MMA Fighting - The MMA Hour - Episode 164

Episode Date: August 14, 2014

Featuring Michael Bisping, Hector Lombard, Nick Newell, Marc Ratner, and Kevin Kay. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Support for this show comes from the Audible Original, the downloaded two, ghosts in the machine. The Earth only has a few days left. Rosco Cudulian and the rest of the Phoenix colony have to re-upload their minds into the quantum computer, but a new threat has arisen that could destroy their stored consciousness forever. Listen to Oscar winner Brendan Fraser reprised his role as Rosco Cudulian in this follow-up to the Audible Original Blockbuster. The Downloaded, it's a thought-provoking sci-fi journey where identity, memory, and morality collide. Robert J. Sawyer does it again with this much-anticipated sequel that leaves you asking, What are you willing to lose to save the ones you love?

The Downloaded 2. Ghosts in the Machine. Available now, only from Audible. Support for the show comes from Odu. Running a business is hard enough, so why make it harder with a dozen different apps that don't talk to each other. Introducing O-DU. It's the only business software you'll ever need. It's an all-in-one fully integrated platform that makes your work easier,

CRM, accounting, inventory, e-commerce, and more. And the best part, O-DU replaces multiple expensive platforms for a fraction of the cost. That's why over thousands of businesses have made the switch. So why not you? Try O-D-O-4-3 at O-D-O-D-com. That's O-D-O-O-O-O-com. It's the Mixed Martial Arts Hour with the Mixed Martial Arts Hour back in your life on this Monday, January 14th, 2013. If you're watching this live, I am sorry for the 15 or so minute delay.

I had a bit of a tech issue that came up with a minute before the show's commencement and we had to figure it out. But now we have figured it out. I hope we're good to go. We've got a great show lined up for you right here, right now. Joining the back, as always, by Isaac, the returning Buzzkill Brendan and New York Rick. You will hear from New York, Rick, in the third hour as we present our Rick's Picks Challenge. We previewed it last week. We are going to have Rick put his money where his mouth is.

Rick's Picks is going to the big leagues, if you know what I'm saying. We'll talk about that in the third hour. In the second hour, we're going to be joined by an old friend, an old friend Hector Lombard, the former Bel-Tor middleweight champion who, as you may recall over the summer, was not a big fan of mine, went on a radio station in South Florida, and went off on me and just had some very mean things to say about me. But now we have Squash the Beef, and we are so proud and so excited to welcome Hector onto the show. So that's going to happen in the second hour.

We're going to talk about that. His win in December over Hussemaar Paul Harris, his upcoming fight against Uschino-Kami. Also in the second hour, Nick Newell is going to be stopping by. I'm sure if you're a fan of MMA at this point, you've heard of Nick's story, a congenital amputee. Nothing past his elbows, missing essentially this part of his arm. And he is the XFC lightweight champion. Undefeated 9-0. Talk to Dana White about him recently.

I want to talk to him about his career. Very interesting guy. Kevin Kay, he is the president of Spike TV. He'll be stopping by 2 o'clock to talk about Beltors. Spike TV debut on Thursday, looking forward to that. At 140, we'll be joined by Michael the Count Bisping all the way in Brazil. He fights Vitor Belford at UFC on FX-7 this Saturday night. Looking forward to having Michael back on the show.

And at around 120, the VP of Regulatory Affairs for the UFC, Mark Ratner, one of the most respected men in MMA, will be stopping by to talk about regulation of mixed martial arts. Before we get to him, of course, we are starting a little late, had a bit of an intro or sorts. You know, it's funny, I started the show with kind of an open forum. Usually we book guests every 20 minutes or so for the first two hours of the show. But I wanted to talk about a lot of things that happened this weekend, the MMA Awards,

the final strike force of all time. But we started late, so maybe I'll save that for the third hour. Most importantly, though, I just want to thank everyone for voting me for the voting for the 2012 World MMA Journalists of the year. Three in a row, I can't even describe what that means to me, how much it means to me, how honored I am, how thankful I am to you. I know the fans voted for it, so I just wanted to thank all of you off the top and thank the good people.

Ad Fighters Only and the World M.A Awards over in Las Vegas, the production teams and whatnot, for hosting the event again, enjoyed it very much, and again, thank you so much to all the fans. Strike Force was fun. It was an interesting show. It was kind of cool to be there. The last event, get the last interview with Scott Coker as CEO of Strikeforce memorable show. We'll talk about that, I'm sure, in the questions.

Before we get to Mark Ratner, I want to play the clip of Hector Lombard, at least part of it, because it's a long clip. He was on this radio show with Alex Dono in South Florida, and over the summer, right before UFC 149, and he went off on me, and you need to hear that to really appreciate the interview coming up. Don't want to play it while he's there because it's a little – while he's on the show because it's a little long and it will drag a bit. So here's the clip of Hector Lombard, so you have at least some sort of feeling for how he felt about me back in July, and then we'll hear from him at around 240.

First, the clip. Ariel Orawani is being asking all these guys' questions, and they just follow. And they don't even realize that the guy is just, you know, tried to use them and to get famous for his stuff. You know what I mean? Like Ariel Lovani, he's just a troublemaker. He goes behind the TV out of his house and interviewing all the fighters why he thinks about all the fighters and asking, you know, a little personal questions about fighters. And the guy just enjoy, enjoy how he's just fired up all the fighters.

make all the fighters fired up to each other when I believe that this is a joke that you know, like when somebody interview me or somebody interviewed me, I don't, I don't want to talk about somebody else, right? But when Ariya Elwani asked, you know, interview you, it's just about to start trouble, you know, like it's being asked you to start trouble, you know, Like he's being asking all these fighters, all this middleweight fighters, right? Oh, what do you guys think about Hector? Oh, guys, what do you think about Hector? Do you guys think that he just set the title shot?

So all these damas are, all these damage up there, all? They go ahead and they, you know, they just fired up without knowing that the guy is just using to be his company. He done it to me He done it to TOTIS He done it to Rampe Jackson And it's a huge list I don't get it I don't get it

And I still I still let a bit You know Sort of like Confused About if If you can do that Like you start trouble here and there

And you know Look cool So Hector Has Ariel One was the last time He tried to interview you All right So that's the clip

It was a longer clip I was going to play the whole thing, but we don't have time for that. You get the sense there. Troublemaker, not a fan of me, all that stuff. Oh, valid points, sure. I've been trying to get him on this show. I've been trying to interview Hector since July. And finally, I guess cooler heads prevailed.

Maybe you like me now. I don't know. He has agreed to come on the show in the second hour. So that's the background, and that's courtesy of Alex Dono. You heard his voice. Great radio host. He works now at 560 WQA.m. over in Florida.

Hector Lombard coming on in the second hour. Now, over the end of the year, UFC 155 at the Post-Fy press conference in Las Vegas, I asked UFC President Dana White, why doesn't the UFC just, at the end of the day, like they do overseas, regulate their own events? You know, Dana complains all the time about the referees, the judges. It happened again on Saturday night, Ryan Couture, KJ Noons. controversial, they seem sometimes incompetent, they seem like they don't know what they're doing, and it's ruining the sport, right? Why don't they just take matters into their own hands,

like the NBA does, like the NFL does, like Major League Baseball, have your own independent, officiating, judging, you know, there's no conflict of interest, in my opinion, because other sports do it. But there's this thought in combat sports. You can't do it. You've got to go through the commissions. That's the law. They license you and all that. Well, laws, in my opinion, can be broken, can be revolutionized, can be changed. When I brought this up to Dana, he looked at me like I had 10 heads and everyone laughed and they thought it was silly. Well, in the last two months, the UFC overseas has caught five PD users, or at least five people who have tested positive for banned substances, caught them, doing it better, in my opinion, than the commissions. And they have, in my opinion, the most respected

man in combat sports leading the charge, the former executive commissioner of executive director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission now works for them. He is their VP of regulatory affairs, and he is on the line right now here to clear things up for us. He is Mark Ratner, our good friend. Mark, how are you? Good, Ariel. Thank you very much for those kind words, and I'm delighted to talk with you. So great to have you on the show. And first things first, great job over at the World M.A Awards UFC winning promotion of the year. Most importantly, though, for you, congratulations on being inducted into the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame with some pretty big names. Mike Tyson, Sugar A. Leonard, and there he is, Mark Ratner himself.

That must be a pretty big thrill for a Nevada resident, right? Well, yeah, that makes me very happy, and De La Javier and Chavez Jr. To be with those guys makes it even more special and the different people that have started this Hall of Fame. The one thing I brought up to him is that Jack Dempsey fought 10 or 11 times in the state of Nevada back in the 1920s and 1950s. So he should be one of the, you know, they've got to go all the way back to the beginning of the century when they really want to make a Boxing Hall of Fame, so they're looking at that too.

Well, that would be great. I mean, there's certainly a long list of fighters, and, you know, hopefully we get some UFC guys in there, MMA guys, certainly the Nevada being the home state, if you will, of the UFC. And one of the reasons why I wanted to have you on the show was part of what I was talking about in the introduction. But before we get to that, this is a big week for you, right? I mean, this is one of those fight weeks where you're back in charge. It's an overseas event. It's over in Brazil.

There's no commission there. So you get to put the commissioner hat back on, if you will. Do you enjoy that? Do you enjoy being able to regulate the events, the overseas ones? Yes. It's certainly part of my life. And I've got to go all over the world doing it, whether it be Abu Dhabi or the U.K. or Germany or Japan.

This time in Brazil, they are. are forming a commission, we're trying to help grow with sport. So we're not going to be completely in charge. So it's a little bit different, and this is very important for us, because we want commissions in all these different places. I think it's better to have a commission learn about the sport and really regulate it. But in the meantime, to grow the sport, that's what we're doing, and we're making sure that this commission understands that.

So you were back in Brazil in October. you return on Saturday for UFC on FX-7. Was this commission around in October, or is this the first time that you're going to be working with them? They were monitoring it back in October, and this will be the first time that they will be doing it. Now, I am not going to be able to go, but our senior legal counsel, Mike Merce will be there. We have Jess Gonzalez, who is former regulator from the state of Wisconsin. So we'll have the right people in place. I have all the work with this commission.

We have all the judges and referees. We're ready for Saturday night as well as the Sunday fight-ins for the tough show that will be taking place filming the next couple months there. So they're up and running. They're officially a commission over there in Brazil. And is it a country commission or like the Sao Paulo have a different commission than Rio de Janeiro? It's supposedly going to be a country country commission. commission, right now they're at be

headquartered in Rio and or Salopal. I'm not sure where the headquarters will be, but this is just the beginning of it, and this will be a good learning exercise, but they have been monitoring actually the last, I believe, three shows. Will they drug tests? Yes.

Okay. Tug testing will definitely be in, and every fighter on the card, as we do in all foreign locales without a commission, will be drug tested. So all 22 two or 24 fighters will be drug tested. You mentioned, you know, the UFC wants there to be athletic commissions in place.

You want to work with them. So now I bring up what I brought up to you on Friday and what I brought up to Dana when you looked at me like I had 10 heads. Clearly, there is an issue here, right? Clearly, you go to somewhere like Oklahoma City, and this is what I often bring up. When the NBA, you know, moved to Oklahoma City, right? When the supersonicics moved there and became the thunder, the local Oklahoma City referees didn't get a chance to start now

reffing NBA games. It wasn't their chance at the big time. But yet when the UFC or Strike Force or Belvoir comes to a market for the first time, you often see these guys who aren't qualified to be reffing and judging Major League MMA. Too often, we see issues like this. We see what happened with KJ. Noons and Ryan Couture. We see what happened with Melvin Galard and Jamie Varner when one judge gives it 30, 27, when it was clear that the other guy won all the rounds, etc., etc. Why can't the UFC go off on their own, start an independent, hire someone, do it themselves, and now not have to deal with these issues anymore?

Why can't the rules be changed? Why can't a curt flood-type situation happen where there's a revolution and things become better for the sport? Well, I guess there could be, this is unlike the NBA or NFL where you have full-time officials or major league baseball who have unions. Certainly, it's a little bit different situation. Here, we're governed by, not internationally, but every American state has their own commission. And it would be a major, major change. I'm not sure how you have to do it. You probably have to have a lawsuit in every state. The way the rules are written, when you come to Nevada, you're going to be regulated by the Nevada commissioning. And if you don't want to go under them, then they're not going to let you hear.

I think it would be a huge undertaking. And there would be, unlike any other sport, this is pretty subjective. It's not quite as easy as it sounds. Certainly there's some subjectivity in sports like diving or gymnastics, but there's controversies in those too. I think that we have to keep on deepening the pool of officials. We've got to keep pushing this. We've got to keep actually teaching more seminars from these states.

But I do agree that there are problems in the judging, not so much in the refereeing, but you're also right when we go to certain places. They demand some of their people to work. I make notes on everybody who works wherever we go in the country. And if there has been a problem, then I will say to the commission, if we're going back to, let's say, Illinois or somewhere. So these people who have worked our show before didn't do a good job or these people in Oklahoma. And I've already talked to the Oklahoma Commission today just to talk about the KJ.

News Ryan Couture fight. Oh, really? So I try to stay on top of that. But judging is very subjective. So that's not going to change. I know it's a big question. I know you can't paint everyone with the same brush. But do you think that the commissions in MMA are doing a good job, doing a good job of, you know,

know, like you said, finding the right people, cultivating them, teaching them, and then even after the events, sitting down and asking them, why did you do it this way? Why did you make this call? Why did you score it this way? Are they doing a good enough job? From a guy who was in that seat for so many years, who was the one that everyone looked up to, do you believe that they are doing a good job? Oh, I think there has to be a lot more done. There are certain states that they don't have that many fights or some of them are on Indian reservations and the commissions aren't involved.

So their experience level is not as good as it should be. It's still a brand new sport. When we're talking about this sport, it's really, I don't even go back to 1993. It's really from 2001, 2002 on, where a lot of these states are just starting, and it's going to take a while to deepen the pool. It's not going to be an overnight process,

but certainly it can be better. But if we go to boxing, which has been around 150 years, there are still the Pachial fight with Bradley is still as controversial as can be, and those judges are very experienced. So I think that it's really not fair to paint the brush saying that the sport is really, really hurting. I think there are some decisions, but if you look at the number of fights that happen, it's not quite as big a problem as some people see it. doing a great job with the UFC, but do you ever get that itch to go back on the other side of the fence

and say, all right, I'm going to clean things up, I'm going to do this and that, like, do you ever sit there and wish, you know, it would be fun for maybe a few months to get to do my old job? No, because I'm lucky enough to be able to do some of these self-regulating us around the world. But I certainly still love boxing. My best analogy would be I have two children in my real life and in my sports life, boxing my older child, mixed martial arts is my younger, and there's funnier room to love them both.

I really dislike when people tell me they have to choose one over the other. There's no reason. It's two separate sports, and there's no reason not to like them both if you like combat. Do you want to stop regulating those overseas events? Like if you had it your way, would you rather not be in that position anymore? I think in order to keep on growing the sport that you need regulatory oversight, whether it be in France, whether it be in Germany, I've talked with the British Boxing Board of Control about putting mixed martial arts under their purview.

So far they've resisted. And that's why we want to keep growing the sport and we're going to keep pushing that way. So yes, I would like to see it. regulated by the different sports ministers in these different countries. To me, what I find to be, I guess, upsetting is that the commissions don't seem to want to change. They don't seem to want to, you know, if you criticize them, they get very defensive. And there's things to be critiqued, right? I mean, a perfect example, and one that you brought up when I spoke to you about it a couple

months ago, marijuana being viewed out as a PED. And if someone test positive for marijuana, they get the same kind of suspension usually as if someone test positive for steroid. But when you, you know, when you regulate an event overseas, you have made it known that you don't view it that way. Do you think that the commissions will follow suit? I think eventually, yes. And certainly with the more states that are legalizing marijuana or medical marijuana. I think that, yeah, our views have to change. I was at a hearing last week, here in the state of Nevada, where two kickboxers, not mixed martial arts, but kickboxers took some kind of a water pill so they could shed their weight, so they could cut their weight.

And I certainly don't equate that with a performance-enhancing drug, and they both were suspended for nine months. And I think the commission has to look at that and really treat all these different And I'll be different kinds of drugs and different products differently. They can't just say everything's going to be nine months or a year. And that's certainly one thing I'm fighting for. Is there a chance that, you know, I don't know, at some point the commissions, I know they have their, you know, sometimes here they come together, but they help each other out where they, you know, they come together.

They have these like ABC things and all that, but where they actually come together and they really try to get all on the same page because to me it doesn't really feel like the commission, state by state, are truly on the same page. Do you disagree? No, I don't disagree. I've been going to the ADC meetings for over 20 years. I've asked for a certain couple of things that I still believe in,

that standardized medical tests, so the medical tests are the same in every state, and we're still fighting that. There's states' rights issues. I don't understand why there cannot be one set of medical standards, set of licensing standards throughout the country. It just gets me crazy, and I bring it up every year. States say they're going to go back and change their laws

and their regulations, and so far that has not happened. And that disappoints me. There are certain states that are very, very well regulated, and certain states that just don't have enough fights and are not as good, and they don't have full-time people, so it's a problem. There's no question about it. Which is the best, in your opinion?

Which is the best day right now? Can you say that or is that something? No, I wouldn't say that, but I will say that certain states certainly do it better. But I don't want to have 20 states getting added us. We go to most of them anyway, but I'm on the phone every day with one state or a couple states. I just have a message into the New York Commission Day on some questions I have with them. So yeah, so I'm complete communication with most of the states. Well, obviously, I was going to ask you about New York.

I'll get there in a second. But just one more question about when you regulate events, does it shock you? And obviously, there's always going to be an issue as far as PEDs in this sport, any sport. But like I said, last two months, you caught five people, five fighters who use banned substances. And I give you kudos for that. Does it shock you when guys do this when it's a UFC regulated event? Like, do you think that they think because it's overseas they can get away with this? I don't know what they think, but I've certainly made it very clear,

and we've made it very clear that when we go out of the country and self-regulated, it's not random testing now. It's every fighter in the car is going to be tested for PEDs and drugs of abuse. So it should not be a – I mean, nobody should test positive on a show, but they still do. and the one thing that we're not going to do is overlook it. We test them, and if they test positive, then we're going to announce it to the world. Sometimes it takes a little bit longer

because we have to let the fighters know, and it takes a little bit longer to get the test back. But if it does happen, then we're not going to hide it and let the people know. Now, you mentioned New York. Dana White got me very excited at the UFC 155 post-fight press conference when he said that the plan is 20th anniversary. he wants to put a show in MSG, you know, and he has a big fight already planned for it.

