The Ariel Helwani Show - Breaking news: New MMA organization revealed, Alexandre Pantoja, Helwani responds to Belal & Shields, OTN

Episode Date: December 11, 2024

Ariel Helwani responds to recent comments by Belal Muhammad and Jake Shields, before bringing in The Boys In The Back to answer your On The Nose questions, including the gang's most desired boxing fights, best holiday gifts, and much more (25:41).Alexandre Pantoja discusses his UFC 310 title defense over Kai Asakura, his callout of Demetrious Johnson, potentially facing Kai Kara-France or Deiveson Figueiredo next, why he'd smash Sean O'Malley and more (58:15).GFL founder Darren Owen announces the launch of the Global Fight League, unveils a massive roster that includes seven former UFC champions, plus many more details about MMA's newest team-based organization (01:33:12).Anthony Pettis and Kevin Lee explain why they signed with the GFL and answer questions about the new team-based MMA organization (01:59:57).Finally, The Boys in the Back rejoin to react to the GFL news (02:13:46) and answer more questions (02:35:27).

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Ariel Hawani Show! The Ariel Hawani Show is back in your life. On this Wednesday, December 11th 2000 and 24 hello again everyone i sure hope you're doing well great to be back on another dreary wednesday here what is up with the weather we had a great stretch two months beautiful and now all of a sudden dreariness it's crazy it's not even cold oh it's beautiful it's it's beautiful in terms of the temperature but it's just you can't even see it you can't even see the beautiful empire state we do have of course lady liberty uh representing right over there there she is lady liberty

yeah how fitting that she's behind the money in the bank wow it's to say if you want liberty, bring the money in the bank. I'm offended. As a Canadian slash American, dating back to March of 2023, I am offended. By the way, we never really discussed this when we were talking about UFC 310. What about Weidman changing his walkout song?

Wait, he did change it? That was one of the great controversies of the night. I forgot to mention it once. I didn't mention it on Twitter. Don't Back Down? Do you know what it is now? No, it's actually Won't Back Down. No, I won't back down.

Is it Go Teeth or is it? You know what he came out to? Was it I'm Proud to Be an American? One of those. I'm proud to be an American. It just doesn't hit the same. I mean, lovely song and I get the, you know, the patriotism and all that, but it just doesn't hit the same before a big fight. Do you not agree, Frank? I agree, but they didn't make you sing that

when you got your citizenship? Absolutely not. I refuse. I was sitting down clutching onto my Canadian flag. Don't take it away from me. Don't take it away. I'm just joking. Great to be here on a lovely Wednesday. And off the bat, I do have to address the elephant in the room. I do have to address the controversy that everyone has been talking about and everyone has been asking me about trying to get my take on it. And I figured we'd just talk about it on the show here today.

Major development, major story on the show here today. Major development, major story over the past 24 hours. And that, of course, is the Yahoo holiday party, which is going down tonight. There's been a lot of consternation, a lot of back and forth as to who's attending, who's not. And a lot of people have been asking me about this. So I just wanted to get a quick roll call. It's a big party. My wife was telling me this morning, she's never been to a corporate holiday party. I certainly was excited about it, but there appears to be some people who don't want to attend for some reason. And I, I don't know, I sort of feel like we're the new kids on the block here in the office. And I think we should all attend together as one to show sort of unity and support for what we're building

together here as partners um and so just a quick could we just do like a quick roll call um yeah i'm not going oh also with i'm with your wife i've always wanted to go to a holiday party and it's like it's i feel like you're like of mine you're like top of the list of people who i would have expected to want to go they sent out the invitation i was just like holy shit holiday party i'm in i rsvp'd that day everyone else was like man i was like we have to go uh as some of you know um started a book club at my apartment it's tonight wait why would you laugh at him i read the book and everything and is the book club do you guys meet in the apartment or is it like in a common room?

Are you asking whether it's in my actual apartment? In your actual unit. No. God, no. It's a nice, as they say, luxury apartment. There's a big open common space. The apartment provides like food and wine and beer. So it's like a holiday party in itself.

Well, no. My apartment has its own holiday party next week. Oh, are you attending that one I will be at that one I actually RSVP'd to this one that I would be at it I got the Uber voucher and everything I mean they're looking out for us They're doing it big here Uber voucher if you drink don't drive get home safe

Yeah I'm actually super bummed I'm missing it If I could break the fourth wall I mean I don't think we ever got invited to a Vox holiday party I don't know if they ever even had one. If they did, they definitely didn't invite us. Yeah. And now here we are, a few months in. You remember that one time we walked upstairs to the cafe and there was just like waiters

wearing tuxedos with like trays of entrees, like hors d'oeuvres and stuff. And we showed up and it was like that awkward sound. We were like, I guess we didn't get the invite. Yeah, it's like we crashed a wedding. It was extremely awkward. So you're out. You're officially out. Yeah, which I was there. I am the host of.

How many people are a part of this? Last time there were 16 people there. And you can't move it to tomorrow? No, no, no. Dude, like you walk into my apartment complex and there's like posters everywhere. They send out emails. They make posts on social media about it. I mean, I'm the talk of the town.

What book are you guys reading right now? And then there were none. Oh, love that one. Mystery book. Mystery book. George Orwell, right? No. You're thinking of Animal Farm.

No. John Steinbeck? Agatha Christie. Ah, no. You're thinking of The Black Knight. I legit read that book, I think, in like eighth or ninth grade. You guys didn't- It's like 100 years old.

Yeah. You guys didn't cover that one? No, I used to hate reading. Now I like reading. And I wanted to meet- So you guys have to read the whole book and then talk about it. Yeah, you guys didn't cover that one? No, I used to hate reading. Now I like reading. So you guys have to read the whole book and then talk about it? Yeah, that's a book club. Alright, well, does that mean everyone's out if GC is out? I'm definitely not going.

Frank, are you in? If he's not going, I'm not going. Wow. Them's just the facts. I stand in solidarity with old Connor Burks. That's not true. He doesn't want to go. So you're out. Okay, so there's a huge holiday party. Everyone's in the spirit here PT if I can just like paint the picture for you You walk into the office here they have done a fantastic job

With the Decorations and the music They're giving us free coffee I mean the vibes You talk about the chill vibes PT The festive chill vibes I actually feel bad I'm thinking about Flying you in because I feel like you would Kind of rub it on my face you're just just just smashing my face in it really aren't you yeah it's the most

i didn't even get an invite this office it is packed i didn't get an invite like just just i know they didn't expect me to go but just send it you know just token just let me go oh yeah imagine imagine dream a dream not even a fucking invite oh okay guys i'm going all right well i wouldn't have went that anyway then't know about you guys I was getting worried here Frank not going PT not going I'll be there

I'll be there with a bow on What is that expression I'll be there That's for damn sure Merry Christmas Here's my black t-shirt It's a holiday party Sorry non-denominational I was about to say I'm sure. Yeah. Merry Christmas. Here's my black t-shirt. It's a holiday party. No, sorry.

Sorry. Non-denominational. Yep. Yeah. Yeah. I was about to say, it's probably a quiz before you come in. Can I tell you a funny story about that?

Um, I think I might've mentioned it on the show. I used to do the backstage interviews at a Fox for Fox. Um, and, uh, my, my stage manager,

the producer backstage was the late, great Adam Geller, Snacks, we've talked about on the show before. And I think it was a Stipe Miocic fight in December. I think it was Stipe. And he's like, you know what you should say? That he lit him up like a Christmas tree. And I was like, that's a good line. And so the end you know as i tossed it back to whoever was the uh the the the host i was like and guys all right that does it for us steve amyachich lighting up so and so like a christmas tree here in las vegas back to you and i got shit for it i got shit because uh you can't talk about the holidays you can't talk about religion i'm like i'm not even i'm not even Christian. You can't say the Christmas line. You can't bring that up. Like, what?

I love it. We're not allowed anymore. But yes, I will be there. I think some other people in the crew will be there. On Air Jordan is going to be there. Andy? Actually, the biggest question is, are you going? Well, I was trying to take the temperature of the crew. You can take my RSVP. I mean...

Ariel's not going. He didn't RSVP. He's not going today. And he thinks he's so big time, they're just going to let him in without an RSVP. Yeah, that's right. They would. They would. Every time, I'm just like... Well, he's not going. You didn't RSVP, so you can't get in. He's just like... I know a guy. You know who I am? By the way,

this is my RSVP, right here. He's the guy. This is it. He's not going to use the Uber certificate. He's going to get pulled over on the way home, and he's going to hit him with the, do you not know who I am? You just scroll to yahoo.com. You're just like, this is me here. I'm here.

This is me. Is it walking distance? No. Strike a gate. We're good. Strike a gate. It's further away from all of our houses except for Mysterious Frank. That is tough.

We'll hop in the Uber. We'll hop in the Uber. It's good. You'll come. All right. Come on. Well, stay tuned. Perhaps tomorrow on the Boys in the Back, we could get a full recap.

Yeah, I would actually love that. I would love a breakdown. If I just do a breakdown for a GC, all right. I could do one for you right now. All right. Yeah, go ahead. Do it. There's some hors d'oeuvres.

There's some people that we work with that we're now seeing in the evening. I think this is what really troubles Frank. We're reveling in the holidays. Can I actually break the fourth wall? Really, Frank? Break the fifth wall. Yeah, let's break the fifth wall. So you guys don't even know about this.

Me and Frank were enjoying some breakfast, and he's just like, so you're not going to the holiday party? I was like, no, really, I can't. I'm, you know, prior obligations. And he's just like, yeah, I'm not going to that shit. It's just not my thing. He's like, it's just not my thing. We have to talk about things that are said in confidence.

Like, if I'm throwing out the shit, it's probably a common thing. That is just not my thing. Greg, do we have to talk about things that are said in confidence? I was like, I would have loved to go. Should we? Shall we? We already offlined about that one. Alright.

It's going to be great. I'm excited about it as Ariel has laid out. They do a great job making it feel festive here. I'm pretty stoked. I think it's going to be fun. I have also not really ever gone to a big company holiday party. When I used to work at Jack Taylor, shout out to our mutual friend, John Beer, who you mentioned last week or maybe earlier this week.

Yes, you mentioned him earlier this week. Jack Taylor used to throw some great holiday parties, but we were a little boutique firm back then. Now he's taken over the world. This is big time. This is big. You're supposed to do it. Would you imagine John Beer's Christmas party? Oh, it was a lot of fun.

The Jack Taylor Christmas parties were pretty spectacular. The vibes are fantastic. They are, dare I say, on fleek here at the office. Oh, boy. Geez. Who used that one? Tough one? I mean, that's what 20 called right now.

Six or seven years ago. Yeah. Yesterday, what did I say yesterday? There was one, oh, I said he was cooking And I showed it to my kids and they're like The delivery isn't It's not good Because you're delivering it as a 42-year-old man

As opposed to a 15-year-old I'm trying The Krispy Kreme line from Rick earlier this week I'm still not over that Yesterday Glazing them up like a Krispy Kreme No, no, I said I won the Krispy Kreme award for the day. I stole that from the Midnight Boys.

But... Well, speaking of which... We're going to have Pantoja on today. Speaking of which, there's a great transition right there. Let him know, by the way. Rick's favorite. Can we get a compilation of Rick just glazing Alessandro Pantoja? The most underrated fighter ever.

Yes. He will be joining us. The reigning defending UFC flyweight champion will join us at about 2 o'clock. Can't wait to talk to him. Third successful title defense in a row. Obviously, he gets his 11th win this past weekend as a flyweight, tying the great Demetrius Johnson and Joseph Benavidez. Seventh finish tying the great Demetrius Johnson and Davidson Figueredo.

And speaking of Davidson Figueredo, we get word today that he is interested in dropping down. We were all wondering who could be the guy. Sign me up for that. Sign me up for that one, guys. Sign me up for that. So we will get Pantoja's reaction to that. I don't know. I don't want to call it a call out per se, but that statement, if you will, from

Davidson Figueiredo. After the Pantoja interview, we're going to be joined by an individual who has been on the show once before. There was a lot of news pertaining to his big idea, his big plans. Those plans have changed. And now there's a new chapter and there's a lot of new things to discuss. I know I'm being a little bit coy, but let's have some fun here. So some news will be dropped. A lot will be revealed. A lot will be discussed with this individual. And then on the back end, two fighters who will be competing in this organization, if you will, will join us. And so that should be a fun time. We'll keep it all. Yeah, there it is.

Let's have some fun on this holiday party Wednesday, shall we? And of course, on Wednesdays, we like to shoot from the hip. We like to answer some questions. ArielHawani.substack.com is where you can send all those questions and we do have a ton to get to. Usually, I like to wait for the hot tag. But on this particular Wednesday, I'm going to bypass the hot tag. It's like those old school tag team matches where there is no tag and the guy just jumps into the ring. Because there I was sitting in this chair yesterday.

I was literally sitting in this chair yesterday as we were getting ready for our second Tuesday show. You know, we do a Helwani show, usually till 3.30. Then we get ready 5 o'clock Eastern. We go live with the great Ade Oladipo on the DAZN Boxing Show YouTube channel, Ariel and Ade. Another episode is up right now. We have a snippet on our YouTube channel.

My big oos, the man himself, the future champ, Joseph Parker joined us from all the way in Samoa. It was a great chat. I'm sitting here getting ready for the show. We're literally, I don't know, 15 minutes away from going live. And all of a sudden, someone sends me a clip. I get this clip of uh tweedle d and tweedle dum talking about me on a podcast the jake shields podcast which i i still

some 24 hours later 20 hours later i still can't believe this is an actual thing it's an actual real thing i kid you not and it's uh jake shields and ufc welterweight champion Bilal Muhammad talking about a whole host of fascinating topics that I'm sure there are a ton of people want to hear their take on said topics. But one of the topics is me. Your old friend, Ariel Helwani. Yeah, it's actually me. And I see this little snazzy clip that they put together where Jake is sitting back and he's like, yeah, what do you think about that Ariel Hawane with his cool backwards hat, his receding hairline? And Bilal continues to spew the lies that he has spewed about me for almost a decade now. A, that I've never asked him to be on the show, debunked multiple times. B, that I don't want him on the show, debunked multiple times. B, that I don't want him on the show, debunked multiple times. C, that I don't want people who are associated with him on

my show, debunked multiple times. Juliana Pena is like a freaking mainstay on the program. She's one of his good friends. Jared Gordon, I think is his actual best friend CM Punk to name a few And D that I never put him over And that of course has been debunked Several times and I sat there And I'm listening to this And I'm just seeing The hatred and the venom

And the bigotry and the anti-semitism Just like oozing out of their veins And I'm like these fucking guys again Again with this shit. And then I try to listen, I get Rick's voice here and I get GC's voice here and I get Jordan's voice here. And they're like, just let it be, let it be.

Don't take the bait, don't take the bait. And I can't help myself. I say, I wanna be High Road Helwani, but then Pettywani comes out, Heelwani comes out, and I just can't help myself. So I kept it very simple. And I just said, yeah, that's not true. And you know, it's not true, but keep spewing your lies, something to that effect. And then I just go on and I have a show. I have a show to host. I have to go put the phone down and I need to go host this show. Well, in the midst of hosting the show, there's Jake Shields,

my old friend, the Strikeforce King, saying, oh, post the DMs, post the receipts, moving the goal post this, that, and the other. I didn't even have to do any work. It was a beautiful thing. I didn't even have to do any work because I got people like No Context out there and Andrew Feldman out there, all kinds of allies out there who just have all the receipts ready. They have everything. I don't deserve any of the credit here. They had it all prepared. Like within minutes, it's unbelievable.

So I just, you know, respond. All right, you want some actual proof of me publicly telling Bilal that he is welcome on the show, wanting him on the show. You want some actual proof of me putting him over, saying that he's getting screwed by the UFC, that he deserved the title shot before Colby Covington against Leon. Oh, I feel bad for you right now. I feel

bad for the audience because I have to go over this again. But the thing is, when people lie and they lie with such conviction and such confidence, you have to continue to shut it down. This is the same as people who deny that the Holocaust ever happened. Because if you don't stop them in their tracks, if you don't refute all the nonsense, they'll just keep running with it to the point where other people will start to believe in it. So every time they do this, I have to refute it. I have to defend myself. I have to remind them that you've been invited, you've been bigged up, you've been invited both publicly multiple times and privately. Your manager doesn't let you come on, on and on and on. It goes, you guys know the story by now. And that wasn't good enough for old Jake. That wasn't good. He wanted the private messages. He I looked for the oldest message that I could find all the way down. And I found one from 2016 of me asking his manager to have Bilal on the show before UFC 205. He

fought at UFC 205 against Vicente Luque. And I don't usually like to do this sort of thing. I know in the past we've had to do it But I did it because I wanted to prove That this is bullshit Oh you know you only do it That's not a real invitation Excuse me like a public you're welcome anytime I'd love to have you let's bury the hatchet Let's talk this and that

That's not good enough alright here's me trying And by the way again like I said Spoiler it never happened He's never come on he's never wanted to come on He doesn't want to come on because he doesn't like me and I'll leave it at that. And so he is able to then do this thing where he sits there and be like, he doesn't want me on. He doesn't big me up. He doesn't want my people on. He doesn't want this. He wouldn't want, and it's a lie. It's a lie. It's a lie. It's a lie. It's a lie. And I hope by now the audience is understanding who the liar is and who the truth teller is. It's, it's, it's, it's, it's a lie it's a lie and i hope by now the audience is understanding who the liar is and who the truth teller is it's it's it's it's it's a line that i think um what's that guy's name

kendrick kendrick lamar i think he said it recently that's right you know it don't tell no lies about me yes and i won't tell the truth about you that one so that's that's what happens every time every every time and so here okay, now you got the text message. Is that good enough for you? Is that good enough for you guys? I've bigged you up. I've invited publicly. I've invited privately.

And despite the fact that you continue to lie about me, I will once again say, you are welcome. I would love to have you on. Let's bury the hatchet. Let's show people that we can have a civil and professional and cordial conversation. And so I'll say right now, in fact, I'll go one step further.

I'll name the date and I'll name the time. Monday, let's say, that's our next show, 2 p.m. Eastern, 1 p.m. Central. Here's the invitation. Come on the show. If you're the bigger man, if you really truly feel like I've been disrespecting you or that I haven't been

treating you well or whatever it is, come on the show and let's talk live. And if you feel like this is a play for me to get my ratings up or get my views up, you can live stream it on your show too. You have a show with Jason Anik, just met him for the first time, seems like a great guy, was very happy to meet him. And of course, his brother, John. You can live stream it. And if that's not good, if you don't have the technology or whatever to do it, I'll come on your show the next day.

That night, I'll come on. I'll return the favor. Monday, 2 p.m. Come on the show. Prove to the world that it's not you, it's me. Prove to the world. Prove to the world. Once again, I will invite you once again on the show. And if you don't want to do it, you're well within your rights. You don't want

to talk to me. You're busy. You got a lot of things to do. I totally understand. You're well within your rights. But enough of this. Enough of the lying. Enough of the making up stories. You know for a fact that I've tried to have you on and I've attempted to do it publicly and privately. You know for a fact that I've bigged you up because in fact you have retweeted and commented on me bigging you up. I posted all this. I don't have anything ready. I have nothing. Usually I put things up here. I have nothing. It's all on the timeline. You know for a fact that all of this is a lie and I will leave it at that. I'll keep it between us. I'll keep it between us. I'll leave it at that. You know for a fact that this is all a lie and that you're

making all this up. And if I say one thing critical, I say a bunch of critical things about a bunch of other people. You harp on that and then you ignore everything else. You're the welterweight champion. I just said a couple of days ago, the Shavkat fight is not the one-sided beatdown that everyone thinks it is. It's a 50-50 fight. I've called you an incredible fighter. I said that you were getting screwed, that you earned the title shot, that you won fair and square, all that stuff and more. Oh, oh, but he mentioned the time zone. Come on. Are you that sensitive? Are you that sensitive? And so we'll leave it at that. You think that I don't want you on? For whatever reason, you want to spin this narrative, these lies? Come on the show Monday at 2 p.m. Eastern,

1 p.m. Central, and you can live stream it on your show as well. And if you don't want that, I'll come on your show. And if you don't want to come on, that's totally fine, but stop with the lies. Now, as for Jake Shields, as for my old friend, Jake Shields, it's a bit of a different story because Jake is a different kind of cat. We know what Jake is doing. We know what he's all about. And so as far as Jake is concerned, I will just say, I hope by now you realized that everything you said about me on that show was an absolute lie and that you're making shit up and you have a podcast and apparently there are people that listen to this podcast and good on you. You're finding something to do post-fighting. But here's a bit of advice. Someone who's been, you know, doing this for a long time, doing this, talking into a microphone, hosting shows for a long time, because now you're in the media space. I saw that you invited me on your show. So, you know, you're trying to do that game that, you know, I just invited, you invited me. Great. Fair play. Well done.

Shoot your shot. I get it. A word to the wise, Jake. A word to the wise. If you are trying to get guests on your show, do me a favor. Do me a favor. For your own sake, try to spell their name correctly. Just do that.

