The Ariel Helwani Show - Sean Brady, Jeremy Stephens, Moses Itauma, Top Rank President Todd duBoef in studio, On The Nose, more

Episode Date: March 18, 2026

Ariel Helwani is joined by the Boys in the Back and Petesy Carroll to quickly recap Venezuela’s stunning upset over the United States in the World Baseball Classic. Then, they tackle On The Nose, answering questions about March Madness, Joe Rogan’s recent comments on UFC fighter pay, Ronda Rousey suggesting Dana White isn’t UFC’s decision maker, Nate Diaz potentially returning to the UFC, and more (13:14). Sean Brady joins next, recapping his performance against Michael Morales, explaining why he believes Ian Machado Garry should get the next title shot, discussing his interactions with upcoming opponent Joaquin Buckley, predicting how Morales would do in a fight against Islam Makhachev, and more (1:32:08). Rising boxing star Moses Itauma is back to preview his bout against Jermaine Franklin, reflect on not being able to break Mike Tyson’s record for being the youngest heavyweight champion ever, express his desire to fight the division’s top names, including Oleksandr Usyk, Daniel Dubois and Fabio Wardley, and more (2:01:23). Top Rank President Todd duBoef joins Ariel in studio following the announcement of the promotion’s new broadcast deal with DAZN to discuss the inner workings of the partnership, other networks that they spoke to during negotiations, Top Rank’s stable of young stars, the state of the boxing business, the Ali Revival Act and Zuffa Boxing’s entry into the sport, and more (2:28:47). Jeremy Stephens is the final guest of the day, talking about returning to the UFC against King Green, whether he’ll fight again for BKFC, financial struggles over the last few years, his timeline for retirement, and more (3:31:06). Ariel answers your Super Chats to close the show (4:03:14).

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the air... On this Wednesday, March 18th, 2000. And 26, hello again, everyone. I sure hope you're doing well. It is great to be here on a Wednesday in New York City, a frigid Wednesday in New York City, but I am happy nonetheless. There is a lot going on.

There's a lot to discuss. feels like it's been a minute since we've had an extended on the nose. That's what we have today, which is tremendous. The vibes to not be better at HQ because our very own Venezuela has won the World Baseball Classic and our very own Andy, a proud Venezuelan, was dancing up and down the hallways here celebrating. You may recall yesterday a deal was made, a bet was had,

between Mr. USA, G.C. Connor Birx, and Miss Venezuela, Andy, our TD, our fearless leader. Wow, what an honor. I mean, who else? It's either you or Julianna Pena, the only two Venezuelans I know in my life, and she definitely wasn't watching. You were. And what was the deal? The deal was if USA wins, Andy had to make for us Arepas, because she's known to make an Arepa or two. And then if Venezuela won, which let's be. honest, I felt like there was a bit of cockiness. That typical American

cockiness coming out of GC saying like, yeah, of course this is not going to be a thing. Sure, I'll sign up for this. He had to make Arepas. And there we were. Bottom of the 8th, Venezuela of 2-0. Bryce Harper, Mr. America himself, certainly not Aaron Judge,

nails the two-run shot to tie the game and all of a sudden the chat group was on fire. The memes were out. America this, America that. But then, in the end. It's Andy with the absolute nutshot from the top rope. How I Sleep Knowing G.C. is making me at episode. I couldn't believe it. I thought this was a G.C. meme. I couldn't believe Andy hit the meme lord with a meme herself. How does it feel to be meme G.C. after this? It's okay. It's all right.

That's good work. Yeah. It was okay work. The big white block template. I mean, who made that is what I want to know. You type it into like meme genera. There's a real thing. Literally. Yeah, something from like 2012. I was making these back in high school. I respect the game. I respect the game.

Wow. Showing the age, I see. But also, G.C., like I said, like I said, this is not a meme competition. It was a baseball competition. We won. We won. You guys won fair and square. Yeah, a bit of cockiness, a bit of arrogance.

You know, we got the, we got the basketball, gold medal men and women's. We got the hockey gold medal men's and women's, you know, obviously, America. Olympic. Well, we dominate. Olympics. You know, I was getting tired of women's. winning actually. I'm excited to test my culinary skills to create the legendary Venezuelan dish Arepas. So I, all in all, I think I'm actually a bit happy about it. I think I'm a bit happy. Shout

to my guy Ronald Acuna. Braves getting a WBC win. What about the emotion, though? I mean, even if you're an American fan, you have to admire the emotion. No, it's incredible. It was incredible. The celebrations, everything that came out of it. Look at this. Look at this. Look at this. There is no way. I know baseball is America's national pastime. There's no way it men's this much to Americans. No chance. This is, it really is amazing. This is some of the other shots. Let's look at some of the other shots. I mean, I can't get

enough of the players crying, of the celebrations, of the hugging. This is all time. Where is this, Andy? You know where this is? What's going on here? I was trying to figure it out, but I couldn't. Honestly, it's been a busy morning. I briefly had a chance to look at the account.

Can't figure out where it came from. But really cool story here, because Apparently, they got this guy a TV. Like an actual TV afterwards. And here we actually have a picture. Oh, that is sick. And then I have a video of him watching afterwards. Look at this.

Yo, that is. Oh, what? I didn't know there was the glow up. Yo, what? Can I just say, my people know how to party. We know how to celebrate. This is just a regular Tuesday, but magnified. Look at this legend right here.

Look at this legend right This means a lot to us guys It means a ton Yo I looked it up I typed in on Google On ChatGBT BT Greatest moments In Venezuelan sports history

And there were some good moments But nothing like this Nothing like beating the United States After they just took your president You know At their sport At their sport I mean at their sport

How do you feel about that Andy You know like you would say Baseball is your sport too right Yeah we're pretty big on baseball pretty big on baseball, I would say that is also our sport. I was surprised some of my friends were like, I didn't even know baseball was so big in other countries. I was like,

I'm sorry, what? This is insane. We have huge baseball fans. Oh my God, some of the great players of the last 20 years have come from Venezuela. I'm curious, Pizzi, any idea that this was happening? Does this get talked about at all over in Ireland? Is anyone mentioning this? No.

Not even like... No, you've brought up a few times. Yeah. I thought you were talking about a boxing match several times. I was like, shit, I don't know what he's talking about.

Serious. All I'm saying is like, if there was an international competition where Ireland were playing people like, air like football, no one's fucking beating us. I'd just be embarrassed. Wow.

Okay, that's a shot. Okay, I understand what you're doing here. This is interesting. Just be embarrassed. Yeah. No, I mean, you and I both. You and I both. You and I both.

What is this? Congratulations, Andy. What is this look, G. He's thinking of something. I'm not saying. America's pastime is a played out bit. We're more of a hockey baseball-centric country.

You mean basketball? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Hockey basketball-centric country. You're making this comparison also, PTA. If someone, if we want to do an American football competition, an international American football competition. Yeah, you'd win, you'd win. Yeah, yeah.

I mean, it's embarrassing what happens in the other countries in terms of American football. Well, we're going to see. I've seen some Irish games. The 2028 Olympic Games, they've got the big flag football is going to, to be... Flag football's a lot of ballocks, mate. No.

I'm with you. No. Respect. Ridley Winks. By the way, I think that there's a big competition this Saturday, right? There's a big competition this Saturday. So far, have you seen this? Hope nobody gets hurt.

Tom Brady. Sequin Barclay. Oh, wow. Who is the guy? There was a guy who tore his ACL playing. Kiss Jason. Who is it? No.

Like Kiss Jason. What are you talking about? What is Kissed chasing? What is Kissed baseball? You know what I mean? No, no, no. There was a guy who tore his. ACL playing beach football, right?

Do you remember this? Huge star. He was playing NFL star, tears ACL beach football. You guys know I'm talking. Robert Edwards? Yeah, it was a big deal. At the Pro Bowl? Yes, and he tore his ACL.

Oh, this was like 26 years ago, 27 years ago. No, it wasn't. Wow, 20 years in 2019. Golly, I guess it was a big deal. Golly, what is happening. Anyway, that was a big deal. So you can get hurt. You can't get hurt.

You can tear an Achilles. You can tear an ACL. Anyway, forget about all that. Congratulations to everyone in Venezuela. I'm so happy for everyone. I just, I'm sad that the competition that the tournament is over. I was, I was interacting with Kevin Clark of ESPN. He was wondering out loud on Twitter if this tournament is the greatest thing to be invented by a sports league or a sport in the last, I don't know, century in the last 25 years or so, like in the 21st century.

I say WBC Four Nations face off and the NBA play in tournament are the top three I guess some people would say the college football playoff because it makes a lot of money fine Some people said red zone

But that's like a TV thing I tried to throw in the Carabelle Cup Pizzi just for the record But I feel like there's a glaring hole on your list What's that what's that The NBA cuff Well so I didn't want to sound like a homer When I said that

Because of sports I missed want it And it's still in its infancy It's still in its infancy, so not quite there just yet. The BBC is still kind of an insin. I was going to throw out contender series, by the way. I was going to throw a contender series as one of them, but I felt like that was too. Somebody say NBA Cup? Yeah, hell yeah.

That was GC. The Champions League of basketball? Yeah. Oh! Yeah. There it is. Shout out to the NBA Cup merch. Shout out to the NBA Cup.

Shout out to the NBA Cup. I do believe there is a plan in place for Mr. G.C to actually make the adepas live on air this coming Monday. Is that not right? Yep. On ground is becoming the food network on the afternoon. We'll be making Arapas. Everyone will get to try them. Except for Pete.

Except for Pete. Sorry, Pete. And so what are we making? Do we have a plan in place, a menu of sorts? Arapas. No, but like what kind? Well, I said we should do. Oh, Pizzi.

Come on, explain. Explain it to Pizzi. Explain it to Pizzi. Pizzi, it's just like just love on a plate. It's like a cornmeal sandwich. Like you can put so many top. I'm going to send you a picture

because like it doesn't. Dan, can we pull up a picture of like a very good looking at it? It's not hard to do. What do we do? No ham, please. That's my only request.