I mean, he got me very excited. And, of course, MMA isn't legalized here in the great state of New York. He didn't have a lot of information as to what's going on. I come to you with these questions. What is going on? Is it going to happen this year? Well, that's been my fervent hope for the last five years. We're waiting right now to – we are hoping that the governor,

Governor Cuomo puts it in his budget. That would alleviate a lot of problems. If he doesn't, we're prepared to put a bill in again with the Senate and the Assembly and have it passed, or we're cautiously optimistic. Our bill sponsor is now the majority leader of the Assembly. I think that's a positive. So we're moving along. It's about education. It's still going to be a Nevada problem with the unions.

They are very strong and pushing against. that's regulation in New York, but it's not a question of if. It's still a question of when, and it's going to happen, and hopefully this will be the year. So I know you're in Nevada right now, so it's a betting state. If you were a betting man, would you bet that the 20th anniversary show does happen at MSG this year? I would say the odds are probably about 60-40 against us, but if we are able to get into this our governor's budget. I make us

then I think we will have it and we certainly have the date reserved. We want to come to the garden. We want to have a show in Buffalo someday. There's a lot of places we've already heard from the new arena in Brooklyn. We've heard from Syracuse.

We've heard from Albany and it looks like I'll be going to Albany in the next four or five weeks for the I think 16th time. So it's it's just we're not going to give it up. We're going to keep fighting until we get the sport regulated.

So is that the timeline? Next four or five weeks, the ball starts rolling for 2013? Yes. Yeah. The legislature will start meeting very soon, and yeah, we'll just keep going, but it would be a great thing if the governor just puts it in his budget and hopefully stays there and we get it fast. Last year we were very close.

I believe in my heart we had the votes in the assembly we passed the Senate with I think it was 24 to 2 to get to the assembly and it never gets on the floor and I really believe we had the amount of votes but the the speaker did not let it

appear on the floor and so we never got it voted on all if I want is a vote up or down I just don't want it be in the background to not get our chance to get up to bat that's my best analogy there very good one as well and what about

to Connecticut. What's the update there? Connecticut is very much the same as New York. I'm sorry to say that's another union problem. We've been talking to the XL Arena in Hartford, another arena in Bridgeport. They're begging for us to come.

The fans want us, the fighters want to be there. It's the same thing. And going back to New York and as well as Connecticut, they're having these amateur fights that aren't regulated. And they advertise them. And these fights are going on. So it's just, it's nonsensical not to have the sport regulated. And from an economic standpoint, from a health and welfare standpoint,

not to have real doctors at these fights, not to have ambulances, not to have insurance, these fighters are not getting paid. It just doesn't make sense. And that's one of our basic things that we're trying to show the assembly and show the Senate. And these fights are going on. Why not? regulate them? Why not bring some income in? Finally, Mark, just to go back to the officiating, is it true when Dana says, you know, we're being, we're being regulated here by the government? There's nothing we can do. Can the UFC at least work with them, work with the commissions, even if it's a bit of funding and whatnot, seminars as far as, like, after the fact, sitting down

and looking, you know, just helping, instead of just saying we can't do anything, Is there anything the UFC can do that they're not doing now that you would like to see be done in the future to make this sport better? Well, I think that's really a big part of my job, and that's why I do talk to all these commissions and try to get it better and encourage them to have seminars. A lot of the referees are putting on seminars across the country now, and we need more judging seminars. The ABC is putting on at their annual convention more of these kind of seminars. It's just going to take some time, but I'm certainly pushing for it as the representative from the UFC, and that's why I go to all these meetings. I agree it's very important, and we're going to keep pushing for it.

But you seem optimistic. You're not as down on the situation as I am. I am – well, maybe I look at it a little bit differently. Yeah. We have – there's a lot of fights going on that the officiating. is fine, but it comes up, and I don't try to hide behind it. I was disappointed in the fight here that you mentioned when one judge had a 3027, and it looked like to me a clear win, and I've gone to the commission

and certainly voiced my criticism toward it. So I think they're aware of it. They had a seminar here about a month ago for the first time in a while, and they know that they're being looked at. More of the big fights happen in Nevada than any other place, so they've got to be on their toes also. Do you have a good relationship with the Nevada Commission? I talk to them two or three times a week, absolutely. Okay, I don't know, maybe.

I didn't know what kind of terms. I mean, everyone loves you, but I don't know what kind of terms you left on. I believe I left on very, very good terms. It's a – I look back upon my days, and it's almost seven years I've been gone. So things have changed, of course, but I still believe that to be the executive director of the Nevada Athletic Commission is the best regulatory job in the world. And I certainly wouldn't trade my 14 years there as a director for anything. And that's what propelled me into getting into this regulatory world with the UFC. And I'm just delighted that I was able to do that.

And by the way, if you don't mind me asking, how old are you, Mark? I do mind. I'm an old guy here. I don't mind. I know I'm over 65 now, and not quite ready to collect my Social Security or whatever, but no, it's the labor of love. You foresee yourself doing this for many years to come. There's no end for you as far as working for the UFC and just retiring and enjoying your life, because I'm sure this is a stressful job. There's a lot of aggravations every once in a while, but not on wood as long as my life. health is good, and I love coming to work every day. Dana makes me laugh, and Lorenzo has a vision that he can see around the corner. I can see down the street, but he can see down the street

and around the corner, and it energizes me to work with these guys. Well, you are a true gem in our sport, a true class act. I mean, always have been very kind to me, always a pleasure to see you at the events. Talk a little Judaism, talk a little basketball, talk a little fighting. It's always a pleasure to see you. Great to have you on the show. And you, and you, you're always a pleasure to see you. you know what, I actually feel a little better about the whole situation. I felt a little bad about it, and now you made me feel better. I think that's why you are who you are. And even more importantly, in your acceptance speech, and congrats on getting your award again.

Thank you. Dedicated to your son, which made me feel even closer to you. I thought that was a great thing to do, and it's always about family. Thank you very much, Mark. Appreciate it. Good to see you, as always. I'll see you very soon at the next event. Thank you very much for clearing up some of these issues that have been bothering us

for some time. All right. Thanks, Ariel. There he is. Mark Ratner, the VP of Regulatory Affairs for the UFC Class Act. I mean, if you don't know who Mark Ratner is, look him up, read about him. There's a reason why he's in the first class that is being inducted into the brand-new Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame, as he mentioned.

Worked over a decade at the Nevada State Athletic Commission, really put them on the map as far as being the premier commission in all of sports, all of the athletic commissions. They are far in a way the leaders in that regard, and now they're being led by Keith Kaiser. Still, I think, some issues there, as we've talked about on the show, I've talked about, you know, on Twitter and whatnot. But he's optimistic, so I'll be optimistic. There you have it. Mark Ratner. And if you want to ask him many questions, he's actually quite active on Twitter.

His Twitter handle is Mark Ratner, UFC. that's Mark with a C, the French way. And you can get some updates on New York, Connecticut, any questions about judging officiating? Very interesting to note about that Brazil commission that he told us about. So there you have it, Mark Ratner. All right, let's move along.

Like I mentioned, Brazil this weekend, UFC FX7, huge fight, Vitor Belford, versus our guest right now, Michael the Count Bisping. Mike, how are you? I'm very good, Ariel. Almost boring me to death there, but I might as you stay awake. Again, with the board.

I mean, last week I bored you, now I bored you. You don't like Mark Ratner? I'm talking about some commission stuff. Your listeners don't want to hear that. I know you're filling a little bit of time. But come on, let's get to the good stuff. Your viewers, your listeners are waiting. You don't like Mark Radner.

I thought everyone loved Mark Ratner. I love Mark Ratner. I love Mark Ratner. Who doesn't like Mark Ratner? But come on. Okay, okay. Anything to talk about. All right.

Well, we're going to talk about Vitor Belfort and you. Michael Bisping. Hopefully you come up big and you get that title shut that you've been waiting for for quite some time. time. You weren't a fan of that interview that we had with Vitor on the show last week. Did you get to listen to the whole thing? No, I was only playing. Listen, I've got tremendous respect for Vitor. He's a very tough opponent. He carries himself very well. He's a decent human being.

But, you know, we're going to fight, so I'm going to stir the part a little. Why not? I'm going to have a little bit of fun. I'm going to generate some interest. Hopefully, I'm going to push a few buttons, stir a few emotions. I certainly fight better when I'm like that. So I'm just doing what I need. I need to step into a cage and try my best to beat the living crap out of the guy. You know, so I'm going to do what I need to mentally prepare. It's interesting you say that because you've been writing these fantastic blog posts for Yahoo Sports. Some of your best work, I might say.

But you did mention something that kind of interesting based on what you just said here because you said you had a nice relationship with Vitor. You're in the same locker room at UFC 152. Then when you went to Brazil to hype the fight, you saw that he was talking behind your back and talking smack, and then you went up to him, and he said, hey, I was just trying to hype the fight. Now you're just saying you're trying to hype the fight.

You're doing exactly what he did. So what's your problem? No, of course. Of course. And listen, I'll take anything and everything. I'll take the smallest little piece, and it could be nothing. It could be an innocent little remark.

But in my head, I'm going to multiply that massively and turn a molehill into a mountain because that's what I need to do, and that's how I fight better, and that's how I perform. So if any of my opponents, in the past, present, or future, give me an ounce.

of material to go on, then I'm going to go on that, and I'm going to turn it into a big thing, because that fuels me. That's what gets me out of bed. That's what gets me in the octagon, and that's what helps me perform at such a high level. So he started this, right? If he didn't go that route... Come on, I never start anything, Ariel.

You know me? I'm not that guy. Man, you know that clip that you're talking about in the blog post, him caressing a foot? You know that's his wife, right? Listen, I just saw Vitor sucking Taws. I'm not nearly two of. I thought, you know, I'm not interested in whose foot it was, Ariel. You know, all I know is that I'm going to sit my foot up his eyes.

I thought it was very romantic, to be honest. I thought it was beautiful. Yeah. That was beautiful. Good for him. Good for him. You can suck my toes on Saturday night. Oh, that's very nice.

Now, you are in Brazil right now. What's it like? How are they treating you there? Well, the people of Brazil are very, very nice, but I've got to say, I'm very disappointed with the weather. I thought it would be hot and glorious and sunshine, and it's kind of like a rainy day in England right now. It's pissing down with rain.

It's very, very cloudy and overcast. And yeah, but no, it's a very, very nice city. And when I had a nice meal last night, very nice people. I only got here yesterday, so still early days. But so far, so good. Is it summertime there now? It is summertime here, yes. I noticed that you flew out on Saturday and you tweeted a pick.

You had a very big smile on your face. You seemed very happy. and it seemed like your team was behind you, and based on the seats, it looked like you were in business class and they were in coach. Is that accurate? Well, almost accurate. I was in first class and they were in coach, but what did you do? Wow.

What can I say? No, but I was very happy. I was very happy. Listen, it's been a long, hard training camp, and, you know, when you fly to the destination city where the fight is, you know, the hard work is done. Now it's time for the fun. Obviously, you've got to cut weights.

You've got to, you know, do all your necessary. obligations the week of the fight, but the real hard intense work is done, you know, now it's time to revel in the glory and, you know, the hard work's going to pay off. So yeah, yeah, you know, I mean, I'm sat on a plane, I'm flying off to Brazil, I've got a big smile on my face, I'm doing the job I love, you know, I'm very passionate about what I do, I love this, so why wouldn't have a smile on my face? But most importantly, shouldn't you be in the same class with your team? I mean, you're a man of the people,

why should there be class? Listen, Ariel, I'll tell you what, you can pay for them then? What, can't the UFC do that? Like, that should be part of your contract. Hey, listen, speak to Dana. See to Denner and Lorenzo. Tell them, I want my corner flying up business class, and I'm sure they will laugh you out of the building.

Now, I noticed you had a bit of a Shiner. I did have a bit of a Shiner, yes. Who gave you that? My son. Yeah. I'm kidding. Boring. You know, I don't generally get hit,

but I think somebody must have, you know, maybe it was a thumb, something like that, because certainly nobody landed a glove. Come on. Okay. All right. So, but you're... I've had some good sparring.

It's been hard. So, yeah, I'm prepared to this fight. I've worked very, very hard. And I'm very happy with the way I'm performing right now. But, yeah, you do get clipped now and I get in training. I'm beside it makes me look sexy. It does. I have to admit, you looked very good in that picture.

You had a nice smile. The hair was looking good. Now, did you bring in anyone special to mimic, Vitor? I just brought in, well, see, the thing, getting hold of a decent Southport sparring partner can be quite tricky. but for this fight I did pretty well we had Alexander Schoemenko

he worked with me quite a lot so he's a great spa Jay Silver he used to be in the UFC he's actually very explosive and he's a good striker Lorenz Larkin from Strike Force to name but a few

and as well brought in a few good decent Southball boxes as well so you know and that was just on the striking side brought some good wrestling some good jihitsu guys so you know

I've prepared very well for this fight My skill set has increased, and, you know, I'm feeling very, very confident. Now, most of the people listening to this haven't seen this, but I was in Las Vegas on Friday at the MMA Awards, and you won International Fighter of the Year. Now, let's be honest, did you expect to win it because you were only one in one in 2012? Why can't you just give me a compliment? I've got to give it a one, oh, you were a fight of the year, but then take it away with insulting me. Listen, the people have spoken Ariel.

Who are we? I'm just a mere mortal. I cannot judge. If thousands, and believe you me, it was a huge land-clide victory, according to the sources of fighters only. If that's what the people vote for, then that's what the people vote for. And who are me or you to judge the people, Ariel? No. Just go with it, take it, and just bow down and know that the international fighter of the year is on the phone with you. It was a great speech, perhaps maybe six minutes a little long. Because your ending was great.

You sit to all the haters out there, shove it up your ass, but it took you like 10 minutes to get there. Geez, I mean, and you taped it. You could have, like, retaped it and cut it down a little bit to get your point. Listen, I was sparring, they turned up, I just said a few words. It's up to the editors then. You know, I just said, I thanked my team. I thanked my team.

I thanked my sparring partners. I thanked my coaches. I thanked my sponsors. I thanked my management. I thanked my family and everyone that bought it. You know, what do you want me to do? Do you not want me to thank them people, Ariel? Well, you know who you didn't thank.

and I think they've been very good to you, the media. The media has been a very big part of your career. Oh, sorry, I forgot to give Ariel Helwani. Ariel Igor Helwarnet a mention next time I will do that. You didn't mention winning the UFC Tonight Trivia show, which I thought was probably the thing. I didn't know, that's right. Yeah. Damn, damn.

Now, Mike, can you tell me who's this Tyson Fury guy that everyone keeps asking me about? Oh, my God. What is going on here? Yeah, obviously we all saw Cam Velasquez. do a fantastic job against Junior Dos Santos and then Tyson Fury this is only I've only discovered this recently

but he's a boxer in the UK apparently you know he's doing quite well and he's calling out the UFC heavyweight champion now and one of the newspapers in England called me up and asked me what I thought of it and I said listen I said I always support

British sportsmen I always support British athletes you know and I wish them all the best I said but a boxer calling out the heavyweight champion of the world and, you know, no offence to this guy he's not even the best boxer in Britain, far from it, you know. So, you know, him calling out

the heavyweight champion of the world in the UFC isn't a smart move and, you know, he needs to get a grip and obviously he read the court and then he said bad-mouthed in me and to be honest, I never really knew who he was. But I looked him up on the internet and the first thing I found was a clip of him on YouTube throwing an upper court, he misses his upon him

and punches himself in the head. It's classic. You've got to check it out. Based upon him punching himself in the face, I then decided to no longer give him any of my attention. Just curious. One last question on him. Could you beat him in a boxing match?

Come on, Ariel. No? Let's get serious. Of course I could. Oh, okay. Okay. Just wondering. All right.

So let's end on Vitor Bell. And by the way, just wondering, did you figure out where that trophy, the UFC Tonight Trivia? No, I still have it. I do. I very much have it. I sleep. It's next to my bed.

I sleep with it every night. I give it a little kiss. think of you, Ariel. I know your boyfriend, Chris Wyman, is going to get jealous when I was talking about that. Oh, are you excited for him to come back? He's coming back. Is he coming back?

Yeah, he's... A little hiatus, his little vacation that he's taken. Oh, blessing me, hurt his shoulder. By the way, how fun was it to watch UFC 155 to see all these middle-way contenders just sort of disappear? And then you're... You and Wyman are the last men standing.

They lost. Because I've always felt, you know, very confident that I could, you know, take care of Alan Belcher and Simbole and I've got nothing to get him personally. And actually, I'd just like to say that Tim Boch and Alan Boch has seemed like really, really nice guys. So I have nothing to get him personally.

And, you know, this world of UFC in fighting. You've got to do what you can to get a headache, et cetera. So I have nothing to get him personally. But I've always felt, particularly Alan Belcher, he's been calling me out for years and years and years. And I've always felt, you know, I could take care of him pretty easily. And I plan on taking care of business on Saturday night and beating Vitor. and then I plan on fighting Anderson later in the year

and taking the title off him and I thought Alan Belcher, Tim Bowes, they're doing well, a little bit of title talk around them they could be too nice little easy title defenses for me so actually seeing them get beat was quite saddening for me

but it did kind of open the door for this fight to be a true number one contender fight but it's kind of... Yeah, no, it did. But it's not for Vitor, right? It's just for you. No, it's not. Yeah, that's kind of interesting, right? What's your point?

Well, it means that you're getting a really big opportunity here. That means that UFC thinks very highly of you. Thank you very much. Yeah, well, the thing is with Vito, he fought Anderson quite recently. And, you know, we all know what happened in that fight got taken out in the first round, you know, with that amazing front kick that Anderson through. So I think it would be hard maybe for the UFC to sell that fight to the public. Who knows?