Just try to spell their name correctly because I saw a multitude of spellings of Ariel. It's not A-R-I-A-L. That's a font on Microsoft Word. Look up Microsoft Word. I know you never used it before. It's a thing. You type things into it. That's a font. It's not A-R-E-A-L. I have no idea where that one comes from. It's A-R-I-E-L. A-R-I-E-L. You've spelled my name multiple times as you were trying to invite me on the show. And so this is the RSVP. I respectfully decline the invitation. I respectfully decline. If I would like to sit in a room across the table from someone who has the social skills of a drug addict on a three-day bender, I could just go downtown and

check out the local crack house. I could do that. I could do that, Jake, and just hang out with those people. I don't want to be in a room with you. I don't want to be in a room with someone who spews the nonsense and the bigotry that you spew. But if you do want to invite me next time, do me a favor. It's A-R-I-E-L, which is Hebrew for Ariel, which is Hebrew for Lion, Ari, El, God, Lion of God, Ariel, which is Hebrew, which is the language that the chosen people speak in the great state of Israel, you fucking bigot. Learn it, learn about it, learn how to spell and leave me the fuck alone. All right. Once and for all, I've had of your shit and and stop telling people that you don't watch my shit you follow me i expose that i'm tired of you and all the nonsense that you spew i went on your twitter page yesterday and i said

earlier that there's no way that jake shields writes this stuff i'm here to take that back i apologize you 1000 write that stuff because i can't imagine anyone being that dumb other than you writing the shit that you spew. And I know you're going to bring up my uncle and you're going to talk about my family and you're going to talk about Israel and you're going to say, oh, they kill kids over there. We know exactly who you are. You're a washed up has-been fighter who is content farming on Twitter and getting paid. And that's the only way that you can get paid these days.

So good on you. God bless. Leave my name out of it, out of your mouth And if you do want to use my name It's A-R-I-E-L, Lion of God Get it right, Jabroni Alright, now we're done I'm sorry guys, I had to do it

Oh, thanks Now to the questions we like to shoot On a Wednesday afternoon Can we shoot? Let's shoot That wasn't shooting? If that's not shooting,. Can we shoot? Let's shoot. All right. That wasn't shooting? I mean, if that's not shooting, what are we doing? Kevin. Hey, Ariel. I've been watching and following you since 2009 and 2010. I'm so happy for all your success. Your show and your team are on fire. You're doing the best content of your whole career right now, and the boys in

the back is fantastic. I can't say enough good things about you guys. You feel my week? You fill my week of anticipation and appreciation. I've got two questions. Number one, what was the most exciting year of MMA and your reporting on it that you've experienced so far? I mean, I always talk about 2016. We've talked about the book, the documentary, the whatever that we can do surrounding it.

2016, there were five pay-per-views that had over a million buys. Five, five pay-per-views that had over a million buys. Five! Five pay-per-views that had over a million. Let me see if I can recite them again. Well, can I do the game where I recite all the pay-per-views that year? I love that game.

Yeah, hit it. January 1st, Condit Lawler, which, no, sorry, it was January? It was January 2nd. Second day of the year, ended up being the fight of the year. Incredible fight, UFC 195 in Las Vegas. 196, early March, Conor versus Nate, that's the first million. 197, Jon Jones versus, and I'm not looking at anything here, Jon Jones versus OSP. Three weeks prior, Jon Jones is in an orange jumpsuit. The day before that fight, we get the infamous Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz press conference where Conor doesn't show up and Nate is there for UFC 200. What a week. That was incredible.

The fight against OSP, if I'm being honest, wasn't the greatest fight of all time, but it was still a great theater and a grand old time. UFC 198 was Stipe versus Verdum. Curry Teba, 55,000 plus. Knockout. Incredible stuff. Stipe becomes champion for the first time. UFC 199,

Rockhold Bisping, an amazing scene. You know about that whole week. Uh, Steve becomes champion for the first time. UFC 199, uh, Rockhold Bisping, an amazing scene, you know, about that whole week. Uh, incredible, incredible. And okay. So wait, have I got to the second? No, I haven't even gotten to the second. I haven't even gotten to the second million dollar, uh, by pay-per-view. Okay. Um, 200. Well, okay. We know about 200 and everyone, everything that happened with John Jones and Daniel Cormier and, and, and, and Hunt and Lesnar and all that stuff. 201, Tyron Woodley versus Robbie Lawler. Woodley knocks out Lawler to become the UFC welterweight champion. 202, Nate versus, okay, so 200 was the second million-dollar pay-per-view.

202 was the third, Nate versus Conor. 204 was, okay, so 20, wait, did I skip 203? Yes, I skipped 203. 203 was in Cleveland. Alistair Overeem against Stipe Miocic, CM Punk's debut. 204, Michael Bisping against Dan Henderson in Manchester in the middle of the night, great scenes. 206, oh, sorry, what's wrong with my math?

205, New York City, that's the fourth pay-per-view, million buys, that's Conor versus Eddie Alvarez. 206 was the Toronto card, which the last time I did this was Steve-O, I said it wasn't the greatest card of all time, and I maintain it wasn't. It was supposed to be DC versus Rumble Johnson. There was an injury, the fight got rebooked, and we ended up getting Pettis in the interim title fight. But, but, but, you did get the Duho Choi-Cubb Swanson fight of the year

contender on there. Interestingly enough, I don't even think Lawler Condit, which was the consensus fight of the year that year, is in the UFC Hall of Fame. But Choi Swanson is? Never quite understood that. Anyway, and then you have 207, which was the incredible Cody Garbrandt fight against Dominick Cruz. And, of course, Ronda Rousey against Amanda Nunes. That's the best year in UFC history. What was the fifth?

2007. Ronda's return. Comeback fight of the year. I'm still on the corner. By the way, five pay-per-views and in the midst of all that, the company got sold. If you're talking about a year that had just a ton of stuff, the company got sold in the midst of that in, the company got sold. Like if you're talking about a year that had just like a ton of stuff,

the company got sold in the midst of that in July. Okay. I feel like... You disagree. No, no, no, no. I'm not about to argue. What I'm going to ask is I think maybe a more difficult question, and maybe you don't have the answer for this.

That was clearly the biggest MMA year. But from an Ariel Hawane perspective, was that the biggest year? Was it covering all those things that made that the biggest year? Was there another year that you were doing the most or achieving the most or doing something else? Like from your year,

was that the biggest one? And now you may, I feel like you'll, it was, okay. I was going to say, I feel like you might remember the events more than you remember the things that are happening in your life

because I feel like sometimes I'm like a passenger. I'm just kind of like going. Oh, so you're saying like from a personal standpoint year oh i thought you meant like me covering the sport like meaning like what i thought was uh was the most stuff happening for you was that the big break was that the like that's a great question um well 2018 was great because obviously we went to espn and that was very exciting but that turned out to be not so fun very quickly you experienced all of it firsthand That's a great question. Well, 2018 was great because obviously we went to ESPN and that was very exciting. But that turned out to be not so fun very quickly. You experienced all of it firsthand.

Okay. I would argue there were a lot of great years. 2019 was very special because I felt like we got over the hump at ESPN and we started to like find a groove with the shows, Ariel and the Bad Guy. The Monday show was starting to find its groove. And then I started to get to do the NBA stuff as well. And I also, you know, I did like the E60 people. I did the E60 story on Daniel Cormier. I got to do ESPN radio.

I did Outside the Lines. Like I started to feel like I was a part of the story on Daniel Cormier. I got to do ESPN radio. I did Outside the Lines. Like I started to feel like I was a part of the ecosystem. Yeah, the ESPN whatever, machine. And so I always think there was one weekend, that International Fight Week pay-per-view weekend, 2019, July of 2019, John Jones versus Tiago Santos. that same weekend I did three, I think it was, Summer League games. So I was going back and forth from MMA to Summer League.

And I worked with Vince Carter and George Sedano, and it was a dream. And it was the first time I got to do the on-air sideline reporting and all that. So 2019 was pretty damn special. And of course, you know, 2021 was great when we went back to MMA fighting and then all the other stuff that we were building. And dare I say, 2024 has been wonderful with this new chapter.

Love it. That's pretty cool. Alright. Number two, I'm a pretty skilled artist and illustrator, but a neurological issue has stopped me from following that trade anymore i'm sorry to hear however your show has been such a mainstay in my life that i would love to create a kick-ass piece of art for your team where would i send it is my question um thank you for all the work you guys do greatly appreciate it um i'll reply to this my email my email is public on my x account

oh just send me send me an email okay there it is send me an email um taishan8888 ariel and crew congrats on the big one five well deserved as always not fight related but i've learned there are some cinephiles on the staffious to hear everyone's film of the year. Specifically Frank, who seems to have choice taste. Hey. Best to all of you. Talk soon. That's funny. Honestly, my favorite movie of the year.

And there were some really good ones. Like Dune Part 2 was amazing. I thought Romulus was good for what it was worth. But the one that takes the cake is honestly The Substance. If you haven't seen it, you should see it. I've been recommending it to everyone. It's the one that takes the cake is honestly the substance if you haven't seen it you should see it i've been recommending it to everyone it's the barbie that we were promised but didn't get until the substance came out the barbie that we were promised the barbie movie yeah i just feel like what is it at like how is it even close to the barbie what does that even mean

um i feel like it's the most empowering for women i think think it talks on the topics that Barbie was attempting to do. Was Barbie supposed to be empowering? Andy, the woman in the control room, seems to disagree with this. She just shook her head yes. Does that mean disagreement? She had her hand up like, what the fuck are you talking about, Frank?

She can go on air. Oh, look. There's the hand again. Oh, no. I think this stems from the cookies comment from yesterday. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, it could. She handed me another cookie comment from yesterday. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, it could. She handed me another cookie today.

Wow. Probably drugged. Just kidding. But wait, is she disagreeing with the bar? I don't know what you're talking about as far as that other movie is concerned, but was Barbie supposed to be empowering? Did you see Barbie? I did. Did you sleep through that one?

It was definitely about Women empowerment Beauty standards Culture and how it reflects on that of course Well my daughter loves it I wouldn't have her watch The Substance Just to be clear Not the target audience Definitely don't let the daughter watch

Have you guys seen The Substance Do you agree with this take That it's the film of the year? Rick loved it. Rick loved it. It's my second, and my first is the other one he mentioned, Dune Part 2. I think Dune Part 2 is an absolute masterpiece. In any other year, The Substance would be my pick, but Dune Part 2 is next level. Mine was Interstellar 10-year.

I went and saw it on IMAX last week. I got some hot takes on that it was so good arrive if they're playing interstellar anywhere near you please go see it God it's just incredible but I actually agree with Rick doing part two doing three years that came out it was that came out this year so good what do

you think you've seen you've seen doing part two right Ariel I I've yes I've, uh, yes, I, I, I love the cinematography in that one. Okay, good, good, good. It was quite beautiful. I've been to one movie this year.

You all know this. We talked about it. Moana 2, baby. So that's my, that's my, uh, yeah, that's my pick. PT, do you have a pick? Are you a big cinephile, PT?

Do they have movies? I watch old movies. I don't really watch new, new films. The invention movies in Ireland, Connor. Yeah, we invented them. The Quiet Man. That had to be the first. No, no.. I don't really watch new films. The invention movies in Ireland, Connor. Yeah, we invented them. The Quiet Man.

That had to be the first. No, no. I actually don't think I've seen any new films this year, apart from Beetlejuice, which I really enjoyed. Wait, Beetlejuice like the original? Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice. There's a new Beetlejuice? It's called Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice.

Oh, wow. Is Christopher Lloyd in it? No. Christopher Lloyd? You mean Michael Keaton? Christopher Lloyd. Christopher Lloyd was not in Beetlejuice? It's called Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Oh, wow. Is Christopher Lloyd in it? No. Christopher Lloyd? You mean Michael Keaton? Christopher Lloyd. Christopher Lloyd was not in Beetlejuice. He was in Back to the Future.

Michael Keaton's in it. Michael Keaton is Beetlejuice. The dude with the hair. Is that Christopher Lloyd? I haven't seen any of these films. Back to the Future. You're thinking of Back to the... Wait, what is happening right now?

You know Back to the Future so well. So why... What's the... Why did I think Christopher Lloyd's in that film? The same hair. He's Doc from Back to the Future so well. So why... What's the... Why did I think Christopher Lloyd's in that film? The same hair. He's Doc from Back to the Future. You don't have the same hair. I do have similar hair.

Lloyd's big hair. It's like blown out. It's like fritzy. Lloyd did turn down the role for Beetlejuice. Ah, I knew it. See, I knew it. He's not in it. That's a link.

No, but it's not him. It's Michael Keaton. Wait, so is Michael Keaton? Yeah, Michael Keaton reprises the role i love it yeah i still gotta go see gladiator too it's like i checked it oh yeah i heard that was good and then i'm gonna see wicked on friday i heard that was good i wouldn't love it i'm still holding out uh is it wicked one or wicked two it is one it is wicked one isn't that like a prequel to oz though yes i did watch the wizard of oz the other week

oh we never even talked about this how did we not talk about this yeah well watched it Isn't that like a prequel to Oz, though? Yes. I did watch The Wizard of Oz the other week. Oh, we never even talked about this. How did we not talk about this? Yeah, I watched it. Yeah, I see, like, for its time. Wait, is it like the 50s one? Yeah. The 30s one, the 30s. Oh, jeez.

I mean, incredible advancements in cinema, for sure. I mean, for that time, though, especially, like, the guy painted Silver to be the Tin Man was... Very impressive movie. Yes. Best movie of all time? I'm not so sure. Yeah, I didn't think you'd get there. Not so sure. But I'm just happy you at least saw it. Impressive movie.

Tee me up for winning. Are you still sticking with that one? This is the least controversial take. I know you guys feel like this is controversial. This is a cinema classic to the point of I'm surprised you guys think this is controversial. A lot of iconic scenes in it for sure.

Yeah. It informed so much after. That's your favorite movie ever. Favorite movie. He says it's the greatest movie of all time. The best. Maybe the most influential. Maybe the most.

I get it. I get, I get the pick. It's a cinephile pick. It's mid. It's then you, then you ever read the book about the making of that and all the horrific things that happened during the making? That's why you like it.

Yes, because I like the suffering. What do you mean by horrific things? Oh, I don't want to get into it. It's disgusting. Disgusting what it is. I'm glad you like the film. I'm glad you like the product of hate. You're not going to shame me, Pete.

You're not going to shame me from loving The Wizard of Oz. Is it the flying monkeys that are your favorite? No, they are not my favorite, Frank. I're not going to shame me from loving the Wizard of Oz. Is it the flying monkeys that are your favorite? No. They are not my favorite, Frank. I'm quite partial to Dorothy. Max83. Hello, Ariel. With the holidays right in front of us, I want to take this chance to wish you and the whole crew happy and healthy days with your loved ones.

My question is, what was the best gift each one of you has received? My best one was the Game Boy back in the day. I freaked out about that one. Greetings from Germany, my man. Best gift, best gift. There's always a gift that I talk about with my mom. I remember being in the third grade and she told me that if I got a good parent-teacher interview session, if you will, that she would get me Mario uh, Mario Brothers 3. And she ended up giving it to me before the parent teacher interview to say that she was, um, so confident that it was going to be good. And I remember, like, I remember holding it and I remember opening the, the, um,

the, the wrapping paper and be like, oh, and it's Mario 3 is my favorite one, probably because of that reason. I don't know if that's like a controversial take or anything like that. That's the one where he has like the raccoon ears and all that stuff. You know that one, guys? Yeah, it's a great one. Feathers. You get the feathers. Is it the raccoon ears? Yeah.

Yeah, that one. Like for some reason, that gift has just stuck with me. Or is it squirrel? Because I guess raccoons don't fly, so it must be flying squirrel, right? Because it's like the bushy tail. I feel like the tail is like a raccoon tail. No, but do raccoons fly? Yeah, well, I mean... Does anyone fly, really?

It's actually called Tanooki Mario. Yes, birds fly. I've seen it. To what? Birds aren't real. Yeah, that one. Anyway, that's the one that comes to mind. How about you guys? Game Cube in 2002. It's always a video game system. With Super Mario Sunshine in it, so shout out to Mario. Super Mario Sunshine? Oh, God. Classic. Real system With Super Mario Sunshine In it so shout out to Mario

Super Mario Sunshine Oh god classic real ones I actually skipped that It's like Tropical Mario it's so good Where you're cleaning up a bunch of paint Yeah Used to be a plumber now he's custodial I'm joking I know it's great

I just skipped that one It was N64 for me it It's always video game systems. My favorite. Because you don't have the money to buy them, and you want them so bad, and all your friends have them, and then you get them, and it's just like the greatest thing ever.

You spend all day playing them. It's the best. I actually still have that GameCube to this day in my apartment. Was that for Christmas? Yeah, Christmas. Woke up that morning. You'll have that copy of Super Mario Sunshine too. I got to be honest.

I've never heard of Super Mario Sunshine. Wow. You've got to look it up. Was it a GameCube exclusive? Yeah. You would have graduated high school around that time. Yeah, you were likely. I was already in college, broski.

Oh, yeah. My favorite holiday gift was spending it with you guys last year. Nah. That's the worst answer. Actually, it was a Yamaha DX200. It was my first synthesizer. I got it when I was a sophomore in high school. Love that thing. Still have it

to this day. It's like an audio equipment thing. It's a musical instrument. I'm not going to lie. When you said Yamaha, I thought you were going to say a dirt biker. I'm sitting in front of a Yamaha console right now. I know Yamaha makes a lot of stuff. I didn't know what a DS is.

I'm curious about PTs. I really want to know PTs. My favorite gift that my friend Sanz drew a picture of me for my birthday when I was 14 and I've had it ever since. It's somewhere up here. I haven't hung it up yet, but it's traveled everywhere with me.

That's incredible. He drew it with pen. So that's my prized possession. I love that. He drew it with pen. Like the detail in it is incredible. It's a massive, massive picture. And, uh, the detail in it is incredible. And, uh, I've managed to keep it. We've lost it three times, would you believe, in different moves.

Wow. I always get it back. Yeah. Yeah. That's incredible. I love it. It comes back in the wash. I don't know.

Like we, we always just leave it in stupid place. I thought I had lost it for sure. back yeah yeah that's incredible i love it it comes back in the wash i don't know like we we always just leave it in stupid place i thought i had lost it for sure we moved into this house and then we found it in a lion's ma's attic don't know how the fuck it got there but we found it rick n64 and just great one classic what year i don't 96 what were the games that you got with hot off the presses uh golden eye i. So GoldenEye was already out. Oh, remember that game? You did WCW versus NWO in that one? That was a fun one.

That was the one on that one, yeah. He made a reference to it the other day where he pulled the baseball bats out. Yeah, getting the stuff from under the ring. 64 was goaded, man. Iconic. So good. Perfect Dark.

Were you guys holding GoldenEye? GoldenEye, Ocarina of Time. Right stick. Legend of Zelda was sick. All of them were. All of them were. Banjo, even Banjo-Kazooie was nice. Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Kazooie. Wave Race. Shout out. Oh, yeah, Wave Race Time. Right stick. Legend of Zelda was sick. All of them were. All of them were. Banjo. Even Banjo Kazooie was nice. Banjo Kazooie and Banjo.

Wave Race. Shout out. Oh, yeah. Wave Race 64. Pilot Wings. Glass Core. Donkey Kong 64 slept on. Turok.

Smash. Shout out Nintendo. No. Shout out to Nintendo. I still have a Switch just because it's just like pure nostalgia. The only two games that I remember from N64 are WCW, NWO, and WWF No Mercy. Seriously? You only remember two wrestling games?

No, the wrestling games were sick, man. I'm not saying they weren't sick. Okay, Mario Kart. I was about to say, Majora's Mask. Ay, ay, ay. Take me back. Simpler times. Take me back. Better times. FTMMA. Hey, Ariel and the boys.

No question this week. Just wanted to congratulate Rick on his Australian 200-meter record set last week. I can take no credit, but shout out to the homie Gaut Gaut, the legend. 10.04, baby. 10.04.

He's a ridiculous one. Legend. CE, lads. A genie looking a lot like Turkey Alchik appears. He says he will make one boxing fight of your choice. What are you choosing? I'm going for Canelo versus Benavidez. Do I even need to answer?

Yeah, I know. Ready to say anything? I feel like this is just for you. Yeah, of course. I saw an interview from this morning where Eddie's being interviewed by IFL TV and Chris Eubanks' manager pops up. And could you believe this? They're arguing about the split now eddie wants 50 50 eubank wants 55 45 that's what it's come down to five percent come on i mean we're almost there boys we almost got it at this point i know no i'm so over this no just let's move on how you know continued this bit up to

yeah it's like the most your number one fight in all of combat is and when they're releasing over this. No. Just let's move on. How you continued this bit up to keep saying this is your number one fight in all of combat is insane. When they're releasing the promos. Still says that Ronda Rousey was

the 2016 comeback fighter of the year. When they're releasing the promos for this, you guys are going to apologize. I'm more excited for Usyk Fury 2

next week than I would be for Usyk Fury. Speaking of Usyk Fury, you can watch that alongside me and GC right here on the YouTube channel.

Oh yeah. We work all the way into the holidays. Ariel will have his feet kicked up in Miami. You can get more preview coverage of that next week on Ariel and Ade. Thank you. When the

promo is hit for that, you're talking about the blood hit for that you're talking about the bloodline you're talking about this this one bloodline promo for a fight that ended up not being even competitive the bloodline promo for this one would would span decades it would be the most incredible thing ever created you're you're out of your mind this is this is the one nobody will talk me off this and it seems like we're closer than ever. Let's get it. It's so ridiculous. They're literally on camera arguing about 5%. We just need it to happen. You know what's going to change for you, Ariel?