No ham. We'll get you some turkey. So I was thinking for Connors to make a reina pepi, which I also saw people requesting on Twitter. Okay. A chicken salad with avocado. It's delicious. We had this when we went to the Venezuelan restaurant back in June of last year.

It's incredible. Yeah, big hit. Is it like a sandwich, Andy? Come again? Is it like a sandwich? But better. It's like a pouch almost. Like a pita.

Yeah, you like stuff it, but it's like it's like cornmeal instead of an actual pita. All right. Sounds fantastic. I've had them a couple times in Vegas with Esther and Casey. There's a place off the strip, but nothing like this. Nothing like the authentic adepas that we're going to be. get from G.C. on Monday. So you're going to bring all the materials, everything, and then

by the end of the show, we'll be able to try them. Oh, for sure. First time making them? Oh, for sure. First time. This is amazing. This is my first for a way. Into a way of making. I'm attempting to become a cook. I'm trying to improve my culinary skills. This is a great way to do it. It's a great way to do it. A nice international dish.

Cook, chef bake. Oh, there it is. Yeah, that's nice. Yeah. Okay. That's corn, you said. It's cornmeal. But yeah, Connor, it has to be this filled. or more. Like, it needs to be, like, I need a fork

to get the filling out. That's what tells you what a real let it. What is that? A little, like, is that a mandarin juice next to it or what? What is that?

Tangerine. Probably Barchita, which is passion fruit. Oh, hell yeah. Delicious. It looks like a falafel sandwich. Like a falafel of pita. That's what it looks like.

You know what I mean? I can see the resemblance. Yeah, it's just different. Like, it's cornmeal. Of course. It's like a Hispanic. It's like a Venezuelan take on that. Hell yeah.

All right. So this is happening on Monday. Can't wait. Congratulations. I've been as well. Commiseration to our friends here in America. It meant more to them. And so I'm happy that they won and I think it's great for the game of baseball. So today's program is another super stacked one. Back into the show, Jeremy Stevens is going to join us. How is he going back and forth from UFC and BKFC? How is this happening? It's one thing for these guys to show up on RIF cards. How's he pulling it off? We'll talk to a little heathen about that. Prior to that, we're going to be joined by the president of top rank, top rank boxing. announcing earlier today, a multi-year deal with DeZone. They obviously had not had a TV home since

they left ESPN in July of 2025. They had their last show with ESPN in July of 2025. Deal expired. They did not resign. There were some talks about them coming back, did not transpire. Obviously, they go to DeZone now, which of course is home to Matchroom, Queensberry, Golden Boy, sort of, maybe. It's not quite clear what their status is. A lot to talk to Todd DeBuff about. I know a lot of people in the industry are excited about this because I've gotten a lot of text about this. So I'm curious to see what he says,

excited to have him in Studio 330. Prior to that, we're going to be joined by Moses Atama. I think everyone agrees he is a future heavyweight champion. He is someone who is going to be a heavyweight champion. It's not an if, it's a when with Moses. And he's returning to action very soon against Jermaine Franklin. We'll talk to him about that and all the Cummings and,

going as in his life. It's been a minute since we last spoke to him and it's been a minute since we last saw him compete. And then prior to that, Sean Brady, you're going to join us to talk about the Joaquin Buckley fight, which is going down May 9th in Newark, New Jersey at the Prudential Center. A lot to get into, a lot of news. Right before I went to bed last night, I took a gander at the substack for today's questions. And I have to say, a couple of them made me like legit L-O-L. Like, you guys were on fire. You know, I'll shoot straight with you guys. Sometimes, you're good, sometimes you're bad. What I saw yesterday briefly was very, very good,

so I'm excited to get into it. Time now for everyone's favorite of the week. It is too. Yes, let's get into it. No time for waste. Missed last week because I was away. So I'm excited to get an extended one here today. March 18th, by the way. WrestleMania 17. I think it was on this day.

The one in Toronto. This date is No, WrestleMania. 18. That was Hogan versus Rock. It was on March 17th. It was yesterday. That's right. 17 was on 18. Okay, yeah, that was a great time. I was in the rafters

at the sky dome. Okay, this is a fun one to kick things off guys. Everyone ready? Everyone ready? Everyone got their thinking caps on? Okay. This is from Triple Double. I need all of your unbiased help to make a decision today. All right? My alma mater,

KU, has been slated for a March Madness Friday game in San Diego. San Diego, a great spot for a late Friday game. By the way,

if you haven't just yet sign up for our bracket mayhem group, our tournament thingy with Yahoo Sports.

It's out right now. It's my pin tweet. Can we put it in the chat? Yeah, I'll pin it in the chat. Pin it in the chat. There it is.

Join the bracket pool right now. PT have you signed up? No, but I will. I cannot wait. You don't have to say your lack of involvement.

Like, sometimes it's understandable. Oh, I can't partake in the Erepa's. It doesn't extend to these things. 30 million for the kitchen scrap. You're currently at a 3 out of 10 in terms of like camaraderie and team.

I need you at like a 7 and a half. I just don't mix well with people on that. The text we're flowing about this. If it makes you feel any better, it doesn't really matter because the winning bracket has already been submitted. Wow. Wow. So that one doesn't matter. That one will be coming in second place, obviously, to mine because I will be the only one who has the correct national champion, which will be the Georgia Bulldogs, 8 seed.

Cinderella shocked the world. We're currently in 91 people in the group. We need that at like 150. What are we doing? At the very least. But wasn't there a geo block on one of the things I tried to get involved and I just assume that this point.

You use this as an excuse too much. Enough, all right, okay? Ever heard of a VPN? I don't want to break international law, okay? Ever heard of a VPN? I have to try and get back into that country, you know what I mean? I don't want to get, you know,

putting the slumber for doing the fancy league. Anyway, it starts tomorrow. You've got about 24 hours, a little less. There will be prizes. There will be prizes. Okay, so KU, San Diego Friday. This gentleman lives... Is KU Kansas or Kentucky or what...

Kansas, okay, got it. Because I think it's University of Kentucky. Got it. Okay, you would be Ken. I live in Northern Cal, seven hours away. I haven't seen a live KU games since graduating and moving to California. And there's nothing I enjoy more than MMA in college basketball. I mean, it sounds like G.

I'm an extremely eager person to go to this game, but there are a few hindering circumstances that are leaving me conflicted. Okay, here it is. do I drive seven hours Thursday night, stay with my mom, an hour from the venue, attend the game with my cousin Friday afternoon, sleep back at my mom's place Friday night and drive back to NorCal Saturday morning to make it home by 2.30 p.m. for my son's fourth birthday party, or do I pass on this opportunity strictly due to convenience in something that I will think about for weeks after the fact help put yourselves in my situation? This is an absolute no-brainer. You do it. Oh, wow. I felt absolute no-brainer in the other direction. No, you do it. In my opinion, if you're going to make all this effort and go this far,

you have to stay if they win and go to the Sunday game as well. Oh. Okay, so for those that don't know, you play the Friday, you win, you're playing Sunday to make it to the Sweet 16. Yep. Okay, but what if you go to the Friday game, drive back for the birthday party, then go back Sunday for the... This is crazy.

striving. Listen, what he should have done was, if I'm being honest, what you should have done was, do the birthday party where your mom's living. And now you're killing two birds with one stone. Mom gets to attend the party. You can stay for the Sunday. Yeah, do it there. May it make it a local thing. Clearly you're from that neck of the woods. Here's the thing. You go to the Friday game. You enjoy it. You have an incredible Saturday at your son's birthday. You get, you know, you get the best of both worlds. It's absolute no brain. There is one caveat here. I agree with you that I think you have to try to do it. The caveat is,

first round game, Cal Bats. If your significant other is going to resent you for life for doing that and then not helping... Well, you don't help with the preparation. I know this is not like, you know, you're absent from this part.

And you got bigger problems, okay? If your wife is mad about this, you got bigger problems. You got bigger problems, in my opinion. I don't know. That feels like a wife got mad at this game. Yo, that's a guaranteed win. Most likely, right?

They're a big favorite. This is my new motto in life, guys. I read this recently. New motto. Yeah, tell us. I always say you only live once. Yolo, right? Mm-mm.

New motto is, you only die once. I love it. Live every day. And live every day to its fault. That's my new motto in life. You only die once, guys. But you live every other. Okay, so if we live every day,

why do we need to live at the Cal Baptist game? Nah. This dude loves it. As a man who has watched Kansas, cut down the nets in New Orleans. Shout out. Yeah. 15 hours allowed.

driving for a first thing. Didn't happen. No three with Syracuse. You got to stay till Sunday. I'm interested in the nuance of the difference between you only live once and you only die one. Yes. Explain this. So the idea is, yeah. There's only one death. Right. There's a lot of days. There's only one life as well, though. Yes, but every day you must live it to the fullest. You must absolutely be your lo-in today. Here's mine. Here's mine. Yeah. Yeah. You can go to this Cal Baptist game, even though I don't think it's worth it. Every man dies. Not every man, live.

Oh, I love that. And you'll be living if you go to Kansas, Cal Baptist, first round game, 945. Wait, but where'd you anti just a second ago? Is it the Friday 945 Eastern Tip game? Yeah. What did I say yesterday? It's your favorite slot. It's the best slot.

It's the last slot. It's the absolute last slot. Everyone's seen, everyone do everything else. You've been sitting. Oh, the Friday night game is a dream. But are you happy? If he stays till Sunday, this is a no-brainer. If it's a blowout, are you happy?

I'm sorry, PT. Are we interrupting your texting? I mean, you've checked out like five minutes. I'm trying to figure out this goddamn bracket right now. Oh, that's what I'm trying to do right now. I mean, here we are talking about life. Gems. No, death.

We're not talking about life. Or death. You only die once. You know, Peter Schmiko, famous United Keeper, said you actually die twice as an athlete. You die in the professional capacity and then you die. Well, that's just for athletes. So that's a solution. I'm just trying to, I'm just trying to weigh in here.

