MMA Fighting - On To the Next One | 2022 Predictions Extravaganza

Episode Date: January 9, 2022

Could 2022 see both Jon Jones and Conor McGregor fight for UFC titles? Will Khamzat Chimaev get himself into a title fight as well? This week on On To the Next One, those questions are presented during the 2022 predictions extravaganza. Hosts Mike Heck and Alexander K. Lee will go through a slew of buy/sell questions presented by listeners about a variety of topics — including whether Jake Paul's next fight will be against a current member of the UFC roster, Kayla Harrison's free agency decision, Amanda Nunes' future, how Nate Diaz will start and end the year, and much more. In addition, they will make their choices for who will end the year as UFC champion in each division, along with their bold and spicy predictions for the world of MMA in 2022. * Note: Episode was recorded prior to Max Holloway's withdrawal from the targeted UFC 272 title bout with Alexander Volkanovski. Follow Mike Heck: @MikeHeck_JR Follow Alexander K. Lee: @AlexanderKLee Subscribe: http://goo.gl/dYpsgH Check out our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/u8VvLi Visit our playlists: http://goo.gl/eFhsvM Like MMAF on Facebook: http://goo.gl/uhdg7Z Follow on Twitter: http://goo.gl/nOATUI Read More: http://www.mmafighting.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You're listening to the Vox Media Podcast Network. There, everybody, and welcome to a brand new edition of On to the Next One. Obviously, the UFC is still on a little bit of a break. They're back January 15th, which is this coming Saturday by the time you see this. We're here for part two of our On To the Next One prediction series. Last week, we took a look back on how we did last year. This week, we take a look ahead to 2022 with one of my absolute favorite shows of the air, the predictions extravaganza.

And we're doing something a little bit different this week because not only can you consume this edition of the program on the MMA fighting podcasting network, but it is also available if you're watching right now, you know this for a fact on the M.A. Fighting YouTube channel. This is not something we're going to do all the time, but I figured for a special edition like this, let's ramp it up and go video and the whole nine. So get excited, everybody. I am Mike Hack and joining me as always, the 2021 predictions champion of this duo, the co-host, co-matchmaker, Mr. MMA fighting himself, the Prince of Positivity,

and of course the best friend, Mr. Alexander Kaylee. Hello, once again, AK. It is a new year. This is exciting stuff. The True Between the Links Champion. I know you didn't want to throw that in there. I am the True Between the Links Champion. Anyone who listen to the show, who listen to the tournament will tell you that much.

But thank you, my best friend for that wonderful intro. Yeah, I'm so excited. I'm glad people get to see our beautiful faces for once to see. You know, Mike, they hear the enthusiasm in our voices. when we do the show. But now they can see, they can see the glee, they'll be able to see the emotion. And yeah, this is great.

And also, man, thank you, everyone who sent it. You know, we send out the call for buy, sell predictions. You guys came in super hard. There's just so many, so a positive advance to anyone who we don't read your question. There's some overlaps. Hopefully we'll cover, you know, people, multiple, you know, listeners at once.

But if we don't, guys, send those questions in, know, maybe later in the year and keep sending it. We'll answer more questions during our weekly shows. But yeah, you guys are amazing. And I read, I read them all. I know Mike, I think read them all as well. So glad, thank you so much guys for sending them in. But yeah, we'll get to as many as we can.

To all of you submitted questions. I'm probably going to skip the name thing just because there's just so many. And do you know if you sent them and do we appreciate all of you? And so here's five people asking like the same question, right? Exactly. Yeah. Exactly. So someone were worded a little differently. Some, some of them, like there were a couple in particular that we just change. I just changed the wording all together. I liked where you were coming from, but wasn't necessarily like the buy sell, but we liked your thought process and we went with them. So there's probably like 25 or 30 of these. And so basically here's how this all works. If you missed last year's show, we like AK said, we asked the listeners to submit these questions. There were so freaking many. We had to narrow them down probably like 25 or 30. We'll read them off. No particular. order. I have a little system. I shuffled them last night and I shuffled them again this

morning before I went to work out. We'll say based on the questions, whether or not we, well, if we will buy or sell and then we'll give sort of a brief explanation as to why. I, we have seen these, but AK doesn't know where these are all going. I actually don't even know where they're all going because I shuffle them twice, but we're going to go on after the buy, sell portion and predict who will be UFC champions at the end of the year in each weight class. and then we will wrap things up with our bold, Mu, Caliente prediction for 2022. And in a time where nothing is impossible,

this is a bit tough, AK, for being honest. So before we get into the Bicel, are you ready? Are you pumped? Are you excited? I'm as ready as I'll ever be, as ready as I can ever be for an episode of Otno,

which is always like maximum 90%. Because there's always that 10% of like an MMA. We just don't know what's going to happen. Absolutely. So let me go ahead and click this. All right, here we go. Podcast magic. Podcast magic.

You can see how the Sasha debate. We're actually dressed kind of nice because normally we do these like right after we go to sleep at like 5 a.m. after a UFC pay-per-view and we're in like pajamas or we slept. I'm in PJ. Absolutely. I'm in a robe. Oh, okay. A couple of Connor McGregor questions to begin things.

Okay. I think it's how how last year began as well. Last year, I believe the first question was Connor McGregor will fight at least three times in 2021. This year, a little bit less. buyer sell a kahnomer gregor will fight at least twice in 2022 in m m m m m no sell again sell again the guy's got an injury i mean we don't know if he'll be i mean we'll be back maybe in the summer and then we don't even know who he would fight what happens in that fight if he wins if he wins is that motivated to fight again in the ufc or just and if he loses isn't motivating to fight again you see it's

so hard to tell because it can't so many options win or lose if he fights an, he might not fight an MMA this year. Maybe somehow another boxing match materialized. I don't know. That's sort of an outside prediction. But even if he fights for the UFC this year, it's not going to be twice. I think we get one M&A fight out of him. Possibly he fights twice in the UFC.

But I will sell this. I say he fights once. I know he is hoping and his coach is hoping he'll be back some time in the summer. I don't think that will happen. So I think he will fight once, probably towards the end of the year. If they go back to New York and MSG in November, I could see McGregor headlining that card. So I'll say he fights once. He'll fight on that MSG card.

And we'll see. I mean, if he fights twice, I would not shock me, honestly, because he seems to be doing very well with his recovery. But yeah, I'll go with once. The second McGregor question, AK, buy yourself that Connor McGregor will fight for a UFC title in 2022. Oh my gosh. Boy, that's tricky. Because like I said, I think he fights once. And I'm trying to think what gets him up for an UFC fight besides a fight with Nate Diaz.

I think we all have been saying that's probably something they're going to want to do if they can outside of the UFC someday, him and Diaz, that is. Another fight with Porriere, which of course he wants. But gosh, to see them fight four times in what, like 18, sorry, three times in like 18 months. one of the wins was pretty convincing for Porre. The second one, yeah, freak injury, but also I think Porre was on his way to winning that too. I'll buy, I'll buy. I think if he wants the Oliver fight, he gets it.

I'm going to sell this, but I will say this. I'm selling with very little confidence because it would absolutely not shock me in the slightest if he comes back for some kind of title fight. If it is the Olivera fight or maybe even crazier, he goes up and fights Ushman or something. something like that. Like nothing with Connor surprises me at this point. So I don't think he'll fight for a title. I don't think he needs to fight for a title. But if he does fight on that

November card, maybe he could do the Porre, fourth fight, main eventing that. You don't need a title fight of Connor's fighting on it. So I'll sell it. But again, it would not surprise me. In inaugural, inaugural 165 pound title. Yeah. That would be something. That would be hilarious. So we're going to go to the wonderful world of Bellator as was announced at the end of this past year. There will be another Grand Prix. It'll be the Bellator Bantamweight Grand Prix championship currently being held by Sergio Pettus after beating Warren Archiletta and then an incredible knockout of

Kioji Horaguchi. So the question is, A.K. Buy or sell that the Bellator Bannamweight title will change hands more than once during this year's Grand Prix. Oh, that is good. We don't have the bracket yet, do we? We do not have the bracket yet. We do not have the bracket. Okay, so let's let's just guess some of the names.

Let's look, I'll run in the names really quickly, if you will. Sergio Pettus, of course, the champ, Kioji Ruggucci, who we just beat. Mago Men, Megamato, James Ghaler, Leandro Higo, Pachi, Mix, Rofianz, and Juan Oleta. So let's say Sergio, I think whoever they match him up with in the first round, I imagine pretty favorable. So he gets past that. Damn, but the second round, he could fight like a Megamette. Or a, even like a patchy mix, that guy's so tough. Boy, what's the question?

Will it change hands more than once this year? More than once during the Grand Prix. Oh, during the Grand Prix. No, I'm done doubting, Patas. I think he makes the final and it'll be again. And I think they put him in Horikuchi in opposite size of the bracket, I assume, to cross their fingers and hope for that rematch. And I'm going to be super optimistic and say they both make it. So and either Petis retains or Horaguchi beats him.

So I'll stick with buy. It does not or sell, sorry, a sell. It does not change hands more than once in this. turn. I will differ with you here. I will buy this one. I just, you, you read off all the names and I just feel like with a lot of them, even whoever the eight seed is going to be, it's a game of inches. These guys are all really good. And if the UFC was doing one, I feel like Jan has a little bit of separation on his constituents, if you will, but I don't, I feel like Pettus is very good. And I feel like he deserves a lot of credit. But I feel like the rest of the crop is like right there with him. It's, it's super close. So I

think I think Pettis will lose along the way. And I think Hauruchi will end up winning it in the finals against whoever he ends up facing. Now, Pettus could lose the title and somehow end up back into the Grand Prix. It's very possible, especially with this crazy time and all these different variants of COVID and all this stuff. It's just such an unknown. So Pettus could lose and get right back in there somehow. So I will buy this one.

I normally wouldn't on these Grand Prix, depending on the weight class, but with Bannonweight, I just think it's so close and anything can happen. And I think any of these guys can beat any of these other guys on any given night. So yeah, I'm buying it. I think it will change hands more than ones. Let me just say, I was looking at a poll. That's why I was reading the name on our website, reading, as far I was reading the names off of.

Horacucci was favored 36% to win the tournament. Pettis, second 21%. Megameta, very close behind, 19%. uh, Leandro Higo at zero percent with other ahead of other, other finished ahead of Higo at 1 uh, maybe meaning, you know, obviously an alternate Danny Sabatello. You know, he's knocking on that door. So yeah, a lot of options there. Raffian Stats is a sleeper in this tournament as well, no doubt about that. Next question. Kamar Usman will stumble and lose the UFC welterweight title in a fight this year. I added in a fight. You're not not John Jonesing it.