Yes. When Senior comes back into the fold, and this starts to get built up, and now everybody's involved, it's going to hit epic proportions. It's the fight. Yeah, I disagree. Off the top of my head, in a way, Bam Rodriguez. I mean, it's a great fight. That's the fight. Yeah, I disagree. Off top my head, in a way, Bam Rodriguez. I mean, it's a great fight. That's my pick. Or, how about this one?

Tank versus Shakur. Shakur's stock has gone down a little bit, but I was going to say, I don't know if Shakur's the like, the history. If we can get it, I mean, the Haney-Garcia rematch is going to be a banger. The implications of rematch is going to be a banger like that the the implications

of that one are going to be far far reaching yeah i just feel like we saw it but yeah no i mean no yeah we saw it it was incredible yeah i know i know and then now it's even bigger right yeah and i mean there's there's so much out there i mean you guys were teasing like the rumblings of uh tiafimo and and boots like there's. There's just so much on the table right now in the boxing world that could potentially come to fruition. Hello, team. Kaikar Francis coming off an impressive finish over Steve Erseg.

Yes. Do you put KKF on the Australia card and hope he wins to become a more desirable, worthy challenge, or do you hold him out and not risk him losing at this point? I think you kind of have to hold them out if it's not going to be figueredo and it's not going to be demetrius johnson and it's not going to be muhammad mccoy uh i think you kind of have to hold them out i think you risk it and have them fight kkf with an impressive performance in australia could create real demand for the pantoja fat i don't know i mean ursa was

coming off a great win but it was at the apex and no one really was talking about it then all of a sudden he got a title shot like isaacora the casual ufc fan didn't know and coming off a great win, but it was at the apex and no one really was talking about it. And then all of a sudden he got a title shot. Like Isakura, the casual UFC fan, didn't know. And they did a great job of building him up. Like I don't think you need to risk it. Because what if he loses? And who does he fight? And if he fights one of the guys who Pantojo's already beaten, now you're in a pickle.

And I know he beat him, but you can sell the tough thing and here's his chance and all that stuff. So unless it's Figge, and that would his chance and all that stuff. So, unless it's Figgy and that would be incredible. Hey, Ariel. What is each of the team's favorite ice cream? Gosh. Can New York Rick have ice cream?

He seems like a guy with lactose intolerance. I thought that was you saying that. No. I was like, where are we going? So, where are we up to? We got gout.

Yeah. What was the other one? Sleep apnea. And now we got the lactose. Yeah. Don't let Rick near lactose. I'm a child, so mine is always the most colorful. I'll take the cotton candy, rainbow, this, that, the other.

Never held you down for that. Never held you down for that. I'm such a child. I know. I thought he was just going to be like straight chocolate. Really? you don't need anything more no but yeah yeah simplicity but no you guys know my habits like i'm a sweet fiend and like anything that's like rainbow catch your eye i guess he does like a lot he loves spice too i watched bro just down an entire packet of wasabi the other day no problem spices spices oh man when I went to that restaurant last Friday, the wasabi, it was like a thing.

It was almost like a stick. And they ground it for you? Right in front of us. Did they give you any of the pickled wasabi? Nah, they don't do any of that. They don't do any of that. Flying us out or what? When are we going?

I can't crush wasabi. I'll tell you something about the $90 cantaloupe. It was too high for us. You didn't get to eat the cantaloupe? Did they chop up the cantaloupe for you? Oh, yeah, little pieces. And then they fed it to us. No, I'm kidding.

They baby birded you. And this was during the massage or that was earlier? It was right after the massage, so we were all calm. Oh, you went massage and then food. Yeah, of course. You can't eat first and then have a massage. No. Everybody knows that.

Everybody knows that. Payne, hey, GC, of course. You can't eat first and then have a massage. No. Everybody knows that. Everybody knows that. Everybody knows that. Payne, hey, JC, excuse me. How do you get to the earliest and best lines on fights? I've noticed books will have the fight well in advance but won't add props or rounds until closer to the date. Do you check periodically, set alarms, appreciate the picks? Please bring back the previous week review.

Yeah, I'm going to start bringing that back tomorrow. Fightodds.io. They have every book's odds and then BetOnline has the earliest lines on everything. That's how I do it.

You got to press your microphone. Thanks. He's still working out the kinks. Working out the kinks. Working out the kinks. But do you have like an alert for when the lines drop or is that just like a you have to know?

Yeah, you kind of just pick up on the tempos of when things drop. Like I'm usually bet online on Sunday and the early part of the week, they're going to drop the props first. You can kind of get an idea of what's going to go up on other books. Bet 365 is great with like total rounds and everything. You just got to be shopping all the time, man. Fightouts.io though. But that's the spot. That's where you're shopping all the time, man. Fightouts.io, though. But that's the spot.

That's where you're going to find the best lines. All right. Here's an interesting one. Mr. Mystery. Hello, Ariel, BITB, Andy Pizzi, On Air Jordan, and Ant Evans. Wow. This guy or girl shouldn't assume. Well, no Andy.

Oh, Andy is there. He said Andy. Okay, all right. Since it's Wednesday, we like to and oh andy is there okay all right since it's wednesday we like to shoot in arios now american which firearms slash weapons does everyone on the crew oh i love this oh wow all right okay which would you like to get to those who don't own any guns have you ever shot one i bet texas frank has an electric armory room. Wow. Now, was he saying eclectic or electric?

Did he actually say electric? Oh, actually, what did I say? Electric. Oh, eclectic, right? Eclectic, yeah. I was laughing too much. Yeah, I think your Frank does have an eclectic gun collection. Frank, over to you. Frank is a great name.

Actually, I just used to collect airsoft guns. They were replicas of the other guns, because they won't let me buy guns, believe it or not. Alright. You specifically? Me specifically, I had to sign my rights away to own guns. I wish I was joking. What's the law

in Ireland, by the way, PT? We know what it is here, but what is it in Ireland? Put down the guns and fight like a man. That's the law around here. Yeah, now you're... No, no, seriously. Are you allowed to own guns? What is it in Ireland? Put down the guns and fight like a man. That's the law around here. Are you allowed to own guns? You can have one, but you have to lock it in a locker with your back guard. Lads get robbed for them

all the time around here. If you have a gun, they'll get it off you. Have you ever shot a gun? Yeah, terrified of the fucking things. Oh my god. Went away like shooting a machine gun with the lads. Does it scare you? Yeah, it's just like, if I just turn around, I away like shooting machine guns with the lads. Is it the power that scares you? Yeah, it's just like, if I just turn around,

I'd kill everyone in this room kind of thing. What if I recoil or something? Definitely don't want you handling a gun. We went to Prague on a stag trip and the lads just ended up videotaping me shooting because I was that terrified of the gun. It was terrible.

I don't think I'd ever have a gun. If I did have a gun, though, I'd do something terrible. Was it a rifle, handgun? What were you shooting? Yes, this is good that you don't have a gun. It was like a machine gun. It was a powerful machine gun. Like semi-automatic every time you pull the trigger? I was jiggling all over.

What about you, Ariel? Have you ever shot a gun? BB or paint gun? Like an actual firearm. I have, yeah. I have. Pistol, rifle, any reference? AK-47? Jesus.

I like to go for the gusto. People's gun, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I played a little solo duty. There used to be a place called, what was it called The gun store back in the day Yeah the gun store in Las Vegas

Yeah everyone was sponsored by them Everyone would post the content Of them shooting it over there Let's go shoot guns Next time we're in Vegas Yeah the last time we were in Vegas Except Pizzi Pizzi you stay home man

Pizzi has to stay outside Frank's not legally allowed apparently I could shoot it I just can't own one Yeah And then we'll go What do you always want to do When we go to Vegas Frank

I wanted to shoot a grenade launcher Yeah And I was like ready to do we go to Vegas, Frank? I wanted to shoot a grenade launcher. Yeah. And I was like ready to do it. They let you go shoot a grenade launcher. Frank is clearly the one that everyone should be worried about here. He's legally not allowed to go. I'm giving the opportunity. He wants a grenade launcher.

I'm seriously down to do that next time we go, Frankie. Sign me up. By the way, grenade launcher? Where do you even do that? You're all like, hey, you guys want to go get some veggie fried rice? I'm like, fuck that. We're going to go shoot a grenade launcher and we'll hook up with you later.

That is bizarre. Frank is the one actually who wants to get the veggie fried rice. Then we'll go get the grenade launcher. You've got to inverse. Oh, here's a fun one. That wasn't a fun one? Well, yeah.

Hello, Mr. Crowned 15 times, but still uncrowned. With the final UFC championship fight being contested over the past weekend, over under six and a half champions who lose their belts in 2025, assuming no champion vacates like Ilya, is suggesting moving up to 155. You know, we're going to have a preview show for all of you, so maybe we can address this, but what do you guys think? Save it. Save this. Okay, fine, fine, fine. Yeah. preview show for all of you, so maybe we can address this, but what do you guys think? Save it.

Save this. Okay, fine, fine, fine. Yeah. Get the answer on the preview show that we do. Okay. Also, will there be any holiday gift exchange? Secret Santa, White Elephant. What's White Elephant? Isn't that Secret Santa?

You get the random gifts. Isn't that Secret Santa? Secret Santa. You can get a gift and then you can trade it. We're still doing White Elephants in 2024? Andy was just doing one. I talked to one of my friends. He was like, I got a White Elephant party.

I'm busy. I was just like, in 2024, who's still doing it? You're like, I'm going to my book club. I don't have time for your White Elephant party. I got to do the book club, okay? Wow. I've never heard of White Elephant. I've heard of Secret Santa.

White Elephant. I've never heard of it either. It's a similar concept, but you can trade them. That's the thing. But you do a White Elephant, you know who's giving the gift. Yes. With Secret Santa, the point is that it's a secret. Ah.

All right. You come to work and there's just a secret. Is there going to be one? I don't think. The time has passed. Yeah. Perfect. Oh, here's a fun one.

Gift is being with you guys every day. True North FFB. Shout out from Trav in Victoria, BC. Saw your ruthless 10-7 mastery of Jake Shields on Twitter. How do you find receipts so old? I mentioned it. People help me. It's great.

Tell us about your process when you strap in to body these fools. Receipt pulling, video creation. I mean, I really can't take any credit. Really. How smitten are you when you've served one up good? Be honest. Appreciate you for representing Canada with such class and it's been great watching you and the crew

living the dream. Usually what happens is someone sends me stuff. I ask the guys back there, should I post it? They say no. I do it anyway. Is that a good... Did we not coach you through the OG post yesterday though? That's usually what happens.

Guys, what do you think? Don't do it. Don't do? That's usually what happens. That's exactly right. I'm like, what do you think? Don't do it. Don't do it. Take the high road. Don't do it. You even come in saying, I'm not going to tell you because I know you'll say no. When I was driving in today, I said, I'm not even going to bring this up.

I'm going to go the complete opposite way. And then you brought it up. You just stir amongst yourself? I just think. I think. I think. I'm sitting in traffic. What do you guys think I should do today on the show?

We're like skipping. He's like, I got bad news. I'm not going to what do you guys think I should do today on the show like skipping he's like I got bad news I'm not gonna skip it like yeah we knew that a bay hello Ariel I've come to the conclusion below is actually just not very bright Jake Shields however bold-faced liar knows exactly what he's doing at that guy all right you said it

Bubba so he's saying that Jake Shields is the smarter one of the two I'm Bubba. So he's saying that Jake Shields is the smarter one of the two? I'm not really sure what he's saying. In any event, I do see a... I saw... Did it go away? You're right. Oh, here's one from Jason. A super chat from Jason.

Ariel, you go to CBC... You go to Cobb? What does COB stand for? Ariel, you go to Cobb to cover maybe? Cover, got it. The 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris this year, what was the major difference in covering the Summer Games versus the Winter Olympics in 2010. Well, when I was there in 2010 for AOL, and thank you so much, Jason, I wasn't working for a rights holder. I was working for AOL. So we couldn't shoot anything with the athletes. There's a ton of restrictions. This time around, I'm working for CBC, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the gold standard, if you will, the public broadcaster. And the athletes are coming to us after their big moments. It was incredible. The access was amazing. I got like, there's one, when Summer McIntosh swam in her first race that she won the gold medal in, I think it was a Monday, they put me in like an influencer spot.

And when they are walking out of the tunnel, you see me just standing there with my phone i'm like what am i doing here did i ever tell you guys the story when she won her first gold medal which was a big deal she's 17 she wins and swimming and all that stuff and then i turned to my um my colleague my producer who was with me sarah and i was like okay so when's the final like i thought it was the semi and they're all like oh my god she did it and it was actually the gold medal race yeah oh great yeah you did tell us that that's a that's a blunder yeah it's tough it's tough it's tough um which one was the real one there i actually confused me um it's tough hey there it is is Anyway that was a great time And I hope to do it again Perhaps in Milano

In 2026 The Winter Olympic Games Can't wait Alright let us go and put a pin In the questions We'll get to more of them in the third hour So sit tight For now though we have to say hello to Royalty. We just saw this

man compete on Saturday. He successfully defended his UFC flyweight title. What a scene it was, what a fight it was, what a performance it was, what a finish it was. His third successful title defense at 125 pounds, his 11th win at 125 pounds in the UFC, tying Demetrius Johnson and Joseph Benavides. His seventh finish tying Demetrius Johnson and Divison Figueiredo. He is the pride of Brazil and now Florida as well. He's the great Alexandre Pantoja. Hello, my friend. How are you?

Obrigado. Parabéns. Obrigado. Yeah, thanks so much. That's like, I'm very happy for everybody did that. Everybody did that with me. I'm the fan of the UFC. I defend my whole universe. You have a part of that. When you win together, it's much better. That's why I think I'm the champion of the world. Because everybody has one piece about that. Everybody gives me some energy to conclude the fight like that. I'm super glad about my performance.

Everything's perfect. You know, we spoke before the fight. And you're very respectful. You're very classy. You always say the right things. About Kai getting the title shot and about this challenge and all that stuff. And it was all fine. But then there was a video that was posted afterwards, Alex, of you coming back.

And you said something like, no Ryzen champion is going to come out there and take my belt away. And then I was like, maybe he was a little bit fired up over this. Maybe he was a little bit annoyed. You know what I'm talking about, right? Of course, of course. And then you're right. I think that's why you tried to take off me. You know, I see everybody watching the video about O'Malley. He posted that sparring with me so many years ago.

And then he gave me a down with a kick in my stomach and then you see found a good guy to do that you know like the best uh counter strike for flyweight in that moment you know the guy knocked my everybody with the knee and the body and he bring that for fighting to me i think like now this guys like i'm trying to make a trap for me you know bring the japanese and come here you know that's why i try to put out you know but i love to work for fc you know and uh when i defend this belt i think i'm defending the holy ufc you know uh special all this stuff work there you know because a lot of people don't know who I'm talking about but

the guys working the staff like the security guys everyone you know the cameras I like to work for UFC

you know Parumpa very well yes and I follow Parumpa all the time you know and Parumpa is such a nice guy

and talk to everyone and I did the same you know we come all the time, you know, and Pajumpa is such a nice guy and talk to everyone. And I did the same, you know, we come from the same place, you know. And I think I'm the fan, not just for me, but for whole UFC. And then after the fight, I'm so like, put everything out. That's my way, you know. I don't like I hold something in my heart uh but in the end of the day i'm super happy because ufc giving the opportunity to fight one night like that you know uh of course i'm the

event and then below uh have a injury and i'm still with the main event you know i'm super happy for do that you know i i say i put something in my mind you know like uh thinking about how anderson silva did you know because uh the spider anderson silva he's that guy because in the exact moment he defended his belt everybody watching him he doing something very exciting something very special and i think you know i i need to do something like that you know that's my opportunity you know the main event and that's what i did you know that's why i'm super focused uh don't smile any time you know like uh of course after the fight everything come out but i'm still

focused on so much for that fight i'm training so hard so i don't make mistakes you know because uh we've seen when i fight today Chegg he hit me a lot uh with Moreno too you know and then I I realized I'm very good fighter uh I'm doing very well in the gym you know I think for everyone in the America top team it's not surprise about how how good I finished that fight you know because everybody watching the gym uh I did that all the time you know I'm training so hard I I feel I'm one of the because everybody watching the gym, uh, I did that all the time. You know, I'm training so hard. I feel I'm one of the best guys in the gym, you know, and I say that because I'm very humble, you know, because I'm, but I feel that because I'm trained so hard, you know,

and, uh, that's it. But so to, just to be clear, did you, did you think, you know, all this talk about first Japanese born champion and, uh, the, the rise in bosses there, Saka Kibara, and there's maybe plans to go to Japan next year. Did you think that they wanted him to win? I think nobody's going to complain. You know, like maybe for UFC, maybe he thinks it's going to be nice if you have a Japanese fresh blood with the belt, you know, you can make a lot of fights, you know, because

I'm sorry, but I beat everybody, you know, like, but I think right now, what UFC is going to do is like put someone else, you know, like if you take the numbers, maybe it makes sense for Royval, you know, because he come for the two fights,

he beat Moreno and Taira, but I already beat him, like, in my title fights, I completely domination Royval for five rounds. I felt, Alex, like you were, you know,

sometimes people grow into being champion, and I felt Alex like you were you know sometimes people grow into being champion and I felt last week there was a different vibe about you there was a different aura the hair was different the clothes the chain the all black like you look you look mean you look like you were there for business you you look like a champion not to suggest that you didn't look that way in the past but there was something different about you. Like you knew you were the man. This is my belt. No one's taking it away.

I felt that confidence oozing out of you. Is that a fair description of how you were feeling? Of course. You're right. I think when you ask me what changed when you get the belt, I think that changed. I'm starting to learn how to be a a ufc champ you know like i know i'm good fighter you know i know that but i know more about

what what the company need me you know like i never imagined it get that position before you know and then i have that position i figured out i need and then I had that position. I figured out I need like a, I put that close just for go out of the buzz, you know, something like that, you know, for one minute, you know, but like, I know I'm the main event, you know, that that's very important. You know, I needed that. And when I fight with Moreno for the first time, I don't cut my hair. I still with my, my old stuff, you know, because I think if I want this belt, I want to want this belt. Like, uh, I'm did every time, you know, I'm not going to old stuff you know because i think if i want this belt i want to want this belt like uh i'm did every time you know i'm not gonna change you know something like that but of course now i i see i i need to look more nice for for the cameras and for everybody you know uh i'm not like a uh metrosexual guy you know not like that i'm very clean, I'm from Brazil, you know, of course. But like, uh, you know, I use more Corona to stay with my wife in house, you know, like

something like that, you know, it's just for that. But, uh, but I'm super happy, you know, uh, I think, uh, my mindset go very well because I, I, I, I tell, I say that I'm feel like I always present, you know, I come to Las Vegas, they did do the main event the show of the night and then my second mindset is I did like Anderson Silva enjoy my moment

and I think all that this connection for Goldie you can see in my face my walking I look to my wife and don't change my face I look to my kids and keep my change my face. I look to my kids and keep my face like that. And then after the fight,

I can smile again. I see I'm very focused and very calm. I feel so comfortable. I'm training so hard all the time. Everything is a training. The way I go to the octagon, the way I'm circling around the octagon,

everything I did that in the training is 100 times, you know, for that fight. And then I feel like I'm so relaxed for that moment and enjoy. I feel like I'm training in America Top Team. I feel like I'm sparring, you know, and I think that's a very dangerous combination for me when i'm very very focused and very calm you know and they in the locker room uh maybe i'm asleep for a couple minutes you know and then parumpa say no i know you like to be calm but like are you too much you know let's shake it let's shake you know and and and so when you were thinking about the fight like we had demetrius johnson on the show and I'm going to ask you about him in a moment. But he said like when he heard that this fight was going to be made and announced, he knew exactly that you were going to win via submission.

Given Kai Sikora's style and how he fights and maybe, you know, that he hasn't quite been there before and whatnot. Did you feel the same type of confidence? Did you think, you know, you've talked in the past, you have to go 25 minutes, you have to stay in there for 75 minutes total with all these guys. Did you feel like this would be maybe a bit of a shorter night for you? I respect Kai Asakura a lot. You know, I put him in a very

huge level, you know, and I know he has a very a lot of knock-out power, and that's making me training very well about don't don't be don't get hit you know and uh i think i'm involved with that process you know uh but uh he right the metro i think everybody can call that about the submission but of course i can make a mistake then the fight's over you know but I think

Demetri Johnson's a goat he's so that's why he he got the belt for so many years you know because he can't key eye level is so hard so hard and uh yeah I do the right way I think that you know I did the right way but I never figured out you know out. Because if I go to the fight with something like that in my mind, and I can do that, maybe it's going to be trouble for me. I just go to the fight and enjoy. Do you think this is a guy that you will see again? That was his debut, and sometimes you have to fight guys multiple times. Do you think he is good enough to work his way back up and be in the title fight again?

I really want to see him fight with the guys from that division. That's a very nice fighter. I think everybody wants that challenger right now. But for right now, I don't think so. Because I show everybody how deep, how you can beat him. And then I realized very quick when I started, like, the Jon Jones kick in the knee, I think that's opening a window for everyone, you know. I can't, I break Kyra Sakura with that kick, you know. And a lot of guys can use.

