vibe either. Or maybe they’re showing the UFC that they don’t appreciate the close affiliation with the Trump administration on the heels of POTUS trying to annex their…...
May 08, 2025•1 hr 41 min
UFC Des Moines looked like a glue factory convention on paper and it delivered that same energy in practice. Were there a few good fights? Sure, and we got a few finishes, but by and large, this was an Apex level event that the poor folks in Iowa paid prime rates for. Shameful promoting by UFC. There was a moment that brought almost all MMA fans together, though. That was when Reinier de Ridder stopped Bo Nickal with a vicious knee after softening him up for the entirety of the fight to that poi...
May 04, 2025•1 hr 6 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC Des Moines is the ghost of Christmas past. They’ve gone and drafted Jeremy Stephens back into the comforting embrace of the octagon, fresh off his success at BKFC, but not very mindful of his MMA bouts outside the promotion where he went just 2-1 in the PFL. There are other picked-over, near-demise oldsters on the card, as well, but we’ll get to tho…...
May 01, 2025•1 hr 43 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC Kansas City looked like a mixed bag on paper, but in practice, it ended up being a pretty good event. The card started off strong with several finishes right from Jump Street, but it would level out with some decisions, albeit good ones with the exception of Pereira-Magomedov. Carlos Prates found out the hard way why you don’t play the counterstriki…...
Apr 27, 2025•1 hr 30 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC Kansas City is what I like to call a good, old-fashioned mixed bag. It has a terrific main event and some fun matchups overall. So where’s the problem? That lies in the stats, and there’s one that’s really putting a wet blanket on the whole event: 15 fighters are coming off losses. If this were an Apex card, that would be an easier pill to swallow,…...
Apr 24, 2025•1 hr 45 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC is taking a little break after its 314th numbered event—a PPV that took place in Miami with the president and several members of his cabinet sitting cageside—so our crack team of analysts (just Zane and Connor this week) are here to provide plenty of laughs and even some thoughtful conversation as they courageously trudge through three miserable fig…...
Apr 17, 2025•49 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC 314 looked incredible on paper and in practice, it was pretty good. It didn’t reach greatness, but it was pretty good. That said, there were some factors that kept it from that greatness that must be acknowledged. Let’s look at the good: Michael Chandler got dominated and choked out, making Paddy Pimblett look like a world-beater. Jean Silva choked …...
Apr 13, 2025•1 hr 27 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC 314 is a terrific card, full stop. It’s got all the elements we hope for: ranked fights, plenty of ranked fighters, and we’re not overrun with fighters coming off losses or from the Contender Series. The bouts are matched well and are compelling, with plenty of room for advancement. The main card is quite top heavy, with a concentration of top tier …...
Apr 10, 2025•1 hr 49 min
UFC Vegas 105 was miserable on paper and didn’t provide much more in practice. From weird judging to lackluster performances, the big moments we DID have just didn’t seem as impactful. There were a few surprises, though. Rhys McKee finally got a win, and a big one. Brad Tavares didn’t let Gerald Meerschaert have his way. Then there were the expected outcomes: Dione Barbosa finished Diana Belbita super fast and Loma Lookboonmee added another win to her resume, handing Istela Nunes her 5th straigh...
Apr 06, 2025•41 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC Vegas 105 happens to be another one of those cards that looks absolutely awful on paper, and while it may deliver some action, what sets it on a troubling path is the recycling of fighters coming off strings of losses. It’s one thing to have a dearth of ranked talent, but quite another to feature an athlete coming off four straight losses while faci…...
Apr 03, 2025•1 hr 21 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC Mexico turned out to be a pretty eventful card, filled with wild escapes, questionable reffing (I’m looking at you, Mike Beltran), and a fighter’s post-fight speech that reminded everyone why UFC is the bad guy when it comes to fighter pay. Loopy Godinez and Julia Polastri put on one helluva fight but received no reward for it, despit the FOTN bonus…...
Mar 30, 2025•1 hr 12 min
UFC Mexico is so bad that it broke Connor’s internet. That’s right fam, Zane and Connor set out yesterday to record the main card episode but were unable to complete it due to an internet outage. We view this as a sign from the fight gods to abandon ship. There was about 16 minutes of uninterrupted content, so we decided to go ahead and host it, then give it away for free. Let’s take a look at the event’s main portion and the alternative stats: MMA Vivisection & 6th Round is a reader-support...
Mar 28, 2025•16 min
UFC Mexico is an ugly, ugly card. The alternative facts tell a very grim tale. But before you dive in and listen to our guys analyze these bouts, I’d like to draw your attention to the fact that you’re getting the prelims early and the main card late. There was a technical glitch, and to make a long story short, it didn’t get recorded. So, you’ll get that one tomorrow, but today, you get the prelims, and they’re FREE. Now, let’s take a look at the event’s preliminary bouts and the alternative st...
Mar 27, 2025•1 hr 19 min
