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 excepti…

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 fi…

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 la…

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 Chandle…

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 p…

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 expecte…

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…

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 Godine…

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, th…

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 g…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC London has some good looking fights on the card, as should be the case when we get an on-the-road events. The alternative stats don’t look terrible, and the action quotient looks like it could present us with a banger of a show. Will Sean Brady be able …

UFC Vegas 104 turned out to be a typical card. When you look at it on paper, it inspires you to want to load it into a cannon and fire it directly into the sun. But in practice, it delivered a lot of action and plenty of finishes. When it came to the main event, Roman Dolidze was able to scrape together the victory, avenging his previous loss to Ma…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC Vegas 104 has a deceptively decent alternative facts list, but don’t let that fool you. We have a more than healthy dose of Contender Series, TUF and Road to UFC alumni here—17 in total, or more than half the card. There’s just a single ranked fight on …

UFC 313 looked decent on paper but in practice, it wasn’t much to write home about. We did get four great finishes and a banger from Gaethje-Fiziev, but the main event was anti-entertainment. It was a dud of a fight that saw Ankalaev hug his way to a title. Jalin Turner declared he was retiring, but King Green said he wasn’t—both were finished in t…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC 313 has a solid main card that looks like it has all the ingredients for an action-packed night. At the top of the event is a title fight to be contested at light-heavyweight between reigning champion Alex Pereira and Number 1 contender Magomed Ankalaev…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC Vegas 103 looked absolutely dismal on paper and in practice…well, it wasn’t too bad. Hyder Amil managed to get a good fight out of William Gomis and Nasrat Haqparast defied the odds to eke out a split over Esteban Ribovics. Andrea Lee may have set a UFC…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com We’re back at the Apex for another watery card. After last weekend’s Seattle event, it’s hard to look at this bout roster and think that it holds much promise, but lest we forget, for the 18 people that will watch this card, it will probably be gangbusters …

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com Another weekend, another UFC card—this time, we get an on-the-road show in Seattle. It’s not terrible, but the accursed injury bug ravaged this event to the point of being unrecognizable. That said, there are some good contender bouts and some well-matched …

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC Vegas 102 was awful on paper but delivered some high action moments. The problem still remains, though, just how valuable are those moments considering the level of talent. Youngish Gregory Rodrigues learned the hard way that old man strenf is a real ph…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com Did you guys think because we got a dismal PPV card last week, that UFC would somehow reward you with a better card this week? If you did, you’d be a gullible soul and I might possibly have a bridge to sell you. That’s right, kids, we’re back at the Apex an…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC 312 was not a good card and only saw a couple good fights amid a sea of nothingburgers. Rongzhu’s battle with Kody Steele was definitely worth going back to see if you missed the event, and Weili’s absolute domination of Tatiana was just a wonder to beh…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com Jesus Christ on a pair of rollerskates! I cannot believe this is the slop the UFC is serving Australia and then charging for it. Very likely the site fee is still stinging their government wallet, but that’s the price of doing business with MMA’s big bad. S…

UFC Saudi Arabia was a solid card that came with a few surprises. First, we got to watch a daylight robbery when Hamdy Abdelwahab ‘defeated’ Jamal Pogues. Then, Michael Page managed to avoid Shara’s hot hand and won a decision. Said Nurmagomedov fell to the insanely good Vinicius Oliveira. And finally, we saw Izzy lose for a third, straight time vi…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com After a brief respite to recover from the inauguration, the UFC is back in action this week with a solid event for the folks in attendance in Riyadh and those watching around the world. At the top of the card is a middleweight bout between Israel Adesanya a…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com After just two events this year, the UFC is taking a little break, so our creak team of analysts is driving us down a highway of despair with some last minute replacements that didn’t pass muster. These gents all valiantly stepped up to save the day, only t…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC 311 looked phenomenal on paper, and despite having to get to the sixth fight before a finish was recorded, it did indeed deliver some really exciting moments. We saw some hype trains derailed, fantastic finishes and loud mouths closed—at least for now. …

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com A UFC PPV is pretty much always welcome (almost!), but when you’ve got a truly loaded card, that’s just the cherry on top of the cake. UFC 311 is a really good card. Two title fights and what looks like a title eliminator between Prochazka and Hill says tha…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC Vegas 101 was absolutely awful on paper but delivered some great action in practice. Not that cards like this are luring in new viewers but for the sake of just watching some fights, they delivered reasonably well. Mackenzie Dern avenged her loss to Ama…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC is back after a month of down time and we kind of wish they’d go back to the down time considering the poor offering they’ve given to us in the form of another miserable Apex card. And sitting atop this heap is a rematch that absolutely nobody asked for…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com It’s 2025 now, officially time to leave 2024 in the rearview mirror. Or is it? Our crack team of analysts have decided to give the gift of fights, and they’re giving some of the worst fights of the year. Why? Because they know you’ve all been naughty and pr…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com For this off-week, we’re treating you with a watch-through of the future masterpiece that is The Curse of the Clown Motel. Zane, Connor and Phil are traveling to the “World-Famous Clown Motel” where Randy Couture and Tobin Bell lead the cast. “Guests check …