You're saying not weighing in. I'm weighing in. Okay. You only die twice. Guys, that's what I say. Before we all die in a hundred. In 120 years. Yeah.

We've got to go to Vegas for one of these. That's a bucket list. 120. That's what we say in the Jewish religion because Moses left a hundred. Okay. I want to be there. I want to be there for the 9.30 a.m. tip in Vegas. GC only dies once and it's coming very fucking soon, apparently.

I'm trying to rally the troops here. 9.30 a.m. Thursday tip in Vegas. We have to figure it out. Dream. I've always wanted to do it. You watch all those games? I don't like college basketball. I don't give a shit. No.

Nothing better. There's liking college basketball and then there's liking March Madness. And then there's liking events. Let's gamble on every single game, Rick, and you'll like it. No. Unless we lose the house. Yeah, fuck that. If we lose the Toyota Sienna in Vegas, I don't know how we're coming back from that one.

There's nothing. It's a Honda Odyssey. Wait, you're trying to tell me you don't like March Madness? No. Doesn't do it for me. I just don't know. Look, everyone talks about it. I don't know how to get excited about it.

I ask chook every year. This is all you talk about for the whole month. Please tell it to be excited about. It's a low level of best. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. T. Not good basketball. Passion like you've never seen.

You're tied to your school. Buzzard Peters. Come over to my fucking house. Yeah. Last year was a blur. I locked myself in my house with a few friends and four TV screens for a full 96 hours.

The best. I came out the morning after I was like, on the Monday morning, I guess I got to go to work today. Where am I? I gambled so much. It was, it's the best. It's the best.

When that hits on a Thursday afternoon, it's, my blood starts boiling. It's just, it wakes me up. It's the greatest single elimination tournament on Earth. Give me, give me passion, give me stakes. It has it all. It has tears. It has kids playing.

This is the highest level of basketball they'll ever, you know, reach for the vast majority of them. You get all these teams also that get opportunities that would never get opportunity. Northern Iowa. You'll have a team that will go on a run. Like, you remember Oakland a couple years ago and that dude who was hitting all the threes? Yeah. And then all of a sudden he's in like a turbotack commercial. It's amazing.

Oakland, St. Peters. Oh, yes, yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. There was a fat dude a few years ago. Wasn't there hitting a load of threes?

Big chunky lad. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Sort of predated. Your, wasn't there a Grand Canyon University that had a magical run?

Oh yeah. A couple. Oh, yeah. All right. Millie Bob. Ariel, you mentioned you have a running list of guests that you want to have on the program. You added Lou Debella. I was the one who suggested him the other week. Will you please add Alex Honold to the list of at least reaching out to see? I think it would be extremely

intriguing and a breath of fresh air. I always love when you have the random off script guest on. As far as MMA, please have Alex Hernandez on. Yeah, I'd like Alex Hernandez on. I don't know if he's talking right now. Honold's the dude that climbs the stuff, right? The free solo guy. two great ones and I feel like two not easy but like doable ones I appreciate it

Steve Bouchemi Howdy Do you think John Jones was the fight that fell off the card at the last minute and the reason Dana wouldn't answer who it was is because that would be conceding

they did indeed talk No I don't I don't know what that is could be the Islam thing It's not John Jones because they knew they knew about a week out that they weren't going to get a deal

I do want to address one thing, though. We spoke to Alex Perra on Monday. And you know when I asked him, like, hey, were you ever offered the John Jones fight? And he said, no. Do you guys remember that? And I saw a lot of people saying, like, holy shit, he just refuted everything that Ariel has been reporting over the last couple of weeks. And it's just, it's hard sometimes when you're dealing with people who, I don't know if they're just dense or have the IQ of 10. And it's a very small, like, a small, small, small portion of the audience.

But do you really think, after hearing Alks Perra say, I will fight anyone, I don't care because they're giving me this contract that I adore. I literally don't care if it's Tom Aspinall, Cyril, Gun, John Jones, this guy's aunt, that guy's uncle, I don't care. They knew he was in. So you have to get the deal done with John first before you present it to the other guy. And if there's one thing we've learned about the making of this card, it seemed like they were keeping things rather close to the vest. Look at the stories that are coming out about when people knew. Amos Havis Abbey found out he was on the card. when he was watching it, the BMF card with all of us,

and they made the announcement. You think they're going to Alex and they're saying, hey, we might get John. If we do get John, are you in? Of course they know he's in. He's happy with his new deal. They don't need his yes. They need the other guys, yes.

That's how this works. That's how they operate. And so, no, him saying that he was never approached or offered a fight against John Jones doesn't refute anything. In fact, it just backs everything up. this is exactly how this was moving along this is how they were operating in the building of this card john was never in he was never close to end they were way off there was no need to go to alex for this i was just curious if at any point they thought they had john clearly not and went to alex that's why

i asked that question and they didn't according to alics buckets the funniest part of yesterday's show that nobody caught onto. Ariel flexing his basketball knowledge and the greatness he is surrounded by as far as hoops is concerned, which is crazy your first answer when asked by Rick, who these people are,

wasn't Adam Sandler, to then continue on and one minute later while telling his coaching story, not knowing what a clipboard is called, had me laughing so hard, amazing, justice, it's not really a clipboard.

That's the thing. It's like, you think you got, it's not a clipboard. It's like... The dry erase board. Dry race board. That's not a clipboard. A clipboard is a thing that has...

They are different. Yeah. again as I was saying um wife is your husband by the way these weren't the good ones that I was that was the whole fucking thing that was it yeah Jesus Christ you really hyped that you

yeah there were some better ones there were some better ones where are they what happened to them in the time since yesterday when you saw wife is your husband um oh your wife is your husband did you guys see dust and pori on the desk two weeks ago what the F is happening he is slowly morphing into the Mac daddy in what respect I thought people like He looked thicker. He looked thicker. Oh, I mean, he's, you guys, he's retired.

Also, I'm pretty sure, I'm pretty sure Dustin said, like, he's going to go on the stuff. He said he's going to go on the stuff for sure. And I think he said he was looking forward to it as well. You did. I'm seeing a lot of clips of him on JRE on the Rogan. Indeed. Yeah, what do you guys think? He's probably the most of the thing.

He said something about pay, right? Yeah, he said something about pay. What do you think? But Rogan kind of says whatever he wants, right? Rogan can say whatever he wants. They're not going to. I usually. He sides with Dana though. I think that's significant. I think it's significant to him talking about money in this situation where so many people, it seems, are talking about. I know some are walking it back. But it's a lot of noise about pay. And it's something that we thought would happen with this boxing endeavor, something Eddie Heron certainly thought would happen. To have Joe Rogan talking about it too, I can't imagine Dana's too happy about that.

Yes, I'm with you to a certain degree, but it's couched in the idea that he's speaking very generally, which was like, these guys are putting it all in the line. They deserve the most money they can make. That's not very confrontational. That's not a direct affront to anybody. That's just like, I hope fighters get paid a lot of money. Like, if anybody says that, everybody's going to be like, yeah. There's no real, there's no real, umph behind it. I saw another thing where he was talking about Nate Diaz and talking about wanting to do it in Zufab. boxing and they're not interested in that. Yeah. I don't think that's breaking any news. I think they're very clearly wanting to separate the two. I saw another thing where at the very end, he was talking about like some Russian promotion reaching out about them boxing and the UFC put the kibosh earlier. And he said, Ariel Hawani reached out and said, are you interested?

That didn't quite happen. I may have asked him, is this true? But I'm certainly not working on behalf of any sort of Russian promotion trying to, uh, or any deals because someone reach out and be like, oh, did you reach out to him about this? Like, no, absolutely not. But in any event, I mean, it sounds like he really wants the box, to be honest. But I also think he recognizes that he's not going to get that opportunity as long as he's tied to the UFC.

Some breaking news here. Speaking of boxing, guys. Thank you to our guy, Josh, for alerting us of this. Sky Sports and Zufa Barra. have announced a new multi-year deal, confirming Sky as the UK and Irish broadcaster for all these Zufa boxing events. Until now, Pizzi, how could you watch Sufa boxing? I was watching on Fife Pass, yeah. Oh, it was on Fypass?

That's significant, man. SkySports is basically the equivalent of the BSPN over here. Oh, of course. Very, very big deal. So Sky Sports is back. You know, box are the last one with a deal? Is that correct? Yep, yep.

So, yeah, very significant, that's say, for Zufa to occupy that space. SkySports is where Chris Eubank kind of launched his, career, that's where boxing became pay-per-view in the UK and Ireland back in the 90s. Matron had a deal with them for a long time before they went to DeZone, right? Barry Hearn. The biggest fights used to be on Skye. So they kind of drifted away from that when Matron went to DeZone and Queensbury, everything like that. So I'd say this is a significant role of the doys for Skye and a big coup for a Zoufa.

Well, two interesting things. Number one, MVP announcing that they have a deal with Sky, right? their first show is going to be April 5th, the Caroline Dubois versus Terry Harper fight, Ellie Scotty on the card, Shantelle Cameron on the card as well. What did I say? That'll do well.

That'll do well. But it's also on Easter Sunday, which is a prime spot. I know in the past they've tried to put big events after the Premier League on Easter Sunday. But that means MVP and Zouva boxing are sort of playing in the same sandbox, at least over in the UK and Ireland. That's interesting, number one.

And also number two, so far the first four events and there's a fifth for April they've all been on you know north american time zones some on sundays as well uh this would seem to suggest that they have an interest in doing events over in england which they've hinted at and obviously the connor ben signing excuse me would suggest that they want to do events over there as well so it would also i think suggest to people that they have plans to do events outside of the apex i know a lot of people like to you know, I see Eddie and Eddie's talked to us about how bad the events look. If you think that this is Zufo Boxing's final form, you're kidding yourselves.