And how I finish him, like a lot of... I see a lot of guys in the UFC ranking can do that, the same thing with him. I felt from watching it that there was a big size difference. Like this is a big boy. He fights at bantamweight historically a couple fights way back in the day at flyweight obviously it wasn't an issue for you but did you feel like he was much bigger than some of the other guys you fought at at flyweight that's why i i tell to him when i make the face off in the wings i look to him say you don't look so big

like and then but yeah he looked big but like i don't feel uh uh they say, you don't look so big. But yeah, he looks big. But I don't feel they're stretching. I'm training with a very good guy here. And especially for that fight, I train with a lot of bantamweights. You know about the American Top Team. We have so many good fighters here. And I really don't feel the power. And for that

cut weight one of the best i feel uh i'm growing like a professional too you know i'm very good fighter uh i'm better athlete right now and very professional you know i live my best moment you know uh and i tell that because uh i can realize in my mind you know, uh, and I tell that because, uh, I can realize in my mind, you know, I can feel that I can feel that. And, uh, I don't know if you, if you, you see, I record, I, I post something in my Instagram talking about like, uh, you know, just, uh, better with fighter. I'm not, I'm not just involved like a fighter. I'm, I'm involved like a man.

And, uh, that was connection with that. I tell me I feel I'm involved like a man, like a husband, like a father. And that's I'm better fighter right now. As I was in connection, I can realize something like that. Finish Sakur in two rounds and uh i really think it's gonna be i can do that again and again and again you know did you know did you plan to mention demetrius johnson after the fight or did that just happen the only the only thing i imagine is that you know like if i finish as a

court i need to call the materials because i i never like uh i don't want to respect him but i think after that finish i i earned that call you know uh because after before that i i think he is like a i never close about the material youus Jones. You know, he's so high. The level is so high. But after finishing a Saku like that, I think I earned that position to call him to fight, you know. But I understand if he don't want, you know, like I have a very huge respect. But I see he training right now. And I don't know.

Maybe that's happening. Well, we did have him on the show on Monday, and maybe you've seen the clip, but I just wanted to play for you his response and then get your response to his response, okay? Of course. Here it is, Demetrius Johnson. It was a good fight by Alex Pantoja and Kai Asakura,

and was I a little surprised that he called me out? A little bit, because, you know, one thing when people, if you know who I am and you know me as a person outside of the cage, when I say I'm going to do something, I mean it 1000%. Like I'm not a guy I'm, I'm, I'm black and white. It's either I'm in or I'm out. And when I said my black ass is retired, I'm going to everybody out there. I don't sell false dreams.

I don't sell wolf tickets. I don't sell wolf tickets. I don't sell none of that bullshit. My black ass is not coming back. So there you have it. And he continued to expand on that. Do you believe him? Do you really think he's done? Yeah, he looked very true. Yeah.

He said no money in the world could bring him back as well. No, yeah. I think he don't need money too. You know, like it's not about money. But that's someone because I think I just need training with him. Maybe training is something I want to, yeah. Because I'm training with Cerrudo. I'm training with Kyoji Riguchi, Adriano Moraes.

I fight with a lot of good fighters. Moreno, Rival, and all their guys. And that's something I have, that dream I have in my life, you know, fight with the best fighters of the world, you know. Demetri Johnson, he's the best one, you know.

The way he did, you know, the mindset, how he had the key to the victory, you know. So smart, you know, the mindset, how he had the key to the victory, you know. He's so smart, you know. And I want to, like, challenge him for that. You know, that's why I'm fighting, you know. That's why I never say no for fighting anybody, you know.

And I feel maybe I'll text him and we can train together. That would be fun. I saw him yesterday. He was training with Khabib in Islam. I don't know together that would be fun I saw him yesterday he was training with Khabib in Islam I don't know if you saw that I saw too yeah people were like

oh is he training for a comeback but I even asked him that by the way there he is with the whole team he said no he's just there

to help out a little bit that's amazing that guy trains so hard yeah we have a couple Russians here in America

top team we have Armand too and all the guys train so hard yeah we have cooperation here in america top team we have our month too and uh all the guys training so hard that's like a that's very good for what very good example for us like a very good for pushing uh not just the guys you know we have the japanese the the kazakhstan we love i love training America Top. I always have different challenges here that make me grow so much. And because I say that

in some interviews, the UFC by the wrong Japanese because we have the Kyoji Riguchi. Yes. And Riguchi is so good, brother. He is unbelievable. Obviously, we saw that fight back in the day as well uh between dj and uh kioji in in montreal another win for dj but horiguchi

is one of the greatest of all time um could i just ask in your in your in your mind how does a fight against demetrius play out have you thought about it how do you think it actually plays out? He needs to move a lot, but I know 100% I can hold him. I know he shakes very well. He's very good with the counter-strikes, and then I train with Kyoji. But I think right now I have so much stretching, so much power,

and I can use my jiu-jitsu a lot. He has a brow belt jiu-jitsu a lot. He has a brow belt jiu-jitsu, you know. He improves a lot in jiu-jitsu. But I don't know. I have a very strong hand, too. I don't know if you saw in the first round with Sakura, I make a flashdown with my left hook. The same hook, I make the flash down with my left hook. The same hook I make the Brando Moreno down,

I did the same with the Sakura. A lot of people don't see that because it's super fast. But I think I can prove myself. I feel I'm the best player right now. Maybe tomorrow I think it's not like best for weight right now. You know, maybe tomorrow I, I,

I think it's, it's not like that, but, uh, right now today I feel I'm the best one. Yeah. Um, it would be incredible. It doesn't sound like he wants to come back and that leads us to start thinking like, who could you fight? Cause you have beaten all these guys. And, and to me, it's come down to three names. Um, and, And so I want to get your take on these names. Number one, probably the most realistic one is Kaikar France, who you already beat on The Ultimate Fighter. But it seems... Too many times, yeah.

It's like a different... I'm different, he's different. So are you interested in that one? Oh, yeah. I think for now, that fight tomorrow makes sense, you know? You think he's the one that is the most realistic in the UFC? The truth, because he come for... In the last three fights, he lost twice, you know?

But for now, after what I did in my division, I think everything doesn no more sense anymore i'm like i i fight with the top 10 i fight with the number one number two top 10 then you bring someone else i think everybody have a chance right now okay so he's one option i think a lot of people would like to see it um and yes you know they they bring steve urseg who wasn't really in the top 10. Very nice fight. Karakara Frenz is a very exciting fight. That's someone who's going to bring me to another level, of course. The other name is an undefeated fighter who was in the UFC,

but then left the UFC, and that's Mohamed Mokhaev. Do you want to see them bring him back to be a challenger? I think it's a very good name too. You know, like something he's never I think I don't know what's happened but like he's a very good fighter. He proved himself with the manual cape. It's a boring fight, of course. Like,

but I think for me right now fighting a good grappler, that's okay. You know, I think it's good for me. I think maybe fight with a Kaya Sakura, good stance when you're wrestling, but I break him. And a good striking,

maybe it's danger for me, but he's good too. But Mokai, of course, is somewhere else I want to fight. I need to fight with him. He's undefeated. He did very well. I think UFC

can make this happen in the future. I hope I'm fighting to everybody because I want to keep this belt. Okay, now here's maybe

the most potentially realistic and exciting one. And it's one that's come up today. I don't know if you saw this, but the former champion

Davidson Figueiredo, he said he'll go down from 35. He had some comments. It's one that's come up today. I don't know if you saw this, but the former champion, Davidson Figueiredo, he said he'll go down from 35. He had some comments. These are translated. Since Pantoja is looking for someone, I think I'm the best option. I'm available, man.

In my entire career in the UFC, I only missed weight once. If I have to make weight, I'll go there and fulfill my commitment. And our first fight wasn't easy for Pantoja. It was a three-round fight, and I certainly won all three. What do you think about a rematch against Davis and Figueiredo? I want that too.

That's one of the fights I want to be in because, of course, he beat me one time and I know 100% I can beat him. But it's going to be a danger for UFC to make him weight right now. Maybe it's a danger for Figueiredo to try to do that right now because his body just changed. He just goes to the bench to weight and goes very well in the bench to weight.

He just lost to Petr Jan, a former champion. Amazing fight. I watched the fight and I think if Figueiredo believes a little bit more, he can beat him. But I think he feels the pressure to fight with a former champion. He traveled to China. And P.T. Young is the same hour for Russia, for Thailand. He's very close. I think it's always that connection.

And Figueiredo does it very well. Figueiredo is a monster brother that's why his his name is a god of war yeah and uh yeah yeah that's fighting I really make me excited to yeah I don't know if it makes sense but like I say in my division right now not to make sense you know you can bring him maybe and that speaks to your dominance If you had to pick of those three, who do you pick? Who's number one? Rank them for us. I think it's that. It's that.

Kyle Carapace is the only one in the UFC, in the division. And then Mokaev is not in the UFC in the roster right now. Of course, I know UFC talked with him about bringing him back. And Figueiredo come with one loss everything can happen it doesn't make sense right now but I think I'm ready to UFC give me

a car of friends the guy despite his maybe can make a good numbers in the preview he have like a huge fans in Asia. But I don't go to Australia. Yeah, I know. I understand that. You're the champ. And it does seem like you're

starting to get a little bit more respect, although your friend Gilbert Burns has said you need to be higher up on the rankings. As far as the UFC rankings are concerned, Alex, here they are. You're ninth. You're tied for ninth with

Leon Edwards. How do you feel about this as far as pound-for-pound rankings are concerned? Is this accurate? Is this fair? No, Ariel. This is something I really want. I think that's a God plan for me with that. I like it. I like everything I really want, and that's, I think that's a God plan for me with that, you know, something like,

and I like it. I like everything God did in my life. I'm like, I just say thank you, you know, because that's, maybe you see when I'm talking about that before, you know, like that's something very important for me, man. I don't know if another fight is thinking the same way, maybe it's just the numbers, but for me, this is something, you know, like, uh, right now I can realize I can be the best fighter in the world. This is making me so happy, you know, uh, and, uh, this is something I want, you know, and the guys give me a number nine. Thank you. You know, thank you. You're going to keep me, keep me, push me like that. I want, I want that, you know and the guys give me a number nine thank you you know thank you

you're gonna keep me keep me pushing me like that I want I want that

you know like you know me that's like my mindset

is like that you know I'm I'm not I'm not like to say excuse

and don't like blah blah blah for that guys you know I just keep my work

and that's it. That's all about me, you know. I really know that, what I say, that's something I want.

I go to go high. I want to be the number one, you know. And I know a fight like that, a fight like that I did on Saturday with a beautiful performance can push, give me a better number, you know.

Sure. But the guy gave me a nine, that's okay. Nine is a good number, you know. It's an okay number, but I want to let you know here on our show, our site, Uncrowned, we have more respect for you, Alex, because these are our rankings. And you see right over there, you're number five here, okay? So just remember who has your back. Moved up six spots,

Alex. That has to look better for you, right? No, no, it looks super better. I agree with you. I can see again. Oh yeah, put it up again, one more time. These are the top fives. Islam one, Pereira two, Ilya three, John Jones, and then you. What's that like? I love to you what's that i love to put up brother i love to put him in that that's some i'm a huge fan you know he fights so well he like

a do like a el matador it's so so nice so you agree with that of course i will 100 maybe maybe maybe my next victory i go go to number three i don don't know. That's what I want. I want to fight. I don't want to stay too many times without fighting. I plan myself maybe to fight in April here in Miami. That's my town. You already know.

But I talk with my wife, my coach. I'm very clear about that. I don't know if a fight here is going to be good for me because I love so much that place. I feel so good here. I don't know if I can separate two things. I'm living here.

I'm happy in that place. I don't know if I can separate fighting and leave. Maybe in the week of the fight i'm like i don't realize everything you know uh fight fight week and all that you know but i think i need that one right now you know i go to brazil fighting real that's my town my neighborhood i have my mom my first semester there and then main event in las Vegas, that's huge. And maybe right now I'm ready for, for coming to Miami and did my show here. You know,

I have a very good, uh, people on my side here. A lot of friends. Uh, I love to go to the soccer practice, uh, with my kids.

And then all, all the daddies and moms and, and, and friends of my kids want to see that fight. A lot of friends here and everybody in the gym. Maybe I can do that,

but I need to get out first. By the way, there's a lot of people out there who are getting to learn more about your kids. I love the relationship that they have with Gilbert, like seeing them next to Gilbert, and then they come in the ring. And then we got to see them on Embedded, and one of your sons actually predicted second round submission. I don't know if it was the older one or the younger one. Yeah, the older one. The younger one, Sushi and the younger say sushi and anime yeah yeah yeah but i feel so good with that because that week my kids like i

came like a yeah yeah yeah i love that as you're cutting weight your kids are there isn't that amazing yeah i didn't see uh he talked with cameras, you know, but he feels very comfortable with the cameras, too. You know, the guy filming is Felipe from Embedded, and he did that four times with us. You know, he's part of the team. And my feels feel very freedom to talk to him. And my kids grow me so much, you know. And that week, the fight week, my kids do all the process with me, you know. And then, like, he talked a lot with my coaches they make a joke is my kids make a jokes with my coach and macarron all laughs you

know that's super good for me the opportunity to to do that for my kids, you know, my kids see all the process, go to the fight, go to the cut to weight, uh, make our interviews. And, uh, you see how he, my, my kids does like, uh, he, he, he speak like, uh, he really believe in his dad, you know, and I love it. You know, you know about me. I'm super humble. You know, I'm not cocky guy. I never did that, you know? And, but my, my, my kids are like, uh, no, my dad is going to win. That's amazing for me. It's the greatest feeling. And they speak very well. They're very confident.

They're very sure of themselves. It's a beautiful thing. I want to just throw out one more suggestion and then I'll let you go. If they need to let the division play itself out, get some contenders, maybe you up 135 Sean O'Malley we we figure this one out a bmf i just we figure it out we figure we all the talk about the sparring now and now we we

figure it out once and for all you know o'malley is so dumb guy because no no because he now he like he says some good about myself i don't know i don't see everything but he say i do it very well like uh and blah blah blah but like uh and he if he posts that video why he didn't post everything you know like he's so stupid because he did that you know if you're not don't post anything. It's my word versus your word, but don't make just your take. And about that, I know I can finish him. I'm not a very big guy, but I know I have a big heart and I know I can beat him. But now he but now he's not getting more the belt. And if you ask me who's Sean O'Malley,

I don't know who's him. Okay. Fair enough. Fair enough. Well, it was a great scene. Everyone in the cage afterwards, your family, you and Alex Pereira together.

It's just amazing to see you being celebrated like this and amazing to see everyone show you the respect that you deserve. There it is. Yeah. You and Alex saying the shama with the legend Joinho and Ed Soares. Everyone, maybe the

most interesting man in the world with the mustache and the beard. George Guimaraes, one of my favorite people. It's so nice. Yeah, bro. I love to work with him, learn with him. Like five fights I go, maybe for five years, I don't know. I to ufc enjoying with my

in my side in the bus go together to arena and say i feel so amazing because i have you on my side you know you the guy walk with anderson silva jose alden then i'm here you know and then i figured out i know i'm good because you in my side you know and, and, uh, and then he's so nice, nice guy. You know, I'm a huge fan to join your lifestyle. He's some very special guy. Ed Suarez too. Uh, I learned a lot to, to add about the business, you know, I understand the business, you know, I'm not going to say, Hey, you see, pay more, pay more for me. And not like that, you know, he showed me the, another way, uh, another, uh, he flipped

the coin, showed me the, me the another face about the business and everything my team is so incredible you know these guys by whom for macarron my wife you know my kids I make a top team you know I I figure out like a it's no way you know that's why I'm the champion. Amazing. You're a champion in the cage and in life as well. And it's great to see you. You have a great team around you.

Congratulations once again, Alex. Really appreciate the time. Enjoy the holidays. And thank you for coming on. It's always great to have you on. When you need, I'm here, brother. I love to talk to you. Thank you.

We know everybody. Brothers, ball. Yes. I love it. See you, brother now everybody brother it's ball yes i love it take care there he is the great alexandre pantoja the reigning defending ufc flyweight champion what a guy uh i didn't get into the whole rick lazing thing because you know we were short on time but he knows he i'm sure he knows i'm sure he's seen it all. He's read it all. He's well aware of the fan that Rick is of him. Okay. I tease at the top of the show, special announcement, breaking news announcement, some information on a new MMA promotion coming out. And so now here is the time. Here's the

time to learn more. And we've got a lot of information coming your way. So sit back, relax, strap on your seatbelt. It was almost exactly three years ago today. Would you believe it? Three years ago today, December 8th, 2021. Today is December 11th, 2024. On December 8th, 2021, on the old MMA Hour program, we had a gentleman named Darren Owen on the show, and he announced a lot of information regarding the World Fight League.

You may recall in September of 2021 on the Substack, we wrote a whole bunch of stuff about this new promotion coming out. Well, then he came on three months later and laid out all the plans and told us that the plan was in February of 2023 for it to officially launch. I think the date off the top of my head was February 5th, 2023. Well, that date has come and gone, but now he is coming back and he is here to talk about the launch of the Global Fight League. They've got the plans, they've got the dates,

they've got the venues, they've got the fighters. It appears to all be coming together. And so without further ado, let us say hello once again to Darren Owen. There he is. Hello, Darren.

Hello again. How are you? Doing great. Thank you. Good to have you back. It's been amazingly three years to the day that you were last on with us. And on that day, we talked about the World Fight League. Today, you are here to announce a whole host of things. And the plans have changed just a little bit. Obviously, the dates have come and gone. But I want to give the floor to you to announce what you want to announce a whole host of things and and and the plans have changed just a little bit obviously the dates have come and gone but i want to give the floor to you to announce what you want to announce yeah thanks ariel appreciate that very much um in september we secured our seed round of financing to actually launch the the league um lots of things have obviously changed over the

last few years um a lot of things are obviously still the same as far as, you know, what we're looking to do as far as the format, the structure and all that. And we're ready now. So we've got venues booked, we've got fighters signed, and it's go time. Okay, so and it is the Global Fight League, yes? Yeah. So our trademark, that was, you know, obviously a number of things kind of happened over the years, but shortly after it came on your show, the trademark got challenged in Europe, World Fight League. So that prompted the change to Global Fight League. That was a bit of a process. And then just kind of get everything, getting everything that needed to be in place before we really started to sign any fighters. And it just took a lot longer to significantly longer to, to raise the necessary funds to launch. Um, and it was, it's been a grind, but never quit, never give up, just kept moving forward. Dream never died. Vision never stopped. So, um, thrilled to finally be underway in operation and, uh, and ready to go.

And, and so is that part of the reason why reason why, you know, when we spoke in 2021, you said that the plan was February of 2023. Why did that date come and go? The funding wasn't in place. That's pretty much what it came down to. And, you know, I think it's somewhat of a blessing in disguise. I think we're in a lot better position now, just as far as the industry goes um you know i've brought on a legitimate team of non-mma individuals that have experience across all the major professional sports leagues so you know the idea was there the the passion and motivation was there but you know a lot of the the fundamentals that that needed to be in place to launch a league at the level we were planning to do it just weren't all in place at that time. And it just took a little more time to get to where we needed to be.

I asked you three years ago about the backing. And so you've alluded to some of the people who are backing this venture. And I don't want to call it a promotion because you corrected me last time that it's not a promotion. It's more of an organization and the structure is more akin to a professional sports league, if you will. Could I ask about who is behind this? Obviously, we know you, you're the founder, you're the face of it all, but who is actually behind this? Our main investor is a tech entrepreneur out of Silicon Valley. He's our partner on our app we're launching with the league. That's our big finan financer we've had some other you know friends and family people help out along the way but for the most part that's the that was the one we were waiting

for to kind of fill up that round to to really just have everything we needed to to launch and do it the right way and can i ask specifically who that is i don't know if he wants his actual name out there. Yeah, I don't think he wants his name. Okay. Some people do, some people don't. Yeah, so I've told a couple people, and then ultimately what happens is everyone starts hitting him up and trying to sell him X, Y, and Z. So just not interested in that.

Totally understand. Totally understand. Okay, uh, totally understand. Okay. So, so, so what is it? What is the global fight league? So we're launching six global teams, uh, four different continents, and we're launching our proof of concept season starting in April. We have multiple venues booked in multiple different cities around the world. We're embracing our flexibility to begin with and doing that 50 50 revenue share the team versus team proof of concept season and it's it's

finally lined up we have uh 300 fighters signed as of right now our draft draft is January 24th. On those six teams, there's 20 athletes per each roster. So we'll sign 120 of the actual fighters that have signed and then we'll get underway with events in April. Okay. So there's a lot there. Can I ask where are the six, when you say teams, if you can specify what that is and where are they located? So we haven't, we're not announcing the teams yet. We're going to announce say teams, if you can specify what that is and where are they located? So we haven't, we're not announcing the teams yet. We're going to announce the teams, the names and the logos early in the new year. Okay. We have like 10 different cities booked.