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com You guys and gals are in for a real treat this episode, some of our finest work watching terrible fights so you don’t have to. It’s only Zane and Connor, as Phil was off stocking up on coal. Today’s triumvirate of terrible features some truly awful contests…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC Tampa saw a night of action with several knockouts dotting the card, but the satisfaction of watching Colby Covington get worked over like Christmas dinner was undeniable. Having the last four fights all end by knockout was pretty gnarly too. And Cub Sw…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com *Note: There were some technical difficulties with this episode, specifically with mic feedback. We addressed it as best we could. At around the 23 minute mark we managed to correct it to a much more significant degree. Our apologies for the mishap. UFC Tam…

UFC 310 has played out in reality and just as we thought, Kai Asakura couldn’t stand up to the Cannibal test, opting instead to take a nap on the job. Shavkat Rakhmonov got a lot more resistance from Ian Machado Garry than he bargained for, and we got to see some of the most egregious judging in recent memory with Volkov-Gane. The undercard also bo…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC 310 is a great card from top to bottom with only a couple fights that may end up not delivering the action we once got from them—looking at you Chris Weidman vs. Eryk Anders. But that’s a little further down the card. We’re focusing on the main card act…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com Tony Ferguson’s career plummet has concerned fans for years, but perhaps it’s his “champ shit” mindset that confounds everyone the most. Or maybe it’s a complete misunderstanding of his place in the MMA space. Another point of consternation for most analyst…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC Macau is what a card looks like when some effort is applied. There is a wide variety of upside points to be appreciative of. From the debuts to the fact we get to watch Cong Wang and everything in between, the event is matched to deliver fireworks. At t…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC 309 is officially history, and likely Mickey Gall is too. Jon Jones still reigns supreme and Michael Chandler got the absolute brakes beat off him for 22 minutes, then did what he always does: rally as hard as he can for naught. Karine Silva F’d around …

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com Madison Square Garden is the location of what could be Jon Jones’ last stint at heavyweight. To hear him tell it, the fans really want him to fight the likes of Derrick Lewis or Jamahal Hill rather than the heavyweight interim belt holder. It’s not like tha…

*Note: Eddie is out again this week with his high seas adventures. The card that should’ve been left an unfulfilled dream on Sean Shelby’s pillow is over and with it, Neil Magny’s hopes of hanging on to that Number 15 ranking. It was pretty much a foregone conclusion, but watching it in practice was kind of sad. Reinier de Ridder showed out in his …

Hard to believe there have been 99 events held at the Apex because we can’t remember most of them. This particular card is especially bad considering the momentous occasion of hosting 100 shows under its roof. 14 fighters coming off losses for a 12-fight card is shameful. As the title suggests, it truly is a new apex of suck. Let’s take a look at t…

The Apex will celebrate its 100th UFC event this Saturday night and they did absolutely nothing to celebrate the milestone. Instead, the promotion decided they would present the worst Apex card of the year, perhaps the worst one ever—a feat hard to achieve with 99 bare-minimum cards under their belt already in the venue. We do slightly lament the l…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com Canada is getting the rough treatment from UFC this weekend. A 14-fight event where 13 of the featured athletes are coming off losses seems like a hard sell, even with four ranked bouts. Sitting atop the heap is a great flyweight matchup between Brandon Mor…

*Note: Eddie out this week, so Zane winged it solo UFC 308 is in the books and with it, the hopes and dreams of many. What hopes and dreams, you ask? The ones that would’ve seen Max Holloway and Robert Whittaker leave the octagon victorious. Instead, they were finished, and they were violent finishes, to boot. Topuria never opened his mouth the ent…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC 308 is finally here and with it, one of the better PPV main cards of the year. At the top of the event is the featherweight title bout between reigning king Ilia Topuria and the challenger, one Jerome Max Holloway. Straight up banger, full stop. The co-…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC Vegas 99 is thankfully in the history books and not a moment too soon because that was an insanely long card. Just two finishes in eleven fights, and the fights that went the distance were mostly nothing to write home about. Michel Pereira got absolutel…

You guys and gals aren’t going to believe this, but a mythical entity is afoot. The ultra-rare decent Apex card. That’s right kids, we’re getting a pretty solid event with UFC Vegas 99. Not only do we get three ranked fights, we have some really good matchmaking at play, as well. Charles Johnson vs. Sumudaerji is certified fresh. The main event is …

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC is back in business this weekend with their 98th Vegas themed Apex card, and much as one would expect, it’s kind of miserable. Okay, it’s a lot of miserable. If you don’t believe it, just scroll down to the alternative stats and feast your eyes on those…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC 307 is finally in the books and good riddance. The judging stunk the place up. There were several decisions that made us give the side-eye and there were also several fights that made us want to stab our own eyeballs with a dull knife. But Kayla won, an…