Like this is, I view these events as sort of like, I don't know, you know like a pilot for a TV series. I know it's been more than one, but these are the embryonic stages of what Zufa boxing is going to be. They don't want to just be an apex event, an apex promotion, if you will. To your point about them wanting to do shows in London, etc., outside of the U.S., there's a lot of talking about to come back to three arena or Kalamolch as well. I mean, that was the talk of the event. Of course. That makes all the sense in the world. And this deal would certainly back that as well, do an event there in prime time.

So that is interesting news. And earlier today, we get the news that top rank is going to DeZone. So very, very interesting times as far as all the TV dealings are concerned. I see the word DeZone in this next question, so let's get into it. here's Brain who says, I'm a huge fan of you and all of Uncrowned. I've been listening for over six years. Shout out audio listeners. Frank, one of your own. So this is coming from a place of genuine curiosity, not malice. All right, fine. You and Uncrown often present yourselves as unbiased and independent voices in combat sports, but I've struggled to understand how that objectivity is maintained when there are clear ties to DeZone through your broadcast work and Ariel and Ade, especially now that DeZone has direct Saudi backing or backed investment and is deeply tied to the re-ed season boxing world. From a listener's perspective, that creates at least a reasonable question about possible conflict when discussing Saudi sports washing.

One thing that made me uncomfortable was the tone of some of the Saudi coverage after your trip there. When you talked about how beautiful it was, how welcome you felt, and even how good the dates were, it felt off-putting to hear that kind of praise without equally grappling, grappling with the reality of Saudi Arabia's human rights record, a. visitor having a good personal experience does not change the fact that the regime has punished journalists, the centers and people for peaceful online criticism. That is not abstract. Jamal Khashoggi was murdered by Saudi agents. Saudi journalist,

Saudi journalist Turkey Al Jasser was executed in 2025. Sad Ibrahim Amadi, a dual U.S. Saudi citizen was jailed over tweets made while he was in Florida. And Salma al-Shihab was sentenced over peaceful online activity after studying abroad. So my question is, How do you define objectivity in this situation? And what would you say to listeners who feel that your professional ties to DeZone and DeZone's Saudi-back ties make it harder to fully trust your coverage of re-ed season events, sports washing, and the kingdom's human rights abuses as completely independent? All right.

I appreciate the questions. I welcome all of them. Number one, the last time I worked for DeZone was June of 2025. The last time Ariel and Adé aired was August of 2025. So just in case you're not up to speed, we at the moment have no real professional relationship in any way, shape, or form with Desone. The show ended in August of 2025. It was a one-year deal. They didn't renew it.

I have my suspicions as to why. I don't particularly appreciate or respect the way in which they ended the deal. And that's why I have my suspicions as to why. really interested in airing all of that. I have a fine relationship with them and I honestly think that they were pressured to end it and that's the business and I've been there before and I'll be there again and I don't really have any ill will or malice towards them because I understand what they're dealing with. I enjoyed doing that particular show. Love Adde, love working with him and I thought that we did a great job doing it on our own here. I think it's better than the show

that they have on now. I think that show costs a lot of money but I don't think that DeZone is paying for that to be 100% honest with you. And so it's probably a better deal in that regard. Like I said, I haven't been on their their telecast as far as fights are concerned. But that doesn't erase any other telecasts that I've, I've been on for them in the past. I've been to Saudi Arabia once. And I did speak about feeling welcomed and feeling like the, you know, the experience was good, the dates were good and all that stuff. Did you want me to lie about that? No, I think we have talked about these issues before in many different ways. I remember the first time that they did Jake Paul versus Tommy Fury. There were a bunch of tweets and videos about me saying like it was a lot.

It was a lot of Saudi Arabia this. So a lot of Saudi Arabia at this. And that, we've talked about all of these things. I don't feel like we've been compromised. I've never taken a check. I've never been paid. I've turned down opportunities. I told you about the watch last year. When we had this whole thing going on, I told you what I did with it. I don't know what else I could possibly do. I don't, I don't want. mind, by the way, I have no issues with people holding me to a high standard. I have no issues with people holding me to a higher standard than others. I have no issues with this whatsoever. I know that they do with the MVP stuff. I know that they do with the zone stuff. I'm just telling

you how I try to live my life. And I feel very comfortable saying in this day and age, 2026, media rights and how blended everything has become with people working for promotions, especially in fight sports, I am very comfortable and at peace with practicing with what I preach. And I think that any other of these promoters, from MVP to RAD to PFL to one championship, and everyone in between can tell you that I am practicing what I preach, that I don't take money, I don't accept being told what to say. No one asks me to say this, that, or the other, no one gives me questions, no one does this,

that, or the other. I felt like we talked about those things. I feel like we have been honest and fair with regards to Rietzis in Turkey the relationships all of that in fact I mean

again I don't feel that I need to air everything out right here and now but ask yourselves why things have changed ask yourself that so you know just just go look it's all very easy to find if you don't feel like we talk about it enough

I don't feel like I need to talk about it like this is not an article where every time you say Riyat season you have to mention X, Y, and Z. I don't feel like that's what this is.

This is a show. It's like the stuff where people, you know, when Jedi clips me off, which I have no problem with, and people like weigh in on the two minute clip and forget the fact

that we do a four-hour show and there is multiple viewpoints and angles and topics discussed throughout that show, but they just think that the show is the two minutes. That's not it. So the fact that you don't know

that our and Adda no longer exists. The fact that you don't know that my last time working for them was in June of last year gives me some pause as to whether or not you're actually watching the show and keeping up with the times.

So if you feel like we're not talking about it enough, that's fair, but I'm here to kind of back myself and back all of us and back uncrowned and back everything that we're doing. I think that we are very down the middle. I think we're very fair and I would argue that we're the last of a dying breed in that regard. Now, I also don't think that having a business relationship,

a professional relationship with a broadcaster, is an issue. For example, people don't understand because fight sports are different. If I'm working for Netflix, if I'm working for ESPN, if I'm working for the zone as a broadcaster on a fight sport, I know that usually we equate that with working for the promoter. But to me, I come from a world where Mike Breen, when he's doing ESPN, when he's doing the NBA finals,

Thunder versus Pacers, he's not working for the teams. He's not working for the NBA. He's working for ESPN. When Joe Buck is doing Monday night football, he's not working for the Cowboys or the commanders. He's not working for the NFL. He's working for ESPN.

That's just the way fight sports go. And so if you don't want someone like me to work for any network that is airing the fights, I'm sorry, that's going to happen. Those are part of my dreams. I don't just want to be someone who's on the outside looking in. I like doing that stuff as well.

I always want to have this where we can keep a real. And this has gotten me in trouble with that, i.e. Fox, the zone. It's gotten me in trouble. There's no doubt. This is the most important. But it's also important to do these other things as well. There are some people in the media business that don't want to do this other stuff. I want to do this and that.

And if that's, you know, you're having the cake you need to think, sure. but that's just who I am and what I want and I don't think that there's an issue with doing this while also doing the middle stuff. That's pretty much. What is the prize for the March Madness Pool? Darren Tilly says. Maybe a free card pick live on the show

from Arena Club for the winner, but no monkey eating paella. What do you think of that guys? You can be down for that. What's going on with the headphones there? You look like Winksey. Shout out. People say it looked like them anyway.

No, but like now you really look like Yeah, yeah, with the head then. Shout out to him. Arena club, could we get that? Maybe. The prizes will be worth your time. All right. Yeah.

I'm very confident now that I've made my bracket. They're TBD. Who made your bracket while we were on air? The bracket. Jesus, man. Huge lot of research, obviously. Let's go Duke. Only die once.

Baby. Wow. We die twice. Peter Schmichael. Oh, shout out. Overall, number one overall seat. Duke. Yeah, hell yeah.

back baby we're gonna do it again Ricky takes asks Rick have you seen undertone If so what was your rating Did you finally see no other choice Have you seen the trailer for back rooms Thoughts? All three check mark for all three

Saw undertone Really loved it Unlike other horror experiences I've had in recent years Can't recommend enough If you can If you have the opportunity Go to Adobe Theater

Where they've got the Atmos sound like the actual like surround sound experience um sound is crucial to it loved it so glad i did it highly recommend no other choice fantastic movie loved that as well surprised you know just like surprised more people didn't talk about it and and that it's not getting passed around more but a a plus plus plus plus and then back rooms i don't know much about like i i looked into the copy pasta but like i need to know more but i will be there to watch it This is from Matt from SLC.

G.C., please blind rank these five Rick hot takes. Let's do it. Burritos. Is this like one is the worst? Worst take? Yes. Yes. Burritos are bad.

Yeah, that's a two. That's an absolute terrible take. Ilya Charles over Ilya Islam. That's three. That's three. The challenge is actually a good show. Fuck, it is It is horrible

And that's four I watched a couple of episodes As soon as I got bounced I was gone Ubank Ben Most anticipated fight of the year No, that was actually a pretty good take That's five

That's five He doesn't have gout That's one The motherfucker has gout For sure I gotta say I'm gonna rank this person Fucking two out of ten

If that Horrible effort I've got so many takes out there That if you wanted to lambast You could This was By the way I can't believe

the Ronda comeback. This was amateur hour. The fact that you even give these people run is... I'm just going to... Lord of the Rings. Lord of the Rings should have been on there. There's so much more. I mean, we're talking about 11 for 11 on Oscars for Return of the King.

The burritos being horrible is one of the... Taco so much better. Taco so much better. Left leg cemetery. So much. Goad Connor, please blind rank these five mispronounced combat names with number one being the most egregious. I like how he even gave us that. I appreciate that.

I appreciate that. Oh, Jesus. Iron. Yeah, that's three. That's right. Iron. Iron. Yeah, there it is.

Apturo topturo. This is obviously Connor McGregor on the gambling stream. Popop, pop, pop, pop, I'll go one. All-timer. This is, again, quote, he has it in quotations, Vogue. I'll go four.

I'll go four, because it's just the, it's just a, slip of the tongue. Shake turkey. God, that's two. I'm liking my list so far. I mean Top Toro one, shake turkey, two.