So what's kind of been happening is we announced some of the fighters and managers, some of the locations. We are kind of being counter programmed uh venue wise so we're we're kind of just keeping everything quiet until we're our whole season is locked in and ready to be announced uh countered by who just some of the venues that we had talked to or booked by other bigger promoter big promotions okay so almost theoretically we're kind of blocked out of some locations. So we didn't want to go out and announce where we're going. Understood. Um,

how many fighters are on each team? 20, 20 fighters, 10 weight categories, two fighters for each weight category. So each team will have a set of teammates in each of the 10 weight categories so seven men's weight divisions three women's weight divisions and uh so i'm assuming heavyweight light heavyweight middleweight welterweight uh lightweight featherweight bantam

weight so are we just staying at bantam weight okay and then is it 115, 125, 135 for women? Uh, no. So what we're doing, we really want to eliminate extreme weight cutting and, and obviously, you know, tackle as many of the issues as, as we realistically can. Um, so our, our weight divisions are not historically how they are. So like our, our bantamweight is, is 145, featherweight's 155. So everything kind of goes up by 10 pounds, middleweight's 200, light heavyweight's 225. And then our three women's divisions, it's 120, 130, 140. Wow. And is that okay with the commissions? Like, because the unified rules of them may kind of state that those should be the numbers, like 115, 135 yeah either

we'll just do everything as a catch weight and we're just calling it the gfl weight categories are going to remain the historical weight category so if a fighter has been a welterweight their entire career they'll they'll be a gfl welterweight um however they'll weigh in at 180 instead of 170 okay and and uh the i'm assuming the the teams are like you know the los angeles just throwing a name out there like the los angeles cities around the world yeah do i have to be a los angeles based fighter to be no it's just anyone yeah just just like how every other major professional sport is you're going to have athletes from anywhere in the world competing on those teams um we are going to have head coaches.

We've signed some, you know, world-class head coaches to coach these teams. We're not forcing the athletes to move and relocate or anything like that. We're giving them the ability to, hey, if you want to move to, let's just say LA and let's just say train with Rafael Cordero as our head coach, you have the ability to do that. If you want to stay wherever you live and train with your head coach, we're not looking to change any of those bonds that have existed for years and years between fighter and coach. And then when the fight happens, are you allowed to be coached by your own team, or do you have to be coached by the team assigned? Yeah, you're coached by your own team. And same thing, you know, if you want an extra, that head coach in your corner or pre-event

helping strategize or whatever, giving any input, they're there and available for that. If that's not something you're interested in as an athlete, you don't have to take advantage of that if you don't want to. Okay. And so you mentioned about 300 fighters signed? Yeah. But there's a draft coming up and only, forgive me, 120 are going to be selected. So what happens to the other 180? Free agents. They're currently free agents now. So we've put promotional agreements in place.

Them signing our agreement allows them draft eligibility. So that means essentially we know what their purse amount is. we know what their, their purse amount is. We know what the revenue share percentage is. Um, and if, if we come to terms, then, then they're eligible. Their exclusivity window doesn't start until February 1st. So we haven't prevented any fighters from taking any fights. And if they're, if they're not selected to a team and they won't be a roster GFL athlete, uh, they're if they're not selected to a team and and they won't be a roster gfl athlete uh they're they're free to do whatever they want like they've always have been um are you prepared to announce any of the fighters that are a part of this 300 or so fighter pool absolutely

okay this is the good stuff what do we got who do we got we got we got names um luke rockhold tyron woodley vanderley silva uh anthony pettis kevin lee frank meir fabrizio verdun junido santos uh we've got hector lombard uh benson hend Benson Henderson There you go Alright so these are some of the top 50 Woodley, Verdun, Pettis, Alexi Olynyk JDS, Hector Lombard Luke Rockhold, Abu Bakr Vanderlei Silva, Alex Gustafson

The former UFC title contender There's more Thiago Santos Lucas Martins Gabriel Souza Kevin Lee, Andre Los, Lucas Martins, Gabriel Souza, Kevin Lee, Frank Mir,

B Nguyen, Charles Rosa, Alan Belcher. These are of the top 50 followed. Elio Latifi, Jeremy Stevens, Marlon Marais, Benson Henderson,

all these guys, Geger Mousasi, all these guys are on board. All these guys are signed. And there's more. Greg Hardy and Rafael Carvalho and Lance Palmer and Bubba Jenkins and Phil Hawes, Robles Despain, Marcus Perez. Is there more? There's more.

That's all we have. But there is more. There is more. And so when they say, like, those guys are all, you draft them, they're in. Yeah. Wow. That's, I i mean the first thing that comes to mind is like it's expensive to have those names yep but you guys you have the funding you're ready to go we're we're funded we're 100 ready to launch everything's in line that that needed to be in

line we've we've waited as as long as we needed to wait to get to this point. And now it's time, you know, our, our funding came in in September. So since then it's been go time, put everything into place and here we are. So you mentioned the schedule. Can you tell us when, when do you expect to start? April. April. Do you have a date locked in? We have four dates locked in in April. And then just depending on, you know, there are some big names still out there that we're talking to. And we obviously want to set ourselves up in the best position to launch and, you know,

figure all that out. But we have multiple venues booked in different cities. And then based on the teams and the matchups, we'll decide where it's the most logical to launch first and how many events in which cities. So today you're not going to announce dates, venues, etc.? No. Just April start. Got it. That's when the season starts. Big question, obviously, is how can people watch this? And usually the success of an organization,

a league, a promotion, is tied to their rights deal, their TV rights deal, their streaming rights deal. Do you have one secured? We have the ability to stream on our own platform. So that's first and foremost

is if we don't secure the necessary deal with the right partner, then we have the ability to do all that on our own. If the right deal does come along with the right partner, that it does make sense, then we'll take that deal. So it's either the bird in the hand or we'll take the two in the bush with taking all the profits ourselves from our own app. Are you close to securing something with a streaming platform or a broadcast network? We've had kind of early conversations. The plan was to obviously kind of like break the news, announce all the fighters that we have signed. Those are obviously the valuable assets. It's

the collection of those names and their following and, and their careers and what they've done. Um, and, and this is just the platform to give them, you know, something to showcase their, you know, what they do and their skillset. Um, but January is the plan to have actually all those official meetings and pitches and see how it goes from there. Um, when does the the app launch when the league launches okay we're yeah same in conjunction with the league launch so so if if uh if you don't secure a deal that you like you guys are prepared to air this on your app um it's it's it's a lot of money being left on the table no i mean you can make a significant amount of money from a from a deal are you comfortable with that?

If the deal makes sense, 100%, we're going to take it. You know, if one of these major streaming providers come out and say like, hey, we know how valuable live sports content is. We see the value in a global league where you have fighters from all over the world that have their own following. And, you know, you saw what Tyson and Jake Paul just did as far as numbers go. So the fact that, you know, this is about, you know, securing the most popular fighters in the world, giving them a logical platform to perform on and obviously see, see what the best

deal is. We're obviously looking to secure the most revenue and however we do that, the benefit is every fighter benefits from any revenue we bring in. So come January 24th, we're going to have 120 salespeople that are also pushing to help this drive and, you know me that there will be owners for each team. But now that you mentioned the investor, have plans changed? Is it just like, is everyone owned by one entity? Starting off as a single entity, it was just honestly too difficult to try to get eight individuals to participate, to get on the same page. Nobody wanted to be the first team to buy in. We have some LOIs in place with a couple of different individuals who want to buy a team, have committed to buying a team,

but we're at a place now where we don't need that funding. And we believe that if we do this ourselves and execute the way we're confident that we can, we're only going to drive the revenue or the value of these teams up and then take them to market when we've established a proof of concept season and we're selling something that's way more valuable than just an idea. So can you break down how it all works with the season and the playoffs and the points and all that stuff? Because that's a fairly complicated, you know, global schedule to put together. We're being flexible in the fact that wherever these home city teams are, we're not necessarily hosting all of the events in those cities. So like how the NFL has games in London and Brazil,

we'll be doing the same thing. So you could see two US-based teams competing in Tokyo, Stockholm, wherever. Okay. And then it's like a point system, right? With playoffs and all that? Yeah. So how the point system works, fairly simple. There's four points available for every fight. Four points for the finish win, three points for decision win, two points for a draw, one

point for decision loss, and zero points if you get finished. Okay. And then it's just basically like standings at that point. Yeah. So the total accumulative at the end of the regular season, they're bracketed in the playoffs and you just run out the bracket that we're all so used to. Do all six teams make the playoffs? No, top four. Okay. And three years ago ago I had mentioned to you that Just being candid that

I don't feel like the team format works In combat sports I said it to you back then I feel just the exact same way now In fact, perhaps I feel even stronger I know PFL isn't team But this type of format With the standings and whatnot

Is sort of like the PFL And we saw the team format with the IFL. I'll ask you again, why am I wrong here? Why is this, why is this going to work? Cause I feel like it's about rivalries. It's about stories. I don't feel like the team system and format works in mixed martial arts. Why am I wrong?

Well, I think you just said it right there with, with rivalries and stories. So the fact that we're able to create unique storylines that have never existed in the sport. And that's, you know, one thing that we keep hearing is, you know, everyone loves the sport of MMA, but the storylines are often not there where what this brings is, you know, the talking points, the, okay, are these two fighters going to be teammates or are they going to potentially be fighting? And, you know, just different strategies that come in different betting elements that come in. Um, just that like the number one driver in sports fandom proven is cheering for your favorite team. Favorite teams have never really existed in

the sport of MMA. So we're just creating what already exists. And you see it across all the major professional leagues in the world. And this is just the implement implementation of that team-based league model for the third most popular sport in the world. And the fact that we have these popular athletes who people already are emotionally invested in or know their name or know their story and their background. You know, I think that's going to be the difference maker with us is, you know, we're going to have wild match-ups that, you know, people wouldn't expect to see. Um, but also we're going to have the best global top prospects available and having them competing as well. So you're going to have this contrast of, you know, established veterans that household MMA names that people recognize.

But then we're also going to showcase the next generation of up-and-coming talent from all around the world. A lot of the new fans may not remember the IFL. I certainly do. Can you tell me why this is different than the IFL? Yeah, number one, just the structure of it. So IFL, again, was a promotion. They operated as such. Um, they also didn't go all in on their team versus team. They would often be three or four fights

from one gym versus another gym. And then they would have super fights or, you know, featured fights. So it wasn't an all in on the, Hey, team versus team. I also think that the time of where the world was, um, when I fell originally launched. Um, but you know, I think they were, I think they were onto something, you know, I've talked to a lot of guys who were part of the IFL and they loved it. They, they love the concept. They love the idea. Um, so this is, you know, in some way, just a different way of doing that, but going all in on the actual way to what I believe to do it and to do it right. And the economics revenue shares is, I think are game changer. Okay. And so, and that's 50%. Correct. So whatever revenue we receive, whether it's

media rights, deals, sponsorships, ticket sales, all of that 50% goes into the fighter revenue pool from that specific event. And then those fighters that are on that event are the ones who share in that revenue percentage. And obviously every fighter is not equal. So we've negotiate every negotiation is their base guaranteed pay. We also have a win increase. So we don't do the show win, half your money here, half your money there.

It's a, hey, this is what you're getting, worst case scenario to show up and do your job. And if you're successful, the next time you show up, your pay increases. So your guarantee increases. And athletes get paid either or, whatever's greater,

their guaranteed amount or their revenue share percentage. So someone might have a $50,000 guaranteed purse and they earn 1% revenue share. But if there's 10 million in that revenue pool for that event, then they're going to receive $100,000 instead of what they were thinking was $50,000. Can fighters wear sponsors? No. Okay. However, they get 50% of all of our sponsorship revenue. So by, you know, keeping exclusive sponsorships on our uniforms and everything else, we're obviously going to increase the value of that to as much as we can possibly get and share

all of that with the athletes as well. Are you guys going to do pay-per-view? Yet to be seen. Everything's kind of open right now. We have the ability to go pay-per-view. We have the ability to do subscription on our app. Or we'll take a deal if it's there and if it makes sense. Are you going to be like the face, for lack of a better example, the Dana White of the organization?

Are you the guy that's going to be standing there facing people off or is there another face? It'll be me for now. Okay. Last time when we spoke, you said February 5th, you had the date and all that. Can you say definitively this is launching in April of 2025? Yeah, we needed the money. It's finally there. That's, that was kind of the thing holding us back before we had, we had a lot of momentum. We had a lot of support. You know, we were having a lot of conversations. I was, you know,

if you asked me at the time, what are the chances you think you're going to get the funding in? I probably would have said 99%. And I've, I've eaten some humble pie over the past few years to just really set this thing up in a way where we can't fail. Okay. Is there anything I didn't ask you about? Retirement, revenue share, insurance funds. That's the other thing I'd love to let it be known that we're including a retirement element and insurance fund for, for all of our athletes as well. Okay. And, and, uh, so is it, is it like a percentage goes into this pot? How does it work? Yeah. So whatever their total pay is for that fight, 8% is contributed to their, uh, retirement fund and 2% can contribute to their insurance fund.

And then they have the ability to choose whether they want their own private insurance or however they want to use those funds. Okay. How many events in 2025? We'll let you know. Okay. All right. And exclusive contracts? Like once it kicks in, once you're drafted, you're fighting for you guys. Yep. But everyone's deal is different. One guy can have X amount, X years, whatever it is yeah everyone's different as far as their

purse amount, their percentage amount some fighters are interested in having only two fights in a season some want to be as active as possible so there's a few different elements to it but for the most part everyone's been

super supportive and excited to finally get this underway. All right. Well, congratulations. Thank you for coming on. Thanks for sharing all this with us. We mentioned two names that are going to be joining us in a matter of seconds. That's Anthony Pettis and Kevin Lee. For now, though, again, thank you.

Congrats. And to a degree, I also say good luck because, you know, now the fun really starts. Now you're about to launch into outer space. So we will be watching and covering and seeing how it all unfolds. Thank you, Darren. Thanks, Eric. Always appreciate you. All right. There he is, Darren Owen, the founder of the Global Fight League. And in a matter of moments, we're going to be joined by the aforementioned Anthony Pettis and Kevin Lee, two of the fighters of the many that

we just showed who are apparently tied to this Global Fight League. And I wanted to do this because last time we just had Darren on and we left it at that. Now they have all these fighters who they say have signed, committed. Well, I'd like to hear from the fighters, you know, who a lot of them have fought for other organizations. They've heard it all. They've seen it all. You know, how do they feel about this? Do they believe? I'll say the same thing that I said to him. And it's the same thing I talked about PFL.

I have skepticism when it comes to the teams, when it comes to the format, when it comes to the standings, when it comes to all these things and more. I feel quite strongly about the way the fight game operates and should operate. But God bless them. Good luck.

And obviously good to have, you know, good to have options out there for the fighters first and foremost. Good to have that security. Good to have that protection. They are offering a lot of things that we talk about on this show when it comes to, you know,

revenue share and security for the fighters and whatnot. And so without further ado, let us say hello wait i've been actually itching to hit the breaking news button so let's do that while we are continuing to frame up the guests okay i was just told that we had the guests that's gonna is this gonna is this gonna be enough time that was long enough to frame up the guests or do i have to keep going more i'm not sure we're good now oh now we're good okay well thank you for that frank you

probably should have done that at the beginning of all this. Now let us say hello to Anthony Showtime Pettis and the Motown Phenom himself, Kevin Lee. There he is. Good to see you both. Very much appreciate it. Kevin, it's been a while, my friend. Great to talk to you, and thank you, Anthony, for the time as well.

Kevin, let me start with you. We just heard from Darren everything, and one of the reasons why I wanted to have both of you on, I wanted to have two big name fighters on. I wanted to hear from you guys. If you believe in all of this, if you're in, if you're on board, it's one thing to hear it from, you know, an executive. It's another to hear it from the guys who are actually competing.

So are you on board? Are you signed? Is everything that you heard him say legit? Yeah, I'm in on it. You know, we've had a couple of conversations and I like the energy that the man puts out. And then even when you get down to the contracts, I'm a veteran in the game now. So I've seen big contracts, I've seen from smaller promotions, all types of stuff. And when you go over the contract, it's very clear on what they can and

can't do. And there's a lot of incentive for us, which we don't get in other promotions. When you start talking about the 50-50 revenue share and everything kind of being up front and center, these are things that I think have been big problems in MMA for a long time. We all know that they're big problems. And finally, somebody is actually trying to tackle this thing. So when saw the contract um and i went over like all the the details about it uh it made a lot of sense it's it's great promotion for us it's a great reason for us to grow and promote because now we actually get a split of what we bring at home instead of just a hope and a dream anthony you're a veteran you're you're a former champ you have fought for a bunch of different promotions you You are a promoter yourself. A, are you on board? And if so, why?

Yeah, I'm on board. I mean, obviously the opportunity for these fighters to have other organizations to go to is huge for me as where I'm at in my career. To see these younger fighters have opportunities to go other places besides just one place. We haven't seen anything like this. Revenue splits at 50%. You know, I have my own organization, APFC. To be able to share revenue percent splits like that with the fighters is unheard of so far. And like Kevin said, I've seen the contract, you know, it's pretty clear cut what we're getting. And then, you know, I'm a prize fighter. You know, they came with an opportunity that was, you know, very lucrative for myself and for my family. And the back end of that, you know, these things pick up. These fighters are in a great position for, to make a lot of money. Kevin, how do you feel about the team format and the draft and the league and all that stuff? It's a little bit different. It's akin to the

IFL from back in the day and a little bit like a PFL, but it's not traditional to what, you know, MMA fans know when you think of, you know, the UFC or Strikeforce or Bellator, et cetera. How do you feel about it? I like it. I like that, you know, maybe now or Strikeforce or Bellator, et cetera. How do you feel about it? Uh, I like it. I like that, you know, maybe now we can have some unity amongst fighters, uh, and we can kind of have, you know, if you've got a team of 20 guys, now you've got 19 guys that can back you in, in, in negotiations and, and who you fight and when you fight and, uh, and maybe now we can actually have some, some behind it. I think that's something that's been missing in MMA for a long time. It's just been, you know, you against the world, almost every man for himself. And now maybe we can actually do something with it.

I think there's some details that need to be ironed out as far as, you know, who's on what team team and what the teams even are. But when the idea was approached to me, it sounds a little bit more like wrestling, like amateur wrestling, where you have your individual championships, but then at the same time, everything going towards a team. And I know from competing and wrestling, that gives you a little bit added motivation as a competitor. It gives you a little bit something else behind it because now you got 19 guys that are dependent on you uh and having

a team trophy is it was a big thing even in college wrestling when money wasn't involved so now that money is involved and and all of this other stuff i think it's going to be good for the sport anthony we we showed a lot of the names that have committed uh such as the two of you and there's some legends there some former champions some former you know massive stars ufc and other organizations uh any any trepidation hasn't seen just about the the money because you know darren wouldn't tell us who the money is behind all of this and i'm not saying i don't believe him that there's money behind all this but you know the fight game people throw around money we saw it with affliction They had two shows and they went away. Any, any trepidation about this?

I mean, it's interesting. You know, I know what the contracts I've, that I signed and the contracts I'm getting, I mean, they're, they're coming in very fair. And to say that, you know, it's not going to last or it is going to last. It's, we have yet to see, but so far I'll say this real, the checks have cash, you know? So they, they, they've done some stuff that, you know, we've made sure that was official and so far we're in business. Okay. Yeah. And I, you know, I see Tyron Woodley at the top of the list. I was working with him, uh, last month for that Jake Paul, Mike Tyson card. And he was telling

me the checks of cash, they've been great. Uh, they have said everything, uh, everything that they've told me they were going to do, they are doing. And then some, uh, do, do you have the same experience so far, Kevin? Yeah. Same experience, you know, and, and, you know, a couple of people have, have brought that up like, Oh, is this really going to be a thing? How long is it going to last? You know, we've seen it with other promotions and this and that, but I remember a lot of people saying that about the PFL too, and they're on their fifth season and they're

making millionaires you know every day that i'm down at kill cliff i see what guys are pulling up in i see how people are are you know what they are they they they're making money um in pfl and i feel like this can be the same thing if we all get behind it and if they got serious backers and if they got serious people meaning us behind it uh then it's gonna be be a thing. We're going to make it a thing. And like you said, the checks have been cashed. He hasn't gone back on no word that he gave to me. And that gave me a little bit more clarity in the whole thing. Anthony, Darren said that there's going to be a draft and people are going to be assigned to teams and you don't have

to necessarily train with that team, but it's option and uh you're kind of representing that team if you will what happens and you know you're you guys are a little bit older now i don't think you're trying to like fight with with people on the street and whatnot but what happens if you get drafted to a team where you kind of just don't like the other guys on the team is that a potential issue i mean it depends on the weight you know the two guys per weight class i guess like you won't fight the guy in your weight class so i think that might be an issue but i mean i i see it as like you know you're part of the team when you go to these events but then most guys train at their home gyms anyways i mean the team format is going to be implemented when we're versus each other in

team versus team whether we're going to brazil we're going to abu dhabi or wherever we're going that's where the team implement format happens but you know guys know, guys like to train in their own gyms. You know, Kevin trains in Florida. I train in Vegas. And we're going to stay in our own gyms. But if we're on the same team, obviously it's incentives for us to both to do well. I hope this succeeds.

I hope every fighter gets paid. I think every fighter is underpaid. I think you guys deserve millions of dollars and you deserve millions of dollars in back pay as well. And on and on it goes. And so I'm wondering for you, Kevin, why do you think this will work now? Why do you feel, where's the confidence coming from that this is going to work, that this is going to be the one?

