My Mom's Basement - EPISODE 345 - UFC 300 WITH MEGAN OLIVI

Episode Date: April 11, 2024

Here's a little treat for those of you who enjoyed UFC content on My Mom's Basement, but miss it now that it's moved to the Spinnin Backfist MMA Show - Megan Olivi joins Robbie to discuss UFC 300 this weekend, how she prepares for interviews and keeps things fresh with fighters she knows very well, the most must-try food spots in Las Vegas, her cut scenes from 'Road House', and more! #UFC #MMA #UFC300 ****************************************   My Mom's Basement is a weekly podcast hosted by Robbie Fox, started in March 2019, to discuss movies, music, comic books, wrestling, mixed martial arts, and more with his friends and idols alike!   Subscribe on Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/MyMomsBasementWithRobbieFox Subscribe on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/my-moms-basement/id1457255205 Follow Robbie on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thatrobbiefox Follow Robbie on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RobbieBarstool My Mom's Basement Merchandise: https://store.barstoolsports.com/collections/my-moms-basementYou can find every episode of this show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube. Prime Members can listen ad-free on Amazon Music. For more, visit barstool.link/mymomsbasement

Hey My Mom's Basement listeners, you can find our episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube, and Prime members can listen ad-free on Amazon Music. Alright, hello and welcome back to My Mom's Basement, ladies and gentlemen. I am thrilled to have our next guest on, ahead of UFC 300. She is an absolute pioneer in the MMA space, she is a vital part of the UFC broadcast, and she is the one responsible for telling all of the fighters' stories on Saturday night Megan O'Leary welcome to the show what a nice intro thank you so much of course I've been doing a lot of my MMA content on spinning backfist but UFC 300 feels so big that I feel like my mom's basement needs a little MMA presence and I feel like this is perfect

because we'll talk a little MMA we'll talk a little pop culture at the end. We'll mix it up. This is right up my alley. I'm so excited. Is this week way crazier for you than usual? It feels like it probably should be with the amount of star power on the card. You know, what's funny is John Anik and Daniel Cormier and I just got done with fighter meetings. And we were kind of talking about how it's not nearly as crazy as we expected. The things that are crazy are like wrangling all the fighters for the different things

that they have to do, you know, for our broadcast meetings, that kind of stuff. But in terms of our actual responsibilities, there's a tiny bit more, but it's not that much. And because the card is full of so many veterans, like you said, there's so much star power. These are athletes that we've watched compete time and time again. It also isn't like, you know, it's a whole card of newcomers as well. So it's not nearly as heavy lifting right now, knock on wood, as we thought it might be. That's good. That's good. Thank God. Yeah. So I looked back, this is UFC 300. This is a historic event. UFC 166, though, was your first event as part of the UFC broadcast team, right?

And I saw some interviews with you where you said you were very nervous for the event. It all feels like a blur to you. When did you start feeling comfortable in your position on the broadcast team where it started to feel like, you know, you belonged there? You know what? That's a great question, because I would say like just recently. And I think, oh yeah. Oh yeah. Um, I mean, I've been a UFC employee for over 10 years. Um, and I don't know, I've always been nervous. I'm kind of a perfectionist. And so I'm always striving to be able to hit every mark I've set for myself, uh, within a show. And even something that I'll do that you guys at home might not notice,

it will still like bother me. But I don't think I really felt a lot of comfort in the role until like the past two years, maybe when COVID started. And really I had to like, you know, pick up a lot more responsibilities and there was just a lot of things to juggle. Once I realized, oh, I can do these challenges

that they throw my way, I think that's where I of things to juggle. Once I realized, oh, I can do these challenges that they throw my way, I think that's where I really started to settle in. And we've kind of established this team that you see on pay-per-views, myself, John, Daniel, and Joe. And then we have two producers, Zach and Lappy that we all work with. And we're all sort of used to each other.

We know how one another works. And I think that's where I've really settled in. It's crazy though. There's still some shows where I'm like, okay, well, let's see how it goes. That's crazy to hear because we can never tell at home. You seem very confident on the broadcast, very professional, very, you know, put together. When you look back at your time, your whole career with the UFC, what stands out more? Is it big events or is it like big interviews that you did? I think it's kind of a combination of both.