No, not John Jonesing it, not saying I'm walking away, I'm done. I'm no longer the champion. I'm a licushing the title. He will lose it in a fight, buy or sell. No. So it's not losing it in a fight, not this year. Yes, I added in a fight because that's what makes it more interesting, but sell, I don't, I don't think it happens. But one name that is typically brought up with Kamar Usman is Hamzat Shemayev.

And this is an interesting question. Buy yourself that Hamzat Shemayev will fight for the welterweight title. and will do so without competing or defeating a fighter in the top five. That's a good one. I'm going to say sell, but this relates to something I want to talk to later. So I'm being a little bit coy here. So I'm going to say sell only because, one, I don't think he fights for the title this year. I'll explain.

Again, I will have to elaborate on this later. But I do like the premise of the question, because if he were to do it, I do think it will be not having to fight like a Kobe Covington or Gilbert Burns. Yeah, it would just be based on him getting like one more like dominant win over someone just outside the top five, like another like 90 second, two minute finish and people just like demanding it. People saying, look, they don't want to play the politics of what's going on with Covington and Movington and Mazalas like people want. Maybe they're going to go get shunted off to do the ultimate fighter. So they're just booked for like the entire year. That's that takes up their entire 2022 season. So Shami won't have deal with

Covington and Burns, maybe, I don't know. But yeah, I see another dominant win. And you and I have said, Mike, Usman should call for it. Like one more win. Get him now. Get him now before he, you know, reaches peak Shemaya form. So that, so that scenario is like the most believable one. I just don't think it's this year.

So I'm selling on that. I don't have much to argue with there. So I'm selling too. I don't think it happens. I'm not saying it will never happen. But I have a feeling, like you said, this topic's going to come up again a little bit later on. And it's funny you mentioned.

Covington and Mazadol because we had this question last year and I feel it's important to ask it again this year. Buy yourself, Colby Covington, Jorge Mazadol will be the coaches for the upcoming season of the ultimate fighter. Oh, it's interesting because obviously I want to say sell because I don't want it. But I mean, as far as is it possible? Is it likely? We're doing predictions, what will happen? Now I'm being pessimistic because I think what I don't want to happen will happen. So I'm buying. I'm buying. I think if they do do the show again, they'll want to bring to try and save it with some sort of star power in the coaches department. Again, I keep telling people, that's not, that doesn't work.

You might get a little spike in the ratings. Probably they'll say, oh, the best ratings since like Ultimate Fighter 18 or whatever, which means nothing. So for me, the juice isn't worth to squeeze. They shouldn't do it. Whatever ratings boost they get or some little subscription count bonus for ESPN Plus is not going to be worth just making the fight happen and scheduling it normally because so much can go wrong at that time.

But I will buy because I think. They're dumb and they're going to do it. It could happen, but it won't because the UFC is not fun and they won't do what needs to be done to make it fun. So no, I'm going to sell this. That's not fun. Like, it's not fun. I mean, it would be the best thing they could possibly do for business and for the show. It just would be.

This is the show does not help anyone anymore. I'm the only person watching the show. It helps nobody. And I love the ultimate fighter. It does not help anybody except people like me who like watching the ultimate fighter. Yeah, I think they'll probably end up with like Nama Yunus Asparza or Pena Nunes, something like that. Maybe if they sign Kayla Harrison, maybe Kayla is a coach. Who knows?

But I don't think it'll happen. I just don't. You're dealing with two individuals who want certain things in their own way. And there's nothing wrong with that. But I feel like between the UFC and Colby and Mazadol and Mazadol's team, it's just that you're asking a lot to all these guys up. So I'm just going to play it safe and check off the other and go from there. Speaking of Kayla Harrison, AK, buy or sell, Kayla Harrison will not compete in the PFL in 2022. Wow. If anyone heard my bold prediction on between the links, then I have to sell on this because I do

think that she's going to work out some weird thing where she fights. She does the PFL season. And gosh, it is, oh gosh, this is tricky though, because. because PFL season typically ends in December. I don't know if they'll, I don't think they plan to reshuffle at all this year. So, so yeah, but I'm selling that. Then I think she does, she does flatten the PFL. I would like to see some sort of co-promotion thing

happen either before the season or after with Bellator. Excuse me, but otherwise, I do think the PFL is still in her plans. I think the money is too good. I think she does enjoy the competition there, even if she is kind of just running through it. And maybe 2023, we're talking about a full departure from the league. Yeah, I'm selling this.

I've been saying this from the beginning. I think she's back with them in 2022 because why the hell wouldn't she be? Why not try to get that easy mill? And I don't know who said this, but maybe it was Jed on between things. Maybe you said it. But 155 that division, it's going to run its course. And the time is probably now. One more season, let her run through, build her brand a little bit more.

And then, you know, she can go off and do whatever she wants. So didn't they try and make it a featherweight season? Do you think she can do that? the end of the day, they would ask her to cut down to 145 or 146. I just say, you know, three times in seven, six, seven months. I don't think so. I think the way to keep her is to keep 150. Oh, that's true.

She likes you. But I mean, if, if they do 145 next year, it's, it's, this is a very important season for them because if they want to keep her and they want to do 145, you got to pay attention to who's available and you can start locking these 45ers up. Like even these 35ers who have a hard time making 35 if they become free agents, just sign them all. and just build up this division as much as possible. So that's Kayla Harrison and a name that is constantly attached to Kayla Harrison.

It's amazing how the shuffle worked out. Amanda Nunes. Let me see. Okay. So buyer Selle, A.Manda Nunes will have her last fight in 2022, whether she will announce her retirement sometime during the year or compete towards the end of the year and say she's done. So in other words, by the time 2020, three rolls around, Amanda Nunes will have already revealed that she is no longer competing.

So I think she's going to pull a corporate. I think she's going to announce that she's retiring either end of the year or early next year. But for whatever reason, things aren't going to work out. Maybe an injury delayed, you know, leads to some sort of postponement or, God forbid, you know, COVID-19 protocol thing. I think in her mind, she probably wants to do. But one, the lost to Pena, I think it's going to light a fire under her. I know some people, it's the opposite to think, well, this marks that it's going down for her. You know, she's sort of settling into domestic life. She seems very happy and satisfied with things, which for any pro athlete isn't always the best situation. So I understand the thought that she's, she's, this pushed even further

out. I think the opposite. I think it's going to light a fire under her to take that fight and to, excuse me, to continue competing until at least mid-2020. I think we're going to see more of Nunez because she lost to Pena. I'm buying it. I'm buying it. I think this is, this will be the swan song. I don't, because I just don't know if she beats Pany in the rematch. I just don't know. I mean, after being so dominant and having someone basically take your best shot and just come out in the second round and just take over and beat you, like the momentum, momentum is so big in MMA. And while I think Nunes probably beats just about everybody she fights,

maybe Penaa is just that one that is just such a headache for her. And with that said, I don't know. Even if she beats Pena and wins the title back, like what else is there to do? Like, you've already beat Chepchenko twice. Like, well, that would be such a huge fight. Yeah. But, and then if Kayla Harrison does do what we think she's going to do and stay with the PFL, like, what is left for her? There's literally nothing.

So win or lose, again, that Pena fight, I think she's. She's done. And yeah, I think at some point, 2022, it'll be revealed that she's not fighting in 2023. But who knows? Maybe she'll come back another time. Maybe something will, we'll scratch her right where she itches. Who the hell knows? But oh, I like this question, AK. By your sell. Wow. This is fun. I don't know if it's fun, but we'll see. It's an interesting question. By herself, Sean Strickland will cross the line even by UFC standards and be publicly punished or mentioned in a UFC press release of some kind in 2022. That's a hard sell.

What? When has the UFC issued a press release about anything? I liked how the question started. I do think he'll cross. I think he already has. I think he's made some pretty avarance comments on his social media. And for anyone who's a fan of Sean Strickland Stick, I kind of understand it.

Like there's an element of his character, like that's sort of like how, just how open he is. Then I guess genuine would be the words people would use. But I also think like he's really ignorant about a lot of subjects and it's fine. Again, this is a free country, you know, USA, Canada, free country, free continents, say whatever you want, but there should be consequences. The UFC has not have a proven track record of doling out these consequences. So no, no, I don't know.

He'd have to say like I'm going to like, you know, threaten violence towards like a UFC executive or something. And even that would probably be handled behind closed doors. I don't even know if that would that would be public. So no big big time sell no way. I think the UFC is looking at some point to make an example out of somebody. Like I'm not saying like they'll release him or anything like that, but. Yeah, I mean, I'll just go with history and say that that won't happen.

So I'll sell this, but he's going to be very close to even the UFC line to even the Dana White. Like we don't, we don't censor our fighters line. I mean, he's going to be in front of enough microphones where. things yeah it could get even more out of line so i'll sell it but it wouldn't shock me if if this actually happened because they're not going to do with connor or john jones or any of the bigger names and john strickland is becoming a more popular fighter but certainly a guy that you can use as an example to kind of weed out some of the negativity and try to put a positive spin on something uh but i'll sell it i don't think it's going to happen so does it count if it's it's

it's ABC or ESPN or Disney, I came back to Disney itself. Does it count if it's one of the parent companies that releases something like a statement? No, the question specifically says UFC, right? UFC, so I think it'll go hand in hand. Like if we get, if ESPN or ABC or Disney comes out with the statement, I'm sure the UFC will have to go along with it.

So I would say they kind of go hand in hand. So, oh, well, we knew these names are coming up at some point. They might come up multiple times, A.K. By yourself, either Jake or Logan Paul will officially sign with an MMA promotion. May not compete in a fight in 2022, but one or both will sign a Gordon Ryan-esque deal with a major promotion stating that if either does actually fight an MMA, they will have to compete in said organization only in the future. I'm on record. I'm a broken record at this point saying one of the Paul brothers will fight in the UFC. I don't think it's this year. I don't think it's this year.

I think more likely they would, it sounds backwards that they would start their own promotion first and then go fight for the UFC. But as you said, like the next two or three years of the combat sports kind of landscape is going to be so, it's so unpredictable, so bizarre things we've never seen before. So you'll see, I think those guys have built up their brand and combat sports to such a level that they might,

if the UFC wants to be in business with them, and I think they will be a year from now, it will it's going to require the UFC do something unprecedented but it will be worth it for them. I think the profits will be worth it. I think they'll do the math. You know, the crunch the numbers and be like, yeah, okay, we can we can afford to do this. People aren't going to like it, but it's not going to matter. People don't like us raising the pay-per-view price by $5 either, and we just did that.