Or maybe, you know, it just happened recently. That's the thing. and I truly believe Vito's the hardest fight outside of Anderson in the middle-led division. I think if I beat Vito, then I certainly deserve a title shot, and I think I'll do very well against Anderson. But right now, all I'm thinking about is Vito Belfoy. As I said, he's a tremendous opponent. He's fought who's who of MMA.

The only people that have beaten him are all-time greats. You know, he's recent running the UFC. He's only been beaten by John Jones and Anderson Silver, the two-pound-f-f-pound best in the world. So fortunately, Saturday night, when I've beaten him, I'll be joining good company. But, you know, I've prepared hard. I want to publicly thank all my coaches, training partners,

MMA Elite, Powerdown Sports Management. This again. Thank you all. But I'm ready for Saturday night. My confidence is at an all-time high. Everyone tune in, FX, Saturday night, free TV. You get a pay-per-view-worthy main event for absolutely free,

and it's going to be one hell of a fight. It sounds like you're trying to wrap up the interview here, but I have a couple more questions. No, I'm not going to wrap it. I was nothing better to do than speak to you via a cracky landline. the other side of the world. Is this your, in your opinion, are you viewing this as your last chance

to get a title shot? No, absolutely not. Listen, I think, you know, I haven't fought for the title yet. And I think I'm destined to be world champion one day. No one works as hard as me. I've definitely got the skills shot. I've got the tools.

I've got the mental capacity to achieve that, you know, the mental toughness that's required. I've got all the ingredients. Maybe in the past I wasn't ready. Now I feel ready. the fact that I've built myself back up and I've got myself to this position again I think is a testament to my mental toughness

and my desire to win and continue I've been in the UFC seven years and you know God forbid this doesn't go my way on Saturday night I'm not going away I'm not going away that easily I'll go away I'll dust myself off I'll build myself back up and I'll be back in this position again and I will win but right now I'm not even thinking about that

I'm very very confident you know if Vito beats you on Saturday night then you know you'll hear no excuses from me fair play to the guy. He beat the best version of me right now, and he's one hell of a fire, you know. But I truly believe I'm going to do it. It's not going to be easy. He's going to be tough. I know he's a hard man, but believe me, I'm going to win this fight. I asked him about what you claim to be his illegal punches, right? To the back of the head, he said, he doesn't do that. You just have to make sure you don't turn your head that way.

I mean, he can't help himself in those cases. Oh, no, that's right, you know. Listen, the people that he put in that position are pretty easy to hit, and he led face down. But we all know, he punched him all repeatedly in the back of the head. You know that, Ariel. You've told me that in the past before yourself. What? I never said that. Yeah, you did.

That is... Yeah, you did. That's slanderous. Lying. Slandrous. No, you never told me that, but, no, listen, he dropped Haki Yarm, and he dropped Franklin, Fair and Square. But then he followed him up with punches to the back of the head. Now, you know, he was just carried away in the moment, of course,

but he's not going to get me in that position. Rich Franklin's a fantastic fighter, but let's be honest, he just got knocked out of Cungley, so we can all forget about that one. And Akiyama, I fought him myself. He's quite easy to hit. I think I'm going to cause Bell for a lot of problems with my movement, my speed, my head movement, you know. I'm much more elusive than other fighters he's fought.

But that said, I'm going to be right in front of him, going forward, pushing the pace. This isn't a chess match. I'm not looking to scrape a decision. I'm looking to win the fighting style and take him out. But I think stylistically I'm a bad matchup for him. Final question to you, Michael. And this, I'm really looking forward to this.

If you win on Saturday, what's going to happen when you get that microphone, that crowd? I mean, Vitor, second to Anderson, he's like a god there in Brazil. But not only that, you would have just been him, and you're about to fight their number one god, Anderson, right? The most popular fighter maybe in the world, what are you going to say on the microphone? Who knows? Listen, you know, I don't really plan a lot of things. Everything's off the cuff. Really?

That's surprising. You know what I mean? So, who knows? I mean, I've had my little indiscretions in the past, and that's heat of the moment and adrenaline. So God knows what's going to happen Saturday night. Tune in and check it out. Who knows?

Will you have security there just in case? Will you have security with you just in case? Personal security. No, I don't need personal security. All right. But, no, listen, you know, if that was to happen, I've got nothing but respect for Anderson Silver, and I'm really happy to be down here in Brazil fighting.

You know, this is the home of MMA, this is where it evolved, this is where it all started, the culture of jihitsu, everything. I'm very, very proud to be down here taking part of the first main event in the first UFC in Sao Paulo. You know, I love my job. I love doing what I do, and as I say, regarding Anderson, fingers crossed, I do the business, I think VTor Belfort has been a very good tune-up for Anderson-Silver,

you know, in some ways they're quite similar. but right now, as I said, it's all about Vitor Belfour. All right, Mike. Well, we appreciate the time, especially over there. I know you're very busy. Always good to have you on the show. Good luck this Saturday, FX Live, Vitor Belford versus Michael Bisping. If Michael Bisping wins, he will finally get that title shot that has been eluding him throughout his UFC career.

Michael Bisping versus Anderson, that should be a great fight as well. Good luck to you, my friend, and maybe we'll talk to you next week when you're the number one contender. Fingers crossed. All right, thanks, guys. Thanks, guys. Thanks, Ariel. Thanks, everybody. He's going to tune in and watch the fight.

and supported me throughout my career. It means a lot. It really does. Cheers, guys. Cheers, Mike. There he is. Michael Bisping, joining us from Sao Paulo, Brazil,

and I wanted to correct him on something. He said that was the first UFC in Sao Paulo. It actually wasn't. The first UFC in Sao Paulo was UFC Brazil, October of 1998. Come on, Mike. You're there. Learn the facts.

Nonetheless, it goes down this Saturday live on FX. A big main event for the UFC. see their first show of 2013. But the MMA weekend, if you will, kicks off two days before that when Spike TV finally rolls out the red carpet for Bellator MMA. It's Belator's debut on Spike. Much anticipated debut. We've been talking about it for over a year now. And it finally goes down this Thursday, 10 p.m. Eastern live and free on Spike TV, Belltor's debut. And now we are honored to have the president of Spike TV on the line, Mr. Kevin K. Hey, Kevin, how are you?

I'm good, Ariel. How are you? I'm doing great. Thank you so much for joining us. Really appreciate it. So here we are Monday, three or so days before the big debut. Are we ready? Are all the ducks in a row?

Is everything prepare, production, all that? Do you feel like Spike TV is ready for Bellator and vice versa? Yeah, I mean, I'm excited. I think we're in pretty good shape, and hopefully nobody gets hurt this week, and everybody weighs in. And, you know, we have fantastic fights. You know what the fights are, but, I mean, it's, you know, Curran and Pitbull and Chandler and Hahn two championship fights. You know, Babelieu coming into the tournament for the first time, Seth Petrazzelli.

I mean, you know, we got a great night of fights. We're really excited about it, and we think we're going to put on a great show. We're at the Brent Center and University of California or nearby. How tough was 2012 for you that, you know, everything was 2013, 2013, the debut, debut, and you had that sort of transition. period there. You know, you were still getting ratings from Unleashed and things like that and some replay, you know, highlight shows and all that. But when everyone's kind of looking ahead, it almost makes that one year there a lame duck year. Was that a good thing for you guys, that it gave you a year to prepare for this? Or were you kind of getting anxious towards the end there, just

kind of counting down the days till the January debut? Well, we've been anxious since the day we, you know, got into business with Bellator to want to get it over to spike. And obviously, there were certain limitations, you know, and reasons why I was on MTV, too. But I'll say the biggest thing that I'm most excited about is it's finally going to be an HD on your TV, you know, which we think is, you know, a significant improvement, unless you are watching it on Spike.com or Epic before you really weren't able to see it, and, you know, in all its glory and how great it looks and sounds. And, you know, I think that's going to be great for the fans.

You know, the year was the year. And I think what was great about the year. And I've said this before. It's a little bit like being off-Broadway. You know, you really get an opportunity, and Bjorn got an opportunity to sign some great fighters and to really work out the, you know, some of the kinks and the tournament structure and settle on a place where we actually have real brackets, where, you know, the fights are picked before the tournament starts. Everybody knows who's going to fight everybody.

Winners fight winners, and it's preordained, and that's a little different than it was done in the past. So I think, you know, and from a production standpoint, you know, just those kinds of things that you do, you know. you improve the lighting, you improve the audio, you know, you build new graphics packages, and got a great big, cool looking open that, you know, is going to debut on the show on Thursday night at 10. You know, so I think when we get there, we've had a year. We, you know, if we screw it up, it's our fault. So now this time around for you as president of Spike TV, it's a little different, right?

Because Viacom, the parent company of Spike, majority owner of Bellator, as opposed to, you, to just being a broadcast partner with the UFC. What are the differences there for you? As far as what the job entails, how does this one feel different? Well, obviously, when you own something, you're a little bit more invested in the success of it in the long run. So, you know, we always, listen, we had a great partnership. You know this with the UFC, and it had great results for both parties while it lasted. But, you know, we're in a long-term relationship now, and you don't ever have to worry now that it's going to, you know,

two years are going to come up and you're going to be renegotiated. and maybe they stay and maybe they go. It's like we know who our partners are. We're committed to them for the long term. So every investment you're making is, you know, got a payoff. So, you know, it's a kind of a different, you know, excitement about the property. And, you know, because we're building something. We're building a franchise for the future.

And, you know, our guys who I think are terrific at marketing and promoting, you know, have been doing this for a long time in the MMA space. And they now get to bring all their really special talents to, you know, and we've already seen a lot of it on the air, but just, you know, just great marketing and promotion campaign is everywhere. You can just tell by the level of investment, you know, you're seeing spots in football games and, you know, basketball games on Christmas Day. You're seeing spots on, you know, on all our competition. We're excited and we're pushing hard. And I think, you know, we, because we see a long-term future with Bellator on Spike.

How involved are you in the day-to-day operations of Belator? Listen, I, of course, you know this because you used to work up here. There's always a fire drill. There's always some sound going on out in the lobby. Do you have to evacuate? No, I don't. But, you know, I'm very involved. I talk to Bjorn, you know, practically every day, if not every day, every other day.

You know, we talk about everything that we can be doing and anything that we think we can be doing better. and, you know, as whatever opportunities come up, whether it's about fighters or, you know, it's about improvements to production, or it's about, you know, even the, you know, the King Mo special that we have that's coming up this week right after the, right after the first fight, you know, just kind of trading notes back and forth and seeing how we can just continue to make it better and make it what we believe, you know, the fans want to see. You know, we're true partners in this and, you know, between myself and all the the other folks that work here, we're pretty committed to making sure that this is as good as it

can possibly be. What's your relationship like with Bjorn? It's good. You know, Bjorn is, you know, I think Bjorn knows what he doesn't know, and I know what I don't know. So that makes it a good relationship, you know. I will always say I'm not a fight promoter. I love mixed martial arts.

I'm a huge fan of mixed martial arts, but I should never be the guy that, you know, depicts the guys that go into the cage. That's not what my specialty is. I'm, you know, I run a TV network. My job is to make sure that we market it and promote it right and that it gets out there and all the distribution platforms we have in the right way. And, you know, Bjorn's job is to promote fight and run a business. And I think, you know, where we intersect is about the running of the business and, you know, work real hard together on the marketing and the promotion. And as far as, you know, the fighters, it's like, you know, I may have opinions.

And I may have a very strong opinion about, you know, who should fight where on a card in terms of the order of a card, what makes the best. best TV show. But, you know, in terms of who fights who, and, you know, that's left in the hands of the people that really know it. And I think, you know, Bjorn has, you know, great people over there. Sam Kaplan, I think is one of the best talent development people around. And they found, they found some really talented people. Does Bjorn have more or less in common with Dana?

You know, I don't know. That's, you know, they're completely two different people. Okay. You know, I think that, you know, as fight promoters, I think they're both incredibly focused, and I'll tell you one thing that they're very much the same and that they never stop working. You know, 18, 20 hours a day, you will always find those guys working on, you know, whatever it is they have to do to make their product special.

And I think, you know, I think we all know, Dana has a certain personality and a certain way of, you know, expressing himself, which we love about him. And Bjorn is a little bit more of, you know, I'd say the CEO type, you know, and that's the way that he runs his business. and, you know, they're both, both tremendous of what they do. What's your relationship like with Dana now? I think my relationship with Dana is good. You know, we, you know, talk every once in a while, and, you know, obviously we're different, you know, it's a little different because we're in the same business, you know, running one promotion over here and he's running his.

But I think, you know, we have, you know, I believe a healthy respect for each other. And, you know, and I don't look at, you know, the UFC and think like, oh, man, we're going to beat them. You know, it's like, I believe there's plenty of room in this space for, you know, two great promotions. And I think it's good, and I think it's healthy, and I think competition is healthy. And I also believe that, you know, we're giving fighters opportunities, and we're giving, you know, we're giving managers and trainers and all the people that come along with fighters' opportunities. And I think that's a good thing for the sport. How do you react when you hear him, you know, call your network? to spook TV and and criticize some of your programming and some of the things that, you know,

you put on the air and whatnot. How do you react to that, given your relationship with him? You know, Dana's Dana. Like, you know, I actually thought the Spook TV thing was kind of funny. The first thing I did is I called up my, you know, my digital guys, and I said, do me a favor. By the search term, Spook TV, so that when anybody searches Spook TV, it gives them a, it gives them a Bell to a promo. You know, so, you know, whatever. Listen, there's always going to be times that people say stuff like that.

And it doesn't matter if it's your direct competitor in a mixed martial arts business or if it's a guy working at another network. It's like, you know, as I said, we have a healthy respect for each other, and that's really all that matters at the end of the day. I respect what they do. I respect, you know, the job that they've done over there. And, you know, they can say whatever they want to say at the end of the day. We're just putting on TV shows.

Right. And for the most part, I think Dana has been pretty respectful. and tried not to engage too much this year, even though we try to, you know, poke the bear, if you will. But on a conference call recently, the head of FX, Chuck Saffler said, quote, Spike better watch their asses next year, that being this year. What was your reaction to that? There's no reaction to that. That's just not the way that television executives should talk. You know, that's fight promoter talk.

It seemed like he was amped up, though. I guess. Yeah, well, why do you think he reacted that way? Do you think it was because of some of the counter-programming last year? You know, you'd have to ask him. I mean, you know, look, counter-programming was what it was. You know, it's like it should be no surprise to anybody. You know, we've had this, talked about this before,

but, you know, the U.C. had the opportunity. We owned that library in the negotiation to end the deal. When they moved on to Fox, we suggested to them that they should buy back that library, so we wouldn't have to use it to counter-program against them. They decided not to do that. was well within their rights to do that. And, you know, I don't think that anybody over there thought we weren't going to use it to, you know, counterprogram.

I mean, that's what else would you do with the library that you paid millions of dollars for? How involved are you in the Eddie Alvarez saga? I'm not involved in the Eddie Alvarez saga at all. I mean, that's between, you know, Bellator and Eddie. But VICOM owns Bellator, right? So shouldn't you, I mean, that's a big part of what you guys are trying to put on. you're not involved in it at all? No, I mean, other than, you know, when there's a request for how much money do we need,

Bellator need, you know, to keep or make a decision not to keep any hours, that's a discussion we have, but on a day-to-day basis, that's, you know, that's Bjorn's decision to make. And, you know, if he needs additional funding, then he'll come to me and we'll have that discussion. But I think, as you saw this play out, I think he was surprised at the numbers, and those were numbers that he was able to cover in his budget. and now it's in an unfortunate place. You know, I will say that it makes me sad whenever there's a dispute between an employer and an employee,

and when an employee sues an employer or an employer sues an employee, that's not good for anybody. So we certainly wish it hadn't gotten to this place. But, you know, Bellator has made a significant investment in Ed, you know, I think about $900,000 over, you know, the course of the time that he was there. And they did that on the promise of that contract and that ability to make. match. They didn't spend that $900,000 to watch and walk away to another promotion without being able to exercise their right to match. Ed doesn't believe that that match is equivalent. Bjorn believes it is, and I guess the only other thing I'd say about it is I would give everybody the advice that I think is, you know, probably the most overused phrase in mixed martial arts.

It was never leave it in the hands of the judges. That is very apropos. But when Bjorn decides to sue Eddie, and then obviously Eddie also sue him as well. But when that happens, does he have to get clearance from you? Or can he do that on his own? I can do that on his own. And just so we're clear, you know, I think there is a lot of confusion because I see it when people write on blogs that, you know, somehow they think that Bjorn sued Ed and Ed countersued Bjorn. It actually isn't the case.

There were individual suits filed probably, you know, half hour within each other. So, you know, each party trying to protect their rights. One of the big sticking points seems to be the pay-per-view points, right? Because the money seems to be the same, but then what can come with pay-per-view. When you had that conference call to announce the kickoff, I remember asking the question, pay-per-view in the plans for 2013, and I was told no. So has that changed at all? Yeah, we're still looking at pay-per-view.

I mean, I think there will be pay-per-view, probably in 2013. But, you know, I would say that the only way there's pay-per-view is if you have the right fight, because, you know, particularly on a first pay-per-view, you want to launch with something big, and you want to make an impact. You don't want to go out there and not sell it well. So it's going to require the right fight. And, you know, when we know and feel that we have the right fight, it's, you know, it's not brain surgery to get, you know, your MSOs in line to, you know,

everybody makes money in a pay-per-view. So it's not difficult to get one up and running. And I think what you saw, you know, over the many, many years that Spike was promoting UFC pay-per-views, that's when they're business peaked, right? It's like that's when their pay-per-view business peaked. I think, you know, when you have one platform, you know, one network, screaming as a Barker channel loudly all the time, all day, every day, that's a very effective tool for selling pay-per-view.

So, you know, we feel really confident that when we do get to a Bellator pay-per-view buy, we're going to employ the same tactics. We're going to scream really loud. But we do need the right fight because, you know, people pay for the right fight. I want to see a great fight. And, you know, obviously we need a stacked card. So when we feel like we have a stacked card of great fights, it will be go time, and that could be, you know,

that could be three months from now, two months from now, or six months from now. When do you think the Eddie situation will be resolved? I honestly have no idea. All right. You know what I would say? It's like if it ends up where it looks like it's ending up, which is in the hands of, you know, the legal system,

I think it's going to take a significant amount of time, and that would be really unfortunate. Do you think there's a chance that Beltor will move away from having a show every week during that season? Because my concern is you don't have enough time to tell stories week to week because you're focusing on that event and you only have six or so days to now retell a whole new card. Do you think that there should be some breathing room there? No, I mean, I like the tournament structure. I mean, I've now followed it pretty closely through a couple of seasons on MTVA too. And I like it.