But also earlier in my UFC career, we did a lot of different events, like different world tours, different press tours. And so those really stand out to me because you never knew what was going to happen. You were in a different city every day. And so to be able to interact with the same athletes in a different setting and make the interviews different, make the content different, um, and be jet lagged, be, you know, tired and, and understand that you still have a job to do. I think that like really stood out to me about my time. But then I think about interviews, like of course with Connor and Rhonda, but I had a Brock Lesnar interview for UFC 200. That's still one of my favorite that I've ever done. Because he was like, so impressed with my interview skills that that like really made an impact on me. And so like some of those stand out, but then like the first MSG show,

I think it's kind of like a beautiful mixture in my mind. But unfortunately, I think I forget a lot of the great things too, because we're always sort of moving at warp speed onto the next. Do you ever get them like just scrolling Instagram? Because I feel like, you know, all the time, like the explore page is just all MMA clips for me. You ever see an interview that you forgot you did.

And you're like, Oh shit, that was cool. A thousand percent. I just saw an interview with myself and Jose Aldo at UFC 200. I was like, Oh my God, I did do that.

I had no recollection of it. Thank God for MMA, Twitter all the MMA Instagram fan accounts, because they do really remind us all of pretty great moments constantly. No, absolutely. Absolutely. And they're very connected. They have their pulse on a lot of things. They're watching everything all the time. So if you, you know, you take a day off or you miss something, they, you're going to go to that explore page. You're going to go to MMA Twitter and, and, you know, they really do have their finger on the pulse. How do you keep it fresh with fighters?

I mean, across the board, I assume it's probably hard to keep it fresh after countless interviews, but specifically with fighters that you've interviewed for so many years. Like take a Jim Miller, for example, who has been with the UFC for longer than, you know, anyone in the company right now i think maybe andre arlovsky might have him beat but someone like that that you've interviewed so many times how do you keep it fresh do you watch other interviewers do you listen to interview shows do you take inspiration like that i mean i definitely try to watch as much content as i can i try to consume

everything i can about said event or different athletes i'm also a huge believer in this day and age of checking everyone's social media during fight week and on fight day. I check every athlete's story, their page. I just want to see what they're up to. Sometimes they're just a lot more willing to share personal things there that they wouldn't think to bring up in fighter meetings. I mean, even sometimes people will say anything else going on in your life and they're like, well, I had a baby. Like, you know, but I'll be able to find that before they have to give that kind of answer. But to keep it fresh, you know, the event and the opponent is always different, or usually different.

Sometimes it's a similar opponent. But I just try to take it as like the viewer has never seen this person give an interview before. So I do try to make sure that the basics are always covered so that if it's a first time viewer that happens upon a Jim Miller interview, that they have a reason to care. But also that if you are a veteran MMA fan, that you're going to learn about this particular matchup, what's been going on in his life ahead of it,

and what he hopes for afterwards. So I always try to have that focus fully in mind and at the front of my brain to just make sure that like hey this this isn't the same old Jim Miller interviewer somebody like Cowboy Cerrone who I probably interviewed like a hundred times in my life you know you're just and sometimes Robbie it really comes down to like reading things like body language like how are they coming over to you who's with them when they come over you know are they are they drinking a beer? Did they shower and put on a nice suit? Sometimes things as little as that can spark a completely unique conversation.

That's really interesting because even with like this show where I have much longer platform to talk to people, you know, you have these quick spots where you got to get in and out. I struggle sometimes with people that have been recurring guests where i'm like what do we talk about this time it's very very impressive to me that you can do it on the spot on live television sometimes like on the live broadcast yeah thanks it's fun i mean it's fun for me it's it is literally part of the challenge to be able to not just engage the viewer but make sure the athlete is having a good time with the conversation as well what fighters do you think are the most likely to make you break or laugh on a, on a broadcast? If they're walking up to you, like who are the usual suspects of like,

they're probably going to get me to laugh here. Oh, that's a good question. There's a lot of people in Gary actually, always kind of cracks me up. Cause he just says things that I'm not expecting. Um, and it's pretty funny. Um, I think Patty is always a good time in an interview um but it's it's sometimes random people too and you're like wait I didn't know you were this hilarious but oftentimes after wins there the interviews are full of laughs you know who's low-key super funny is Khabib oh yeah well yeah there's so many clips of him and his whole squad him and Javier