So I don't think it happens this year. I want to see them not sign with the promotion, but just try and run their own MMA show, even if it's not like a golden boy MMA promotion thing, like a one-off, just to see if they can. Just as proof positive they can. And I think one of them will compete on. I think one of them will compete in the main events. And then after they've proven, hey, we are a legitimate, you know, MMA entity, then I think that forces you have seen the Dana White's hand and just kind of nip that in the butt.

Kind of let's be a part of this and involve them, bring them in here as opposed to have to deal with them as this sort of like competition, even if it's only like one or two events a year. I will, I'm going to buy this. I don't think Jake will sign with a promotion, but I think I can see a world where Logan Paul. is announced to be a member of the Bellator MMA roster. Maybe he doesn't fight till like 2024, but I think I could definitely see them doing a UFC CM punk-esque kind of announcement where they introduce Logan. They say he's going to compete in an MMA fight.

He's going to do it in Bellator. Maybe they'll do a pay-per-view, like a Showtime pay-per-view event featuring him. But Logan, yes, Jake, no. I'll take a shot in the dark. I'll take a flyer on one Logan, Paul. Well, I'll talk about it and we'll all be kind of nauseated by the whole thing. I can see Logan also like, you know, he's a Belator. He's sort of serving as an ambassador for Bellator, letting people know the show is on showtime.

Get those Showtime streaming numbers up. You know what I mean? So yeah, that would be huge for them, even if not to fight, but just for Belta to bring them in. So yes, I am selling. I am selling for this year. I guess I am, unless I said they make their own promotion. Anyway, I am selling with them signing with an existing promotion. Mike, you're buying.

So a lot of options there. Thinking with Bellator. Fire cell Dylan Danis will fight in 2022, an actual MMA fight. So he's not a fighter. He's not a fighter. He doesn't want to fight. He liked the idea. How many times did he fight for Belfort?

Twice? Yes. Twice. I think he likes me able to call himself a fighter. A great grappler, of course. He has that reputation. He'll always have that forever. Very accomplished Jiu Jets to a competitor.

But he's not a fighter. Fighter's fight. I know he's dealing with injuries. But he'd rather talk. He's a social media personality. He likes to call people out. And his followers and whoever and his fans, they enjoy that. That's fine.

Why should he ever actually have to step back under the cage again? So yeah, I'm not sure what he does as far as competition goes because I'm pretty sure he's done with Jiu-Jitsu competition as well. But I just don't see him fighting anytime soon, if ever again. Yeah, this might be the easiest one of all selling. He's not fighting. He's not fighting. Definitely not this year.

Prove us wrong, Dennis. Prove us wrong. Prove everybody wrong. Maybe he'll. maybe he'll fight Hawani at some point. Who knows? There you go. Now you've said it.

Now I've said it. We knew this question was coming. A.K. Buy or sell. Johnny Bones Jones will fight for the UFC heavyweight title in 2022. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. He's going to fight. He's going to fight this year. Right. And he's so far moved. I mean, I still think he can make light heavyweight if he really, really, really wanted to. If you gave him like four months in advance to kind of cut back down and be

brutal, but he's really committed to changing his body. I mean, we know, you can just look at him. And there's just no reason for him to go back to light heavyweight at this point. I don't think a fight with Glover-Dashira interests him. Maybe you're a Prakashka somewhere down the road, maybe Israel-Ettesanya somewhere down the road, if he ever actually goes back up to 205 and has some success there. But he wants Ngano or he wants to deal Ghan or he wants Deepi Miochich, you know, he wants all these guys in heavyweight. And I do think he will find a way to get back into the Octagon this year, despite all the stupid, stupid things that he has done outside of it. And if he does fight, it's going to be a heavyweight.

And it will be, there's no warm up fight. They throw them in there for the title. I, I'm definitely buying this. I was a little hesitant last year, but I'm definitely, I'm definitely buying this. And I think he will be the heavyweight champion at the end of the year. A little spoiler for the second round in the show, but yes, John Jones will fight. I think it happens before the midway point of the year. I'm just throwing that out there.

I think before July, John Jones will fight for the U.S. the heavyweight title. This is not your bold prediction. This is not your Wii Caliente prediction. No, that is not my Wii Kellyante. They get hotter than this? I don't know. We'll see. Like I said, nothing is impossible. I feel pretty good about that one. I have no insight whatsoever, but I feel pretty good that this is actually going to happen this year. Speaking of heavyweights, this might be, and you've seen this question before, and I mentioned this question to other staff members who pondered this during one of our meeting Zoom calls, a.k. Byersel that the combination of Steppe Mietich and Robbie Lawler

will have more combined UFC fights in 2022 than the Diaz brothers. I need to do some math in my head. Stepe and Robbie Lawler. All right. I think they'll both fight once. At least, at least. So do I think the Diaz brothers will fight more than twice? The question says more, specifically more?

They will have more combined UFC fights than Nick and Nate Diaz. So equal would be a sell. That's a really good question. I'll sell because I think it'll be, no, it'll be more, more, more. I think Lawler fights once, I think Miotchi fights at least once, maybe more than once. And I don't think Nick Diaz fights at all. And I don't think Nate Diaz fights in MMA more than once. So yeah, no, I'll definitely go by, bye,

that one. I'm trying to do math in my head, too. Yeah, it's tricky. It's a good question. Nate will fight for sure. Nick, I'm not ruling out at all. He's a hard maybe. He is back.

He is technically back. Man, this is tough. I'm basically betting on Steepey and Loller each fighting at least once, but may need one of them to fight twice. I don't think Robbie fights twice. So Steepe would have to fight twice. I'll buy this because I think Steepa will fight Derek Lewis

because I think that is a super smart business decision for him to fight Derek Lewis because Derek is a very dangerous guy but Steepay would be probably heavily favored in that fight and the best Stepe beats the best Derek Lewis pretty much every single time so that'd be pretty smart on Stepe's part and honestly if he does fight Derek Lewis and wins, he'll probably fight for the belt by the end of the year.

That's a lot of maybes and what-ifs. You know what, I'll buy it. I think Steepa will fight twice and I think Robbie will fight once and that'll be enough. Even if Nate fights twice or even if Nate fights once and Nick fights once,

I think Stepe will fight twice. So I'll say, I'll buy that. I'm not giving up on Tim Beans versus Robbie. I saw a horrible report the other day that Tim Means might be fighting Jeremiah Wells because he hasn't been lobbying for Robbie. Tim Means, why are you not lobby? Lobby for Robbie, man.

We should get at least one Robbie Lawler fight this year. And it should be Tim Means. I don't know who Robbie's got to fight. Probably have to be like a Saroni type or something like that. It's going to be something that's got to get Robbie excited. Otherwise, he has no interest in fighting at all. So we'll see. Speaking of the Diaz brothers, AK,

by yourself, Nate Diaz will compete in a fight outside of the UFC in 2022. Is he going to box? Is he going to box? Will it be this year? Will he fight out his contract? Will he box this year? Not this year. Not this year. I think a lot of the questions, I think one theme is these are things that people are pretty confident will happen. And it's just will they happen within the next 12 months? Once you reach like where Nate Diaz is in his career, things move pretty slowly for him. I could be wrong. Maybe once he's out of the UFC, he books like three boxing matches this year.

That'd be great. I'd be very happy for Nate Diaz if that happened. It just feels like the wheels are very slow to move. But there's a lot of change. Again, the whole, if you told me Jake Paul was going to fight four times in, in 2021, I would have been like, what? First of all, I'd be like, who's Jake Paul? I mean, I would have been very confused. Just wait a little bit on my age range.

No, but I just would be like, okay, I mean, why are you asking me about this? It's probably my question. Now it's all we can talk about. But yeah, no, he's going to box. I think it takes some time to get it worked out. And I think it happens to 2023. So a lot of us say, a lot of kind of us pushing things back to 20, 2023, probably just being cautiously optimistic here.

So I'll go with that. Yeah, so I think by the end of the year, we will know what Nate's first 2023 fight will actually be. But he will, I don't think he fights outside of the UFC in 2022. But 2023, absolutely, probably multiple times. Who knows? Maybe the UFC will give him an offer. He can't refuse and he stays, sticks around.

Who the hell knows? But I would say that's very dullful at this point. Well, we knew Jake Paul would come up again. And here we go, AK. By yourself, Jake Paul will compete against a former UFC champion or a fighter currently at this very moment on the UFC roster in 2022. Can you repeat that? He'll fight against a current UFC champion? A current UFC rostered fighter, a guy who right now is on the UFC roster or a former UFC champion in 2022.

I think the Tommy Fury fight is going to happen at some point. a current UFC no way no way like no they're not loaning out like Mazbittal I get I know that you would think Mosbyr Al or Nate Diaz we talked about before no I don't think they're loaning out of Mazul for that and then a former

UFC champion I think he's already done that I think I think Jake Paul has a sense of I've done that it's not that it can't happen again but it doesn't want to just do a run of you know former MMA champions he just did asker and you know one champion he keeps calling them both like former UFC champions which is which again in the minds of people

they can't tell the difference so that's very smart of him So this would be like a third former UFC champion in whatever, his four fights. I think he's moving on. I think I keep saying it'll be Tommy Fury and they think at some point, a pro wrestler. I think you've got to get a pro wrestler in there. And maybe fingers crossed for him and his certain segment of his fans, like another YouTuber. I know our own Guillermo, Guillaume Cruz, is speaking to the famous Brazilian YouTube star, Wenderson,

Wenderson Nunes, I think his name is. And, excuse me of Brazilian fans, I apologize for not knowing this guy. But yeah, huge following in Brazil. And I just think the UFC champion thing has run its course for now. So that's a sell for me. Yeah, kind of the same wavelength as the last question with Nate. I'll sell. I agree with you.

I think the Fury fight does happen probably summerish, June, July. Maybe he squeezes one more in. But no, I don't think he'll fight like Anderson Silva or anything like that, because that would be an interesting one. Who knows? Maybe Boxes freaking T-Dor-Tis or something, A.K. Good Lord. I can't even like imagine thinking about that, but both would take that fight. I don't want that. Insane business, which I don't want that. But yeah, I'll sell that. It's not going to happen. We have our first Eagle FC question, AK. Oh, good. And this is an interesting one. Buy or sell that Eagle FC will face more scrutiny than have success by the time 2020 comes to an end.

Wow. How are we gauging success with this promotion? What's their broadcasting deal again? bypass, right? It's going to be on fight pass. Okay, interesting. I don't know how we're going to gauge success, because I don't think he would gauge it by like amount of, you know, subscriptions earned. Maybe, maybe, maybe,

maybe if somehow it generates an insane spike that coincides with its U.S. debut, then you have to, you know, you have to attribute it to them. But that's a part- media numbers, like everyone's writing about it and the numbers are great for all the websites and people are talking about, yeah. Yeah, like maybe they're about,

like people view them above the LFAs and the CFFCs and the CES of the world. Like they're kind of in the mix with the ones and the Bellators and such. I don't know. It's kind of a weird question, but here's what I'll say. There's one way that they can, they can be super, super, super, super successful and surpass any level of scrutiny. If they book, get Artem Lobov out of retirement and book him to fight Tukagov. because let me tell you something.