And I think we've found ways to structure the tournament so that we hope to carry the viewer through from week to week. And I also believe that the storytelling about fighters, I just finished watching the packages for this week's fight are terrific. I mean, you really get a good sense of who these guys are. So look, if Babelieu wins in the first week, you're already attached to him. And, you know, four weeks later, he's going to be back, hopefully barring injury. and you're going to want to see him fight again. And I think, you know, that's what the tournament structure brings you. It brings you fighters that you, you know, hopefully, you know, grow to love from first week to fourth week to, you know, to ninth week to finals

and that you want to follow. And I think, you know, in success, you know, the fans will want to be there to see the guys that they picked fight. I've said – It's very much like an NCAA bracket. Right. You know. I've said in other interviews that I think come March 1st, we'll know what kind of appetite there is for Bellator on Spike, because you'll have so many shows by then all your top stars will have fought by then,

and that's in less than two months. Do you view it the same way? Like, do you think we're about to know pretty quickly as far as ratings are concerned, you know, how big the appetite is for this new brand on your network? I don't know if we'll know in two months. I mean, I think, you know, I'm not a big fan of getting ahead of race. ratings in that way because, you know, I think ratings looked at over time make a lot more sense. I think when you start predicting ratings, you know, and saying this show is going to do so many

viewers. And you're never going to be right, by the way. It's like I've been doing this a long time. You're inevitably wrong. I think for me, the way to look at this is I hope we have a good launch and we've put a lot behind it. We put a lot behind these first few shows, and I believe we'll do okay. But the real key and the real goal is to see what happens 12 weeks from now. You know, if we've grown ratings by the time we get to the finals of these tournaments, then that's going to be a good thing. And then we go into a summer series, and then we go into a fall series. And if you see consistent ratings growth over a period of time, then I think we're, you know, we're on the right track. I mean, that's what we're looking for is growth.

And, you know, I'm not looking for growth over a month or two months. I'm looking for growth over a year. So if I ask you to predict the ratings for a Thursday, you're probably not going to give them. No chance. Just a couple more questions. you know, there's some pretty big free agents, not named Eddie Alvarez, that are coming up, you know, a guy like Josh Barnett, Rampage Jackson, potentially. Are you going to try to sign some of these big, more established names,

to give the brand more credibility? I think we're always going to look at guys like that. I mean, I think, you know, I have two opinions about that. One is, you know, there's probably only a handful of those fighters that you want to look at, right? If they're big personalities and they have a great track record and they've got enough gas left in the tank, My general feeling about fighters that get released from other organizations is there's reasons why they get released from other organizations. And it's usually because they either aren't making money for that organization.

They're not a fan favorite or they're just at the tail end of their career. So, you know, I don't think we're going to make a lot of those acquisitions. I think Bjorn is really smart. And he thinks about that a lot. And he's got a philosophy of building from the ground up, which is where you see like the Chandler's and the currents come from. So I don't think there's a ton of those, but I would say, you know, you mentioned two guys that are, you know, look, I've always loved Rampage. He's fantastic. He's under contract to the UFC right now.

But, you know, if he became available and he still wants to fight, sure, we'd have, you know, take a look and have a discussion about that. And, you know, so, as I said, I don't think there's going to be a ton of them. And I don't think that the organization and the success of the organization relies on signing guys like that. I believe that it's ground up, find the talent, build them up, put them in tournaments, make them stars, use all the powers we have at Viacom. You know, it's like, you know, Curran was out at the, at the Nets game the other night, you know, like giving away the game ball. I think Lyman Good's going to be out there. You know, it's like we bring them to our award shows. They walk the red carpet there with other celebrities.

There's, you know, international press there. You know, it's like make stars out of the great talent that you have and build them up that way. I think is really the long-term strategy. Picking off a guy here and there maybe, you know, might be good and may help you temporarily, but what you want to do is build loyal fighters that love the organization and, you know, and want to stick around and be champions.

Final thing, you mentioned the packages and whatnot, but as far as the actual look, the cage, the lighting, all that, will that be different or will it look like your old Bell Tour events? Well, like I said, it's going to be an HD, so for most of the audience, it's going to look really different. Yeah, and there is a new cage. I mean, I don't know how significant, you know, the viewer will see the difference in the cage. The cage does look great. The lighting has been improved significantly. There are new video packages and graphics. There's a whole new open to the show. I think they guys have done an amazing job with audio. You can hear the crispness of the punching. You can hear referee instructions. You can hear corner instructions really well. They've done some really special things. things there. So I feel like the production's in a really good place, and I think, you know, I think Sean and Jimmy are terrific. Jimmy Smith continues, in my opinion, to be one of the most

knowledgeable, you know, color commentators in all of MMA and, you know, just love listening to him. He's always telling you what's going to happen one second before it happens. And it's only three televised fights, right? Because there's two title fights? Well, there's four televised fights. The Petrazelli fight is also on the car. Okay. And it is headline, of course, Michael Chandler versus Rick Hahn, lightweight title kicks off. Pat Curran versus Petitio Pitbull-Ferere. It's a great card, and it kicks off January 17th. That's this Thursday from the Brent Center in Irvine, California.

He is Kevin K., the president of Spike TV. Great to have you on the show for the first time, Kevin, and good luck on Thursday night. Thanks, Ariel. I really appreciate the time. All right, there he is. Kevin K. stopping by. Great to have him on the show, and looking forward to Belator's debut this Thursday on Spike TV,

10 p.m. Eastern, 10 p.m. Pacific on the West Coast. So you'll have to wait a couple extra hours, three extra hours to see it, but it comes on after Impact Wrestling this Thursday night. All right, let's transition now and welcome in the XFC lightweight champion. A man that appeared on Spike TV a bunch of times last year on MMA uncensored live. He is Nick Newell, and he joins us right now. Nick, how are you? Good, good, great to be on the show.

Great to have you on the show, Nick. So you are 9-0. you picked up the lightweight title for XFC late last year, and it's interesting that we had Kevin K. on the show, the president of Spike TV, are obviously very involved with Beltor. I think you are the perfect match for someone like Beltor if they wanted to go after you, and if you wanted to fight for them.

And I'm wondering, you know, how has your life changed since becoming the champion? Have you received offers from other organizations? Are you, you know, more sought after now that you are a champ? You know, it is a... It has been different before I was a guy, you know, and everyone knew me as a fighter before this year. I really established myself and showed myself as being a really well-rounded elite-level fighter. I can hang with anyone, and I just beat one of the best guys out there that's not signed by Bellator or UFC.

and, you know, I really showed my worth this year, and I usually let my management handle offers and stuff like that for me, but it's good to really show that I'm, you know, a high-level competitor in this sport, and definitely the buzz has increased around me since I did that. What kind of contract do you have with XFC? Right now, there's one more fight left on my contract with the XFC, and, you know, they've been really good to me, and I'm very happy with them right now, so we have a very good relationship.

And my goal is to fight the best fighters in the world and get the exposure, you know. So we'll see where it goes from that. Obviously, you know, whenever someone talks about your story, they obviously talk about your arm and the odds that you have to fight to get to where you are. Do you think that now, and you feel that now that you are the champion, are those questions, are those concerns, are those kind of interviews? Are they coming up less, or do you think that's always going to be a part of your story? I mean, people will always look at me as being the guy with one hand. I mean, I go to eat a sandwich, you know, like that guy's eating a sandwich got has one hand, you know. And I feel like people are starting to look at me more as a talented fighter.

You know, I'm not just a guy who fights with one hand. And I'm a very talented fighter that happens to have one hand. And, you know, as much as I would like to just be known and look at for my fighting skill, you know, I have – it will always just be an issue, even like with a whole Dana White interview and all that stuff. So, you know, it's always going to be something that gets brought up. Even no matter how much I accomplish in this sport, you know, it's always going to be something that's brought up.

So I've kind of come to terms with that. It's funny that you mentioned that. It's a great segue because I was the one that asked Dana the question at the UFC 155 pre-fight press conference. I want to play the clip, and then I want to get your response. want to talk about it a little bit. You mentioned it. It was Dana White. I asked him about you, and I asked him about if there was a chance that he could come or you could come to the UFC. Would he be interested in signing you?

This is what Dana White had to say a couple of weeks ago in Las Vegas. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Never. He's being top, you know, not top guys, but, you know, he's a... Yeah. No. It's hard to fight here with two arms. You know what I mean? This is the...

Yeah. Here? Well, no, obviously not. He doesn't fight, but ultimate fighter. Maybe, maybe, I don't know. You know? I don't know. Where's he fought? Is he ever fought in Nevada or any of the big states? Where's that?

Boston. He's on Axis team. He is their champion. So, you know, he beat a guy, be somebody who's a lot of other tough guys. He beat some former UFC fighter. Let me tell you what. Who did he beat? Who was there?

He'd be at least one former UFC fighter. I'm not sure. Journeyman. I don't know. Ten of a guy who fought Eddie Alvarez. Yeah, that's tough, man. This isn't. I mean, there's guys that are out there that we bring in,

that are considered top guys into the ultimate fighter that don't really ever pan out and make it. But if he tried out, would you even let him tryouts in a little bit? I don't know. With the state of Nevada let him fight. With the state of California let him fight. You know, would some of these bigger athletic commissions let him fight? You know, maybe you can get away with that in some of these other states, but...

Nick Limbo lets him fight for what it's worth. Yeah? Yeah, there you go. That's a real one. Florida. Okay. I don't know. I have no idea. Fighting with one arm is just craziness to me. Yeah.

He dismissed the idea. Did that bug you? Yeah, a little bit, especially because I've already been licensed in Nevada. So that's not really an issue at all. And it kind of disappoints me that, you know, someone that's such a powerful figure in this sport, feels that way or looks at me that way. I mean, he did say never, say never, but I feel like anyone else with my track record,

you know, 9-0 with eight first-round stoppages, I finish fights, I'm exciting, and the people want to see me fight in the UFC. And, you know, right now, that's the pinnacle of sport, and that's where you can test yourself with the best guys in the world. So I want to see where I stand amongst the world's elite fighters, and I feel like I've earned the change. I've earned my shot, and anyone else with my track record would be getting looked at,

but it's due to outside circumstances. And he wants to talk about how he wants people that have equal opportunity, the women and gay fighters and stuff like that. Well, you know, I'd like my equal opportunity as well. So is that deflating for you? I mean, to have someone of his stature say something like that, internally, how do you react? You know, I don't get discouraged about too much about things like that.

It's, like, disappointing because, you know, it's basically saying that I'm going to have they're probably just waiting for me to lose or, like, do something, you know, but I'm not going anywhere in this sport. You know, I'm good. And a lot of those guys that are in the UFC, just because they're in the UFC, doesn't mean that they can beat me. You know, I think I match up really well with a lot of people in there, and I would have no hesitation fighting them.

And then the thing comes up, who have I fought? Well, you haven't beat anyone in the UFC. Well, how am I supposed to beat people in the UFC if I don't fight in the UFC? Right. It's just like a weird, weird subject. You know, I mean, other sports give a shot. The MLB gave a shot to Jim Abbott. You know, he did great.

You know, even that chick on The Bachelor, they're giving her a shot. I didn't know there was a chick on The Bachelor like that. She's got one arm or one hand, just like me. Did you ever or have you ever considered trying out for the Ultimate Fighter? Well, I did, so. You did consider it or you did try out? No, I did. You tried out?

Yep. When? So, the 145 pound season. And what happened? I made it through, but they didn't use me at the time. I was only 4-0. And I hadn't really beaten anyone that was super worthwhile. But, you know, since then, I've improved.

And, you know, I'm ready to take on anyone. So you made it through. You actually made it onto the show? No, I didn't make it onto the show. Obviously not, but you made it through the whole casting process? Yep. Why do you laugh? I don't know if I'm supposed to be telling that stuff,

but I really don't care at this point because I made it all the way through and I tapped the guy out of the tryouts with Umpata. Wow. I did a striking, I did good in the interview, and then they just decided not to use me, so. What was the reason that they gave you? Not enough experience.

But there have been guys on the show with less experience, right? Yeah, but at the end of the day, it's their show and they can do whatever they want. When you tap the guy out via Umpata At the tryouts, who was there? As far as the UFC is concerned. Joe Silva? Joe Silva?

Yeah. Sean Shelby? I think so. Possibly. I think it was, it might have been... Yeah, it was during the WEC, so yeah. Dana White? Absolutely.

So he knows who you are. Yeah. Did you speak to him there? No, I just kind of shook his hand. I was kind of nervous to tell you the truth. Right. And during the... I was like 4-0.

I was just, happy that I did such a good job and I had like a little bit of adrenaline dump afterwards and I like, I was like, oh man, I just did great, you know. During the interview process, is he a part of that? No, not at all. He has nothing. He wasn't there at all or anything. So why do you think that they really said no to you because of your experience or because

of your your hand situation? I don't know, man. The thing is when you look at it with me, they're like, Like, well, what if he gets knocked out or something like that? Well, guess what? People get knocked out all the time in this sport. You know, it's a part of the sport. And I've proven my worth in this sport.

I'm far from invincible, but I think I've proven that I'm more than capable. And it's always going to be a point, like, well, what if this is it's like, at what point are we just going to look past it and just give me a chance? Right. Do you think that they will be inclined to give you – like, let's say you win your next 11 in a row, become 20 knows. Is that the game plan forced their hand, essentially? Yeah, I mean, I don't know. You know, I'm not them, so I can't comment on that. You know, what I do know is, you know, look at the XFC. The reason why they're doing good

and they're coming up is because they took a chance on me. They looked past that and they saw me as a fighter. And, you know, I wouldn't be having this conversation. station right now if they never gave me the chance to do that. It's all about just looking at someone as the fighter, you know, and instead of outside things. If I can, it doesn't matter if I have one hand, as long as I can beat everyone. You know, there's, I've seen guys fight.

I've seen guys win the ultimate fighter in there. They, you know, they're limited. They can't punch good or they don't have like a good, a good ground game, you know, like a lot of guys can't kick. Like, I can do everything. The only thing I don't have is a left cross. When you put it that way, that is a very good point. You mentioned that you have been licensed...

No, I can't use my hand. Well, there's tons of people you look at that can't even use their feet. Right. Yes, because they have bad foot movement, right? Yeah, because they're not good. Some of them can't move their head. It's like they're headless. Yeah, sure.

Why you gave those guys a shot? You said you've been licensed by Nevada. You never fought in Nevada, though, as a pro. When did you get licensed? Was it because of the Ultimate Fighter? Yeah, when it was potential that I could have possibly been on that, I went and I got licensed. They said, yeah, they said, that's no problem.

Wow. Well, that's huge. That's very interesting. Now, you, as I mentioned, you were featured on MMA Uncensored Live a bunch of times last year, which is on Spike TV. And to me, it felt like... You're going to end up in Belator. They're putting you on this show so many times.

They're looking for any kind of edge over the UFC. Any feelers from Belator? Not that I know of at the moment. Nothing from them currently, no. I don't know. I don't handle that stuff. They came out in public and said that they would want me. I wouldn't have any idea about that.

Well, I'm sure your manager would tell you if they called. Uh, yeah, I mean, I, I don't... Unless he's a bad manager, which I'm not saying it. Is he a good manager? Uh, yeah, I got a good one. Okay, that's good to know. Um, do you want to fight for Bellator or is it UFC or a bus for you? No, it doesn't matter.

It's a great organization, you know, there's a lot of good organizations out there. Belator's a great one, and they got a great thing going on with Spike TV and right there. And, you know, look at... Look at how nice. see Eddie Alvarez is, and you've got guys like Michael Chandler, and I'm from the same area as Rick Hawn. That guy's amazing. You know, they got a good thing going on, and, you know, right now they're solid number two, and it's a great organization. I mean, who wouldn't, you know? Would you be okay, end of your career? Let's say it comes in 20 years. If you have an amazing

career, if you end your career with one of the best records, but you never fight in the UFC for these same reasons that we've been talking about, would you be okay with that, or will there always be something in the back of your mind that kind of bugs you and makes you wish that you got at least one chance? You know, I kind of just live day by day, so I wouldn't be able to answer that question unless it really happened. Right now, everyone says, oh, you're an MAA fighter. They're like, you fight in the UFC.

You know, that's like the first thing they ask. So that's like kind of important. But, you know, you'll have to see what goes on right now with all these organizations coming up. You don't know how well Belator is going to do on Spike TV, so they might fly even closer. And then, you know, what's going to go next on Showtime? I know XSCs in negotiations to Showtime. There's so many outside factors right now, you know, that play into that. So we'd have to see.

Just to be clear, you said they're negotiations. Do you mean like they're talking to them, or is it serious negotiations? Yeah, from what I hear, yeah. Really? I can get in on where a strike force left off. Well, that's pretty interesting. That would be great, you know. Are you, would you be content staying with XFC?

XFC is great. You know, they've done such a wonderful job, and they're doing great things. and I love, I really do, I love fighting for them. But from a standpoint right now is that, you know, the pinnacle right now is the NFL, which is like the, you know, like the UFC is the NFL and stuff like that. So a lot of money to be made there and a lot to prove out there more, more importantly. All right, yeah, that is obviously very true right now, as MMA is concerned.

And are you going to try to try out for the Ultimate Fighter? Are you done with that? No, absolutely. I'm not going anywhere. Well, maybe you wanted to go a different route since it didn't work the first time. Or maybe you don't believe what they were telling you, so you'd stop trying out. I don't know. Yeah, listen, I'm not going anywhere.

And I'm just going to keep on beating people and keep weighing. And that's what I've been doing. and I think I've been doing a great job at it. You know, I can't. You can only say no for so long, and then, you know, maybe I'll find my way somewhere, and I'll be beaten, you know, I'll be in there competing, and I can beat a lot of the best guys out there right now.