going back and forth that are hysterical yeah it he is he's like it would always be a joy for me if I could get Khabib to laugh and it would be even better if he got me to laugh so I'm just like he kind of unexpected but a very fun journey if you get Khabib to laugh that's like oh true that's really impressive to get that guy to crack a smile I mean it's like I guess like getting Alex to crack a smile to bring it to the UFC 300 main event. It's kind of the modern age Khabib in that way, right? He's actually so funny. He was cracking jokes in our fighter meeting

just before at Daniel Cormier's expense. And it was so great. He is, he's actually super hilarious. It's these very stoic guys that, you know, can turn it on when you least expect it. There's some great clips of you and Nate Diaz that have gone viral as well of, you know, can turn it on when you least expect it. There's some great clips of you and Nate Diaz that have gone viral as well of, you know, Nate doing some things with sponsors that he probably shouldn't have done and stuff like really funny stuff. Yeah, he's telling me he was going to

buy a boat after he beat Connor. Nate is hilarious. He's like an actually super funny guy all the time. I think he, you know, he has his persona that makes him comfortable when he's around the fight world, but he's, I don't know if he'll get mad that I'm saying this, but he is a sweet dude as well. Like really, really just genuinely nice human. Whenever we've interacted since, you know, God, when his brother was fighting Paul Daly in strike force, I think was the first time I interviewed him. Yeah. That's That's awesome. Yeah. I ask a lot of bands and musicians that come on the show, their biggest like spinal tap moment, like just a disastrous onstage moment or something that happened on tour that was like bad in the moment. But now you look

back and you're like, all right, we could laugh about that now. Do you have one when it comes to live television or the broadcast world? Probably like every show is a Spinal Tap moment. I mean, it's hard. I wish I could think of one that ended funny. I could tell you ones that like, you know, haunt me to this day. Ended funny. I mean, sometimes, sometimes you just got to go with it. Like, I won't know what people are saying. Or I remember after McGregor broke his leg, I was interviewing Charles Oliveira and I threw to a totally wrong desk or something, but they just picked it up and kept going with it.

I mean, just random stuff happens. Sometimes it's live TV. Sometimes you, I'll be doing a locker room hit and there'll be showing like a different fighter and I should have talked about the other fighter first. So it's, I mean, I try not to live in it, but it's very challenging for me. Favorite celebrity encounter you've had backstage?

I mean, you have gotten to see so many celebrities, A-list, come through the UFC. Any that stick out? Well, The Rock is always like a big presence to be around. I saw him for the first time ever this weekend. I was like around, I was like within like 10 feet of him for the first time this weekend. And it was crazy. Yeah. It's wild. He has a huge presence. And also we have this like very strange, somewhat connection. He went to the public school in the same town where I went to the Catholic school and they play each other in every sport. And so whenever I see him, I have to tell him, you know, if we won or they won.

We always kind of talk about that. But The Rock's cool. Mark Wahlberg's always around. And, you know, he's a he's a megastar. The Hemsworths, when we go to Australia and they're super kind. Action Bronson, you know, Action Bronson is actually one of the most genuinely kind individuals, you know, I've really ever come across. Joe Burrow. It's it's it is wild

who comes through the doors even you know former president donald trump was like hey megan you do like a really great job i was like you're like oh shit yeah you know um so it's it's wild who's ufc fans and who what's always really nice is when they come up and they're like hey we love the commentary team we love the chemistry between you guys. You make it a really fun watch and listen. That means so much. And to have celebrities come through the building who have other things to do with their time, who make a point to say that to us. I mean, that is something I never take for granted and always gives you a little extra pep in your step.

Definitely. you know always gives you a little extra pep in your step definitely um to bring it to ufc 300 now i want to do like the megan o'leavy version of dana white's if you don't know now you know now he does it based on like fighter matchups like fights that he's looking forward to okay i want your version based on storylines that really intrigue you going into ufc 300 are there any for you that are like right away, you know? This might be low hanging fruit, but for me, I think it's really important. Obviously, Holly Holm versus Kayla Harrison, not just because we're welcoming. Sorry, that's my dog coughing. Oh, shut up, Annie.

Yeah, he's laying somewhere over there. I love this fight, not just because we're asking so many questions about Kayla. How will she fare in the UFC? What will the weight cut be like? How will she perform at Bantamweight? But in my opinion, this is really special for women's MMA. You have Holly Holm, one of, if not the most decorated female combat sports athlete of all time. And you have Kayla Harrison, another incredibly well-decorated female combat sports athlete.