Let me tell us something people. This is a little inside baseball. We ran some Artem Lobov story this week and it did the most insane traffic numbers you'll ever see. I don't want to get into specific numbers, but just picture like what you think is a big story, like Connor McGregor's story or Jake Paul's story. And like Artem Lobov disintegrated those numbers. It was crazy. So he's mentioned that he would love to fight Tupikov.

That was part of his interview with Aaron on the M.A.R. This week. And if that fight ever came along, he would do it? Now, would he want to work, technically work for Habib? I mean, probably not. But if the check clears, it's, you know, business makes good friends, right? So would he do a one-off and fight two could go off for Eagle FC to bring this like insane grudge match to one of their cards and like really boost one of their shows? If that happened, then I think it's, I don't care what else happens.

Then it's considered a resounding success for Eagle FC. Otherwise, I think it's a little bit more of a slow build. I don't know how much scrutiny they're going to receive. I think they dodged a bullet by Bigfoot Silva not getting clear to fight. ugly that was going to be ugly no matter what. Rashad Evans will see. I know people aren't crazy about that and who knows what other veterans they're going to kind of bring out to compete.

And that always brings scrutiny from us in the media and from fans. So I'll say a soft buy that they will be successful enough that the scrutiny will be pushed aside. And it'll be viewed as a good experiment for both Habib and his promotion to come to the USA and for fight past to host them. And so you're saying more success

scrutiny. Yeah, more success. Scruton. Okay. So that's just that would be, but based on the question, that would be a sell. That's so. Okay. Soft. I'm, I'm definitely going to buy this and. Look, I think they will have success, but I have concerns. I have many. And I hope they come to light at some point. I'm concerned for sure with some of the matchmaking. You mentioned Bigfoot Silva. Rashad Evans scares the hell out of me. Diego Sanchez fighting Kevin Lee scares the hell out of me. And I'm more concerned about the business structure and the potential conflicts of interest that this organization is clearly showing right up the bat. There is a bazillion questions that I have, none of which were asked at that press conference last month, which I understand why, but they should have been asked.

What Ali's, like, where he stands in this promotion, I have no idea. And that's a question that needs to be answered. And until that is answered, there will be lots of scrutiny by the end of the year. I just think there will be. He's just a polarizing guy. Even if he has nothing to do with the promotion at all, we're seeing a slew of his fighters getting signed. And a lot of people are concerned that this is like the second coming of World Series

of fighting. Like it's a conflict of interest. If you're actually working for the promotion and your fighters are all getting signed to this promotion that you're working for. Like if somehow he's a, he's a secret matchmaker and nobody knows, that's a problem. That is a very big problem. So maybe they will have a successful year. Who the hell knows?

Maybe there will be lots of scrutiny. And maybe that scrutiny will lead to even more success. But I think there's going to be a lot more questions, some concerning questions about Eagle FC. I hope I'm wrong because I want everybody to succeed. I want every promotion to do well. But I just have too many questions that I need answered. And I don't think we're going to get the answers to those questions anytime soon.

So such a journalist. You're such a real journalist, Mike. Yeah, I just, I asked the hard question. You're always asking the hard questions. I want them to do. I really want them to do well. I want Habib to be super successful as a promoter as long as it's done the right way. And if it's shown that it's all being done by the book and there's no conflicts of interest and anything like that, great.

I'm a happy camper. Everybody wins. But hopefully there's nothing more. Maybe the Mike Russell's of the world can can come through and give us some answers. these questions. So just, just look the other way, bear your head in the sand and, and clap your hands like a seal. Come on, Mike.

We'll see what happens. I'm, this is a kind of a curious one. It seems kind of obvious, but I really don't know because you don't know any answers right now. Maybe they'll change by the time this thing airs. But buy or sell the PFL will find a home on a major network or streaming service for 2022, whether we back with ESPN, Amazon or a partnership with some company that will make us say, wow, that's, that's a big move right there.

Yes, yes. That's a buy. That's a buy. They showed a lot of potential with their product. They showed a lot of flaws, certainly. Some of them out of their control. I understand the broadcasts could be a super drag. But like I said, we don't know how much that is the PFL's doing. How much does their broadcast partners doing? There's growing pains, you know, being on ESPN, being an MMA promotion on ESPN. That's not the UFC. And you're trying to do things a different way. You're going to hit some speed bumps. So I think they're going to refine that process of a bit. And I think people see potential. It wouldn't surprise me. to see them back on ESPN. But I think they do have other options around that range.

Again, NBC sports is where they were before. I don't know if they can go back to there. But the product is, well, live sports in general, I'm sorry, live sports is one of the most valuable products that you can have. And I don't know how the ratings were exactly for PFL, but probably good enough comparable to like similar time slots that I think most networks or streaming services

would be happy to have it. So I'll go pretty confident buy on that one. Yeah, if they end up, like, I know they're doing their Challenger series or whatever it's called on Fubo. So hopefully that is just a Fubo exclusive and we're not doing everything there because I wouldn't, I mean, Fubo is obviously a popular streaming service and channel and such. But I wouldn't consider that like a big, a big thing. But I will buy. I think they get something done. I can see them back out of ESPN, maybe Peacock.

I think Peacock could be interesting, maybe not with NBC sports, but still with Universal and on that streaming service. I hope for the latter. But if they go back to ESPN, I hope you're reading me and you're looking into my eyes, BFL. You go on ESPN Plus only, okay? Listen to me. ESPN Plus only.

Do not go on any broadcast television network because if the pacing is anywhere near where it was last year, I ain't watching. I'm not watching. If they say, Mike, I need you to cover PFL, and say no, I'm not doing it because I don't have 17 hours to watch a card. Go on a streaming service, control the production, and make these cards move swiftly. I don't want to feel like I'm watching I'm made for four days for one card. I don't want to do that. So stay off a broadcast television, go streaming. Please for the love of God, listen to that and let us live our lives, PFL, because you have an interesting product. You can do some really fun things. but over a 12-hour stretch, no, I don't want to see it.

So no broadcast, get on a streaming service. If you're going back to ESPN, no ESPN 2. You want to do the finale on ESPN, cool, but make the process move a little swifter, but control your own production and make it fly like an old UFC fight pass card. Just boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. That's what we need.

You want to do a little promo, great, but that's it. We don't need 45 minutes of talk between every single fight. We don't. So streaming service, I think they will find one, but please just be on a streaming service. Don't go on television. Please, please, please.

I'm begging your PFO. Mike drop. Big time, Mike. A helpful mic drop, though. That was an educational mic drop, a mic drop of love. Yes. I mean, I don't know about you, Mike.

I enjoy the intrigue of them possibly being delayed 90 minutes by a high school boys football game in Texas. So speak for yourself. I hope they're back on ESPN and like on ESPN too. And that was crazy. That was like Peppa Pig levels like, broadcasting disaster. And again, I'm not blaming PFL.

I get it. That's what happens when you're on a major network. Unfortunately, you're going to have to, you have to work to a schedule. So yeah, you make some great points. But ESPN Plus being on a streaming service, maybe being the better option right now. Yes.

By yourself, by the end of 2022, AK, Bellator, will realistically, I mean, realistically, be able to stake the claim that they have the best fighter in the world in at least one division in MMA. Oh, my God. goodness not promotional are we i mean realistically oh my goodness are we talking what are we doing are we pushing this cori anderson thing is this is all who said this did corey anderson said this question in is it is a go j mckee maybe a j mckee said it could be a jama key boy i would love to know

what our guys rankings will look like if if anderson like runs through nemcov and then records a tell defense and to share loses his title or there's just like a lot of fluctuation at the top of light heavyweight maybe we have like two different champions at that headway but into the year. Excuse me. Read the question again, Mike. By the end of 2022, Bellator will realistically be able to stake the claim that they have the best fighter in the world in at least one division in MMA and that a lot of people will agree with them. Yeah, yeah. You know what? Yeah. Screw it. Screw it. Since we start our global rankings, I think anyone who's seen them, look, they're pretty UFC heavy. I think anyone's rankings are. And I don't think that's unfair.

I think because it's just how, you know, the popularity of the UFC, the fact that even though we criticize fighter pay all the time, it's still, of course, compared to a lot of leagues still, you know, very, very high paid once you get to the top. You're going to have, and I say this with respect to other promotions, I think 80% of the top of the top fighters in the world are still in the UFC. But it's definitely expanded, you know, that that range does expand. There is that 20% now. 20% is a big number. If you know, if you want to say, so one out of five, you know, top of the top fighters division is not the O.C. Then that's kind of where this question comes from. And that's where you get the, the Corey Anderson's, the A.J. McKees. I mean, the Gaygar Musassi's. I don't think he could be the best again. But I mean, he's number three still in our rankings. So yeah, I'm going to say yes. It would, Cori Anderson's name that keeps coming in my mind.

I'm looking at some of the women's divisions. And that's certainly a possibility. But those are also very UFC heavy at the moment. most of the promotions don't even have a women's bantam weight division so that's tricky i'll do it i'll say corey anderson i don't even know if i'm picking him to beat nemcov but if he does he's going to deserve some serious talk uh at the end of the year of being the best fighter in the world at 205 which sounds absurd but yeah there we are i'm going to buy it too and i'm with you 205. I think even if Nemcoff wins, I think, and you'll see why I feel this way later on in the show,

but I certainly think they will have that argument to be made at 205. So we'll see what happens there. Buy yourself like a. Henry Suhudo will end his retirement and fight in the UFC in 2022. No, no, he will not. He will not. He's always said, it's just, it's about the money. It's about the money. I think there's a part of him that's that it does enjoy the idea of, oh, maybe go up to 145 and challenge, you know, quadruple C or at least triple C in the UFC. And I'm sure he thinks about it all the time. I don't think he's like completely out the door. I think he's always had like not even one foot in the door, but kind of like right next to the door, like right to step in because he certainly thinks he could beat Volkanowski.