I know that I could. I just need the opportunity. At the beginning of your career, it seemed like a lot of people didn't want to fight you. You were having trouble finding opponents. people are backing out. Is that still the case now? No. No. You know, the guys at the XFC worked really hard to find me opponents,

and I think with the exposure that I've gotten recently, and, you know, how popular I've become, especially over the past year, I have people calling me out on Twitter all the time, and, you know, the ability for them to fly me out and fly opponents out really changes things up a lot. And instead of me going against guys that are just like, oh, I'm just going to do this for fun. So I want people to think I'm tough because I'm a fighter.

I'm going against real fighters and real tough people that just want to fight. They don't care if I have one hand or not. They have something to prove, you know, and they want to get through me to prove it. Do you have any idea who your next fight is going to be against? No, I don't. No, I know they have some stuff. They're working out some potential competitor, you know.

Right now I just like to fight the toughest guys, man. I want to fight veterans that have established themselves. And, you know, I'd love to fight someone that's bent up there. And then the whole question of, oh, who would you be? It's like, well, I beat this dude, you know. So that's a reason why I would like to fight veterans and really tough guys and names. a very popular names.

Any idea when the fight's going to happen, your last fight on your contract? Probably April. All right. Well, we look out for that, and maybe you can force the UFC to make a decision with that performance. Maybe you can keep breathing down their necks. Maybe this interview will help you out. Very interesting stuff from you here today, Nick. We appreciate the time.

Wish you the best of luck on your next fight. Congratulations on all your success and being such an inspiration for so many people. for kicking so many people's asses and proving the doubters wrong. It's amazing to watch. Really, one of the true great stories of 2012. Yeah, and it's going to even be a better story in 2013. Can't wait to see it unfold. Great to have you on the show for the first time.

Nick, best of luck to you, and we'll talk to you very soon. Yeah, next time I'll just come to the studio if you guys are in New York. Oh, absolutely. I'm a Connecticut guy, so. That's true. It's a date. Next time you're on the show, in studio, we'd love to have you. Okay.

All right, there he is. Nick Newell joins us on the phone. right now from Connecticut. A great guy, a great story, looking forward to his next fight in April. All right, let's move along now. Welcome in our last guest of the day. He is the former Bellator Midway champion. Now, member of the UFC picked up a big win over Hussimar Paul Harris last month in Australia. He faces Yushin Okami in March, UFC on Fuel TV 8. He is Hector Lombard. Hector, how are you? Hey, here you go. I'm doing great. And it's great to have you on the show, Hector. So good to finally speak

to you again. Are we cool? Are we friends again? Yeah, I guess. It doesn't sound very, you know, I played the clip of you on Alex Dono's show over the summer. You were very mad at me. You said a lot of, you said a lot of mean things about me. You called me a troublemaker. You were very upset. Why were you so upset with me, Hector? Well, I just spoke, I speak the truth.

Yeah. Nothing more than the truth. And, you know, you've been causing troubles over me. You know, you call this Michael Bisting, and Michael Bisting and Bob Munoz and all that drama, you close it. So, because I have to be mad at you. Do you think I'm causing drama, or do you think I'm just doing my job and asking questions? Because it was, on my, you know, end, you were a new guy coming in. They've been in the UFC a long time, so I wanted to know. What do you think about this new guy coming in and maybe getting a time?

pedal shop before you. Isn't that my job? It wasn't my decision, you know, to jumping and... Of course. I never said it was your decision. It was the UFC's decision. You know, so it's sort of like, you know, it was an awkward situation, you know, to be honest, yeah? Sure. You go ahead and you ask, you're putting, you know, in the rush, those guys. So, because they have to, you know, you know.

And they don't have brains. You basically, you know, you put it on their own thing, and they should talk. And you also said that you thought I'm trying to be more famous than the fighters and all this stuff with Twitter followers and all that. It just seemed like you really don't like me. And I'm wondering, do you like me a little more now? Like, you know, do you see where... I mean, I never said I never said I didn't like you.

You know, I mean, I never said I didn't like you. I never say, you know, it's tough about your personality. What I say, what I say was like you're causing trouble and you, you try to, you know,

make all these things to talk about about me. And, you know, and they, they get influential about you and, and they should speak. I mean, at the end of the day,

at the end of the day, to be honest, you know, I'm, I'm a guy, you know, I'm, you know,

I don't, it's not how feeling. to be honest. That's good. I mean, you did what you have to do for yourself. And, of course, you have to, you know, you have to run your show and stuff like that. And that's part of your job, you know. But you know, Hector, I mean, I've interviewed you before you came to the UFC.

You were just new in Belletor. I went to your gym, ATT, you were very nice to me. I interviewed you in Florida. Did you really think I was trying to put you down? Like, did you think, because I've spoken very highly of you? I mean, why do you think that I was trying to, you know, get people to speak badly about you? I didn't have it out for you. I was just trying to ask questions to people and get their responses.

If anything, you should be mad at them, not me. Let me put it at some for, let me go and put your example. If I go ahead now and I do an interview, we come up a bunch of MMA sites, like people that are running MMA shows. Sure. Like each other for us and ask, oh, what do you think about, what do you think about Adela Lwani? Do you think that he really like to put the fighters in confrontations and stuff like that? They're going to say, yes, he does, right? I don't know about that.

So, you know, like, you're pushing it. You're pushing it to, you know, to then to talk about me. But, I mean, at the end of the day, I don't really care about that, like I said before. I move on. You know, I got to have feelings towards you. Otherwise, I wouldn't do this interview. Right, right. And, you know, I just have to move on, man.

I have to worry about my career. But I think this is a very good conversation to have, and I'm so happy that you did come on the show, unlike some other fighters. And I look at you, Titor-R-Tis, I say, come on the show, tell me why you don't like me, and I want to be a better person. I want to be a better journalist. So I appreciate this criticism very much. I do not agree with you, obviously.

I disagree with... It's a big difference between me and T.O.T. You can't even, you know... You don't compare me with T R.O.T. I don't want to compare you. There's no way. I'm a different character with T T.O.T. I agree with that 100%.

I mean, just look at the fact that you're on the show right now, so I appreciate that very much. But I guess what I want to say to you is, you know, complain often that interviews are boring, that they're redundant, right? And I'm not saying I'm no interview whiz or anything, but what do you want me to ask about? This is the fight business. This guy versus this guy. This guy's going to fight this guy. If he wins, he's going to fight this guy. What do you want me to ask you about your lunch? You know, a little bit after,

you know, I'm, you know, I'll just want you to go ahead and try to see if you can make the fight happen between me and Bispin. How about that? You want me to help you out now? Yeah, I want you to help me out with that. It would be an honor. You know, I had Bisping on my show earlier, and I specifically refrained from asking him any questions about you because I didn't want to upset you because I knew you would say,

oh, you're asking other people about me, but now you're saying you want me to ask other people about you. Right. Yeah. Yeah, that's what I want. Okay. Well, I'm happy to help you out. I mean, you and Michael don't really seem to get along, though, right?

he called you, didn't he call you a midget? I don't, I don't really care, you know, you know, he can call me a midget, you know. I saw this pushback at the elevator, you know, and I squeezed his end, or who it's got the smallest, the smallest hands I ever seen my life, and I squeeze it. And, you know, I'm sure he was in pain. And a little bit after that, you, you know, he's just talking about it, you know, how, how sure I am, and stuff like that. But one thing that you can be, one thing that you can be 100% sure about it is that it's got the smallest things ever.

Really? Yeah, like a little girl's, like a little girl's ham. So I squeeze it. And I think that that's one of the reason why he just said on me. Oh, so this happened before he said those things about you. Then he said it. Yeah, that happened in Canada. Okay, okay, okay.

Because I know I remember the Friday, the way-ins, right? the weigh-ins, the day before your fight, that's when he started to go off on you, right? Yeah, because I squeeze the same. Wow. So are you hoping for him to lose to Vitor? Because they said already, if he wins, he's going to get a title shot. Well, I mean, I got a fight anyway. Right.

Just put it out with. You put it out with. A lot of people think he has a weak chin. Do you think you would knock him out? Yeah, 100%. Um, uh, uh, my pickling, my, me Pickleon, uh, the guy from Australia is like a 155, one 55, uh, partner. And, uh, it's actually smaller than me. And it's actually, shorter than me. He actually he killed his thing. He caoed Bisping?

Yeah. Where? He dropped in Australia. What do you mean, Jorge Rivera? Now, Jorge Rivera. Mac Pigling. Matt Pigling? Yeah, you didn't even, you didn't even heard about this guy before,

because, you know, he's a small fighter. I think he had, like, probably seven fights all over. Okay. Between. But he actually was dropping in a friend practice. Oh, okay. Were you there? I have a friend of mine.

He has the video on it. It has a video. Wow. Are they going to post it? If you're asking, too. I don't really go fucking into any of bullshit because that's not my drama. Right, right, right. I just want to go from there.

Now, I got to ask you, you looked fantastic last month in Australia. Everyone was saying, oh, this is the Hector we were waiting for in the UFC. Did it feel, I mean, like, I know you said you were injured against Tim Boch. Did you feel like the old Hector, or maybe a better Hector when you beat up Hussimarais? Of course I was. Yeah. Well, you look great. I was normal in that fight.

You weren't injured. The first time you were injured, second time you were healthy. Yeah. What was your reaction when you found out Husseemar Paul Harris tested positive for a banned substance? I pay bad for him, to be honest. You know. Why do you feel bad for him? I have to be bad for him because he needs to use all that stuff to, you know,

in order to try to fight or in order to try to win. I don't. Did you think he was cheating while you were fighting him? Of course he was cheating. Why, of course? You know, just look the records. Look at what happened to him. Oh, so do you think if he wasn't cheating, he would have fought better?

If he weren't cheating, it would have fought even worse. Right, exactly. Well, probably. So when you found out that he tested positive, were you surprised? It's a disgrace for the U.S.C. having a guy like that. I don't got to bash a guy now because he's on the floor. But it's disgrace for the U.S. to have a guy like that. You think they should cut him?

Nah, I don't, I don't have got to make opinions. You know, I know my job in the U.S. is fighting. My job is in the U.S. is no like, try to be on opinionier. try to give opinions to the UFC who should stay, who should not stay. I mean, obviously, you know,

the U.S.C. has been fighting for years to try to get rid with all these guys, you know. You know, they're the ones that they're probably really upset I mean, you know, don't me. Are you happier in the UFC? than you were in Belator?

Score time. Why? I always wanted to find the USC. Right. No, this is no a secret. Right. I can be, you know, you have to be smarter, you have to be smart and play the game and go from there.

I always want to be to fight for the U.S.E. How do you feel about everyone knowing your contract details? Now with Eddie Alvarez situation, it's all out there. Do you like that? Can you specify more, like, what were contra details? What do you mean about that? Well, it seemed like it came out. Like, you know, Eddie was on our show last week, and he said, you know,

that he thought he was going to make, or at least get offered as much as you did from the UFC. And, you know, then Bellator's CEO, Bjorn Rebney came out. No, no, look. Let me say one thing. Okay. And this goes to Eddie Arbor's, right? Yeah. He asked me over the phone, like, how much money I was getting paid and stuff like that.

Obviously, you know, I know at that much. You know, obviously I can't, you know, be so stupid and telling, you know, how much money I got off and stuff like that. Right. And he's being, you know, tried to try to know for all the soldiers. how much money are getting paid for the, you know, from the U.S. and stuff like that. He's too worried about all the people, these guys, to be honest. You know, he needs to stop doing that and worry about himself. You know, I left the, I let the bell at all with the belt.

Let's face it. He did it. I left the bell at all being the champion. He did it. And, you know, U.S. Obviously, U.S. he won the best. and the USA won't pay won't pay

sort of amount of money for the guy who who's not a champion it's not a champion in the Belato Cheryl is the champion in the Belato right and if I was

if I would be hearing if I was seeing you know me particularly me and particular myself right I would be I would say you know what but I don't have suffered

me a lot of money better than you offered me a quarter million dollars just to resign within it can't be for a year I'm not even 30 years old and you know

I should have considered like the benefits offered me a quarter million dollars they pay me a lot of money for a fight and I get I get to rematch I can get the chance

to rematch a guy who really who'll really whoop my ass and and next year I can, you know, ask to, you know, to, you know, to negotiate the contract for more money. But it's so worried about all the people. It's so worried about, you know, all the guys up there.

He's a word about all the things that, you know, he just, he just, he just, he's just, he's just, you know what I mean? Right. And, uh, I, you need, you know, stop worry about other people, and what about himself? He could make a lot of money, but I could get very much with Chandler. He might have been a bidding, and he would have got a lot of money from all the organizations. You know, I can't just, you know, that's not my business, you know, that's his business.

But honestly, he needs to stop worrying about all the guys and what about himself? That's my opinion. Very well said. Now, you're fighting Yushin Okami in March in Japan, and Yushin is the kind of guy, you know, he picked up a win over Alan Belcher, just a tough style to deal with. A lot of people don't think it's very exciting, grinding style. He hasn't been in any kind of fight of the year candidates ever.

What do you think about fighting him? I want to fight the base. And, you know, I want to fight the winner between Alan Berger and Yuschen Okami. It was already even set before the fight. Oh, really? He won the fight. I want to fight him. If Alan Bechardt, I would have wanted to fight, I would have fought Alan Bech.

Okay. You know? I want to fight the best. That's why I want to be in the U.S.C. I don't want to fight, you know, a small-name fighter. Are you afraid, though, that he's going to try to, you know... No, I'm afraid, wouldn't you? That the fight won't be that exciting, you know, because it seems like, unless he's fighting Anderson,

as of late, the fights aren't all that exciting. You know, my first fight is. My first fight was boring, and I'm going to make excuses. But Timbos was running all the way. He was running, you know. He brings his bicycle to the ex-tagon, you know, and he started pedaling, running all the way. And let me ask you a question.

And honest truth, who you see who won that fight? I thought you won the fight. You know, I actually said it, even though you were mean to me that week, I thought you won the fight. Oh, thank you for be honest Yeah Thank you for being honest And that's the truth

I tweeted it If anyone remembers I said it And I said it And I said it on this show Not just saying it Because you're here Yeah

That's what I think One thing that I like about you That you're honest Oh Now you like me You said it You finally said it Yeah

At least you're honest Okay That's it You know That's You know That's both in light Like

I like I like it I like it I could I see I see a relationship building between both of us here. I mean, like I said before me, I don't have feelings for you. I just like...

You really hurt my feelings, though, you know? You hurt my feelings when I heard that interview. You went on and on how I was such a bad person. Geez, it really made me sad. No, man, no, no, no, no, no, you got it wrong. You got it wrong. Really? You got it wrong there because, you know, like I said,

I didn't say, I never see a main thing about you, or I never say a main thing about anybody, you know? I just, I feel that you, you just try to fool me out with the comments that you make, you know, and the question you were asking to all the fighters. But let me ask you this, and you now give me an honest answer. When you say to someone that, you know, he cares about his Twitter followers and you don't care about the fighters, for a guy who lives and breathes this sport, who travels all over the place, leaves his family, I mean, for a fighter to say that about you, a great fighter like yourself, that makes you feel like crap, right?

that makes you feel like this guy thinks you're not a genuine person trying to do his job. This is a guy who thinks that you're just trying to be famous and capitalize on the fighters who are the true stars. Can you understand why I felt it was insulting? Yeah, I guess. I mean, but like I said, like I said before, like I said before, we just keep going back to the same, you know, to the same thing, to the same, you know, I already told you, like, you know, I've known how feelings I already told us. We don't have to go back and, you know, we don't have to go back and, you know, death, you know. Okay, that's fair. That's fair. We buried the hatchet, right?

Yeah, I mean, like, you know, I already forget about it, you know, like I said before, like I said before, you know, I forgive. I don't forget, but I forgive. Okay, that's fair. You know, like, no, no big deal, man, no, you know, no have feelings. That's cool. I appreciate that. No heart feelings on this end as well. and I think you really

impressed me by coming on the show today and speaking about this because there are a lot of fighters who won't do that. And I think it made me respect you 100 more times when your manager reached out and said, yep, he'll do it. And I've been trying for a while, but for whatever reason you felt like this was the right time and I respect that you wanted to take your time.

But it really means a lot to me, and I think that a lot of other people were impressed by it as well. Certainly the ones working on this show. So I want to thank you for that. I'm a person that, you know, when I'm at the top, I wanted to get the swing, you know, coming to, you know, do an interview with you because I feel that, you know, I'm on top again, you know, and now it's the right time, you know, for me, you know, to do the interview with you. And by some of the fighters, when they're on top, they just want to squeeze the little guys in the bottom. You know, and when they're in the border, they just want to, you know, to the guys at the top.

With me, it's the opposite. Is it all the way around? By the way, how do you feel about going all the way to Japan for this fight, fighting enemy territory against a Japanese fighter? Do you like that? Well, yeah. And I have to go this week, this weekend for the press conference. you know, it's going to be 24 hours on the airplane

and stay there, do the press conference, and they come back again, and then fly up again. It's just got to be hard, but, you know, I have to do it. You know, I had to do what USC asked me to do, and, you know, if this is what they want me to do, I have to do it, I'll do it. So how does that affect your training? Because there's jet lag involved, there's packing and traveling,

all that stuff, I mean, do you feel like it's going to affect your training? It would happen my training, but that's part of the job, you know. It's part of the job. And, you know, you have experience. You know, sometimes they usually say, you know, you have to be at this time, at that time, whatever. And you have to do it.

I'm right and wrong. No, no, you're right. They're the boss, right? And you fought in Japan a bunch of times throughout your career. Are you looking forward to getting back there? Oh, I'm looking for another fight in the U.S.C. Let's just leave it like that. Hey, what do you think about fighting maybe Luke Rockhold after this fight?

Strike Force Champion versus Belator champion. Do you like that? Can you stop saying, can you please stop saying like Belator champion? I know the Belator anymore. I'm fighting in the UFC. Okay, I'm trying to give you props, though. You're still the Beltor champion. They haven't even crowned a new champion. You know, before the Belator, I was a CFC champion. You know, that's really careful.

I don't really care for belts or titles. I want to fight. So you've retired that belt. It's done. You don't even care about it. Do you even have a belt from Belator at your house? No, I don't. Really?