Because let's be honest, if this does work, this could revolutionize MMA with the 50-50 split. If fighters are actually truly going to get this and it could be sustainable, this can change everything. Where's the confidence coming from? Yeah, I think, you know, everything is in black and white and that's how it goes. When you look at contracts and you compare it to, say, contracts and other organizations, it's just more clear cut. And it's and it's like I said, it's in black and white. So I do think that this could change how contracts are made in the future, because at the end of the day, that's what it's about. It's going to be a thing. And for me,

as an athlete, the biggest thing is the fights, right? Like fighting is something that I'm still seriously in love with. It's the only thing that can push me to the next level as a human being. It's made me a better person. It's made me a better man, a better fighter, a better husband, a better father, all of that stuff. So for me, as long as the fights are, these are going to be serious fights. You know, you got guys like Anthony Pettis, you got Tyrone Woodley, you got Gegard Mousasi, who's on the roster. I mean, any fight that Gegard is in, I'm watching that. know that it's it's going to be a serious fight so as long as the fights are in and everything there is is there it's going to be a big thing anthony did they promise you x amount of fights per year yes and it's an option too so that's

why it's dope kevin was saying man it's very uh and this is in the fighter's favor man so we have an option they have to guarantee us a certain amount of fights. Well, my contract, I'm sure everybody's contract is different, but there's a certain amount of fights that I have to have. That's an option. If I want to do them, if I don't want to do them, I get to decide if I want to fight this fight,

sit out and let my teammate fight if I'm injured. Um, so it's not like, you know, like the PFL, you have to fight. And if you're not injured, you're out.

If you're like, there's, there's ways where you can be part of this team and be part of the, the, the tournament, as long as you're, you know, with, with your, with your squad, you know, if you're hurt, your guy goes in where you can be part of this team and be part of the the tournament as long as you're you know with with your squad you know if you're hurt your guy goes in uh but yes i was i was promised to get a guarantee to my fight to my contract i still can box i can still do karate combat so i'm in a really good position where like i couldn't say no

to this kind of a contract okay and for you kevin are you exclusive to them or do you have the ability to do other stuff uh i got i got the ability to box or or do other you know things outside of mma um you know terrell owens is is ocho cinco is kind of out there talking a little bit and he made videos talking about he can beat any lease so if that comes up and i end up boxing him or or you know do some stuff outside of mma that that's cool and then i come back and can still compete in MMA because MMA is the home. I mean, MMA is the real deal.

The rest of these combat sports are, you know, it's just fun and play. So they'll let me play. They'll let me go make some money. But this is the real deal. By the way, just to be clear, you versus Terrell Owens or you versus Ocho Cinco? They're not the same person.

I don't really follow Bach. No, they're not the same person i don't really follow box uh no they're not the same person much terrell owens is one guy ocho cinco is you know he put my name in his mouth and uh and you know there might be something there i don't know i might see him down here in miami and and slap him up a bit okay you know if he's not gonna do mma fight so that's why i say they'll let me go in and box him or something like that, but come back to MMA where, where my real home is and where the real fights are. Okay. Well, um, I appreciate you guys coming on. I wanted to hear from the fighters as well. And, uh, I think you guys have painted a really good picture. Have I, have I missed

anything? Is there anything else that you want to, maybe there, I'm sure there's a million fighters who are going to hit up all the guys who were listed. Like, tell tell me more about this is there any detail that you guys think that i missed that should be shared with the world uh the retirement fund is a big one you know in black and white yeah um in in it's in it's there you know and it's not just kind of put all on you and you know you take care of yourself and you know that you you're not signing as a 21 year old guy who who's never made money before and don't know what you're doing uh you you actually got lawyers and people behind you and and contracts in place to where they are going to take care of you uh before during and and after the fights and and so far you know this is still in the before

phase but they've taken care of me before and and I got confidence that they're going to take care of me afterwards too. Uh, Anthony, what did you want to say? Uh, I said, I'm sure more stuff's going to roll out, but lightweight divisions,

165 pounds. That's a big one. Oh yeah. That too. Yes. We've been talking about that. Yeah. He said it was like 55,

65, 75, 85. And it sounds like you guys like that. Will you both be in the 65 pound division? I'll be 65. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, I'm definitely.

This could be a fight. This could be one of the fights right here. Yeah, we never fought. You never know. You never know. That's the beauty of it. You never know how it's going to play out. And I think, like Darren said,

that's kind of one of the talking points on it. Are they going to be teammates? Are they going to be fighters? You know, I got a massive amount of respect for Anthony pettis uh i damn near froze to death in milwaukee coming up to try and train with him way back in a day in like 2013 uh he was one of the guys that that i looked up to and we had a nice little build up to a fight before he fought uh tony ferguson so you know it could go it could either way, which is the fun of the sport. Like, you know, friends turn enemies, idols, rivals, you never know. So I think, I think the whole thing could be fun and it could be interesting, uh, for the fans and for us fighters.

Love it. Well, thank you guys. Appreciate it. Good luck with this. Uh, thank you very much, Anthony. Great to have you on again and Kevin, great to talk to you as well. Hope everything is going great in your life and, uh and wish you guys the best in 2025. And with the whole launch of all of this is going to be really interesting. So thanks so much for coming on, guys. Appreciate it. No doubt.

Keep doing big things, Ayo. Keep doing big things. I see you out here. Thank you, guys. Thank you, Kevin. I appreciate that as well. There they are, Kevin Lee and Anthony Pettis. Great to catch up with them

and great to hear from them. Great to hear about all of this. A lot to digest. A lot to digest, a lot to digest about the Global Fight League. We showed you a lot of the slides. There was the one slide with the playoffs and all that, with the points. Let's take a look at that one more time if we can. He broke down the points. There it is. for a finish three for decision two for a draw one for a decision loss zero for a finish loss obviously points contribute to the team's total score and then I guess it's a bracket afterwards with the cities the six cities one versus four

two versus three finalists it starts up in April of 2025 and the draft kicks off on January 24th, 2025. And so that is going to be something to watch as well, coming up in a little over a month's time. All right, let's digest. I knew about some of this, but obviously, you know, didn't speak to Darren and definitely didn't speak to the fighters beforehand. Rick, what do you think?ick's usually the straight shooter he'll tell us like it is your thoughts on all this information that has just been dumped on our laps i'm trepidatious from the perspective that this is a giant undertaking that's my that's my one thing it's massive this is a this is a massive thing to try to upend the industry in this specific way is something that you just can't anticipate, right? And so I will say I'm almost like

encouraged by the fact that they didn't launch in 2023 and the fact that they now are trying to get their ducks in a row two years after that, right? Like you talked about February 5th, 2023 being the potential launch. We're now about to be two years removed from that. That actually gives me a little bit of hope and a little bit of encouragement for their success in the perspective that they've now got two extra years of time having tried to solve the issues that are plaguing MMA. And then you just have to kind of like take it from the horse's mouth in terms of Kevin Lee and Anthony Pettis talking about the contracts and the agreements and the offers that they have been presented being favorable to the fighters. Now, the larger question that hangs over all of this is not specific to this league and not specific to any league at all. It's can an organization that has contracts that are favorable to the fighters in

the way that this league has presented succeed, right? Because the UFC has become very successful because of their margins and not offering these contracts that are extremely favorable to the fighters. In fact, they are very not favorable to the fighters to the point that the UFC is the is taking home the vast lion's share of that money and has made them ultimately extremely successful. Can a league that changes that paradigm, can a league that presents fighters with much more equitable contracts be successful? We will remain to be seen, but it seems like they have the funding to be able to do that. As Anthony said, and you said you spoke to Tyron woodley the checks have cleared so far so the money is there um at least initially

let's see if the fans turn out for it right all these things ultimately are secondary until the product launches and the fans either show up and watch i don't know if their broadcast deal you know will be on television or what um or show up to the arena to watch uh in the stands if there is demand and there are names here that i'm interested in still seeing fighting if there is demand we will see ultimately how much they're able to generate and what that percentage goes to the fighters and if they're able to operate with the other 50 if they can take that other 50 and make the business work there could be something here but this is a this is a massive undertaking and i'm not skeptical because of anything they are doing but just the the task ahead of them and anybody who's

trying to enter this space can i just say it was great to talk to kevin lee uh by the way kevin dropped a little nugget there he he was we could still hear him after oh uh gladiator 2 movie of the year he heard us talking about it on the front. And he said, I need to... Can anybody hear me right now? I need to tell you I heard Moana, I heard Wicked, Gladiator 2 movie of the year. That's amazing. So shout out to Kevin Lee who was watching earlier. Yo, Kevin, much love, man. Gladiator 2. Great film,

so he's not wrong on that one. Yeah. I love Kevin. It was good to see Kevin. And Anthony, I mean, these are names... Look, these are names that I care about. These are names that I mean these are look these are names that i care about these are names that i still want to see compete and names that like um still get me to go oh that's interesting that they're fighting so there's a lot of names on that roster that we saw and the signings that we saw that have that same effect can they ultimately get people to watch on their broadcast channels

can they ultimately get people to fill arenas to watch them is going to be the make or break. But the, the, the signs are encouraging in terms of what the athletes are saying about what's been presented to them. Fascinating stuff. Look, I think that, and,

and tremendous breakdown, by the way, thank you for that. I think it is fair to say, I want to wait and see. Yes. Because skepticism, the team the team the league the history and all that but i say that also for this reason we can't ignore the fact that three years ago

darren was on the show and promised a lot and i actually re-watched the interview three years ago and this is not me taking a shot i would say the same and i've said the same to him privately as well we need to actually see it now. And when I rewatched it this morning, obviously we've done a gazillion interviews since then. So a lot of the stuff was like, oh yeah, I forgot about this. He was quite definitive about the February 2023 date. And remember that interview was December of 2021. So it wasn't even like, oh, it's coming up in three, four months. It was a year and a half away, essentially. A year and like three, four months. And it didn't happen. And credit to him. He was very candid about that. It was about I said it a little bit, but I'll be more definitive. Please. It could have been a case where they say, we're launching February 5th, 2023, no matter what.

And that could have been a disaster, right? You only get one shot at this. This is not the type of thing where you're going to get to start, stop. You're not going to get a start and then be able to resume. If they had launched in February 2023, I'm confident in saying they would not have been able to make this successful. The fact that they waited till the funding was secured and felt like they had the established money that they needed to fund this and felt like they had the systems in place to fund this, to me is an encouraging sign. I would actually have been more terrified of the idea if they did launch in February 2023. I almost feel like that extra time and the

securing of that funding is responsible. They are taking a responsible path to try to do this properly. I'm truly encouraged by the fact that it took this long, I will say. Yeah. I mean, look, it's a nice way to put it. Let's see how it shakes out. But as you said, the product is where this is going to live and die. That is it. We have to see it. You have to make it happen, and we have to see what happens from here. I can't change my stance just because we got the exclusive and they came on the show, and I appreciate it very much. And it's a fascinating thing, and it's a privilege to just be able to rifle off these questions, right? They can hold a press conference.

They can hold a conference call. That's a privilege. But my stance is still the same. It cannot change until I feel otherwise or proven otherwise. I am skeptical that the team format, that the league format, that the playoff format, that the point system format, I am skeptical that that works. I fear that it does not work as far as MMA and combat sports are concerned. This is my fear.

And so let's see what happens. It's ambitious. I think that's a good word. There's a lot of names. I've seen some other names that they are trying to get on board as well that they haven't announced just yet. Those are big names.

There's a lot that could potentially go great. There's a lot that can't go great. I will also say this. I think having a streaming deal would be big. I think having a TV deal of some kind of broadcast deal, if you will, would be gigantic. I think that would speak volumes. Who's the top right now? It's probably DAZN.

If you have a deal with DAZN, if you have a deal with anyone, an Amazon, an Apple, a Max, a Prime, that is Amazon, of course. Hulu, ESPN Plus, all the players. Name them, name them. That goes a long way, right? That goes a very long way. Launching on the app doesn't feel quite the same. So these are a lot of things that need to happen between now and April when they say they're going to launch.

I do feel like there needs to be more players. I do feel like there needs to be more competition. I do feel like there needs to be more competition. And I don't say that because I'm looking for somebody to take down the UFC. The UFC is going to be the gold standard from now until we're all gone. That's just a fact. The UFC is so far away and better and, and buttoned up. It's just a fact. It's like WWE, like there could be people that will pop up,

but they are Kleenex when it comes to MMA, and even probably more so than WWE, if we're being honest. That's how dominant they are right now. And so I don't say that because I'm like, oh, I want some competition to take down the UFC. No, I say that because I want the fighters to have options, to have places that they can go if they're not ready for the UFC or if they're not welcome in the UFC or if they don't want to. Look at Mohamed Makaev. He got let go. He was probably the next best guy. You could have made a case that he should have been next to fight Pantoja and not Erseg and not Asakura, and he has to go to Brave. You think he wanted to go to Brave? Probably not. That's no knock on Brave, but they're not considered one of the top

dogs, if you will. PFL doesn't have a flyweight division and then you're done. There's no one else, right? So having another major player would be great. Having another major player like we have in pro wrestling where, okay, AEW's there, that's your major player, but there's also even

a TNA and there's a New Japan and there's, you know, some other leagues around the world.NA and there's a new Japan and there's, there's, you know, some, some other leagues around the world. That's great. We don't even have that. It feels like, um, so I think this would be beneficial for all the fighters. I really do think so. PT, what do you think about all of this? In terms of like another major player coming into MMA? Just the way it's, you know, major player is one thing, but there's a lot of meat on this bone, right? And it's ambitious thing and it's the league

and it's the point. It's not just, look, I'll be honest with you, PT. If he came out and said, we're launching a promotion, we're Elite XC 2.0, we're Pride 2.0, we're Strikeforce 2.0, we're going to have the best fight. Those fighters that he mentioned, and we're going to put on the best freaking fights. I would say, I believe it. It's the league. It's the point. It's the playoffs.

I feel like it gets too convoluted. It gets too confusing. I can't change my stance because he came on, but you know what I'm saying, right? When Strikeforce came out, it was just like, let's put the most fun fights out there. Elite XC with all their problems. They had money problems. They put all their eggs in the Kimbo, but they had moments where they were getting $6 million on CBS to watch Kimbo Slice. They just said, let's put the most fun fights out there. That's how I think a promotion can succeed. Put the best fun fights out there. When you're doing league, playoff, this and that, you're kind of beholden to that.

And that sometimes becomes an issue. Yeah, absolutely. And the problem, like another issue they're having is they've kind of installed the same platform in in different parts of the world but i i just think after the first pfl europe like where we have another pfl europe finale this weekend it just doesn't have the interest as i thought it would like that granted there is some fights a lot of people are looking for looking forward to the lazy kings on this weekend he's a massive deal in france he got the second biggest pop of the night when i went to see cyril uh sorry uh cedric dune bay back in march you have lewis mcgrillan from manchester

as well another great fighter but they just don't seem to be stimulating that interest because as you said you can't just for like you know it's much easier to be able to select these fights that uh will appeal to the fan base one thing that I often come back to when I think about this and this sport in particular is what happened with golf. When Live Golf came along, it basically showed that there wasn't room for two big players in the industry. And I wonder if that's where we've got here, where this is just the way the sport is with the ufc at the top of the on top of the pyramid and because that's certainly what happened with golf and i think live and pga basically went into each other live their sponsor uh pga but it just doesn't feel like as it it's not a big enough sport to have two major players in that sense and i wonder if mma is similar you you make a great point pt and it was something I was thinking about. One of the defining things that happened in the last couple of years in MMA was Francis Ngannou choosing an option other than the UFC. And we don't see it often, right? A lot of times when the choice is laid out, people choose the UFC. It's rare that when the two options are on the table, ultimately somebody, especially with the cloud and the name value that francis has chose another promotion

it will be interesting to see if anybody chooses gfl that will be kind of like a determining factor if fighters start to go okay the terms are are better for me here and i am i am in my prime and i am saying i choose this option rather than this option i think that will be when the tide could start to turn until then i don't know if there even are multiple players in the space. I think it still exists as a one player. It is a one party type of thing. Once those, once those decisions start coming up and once the option becomes,

okay, I'm actually choosing an alternative. Like you mentioned live golf. There were many top golfers who were choosing right to say, I'm going to forego this and I'm going here. When we start seeing that, if we start seeing that, if we ever start seeing that at the scale that it could happen, that is when I think there will be a possibility for other players. Until then, I don't know if there even are other players. I think it just remains UFC and everything else. Yeah. Historically, when you try to

make individual sports into team sports, it doesn't work. There was world team tennis, golf, as you mentioned. I guess Ryder Cup is a thing, but it's just like, it's a thing once a year. It's not a concurrent, yeah. It's not a league. Special. Right. GC, longtime sports fan, newer, although, I mean, you've earned your stripes in MMA. Your thoughts on the format? I mean, just your body language right there. Yeah, I mean, I'm just like, I'm cautious about getting too excited about it. I mean, like, I don't love the team format.

Like, even if you do it, like, city-based, like he discussed, like, what is going to get the people in those cities connected to those teams, or is it just going to be a random collection of fighters? The point at which a lot of these fighters are in their career how excited are people going to be you know a lot of these guys are already into their 40s how many fights are we going to see from them um i'm i'm cautious about getting too excited about it um i i will be intrigued if you know they

have the draft and then they have the schedule and then they go on uh with the first season i will be intrigued and i will be watching but uh at the current juncture i'm i'm i'm cautious about about getting too excited about it well shout out to the chat thumbs up uh 55 are saying that they will give gfl a chance despite a lot of reservations in the comment section so what's the downside yeah i mean that's 100 i will give it a chance like especially they get a team here in new york i might become the biggest fan yeah you're gonna show up with the merch i'll be in the draft yeah give me a logo and uh a team here in new york i will become the biggest fan man that's the thing like again if i was starting i would say we're putting on the

the most fun fight i was gonna say the funnest fights. The most fun fights. Everyone could wear whatever sponsors they want. We're going back to pride. It's the Wild West. We're going to have elaborate entrances. I was scrambling around during some of this. Did he not mention that? I don't know. Did they mention uniforms?

Did they even get into that nitty-gritty? Yeah, no uniforms, no sponsors. But they get 50% of their sponsors, right? So if they have a deal with You know, those Woke bastards manscaped Then you get 50% I'm with you, thanks for saying it

Yeah, I mean, I'm just so tired I've been waiting for that one I'm tired of their BS I'm tired of their BS They'll get 50% of that woke money You get what I'm saying The one thing I forgot to ask was ring or cage. Oh, God.

Ring would be sick. Bro, if they go ring, then they're full on IFL. Yeah, ring is sick. No. Rings are great. What do you mean no? How dare you? Rings are such a better experience from now.

Not for the fighters. Yeah, they have different limitations in terms of the actual performance. But as a spectator, God, a ring is so much better than a cage. I know we all love cages, but a ring is so much better. Did we get a name for the New York team? No, he wouldn't. Were you guys listening to the interview or what? I just literally told you I was scrambling around.

We didn't get anything. We didn't get any names. That's my vote. Empire State. You're giving people, you know, faulty things that I have to clean up the mess back here. Which faulty things? The Zoomlings? We got people going on the wrong thing.

Nah, nah. I mean, it's just... I hit the breaking news on a weird spot. That was weird. Pantoja went long. Yeah, yeah. No, look. Actually, to be fair to him, I was enjoying that Pantoja chat. What a guy. He's coming to his own i wish i got to that i was yeah good for him he's one of our own he's one of no i'm gonna bring a claim uh he's i love that guy he's the best um

the team format is difficult because as you've said right there's there's not really like ties there's not a unifying thread. We just had Pettis and Leon, and they're like, yeah, maybe we'll fight or maybe we'll be teammates, but are they really teammates? They're training in different places. I ultimately don't know if that format will work. Are all the other teammates going to be at the fight?

It feels like they really need to be unified if they're going to be a team. I saw this movie with the IFL. Who remembers the IFL? Yes, of course. Ben Folks on Uncrowned wrote a great story about the IFL. Ben Folks saw this movie with the IFL. Who remembers the IFL? Yeah, of course. Ben Folks on Uncrowned wrote a great story about the IFL. Ben Folks used to work for the IFL.

You saw that. He used to work for the IFL. You know what? We should have him on. Is it time for a piece of like IFL? I wonder what he's looking at.

Looking back at it, what are the mistakes to avoid if you are? Can I make a guest suggestion for either show in the next two days can we get locked in on friday guys there it is we get ben on to talk about this um yeah there it is did you actually lock him in or did yeah yeah he did yesterday there it is i got this news first and i said i better better lock him in but this is there it is chuck chuck will be there as well i know chuck has got a lot of

crackheads that yeah i'm being around i i'll just keep on going back to this list of fighters and uh it's something else lads vandal a silver's gonna be fighting again is that is that correct right there i think i saw on there too uh gustafson gustafson was one where i was like pretty like we see those fighters again can we see the fighters again let's uh Gustafson Gustafson was one Where I was like There's some names Pretty Like Greg Hart Can we see those fighters again Can we see the fighters again Let's Let's dissect these

A little bit Stand by Tyron Woodley Yeah Tyron Woodley Fabrizio Verdum Pettis Olenek JDS

Hector Lombard Luke Rockhold Delirio Latifi Abu Bakr Neymar Gamerov Vanderlei Silva Alex Gustafson, Tiago Santos, Sanjay Arlovsky, Lucas Martins,

Gabriel Sosa, Kevin Lee, Frank Meir, our old friend Killa B, Charles Rosa, Alan Belcher, Jeremy Stevens. I mean, these are all very notable names. Obviously established older names, I think is

a fair thing to say, right? Tanner Boser, Jimmy Rivera. Who else? Did I not say him? No, he's near the end. Bubba Jenkins, Philip Hawes. I mean, Gegard might be the one who's like most in his prime.