Volknobsi's not the biggest one 45 or I'm sure Sehudo looks and I was like, yeah, you know, I'd be giving up 10, 10 pounds, 15 pounds maybe, but I have other skills to make up for that. So yeah, I don't, but I don't think he'll come back. I don't think the money's right. I think he's doing pretty well for himself. He obviously recently had a daughter. I think he's enjoying being a dad. It, you know, it's all about the money. And I don't see why the OCE would be in any rush to, uh, to bring him back. So that's, that's a sell. Theme a lot of these questions has been not 2022, but 2023. And this kind of falls into that. So I think if the question was just Henry Sue Hudle will officially end his retirement and the question

ended there, I would buy this. I would buy this. Do I think he fights in 2022? No, I don't. So I think by the end of this year, it will be known that he is back in the Usatapool. He will be looking for a fight. He will officially reveal that he will fight again, but he won't fight till 2023. So I will sell it. I think he does fight, just not this year. There's just too many players right now. And if he's, he's always, he's the king of cringe or whatever. but he's always been pretty smart. And I think 135 is probably the place he would do it. I don't see a Volkinovsky fight happening anytime.

So maybe it does. Like if Volkinovsky goes out and steamrolls Max Holloway, I mean, they could do Suhudo. Now I'm thinking about it. No, I'm sticking with my guns. I'll sell. I think by the end of this year, it will be known he's coming back,

but he will not fight this year. This was specifically to compete in MMA, right? Yes. Return to the UFC. Fight inside the octagon. I sound like this idea. Man, him boxing on an undercard over Jake Paul's card. I don't know if he can't know if he can't he?

I don't know. I don't know what his contract situation. Yeah, I don't know what that is. Yeah, I mean, it could be like GSP. He probably still has fights. Yeah, or like GSP. He's retired, but apparently still under, you know, USC restrictions for the rest of his life or something.

Yeah, I think that's, I think that's probably what Zahudo is looking at as well. That's so crazy. Oh, well, we knew this question was coming AK. Buy yourself, Francis and Gano, win or lose. at UFC 270 will sign a new multi-fight deal with the ultimate fighting championship. Yeah, yeah. And frankly, I think he'll back down on the boxing demand too. That's one thing he said in a recent interview.

He was like, oh, I need to have the option to box. I could see the UFC, you know, give me into that. But I think they have, I don't know if Francis has as much leverage as he thinks he does, unfortunately, and this is true of many fighters. I know, I think he knows his home right now is in the UFC. There's money to be in the UFC. He's a great MMA fighter. Would he be a great boxer?

Sure, you could get him some easy wins early on. Could he be a heavyweight champion? Could he contend with the Tyson Fury at the Deonté Wilder, Anthony Joshua, Ussick, any of those guys? I don't think so. Realistically not. So I'm sure he'd love to do it. Let's just challenge himself.

He wouldn't care if he lost. But I don't see those opportunities coming up anytime soon. So I think that means right now the best option is back on the UFC. So that's a buy. that's a buy. I'm buying too. I think, especially since I think

John Jones will fight this year, even if he loses a serial gun, they're not going to do an immediate rematch. Jones will fight gone. And if Jones wins, I mean, who else are they going to put them in there with? They're going to put them in there with Francis.

So I think that'll be enough to entice in Gano to stick around knowing that that option is there. So yes, I will buy it. I think cooler heads will prevail. And there you go. Buy yourself, Jose Aldo will fight for the UFC Bannamweight title.

in 2022. Oh, this is too easy. Yeah, of course you will. Yeah, yeah, that's a buy. That's a buy. They'll find a way. Even if he ends up taking another fight with like Cruz or something, I feel like that would like go to a decision and then, look, he already got one

one title of fight off a loss. I think it could happen again. It's just if it's a controversial one. But I mean, most people pick him to beat Cruz anyway. So if he does have to fight one more time and he might not even have to. He might not even have to. He's got the name power. He's on a nice win streak.

I think it makes too much sense to give him one more title shot before, before calling it a day. If he's even close to a time, we don't know with this guy, because he looks amazing so far at this age and this weight class. But yeah, he's going to fight for a USC title again.

And it'll be in 2020. We get like five or six more. By the way, I'm selling. I don't. I just, oh, I'm sorry,

I'm buying. I think he will fight for it. I think he will fight for a title. I don't know if it's like a straight up earn. But yeah, maybe he gets in there, short notice replaces, but I think at some point he will fight for the title.

Buy or sell either Sean O'Malley or Sean Brady will fight for UFC titles in 2020. to no no no sell that's a sell that's a sound high on both guys i think both guys you know where i know we've been being on brady i think i don't know if you agree with me mike i think he has a better chance of someday becoming ufc champion than o'malley i just think he's a more well-rounded better fighter but umale's got the star power he's certainly closer uh you could give him a title shot this year after one more win and i'm not only anybody would complain but a lot of people would also watch uh sean

Brady would be a bit more of a head scratcher. So I think Brady, you know, these to get a tough fight with Keiza, nearly lost it, you know, definitely lost the last round. And we need to see him go back to the drawing board and just improve he's in, he's in his prime. Just let him get a little more, a little more seasoning.

And same with O'Malley. He's enjoying being the quote unquote unranked champ and no need to rush him to a title shot. So no, not in 2020. Yeah, I'm solid. O'Malley definitely won't. Brady would have a better chance, but no, not this year.

Um, interesting question though. Buy or sell, AK, we will see more than one current UFC champion fight for a second title in 2022, excluding Amanda Nunes. More than one. More than one. Nah, sell, sell. I could see one. This look at this will kind of relate to when I talk about the, um, our, uh, champions predictions for 2020. Mike, I'll sort of be able to explain further. But yeah, no, I think most, most of the champs are staying in their divisions certainly would not surprise me to see some, someone jump up or jump down.

But no, just just one, not more than one. More than one. I think there's definitely going to be one. We're probably on the same page. But more than one, I think it's possible. And you'll hear why when we do the champion's predictions, but I will sell it. I'm not ruling it out, though.

I think I'm a little more confident than you. But we don't want to throw out names. We don't want to throw out names now. No, I'll throw them out later. Okay, well, don't, okay. Because I was trying to say if there were to be... I mean, you'll know as soon as you say it. We know, but I'm trying to think if there were to be two.

I know one of them. I think we know one of them. Who would... Would the other... Usman up to middleweight? Possibly. But you'll see why... Possibly.

Okay. I was thinking of... I mean, I have choices. Yeah, okay. Buy or sell, the biggest selling fight slash event of 2020 involving an MMA fighter will not happen in the UFC. The biggest selling fight of 2020 involving an M. May fighter will not happen in the UFC.

Wow, that's a great question. That's a great question. Do I think Nate Diaz will box this year? Do I think Conn of Gregor will box this year? Do I think Jake Paul will fight another than box another in May fighter? The biggest? No, but only because we both, only because I think that John Jones and Gondon who fights going to happen or, sorry, Ors Sele Gahn, John Jones, Howard title fights

is going to happen. And I think that should be enough to overcome the freak showiness of, uh, some of the other options out there. So yeah, let's say John Jones comes back and creates this like massive heavyweight fight. So that's a sell, sell for me. Yeah, I'll sell. No other MAA promotion can pull it off besides the UFC.

And, you know, maybe there is some crazy wild boxing fight, but I just don't know if they pull the numbers that the UFC are going to be able to pull with some certain cards this year. But that question could mean like Jake Paul Anderson Silva, right? Like Jake Paul, Mosvital. Do you think of Jake Paul Mazvedal? Do you think of Jake Paul Mazvedal would be a bigger than it? Because I just don't think that.

fights happening because I think that would be bigger than John Jones. If Connor fights in MSG in November, that'll be the biggest in my opinion. Okay. I don't think, I don't think it's doing 1.4, 1.5. Okay. I just don't see it happening. Buy or sell the UFC will end the year with the same amount of divisions begins the year with, which is 12. Oh, right. So this could mean either will they add bad, Adam weight, will they copy, you know, maybe copy Eagle FC and go, you know, 165, 175 or will they dump women's feather away?

Well, they lose women's featherweight. that's that's the big one right uh oh i'm one else people who says uh women's feather wait never die so uh even though i mean not because i'm like super fond of the division i just think they keep for at least a little bit longer they'll keep finding ways to keep it alive i don't think god so for me the question is of addition and adam wait is certainly a possibility uh women's adam wait specifically i just say and i don't think obviously i don't think they'll do 165 thing he's your Dana white's very against it uh i'll go that's a great question.

I'll go sell and sell. So no, buy, buy. I'm sorry, bye. They will have the same amount. They will have the same amount of divisions. But we will have rumblings, I think, for Adam. Wait. Yeah, I'm buying.

Because on an official level, I'm with you. I don't think UFC will publicly say women's 145 is done. Even if Amanda rides off into the sunset, I think they will keep it open for at least a few months in 2023, because like we will talk about. We both think Kayla Harrison will fight in the PFL. and I think they will hold out hope that maybe in 2023 she can come along and kind of take the division by storm. So I think at least while it just depends.

Kayla Harrison is the big question here. So if she ends up with the PFL, yes. If she goes to Bellator and sounds like a six fight deal with them, then there's a chance that we'll have 11 divisions by the end of the year. But we'll see. Kayla Harrison is obviously the big question to all of this in my opinion. So yeah. Listen, they've hilariously had featherweight rankings, which is just Amanda Nunes's face. and then nothing beneath her on their official, like on UFC.com rankings for like three years.

So wherever long she's had the title. So they really don't care. They don't care if people think of it. Do we get two more questions, AK, one, by yourself, at least three current ranked UFC fighters will find new homes in MMA in 2022, whether it's with Bellator, PFL, one, Eagle FC, you name it. At least three currently ranked UFC fighters will officially sign with. different promotions sometime this year ranked by the ufc not ranked by the m mayfighting dot com

we'll go we'll go with ufrey rankings by home i just have the rank this up and let me bring them up uh for me by by by the way this is almost definitely a buy almost definitely a buy um i can't even think of specific names but i just think there's so much turnover these days and i think fighters are more aware of their options that yeah and if we're talking like top 15 that's a lot that's a wide range now if you narrowed it down to top 10 i probably go sell We're going narrowed down the top 10, but based on the ranked ranked. Yeah, yeah. You could see guys.

I mean, Brett Johns, everyone remember Brett Johns last year was still ranked. I think he was ranked with the UFC when he left. It was around like 14, 15 and left. And like, nobody noticed. Just nobody noticed that it happened. But he left the UFC on a win streak and, you know, and lost his first Beltor fight.

But that was one guy who left. So there was a bunch that it happened in 2022 with, excuse me, in 2020 with quite a few names. And I could see it. happening here. We do have some young up-and-combers now a lot in the UFC rankings, filling out the bottom half. But no, is it three or more or it's the three or more, right? At least three. At least three? Yeah. Oh yeah. Yeah, I'll do, I'll do it by. I'm not super confident about it. I'll go by. Yeah. In sync, bye, bye, don't know who, don't know where, don't know how, but it's happening. Like, just look at the heavyweight, just look at the heavyweight

division. There's probably like three heavyweights that'll move over that'll move on to like a different promotion, like Walt Harris or Jarzino or somebody like that. Like I could see like one of those guys certainly going over. And yeah. Yeah, so I'll buy that. Last one, AK, this one I might have to read a couple of times, but I thought this is a very interesting question. By the time we do this show in 2023, the UFC will be without three or more of these

names on their active roster. Francis Inganu, Connor McGregor, Nate Diaz, Israel Adesanya, Dustin Porre, Kamar Usman. Whether it be due to free agency or retirements, by the time we do this show next year, at least three of these fighters will not be UFC fighters. Inganu, McGregor, Diaz, Adasana, Poria, Usman. Sell? Diaz, sure. I think gone.