And not only are they fighting one another but they're fighting one another for the opportunity to fight for a world championship once again in Holly's case for the first time in the UFC for Kayla Harrison's case and and for me there's so much in both of their backstories but to see women who put it all on the line in a different sport then pivot successfully to mixed martial arts and become not just great fighters, but also really great role models for other female athletes. I think for me, that's a really, really special one. I think that there's a lot of emotion also behind Charles Oliveira and Armand Saroukian, and rightfully so, but there's a lot of passion on both sides of this one. And I think

that you can see what it means to each individual should they get their hand raised on Saturday night. It could potentially be really life-changing. And the last one I'll tell you is China versus China in the co-main event, Wei Li versus Yan Xiaonan.

We spoke to them earlier today and it's not hard for them to fight one another, I want to be clear, but the fact that they're both from China is a huge source of pride and almost like, man, somebody from China is going to lose this fight. So, you know, the pride they feel for their nation

and representing their country as they compete, you know, on the world's biggest stage for the world's best championship, I think really says a lot. And it's something that they're both taking very seriously and carrying on their backs into this one. I love the custom fight kits that some of the fighters have going into this. Love. Whaley's, the dragon print. Oh my God. I mean, Max Holloway, the floral print. I wrote a blog on it today and I said, the more the merrier for the custom stuff. Because I said, imagine Chuck Liddell without the Iceman shorts, you know? A hundred percent. And Max actually said to us today that he had like three hours to submit what he wanted them to look like something, something along those lines of three, four or five hours. And he had already been thinking about what he would like for if he made his own shorts in general. And so thankfully, he had that. But then he told us, hopefully, this is, you know, just how it is moving forward. So I think they've been really well received and hopefully, you know, at least for title fights or for BMF titles, whatever it might look like, I think that would be really, really special and incredible and,

and help to separate some of the athletes from the pack when it comes to the uniform. Absolutely. If you want a little note to add to your notes for Kayla Harrison versus Holly Holm, when I shot a video with Kayla Harrison, she sprained my AC joint. So sprained Robbie Fox's AC joint on a takedown. Yeah, it was. And when you watch the video back, like she couldn't have dropped me lighter. She really like,

she picked me up and really gently put me down. And the AC joint was, it was sprained so badly that like, I woke up a couple of days later, maybe a week later. And I said to my girlfriend, I was like, I think my collarbone is broken. Like I got to go get an x-ray. And I went to my sister who does x-rays.

We got an x-ray and yeah, sprained AC joints. So that takedown, Holly, watch out. You know, don't plant with the arm. Very dangerous. Yes. Very dangerous. I love that you fought Kayla Harrison. Anyway.

I did. No, I did. I armbarred her did I actually fought out of her armbar and she said you know what you fought out for an impressive amount of time I think it was like 40 seconds so I took that I also went to her house and I caught her chickens she has chickens in the backyard that okay I'm gonna

need to find this video and watch it I'll send you the video it's great alright now I want to talk to you about Las Vegas for some out of towners that may be visiting Las Vegas as someone who loves the city as much as you do. What are your must try food spots in and around the city? OK, so I'm going to avoid the strip for this one because great dining, pretty much every location you're going to go into in the strip. I'm going to say if you can go anywhere, you're going to drive on Spring Mountain Road. That's our version of Chinatown, which has some incredible Asian

establishments, all different cultures. It's really just a rich environment of different foods and celebrations. And so I'll give you some of my favorites. So I love Japanese curry, not something you can get in a lot of different places so curry zen is a spot i love um i love xiaolongbao which is soup dumplings and chinese food same with china mama those are my two favorites there monta has great ramen you got to go to so me so me that's soft serve ice cream in a soft chewy waffle fish cone that's then filled with something like custard, Nutella, whatever you like. And they have, you know, really unique flavors. They have regular like Nutella, strawberry, that kind of stuff, but they'll also have matcha and ube.

Oh, that sounds awesome. Yes. And there's great Hawaiian. Uncle Frank's is a big one. You'll probably run into a fighter if you go there. Some great tacos at Taco Sand. That's my favorite place in town. So yeah, those are some of my favorites, but I just wrote, I have a newsletter and I just wrote the longest, craziest guide to Las Vegas if you come for UFC 300.