This is the thing. The PFL and Bellator now exist in addition to the UFC, that the talent pool is smaller outside of those two promotions that are already snatching everybody up. There's not a lot of names there that you're

overlooking. They have assembled some of the best talent outside of that. I'm encouraged, but the product is what's going to make or break it. Can I make a programming suggestion? Of course. GFL draft watch party? Are we going to do a GFL mock draft?

That's something. Let me hit up Shaheen real quick. You know how ESPN.com or Yahoo.com, Yahoo Sports, they do their, you know, these are the top 10 picks and all that. Yeah, let's do it. No, but, like, I'm not, is Van Lee Silva actually saying,

like, writing it? Yeah. I think he's a part of it. No, but no, in all seriousness, like, this guy recently, during that anti-trust lawsuit, he released some testimony, like, he released testimony that testimony, like you released testimony

that said like he, he, he had brain injury that's consistent with CTE. Yeah, no, I remember that in the, in the testimony. I mean, he's the same age as Vladimir Klitschko and he appears to be making a comeback in 2025. So.

I don't know if either of them should come back. That's a fair statement It's a very fair statement So wait, about that watch party Are we doing that? You know, we'll workshop it I see Frank Mir on there too

It depends on what they're gonna Are they just gonna like Reveal the names or is it gonna be an actual draft There's a commissioner and a team Captain that comes up I don't know, I'm not opposed Would you say you're really into it? or is it going to be an actual draft? There's a commissioner and a team captain that comes up. I don't know. I'm not opposed.

Would you say you're really into it right now? He's slowly selling himself. Every time he comes back to me, he's like, you know what, this is going to be fucking great. He already has season tickets for the New York team. Right now? He's going to show up on Monday with the hat and the foam finger. I need a logo for the team. The novelty of it is fascinating to me.

It's new. It's fresh. There's something to it. Ultimately, this is all the bells and whistles and the gimmicks that happened beforehand. The product is what's going to matter, but I don't know. I'm willing to give it a try.

I'll take a sample and see what happens. All right. Let's see. It will continue to unfold and we'll get a lot more information next month. Appreciate Darren coming on. Appreciate Kevin coming on. Appreciate Anthony coming on

and everyone who helped make that happen. We did ask them, by the way, let me see if there was a response here yet. We did ask if it's a ring or a cage. I feel like that's a question that is of interest. Not that I think it will be a deal breaker for viewers or fighters but i am curious uh let's go to some super chat questions shall we on this beautiful

wednesday afternoon and by the way uh massive showdown we were talking about the uh holiday party and uh we were also talking about the book club i mean it is nix hawks in the quarterfinals of the NBA cup. That's, uh, that's happening tonight. You know this, yes. You locked in? Yeah. Locked in.

I'm, let me tell you something. I told my son, my son asked me if the Knicks win the NBA cup, like, will you be as emotional as them when, like, remember for him, this is all new. So he doesn't know that the NBA cup is essentially two years old. Um, I said, of course not. But I also say this, if I could just witness Cup is essentially two years old. I said, of course not.

But I also say this, if I could just witness the Knicks celebrating something, I'm kind of in. I'm kind of in. This is a disgrace. Can I get the merch? Can I get the hat? No, you cannot. If we're going to get the scenes of the New York Knicks celebrating like champagne, all that.

If they celebrate like that, they should be embarrassed. I'm in. Knowing the entire time that it's just a marketing jam means absolutely nothing. Games that would have been played anyway has no significance. Not the final. Not the final. One extra game.

Wow. You did it. Listen, I'll take what I can get. By the way, if Man United wins the FA Cup, are you saying that's BS, Pete Z? Of course not. There's prestige. Very different. This is the Emir There's prestige. Very different.

This is the Emirates NBA Cup. Very different. The Emirates NBA Cup. Also, FA Cup has history, and it's not just the teams in the Premier League. It's all of England. Yeah. Whereas the NBA is just the mid-season tournament. Completely pointless.

All right, fine. If Forrest wins the Carabao Cup, we're all in. If Forrest won the Carabao Cup, we all in If Forrest won the Carabao Cup We wouldn't even get a text In the group chat That's crazy The milk cup The prestigious milk cup

Did you know this PT Used to be called the milk cup If you cry The milk cup is a youth cup though Yeah yeah Nah listen There's been so many names On like different books

Does it get a banner In the rafters I say yeah Please god no I say yeah You're gonna put You're gonna put this up to the 1970 championship? Yes.

Billy Joel, a million sold-out concerts, NBA Cup champs. The Knicks have been shit for a long time, but they are not. I thought I heard him crying about the Knicks early in the season. I wasn't crying about nothing. This is what happens with the Knicks fans. We have yet to win a game, but I remain hopeful. They trade away these guys who are worse than the guys they get, and they go, oh, but the emotional connection I had with DDV

and IQ and all these guys. Yeah, that's right. I get emotional. And then it turns out, oh, wait, OG is actually a gangster. Oh, wait, Kat is actually our best player now. They broke up the Nova next. Oh, they broke up the guys that I love. And then they turn out with legend Carl Anthony Towns. In fact, that gets some breaking news

in the midst of today's program. It feels louder than usual. The big bodega? I like the big bodega. There's also the big purr and all that stuff. Cat. I'm a big bodega. There have been some talks of Helwani appearing at the world's most famous arena tonight.

In the midst of the program. Oh, you're going? You're going to NBA? You can't go. I said the Zabardi... Who'd you tell? People were talking. You in? I'm like, you know, twist my arm.

In the middle of the show? In the middle of the show, I got the text. I was like, you in? Action Bronson? Is it Bronson again? He's not saying names. Ben Stiller? of the show, I got the text. I was like, you in? Action Bronson? Is it Bronson again? He's not saying names. Don Stewart? Henrik Lundqvist? I don't kiss and tell. Ben Stiller? He got the Bills and Lions

as well. So basically what you're saying is... I won't tell you who I'll be watching that one. Bills and Lions? Yes, go ahead. No, what you're saying is you're also... We're marking you down not coming to the party. So basically nobody who works here is even coming to this party. Technically, I never RSVP'd to the party because I never got the invitation.

You definitely received the invitation. On my life. No, you had people just don't check your Yahoo mail. That's a known thing. You two don't know how to... You guys aren't really Yahooers. Oh, so we might have gotten void. We might have gotten void.

You definitely did. Y'all just aren't real Yahooers. I don't know my password anymore. I get my Yahoo. Email me right now. I'll respond. Yeah, you are. You can respond to whoever you're going to.

The real party is the one that isn't at the party. I agree my Yahoo. Email me right now. I'll respond. The real party is the one that isn't at the party. I agree, Frank. You know what? It's one of the great things you've ever said. You know what? It's Frank and GC. They're going with you to the next game, aren't they? This is a setup. I am going to go sit in an apartment lobby

with middle-aged women and talk about a murder mystery. Let's go to the super chats. Let's go to the super chats. Del Red asks, who is GC and Rick's go-to Super Smash Bros character? Okay. Are we talking about OG and 64?

Are we talking about Melee? Are we talking about Ultimate? You're asking me these questions. I didn't ask the question. Which one are we talking about, Ariel? I don't know. I only have 64 skills and knowledge, and I was always a

Captain Falcon guy. Captain Falcon's great. When you unlock Ness, Ness is also great. Shout out. Are you a Samus guy, Frank? I am a Samus guy. Yeah, Frank loves Metroid Prime. Yoshi. Wasn't Kirby like the cheat? Kirby was kind of like a hack.

The game's completely balanced. What are you talking about? I love styling on, in Melee, I love styling on people with Roy. Dr. Mario, just beating the shit out of people with Dr. Mario was great. In Ultimate, I mean, there's too many characters. You just kind of pick whoever. I kind of

stopped playing a ton once I got to Melee. Yeah yeah totally um i agree i agree uh what are yours i don't know i don't know my kids had like a two-week stretch where they played smash that game yeah and i thought it was cool that was the one where you can be like pikachu against mario right yeah like arguably like one of the greatest no it was great it was great but they they they're now they're now exclusively just two games. It's exclusively two games. It's 2K and FIFA, we call it. Oh, they're in like this stage of childhood.

And I couldn't love it anymore. I could not love it anymore. They're not playing football, man. Do you play them with them? I play it all the time, especially basketball. Dude, I hit a stretch where it was Madden and FIFA, and that was it. I got like nasty at Madden. I was playing Madden tournament.

They have not played Madden. They inquired Madden tournament. They have not played Madden. They inquired about Madden. They inquired about college football. But I actually want to introduce them to the NHL game because I always thought those were fun. But now they're playing 2K with their friends. And also there's like a street version of 2K

that you can play, which is kind of cool, like a three on three. It's very fun. And now it's amazing how they pick things up. Now they're talking to me about like the eighth man on the Mavericks. And I'm like, three months ago, you had never even heard of this guy. Like I was talking to them about when we were watching the game,

this is how quickly they can pick things up. My son can now tell you one through 15 on the Knicks, and he can tell you everything about them. Like he can mention Matt Ryan, literally the 15th man. And then we're watching the Raptors game on Monday and it's like OG playing against RJ. And I'm like, you know, remember Emmanuel Quickly. He was like the big guy in that trade that I was sad about. They had no recollection of Emmanuel Quickly.

And that was a year ago that that trade happened. So this all happened in the last year. Like they're just like. Literally like the last six to eight months. It's playing 2K and it's doing fantasy. And then all of a sudden they pick everything up um we continue we continue uh grace and sensation suggests that the boys in the back do a pound for pound best christmas movies list are you guys into this you would you'd be shocked to know tomorrow on the boys in the back pound for pound christmas movies So your wish is our command

Pound for pound Christmas Holiday movies If you want to throw Holiday Literally tomorrow If you want to throw Eight crazy nights I've been doing this all day

Wow We got to get this in And then we'll have a New Year's one For the final show Love it Also PT we're going to rock our Me and Rick got

St. Stephen's Day sweatsuits We're going to rock them tomorrow On the show That's beautiful I can't wait to see it It's going to rock our, me and Rick got St. Stephen's Day sweatsuits. We're going to rock them tomorrow on the show. That's beautiful. I can't wait to see it. It's going to be great. And not on the final show of the year. No, I have a special Christmas sweater for that one. There you go.

Yeah, it's in the mail. Holiday sweater. Holiday sweater. It should be there. No, it's a Christmas sweater. It's a Christmas sweater. I love it. Can't wait.

Jonah said, shout out to the Lion of God. Is this a new merch thing? Should it be Lion of God? It's a badass name. I was thinking that as well. Where did you ever go with Ariel after Lion of God? Yeah, that's true. I had a rough year in Israel.

Can't imagine for people one hour drive away from me in Gaza would love Bilal to come on. And that's another thing. You've never heard me. You've never heard, I mean, the people that I associate with. Everyone is heartbroken about what has happened. Everyone's heartbroken about October 7th and everything that has happened subsequently. No one wants this. No one is rooting for this.

No one is wishing this. No one that I know, or at least that I am associated with, and certainly not myself, trying to spew this propaganda and hatred and venom. Everyone wants this to end. Everyone wants the killing to stop, the hostages to come home, there to be peace and all that stuff. You never hear that from us.

It's awful. It's heartbreaking. No one wants to see it. I love going over there. I love the thing that always struck me, and I was last in Israel in August of 2023, how there's Arabs, there's Christians, there's Jewish people, there's gays, lesbians, it doesn't matter what you are, who you

are, what you believe in, how you live, everyone's welcome, everyone's happy, everyone's living in harmony. I had people coming up to me talking to me about khabib i say is that your favorite fighter yes i'm muslim i love him i love islam i love sean o'malley he had just beaten um al jermaine sterling when i was there this could be such a beautiful and harmonious place um and in the midst of all this madness there it is i don't want any of this to happen and you don't hear that from these other people. And that's what pisses me off. All they spew is negativity and venom and propaganda. And it's tiring and bigotry. So shout out to Jonah and shout out to everyone who is fighting the good fight in the Middle East. gg asks ariel all of these potential things gfl is aiming for is stuff you advocate for weekly

are you pessimistic slash jaded because the industry has been the way it currently is for too long no it's it listen give me the revenue sharing give me the 50 50 give me all that stuff it's it's the format that makes me a little bit skeptical. It's the format. The economics I get and I believe in, it's the format. So that's the big difference. So let's see. Update.

Yes. We've heard back from Darren Owen. Yes. Here's a quote. We will be using a hexagon cage for events where the athletic commissions require cages. So the specific language around that makes me think, are there times where they will not be using any cage or something else, but a hexagon cage where required for MMA? Feels like an opportunity for a follow-up question.

No, we'll leave it at that. Maybe not the best vehicle for that. Yeah. We continue. up question no we'll leave it at that maybe not the best vehicle for for that yeah um we continue uh keto kai asks what are your guys's favorite video games in any genre mine is either silent hill 2 or final fantasy 7 shout out final fantasy 7 one of my favorites a man of culture i love to see it does Does that mean there's actually been one through seven? There's 16. Oh, there's a lot more. I was going to say there's been more than seven.

Golly. More than 16, actually. Okay. Yeah, because there's some that are not numbered. You're a Metal Gear Solid guy, Rick? Metal Gear Solid, best franchise, greatest games. Two, maybe? I don't know.

They're all so good. I do love Metal Gear Solid. Zelda. It's just like that. Oh, yeah. That's great. I've beaten it on almost every system Nintendo's come out with, and I love every one. I still got Twilight Kingdom.

I got a- Oh, yeah. A little Christmas or birthday gift someone got you, right? You gave me two games. I've already beaten one. I logged like 150 hours on Breath of the Wild. I need a break. I need to breathe before that.

I'm sure I've said it before, but Castlevania, Symphony of the Night. I was just going to mention Castlevania. I used to love Castlevania. Da-na-na-na-na. Is that the song? Wow, you're serious. I thought you were fucking around. Castlevania had a great... No, no, I am serious. Castlevania had a great theme song.

That's right. Do you remember it? Absolutely. What was it? Well, it wasn't that. Red Dead Redemption 2. Oh, yeah. Yeah, it was great. It just wasn't what you were saying. Yeah. What was it?

Grand Theft Auto. No. Grand Theft Auto next year, man. That's going to be mad. Is it going to be next year? We're going to get GFL. I was going to say, GFL or Grand Theft Auto 6? Which one comes first?

Oh, this is it. This is it. Oh, yeah. We're getting demon comes first? Oh, this is it. Oh, yeah, we're getting demonetized. Oh, sorry, sorry, sorry. Because of annual lawyers. Damn it. Okay, okay, okay. We continue.

J Love Sports asks, what would you do to fix AEW? Listen, here's the thing about AEW and here's the thing about the people who believe that I want AEW to fail. That is not true. That is unequivocally untrue. And I also say that one thing I failed to mention, I regret not mentioning in my conversation with Eric Bischoff about it last week, which people got freaking nuts about. Look, AEW just signed a nice new long-term deal with WBD, Warner Brothers Discovery, that was an increase.

So to suggest that they are four feet under is not accurate. Has attendance changed? Have ratings changed? Yes, these things happen. And pro wrestling and combat sports are cyclical. I will say this one more time. And I will say, it's again,

these things that you keep having to mention Over and over again I want AEW to succeed It is better when there are more promotions It is better when there are more outlets For fighters, competitors, athletes To negotiate, make money with It is better

I am the guy who continues to talk about this For MMA, for boxing, for pro wrestling For kickboxing, for freaking pickleball, for paddle, for everything. Everything. I want more options. Now, I know for fans, you all want it under one umbrella. It's cleaner. You get the best fights.

And, you know, all the fighters have to stay under one roof. But that's not me. That's never been me um and so i there's there is no the only time you have ever heard me say anything critical about aw is i talked about that interview that i didn't like big deal i could list i could list 30 interviews that i don't like but it bothered you that i mentioned that all right go back to all the other examples where i've praised them where i've liked what they've done on and on and on it goes and i know none of this will matter and i know everyone will believe that i work for wwe or that nick khan is still my agent and all this nonsense trust me when i tell you no interaction no communication no nothing zero no nothing how

many wwe guests have you seen on the show when we booked eric bisch, he was coming on. He was booked by MLW. And I was thinking of even posting that text. I'm like, I'm not going to keep doing this. When I saw him show up on NXT, I was like, all right, well, maybe that changes that. And they said, no, you know, he's doing the MLW thing. He's committed, all that stuff. So haters going to hate. But I wish them well.

And to answer the question, keep it simple. Less, you know, less convoluted storylines. Maybe the roster needs to be slightly trimmed. Although, you know, I makes me lose my attention. I will also just say flatly, like, I'm not sitting there watching two hours on Wednesday and, what is it, two or one hour on Friday and then another X amount of hours on Saturday. So ultimately, I may not be the best person to ask if I'm being honest right now. Derek the dad,

do you think UFC will come back to the shark tank in San Jose for a fight night? Bellator always had fights here, but since the PFL takeover, it is no more yet because Scott Coker had great ties. And of course when Coker left and went to work for the UFC for a little bit when they bought Strikeforce, we had a couple of great events there. 139 comes to mind. I hope so. It's a great market. The Bay Area has always been great for MMA and Strikeforce in its

heyday was magic. Magic. Told the story a million times. I'll say it again. Bobby Southworth, Renato Babalu Sobral, I'm sitting there and that was the main event on HGNet Fights on a Friday. And then I'm like, all right, cool, great. And the place is packed to the rafters. And then the show is over. And then two local kickboxers who are 1-0 and 0-1 in MMA come out and the place explodes. And the 1-0 and 0-1 was against each other. And it was a local turf war, if you will. And that was the brilliance of Strikeforce. They knew how to book for the territory. They knew how to book for the arena, for the crowd. It was old school pro wrestling.

You book for the territory. You book for the market. And that's something that we haven't seen enough of, if you ask me. Grabber Runs pointed out that Vanderlei Silva will be 49 years old and without a win in 11 years by the time he fights in the GFL. There were similar comments to this nature throughout the interview. AZ Ray has fond memories of the IFL back in the day. He actually found MMA through the IFL. And there it is. IFL is how I started watching MMA back in 2006. I loved it.

There you go. Robert McAllister wants to know why Mysterious Frank cannot own guns. It's a fair question. Super fair. Yeah, I don't have the answer to that. All right. Mason Bircher wants to tell me that SM64, Sunshine, and Galaxy are all on the Switch.

Yeah, Ariel. We have a Switch. You should get these games. But we don't play it anymore because we got the PS5. Galaxy I've never beaten. I'd love to play that. Does your daughter get to play any games?

She's not so into it. They let her play sometimes. There's another game. Ah, God, I can't believe I'm going to forget this. There's a game with like a guy. He's like a round-shaped guy all the duty no no no actually they've asked me about that one and i've held on no it's an evil fall guys fall guys fall guys yeah yeah she gets into that a little bit but i think you can't play on the switch while the the boys

are playing on the playstation she's more just trying to like keep up with them yeah i get it she'd rather watch the babysitters club um ryan said oh yeah uh everyone talks about umar getting a title shot based off his last name yet no one is really talking about how chrome gracie got a ranked opponent on a pay-per-view coming off two losses uh i feel like people i feel like everybody talked about that yes that was literally the only topic of conversation around that fight um alessio is wondering why I keep looking off to the side. He thinks it is sus. I mean, I like to just, I'm comfortable, you know? There's nothing there.

Can we pan? Oh, we don't have a camera. There's literally... We don't have a camera. I mean, like, we have a camera, but we don't have a camera operator. Sorry. There's a whole set here that you guys don't get to see. Should I try to move the camera? No, don't get to see Should I try to move the camera? No, don't touch the camera, please Mason

All this Christmas party hate I had a grand time at mine They had an open bar for those of us under 21 Holiday party Allegedly Open bar is great for those of us under 21 Might have been hitting the sauce Allegedly. Very wrong.

It's because he's under 21. And gave me the transcription of these and it wasn't even... Also, Mason, come on. No hate over here. I was very much looking forward to it. Prior engagement. Is the drinking age 18 in Ireland? The next plan is already in place.

I found out there's not going to be an ice sculpture, so I was like, I'm not going to. People started drinking when they're like 13. Pete, do you got the guest room ready for me yet? No. You showed me. No, man. I started looking at flights, dude.

Come on, man. You're going to be pissed when I show up at the door. You showed me the room. You called it the shit room, right? But not the shit room. In the shit rooms of my house. Here's the shit room. This is where Connor will be staying.

All right. I'm just getting a hotel. No, no. Stay will be staying. Alright, I'm just getting a fucking hotel. No, no, stay at Pizzi's. Nah, I'm getting a hotel. He's going to curl up in a ball instead of boxing. When are you going over there? I'm staying at the Black Forge Inn. When are you going over there?