Sean Strickton. Yeah, that could be higher, but I'll go five. I'll go five, yeah, Sean Strickton all the time. Mr. Clean asks, do you guys think Ronda's words at the, he writes

pressure conference, but I think he means press conference, about Dana not being able to make the fights he wants any more true? The way she said it seemed like it came from Dana. himself and could this be the reason Dana seems so uninspired lately? No, I don't think so. I think it's her just, I think she's doing a little bit of this. I think if Dana really wants a fight,

he can convince people. I don't know if he just feels the need to do that right now. There's no gun to their head. There's no pay-per-view. There's no pressure. I think Ronda knows exactly what she's doing. And she might be pitting him up against it. And I wonder how he feels about that. That's probably the most interesting thing right now. But I don't think Dana's sitting back there being Like, golly, I can't make the fights. No, I think he's, to a degree that checked out that he doesn't really care whether a fight gets made or not. It's not life or death anymore. Wait, there's more.

G.C. Give us odds for Kyle Dachis getting pulled and Colby Covington sliding in any chance at all, Ariel. All answers second. I would say plus a thousand with the way Kobe's been talking. By the way, I saw a great tweet yesterday. So he was on with Sneco. You know, it's funny when they do these, these streams. it's like it's like a nine to ten hour or even longer just like now they're having lunch and then

they're at the park and then they're at the gym it's like how much is there to talk about with these guys like is is anyone listening for that long with just colby and and so what was interesting was someone wrote like he went from being mr maga to like mr union and mr. like we need to come together because he's talking about fighter pay and he's talking about them not making the fights and all that stuff. It is a wild thing that this guy attached his whole persona to Donald Trump at the White House and he's on the outside looking in of this celebration of Donald Trump in the White House and he's not taking part in it. It's got to be crushing. It has to be soul crushing. Anyway, here's another question about it. This is from Taco Enthusiest. What do you make

of Colby Covington's recent interviews criticizing contracts in fighter pay while dropping his stick? I never thought it'd say this, but I kind of feel bad for him. Does anyone feel bad for Colby guys. No, you reap what you sew, but also the point that he makes is the most important one, which is that it was a schick. So, I don't believe that Colby called. Did he actually say that?

Yeah, he calls it a schick right there. Oh, I thought Colby called it a stick. No, but my point is, I don't think that he's, I don't think he, his soul is crushed because I don't think he ever believed the things he was like, you know, parading out in the first place. Now, was there kernels of truth? Was there

some of the real guy in there? Maybe. But it always felt like cosplay. It always felt like he was, you know, hamming it up and doing a gimmick. So I don't think it's like, I don't think it's a personal affront. Now, at the same time, if I did this gimmick for that long and then there's, you know, there's an opportunity to pay it off and it isn't. I'm sure he's probably disappointed. But I don't think that's his real identity. Like, does anybody disagree?

Does anybody think that this was the real Colby we've been seeing for the last little bit? I don't. No. Yeah. So I don't think he's like too heartbroken about it. But, you know. You would hope that if you did that gimmick for that long, that there would be a payoff so that I could understand maybe some disappointment.

But I don't feel bad for Colby. He reaps what he soes and it wasn't good enough. He was getting a medallion of Donald Trump's head and like kissing it as he was walking into the arena. He was wearing suit jackets with Donald Trump's face imprinted on the back of it. There has to be a level of disappointment that you can feel it. His whole thing was I'm Donald Trump's favorite fighter. Yeah. Apparently not. Apparently it's Bono.

Kyle Dawkins. Or Kyle Duck. Iron Turtle, hello, H. I thought it was Derek Lewis, by the way. By the way, why is it? Oh, yeah. I forgot about the Derek Lewis thing. And Habib, at one point, was also his favorite.

Right, right. He didn't mention. And Jorge, obviously. How weird was that when he's sitting with Jake and he's like, who do you want me to fight? And he's like, Habib, what? Do you think UFC put Strickland on a title fight or in a title fight on May 9th, a week before Netflix, so he could spend the entire fight week shitting on

Rhonda versus Gina? Brilliant subliminal shot from a devious shadow president, Hunter Campbell? Absolutely not. No way. That would be the best thing to happen to them, by the way. Of course. That's promotion for their fight. That would be fantastic if Sean Strickland spent a week instead of talking about

Hamzat Shying on Ronda Rousey and Gina Carrano, it would be the best thing they could hope for. P.S., considering we're not getting Gable on the White House card, maybe we see him on the Netflix prelims. No, Gable to the UFC is inevitable. And I wouldn't be surprised if we see him. on there in July or August. It's going to happen

so you can't just sign with someone else. The dream's alive, baby. Then what is that? He'll be the champ by the end of the year. That's absurd. Is it? Even after seeing... He didn't even make the top five shit takes. Yeah, yeah, that is absurd. Is it absurd? It is absurd.

He wins in July? You don't think he could... The Gable glaze has to be out there. No. It's in play. Especially now with Alex coming over, like if Alex wins. That'd be great. Alex versus Gable? Oh, so you're saying. saying Asperl's off fighting. Is he? I don't know.

Well, you tell me. Excellent right now. I know. Matt, thoughts on BAM dropping 83? I think it's Bush League, the way he went about it with all the intentional fouls at the end of the game. It didn't feel the same as, I don't really mind. Like, get yours, great, well done.

It ain't the same as Kobe's 81. And based on what we heard of Wilt's 100. But, you know, it's sort of like, to a degree. I know it's different, but it's sort of like when Barry Bonds beat the home run record. And even to a degree, Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa, it's just not the same. I don't know what to tell you. He can feel the way he wants to feel.

I'm not trying to take it away from him. Kobe did it the hard way, and this was just a little bit different. But, you know, you still got to make the shots. So I'm not mad about it. I'm not upset about it. I don't feel like it's, like, insulting to any. What is the issue here? Like, people upset that he kept scoring?

Like, is that not the objective of sport? Like, that doesn't happen in sports. No, there were a lot of fouls and there were a lot of, you know, it wasn't... How not down to the hopless wizards then? They were against the hapless wizards. They were extending the game when they were up by a ton of points by fouling so he could score more. And they were essentially like, he had 62 through three quarters, which we've seen a few times. Carmelo's done it.

LeBron's done it. But they kept him in. They prolonged the game with foul and they essentially just fed the ball to him so he could get the scoring record. Yeah. But, I mean, he still has to make the shots, you know? I don't mind. I don't see anything wrong with that. whatever about it. But in the same breath,

I'm not going to sit here and be like, yeah, it was like Kobe's 81. No, completely different. They employed a strategy. It worked. It got him the record. God bless. You still got to make the shots. It's fine. I woke up, a bleary eyeed, and it was the first thing I saw that morning. I was like, bam out of bio scored

83. It was weird. It was weird. Olympic old medalist bomb over the boil. Hell yeah. Two time. David McLeod says, first time writer, long time listener from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. Shout out. With all the discussion around the BMF belt falling 326, what if the UFC made a special event instead, similar to the NHL Winter Classic, where the whole card features BMF caliber fights instead of, you know what? The UFC should just be about BMF fights. Is there something on my hair here? Like, what, it's the ultimate fighter, for God's sakes. That, doing that would imply that the other fights and the other fight nights and the other cards and the other fighters are not tough dudes. The whole point of this thing was to show that the These are the toughest of the tough.

The whole BMF thing is so dumb, and it gives me a headache, and I wish they would do away with it. It's cooked. It's cooked. Yeah. Oh, how about this, a Peruano. Hola, Ariel. Dang, Rick had some fire takes on Monday's show.

Had to turn it down with my kids around all the F bombs, L.O.L. On the topic of the lack of effort we're seeing from the UFC, do you know if Paramount has any say or benchmarks written into their contract with the UFC? Benchmarks I don't know of. I'm sure they have a. say to a degree, but they hired a bunch of, you know, they hired a couple of executives from ESPN to sort of be the executives for Paramount ones that the UFC really like. Like, no one's telling

the UFC what to do, what not to do. That's, that's part of the reason why they like this arrangement. Obviously, the money is great as well, but UFC ain't taking cues from anyone on matchmaker or anything like that, I can assure you. Now, of course, if they're not meeting the mark, if they're falling well below the mark, if they're not having success, things will be said. But it's, we're two months into the deal. Also, given this new deal, you work on establishing new sources within Paramount, wondering if you can break the fourth wall for how you go about that when big changes come within the sport.

I talk to everyone. Oh, wow, congrats on the press conference last week. Oh, wow, congrats. The best. YFG 94. What's up, gang? Any chance the beat gets in the Netflix card? Don't think so.

Patchy Mix? Do you think there's a strong desire to have them on there? No. No. Absolutely not. For Schist and Giggles, y'all should make what GECC said at the 41-41 mark of last Monday's episode, 3-926 a drop. This didn't go well last time. Let's move on. Wait, wait, I actually want to look it up.

What is it? A 41-41 mark of last Monday's show, meaning the March 9th show. Yeah, 41-40-get. Get back to us. Yeah, get back to it. Actually, don't. That's that bullshit. Armand's gastroenterologist, entrologist?

Both. Does MVP MMA risk turning into the Scott Coker era of Belator in the 2000s or 2010s, trotting out old names from the UFC who are well past their cell date to headline their cards while never really building a narrative from one event to another? Here's the thing. MVP MMA is not a thing just yet. This is a one-off. I keep saying this.

This is a one-off. A one-off. Is Mike Perry well-passed? his cell date? I don't think so. Is Nate Diaz? I mean, there was interest from the UFC. Obviously, Rhonda and Gina are older and haven't fought in...

Ronda hasn't fought in almost a decade, and Gina hasn't fought. Gina is the one with the biggest gap. Francis fought two years ago, Philippine's two years ago. Let's see the rest of the card as well. Anyway, point being, I know Rhonda and Gina, he says, aren't quite hoist and Ken, but I can see the slide in the direction happening pretty easily. Again, I don't know what it is.

We don't know what it is. When MVP was founded, it was Jake Paul versus Ben Ascran. And then it was Jake Paul versus Tyrone Woodley. And it was Darren Williams versus Frank Gore in a boxing match. Now look at what MVP has become. It's women's boxing for all intents of purposes. There's also some men there as well. So I think things just take a minute or two to evolve.