And on Thursday, I'll be posting something where if you comment, I'll DM you the link. So you can get that. I also put in like, if you like yoga, what hikes to go on, you can ski right now in Las Vegas through Sunday, you can still ski here. There's snow. Oh, yeah, Lee Canyon. It's listen, it's not the Rockies. They get a ton of snow, though. It's really fun. All the all the runs have different names like blackjack. And, you know, it's just a really cool experience to drive like 35 minutes from the strip and be on a ski slope. That's yeah. I wouldn't think that. So there you go. It's very random. Be on the lookout for that link on Thursday, right? That's correct. There you go.

So this will be out already. Um, also a big like talking point of las vegas right now feels like this fear and the ufc is going to the sphere in september feels like a great opportunity for like obviously the broadcast team to try some new things you're gonna have a giant thing to play with there with the giant spear we're gonna get a new megan walkout where you're like zip lining down or something like yes thinking about that already so my boss has been in meetings for months already about the sphere show and all i can say is that there for me will be lots of wardrobe changes which oh cool yeah yes that's definitely yeah we're doing lots and lots of new things. And I genuinely cannot wait for that show. I think what a phenomenal experience, you know, to do something so groundbreaking for not just the venue, but also for what the broadcast will look like in celebration of Mexican Independence Day.

I genuinely cannot wait for it. And it's funny. They have been planning this. I mean, it will, it will be the biggest undertaking. I believe that anybody has done in the company, but it will certainly, I think, be worth all of it. I can't wait to see what the UFC whips up for that. I'm so curious as to what, you know, the screen will be used for. My idea was maybe you could make it look like Hasbulla sitting cross-legged playing with

like two action figures that are the fighters that's actually hilarious and amazing and i cannot wait to tell my producer as soon as we get off this yeah yeah please suggest that tell them it's free could take it i don't need anything for it i just love to see it we'll throw your tweet up on screen exactly i would love that that would be perfect that's great payment um we also love to talk movies and television every time that we're together. So I wanted to ask you, what are the best three things that you watched recently, whether it be movies, television or anything else? Okay, so my number one is a show on Amazon, Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Oh, Donald Glover. Yes, I haven't watched it. But I know they shot it right

around where I live in Jersey City. Oh, did they? Yeah. Jersey city and Hoboken. Okay. So I'm a huge Donald Glover fan. I am obsessed with childish Gambino as a rapper. Um, but I love him as an actor. He's hilarious. Um, I know he also trains some boxing and Muay Thai. So I think that's very cool as well. Huge fan of his. And I, I liked Mr. Mrs. Smith and I wasn't really sure what the series would entail. It starts, I would say, like the first episode isn't super, super engaging. But it makes total sense once you watch the series. I loved it. The clothes are amazing.

They go to beautiful locations. The action is super fun. The plot is really intriguing and keeps you wanting more. As you finish an episode, you're like, okay, time for just one more. So Mr. and Mrs. Smith is my favorite that I have watched recently. Robbie, I live in the gutter though. And I love trash television. You do.

You do. Yep. So I got this full body MRI, which took 45 minutes. And you just lay in this metal tube for 45 minutes. And they put it on Netflix. And there was a show that was already playing. And I'm like, metal tube for 45 minutes and they put it on Netflix. And there was a show that was already playing and I'm like, oh, that's fine. Just leave it on. Don't like, don't worry about finding something. And it was a show called buying Beverly Hills, which is like selling sunset, but better. Oh, better to be clear. I love selling

sunset, but yeah, it does a little bit more That's a great compliment for this one. Yeah. Yes. It's, it's a little bit more about real estate and it, there's still tons of drama, but like less kind of like lame catty drama. It's interesting. The real estate is bananas. It's, you know, family dynamics. And you're like very interested in real estate as well, right? Beyond just reality television. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I, we love looking, I mean, obviously Joseph, um, you know, helps athletes invest in, you know, different properties that they can rent out, but also find like dream homes and how to be smart with their money when it comes to real estate, because he was fortunate enough to do that. But, um, it's just been something we, we, we've always liked and found interesting. And so

love that show. And then my third one is going to be kind of a weird pick, but I'm going to say it for a reason. And it was the NCAA wrestling championships. I watched them every year, grew up in a wrestling household. Everyone knows that, um, you know, it is my goal one day to, you know, help with those broadcasts as well. Um, but I loved the combo of DC and Jordan Burroughs. I love being able to watch these athletes that work so, so hard all year round get the attention they deserve on actual, you know, TV with a celebration on ESPN, where they can show the world, you know, all of their hard work pay off. And so I thought the commentary was super fun. I know it was very

controversial for a lot of people, but wrestling is a sport that needs to be open to the younger audience. And you get people in there when you have fun with a broadcast and a guy like Daniel Cormier and Jordan Burroughs, they thought they were able to do just that. But I think that if MMA fans really love mixed martial arts to watch NCAAs and to see the future generation of a whole lot of fighters and what really that grind looks like of a college wrestling season, I think there's a lot more appreciation and understanding for that background in the sport. Absolutely.