Um, McGregor. Yeah, very likely. All right. By the time we do this next year, I, I think he's going to, no, no, I think so there. I'll give you two. I'll give you Diaz and McGregor. I mean, those are, I guess, the most obvious ones. But I'm not convinced about Ngano, uh, Adisania, uh, Usman, like retiring.

I'm not going to, who were the other teams that I left out? Corre. Oh. No, Mazadal sticking around. It was the other one. That was Angano, McGregor, Diaz, Ades, Adesania, Porier, Usman. Is it six names? Six of them.

Okay, okay. Yeah, yeah. So I'm going less than half. So I'm going, you can sell me on Deez McGregor, but I'm going conservative with this pick, and I'm selling. I think there are, I think the other four stick around. Let me look at the area. Inganu, McGregor, Diaz, Adasania, Poria, Ousman. I think Diaz will certainly be gone.

McGregor, I think, will still be around because of all reports, even our own Ariahawani, McGregor's got two fights left in his deal. I think he's going to fight once in November. So I think he'll still be there. The most interesting name of this bunch is Israel, Adasania, because he doesn't have a lot of fights left in his deal. He's definitely rifting a bit with the UFC with the way they announced this Whitaker fight for February 12th, which by all accounts,

Adasanya has not put pen to paper yet. I don't think we, no one's followed this fight more than we have. we've told you all of this that Whitaker signed for this fight like probably a month and a half ago. It's probably going to happen. I think Adissan is just pissed off and he's trying to send a message to the UFC. I think the fight will happen. I don't think it's in any jeopardy of not happening. Adasani is very interesting.

I think he's the most interesting. And Pori and Usman are interesting in their own right because they've both publicly talked about their MMA careers winding down at some point. Both them have made really good money, Porre especially. So I would basically need, like one of these guys. I'm going to sell, but this is really close. I think two of them will certainly be gone. Three seems like a lot, but certainly not impossible, AK. You sense of retirement.

You sense a retirement. At least I think one of them. So I'm going to sell this, but somewhat reluctantly. It would not shock me if we, if three of these. names are no longer in the UFC. You could have seller's, sellers remorse by this time next year. We're going to talk about this one.

Wow. This could very well be the one that I'm kicking myself in the ass for that I didn't pick. All right. So that is the buyer sell. Again, thank you for all the questions. And when I used to do the show before I'm a fighting,

and some of you did this already because some of these questions were part of that old email chain. People started submitting these questions throughout the year. So if there's like certain things that come up and do you have thoughts, just send them out. and we'll just compile them throughout the year. We had some people, like, April, May of last year,

people were sending some of these in. So just keep that in mind. You can send these in at any time. So let's go to our predictions for UFC champions by the end of the year. We will start with the ladies, because ladies first, AK, that's the way the cookie crumbles.

We'll start with the UFC women's straw white champion of the world. Who will it be? Okay, I'll say this. This is going to start a trend. It'll be noticeable. as we go along. So I'm sticking with Rose. I'm sticking on the Rose. I think we get the Asparza fight at some point, which I would pick, which is a very tough matchup, bring around, tough stylistic

matchup. But I think Navajunis has come far enough that she should win that. She should win the rematch, not like a blowout. I just think that they're at this stage of their career. She's the better fighter. So Navajo is to retain, probably defend against someone else. I just don't, too, I just don't know if anyone at Straw 8 right now, do I see as a super, super, like, dangerous threat to her. Like maybe, maybe LaMosch, you know, maybe Lamoche gets that title shot this year. I just don't know if I would pick her to beat Rose right now. So I'm thinking a couple of title defenses for Rose and she is still the champion by the end of the year. I will pick a new champion and she will also be, because I forgot we usually do male and female fighter of the year predictions.

Not that like we ever really know the answer of that question. But I'm picking a new champion. and I'm also picking this woman to be the female fighter of the year in 2022. Marina Rodriguez. I knew it, but I knew it will be the women's dryway champion at the end of the year. I think she's going to meet Janjanon. I think she'll beat her convincingly, and I think she will not be denied.

And I think her style and I think her improvements will lead to UFC gold. So congratulations, Marina Rodriguez. Hopefully this is not a a curse of some kind. Yeah, so that's my pick. So right now, women's flyway. seems somewhat easy. We got Valencia Shufchenko. We got some interesting challengers coming up over the next year or two. We mentioned a lot of them, a lot of the rookie of the year nominees. We got Tila Santos getting ready to make some moves. Will Valentina Shufchenko still be the

champion at the end of the year? Yeah, barring a vacancy. Like I said, I think, I assume she's the name we're going to mention as possibly wanting to fight for another title. But I don't think the UFC would strip her of the flyweight title right away. I think like Amanda Nunes, should she win a second title? They would give her the, you know, at least luxury defending both of them a couple of times, at least a couple of times. I mean, definitely they never asked Nunes to not defend both. So I think Shuchenko could do the same.

So, yeah, unless she's forced to retire for a reason or is forced to vacate, there's just no one at flyweight yet. But someday, who knows, Casey O'Neill and Amanelio and Aaron Blanchfield. And, you know, could be in the title picture, but just not yet. You're Bannamoy champion too? No, actually. Okay. She's my Bannamoy champion.

So I'm Shukchenko, Flyweight and Bantamweight champion. Okay. Who's your Bannemite champion? I think Nunes gets it back. I'm not on the Pena as Nunes' number bandwagon. I understand that the way Pena beat Nunes was not novel. That is how Nunes has lost before. So it was not a fluke.

It was Pena implementing the game plan that has had success. against Amanda Nunes in the past. So, but I, I do think, if you just watch the fight, I think Amanda Nunes did not fight her best fight with respect to Pena. And Pena did fight her best fight, so she more than deserved to be the champion. I mean, she, she beat the best.

You caught her. I think she made Amanda Nunes not fight her best fight. So I should say that, I should say that. I'm sorry that Pena took her out of her comfort zone and made her fight the fight she wanted to. And that's why Pena is a champion now. But I think Nunes, with the, with the luxury of rematch,

the luxury of getting to strategize and prepare in a different way. I'm one of the people who think she is the greatest women's fighter we've seen. This is the big test. This is a big test. How do you rebound from that loss at this stage of your career,

where you've won everything? Can you find that motivation one more time to make those adjustments? I think she does. And I would also pick her to win a Shichchenko rematch if that fight happens this year. So I'm going all in on Nunez having a big year. Not that I think she necessarily

by Shofchenko this year, But if that happens, I'm picking Nunes to win again. Yeah, I might have to go against my Marina Havriguez pick because if Shepchenko wins a second title, it's kind of hard and an eye or that. But yeah, like I said earlier, even if Nunes beats Juliana Pena, I still think she's done. I think she'll just say, all right, I avenged his loss. I ended it on top.

I'm done. And then vacant title, Shepchenko versus Giuliana Pena. They just do that. Schip Chico wins it. She's the champion. Will there be the featherweight? Will Nunes still be the featherweight champion at the end of the year? I wrote down Kayla Harrison, but I kind of go, I guess it kind of goes against like my weird predictions that she's going to fight for Belator and the PFL and you know what?

Screw it. Somehow Kayla Harrison fights for all three promotions in the same year. All right, I said it. That's it. I don't want to, I don't need to explain further. You win if that actually happens. You win the show. We don't even have to go.

We're not going to do a predictions recap show. You would just win. Yeah, I say no champion. I don't think the division is closed, but I say no champion. I think it will be vacant, and we'll see what 2023 holds. Maybe Kayla Harrison will be the answer by the end of 2023. All right, we go to the men who will be the UFC flyway champion of the world at the end of the year, AK. This is flyway now, right?

Yep. I'm going with one of my guys. Pentosia, Pentosia. I think, I think Ascrov might be making a mistake taking the Kikara-France fight. certainly Ascroft can beat him, but that to me is a coin toss fight. And that's going to hurt him if he loses to Cai Carra France. And Carra France, then we'll be on his way up. So I think Pentosia at some point does get another fight with Moreno.

I would pick Moreno to beat Figgi in their trilogy about. And then I think Pentosia, I just like what I just, again, I know it's kind of, it's like why can't it be like what I said with Asparza and you know, Navajunas before, where, you know, Sparza won the first fight and the different fighters now. I just think Pantoja is, again, either the one of the top three flywates in the world. And, you know, if you fought Moreno, I don't know, 10 times, maybe wins six out of 10. But for me, that's enough. That's, that's the odds.

And I think he would beat him again. I know it's hard to beat anyone three times in MMA. It's hard to even get three fights with someone in the M.A. But I think Pantosia could do it. So, yeah, I'm going a bit of an odd pick there. I like it. I was torn between two names, AK. One was raining, defending.

undisputed champion Brandon Moreno. And the other was our old friend, Monell Cap. And while I think Monell will have a massive year, I don't think he gets to a title fight in 2022. So with that said, I will go with Brandon Moreno to beat Figurato, maybe defend one more time,

maybe against Pantosia, maybe against Cairo, or Ascaroff, but I think Moreno wins either of those fights and will end the year as the champion. You got to remember, Moreno's not the most, he was very active in 2020,

2021 he only fought once right so yeah he might fight twice and if figurato beats him they're going to fight again there'll be another fight so then they fight again and i think if they do like a two out of three series i think moreno will win at least one of them so uh yeah so i'll go with brandon mario bannam weights this is your division a k you've been singing the praise of the ban on weight more than anybody and this is very interesting we're going to have March 5th final we get to answer some questions at the top of the division aljermaine sterling versus piotr yon a unification belt and a lot of worthy challengers right behind him so who will be the champion at the end of the year will be al jermaine sterling will be pieter yon will be somebody else

it will be piotr yon i have a i have a lot of confidence in this guy as someone who could have a dominant dominant championship brain uh could become the greatest of all time at 135 pounds i say this is someone who picks Sterling to beat him, by the way, in the first fight. So, hey, when I'm proven wrong, it leaves a big impact on me. And this guy, you know, whatever, he gives up a round or two early in his fights. Once he gets those lasers going, he just, I just can't see him losing to so many of these people. I mean, there's a lot of great challenges coming up. And Rob Povalli, of course, Ricky Simone, of course, O'Malley somewhere down the road. And that's, again, there's this whole cluster of guys who are just like starting to have their run

and one third hour. T.J. Dillashah. I mean, there's a fight with T.D.D.J. Dillashah had, and that's another guy who I still think has the skills to become a world champion. So, but I think he's going to put together a great run. Again, this is the second part of sort of my theme I'm talking about as I did with that Rose, where I think where we're back in this, I want to believe back in this age where people stay in their division, stringing together three, four, five straight title defenses and we're talking about and become these champions that we're still talking about 15, you know, years from now. 2021 was a year of feel-good stories and new champions.