I was talking to someone yesterday. and I feel like not since the beginning of the Strike Force heavyweight Grand Prix, 2011, February of 2011, they were sold coincidentally a month later, so March of 2011, that we've felt this type of excitement about another event brand, whatever you want to call it. And like I just said, they're not really a fixture just yet. And so I think that's fun, that's exciting. But you'll have people that I'll say, once again, I think that this will take down the UFC. I think that this will be better than the white. No, I'm not saying any of that. We don't know what it's going to be. We don't know how it's going to look. We don't know what any of this is going to be.

So I think it's great for Ronda, Gina, Francis, Philippe, Nate, Mike. Mike told us yesterday biggest payday of his career. I think it's great for the sport. I think people should be excited about it. I think it's good for the UFC. I think all of this is good. I've said it a million times at this point. I understand what Armand's gastro guy is trying to say here,

but it's way too early to know what they actually are. I will push back a little bit, which is that there's an implication there that it's like lesser, right? There's an implication that these are not fights that somebody would want, that the UFC would want. But if you actually look at what it is, the UFC, as Ronda Rousey has laid out, and we kind of put the pieces together with Dana White saying the thing that nobody's going to expect, The UFC wanted to do that fight. They also, as you reported, wanted to do business with Nate Diaz to fight.

Mike Perry may be not. Francis Ingana was somebody they tried to sign and then ultimately were unsuccessful with. This is not like UFC cast off. This is people who fought in the UFC previously, right? And I think there's a big difference there. If you're going to compare it to a product where it's like everybody who the UFC just didn't want anymore was coming in, that's a different conversation. But this is not that.

And so I think there's a little bit of a. There's a benefit of the doubt given to the UFC in terms of quality and caliber or product, which maybe they don't deserve. And there's a skepticism around any fights happening outside the UFC, which I believe that is undeserved as well. It is not like UFC castoffs. And I think that's an important distinction. Like the UFC tried to make Gina versus Ronda. The UFC wanted Nate Diaz and they went in a different direction. Important.

Yes. Irish lad says, hey, Ariel and crew, are you buying or selling on the following? Okay, Nate fights again in the UFC. What do you guys think? I don't believe, by the way, I think I saw maybe it was Luke Thomas who said this effectively closes the door on a return to the UFC. I mean, the UFC was annoyed that Nate left and did the Jake Paul thing, but they clearly got over that. I know they got over that, and they were talking. And so, will this close the door forever?

That's not what I was told. Could this close the door forever? Sure. but I don't think anyone's saying like fuck you to hell with you so I'm not ready to say never at this point if he wins this fight UFC will be interested in him there's no there's no doubt about it if he wins and is

and I'm back why wouldn't they be interested in him my only concern is is ton he's gonna be 41 by the time this fight happens and when is the next time he's gonna fight after this I don't think it's over there's no chance that he fights in the UFC but I I would lean yeah that he's not going to Okay, what about...

Also the money, right? Yeah, no, I know. I think the money is more of a factor to that's his point. I think the money is more of an inhibitor than the time. Connor versus Nate could be sold for a lifetime. You know, like there's just not an expiration date on that. What about Dustin Porreux returns within the next two years? Yes.

This feels like that. Now, is that to UFC or to anywhere? He just wrote returns. Yeah, he will fight again. UFC, I don't know. Jake fights Francis this year. Yep. Oh, this year?

No, the jaw. He'll fight him, but not this year. Connor never gets out of his UFC contract. He'll get out of it. He will. Tom leaves the UFC after his current contract. I'm going to say no. I'm going to say he'll want to be,

he'll want to have those conversations for the agent. Absolutely. Yeah, I think there's a good chance. This man also says, can we limit the blind rankings? No way. I love the blind rankings. That's that bullshit. I did get an up. stayed on what the guy was saying.

Yeah, what do you say? Oh, Jesus. Not good. It's okay. It was just that big. You had to come. Wow. I can't wait to add that to the drops.

The wow was crazy. Someone kept pushing me online when you were trying the toothpick and you were like, ah, so I can just lick it like a lollipop. A bit of the blue today, Pizzi, huh? Yeah, that wasn't bad. A lot of bit of blue references between me and Rick today. James Portland Ola Ariel, did you know Rhonda was going to show up in AW?

I did not. Interesting to see the reaction. I think, based on what Tony Kahn said afterwards, I feel like this is just a good vehicle to promote the fight. I don't know if she's going to be a full-timer. I don't know if she's going to be wrestling. I think it just makes sense to draw as many eyeballs as possible in her mind. She's very invested in this,

and she clearly wants this to succeed. And that's what I feel like it is. And, you know, part of the reason why I think she didn't want to go back to UFC is because she's not a huge fan of WW and TKO and all that stuff. And so I think she likes being on the outside looking in of that arrangement. But no, you didn't ask me any of that. As far as did I know, I did not. We didn't really get into all that stuff. It was just like, hi, hello, how are you?

Matt Moe says, anyone remember the Zions commercial? Oh, Zions. Yeah. Zions, science, right? Not Zion. Science, yeah. On Spike TV, good times. Yes, of course.

She was on there. Rich Franklin, I think, back in the day. Chuck as well, definitely. He was one of the... Remember he's doing? Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Yeah, like the X, Y.

The Zion. Yeah, yeah, Zion. He had a hang loose on one side, I believe. So he's giving it a bit of this. There you go. Yep, yeah, yeah. Image of him. Yep.

Jeremy, is Colby the biggest mystery in UFC history? How did he get all these title fights? Do you believe him that he would, would have fought anyone in the White House card. Did he really get that many title fights? He fought Kamar Usman twice. Those were both. It's the Leon one that everybody is kind of like, what the fuck happened here?

You know, that's the one. I haven't going to lie, completely forgot about the Leon one. Oh, the Leon title fight? Yeah, yeah. Yeah, that was a weird one. The other ones are kind of just like in this, he was a top welterweight. He was a fantastic fighter in his heyday, and he had a great fight against Kamar Usman. I don't have any objections to, like, Colby's career.

The Leon Edwards title shot was like, what? the fuck and then that's the only thing. There's been a lot of WTFs. Yeah. Sure happened. The shit he said about Leon's dad was fucking. Yeah. By then,

everyone was kind of over him. That was the seventh player of hair. Yeah. Colin says, Happy Day After Paddies. By the way, Mr. Pizzi, how was your St. Patrick's Day?

And good on you for sticking it to Mick Conlon there. You really came through in the club. Yeah, just hope me and Mick can bounce back from this. You know what I mean? That's obviously a big defeat for him. You see really hit you with some hard ones there with those questions. I was actually, I went down to me after it and I was like, I'm going to play these questions. How many of these are going to get right?

Everybody was like, what the fuck? I know. My brother got the first one right, though. Why is St. Patrick's Day on March 17th? Oh, wow. It's a great call. We actually, as soon as the segment started me and Rick looked at each other and we were like, man, we fucked up. We should have done layups.

What's the official color of St. Patrick's Day from Mick? And then they're like, why did the astronaut play the flute in space? Yes, great call. That would have been a great idea. Or Mick's cutting weight and he's having to listen to us talk about it. What gave you that idea? I mean. By the way, when's the spar?

He said that that's the payback. When are you guys sparring? Still not back. They're getting that. They're getting that. At one point you asked me back, he was just like, oh, fuck off. How did you celebrate PT?

I went down, I had some ham cabbage and sports. Me, Mars, fantastic marriage. He's 10 out of 10 every time. What spuds? Then. Dators. Oh. Yeah.

Okay. It's, we have the same thing. Everybody's day. Went down and played with the niece and nephew. Then came back here. Ariel texts me in the morning. I'm not going to like you. He said, you're going to have a few beers today, Pete's.

And I was like, nah. No, that's not me. Got four cans of Guinness. And didn't wake up feeling 100%. I'm not going to like you. I was like, four cans can do this to me now. I'm getting old. I couldn't believe it.

He told me, no, staying off it. I'm good. I'm like, oh, this seems a little bit. And I did say, I'm talking a lot about drinking today, though. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And in the end, it got me. Well, speaking of which, this gentleman says, please blind rank these five Irish legends. Okay.

Eatsy. Tough. This is tough. Oh, fuck sick. Roy Keane. One. Katie Taylor. Fuck.

Two. Take a one off the bat. Brian O'Driskel. Five. Who is that? He's a rugby player. One of the greatest centers of all time, but not rugby guy. Henry Shefflin

Gray Horler 4 George Bass 3 Yeah you're okay with that Not too shabby about that Happy enough Would you put Katie above

Roy Roy? Interchangeable Well I suppose she means More to Ireland So I probably would Put her ahead of Roy But Roy is my guy

Hut Ariel Any chance of having Danhausen On the show I would love to have Danhausen on I think

Mr. Frank is a big fan of his Huge and you should have him on. Now here's the thing. A guy like him, is he coming on in character? He has to.

Yeah. What do you mean in character? Yeah. Let it be known that I was the only one who was in on the Dan Housen and you guys were all like, oh, look at this goofball. I love Dan Housin.

He's the best. Plays Magic the Gathering too, shout out. This gentleman is asking all of us questions. Okay, Ariel, thoughts on... Before we get to this, is there a point where we transition to those great questions

you were asking about? What? Maybe I was just really tired. Is there a point where that happens? I just want to... Maybe you had a few cans last night. Is it a cupcake that was affecting your mood? Oh, well, this is a good one. Josh B says, you mentioned you were having an ant problem and some rotting wood issues at home.

Is this a byproduct of the compost pile getting so out of control? This is actually a great question. You also have termites as well? No termites. No termites. What's the rotting wood? It's just rotting over time. So apparently the guy came and he's like, look, your window frame here is...

Oh, this is... This is a... Disaster? No, no, no, no. This is a bit of a... A BS? Trying to upsell you, yeah. Yeah, he's a cowboy.