I saw the controversy over DC and I'm so on DC side of it. Like he makes so many UFC broadcasts fun and gets some of that you know it's like a very minority opinion of like DC's having too much fun out there like pay attention to the fights it's like he's paying attention but you know the broadcast has a nice levity when he's making jokes and cracking jokes with Joe and Bisping or whoever he's out there with John Anik every time. So I love those picks. I think those picks are great. Speaking of shows, movies, things in this realm, though, can you talk at all about the stuff you filmed for Roadhouse? Yeah, sure. What did you

film for Roadhouse? Okay, so I filmed two different interview scenes. One with Dalton and one with the opponent he killed. I can't remember his name the top of my head i think that's what he's credited as in uh in the credits the opponent he killed yeah that's what he says terrible cast member um and i love jay haran so that was really fun and and then we filmed that um scene by the octagon that like made twitter so mad because they asked us to like be overreactive because a man was being killed. You know, and so we did that. But it was so I filmed three different scenes for the movie. I have to tell you, like Jake Gyllenhaal, number one could not have been nicer. I often feel like when when celebrities come into the UFC space, that they almost feel lucky to be there. Like he was like,

no, this is your world. And he was like, what should I say? So I was kind of telling him, okay, this is what you would say to this question. So we would do a question and he would give the answer that we'd go over. Okay. This is probably like where it would go next. Then there was also a coordinator of some sort off, off camera who would be like jake and then like get really mad and say this and so it was super fun and and really neat to just feel like my perspective and opinion of those scenes mattered um they got cut so probably didn't matter but you know but they got cut so they didn't have to give you dialogue credit megan they're like we can't with the writer's strike we can't pay another writer here. Yeah, exactly. But like second IMDB credit for an actress, always sunny and roadhouse.

Here we go. That's a good two. I mean, you're, you're bad. Yeah, it was great. So yeah, no, well it was, it was honestly like everyone from the crew, everyone from the cast, like they were so genuinely kind and wanted to get it right even though those scenes ended up being such a minute part of the movie they really wanted to ensure the authenticity of it and like jake gyllenhaal is jake gyllenhaal right gigantic star and taylor swift is a very famous song about him but you know he still wanted to make sure that what he was saying felt like what would have actually happened in a pre-fight weigh-in interview that's really cool he was just when I saw him at the red carpet,

you know, he was being taken away by everybody. So we each got like one second with him, which we appreciated because it was a second with Jake Gyllenhaal. This guy's a frigging man. He is a smooth operator. That's the only way I could describe him. I was like, this guy is just, he walks through life being smooth. He did a little intro before the movie,

rolled the sleeves up. The girls were howling. It was crazy. That's actually amazing. And I could totally picture that. Yeah. He's talking about Patrick Swayze. He's making people emotional. He was like, because he worked with him on Donnie Darko.

So he's like, Patrick and his wife were so nice to me. You know, we wanted to honor his legacy. They put a Patrick Swayze thing on the screen. It was beautiful. It got me emotional. But tell you what was weird about that premiere it was assigned seating i was doing a little scoot through oh excuse me sorry as the movie starting and i realized they sat me directly behind connor and connor turned around and we made eye contact and i think he made eye contact like oh no this kid's following me now why is he i wanted to be like i swear like

i didn't do that. I don't mean to be here. I could leave if you want me to, you know. You should have just kept like tapping him on the shoulder, like, hey, great job. I love this scene. That's you. Do you want some popcorn?

He was tapping his publicist on the shoulder, like before his scenes, he'd be like, just make sure you're paying attention here. Right, like there's anything else to do in the movie. Yeah, but I didn't move a muscle for the entire like two hour runtime. I was afraid he would hear me breathe. Don't blame you. God forbid your soda runs out and you're sucking it through the straw. No, didn't need that. And then music as well. We both share a big passion for what have you been listening to lately?