Why not? You know, it's all material shit. You know, I'll fight for the U.S. here at the moment. I'm focusing this, in that, I'm focusing, I'm focusing, on, on the UFC at the moment. You don't have, like, a trophy case in your house with all your belts? It's all material, you know. All right. And in my opinion, Hector, until they crown a new Belator champion,

you're the reigning and defending Belator champion. You know, can we just stop, you know, mention all that? Okay, fine, fine, fine. I'm fighting in the U.C., you know, like, like, I left all that behind and I say, you know, Well, just going to the U.S. Okay. But do you like the fight against Luke Rockhold, or not really? If you're that's what the U.S.C. wants, I'll do it.

I think it would be an interesting fight. But that being said, I also think the Bissping fight would be interesting, too. But, like I said, I didn't come to the U.S.C. I didn't come to the U.S. to fight guys from the Strip. I come to the U.S. to fight guys from the U.S. You know? Right. And then you got the guy with like Bixing and saying like, you know, this and that.

What about Bishbyn? You know, that would be very satisfied. Okay. You know, to be honest, I wish we did this interview an hour ago, so I would have asked him these questions. And I was trying not to piss you off, so I didn't ask him about you. Usually I do that. I'm trying to push it.

I really try to push it, you know, this fight because I'm sure this kind of happening. Right. And if you had me to build a fight, And you have me to, you know, um, you know, you know, start to advertising the fight. It's saving, happening quicker. Okay. It might happen quicker, you know what I mean. What a turn of events.

Now you're asking for my help. I love it. It's great. I'm here to help. You know, I mean, he's talking, he's the one who's talking that, you know, I need letter to fighting and stuff like that. Well, let's see if you really need a letter. What do you mean? Right.

What do you mean? He says, Bispin says that I need a letter to fight him because I'm too short. So I need a letter for me to be able to fight him. Right, right, right. Well, you know, let's see if I really need a letter. Okay. I mean, you know, I'm pretty sure the things, you know, we'll have to see and find out, right? Right.

Are you going to watch his fight on Saturday? Yeah, I was close. I'm gonna watch it. Actually, I won't be able because I'm gonna be on my way to Japan. Ah, that's annoying. But yeah, I'll definitely, I'm gonna watch it. Let her. All right. Well, Hector, I must say I really enjoyed this. Did you enjoy being back on the show?

Actually, this is your first time on the show, but at least being interviewed by me again? It was fun, right? Yeah. You don't sound very convincing. Pretty quick before you go, I want to say thanks to the U.S.C. to give an opportunity to the site in me. And I want to say thanks to my team and my friends and you, of course, for this interview for. And I want to thank your manager, Stephen Diaco, who helped me get in touch with you

and who I think mended defenses. And most importantly, I want to thank you for. for being a stand-up guy, a true professional, and for coming on the show, airing out your differences in C. This is a lesson to everyone. If you don't like me, that's cool. Come on the show, let's figure it out, and then we could go about our business and do it in a fun way.

So I appreciate it very much, Hector. Have a safe trip to Japan. Looking forward to that fight very much. UFC on Fuel TV 8, March 3rd, Saitama, Super Arena. Hector Lombard versus Yushin Okami. It's going to be great. Thank you so much, Hector. We'll talk to you before the fight.

Thank you. All right. Have a good day. You too. There he is. Hector Lombard. I told you, a beef would be settled on this show, and it has just been settled. Great stuff there from Hector.

And what a turn of events. First, he gets mad at me for asking people about him. Now he wants me to ask people about him. You see that? Beautiful. Thank you very much to Hector Lombard, the not Belator middleweight champion for stopping by. All right. So there you have it with the interviews this week.

Let us move along now. welcome in the unofficial rookie of the year in New York, Rick. Unofficial. Well, you know, there was no award given out. But people were asking me about you. Actually, one guy in particular, a very important person, I have a witness to this, a very important person in the world of MMA business, came up to me and said, that New York, Rick, wow, I'm such a fan.

And I just couldn't believe it. It's unbelievable. Guy has over 2,000 followers, and people are just loving him. Dare I say, we've created a monster. Oh, no, no, no. But the monster can die quite quickly, my friends, because we have the Ricks Picks Challenge upon us. Now, are you ready for the rules?

Let's hear it. I haven't told you what's that stake here. First time I'm hearing it. Last week, we decided to put Rick's money where his mouth is, so to speak, because a lot of people have been questioning whether you really actually know how to pick fights correctly with the long. and whatnot. So I decided in the new year, I'm going to give Rick a fake $100 bill, and he has to start betting on fights using this fake money, and he has to start turning a profit

quickly. Okay? Those are the guidelines, right? I'm looking for a confirmation. Yes, sir. Yeah. Now, I said, you know, what's it going to be? Does he have to turn it into a 400, a 500, a thousand? I don't know. I'm not really, so I asked the people. People came up with responses, I took those responses and I came up with my own. And also, there has to be something at stake. So there's a lot to get to here. So here are the guidelines, in short. Pretty much, we know the fight schedule for the UFC. From now starting this Saturday to April 27th, that's Jones Sunnan. So what I've decided to do is make this a three-month challenge, if you will. If from now starting this Saturday to April 27th,

John Jones Chal Sunnan in New Jersey, Rick has to take that $100 and turn it into $400 or more. That's hefty. You're lucky because a lot of people told me $500, but you convinced me that $500 was too much, so I said, all right, $400. Okay. I think that's fair. I think that's still a lot, but it's more reasonable.

I mean, I was seeing $250, $300. I thought that was the sweet spot. Of course. Of course. That's the sweet spot for you. I'm ready for it. I'm going to have to be a little more aggressive than I would normally be, but that's the brakes. I'm with it.

You got to turn it into 400 or more. There are a bunch of events. Let's count how many events, just for the record. It's one thing I didn't do. Well, we've got UFC on FX7. We've got Fox 6, 2. We've got UFC 156, 3. We've got Fuel TV 74.

we've got 157, 5. We've got Fuel TV 8, which would make it 6. We've got 158, 7. You've got the tough finale, which makes it 8, and then you've got the Joan Sutton Fight, which makes it 9. So nine events, three months, $100 turned into 400 or more. Now, what's at stake is the question? Well, if Rick,

is able to turn the $100 into $400, he will be a panelist on an episode of the MMA beat. Now, as you know, the MMA beat is a new show that we do on MMAfighting.com where the finest MMA journalists in the world come together to talk about the topics of the week, the month, etc., in MMA, the MMA beat. And if you're wondering, the show returns this week. So Rick has been campaigning. He thinks he could do better than some of the journalists. had in studio.

So he gets to sit with the big boys at the big boy table, and he gets to break down the stories and really let his opinion come out. What do you think of that? I love it. You love it. Now, if you do well, you can stick around. If you crap the bed, that'll be it for that. I'd also like to just throw out there.

Just maybe think about it. You know, this is just tossing something into the ether. Maybe, maybe if the UFC comes to New York, you let. New York Rick do the preview show with you. Oh, about that. Wow. On top of the MMA beat? Well, maybe if I'll keep it in my back pocket.

Listen, that's a November. And according to Mark Ratner, he thinks it's 40-60. We can do a whole new challenge by that time. I'm with that, too. Let's just keep it out there. Fine, fine, fine. Now, what happens if he loses? Well, at first, I kind of threw out the idea that Rick's picks would be suspended,

but that's no fun. So what's going to happen, if he loses, we're going to have Rick versus the world. And every week, for X amount of time, I haven't thought about the exact amount of time, a fan, one guy who's talking smack, I get all these messages, he's going to get to come on,

go up against Rick, and it's going to be king of the court. If he loses, see you later. And that guy gets to come on and make the picks against another guy. And it's going to be this sort of round robin for a couple of events. What do you think of that?

I love it. But the best part about it is that you're going to have to sit here and listen to other people make picks. No, I won't. I won't. Because I'm going to stay. I'm keeping this hill. I'm the king of this hill. But you understand what's at stake.

I do. I like it. People partying on your grave. I love it because I love these guys that, you know, they think they can do it better. I want to see it. Exactly. That's what happens. Put the money where their mouth is.

So that's at stake here. That's what's at stake. It's Rick's Pick's Challenge. And it starts with UFC on FX7, which, by the way, we didn't do. it for Strike Force because I wanted to at least give it a week to marinate and also there weren't lines at the time and you know it was Strike Force, Snowan really

truly cared if you know what I'm saying. And they were all mismatches. But how did you do it with the Strike Force picks? I went four and one. The only one I whiffed on was Tarrick Safedine beat Nate which... No one picked that. Yeah, I mean, well, you could say that.

It was the second closest fight, but besides Cotor and Cotor and noons, it was the second closest in terms of betting odds. So there probably were some people who did make some money off that and capitalized on Safedine's upset, but I definitely wasn't one of the people in that boat. I thought that Nate looked so good against Woodley that I thought it was almost a foregone conclusion that he would take out Safedin.

So that was an incredible fight and a great game plan to just completely destroy Nate's lead leg, and that was the difference. And how about this stat from my good friends at the 4th,000? fight metric. Safedine landed 55 leg kicks against name Marquart. That's the second most light kicks landed in a Zufa fight. You know what the most is? I'm thinking it's either Aldo on Faber or Barbosa on Lulo, something like that.

You're wrong. But good choices. 68 Carlos Condit over Nick Diaz. I just think that's funny because Diaz didn't even look like it affected him. He's such a machine. Yeah. But that's amazing. Fifty-five leg kicks against... It was very reminiscent of Jose Aldo versus your eye favor, WC-48. And also, good call.

Edson Barbosa versus Mike Lulo. That was UFC 123, Auburn Hills, Michigan. All right. So UFC on FX-7 is this Saturday night in Brazil. We've talked about it. It's Michael Bisping versus Vitor Belford. Michael Bisping, if he wins, we'll get a title shot. Now, for the record, are you doing Bellew? Belator through Rick's Pigs Challenge or you're only doing a UFC?

If there's a line that pops up that I like. You're allowed to. You could do what, you could do, I don't care what, you could do MFC for all I care. No, yeah, I know. If there's something that pops up that I like. Show some love to Belator. I'll put it down. But if, you know, if I don't see anything, count on it mostly being UFC.

Do they even do lines for other? They do, but a lot of the times the non-main event fights don't get released until like hours before, you know, the day before or hours before the event. because there's not as much interest in it. So mostly it'll be UFC. According to best fight odds, Michael Chandler is minus 200. Rick Con plus 180. That's the only line out right now for Bel-Tor. But for UFC on FX7, you got a bunch out there.

You've got five. So are you making... Okay, and here's one last thing I have to say about Rick's Big Challenge. Rick has to make his official pick. You don't have to do it today, you know, where you're actually putting down this fake money. by Friday at 3 p.m. Eastern. That's the deadline.

Friday, 3 p.m. Eastern. You can make the pick on Wednesday if you want. It doesn't matter. But by Friday, 3 p.m. Eastern, New York Rick will tweet out his official picks at his Twitter handle, Twitter.com slash New York Rick. That's when it will be official, and that will be his official pick. For now, he can make the pick now if he wants, but just in case lines, whatever, you know, you got to give him some breathing room. There's a lot at stake here. Friday 3 p.m. is the deadline.

Sounds good. Sounds good. Basically, I'm going to break down the fights every time up front, but I'm probably not going to make my official picks until that Friday, just because if the undercard lines don't come out, I don't want to put some money down on some guy that was on the main card that I thought was a decent value when I could put more money on somebody who's a better value later in the week. So expect me not to pick the official pick until later in the week,

which I'll tweet out, but expect me to break down. on the fights just like usual every Monday on the MMA hour. Okay. So you're not putting any official picks in here right now. Looking at these, no, there's nobody I'm officially picking right now. So you could be, at the end of the day, you could make your pick on like the first fight of the night if you like those odds. It very well may not be the marquee fights, right? You have to be strategic here.

Absolutely. I'm betting on the best values, as I've said all along. You got to go with the best value. You can't just pick, you know, oh, this guy's a favorite. this guy's an underdog. It doesn't work like that. All right. That being said, give us a quick rundown. What are you thinking? Vitor and Michael? See, this one is one that I'm really happy.

I can wait until the end of the week. Think about it a little bit. It's just because this is one of the most intriguing matchups of the year, in my opinion. I think that Michael Bisbing is notorious for having a very diverse arsenal and also having great cardio, being able to hop on his bicycle,

outpoint guys, and win a decision, or you know, a late TKO as they fade in later rounds. Vitor Belfort, he's kind of the opposite. He's the guy who blitzes you early, first second round, and just throws bombs at your head. At the same time, if you can avoid those, he tends to fade a little bit, and you can possibly beat him, you can edge him by decision. So it's a perfect styles clash, and I'm not really sure at this point who I'm going to go with. I think that the line on this at Michael Bisbing plus 105, Vitor Belfort minus 125, is very accurate.

But if I'm picking right this second, I'm edging toward Bisbing. I think that he's going to be able to weather the storm and beat Vitor. That said, he has a propensity for getting clipped in his fights. It happens almost every time he's gotten better at since the Henderson fight was the one that took him out. Since then, he's gotten better at recovering from that and being able to win a decision later. You know, advance the fight past that point and win a decision later. So I think that Bisbing is my pick right now, but I can't say 100% for sure because there's something about Vitor's chances early that I really like. So I have to think about this one a little bit more.

Two follow-ups. First off, are you letting your hair grow? Not intentionally or anything, just a little lazy, no haircut. All right. And my good friend M underscore Joss on Twitter brings up a very good point. And you know what? I'm a fair guy, so I'm going to listen to him. He says, why?

not make the deadline an hour after Wayans in case something happens at the Wayans? You know what? That's fair. I'd say that's entirely more fair. Also, the lines sometimes don't come out until, you know, later that day on Friday. Okay, so here's the thing. Let's say the Wayans are at 8 a.m. If it's an international event, well, in Japan, it will be like that. Whatever it is, if it's at three, da-da-da-da-da-da, whatever. One hour,

60 minutes after the Wands, you have to have your pick in. Your picks. Whoever that was on Twitter, amazing props, thank you very much. All right. What about the co-main event on Saturday night? Interesting one. Rothwell and Gonzaga. Is that the co-main event?

I think it's actually Dalloway versus Serafian. You know what, you're right. You just don't know anything about Serafian. I have to plead ignorance on this one. I haven't watched Tough Smashes or Tough Brazil, and I don't really know a lot about those guys. That said, I am one of those guys who before I say anything about betting, I like to look at the tape.

I like to look at the footage. So during the week, I will be going back and looking at Saraphean. From what I've heard and read, which isn't enough for me, I have to see it with my own eyes. He's got great power and great grappling. Against Dalloway, that could be a problem. Dalloway is a guy who likes to grind on you, as evidenced in the Mayhem Miller fight. He likes to get on top and he likes to use his position rather than, you know, chasing submissions. And at the same time, he's shown a propensity to be,

either submitted or knocked out. He's a little chinny, and I think that for a guy who is, by all accounts, a finisher, like Saraphean, that could be a problem. So I'm thinking I will edge toward him if, you know, what I see on tape matches what I've heard about him. But I think that Dalloway as an underdog is a possible thing that I would look at because guys who are grinding wrestlers, you know, I've said it on the show before. I really favor guys like that when it comes to betting. I saw Saraphaen at 153. He is a big boy. He made it to the finals of tough Brazil, middleweight division, but got injured, and it had to pull out. So this is his official UFC debut. All right. So let's look at Gonzaga Rothwell. This is one like, it reminds me a little bit of the Hamel, Matt Yushenko fight, where I was just like, I don't know where to go with this because we haven't seen them in so long. And when we did see them, it wasn't really anything that I could read off. So just based on their history in the sport and what I have seen of them,

I like Rothwell a little bit in this one. He's super tough and only the really the elite of the elite have taken this guy out. And you could actually say the same thing for Gonzaga. He's great at cleaning up the lower tier fighters, but when he reaches the top, those are the guys that give him trouble. So this is one where I'm probably going to stay away from this one completely. I don't see, you know, at even odds, I really don't know. know what to pick on this one, I'd say a coin flip.

If Gonzaga can take this to the ground and implement his jiu-jitsu, he obviously has the advantage, but he's not one of those guys that shoots for power doubles and is taking Rothwell down to the ground. And Rottwe has great takedown defense as well. So this is one I'm probably going to stay away from. I don't know who to go with on this one. And as I said, they've been out for so long. They fought like once a year for the last two years each.

This is one that I don't have a lot to go on. I'm probably going to stay away. And I'm actually really looking forward to the opening fight of the broadcast. It's Tiago Tavares versus a guy that I'm really high on, had two really nice performances in the UFC last year. Habib Nirmagamadov. This guy, in my opinion, is one of the true rising stars at 155. He's very tough, and I'm looking forward to seeing what he does against a veteran like Tavares.

Who do you like? I like Habib. He's one of... Why don't you call him by his last name when you reference someone? See, as we've shown on this show before, I have a little problem with names like this. And I think I'm not alone on this one. Nirmagamade of. Nirmagamade of.

Nirmagamade of. Yeah, it's easy. It kind of rolls off the tongue. Oh, yeah. It's just John Smith to me. So Nirmaga made of, he's one of these prospects that people have been talking about for a while, and then you see them rising up and they actually deliver. He's constantly aggressive.

He's a swarming type fighter. And I think that it's a good that Tavares was one of those guys in the past, that he was one of those guys that, oh, you need to watch this guy. And then he kind of ran into some obstacles. But recently, he's been on a role. And I've been very impressed with Tavares, actually. But I think that Nirmagamatov is too much for him at this point. And I think that he just beat Glacentibow, who I think is one of the, he's the guy that's the gay key. for 155. He's humongous, and he tries to grind on you. And if you can defeat him, I think that

you're on your way to the upper tier of 155, and I think that that's where Nirmaga made of is going. So there it is. It's UFC on FX7. The action kicks off at around 5.30 p.m. Eastern time on Saturday with the Facebook fights. And then you've got a bunch of fights on Fuel TV at 6 p.m. Eastern, and then you've got the main card on FX at 9 p.m. Eastern. So now the FX cards on, well, the FX cards are going to be on Saturday night, not Friday night anymore this year like they were last year. I won't be in Brazil for this one. We'll be back in action for UFC on Fox number six.

That is next week in Chicago. Now, the WANs, let's just find out, let's find out when the Wands are. The Wands are at 1 p.m. Eastern on Thursday. No, Friday. The Wayans are on Friday at 1 p.m. Eastern. So that means by 2 p.m. Eastern, you have to have your picks. They will be in. All right.