And it just, it warmed your heart to hear and see some of these names and see some of these fighters come through on the other side and become champions. And while Pieter Yan is a terrific, terrific, fighter, and I think he will beat Al Jermaine Sterling. And I think he will be a champion and maybe even have a title defense. my pick is going to be the guy that not only will end the year as the Bannamway champion, not only will end the year as the male fighter of the year, A.K., but will also take 2021 by himself and be like, you want to feel good story? I'm the feel good story of the decade.

The man's name is Jose Aldo. Josealdo will be the UFC Bannamway champion at the end of 2022. He will defeat Piotr Yan to become. the champion in December of 2022. He will defeat him. Five rounds, unanimous decision. He will get it done. He's learned his lessons from the first fight.

He will come through with just an incredible game plan. Joseoaldo will go at least two and oh and end the year as the champion and will be the fighter of the year and it will be undeniable because it will be the feel good story of all feel good stories, AK. Oh my goodness. God bless us everyone. God blesses everyone this coming to say. December. Wow. Featherweight is also very interesting because March 5th, we get the trilogy

fight between Alexander Volcanowski and Max Holloway. I love the fight. I could watch those guys fight a hundred times. We also have some interesting up-and-comers, some youngsters. We got a guy like Giga Chikaze who, if he beats Calvin Cater on Saturday, could be very well next in line. There's some very interesting names that could fight for this title. And of course, there's the Sohudo factor. If Volkinovsky wins, that's the biggest fight you could probably. we make outside of Max Holloway at this point. So we got some interesting names. Will it be your Guy Volkanowski ending the year

the same way he begins it? Yes, and this is even if he loses, because I think we talked with this on BTL, I think it would be only fair if he lost to give him his rematch. If he, you know, he'd technically still be up to one on Holloway. He gave him an immediate rematch the first time.

He would have given him an immediate rematch the second time if they hadn't already fought twice. So I think it would be only fair. Now, is the UFC think that's fair? I don't know. I feel like they've never quite fully gotten behind Volcanovsky, which again is crazy because again, you had a great fight. He dominated Mac, not dominated, but won a clear decision, the first fight with Holloway.

Won a close, very exciting fight, the second fight. You know, some people will disagree. Some people have been Holloway, that's fine. One of the fights of the year against Brian Ortega, just an insane fight. I hope that his standing with the company would be quite a bit higher. high enough anyway to get a fourth fight with Holloway should Holloway beat him and then I think I'd pick him to win that fourth fight. So I think no matter what he retains, even if he's just only fights Max Holloway twice this year. Yeah, I think this is going to be the year of Olkenovsky

in a lot of ways. I think he's going to beat Holloway in March in a very good fight. But no robbery. I just think it's going to be kind of Jan Sannhagen-ish. Esk where both guys just put on incredible performances, but by the time it's over, we realized just how good Volcanovsky is. And I think we kind of got that sentence after the Ortega win because a lot of people had that as fight of the year. Definitely was the round of the year. But outside of that third round, Volcanovsky won that fight. And it was pretty one-sided, if we're being honest. So I think Volcanovsky will beat Holloway. I think he probably fights Jekadezai at some points, but I think he wins that fight as well. And I think not only will Volkanovsky will Wokinovsky end the year as featherweight champion. I think he's a guy we'll be talking about in the top three for pound for pound fighters in the world. I just think it's, you can't deny him. You can make that argument right now that he's in the top three. And if you made it, I would not argue with you.

He's that good. And he's that under the radar, in my opinion. He's a little bit disrespectful for being honest. So I think Volcanowski will end the year as the featherweight champion. And I think this will be the year where people really start to take him seriously. So there we go. The great, stays the great, and stays the champion. 155, AK, this is where things could get a little saucy, because we got, we got Olvera, we got Justin Gagee, we got Islam Makachev, we got Benile Daryush, we even have Connor McGregor in the mix. Hell, Dustin Porre is still in the fold as well, if he wants to stay at 155. So there's a lot of interesting names in the lightweight division.

We got some up-and-comers coming up as well. Who will end the year is the lightweight champion of the world, K. Mike, you know where I'm going with this. You know where I'm going with this. I'm riding this train to the wheels fall off. De Bronx. Charles Lolovaera is going to retain. I don't care. I don't care if you fights Maka. I think that's guaranteed to have him at some point. Well, obviously, I'm saying that I think he retains against Gavechi. I think that's another rear naked choke victory for Charles Olivera. After, of course, getting brained a couple of times because what Charles Oliver fight would be if he didn't let himself get cracked. So it takes a few hits from Gaithi gets a few, unfortunately, a few years. is knocked off his career and then comes back with the Roon naked choke victory. And I think he'd out grapple Makachep too. So I'm right. I'm running on this one. I know he has so many hungry, or they say two very hungry contenders coming after him who I hope not would not be favored.

Gatheed would probably be slightly favored. Makachab would almost definitely be favored. And I bet Makachad would be like a minus 200, open like a minus 200, which is just come on. I know how the fight game works. It's so disrespectful. I don't know what Charles Oliver has to do to be viewed as a dominant champion. I guess again, like I said, not get cracked in the first like 90 seconds. But yeah, but I'm going with him to retain.

It might not always be pretty, but I think he's going to take out G. and he's going to take out Makachev and then who knows what happens there after that at 155, but more respect for this guy. Let's not forget that Makachev might actually lose to be nailed there. This is a very strong possibility. Makachev is really good, but so has been nailed there. There you go. That's, I know the odds aren't with Benial, but I think he's stylistically, he's got a very good chance to win that fight.

So either way, I'm with you, AK. I picked Charles Oliver to end the year. Last year is champion. And I'm picking him to end this year as the champion as well. I think kind of like Volcanovsky, I think Oliver has come into his own. I think people are starting to take him a little more seriously, but not as serious as people probably should be taking him serious. I think we're all outside of yourself, I think we're all sort of guilty of that. I think we've all kind of taken Olivera for granted.

Like I said, I started the year. In January of last year, I said Oliver would end the year as champion. And then as the year progressed, I picked against him. I picked him. I picked him to beat Chandler, but I picked Pori A to beat Olivera. I will not make that mistake again. Oliver ends the year's champion. So Walter Wade's Kamar Usman.

Seems like the consensus pick here. I'm sticking with Kamar Usman. Are you? Yeah. Yeah. Again, you know, we said we talked about before. The real question is, do you think he might want to, I don't know, change divisions? Will he try and pursue opportunities outside the UFC and maybe not compete as much in,

and, you know, and then advocate the belt for that? And will he, will he just retire? You know, we don't know. But I don't think so. I think there's enough reasons for him to stick around. There's just a lot of really good matchups waiting for Leon Edwards. I still think that has to happen at some point. Luke would be a great fight.

I think Belong Mohamed is making a very strong case for a title shot. So, and don't rule out Gilbert Burns somehow fighting us. way to another shot. I know that's not really something people are thinking about, but he looked good against, you know, Woodley and, excuse me, he looked good against Usman in the first round, and he just, and then he got taken out. That's what made that fight so compelling, right, as he was such a great challenger, he looked like a great challenger, and Usman finished him. So his, how good he is was part of what made Usman's year so great, his, his 2021 fighter of the year campaign, so outstanding. So, yeah, a lot of great challenges for him. I, I know there's

other, he's probably thinking about how can he make the most money and do I want to do some of these rematches, but he has no shortage of contenders. So yeah, stick around, maybe get another three tile defenses, maybe pick up another fight of the year award. I don't know, but he will be the champion, though. I agree. I think Usman will be the champion. I think, and we talked about like a certain number of fighters,

will they go up in challenge per second title? And the other name I was thinking of was Kamar Usman, because the man, I believe, will be the middleweight champion by the end of the year, is Robert Wittaker. I think Robert Wittaker will win the rematch. I don't know when a third fight will happen between those two guys. I think the relationship between Adasani and the UFC will not get better. I think it will at some point, but I think it's going to take a while to get there.

And I could see Usman going up and fighting Whitaker at some point, maybe October, November. So I think Whitaker's going to win. I picked him last year. They just didn't get the chance to fight each other. So I'd be kind of crazy if I didn't pick Whitaker again, considering they didn't fight. And Whitaker's looked really good. And if there's one guy, 185, in my opinion, that can beat Israel out of Sanya. It's this sort of 2.0 version of Robert Whitaker that we've been seeing.

The guy who fought Kelvin Gassel and the guy who fought Darren Till, the guy who beat Jared Kennedy Air in a crazy fight. The guy has faced the adversity. He's been in some tough fights. And he's found ways to win. And he's found ways to win dominantly when he needs to. So give me Robert Whitaker to get it done and end the year as the middleweight champion, AK.

I love the respect of showing to the Reaper. I shouldn't consider it a foregone conclusion that he's going to lose the rematch because, yeah, Robert Whitaker is a great fighter. And I think you're right. I think Usman would be crazy if that scenario unfolded to not go up and challenge Whitaker because Whitaker is essentially a, a normal size like human, like, you know, welterweight. Like, he's a welter. He's not a big 185er. I don't think he cuts. His walk around is probably like 190, 195.

And that's like out of shape. That's like out of camp Whitaker. In camp, he's probably 190. I don't think he cuts like anything. So Usman going in that. Usum might probably be bigger than him, frankly, if they fought at 185, which is kind of crazy. So yeah, and that scenario, it's definitely a fun scenario to see play out.

But yeah, I'm sticking with status quo here. My answers are so much more boring, Mike. I apologize to the, to the listener. But combat sports is boring when you think about it. Like, what's exciting about combat sports? Like people punching each other, hitting each other with flying kicks, spinning elbows, like breaking each other's arms. That's, you know, snooze, am I right?

Like, it's not exciting. So I'm sorry, guys. I give boring answers for boring, boring, uh, boring, uh, business. See how boring we can get at 205 pounds.

Okay, who will be the, heavyweight champion of the world at the end of the year? As soon as I say that. Well, now I, now I, I actually am deviating from, uh, all the respect in the world to blow up to share it.