You know, it's a good question um because obviously the new beyonce album came out thought that was really fun maggie rogers has i think two singles out now um huge maggie fan huge we play her all the time um joseph is like dying to go see her in concert um so we've been listening to maggie's old stuff as well as. I think it's two new singles. It might. I don't know if her actual album has come out yet, but if it has, I haven't listened to it. But I really I actually genuinely liked the Beyonce album. I think it's a super cool concept. I'm a big fan of hers and I love country music. So I kind of loved that crossover and collab.

What else have I been listening to? Well, this is like a weird thing for me. But every time it turns into the warm weather here in las vegas i turn into like country meg and also techno meg so like oh techno yeah because of the pool parties i guess not that i go i haven't been to a pool party in 10 years you throw a pool party in the backyard yeah but you know it brings you back to like belmar oh yeah sometimes you just got literally how about this i'm wearing the stu goth shirts is belmar new jersey i love this so much

and i also need that shirt um so yeah sometimes you just need to play like a little early 2000s edm as well like because i don't know the sun's out i love that and i assume you and joe are gearing up for the new taylor swift album a couple of days, right? Are we ever? I mean, right now I have Sirius XM in my car and they have an only Taylor Swift channel, channel 13. Just launched this week. Oh, because that's her number, right? Yeah. That's the whole thing. Yeah. Just launched this week. So that's the only channel we'll be playing in my vehicle from now on. So yeah, no, cannot wait. Obviously we love T-Swift, but we love Gyllenhaal as well. Of course. Not holding against either one, you know? No, no. Gotta be fair in this fight. Absolutely. Looking forward to this weekend, what events can people

come see you at? I think you have a couple events, right? Yeah. So on Friday, we will be outside of T-Mobile in Toshiba Plaza. I will be there hosting an hour and a half live show. It's myself, Teddy Atlas, Michael Bisping, Chael Sonnen. I think maybe Daniel Cormier might come in for a little while. And so we'll be out there. That's a Legends Only panel, yourself included. Yeah, it's, oh, thank you. It's, man, sometimes you just have to pinch yourself.

Like, oh, I get to work with these brilliant athletes and brilliant minds. Teddy Atlas is like a grandfather to me. He brings me cookies every show. I was going to say, I witnessed that. Like we were it was at Newark, the Aljamain Sterling fight. And Teddy Atlas walked up and he's like, Megan, these cookies are for you. I was like, oh, my God.

Teddy Atlas is exactly who you want him to be. He's literally the greatest person. I love him so much. And so and also what a brilliant mind, you know? And so to be able to work with all of them in the lead up to such a monumental event is awesome. And then that, so that's on Friday afternoon, but that desk remains for Saturday.

So should there be finishes on the prelims, that's also where we will be, which is kind of cool because you know how Vegas shows are. People kind of filter in later than they do at other locations. So there's lots of bars and restaurants that I'm sure fight fans will be at. So if they have not made their way into the fights yet and we happen to get some time to fill, they'll be able to also see the desk in action, which I just think like is really fun and adds an extra element. And you know, Vegas is beautiful weather now. So it's kind of the best of all the worlds combined.

That's so cool. When we did the Canelo fights, the little broadcast, they put us on one of those desks on the balcony outside. Yes, I know exactly what you're talking about. Yep. That to me was the coolest thing in the world. Almost as cool as like the fight itself, because that's just that feels like Vegas. It feels like pre-fight

feels like a movie you know that's what they cut to right before the big cinematic ending scene like i love the pre-fight desk aspect of no a thousand percent ufc 300 yeah because the backdrop is the las vegas strip i mean it's not a green screen it's not a studio it's the las vegas strip i mean there's not really anything more iconic And especially when that when the sun starts going down, you just get the shimmer of the lights. It's really it really is the entertainment capital of the world. And it adds something of a big show feel for sure. All right, there we go. I can't wait. I'll see you there. I'm coming down on Friday. I'll be at the weigh ins and UFC 300 itself. It's going to be an amazing card. If you are going to be there, I would get there early

because every single fight on this card could be a main event on a fight night, could be a main event on a pay-per-view, a lot of them. It's going to be awesome. Megan, good luck on the pay-per-view. Hey, thank you. It's always better when you're in the building for an event, so can't wait to see you. Oh, I appreciate that.