It's Rick's Picks Challenge, my friends. Maybe we can even get this sponsored. Who knows? For now, it's $100 fake on the line. I have given it to him. He can now do whatever he wants with it, and he has to turn that $100 into $400 come April 28. right because

Joan's son in his April 27th that's nine UFC events a bunch of Bellator's other random events if you want he can do whatever he wants with it

Invicta go crazy I don't care just give me back $400 and then you keep the rest okay and other people saying

that you know maybe they want to pick out your next earring collection oh interesting you know what I'm a man of the people so in addition

to the to the challenge that we have betting against the fans out there, I'll wear the earring of their choice. Wow. All right. A lot at stake here from New York, Rick. If he wins, he gets to be on the MMA beat. If he loses, it's your turn to take him down.

Now, a bit of breaking news before we get to the questions and wrap out the show, my good friend Mike Chiapetta of MMAFunding.com reporting, let's read his story, like a newscast. After negotiating a new fight, oh, excuse me, I messed that up already. After negotiating a new eight-fight extension, Benson Henderson appears poised to accept his next marching orders in the form of a highly anticipated champion versus champion matchup. According to sources, with knowledge of the situation, the UFC has its site set on April 20th, April 20s? April 20th, yeah, it kind of reads different. UFC on Fox 7 event to pair a UFC lightweight title holder Henderson against Strike Force's last reigning divisional champion Gilbert Melendez.

The event is likely to take place in Melendez's backyard at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California, where he competed eight times while on the Strike Force roster. That promotion went out of business after last Saturday night's event. So there you have it. Mike Chiapetter reporting Benson Henderson versus Gilbert Melendon. this champion versus champion at UFC on FX7. This is actually something that I tweeted about on Saturday. I wanted to see UFC versus Strike Force on this card. After Daniel Cormier called out Frank Mear, there have been rumors of Gilbert versus Benson Henderson, of course.

So you have a Strike Force versus UFC event. How about, what did I say? I said, and I forget who I said. Geez, do you remember who I said? I forget. I had a good card lined up. I'm blanking right now. Come on, you don't remember all my tweets?

Come on. Let me see. I know Josh Gross retweeted it, and he actually took, he actually took exception to what I had to say about this. Okay, here it is. Oh, Gagar Musassi versus Alexander Gustafson and also Luke Rockhold versus Costa Philippa. That's a nice little card right there. People brought up Chris Wyman, but Chris Wyman is injured. He wouldn't be able to fight.

Wyman Rockhold would be great. Wyman Jaceret would be great. But then all these people have been, oh, UFC Strike Force, that's silly, that's dumb. That's why you're not a promoter. People are saying, oh, this is why the bar patrons aren't bar owners. What are you talking about? Of course, the UFC is not going to come out and actually bill it as UFC versus Strike Force, but anyone in the know will know it's UFC versus Strike Force. Of course, the UFC is fine with Strike Force being dead. They're probably happy it's over with. monkeys off their back, they can move on and just focus on their business. But you can't tell me people don't like seeing champion versus champion. You know, this guy from another organization against this guy from the organization that they're not fighting in. People like that kind of stuff. It's a gimmick. That's why people like the heavy weights. That's why people like these things, you know, UFC 146.

People like that. Josh was not a fan of this idea. What do you think of this idea? I love it. Of course you do. what is that supposed to mean because you're a smart guy oh boy

no I just think it's it's the most interesting thing you can do because it brings fantasy matchups that you know people have been wanting for a while it's one of those things where even if it turns out to be one of those fights where afterwards people are going oh I knew that guy wasn't for real

you know what I mean it's something that they've been thinking about for much longer than like oh you know this guy the guys in the UFC, it's kind of a pool that they've already been swimming in. They want to jump in the new pool, kind of like that. Yeah, it makes total sense. People love that stuff.

Gross tweeted to me. Those matchups are all great, and I'd love to see him. But UFC versus Strike Force construct is pointless. What? What do you mean pointless? That makes no sense. How is it pointless? He says, you, Melendez.

What is he saying here? Oh, because afterwards people are going to say Melendez defeated Henderson, not Strike Force defeated UFC. Latter is lame. People like this kind of thing. That's why people still say Pride never die. That's why people get excited, at least I think so, when Henderson comes out and beats, you know, the UFC champion, Frankie Edgar, oh, WC, you guys are better. We still hear that today. Now, of course, on the poster, it's not going to say Strike Force versus UFC because that brand is dead.

But when there's a theme to the card, it's just another marketing tool. It's another promotional tactic. It's all about promoting. It's all about getting people amped and excited. And we've been here about Rockhold. We've been hearing about Gil. We've been hearing about Kormier. We've been hearing about Gagar Musassi for so long.

Now let's see them against UFC's top fighters and see how they do. So to me, it makes sense. Plus, on top of all that, it's in San Jose. It's in the home of Strike Force. It's in the HP Pavilion. It makes sense. I think it makes too much sense I think it would be stupid if they didn't do it

getting carried away okay so anyway Mike Chippena reported that and that means that we are one fight closer to that at least one fight closer to that to that dream of mine

coming true next up Cormier versus Mirr let's see it happen even though like I said I think it's silly for Cormier to call out Mir because I think he kind of passed him but, you know, he really wants to fight, and then he says he wants to... How great was that promo, by the way? It was one of the best.

It was one of the best promos of, well, not of the year, because the year just started, but in recent memory. A lot of times those guys doing their callouts get a little incoherent, and Cormier was just delirving, line after line. It was beautiful. You watch a show, right? Yeah. How was the broadcast? What do you mean? In terms of what?

Like, you know, the announcers, you know, Ron Cruck replaced more now. I thought he did an adequate job. The main thing I talk away from the broadcast was just that Pat Militich needs to be doing a broadcast somewhere. I don't know if it's the USC, I don't know where it is, but that guy, he makes, you know, watching fights, he enhances the experience of watching a fight like tenfold. Is he better than Rogan?

I'd say he's different. I don't really rank guys doing play-by-play or commentary or a color. Like, oh, this guy's better than this guy. I just go by if I enjoyed watching, you know, hearing them. them, then they're okay. They get a pass or a fail, and Militch pass with flying colors. Yeah, he's great. I wonder what happens to him now.

Frank Shamrock told us that he's going to be calling some glory events for CBS Sports Network. What happens to Militch? Well, Militch does some Axis TV, right? I think I don't get that channel, but I think he does that. And I thought, Ron, from what I heard, did a fine job replacing Morrow. It sucked that Morrow wasn't there, him being the voice of Showtime MMA. And I thought it was cool that they let Coker come on. even though he didn't really want to do it, and they took him away from his football game that he seemed weirdly enough more interested in.

But I thought it was cool that they let him come in the cage and speak. And in typical Coker fashion, he shouts out homeline at the end. Like, it is amazing. It's like we all wanted to get emotional about it, but it seemed like Coker maybe because it's been two years since it was sold to Zufa. But it seemed like he was just kind of over it and kind of wanted it to go away as well. That was my impression. But I'm sure there are a lot of questions about strike force. So let's get to the questions right now.

What's at stake, you ask? Well, since it is UFC on FX7 week, we're giving away this Vitor Belfort, round five figurine, which I was glowing about last week. And now that I look at him, again, I want to glow about it. Someone on Twitter asked me if I thought this kind of looked like Joseph Gordon Levitt. I disagree. I don't really think it looks like Joseph Gordon Levy Can you see it? Are people able to see it or is it blurry?

They can say it. They can see it. Isaac, what do you think? Isaac says he sees it. Wait, what was he saying? You think it? Yeah, all right. Joseph Gordon.

Well, there it is. So Vitor slash JGL on the line. And this is from series, what is it again? 11. Series 11, round five, continuing to kick ass. I don't know if you could see this. Rick set up the table very nicely here. We've got a champion's lineup.

We've got, well, first we've got Dominic. We've got Ben, George, Anderson, Jones. Where's Kane? Is Kane here? Is there no Kane? Is this Kane? Yep. That's Kane.

There he is. Kane. We're missing Joseo. We do have Fugazi Carlos Condit in his place. Actually, it looks kind of like him now that I think

about it. But we'll bring in Jose Aldo soon enough. We have Britney Palmer in his honor. Okay, let's get

to the questions. Vitor Belford on the line. Best question of the day, gets him. Our first question is from the website,

the comments section. Okay. Did Ryan, Ryan Cotor, did Ryan's last name help him to win his fight against KJ Noons in the judge's

eyes? Well, hard for me to say, since I'm not one of the judges. I thought he put on What sucks about this is even though a lot of people thought he lost the fight, including myself, let's not forget a lot of people, when Ryan Couture made the transition over to M.A. thought he was just a guy who was getting by off of his famous last name, his famous father.

He has really improved over the last few years. And I give Sean Shelby the now former Strike Force matchmaker, current matchmaker for the UFC, of course, a lot of credit for putting him in there with top guys. It seemed like at first, because of the Challenger system, which I never was a real big fan of, but, hey, Tarek Safedin and Kormier, two graduates of that system. They look good on Saturday. It seemed like they were kind of protecting him. They put him in there against tough guys, guys of Connor Hune, K.J. Noons, guys, a lot of people, including myself, didn't think he could beat,

and he fought very well against him, beat Conorhune, officially beat KJ, even though a lot of people didn't think he did, and continues to improve. Like you look at a striking Saturday compared to his first strike force fight leaps and bounds. So give him credit there. I think he was flashy. I think he was active. And that's why I think they gave him, I guess, the decision. I don't know if it was because it was the last name. I didn't ask them.

But maybe it was. Maybe it was. But that would just be the stupidest reason ever. Really? Because of his last name, that makes no sense. So I'm going to say no. but it happens. These things happen in MMA.

Our next question. Also from the website, by the way, also from the comment section. Which do you think sparks interest with the fans more? Velazquez versus Overeem or JDS versus Overeem? And the second part, JDS and Overeem have been going back and forth in the media for a long time and are both stand-up fighters.

I mean, it's hard to say because I think people really want to see Overeem fight for the title. Kane is a champion, so I'm going to say Kane versus Overim. If we're going to go back and say which fight would have done better, pay-per-view-wise, because remember, JDS was supposed to fight Overim at 146, but Overim didn't get the license because of the positive test. Which fight would have done better, JDS Overim or Kane Overim if Cain, excuse me, if Overim beats Bigfoot? But I still think Kane because I think Kane has a more loyal fan base here in America

because of the Latino market. This guy is a big star. Do you see that video of him coming to Mexico and he was in some shopping mall and he was coming down the escalator? People were going nuts chanting his name. I didn't even know he was that big of a star in Mexico. And at the Wayans, tons of Latino fans and a lot of young ones as well. A lot of kids, a lot of girls there.

It was very surprising. It was not your typical UFC way in. So I think Kane is a more popular fighter than JDS right now. And I think Overeem is obviously popular. He has his fan base. I think that would do better business for the UFC. So that was the question, right? Sparks interest?

Yeah. I hope we're doing a mix of website and Twitter. Yep. And not just one. Okay. Because that was good. No, this is, now we're moving on to the Twitter questions. Wait, but that was just one website question?

There were two. Two, really? Yes. From all of those? If you need to say it, say it, do the people on the website need to step up their game? It's not about stepping up the game. It's that a lot of people are, you know, replying to comments and things like that. It's not all just questions.

Oh, it's not just all. Okay, okay. All right. So that was the extent. Because I see a lot of activity. I mean, if you want to scroll through and read some real quick. No, no. Okay.

Okay. On to the Twitter ones. with the final Strike Force event in the books, what for you was the single most memorable moment? And then you forgot the last line. The brawl, perhaps. That's not a memorable moment. That's a black eye.

That was not a good moment for the organization. Most memorable moment, when I think of Strike Force, to be honest, when I think of Strike Force, I think of I think of the pre-show time Strike Force. I think of the little promotion that could. I think of the promotion that put on great shows when no one was watching on TV, but when it was a big deal for the Bay Area. I got to tell you, it actually made me even a little emotional being there knowing that it was the end because I really truly enjoyed those San Jose events.

HP Pavilion, as Scott said on this show last week, is a great arena to watch MMA. The fan base was so great, so knowledgeable, so passionate, and it was just different. It felt different, and I liked it. If I'm going to think of one great moment in Strikeforce history, I wasn't there, but to me, the moment that everyone started to really talk about Strike Force, when Strike Force was showing what it can do promotionally and, of course, locally in that area, it was Shamrock Barone. It was a big fight. It was a fight that was promoted heavily online. Both of them, Shomen. Both of them, you know, understood what it takes to sell a fight with.

YouTube videos and all that. It was great. And it was on Showtime. It was on Showtime pay-per-view. It was a co-promotion for Elite X-C and Strike Force. And it really just, in my opinion, was their first big splash national MMA. Then Shamrock Kung Lee, another co-promotion. That was huge. And then if I'm going to pick one more, I have to pick Nick Diaz, Shamrock, because that was the debut on Showtime. And that felt like, I remember at that event, there were a lot of, we thought there were going to be some bigger fights. They kind of fell through. But it still felt like, wow, all of these elite X-C guys are coming over, showtime's getting behind it. Could this really be competition for the UFC?

And it was in San Jose. And I remember after that show, Scott Koker was buzzing. And the vibe was great. And it was kind of a changing of the guard. We actually have the poster right here. Not the poster. We have the program right there. April 11th, 2009.

Can you see it? Sort of? Yeah. April 11, 2009, Shamrock Diaz beat him, told him to stand up after the fight. It was just a cool moment. It ended up being Frank Shamrock's last fight.

So if I had to pick one, I mean, Shamrock was kind of part of all of those, but that's kind of what comes to mind when I think of strike force. And I think they will be missed. Their little portion of our little world will be missed. But here we go.

Beltor versus UFC. it's kind of a perfect time for it to say goodbye. You don't first think of, you know, Fador? Not at all. Not at all. It doesn't even come to mind. You? Fadour is the first thing I think of.

Really? I mean, I think that that was the one that won the poll. They did a poll on the broadcast of what was, you know, the most memorable kind of concept or story from Strike Force. That was one of them. Gina versus Cyborg was one of them. And I think that the Fador losing twice was the winner of the poll. I'm not 100% sure on that. But Fador getting Triangleed by Verdume is the first thing that comes to mind

as soon as I hear the name Strike Force. You know, at first I thought you were going to say Fader signing. You know why? Can I tell you why? Why that doesn't come to mind? Because if you recall, going into that fight, no one really wanted to see that fight. Everyone wanted to see Fader Overeign.

and everyone was like, why are they putting him up against Verdume? UFC cast off, you know, he was looking okay in Strikeforce, but not like he's looking now. So when I think about the moments, I think about the buzz leading into it and the buzz coming out. There was no buzz going into that fight. And to be quite honest, I think Strike Force dropped the ball with Verdume afterwards. They should have had him all over the place, parading around the fact that he had just been Fador-Milienenko. It kind of, you know, started and stopped right then. I think that that's part of why it comes to mind

Just because before it was one of those fights that You know they were book people the fans were seeing it as Oh these are you know two sides of the bracket and then overreem and fade or will eventually meet He has to get through for Doom first no no no no you're getting confused He didn't fight him in the tournament he fought Bigfoot Silva in the first round of the tournament and lost that You're right you're right See what I'm saying? Yep You know going

into strike force, he had one fight against Mike Kyle for Doom, submitted him quickly, then he had, excuse me, a fight against Antonio Silva, which was okay, and then he had the Fador fight, but he was coming off losing to Junior Dost, Santos, not looking very good in the UFC, and a lot of people weren't all that into it. And remember, after the fact, he beat Antonio Silva on November 7, 2009, then he fights Fador in June of 2010. Then his next fight against Overim was June of 2011, he was gone for a year because of an injury. So they never truly got to capitalize on him becoming this star. That's why I don't think about it.

To me, Strike Force is Frank Shamrock, Strike Forces, Barone, Cungley, Nick Diaz. That's what I think of when I think of Strike Force. That's interesting. I don't feel that way, but I see the sentimentality in it. And I... And you appreciate it. I appreciate that, yeah. Yeah.

What else? Next question. Do you think Safedine is top 10? How about a main event spot against a namefighter like Dan Hardy as the main event of an FX card? You know, I was actually talking to Casey, our cameraman at M.A. fighting about this. And we were actually talking about it going in. Is Nate Marquard a top 10 while to wait? You know, this is going into the fight.

And now is Tarek Safedine a top 10 welto-weight? I don't know. I don't know if I could have him top 10. I don't know if I had Nate Marquart top 10. I don't think one fight, one win over Tyrone Woodley makes you a top 10 welterweight. Safedians look good. He lost the Woodley back in the day and certainly not taking anything away from that win. But I just don't know.

I mean, who, think of the, and I don't have my rankings in front of me here, but just think of how stacked that division is, the welterweight division. I just don't know. Who do you take out? Obviously, you've got George at the top. You've got, let's see here. We've got George at the top Johnny Hendricks of course

Condit, Nick Diaz Warren McDonald Fitch Ellenberger Costcheck Damian Maya you know maybe he could come in

at around 10 do you have him in your top 10 I know you don't have a real top 10 but do you think he's a top 10 fighter? I don't and I don't really think you could even make a case for that honestly until you see him

in the UFC. I think that you know, like I said Jocchere was a top five fighter but I don't think that you can make a claim like that until you see them fight the talent. I say that his, you know, skill set puts him there,

but I would never say like Jokkeray is a top five fighter or list him as a top five fighter until I saw him up against that talent. I would just say he has top five talent. Safedine, I'm not sure. He might be fringe, but I have to see it first.

Happy for him, great performance. I'd say that that was, you know, one of the most impressive slash, I don't know how to say, feel good. It was a feel good story. It was one of the great upsets of all time. I think that that was just incredible. Yeah, we have a candidate for upset of the year. And what was great about it was, to me, it was Strike Force.