He's like, the structure of this is no good. You got the rotting wood here. He's trying to do a full window replacement on... Yeah, but he's an exterminator. Oh, okay. He's the guy saying maybe the answer coming from here. Yeah, that is where they are coming from. I'll tell you where the answer comes from.

He brought them. I was going to say... He popped him in the fucking house. And then he came in. We're aligned, Pete. We're aligned. I think he said... Fucking cowboy.

Nope. But the answer. were there and then I called him. Yeah. How did he bring him? He came in the middle of the night. Yeah. He put it.

He left his little bit frustrating. I'm not going to lie because they're there. Typically in like one spot and then he came and he sprayed and then I still see them sparingly. And he's like, he told me yesterday I texted him. He's like, they have to bring the bait back to the colony. Yeah, that's right. I'm like, well, is this too much info, man? When are they going away?

I don't need to know about the whole breakdown of the ends. I just don't want to see. He's got you sorted out. All right. You do, you might have to take care of the wood, though. Yeah,

I know. I'm with you, GC. Skeptical as fuck about this. Yeah, I'm with you as well. Damn, they bring the bait back to the colony.

So they all that's the bullshit. Yeah. That's the way. Hey, Ariel, you are bait for this cowboy builder. That's what I'd say. Here's a, a question for all of us.

He's asking me about the Gable card. This is a Tjable on Netflix. I said no. Rick, thoughts on undertone. We just, we just answered that, right?

Yep. G.C., he says, do you watch binging with Babbage on YouTube Thoughts on doing a spin off cooking So you know

Babish is I was introduced to him by Jordan That's how Jordan learned to cook He's incredible I've been doing like basics With Babish He's great to learn how to cook from Shout out to him

Petty he says In his prime Was McGregor viewed as the Michael Jordan of Ireland And do you think he can get back To the same highs Or is the Irish public or at the very least in the Irish public races again.

I don't know. I think that's chippe sailed. I thought he was a general. I thought he was unbelievable. And I think nobody really realized how good he was because they never really understood the sport. Like I'm talking about the country as a whole. And as soon as they kind of got on board with him,

so he won like RTE sports personality in 2016. And that's a huge deal for mixed martial arts. You know, that's a massive thing. after that Eddie Alvarez win. And I felt like everyone just got on side. And then the Mayweather thing happened and that kind of made people question the legitimacy of MMA

because they were going to do that anyway. And then after that, a lot of incidents came. So I don't think it was ever fully realized how especially he was as an athlete. I don't think you can get back in the Irish people's good graces. And I think based on his age, it's impossible for him to ever reach

the heights that he wants to date from being completely honest. Andy, other than Argentinian, which Hispanic culture has the best food? Wow. Definitely not Argentinian. Yeah, what the hell?

Venezuela for sure, man. What's Argentinian food? Like, what do they know? A lot of meat, which I don't need a ton of meat, so it's really not my favorite. I like Colombian food a lot as well as Venezuelan, though. But Venezuela on top, let me write the Venezuela

is the best trade for a little bit. Yes. Well deserved. link one says if zim salmani and fluffy hernandez watched each other's a h interviews did they just become best friends if anyone on the age crew is bold enough to answer which of these two are you fighting to save your family i feel like jordan is the only one with the cahonius to answer it's crazy jordan's not even here yeah i'd say goodbye to my family unfortunately that'd be that'd be a sad day shows up and he's like yeah your family i'm like here you go bud enjoy that's a bad day for me. Yeah, yeah. Fluffy ain't no walk in the park either. That's, that's rough. Gabriel Sedano says, I have enjoyed the breakdown of the inaugural Netflix MMA event. I may have missed this, but can we talk about the affordability for the fans? The all in price

of a ticket to get in the door is less than $100. Last time I went to a UFC, I spent over $400 for nosebleeds. Appreciate everything you guys do. I haven't seen many people talk about this. I don't know. Is this true? I don't even know. I don't know if it's true enough. I saw Andy Hickey tweeting a bit. There's an army of people that love to look at the seating charts online. I haven't. They love it.

We're going to be in Seattle next week? Yeah. Man, nosebleeds to get in for a fight night is like 270. You're going to Seattle. You're going to that event, cheesy. You thought you swore off after ATL. Wow. We should watch a beat too.

This is crazy. They've only been talking about it. We'll be at Muckle shoot. Wow. We love to have a happy thing. We also have a show Monday through Thursday. Not if the text I got this morning is any indication. What is the text you got?

Look at that face. I'm going to get the version of the Hayman phone call, but. What is the version of what's the Pizzi Hayman? It's terrifying. It's yelling at the top of his lungs. I'm legit afraid. The Hayman obviously referring to Frankie's call. You know Frankie's upset when he does like.

like a very quick breathe-in before he speaks. Oh. Hey, man. Today, what happened before the show today? Because when he let me in, he was... I come back to my phone. So you saw, like, we were running around trying to get stuff done before the show, right? I didn't see that, no.

I didn't see it, no. I didn't see it. All I see from a Pizzi is, your disgrace. Oh. And I'm like, bro, like, we're literally trying to fix shit. He's not in the mood. And this is the first thing I see from you. I'm sorry to that, Frank, yeah?

Yeah. Jesus. No. Klesh says, now that the WNBA successfully bargained average paid increase from 100K to 600K,

you see this guys. The WMBA players, big win for them, no strike. Will this finally open MMA fighters' eyes that they need to form a ZBA or nothing will change?

Doubtful, but I love to hear your thoughts on this for the WN. No, no. I think so. I think this is the one. Yep, here they come.

We saw the WMBA. Got it. Yeah. I will say, though, obviously not. But there is something in the air. There is something happening when it comes to labor unions, things like that.

We saw the NFL PA select their executive director. And controversially, right? Shout out to Pablo Tori. He's doing some great reporting on it. Like, this is a thing now where like the athletes, the labor are starting to have more of an understanding of what's going on, I think, than in past years. MMA seems to be a blind spot. to it. We are hearing more and more speak, but they don't really still exert their power. But I do think that the sentiment, the idea of like the athletes, the talent, the labor, having

more of an awareness of what's going on is growing and growing and growing and growing. 100%. I just don't think that this is. No, the UFC, the UFC roster is the furthest from it than anybody. 100%. Chris says, in 2009, you got Gina Corona to do the worm on camera. considering you're the journalist of the year, isn't it time for some fair and balance reporting? Will you return the favor and do the worm in your next interview with her? Are you ducking the challenge?

I don't think I ever got it to do the worm on camera. It doesn't sound like you. I mean, I have no recollection of this. But maybe I forgot. I want to see the video if it is real, though. So please bring the receipt. Ali Frazier says, have you or any of the team watched

the new Louis Theroux documentary that features HS Tiki-Toki? Definitely worth a watch. Have anyone, has anyone seen it? Yeah, I watched it. Yeah, we watched it as well. What's it called? The Manosphere?

Yeah. Inside the Manosphere. Yeah. Oh, yeah, yeah. How is it, Pizzi? I just thought there are pricks anyway, so I mean. So what's it about? A bunch of pricks.

Oh, seriously? No, it's like these lads and they're like, you know, I mean, most of them have the same kind of shit going on. They're like, I want my wife to not speak to dudes at all, but I'm allowed to have multiple wives and things like this. and, you know, they're teaching fellas, like, how they should act. And they're kind of just, just a strange situation as far as I can see. Good stuff from Louis, or? It was interesting because, like, he's, he's kind of showing them the contradictions of their ways. And he usually has these moments of documentaries where he kind of confront someone with, like,

you know, you say all this, but you actually do this. And he said this to these people, but I just think they're just too stupid to realize it what even happens. So they're just like, yeah. And he was like, all right. cool that was I didn't really feel like I had a big big kind of moment a big conclusion to it or anything you know is it sniko in there sneako's in there

sneako is the least offensive well not offensive I mean maybe it was just so used to it at that stage groups is is controversial oh no I still think he's a prick like don't get me wrong they're all pricks I had a similar takeaway to PT but rather than them being too stupid to take it in, I think they don't care to take it. Right. Like, I don't think they're actually interested in any kind of like introspection or reflection upon what it is. And they are so relentlessly motivated by greed and making more money as culture has become. Right. I don't, I don't think they're doing anything outside what, you know, standard culture is at this point these days. We talk about how Crave and the UFC is when it comes to the business practices and things like that. They are just a reflection of that as well, which I think society is reflecting, our political figures are reflecting.

But I just don't think they care. Like the idea of like, you said one thing and did another, I don't think they actually care that there's a contradiction there. In fact, it probably just helps them further their agenda because people would just be like, I don't care. I love them. It doesn't matter.

They have these very, like, rabid fan bases. And you can see that. It's kind of highlighted throughout the series where like when Louis is presenting an unpopular stance against them, it's often on their own programming and all the comments are like, look at Louis getting owned, look at Louis getting owned. And so it's like,

there's not really much of an impact here. It was kind of just more worth seeing or not. Oh, he thought it was interesting. It's fascinating, but to Pizzi's point, there's not a huge takeaway. It's kind of just like,

he's shining a light on something. And then instead of the cockroach like, scurrying, the cockroach is like, yeah, okay. So what? Louie Thru's Netflix thing is about this topic, like all about this one topic?

Yes, that's what this is. No, no, is that weird? What do you mean? I don't know. Like, of all... Only an hour and a 20 minute documentary. This is a very important kind of... Yeah, I think so, too.

Is it a big moment for HS? No, he looks like a... Comes off looking bad. You don't think he gets a big title... He looks Cabellin. All right. The worst part was that dude, was a fresh and fit the podcast,

and like, he's clearly playing up to the camera. His wife is there, and he's like, going clean over there. You're like, what a little dickhead. What a little bitch. and then and then like he's kind of saying he's been saying to Louis like

oh no it's like a one sort of monogamous thing where I can have all these women then Louis said it to his wife and she's like what sorry? And he's like oh no go and clean that you're like all right mate fucking loser oh this is a good one

Eman says this is a question for Misty Frank please rank the below MTV unplugged from best to worst one being the best all right but I've only seen three of Geez. Nirvana.