Whenever. Oh, just in general. I know Jordan's going to Florida this weekend for a quick John, so I wanted to get up to speed on everyone's vacation plans. My mother-in-law is actually celebrating her birthday in Ireland. Oh, okay, perfect. From the number one plan breaker, Ariel Helwani.

We're doing... Wow. Jordan over here? Yesterday, we were walking out, and they were like, okay, we'll see you later. We're going for burgers. I was like, oh, okay, let me see the text about the burgers. Then we get to the burger spot, and I say, Ariel, are you coming in? You say, no, I I gotta catch my jet back to

Literally I said I will go on the walk with you guys And then I'll go home And then I'll hop in the PJ And we're out of here But Ariel's so weird that you were invited to go I was not He doesn't want to go to anything though

He wants to get invited It actually hurts because there's nothing I enjoy But you never want to go to anything. He wants to go to anything. This is the problem. It actually hurts because there's nothing I enjoy. I was just telling my wife this. But you never want to go. I enjoy the camaraderie. I enjoy the friendship. We have a holiday party later today. You want to come?

I enjoy the fraternity. No, Katie Couric. Hit me up to go to the next game. What time does the holiday party start, by the way? 6.30. Damn it. When you were getting your massage last week, were you like, oh, I really wish I brought the boys?

Newman. Nihal. He became a nose at all.30. Damn it. When you were getting your massage last week, were you like, oh, I really wish I brought the boys? Newman. Nihal. He became a nose at all. Congratulations. Thank you to Tyler and Abdi Yousef, who are now hell wannabes as well. We appreciate you guys. And shout out to the boys in the back

for their special members only live chat yesterday, which, not yesterday, last Thursday, which I very much enjoyed. You guys spent like a whole hour. That was a great time. That was fun. It was great. Well done.

So more of that to come. Achilles. Did I get that right? Achilles Jr. Yeah, you know yourself. Achilles Jr. said the Wizard of Oz is trash like Rick's takes. Yeah. No, I read that as.

Achilles Jr. has a longstanding feud with me and preached that. He thinks Jurassic Park is the GOAT. Yeah, well well you see, clearly he's not a man of taste So obviously That's not going to stop the beef Does that emoji actually mean trash? It's just an empty Waste bin Listen, don't you guys say that?

Like those Pete, do you guys say that in the bin? Yeah, see? I always love when they're like Don't you guys say that Like those Pete you guys say that In the bin Yeah yeah Yeah see Bin men They say I always love when they're like Oh he's boxing a bin

He's boxing a bin man He's boxing Or when you guys talk about Like a manager getting fired You don't say fired You say sacked Sacked Yeah

It feels so Or you got binned You can say you got binned as well By the way sacked Feels so disrespectful That's meant to be Fired I feel like people say

Sacked in the States. No, no. I thought they say redundancies, right? Oh, there's some redundancies. Not when talking about like a football coach.

Not in a headline. Yeah. Manager made redundant. Yeah, what is that? Rex Ryan has been made redundant by the Jets.

That is coming in. What? Untitled said he liked my rant at the start of the show. Okay, so there's one guy. He said, good shit, Ariel. Shields is,

and you misspelled Jake's name. That's not how you spell his name. So everyone's getting everything wrong. Might be on purpose. Is helping create a scary world to live in right now. Such a mental ceiling. He can't see his own ignorance.

I mean, I have not gone on his feed in quite some time. There was a point where he was just content farming BJPen.com links. And I guess he's now moved on to this stuff. And I was just, I was blown away. I was blown away by the madness on there. Travel over there at your own risk. But apparently there's people who are into this sort of thing. And I was just like, what in the world is happening here? Is is, is this the same guy? This is the same dude who fought GSP at UFC 129?

Crazy. In any event, Angel, thoughts on Ilya saying he'll retire by age 30. Who told us earlier this week

that they were going to retire? Chase Hooper. We were talking about that. Good call. Don't believe it. And also, not because I'm calling him a liar, but I just think a lot of

fighters say that and then they get to 30 and they're like, golly, I feel great. And I also don't think... Elliot just says a lot of shit, huh? He just says stuff. Maybe things get lost in translation. I also don't think, by the way, that he's done at 45. Wait, what? Oh, done at

45. No, he's not done at 45. Oh, sorry, not 45 years. No, no, no. Yeah, no, see, that's what I'm saying. He just5,000. No, he's not done it for $145,000. Oh, sorry, not $145,000. No, no, no, no. Yeah, yeah. No, see, that's what I'm saying. He just says a lot of stuff. It's not really. He fights in Miami. Are we going?

What is that? The April card or whatever? If Pants is on it. Pants. Yeah, man, I think I'm going to have to make a point. Oh. Sorry. That was a message from my good friend, David.

Ilya, I say he fights Volk, and then, honestly, there's more fights. There's Diego. There's Mofsar. There's guys out there. Way too many fights at 45 to be thinking about 55 right now. So he, I don't think, will be done. Someone who did announce that he is done earlier today

is the great Jack Tank Shore. Seemingly out of nowhere, my old darts rival has called it a career. And we do want to congratulate him on a great run. The pride of Wales. He wrote, hello, guys. Been quiet for a while. Enjoying time with my friends and family. As what may come as a surprise to a few, I've decided to hang up the gloves on my professional fighting

career. After fighting out my contract and taking some time to think about what's next, it's clear to me that my time with professional fighting is done. Although I had the chance to re-sign with the UFC, I've decided my time's done. I want to thank the UFC for letting me live out my childhood dream of fighting for the world's biggest organization against some of the best in the world. I've enjoyed every minute. I won't read the whole thing, but I will say that his father, the great Shaky Shore, also announced that Jack will be joining his team as far as a coach. It's been a crazy journey, he wrote, but my son has decided to retire on his own terms. I could not be prouder of him. As a man and an athlete, he will join me full-time with coaching the next generation of talent

in Joy Jack Shore MMA. Pete, you know the Shores very well. Were you surprised to hear this announcement? Completely shocked. Couldn't believe it. And it's been an absolute pleasure covering these guys. You know them, Ariel. They are two great lads,

very talented people. Obviously, Richard has respect all over Europe for his incredible mind when it comes to fighting. And Jack, what Jack's done is incredible. You know, this was a blue-chip prospect out of the UK and Ireland, a guy who won the IMF Championships

as a teenager, went into Cage Warriors, took over Nathaniel Woods mantle at that Bantamweight division and Nathaniel Wood being this great ticket seller in London. So he was a very important piece of the jigsaw there. Jack Shaw then brings it to Cardiff essentially. Like I went to see him fight in 2018 against Mike Echendeo there. And it was just incredible. And the adoration that people already had for him at that stage was you know was apparent and you know you see it grow over the years i think my favorite performances of jack would have been in 2022 against timor value if everyone was saying this is too much value f was

a guy who was taught to be constantly overlooked by the ufc he was going to come in and have an impact on the bantamweight division like these dagastani guys like the likes of habib would and jack was absolutely poetry in motion that night jabbed the face off him mixed up his takedowns very well he's done great things in the sport as i said championing cage warriors um he was right he was right in the rankings there at bantamweight obviously featherweight didn't go go his way but for him and richard i think the biggest thing for them is the impact they've had on that area of the world on wales like the amount of people they've turned on to the sport there and i can't think of a a better legacy for any athlete like seeing jack shaw and knowing who jack shaw was has made thousands of kids in that area pursue mixed martial arts and um a great lad and i'm sure

he'll be a success a great success alongside richard in the coaching world wow beautifully put um absolutely beautiful i there's not much more that i can add that would be better than that i will just echo what you said absolute pleasure to watch them um compete absolute pleasure to cover both of them it was great to meet shaky when he was here with oban elliott they're building a great thing over in that corner of the world specifically wales Wales class act. And there was that run. Remember we were all fired up that he was on that long Island card when they

had the, the London card the next week, he was on a great run and a lot to be proud of. And just 29 years young, he's turning 30 in February. So, you know, who knows,

but it sounds like he is at peace. It sounds like he is content and it sounds like he's going to help his father, which is a beautiful thing as well. So everyone is very lucky that he is still sticking around with mixed martial arts. He flew the great Irish, excuse me, Irish, Welsh flag very, very proudly. And really, I would say was one of the very first to put you know Welsh MMA on the map and you know the great affinity that I have for the Welsh PC

you know what with Brennan Johnson and Steve Cooper and the Shores and Oban Elliot the Welsh gangster so and your visits of course to Wales oh of course Cardiff back in 20 what was it 22 will we ever forget who could forget yes Clash at the Castle was a great time you know I've been there, yes?

You've never stopped talking to me about it I just didn't know if you were being facetious It's a great thing And congrats to him And his father and the whole team and family On an amazing run Yeah, and I was Talking about

Vandal area It's a credit to jack walking away on his own terms it's so rare in this game like that's why ariel's laughing when you're putting up things about to pour you said he's going to be out by 30 it just doesn't happen yeah lads don't know when to walk away their heart isn't in it sometimes and they're still fighting and that's when things go wrong jack you know he's walking away he's called it a day he had a contract in front of him from the ufc and he's decided he's had enough. He's called it a day. He had a contract in front of him from the UFC and he's decided he's had enough.

I think that's very commendable too. Absolutely. 100%. Shout out to Demetrius Johnson. He sent me a photo yesterday of him at the UFC PI and he's like, hey, I'm negotiating. I was like, what? And then two seconds later, he's like,

no, I'm here to train with Khabib in Islam. So he's there. He's there. What a link up that is. Golly, who would have thought? I mean, look at that shot right there. I mean, that is legendary status. Incredible, incredible.

I love this version of Demetrius Johnson. I really do. Do you know, and I hope that this comparison makes sense. Do you remember when Kobe Bryant retired and he seemed completely at peace in life and just happy to be around basketball with his family and just seemed completely content? Like there was no talks of him coming back and there was no, it was just like, and that was obviously the, you know, among the many reasons why it was so difficult to process what happened to him and the others who passed away. And I feel like DJ's in this spot in his life where he's just so completely happy and content. Do you know what I mean? Like he's just in such a great place. He's happy to help people. He's happy to train.

He's happy to stay active. He's happy to find this new passion in jujitsu. He's happy to do the YouTube. He's happy to train. He's happy to stay active. He's happy to find this new passion in jiu-jitsu. He's happy to do the YouTube. He's happy to interview. It's just a beautiful thing to watch. And I think we all kind of strive for that and hope for that for people in our lives. So shout out to DJ, the man. On a less positive note, wanted to mention the somewhat breaking news that Nathan Diaz has been hit with a misdemeanor battery charge 39 years young nathan diaz i'm reading this off of a report from drake riggs over on uncrowned.com he was involved in an alleged incident at the

las vegas omnia nightclub at caesar's palace on august 24th the misdemeanor battery charge was reportedly dealt on october 16th t TMZ first reported the news. Diaz and his team have yet to comment on the situation. I saw the footage of this. It seemed rather... Did you guys see this video? Yeah. It just seemed like a little bit of, you know... Benign? Yeah.

Yeah. Like, if I would have seen that video, it would have been like, oh, there was a little... There was a little, like... Bust up. A little scuffle. A scuffle is almost even... Yeah. Like, unless there's something we didn't see. I was like, this, there was a little, there was a little like. Bust up, a little scuffle. Scuffles almost even. Yeah. Like, unless there's something we didn't see. I was like, this, this is what it is.

I don't know. Those fighting words. I guess there were some words. I was a little bit, I was a little bit surprised, but who knows? Anyway, that's a little bit unfortunate, but hopefully it gets sorted and dealt with in a timely manner. I got to all the things. Let me see. Here's another one. Oh, shout out to Andreas Velasquez.

Now a hell wannabe as well. All right, so I got to all the super chats. I think I covered it all, guys. Did I not? Was there anything else? Sometimes you have a surprise or two. Oh, man, fantastic two. Oh, man. Fantastic job. Yeah, thanks.

So we'll see you at the holiday party? What's that? You really going to the next game? Be honest. Let me see. No, you said, you know, invite me. I'm always there. There's nothing I love more than the camaraderie.

We'll see you there. See you later. Camaraderie. Ah, such a nice night. Oh, okay. Listen. Can i shout out dosebrack for this shirt oh shirt how great is this we got the aspen all corner front aspen on this one and then look at the back of this thing oh yeah oh nice more than hype there he is gladiator gotta go see Gladiator 2 Off the recommendation of Kevin Lee Kevin Lee Movie of the year

I have a Dosprak Painting Print Drawing I got my 2025 calendar Wow I didn't realize you were I'm Dosprak's biggest supporter out here

Shout out to Dosprak Thank for all this too He's not saying man Did you get the toothpicks? I'm just a big supporter Yeah I got the Tommy toothpicks in too Oh can't wait to try those We're gonna all have to have a review live on the air.

Barry Blast or whatever they are. Well, I love Dos Brock. He's tremendous. His drawings are amazing. I have one of Mike Tyson and Diego Maradona together that he whipped up a couple years ago. And another one of the whole BMF scene where it was Masvidal and Diaz and The Rock and the taxi cab and all that. Just an absolute legend. Still never seen his face.

Have you seen his face, Pizzi? I have. I've met him on, yeah. Wow. He rocks. He's Irish. I know. That's why I asked.

Wow. I like him even more. That's why I asked. Brother. One of our own, Pizzi. In a hotel suite. One of our own. I met him in a hotel suite with Artem Lobov.

Wow. Him and Artem Lobov. Wow. In Las Vegas, of course oh wow you met in the week that when i come to gregor fought donald cerrone when i come to dublin and and stay at your place we'll we'll link up with we'll all boast brad i mean great absolutely great count even the russian hammer as well oh yeah um hey guys last one let's end on a positive note here. Hey, Ariel and crew, this is back on the sub stack. I will be traveling to New York City

during the holidays all the way from little old New Zealand, one of my places on the list. What's the top two, guys? New Zealand, Samoa, Portland, and then Austin. Yes.

I was wondering if you had any food recommendations for my partner and I while we are here or there. We will be staying next to the Brooklyn Bridge in Brooklyn for eight nights plus our final night in Times Square. Congratulations on everything you have all achieved this year. Can I finish? Sorry.

Jeez. This year and bring on an even bigger 2025. Cheers, Liam. All right. What do we got, Frank? Burger America. That's the spot yesterday, right? Yeah, the one that we invited you to. You didn't go either. We?

Frank? Who the F is we? Who the fuck is we? Thank you. Yeah, that's right. Go try Katz. We went there. Katz is cool.

Go to Farida. Go to Farida. That's the one. Go to Farida and try Katz. Go to Farida. Two boots. I hear it's popping. No, no, enough.

Lafayette, if you're staying near Brooklyn Bridge like you just said. Lafayette if you're staying near Brooklyn Bridge like you just said. Grace Papaya. These are awful. Tavern on the Green. Tavern on the Green if you want a nice tourist trap. Amazing. Where's the place you brought me last? The Dead Rabbit? That was nice.

Oh, Dead Rabbit is fantastic. The Bowery Meat Company. That place is amazing. Peter Luger's. That's in Brooklyn. That's in Williamsburg. Here's the thing. I don't know what Liam's palate is.

Now you've had your sushi. It's so far today. I just say, if you want a nice omakase, I got a spot. It's called Sushi Sasabune. It's on 73rd and 1st. GC could back me up. One of the all-time great meals.

Is it not? Second morning drink. How much is a plate? 800 quid for a plate? No, it's not 800 quid. It's actually a steal. 220 or something. Do they know about your side piece now?

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Are they going to? It's not cheap. 150. 150. I'm not sure if that not cheap. 150, 150. I'm not sure if that's true. Bro, 150.

It depends on if you're getting any kind of drinks. Who doesn't know this is 2021 either? It's a phenomenal meal. Is it coming in Las Vegas? See, you can't keep saying this. They're going to go to Sasa Buna and they're going to take the picture down from the wall.

I mean, I'll just leave it at that, but I will say it's a phenomenal meal. It's a phenomenal time. If you want to splurge, you and the partner want to splurge, and you want to get the best sushi in New York, hands down, there's no question about it, I highly recommend it.

You want to get some nice bagels, I highly recommend Black Seed Bagels. Shout out to my boys. Wegmans. Here's my New York tip. Island, Upper East Side, Sleeper. Okay. The only actual New Yorker on this show,

so let me give it. Oh, sorry, Jordan. Sorry, Jordan. That's our Jordan. That man lives sleeper. Okay. The only actual New Yorker on this show. So let me give it. Wow. Sorry, Jordan. Sorry, Jordan. That's sorry, Jordan. That man lives in Amityville. Jordan, I'm a New Yorker. Yeah, you know what?

I grew up on Long Island. He doesn't count. I grew up in Long Island. I grew up on Long Island. He doesn't count. That is nasty work right there. Here's the thing. Queens is in Long Island.

You don't spend so much time traveling to these individual little places that everybody has recommended. Stay local. Find some good spots. You can get a good slice on the corner. You can get good this wherever. Look around what's around you.

Spend more time exploring the city. Spend more time walking around. Spend more time seeing the sights. And don't focus so much on I have to go seven miles out of my way to go get this XYZ thing. There's tons of great stuff all around you. Spend more time exploring the city. But if you get the veggie crunch sandwich from Webster's, you're going to be on the right path.

Put them on, Frankie. Yeah, don't just get pizza. Pizza's fine. Get a slice and then go to Cinder on my five-star. There's a slice on every corner. There's like three pizza shops here. It's fantastic advice. But I will say,

go out of your way to get the banana pudding at Magnolia Bakery. It's to die for. That's another great one. That's it. You want to go touristy? Can I recommend some of the other tourists? Tavern on the Green, Peter Luger's, Katz's Delicatessen.

Those are like the touristy spots that are actually great. Green's Papaya. I don't know. Yeah. Peter, what were you going to say? Try and go to as many places around New York as you can because those people, especially Irish people, they go and they just stay in Manhattan.

They're around Times Square. Go to Nathan's Hot Dogs down in Coney Island. Isn't it fun? I really want to see New York. Hop on the Q train and take that bitch all the way down to Coney Island. Do not go down that far. Stop by Avenue M and go to DeForest Pizza for an authentic slice.

DeForest is a beautiful place. What? DeForest is pretty good, but no, they'll go all the way to Coney Island. You'll find some, but that's a good point

by Pete Z. Don't just stay in time. Tourist areas are not where you go. Don't go to time. Off where? Fuck. Go down.

You gotta go. You gotta go see it once. It's a bunch of video boards. No, man. You gotta go. Don't be that guy. You gotta go. Fuck, Tom. Go to Times Square. Go down. You got to go. You got to go see it once. It's a bunch of video boards. No, man. You got to go. Don't be that guy. You got to go. You got to go.

It's the worst place. You do not have to go. There's nothing there. You have to go just so you'll be like, wow, I'll never go back there again. Take the picture. PT, as a foreigner, you have to go to Times Square. You have to be assaulted by a guy in a Sonic the Hedgehog suit. Who wants to go there?

But don't spend too long there. Don't spend too long. Dirty ass Mickey Mouse. Go to Queens. Walk straight through it. Okay, everyone's talking at the same time now. PT, go ahead. Yeah, go and get the picture of all the screens or whatever.

Go to Central Park. Go to Brooklyn. Go to Queens. Go as many different places as you can. As a tourist, you're struck by how different every single part of it is. Every time you go to these different boroughs, I think it's amazing how different they all are. The Bronx. Go to as many places as you can. It's great. Peach Brother. I love different boroughs, I think it's amazing how different they all are. The Bronx, go to as many places as you can. It's great. Peach Brother.

I love this, though. No, it's true. It's true. I love this. It's like the song says, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, and Staten. From the battery to the top of Manhattan. You guys know that one? Beastie Boys. Yeah, you know yourself. All right, on that note, shout out to New York City, the

greatest city in the world. And we are so proud to rep this great city, not only here, but also there. There it is. Yeah. Boys in the Back on Thursday, Crack on Friday. So much more to come here

on the Uncrowned Network. And next week, we've got some fun things coming as well. And then it's the holiday season. And then we'll disappear. No, I'm just kidding. Holiday season starts tonight. Yeah. Holiday party.

You're probably going to go to dinner like next door just to make a point, right? Exactly. That you can't be bothered. I'm just going to keep asking people to FaceTime me. I'm convinced that you guys are going to the next game together. That's what I think. Frankie and I. We're going to get some Wegmans on the way there.

All three of us. This is a conspiracy to draw a line in the sand against the rest of the team. Can't confirm nor deny. Maybe you'll catch us on the telly this evening if you're watching the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup. We shall see, we shall see, we shall also see about the Global Flight League. We appreciate them coming by, setting that up,

divulging, discussing, all those things and more. We appreciate them very, very much, and I'm looking forward to seeing how this all plays out. I do want to thank everyone who continues to subscribe. Shout out to you. Thumbs up. Hit the bell. Hit the like. Hit the subscribe. The drive for 25 is still alive. So thank you very much. And if you're listening to us in pod form, thank you for following, for rating, reviewing, commenting, all that stuff.

Thank you, Alex Pantoja. Thank you, Darren Owen. Thank you, Alex Pantoja. Thank you, Darren Owen. Thank you, Anthony Pettis. Thank you, Kevin Lee. Thanks to everyone who sent in Super Chats questions as well. Thanks to them. Thanks to you. Back on Thursday, same time, same piece. I'm out of here.