He has nothing left to prove. I actually do think, believe or not, Mike, I am picking him to, uh, win a hypothetical propachco fight. I think,

I think he'll get the fight to the ground. And I think his ground game would be too much for the, for the Czech superstar. But I'm not picking him to beat Meghammed Ankelyev. I think a Megan Ankoliab has the style to counter Gloverde de Cher. And I think we will see him march his way to the top of the light heavyweight rankings by the end of the year, which is funny because I think he's still kind of only like a guy that hardcores are really recognizing. I don't know if the UFC has done a great job promoting Ankelyev considering he's won six of seven straight fights. So they might want to get in that train soon. because I do think he'll be the champion heading into 2023.

So I kind of have two choices here. It's either going to be no champion or it's going to be Glover to Chera. I'm with you. I've been on record many times and I will stay on record. Glover DeShara will submit Yuri Perashka. Okay. He will retain the title. Then he will fight probably Alexander Rackich.

And he will win that fight as well. And then he will be done. So he will retire as champion. or maybe not. I don't know. But it'll either be, he will either retire his champion and there will be no champion

or he will be the champion at the end of the year. So go over to Cher will be the answer. Yep, go over to share it will be the answer. New England boys. You new England boys always sticking together. Yeah, I think he beats Yuri

and then I think he beats Rackage too. I just think he'll be able to get any of these guys to the ground if he does, he'll win. It's just the way that the cookie crumbles right now. Heavyweight I've already given my answer. John Jones will be the heavyweight champion at the end of the year.

Your thoughts. Inganu. And I say that, I say that even with the possibility of a John Jones fight. I think at heavyweight and with Jones, don't get wrong, I think doing all the right things in the gym, training and preparing, changing his body and all that. I think I'm sure he's preparing himself as best he can. I think being out of action this long just cannot be good for him. I am a believer in ring rust or cage rust, whatever you call it, especially when you look

with the lifestyle Jones has been leading, you know, and again, he just doesn't seem like the guy. I get it when he's in the gym. He's probably a different beast. He's probably the most focused, like, hardest working guy in the gym. But I just don't know if you can separate that with sort of this chaos is happening in his personal life. Because I say the same thing about Conrad Grigger, too. I bet Conradger in the gym is like amazing. But if you watch him work out, you're like, oh, this guy still, this guy can still be the lightweight champion. You know, he could win the welterweight title, whatever. But all this other stuff, while these distractions, it's, it's really hard to ignore them, at least once you reach a certain age. I think John Jones is, what,

33 now, right? 33 and 34, excuse me, it's been 34 in July. And a lot of those years are spent in the UFC. These are, these are UFC MMA competitive years. So he's got so much mileage mentally, physically. I don't think you can take this much time off and just step in against Nanganu or even a Cedilagan and just wipe them out like that. I think that's a tough task. And I don't think we've seen the best John Jones for a long time. And I don't know necessarily think we're going to see that at his first heavyweight fight. So maybe he comes to a heavyweight champion someday, just not this year and not against Nungano or gone right now. So I'm sticking with Nganu. I think he beats gone and defends against Jones or someone else

and ends the year. All right. Last piece of business, AK, time for the bold Wee Kelliante prediction for 2022. Last year, you said that we would see Kail Harrison versus Amanda Nunes in the UFC that did not happen. I said that Dana White's relationship with the media would improve and be much in a much better place. I would say that there's really, I don't know, that was close, but I still think we were both wrong. But that's really what this is supposed to be about. It's supposed to be just kind of a crazy out-of-the-box prediction where you're like, how the hell did you think of this? And it's probably not going to happen. But again, like we stayed at the beginning, it's almost

impossible to have like a wee calliante prediction because anything is really possible right now like literally anything with the the current landscape of combat sports so where we going with this AK what's your mi caliente prediction well i'm lucky i kind of had two shots this right because in between the links i got to give a prediction for for one of the one of the questions between the links where and i think this was a fun one i said i said uh kela harrison finds oh sorry excuse me that you that bell tour and the pfl find a way to co-promote probably revolving around a kela harrison doubt either before the season begins or if they move this, if they can adjust the schedule,

so it's not like doesn't end in December, have her win the tournament and then face someone, you know, and then have her face someone in Beltor, I think that'd be so cool. So I think co-promotion would be my bold prediction in a broader sense. Talking about the UFC, so this is my bold prediction for Otno. I don't know how bold this is,

but we talked about this guy earlier and I feel like, I feel like it's worth saying, I think, so this is one of the reasons why, another reason I have Usman, in the years champion and we were talking about shemaiah earlier uh this and why i don't think shemaya will jump over anybody to get a tell the shot because i think shemayev will lose a fight not against kamar usman i think he will face a tough he will face a tough one and it will surprise people it'll be it'll be some maybe it's a but like i said maybe it's a bala muhammed i've

disrespected bala muhammed a lot i've picked against him many times i think i'm underestimating just how good and tough and involved around that he is and i know chamsat has made a habit of crushing tough guys. Maybe Bala's next, but I certainly wouldn't rule out Balaal be eating him. Vichente Luke. There's just guys ahead of Shemaya. If they went, you know, if they decided to like match up whatever, you know, two high risers, Brady and Shemayev, I wouldn't pick Shemayev to like destroy Brady. I think Brady is so good. So I don't know what they do is Shemayev next, but I have a feeling he doesn't get the title shot at Usman, not because Uzman, you know, kind of quote, ducks him because he's going to lose a non-title fight first.

best friend we're kind of on the same page with this one no but i went a little more out i went a little more outside the box just in case this is going to happen oh my goodness i was prepared for this so always are you're always prepared i i'm with you but i can this can be interpreted in multiple different ways so my bold prediction for 2022 is that anderson sylva will win more boxing matches than Lamzat Shamiyev wins UFC fights in 2022. Oh, I like that. Are you predicting like three matches? Like he boxes three or only twice.

If he boxes twice, he will still win more boxing matches than Shamiy F wins UFC fights in 2020. Oh my goodness. So either this could go a number of different ways. Maybe Silva just boxed a solo boxed twice and wins. Maybe Shamiya doesn't fight to like May or June and just like wins. and then doesn't fight again. He holds out for a title shot and says, I ain't fighting,

and then just doesn't fight again. Or he loses to a Gilbert Burns or a Covington or maybe even a Bilal Muhammad or maybe even a Neil Madhme. How that fight hasn't been put together is insane to me. But I think, I don't know if, I still know if it's like an activity thing or Shamiah kind of meets his match

and has, takes that first L that a lot of these people need outside of Habibn Maghamadaf, because I think everyone, or John Jones even. So yeah, I think Anderson-Sil will win more boxing matches than Hamzat Shemayev wins UFC fights in 2022.

How to interpret that however you want. Maybe he fights Usman, his second fight, loses, who knows. But at the end of the year, Silva, at least two,

Shemayev, one or less. I like that. I hope Anderson Silva just goes like four in o in boxing and, and just makes your prediction like super easy. Like by like August, he's already fought three times and three and out. It's like, oh, this prediction is in the bank. Yes.

And he books a fight for like New Year's Eve or something and like Risen. It's like, oh, yeah, this is great. This is perfect. So that's what I'm going. That's our bold predictions for the year. Buy sales in the books, champions in the books. Let us know what you think in the comments section. Hit us up.

Let us know whoever because next week, no more wasting time, AK. No more trying to fill gaps and fill spots. The UFC is back in action this Saturday. UFC Vegas 46? 46. Yes, this is 46. First card of the year. Headlined by Calvin Cater versus Giga Chikaze.

That is a fun one at 145. A must win for both guys for different reasons. We have Caitlin Chukagan, Jennifer Maya, Michelle Paheda versus, by the time we're recording this, opponent TBD, because Muslim Salaf is out of that fight. Yes. Our own Guillem-Cruz has reported.

Brandon Royval versus Orgerio Bontarine. I don't think I've been, I think that might be the most fascinating fight in my eyes, only because of the interview I do with Brandon Royval, who's trying to calm himself. And I just don't know, like, the battle within himself to fight calmly is so interesting to me because he's so full of chaos. Chase Sherman, Jake Collier,

Yo Anderson, Brito versus Bill Algio. That's fun. Jamie Pickett Joseph Holmes. Ramiz, Brahmaja. Brahmajov? I can never get there. I believe it's, I believe it's Brahimi.

Brahimi, yes. I suck. Sorry. Uh, versus Cort McGee, T. Brown, Gabriel Benitez,

Dakota Bush versus, uh, Vlasius left, Borasheff. You almost wanted to say Dakota's nickname there, didn't you? We're not going to say it. You're not going to say it.

I saw you pause. I saw you pause for a second. Vanessa Demopoulos versus Sylvania Gomez, Horaz and our old friend Brian Boom Kelleher, back inside the octagon taken on side your cub, Hak Ramanov, who will be a guest on We Got Next Next Week

discussing that fight and some other cool stuff going on and the harrowing journey that you spoke with him about and how life has changed since the big win so not the deepest card of all time but still some good fights,

A.K. I like it. That's a good card to start the year. That's good. I see if you'll complain, I think Chukagin Maya looks like it's poised to be the Coleman.

And I get it. Look, that's not, I don't think on paper that's a super exciting fight. But at least it's two top 10 ranked flyweights. All right, come on. You know, we can't,

We can't have it like all, we can't have everything all the time, right? You know, we complain about them, you know, putting the fighters who are ranked, you know, too low in the cards. Top five ranked flyaway. Right. So we can, look, we can play sometimes like, oh, why are ranked fighters on the prelims or whatever? So this time, look, they put two ranked fighters. I know, not known for super exciting fights. But rankings, if you think they matter, the UFC's rankings or our rankings or anybody's rankings,

I think they deserve the co-main event spots. So you won't, if it's a bad fight, I mean, you won't hear it for me on Saturday. I certainly won't like, you know, twist things and say it's amazing if it's not. But I think Chukagian and my good for them. They deserve a high profile spot on a UFC fight night. For them, 125 would be very interesting this year as will be this entire year. I think like heading into an actual calendar year for the UFC, this might be the most interesting with all the unanswered questions, the possible looming free agents, the squabbles, if you will,

with some of their top names. This will be a very interesting year. I know 2016 will go down as the most newsworthy year. 2021 is a close seconds in terms of storylines and things that transpired. But heading into a new year, this might be the most interesting for the UFC. And even for Bellator and even for the PFL, put so many unanswered questions there. But back to some matchmaking next week on the show. And we are very excited about that.

So for AK, I am Mike Keck. Thank you for watching or listening to the program. And I always remember, don't take this stuff. Seriously, MMA is supposed to be fun. We'll have more fun. First time matchmaking in 2022 right here next week. On onto the next one, the podcast. You're listening to the Vox Media Podcast Network.