The Challenger, Strike Force Challenger beats a UFC veteran, former title contender, a guy that they cultivated, the little train that could. expected him to win. No one was really all that amp for the main event, right? And he just put on an amazing performance. Dan Hardy, that's a fun fight. Someone brought up Martin Catman. That would be a fun fight. I think that would make a lot of sense. So I'm curious to see

what he does. And by the way, he was no lock. If you asked me, if he would have lost on Saturday, he was not going to the UFC. That's what makes the performance so great. I don't think they were very high on him. So he picks up a win, and surely now he'll be going over to the UFC. Our next question?

we talked a little bit about this earlier I'm a big fan of Pat Militich on commentary is there a place for him in the UFC and are his past issues with Dana over unfortunately I don't think that there's a place for him in the UFC I think his issues with Dana

have been somewhat resolved but I don't think resolved enough to the point where he is coming over to the UFC at any point I mean they have Kenny as color commentator they have Joe, Joe Rogan is color commentator. I just don't know if they are willing to bring in another guy.

And I can't see it being Pat. And I agree, he is fantastic. And I think if Showtime continues to be in the MA business, they will hire him. And I think any other promotion, any other network should hire him because he is amazing. I'd love to see him back on a studio show doing that kind of analysis. We need more people like Pat out there. Retired fighters, no affiliation to any. any promotion, just calling it like they see it, breaking it down for the casual fans, for the

hardcores, he's great. I think he does a great job. And speaking of Dana White, by the way, want to say to him, good luck with his ear surgery that goes down tomorrow. And he expects to be in Brazil on Saturday. But that is a big surgery for him with his Meniere's disease, you know, causing him some trouble over the past year or so. So we wish him the best of luck with that. Could Jacaree put himself in line for a title shot with one impressive UFC win, and could Rockhold be in line for one already? I don't think Rockhold's getting a title shot right away, because think about it. I mean, let's see what happens on Saturday, but if Bisping wins, he's getting it.

And I just think Anderson Silva is at the point where he does not want to make anyone else into a star. He doesn't want to put over a younger guy. He wants to fight established stars, and if he doesn't want to fight Chris Widman, I don't know if he's going to want to fight Luke Rockwell. a lot more people know who Wyman is just because he fought already in the UFC. So I don't see Rockhold getting that opportunity. I think Jacques-Garee, I mean, a lot of people are hyped on it. I mean, look at New York Rick. New York Rick loves the guy. And rightfully so. He looked very impressive against Ed Herman. His celebration, the gator, whatever you want to call it, chomp, is fantastic. I love it. I love the way he moves on the ground like a gator. It's just all. It's all very impressive.

Is he one fight away? The division is somewhat stacked, although the belchers and the boches of the world sort of clear things out for him. I think Jacques-Rae versus someone like Costa-Philippo makes sense. And the fight that I would love to see more than any for Jacques-Rae right now, Jacques-Rae Wiedman, because I think that's a fun fight on the feet and on the ground,

I just don't know if Wyman is ready. I saw him at the MMA Awards. He won Breakthrough Friday of Year. congratulations, he's thinking maybe may. So maybe it could happen. Who knows? Maybe it could happen. Certainly not on the Fox card, but maybe may.

Maybe it could happen. Yeah, well, if he beats Wydenman, that's certainly one shot away. Exactly. If he gets someone like Wyman, I don't know if a win over a Philip who does it, but someone like Wyden, for sure. A lot of people were proposing, like, fun fights for him, but none that were like title fights or contender fights, stuff like Jake Shields and Paul Harris,

just to see, you know, their mind was on the grappling matchup, but I think that he's above that, and I think that he deserves, you know, a top-level guy that could put him one win away from a title shot. And if Jacques-Rae is getting a wide bin, then Rockhold should be getting someone, you know, just as big because Rockhold did beat him. It's unfortunate.

The one fight that they failed to make at the end of their run strike force was Rockhold versus Jacques-Rae, because that's a legitimate, in my opinion, top-10 middleweight championship fight. It's the only really top 10 fight that they could make for a title, you know, at the end. So they kind of dropped the ball. I'd still love to see that rematch. But at this point, I want to see those guys fight UFC guys.

So I want to see them fight other people. Okay, our next question. Pat Healy called out Joe Lozahn. Do you think that fight makes sense? Or who would you match him with? You know what? I love that fight. I love it.

And I'm very happy that Healy is getting a shot in the UFC. And I really think, as I told him after our interview, he's really developed. into an interesting character. He's really worked on his interviews, and his personality is coming out, and I'm enjoying his run. Sure, you know, a finish here or there would help him, and sometimes his style is, it was a fun fight against Kurt Hollabaw,

but, you know, sometimes people want to see finishes and whatnot. Anyway, he's getting a shot, he deserves it, sucks that he didn't get to fight, Gilbert Melendez, and he had some harsh words for Gilbert in our interview, which you can see on MMAfighting.com, but I think that fight makes a lot of sense. Does it make sense for Lozon? Maybe not, but he's coming off a loss, so why not?

Do you like it? I love it. Lozahn's on record as saying, you know, I'm happy with putting in a good camp and putting on exciting fights and seeing where the chips fall. He's not one of those guys who, like, you know, title shot or bust.

So I think that he would take, you know, a great fight, an exciting fight, and I think that this would be an exciting fight. You know, Healy wasn't just laying there in the fight. He was chasing submissions. He was going for it. And his opponent was going for it too. And I think that that's what makes exciting fights.

And you can count on Joe Lozahn to make it exciting as well. So I love this matchup. Lozon is now in that sort of Bisping, BJ Penn category for different reasons, where it seems like everyone calls them out because they think, A, it's going to be fun. And probably B, you'll get some bonus money because he always produces, you know, bonus fights. So, yeah, he deserves it. And kudos to Pat Healy for calling him out. And there's my boy, Matthew Tyson.

That's me in his picture, right? It is. Beautiful. Our next question. Why does Daniel Cormier want the Mier fight if his plan is to cut to light heavyweight? He wants the Mere fight. I actually asked him about this. He wants the Mere fight because he feels like Frank Mier owes him one.

He put in a full training camp. He was ready to fight him. He was mentally prepared. And Frank got injured. So he wants to pay him back for that. He wants to put it on him. He wants to get the fight that he was preparing for. That's why he wants to fight him.

Follow up to that is our next question. Don't you think Cormier has more to lose in the Mere fight? Most do rank him higher than Mere, and MIR is coming off a loss. I don't think so because if he... Listen, I said that I don't agree with him for calling out Frank Mier because I do think he's past him. I understand why he wants him. wants to fight him, but I think he has an idea here. You know, he's not just calling out a fighter.

He's calling him out in a certain place, certain time. The place of San Jose where he lives now. So he's a draw there. He's a AKA all that stuff. The time is April 20th on Fox. It's a huge audience for him. Great way to make his UFC debut. So now he's going to fight a former champion in his backyard on Fox. He expects to beat him. That's a great opportunity for him. And look at him. amazing post-fight interview after the fight. I'm sure he gets on the mic, and he calls out the winner of John Jones versus Chal's Sunday, which happens a week later in Newark. So he has it all figured out.

Now, of course, they have to make the fight, but I understand where he's coming from. You know, look at the heavyweight division. There isn't a perfect candidate for him. And, you know, he doesn't want to cut right away to light heavyweight. Maybe he wants to be, and to be honest, why put him there right away? he's been so great at heavyweight why make him cut that that weight in the next three months get him out there on Fox

at the HP at the Shark Tank it makes sense I agree to an extent because first of all who am I to question Cormiere he's a smart dude and well and he's handled his career great so far so I have you know I have

no problem with him saying I put in the camp for Mirr I want to take care of this business and then do it but my thing is you know do you really want your first cut to be the championship fight. That's going to be a concern. For me, as a fan of Kormier, if I'm backing him going into that fight,

do I want my first cut to be the championship fight? And I understand that concern. That's the thing that I think people are most hung up on, and that's the thing I agree. That's the reason I'm hesitant to say, you know, this mere fight makes a lot of sense. The other one would be Junior Dos Santos. I just don't know

if Junior would be ready to fight. in April. And this is the fight that he wants. So give him the fight. Someone else bringing up Tarc Safedian versus Matt Brown, by the way, which I think that's a fun fight as well. I'm with that.

All right, our next question. Which potential matchup would be more exciting for you to see at the end of the year, Silver v. Widman or Jones v. Cormier? I'm going to say Silva versus Wyman because I still don't really want to see Cormier go down to 205. I want to see how far he can go at heavyweight.

And you know, he doesn't like when I bring this up, but I want to see Cormier versus Cain. I don't want to break up the camp. I don't want to cause a rift at A.K.A. Those guys are great guys. I just want to see it stylistically. I think it would be a fun fight. They could be friends after.

They could be friends before. Of course, I want to see them actually fight and not just, you know, play fight for us. But to me, Silva, Wyman would be a true test for Anderson Silva. And I think Wyman could give him that test. And I think he's earned the shot or maybe one. one fight away. Give him one more fight and then I think he earned it. And for Cormier, I want to see him stick

to heavyweight personally. I think that fight against Jones is a tough one for him. The height and the reach, the weight cut. There are a lot of factors against him. I want to see Cormier at his best. And I think he is at his best right now at heavyweight. I'm the other way. I want to see Jones and Cormier. Really? Well, as you know, I'm a big Cormier supporter.

But also, I think that, you know, height and reach is not going to be as much of a factor. for Cormier. I mean, Cormier has been demolishing heavyweights that are heads taller than him and have reach on him. So that's not really something that I think is going to play too much into it. Jones obviously utilizes it as good as anybody in the sport, or as well as anybody in the sport, I should say. But I don't think that that's as big a factor as it would be against somebody else. Cormier is used to that. Cormier's that little pinball that just destroys people. So I think that that would be a more exciting fight. just because it has the super fight kind of aspect to it, because Kormier is coming from heavyweight. And I think that Wydenin-Anderson is just the next in line to face Anderson Silva. It doesn't have a potential greater than just this is the next guy for Anderson-Silva. I'm not going to hate either fight, but you ask my opinion.

There it is. Okay. That's it? No, no, no, no, we got two or three more. Next question. Currently, Bisbing hasn't beat anyone in the top eight. If he decisions Vitor unimpressively, I suppose that's if he wins by decision against Vitor. Are you okay with him getting a title shot?

I am okay. It's time. Bisping's been around for so long. I mean, it's almost a surprise that he hasn't gotten a title shot already because he's such a big draw in the UK. I mean, he's been around since tough three. and a lot of other people. I mean, think about the other people that have gone title shots before him at 185.

So I think, sure. You know, again, I was surprised that he won the international fighter of the year, but that just shows how popular he is now. Used to be a guy that people hated. Now they're voting for him, and he had a one-one year, lost to Chal Sunnan,

beat Bryant-Stand via decision. Prior to that, he beat Jason Miller, Jorge Rivera, Akiyama, Dan Miller, lost to Vanderley-Silva. Here's the thing about Michael Bisping. In the UFC, his losses are these ones. Rashad Evans at UFC 78, Dan Henderson at UFC 100, Vanderley Silva at UFC 110, Chale Sunnan at UFC on Fox 2.

These are the biggest names that Michael Bisping has fought in the UFC. Rashad Evans at UFC 78, Dan Henderson at UFC 100, Vanderlei Silva at UFC 110, and Chale Scylunner at UFC. on Fox 2. My point, every time he's stepped up, he lost. I just jump in here to say that some people would argue he won the Chale Sondon fight. You know, that's he didn't. He didn't. He didn't win the Chale Sondon fight, but I'd say,

you know, there's an argument that he was... He didn't do enough. He didn't do enough, right? At the end of the day, he didn't do enough. Can't argue with you there. The point is this is his chance, and that's why I asked him, is this your last chance? Probably not, but this is a great opportunity. Beat Vitor Bellford in Brazil. You get the title. They said it already, and there's no one really standing in his way. Who's out there?

They're not going to give it to Wyman at this point, and there's no one really out there. Rockhold's not banging that drum, and it's not going to happen. So there's no one in his way. Go out there win, you got it. And let's see if he can step up. But I'm okay with it. Same. Absolutely.

This is the time. This is the time. It has to be the time. I mean, he's fought so. Look how many times he's fought in the UFC? and other guys who some believe are not as talented as him have gone title shots at 185. He's done enough.

Give him his shot. Next question. Given his 10-win streak and stunning KO of Edom, let me try and decipher this. Given his 10-win streak and the stunning KO of Edom was the UFC harsh on Barbosa putting him on the card after one loss, putting him on the undercard after one loss. I mean, I think it was maybe an interesting choice because he is a popular fighter.

You know, he won knockout of the year and all that. Most sites, I thought, gave it to him. And he is popular and people like his style. I don't think they were harsh. I mean, it happens all the time. Now he's fighting Lucas Martins, who is a newcomer to the UFC late replacement. So, you know, Nirmagamagamadov, I like that they're getting. giving him the opportunity.

Tiago Tavares had his last fight canceled when Holman didn't make weight. So maybe that was part of it. You know, give those guys a shot. So it doesn't really bother me. And you know what? Who really cares? It's still televised. The fans and attendance don't really care.

They're going to be amped up anyway. So I don't really see it as such a big slight. I mean, I feel the same way. There's been guys who have done this before and it's not a big deal. Yeah, you got to work your way back up. Yep. Our last one. This comes from Murder 913.

Why do you say his name and not the others? Well, because it's especially imposing and scary because his name is murder. Okay. How is that idiot New York Rick going to say that Cormier is the number one heavyweight when he hasn't fought a top five guy? So, do you really want me to answer this or are you just picking this question because you want to answer it? You can answer it? No, no. He's asking you, so you go ahead and answer it.

Which is fine. By the way, if you want to send out questions to him to New York Reg, go ahead. It's fine. My answer to this is you have a valid point, which is Cormier shouldn't be considered a top five heavyweight on anybody's rankings until he fights guys that are in the top five. That said, I said Cormier is the best heavyweight. What that means is I think that his talent and his skills put him ahead of everybody else if they were to. potentially fight. Until he proves that, I wouldn't put him on any official rankings or anything like that.

I just think that if Cormier were to face off against Cain or Junior Dostos or Overeem, that he would come out on top, making him the best heavyweight. In any particular matchup, he would win, and that's why I think he's the best. Same thing. I talked about this earlier when I was talking about Safidine or Jacare. I think that until you come over and prove that you belong on the rankings in official lists or whatever, however these are kept, which I think are rubbish to begin with, then you don't belong on the list until you make your claim for it. But I think that you can evaluate somebody's

talent and say that they might be slotted in here if they can pull off a win or that their talent places them somewhere in this range. And I think that that's the case for Cormier. All right, there you have it. I see a couple of good ones on the site. Ariel or New York, Rick, any update on BJ Penn? I did ask about BJ Penn recently. He has a made no decision about his future. How about this one? Dionne Starring or Nandor, do they deserve a shot in the UFC?

I think Dionne Staring does. Give him a shot at 205. He stepped up. I want to see him fight one more time. How about this one? Question for New York, Rick, and the guys in the back. Did Ariel let you touch his MMA award?

Come on. He brought it to the office. Come on. In a baby stroller. Actually, they haven't given it to me yet. I want some New York Rick time as well. How about this guy? Worst episode in ages.

No one today has anything interesting or even remotely funny to say. And where is New York Rick? I missed the first half hour or so. Well, actually, I really like this show. I was actually going to say that I really liked it. I thought it was a nice mix of guests. Mark Ratner. Very interesting.

Kevin Kay, very interesting. Nick Newell, very, very interesting. And how can you hate on Michael Bisping and Hector Lombard? This is one of the most fun shows of two. Are you kidding me? Anyway, I think that the prize should... I'm starting to think about this more now because I feel like I always forget what the questions are.

The best question of the day has to be not only a good question, but the discussion that comes out of asking the question, and I thought the best discussion this time was the most memorable strike force moment. I like that one. I'm with that one or either the Lowe's on here. Healy one. That was also a good question. But let's go with the Strike Force in the memory of Strike Force. In memory of Strike Force, the late-grade strike force, it brought up a nice discussion.

New York Rick Wade in, Fedor, I said the Shamrock fights. So let's give it to him. He wins the Vitor Belfort round five figurine. And that's it. We're done. You can hit my music. There it is. Thank you, Isaac.

So once again, if you, you're watching this live, apologize for the late start, went a little longer to make up for it. Amazingly, I didn't have a guest book in the first 20 minutes, and it kind of worked out. I was just going to talk about the weekend, the fact that I took five flights in 48 hours, and I was very, let me tell you, very sick, very sick. But I did it, flew from New York to Las Vegas, got the award, 6.40 a.m. flight. Vegas to Salt Lake City. Delayed in Salt Lake City, made it to Oklahoma City,

with maybe three hours to spare. Did the Strike Force fight, which I very much enjoyed, covered it. Woke up the next morning at 740, 740 flight, woke up way earlier. OKC to Detroit, Detroit, New York, five flights, 48 hours. I do it because I love all of you. I want to thank Mark Ratner for stopping by. Kevin Kay, good luck, Spike TV's. Bell Tour debut on

Thursday, Nick Newell, good luck to him, great stuff out of Nick Newell, Michael Bisping, and most importantly, thank you very much to Hector Lombard, stopping by, giving us a great interview, bearing the hatchet, telling me why he doesn't hate me and making me feel a whole lot better

about myself. We got a great show lined up for you next week, but I'll tell you about that a little later on in the week. If you missed any of this, check it out. iTunes, Stitcher, or M.AFuddy.com. Thank you so much once again for the award. I love you all. Thank you so much for tuning in. We'll see you. Same time, same place next week. Peace. I'm out of you. Support for this show comes from Odu.

Running a business is hard enough. So why make it harder with a dozen different apps that don't talk to each other? Introducing Odu. It's the only business software you'll ever need. It's an all-in-one fully integrated platform that makes your work easier. CRM, accounting, inventory, e-commerce, and more. And the best part? O-DU replaces multiple expensive platforms for a fraction of the cost. That's why over thousands of businesses have made the switch. So why not you? Try O-D-O-4-3 at O-D-O-O-D-O-com. That's O-D-O-O-O-O-com.

Support for this show comes from Chase. If you're a fan of women's sports, you're always looking for ways to get closer to the action. And your Chase card can get you exactly that. With a chase card, you can experience more. That means access to pre-sales, preferred seeding and more savings. For more information about how to step into a world of more with Chase experiences, visit chase.com slash experiences. Benefits available only to eligible Chase card holders, deposit and credit card products provided by JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. Member

FDIC. Terms, conditions, restrictions, and limitations apply.