2. STP? Five. What's STP? Oh, there's only four. AIC. Okay, so that's the one. What's AIC? It's Allison Chains, but if I know what the next one is, I'm going to be mad at myself.

But I'm putting Allison Chains at one. Pearl Jam. Fucking shit. There's two number ones. I have to put Pearl Jam on three. Okay. How great was MTV Unplugged? How great?

I've been seeing a lot of like, oh, all that stuff about like, hey, dad, what were you like when you were a kid? And it's the Google dolls. But the MTV Spring Break one, that one hits me right in the heart. Did anyone grow up on MTV Spring Break or? Hell yeah. No, for sure. MTV Spring Break was goaded. Yeah.

Like, you would come home from school and you would turn it on and it would just be like a crazy party of college kids and you're like, what is happening here? And why is this so awesome? And there's like Eminem doing this and Limp Biscuit is doing that and Carmen Electra is over. there and the freaking the jackass guys are there and we got TRL and then we got Rock and Jock it was an error. Oh, Rock and Jock was great. Oh my God. Do we ever get back to that or no? Is that

it? Rock and Jock would be sick if they brought that back. We'll never get back. We'll never get back to it. Never. Never. How do we get back? We don't have the map to get back to that. I can't tell if you're being facetious or not. I'm being dead serious. How do we get back to that? MTV Spring Break? No, just spring break being a tele- What if Netflix did a spring break? I think I think is it Is it more of a... Isn't that like Love Island at this point?

Is it more of an indictment on the platform or on the era, the Times? The Times. Why is it an indictment? Well, the fact that we can't get back is an indictment. We don't know. I hate to say it. I can't tell if you're joking or not with this. No, like, once big business and corporations got behind Spring Break, it lost all of its allure.

No, man, MTV Spring Break was the best. That was big business. That was Viacom. MTV stumbled into that. The story was like, they started filming at Spring Break and they were like, why are all these people taking their tops off? apparently cam ops are having issues because they're like, holy shit, we're not allowed to show nudity.

They didn't expect everyone to go crazy. And when they did, it became a thing. Yeah, it was the best. But we'll never get back. Like a midnight game release isn't happening anymore. You're right. A midnight book release. None of it's happening anymore.

Everything's instantaneous. Everything's online. We're on to the next one. Every big cultural moment is on to the next one. Two weeks later, it's gone. It is true, though. You could... How?

How does it circle back? You could see all those videos on TikTok now. Do you need to have a program? You can see videos on TikTok that are more salacious and quicker and more digestible. It just keeps scrolling. What is MTV now? Like if I turn on MTV?

Rob. Rob, Dierdick. No, no, isn't it gone? It was ridiculousness for a long time, but I don't think it's not dead. I feel like we've had this conversation

like three or four times on the show. We always kill MTV, but it's still a channel. I mean, most of it is gone, though. Even like Jersey Shore family vacation was one of the last things that the catfish is canceled. All of that. You saw the situation, Rick?

Oh, boy. That was a moment. What about the real world? Is that still a thing? No. I'm on their website right now. Give us a programming guy. TV schedule right here.

Yeah, yeah. Right now at 2.30, we're about to get ridiculousness. And then we get ridiculousness at 3.3.30. Big bang theory at 4. Big bang theory. 5. 5.30. 6.6.30.

So four hours of Big Bang theory. Back to ridiculousness. Oh, my. From 7 o'clock to midnight. Oh, they, wow. And actually ridiculousness goes from 7 p.m. tonight all the way. Holy shit. We're at noon tomorrow and it's still just ridiculousness.

Oh, my God. Tomorrow is ridiculous. We're going 7 p.m. tonight until 7 p.m. tomorrow, ridiculousness. Do we need it? Do we need that? Absolutely not. 7 o'clock is just. Let it die.

Pixels, 930 is Hall Pass. Holy shit. MTV2 is still a thing. We got the Jamie Fox show on MTV 2. Fresh Prince of Bel Air. MTV Classic? Yeah, they don't do music anymore. No, they do. They're just syndicating sitcoms.

What the f... Yeah, that's disappointing. Big Bang Theory is not MTV. So no OG programming. Paramount so they can just put... No, I just mean like when I think... I know, you think of MTV, it's not. I think of CBS...

Yeah. You know. My so-called live. Shout up. Bring Unplug back. Beavis and Budhead. We need that. Shots Beavis and Budhead was great.

Headbinger's ball. Oh, yeah. Okay, TRL, of course. Who could forget my parents? My appearance on TRL is goaded. What was the bus? The show where, like, you had to decide whether you know, you wanted to date them? Next.

Oh, yes. That was a ridiculous. Cribs? Oh, cribs. Oh, fucking name. I was going to say, Pimp my ride, West Coast Customs. True life. All time.

True life. That's great. Fear was the best one. I need sawdust, like bullshit like that. Andy Milanakis? Oh, shout out. Legend. Andy Milanakis show.

Look at the disdain on Pt's face. Pete, you had MTV? He just zoned out there. I need my MTV. Yeah, BBC 1. Cindy Lopper. Anyway, guys, Chris Rem says, Hey, Ariel, after playing superstar matchmaker

for the Rico Usik fight, any chance you could get Jason Statham on the show. I really enjoyed your recent chats with Travis Barker and Channing Tatum, and would love to hear for more celebrities about their engagement with fight sports yeah that you know

that would be a great one anyone have an end with Jason Statham I'll work on it I'll work on it at the next meeting of the bald brotherhood I'll all yeah

um Italo says hello Ariel and BITB greetings from Lima Peru long time first time writing in I wanted to ask about Ronda was completely blown away

by her in the last press conference back when she was dominating the women's division in the UFC I was more of a casual fan I wasn't even watching your show yet. So I'm not sure if she was always this strong on the mic or if this is something she developed during her time in WW. Either way, I'm really enjoying everything she's saying and doing in the buildup right now. Keep up the great work, guys, peace. I think she was always

pretty good on the mic. In fact, I felt like she was better on the mic in UFC than WWB because in UFC she was just a lot to be herself, good, bad, and different. WWI, I didn't like the way they positioned her as, well, first I always talked about like when she came out with the oversized code, it looked weird. I felt like she was playing pro wrestler and I didn't like the way her debut was booked because she was slapping on an arm bar against someone who isn't a, you know, a prime Olympic athlete, Stephanie McMahon, and she's getting out of it and all of a sudden you're wasting the finisher on or in the first match. So I just don't, I don't think she was, she's a shoot fighter. And she needs to kind of work off of her own emotion and not what someone else is telling her to say.

So I think that she's got a fire lit under her here and she's got something she's passionate about but I think that this is more consistent with the Ronda that we saw in UFC as opposed to the WVRonda. Jamal 2020 asks if I'm going to have Ronda or Gina on the program before I'd love to. I will certainly try. I don't know if that will happen

but I think it would be great and there's a hell of a lot more that I want to ask them about. By the way, just let you know still to come in five minutes, Sean Brady then Moses at Tauma then Todd DeBuf then Jeremy Stevens so four guests

superstar guests still to come DeBiff in studio to talk about the top rank DeZone deal that was announced earlier today how is Kayla doing any update from MJ I've reached out a couple times I've not heard back I hope she's doing okay I really do hope that she's doing okay

I can understand it's been a tough time for her so giving her her space didn't reach out to come on the show or anything like that. I don't think I did. I was just asking how she was doing. Neck injury is tough and obviously there were some big plans and some big opportunities. And I know that she really wanted that Amanda Nunes fight. So I think that she's probably spiritually and emotionally devastated in addition to having to recover to get back to 100%. There's a lot there.

Ryan Holland asks, has Darren Till dropped the bag? surely this would have been a perfect card for Till versus Perry finally in MMA good point I'm not sure if Darren Till can travel I think that's a problem right now for him same issue that the furies are facing and so I guess if you want to say

that is dropping the bag so to speak but yeah there seemed to be opportunities that he's unable to capitalize on like he was supposed to be on the Mike Tyson Jake Paul card and couldn't travel So, and you would think that if he was a part of that initially he would have been ultimately a part of this card.

So yeah, tough one. I'd like to see him active again. When's the last time we saw Darren Till? When was the last fight? November or so? Darren Stewart, yeah? Yeah. Or was it December?

No, I think it was before that October. No, wasn't he on the Andrew Tate card? Yeah, it was the like the December. Christmas time, right? Yeah. The fight out. everyone stopped chatting shit DJ Perk says

What's good my boys Simply put What is it that MVP is doing That PFL didn't or couldn't do With all the cash they were initially throwing down Is it simply that this is a one-off card If so, you would think PFL would have tried Something like this at least once

Am I missing something Or does MVP have access to resources PFL just doesn't have Well PFL did have some money in investors But they were hell-bent on making this season, tournament, structure,

playoffs, points. And so when you do that, you have to sign a whole bunch of people. Plus, you've got to allocate money to the pot at the end of the rainbow, the million dollars, seven weight classes, something like that. Like, it was just

completely different than trying to take a big swing with one event. And the format didn't work. And we all knew that the million dollar payday at the very end. While I loved it for the fighters

was unsustainable. These guys are just trying to put on one massive event and take a really big swing and hopefully it hits. It's totally different. Completely different. One thing I haven't seen a lot of people talk about is what is it going to look like?

Uniforms, not uniforms, sponsor, not sponsor. If I were them, I would lean all the way back to the old days. Have everyone come out in whatever they want, as many sponsors that they want, bring back the banners. Do everything. Make it seem like the, the MMA that we all sort of fell in love with.

I think that would, that would be very smart. And it would be great for the fighters. Let them get paid. Please no uniforms. Please. A couple more, Hunter. Hello, Ariel and Gang.

We've been hearing a lot of wild speculation for attendance at this White House card. How many people do you think actually show up to this event outside the 3 to 5K invited attendees? My guess is less than 30. I don't even know I'm wondering I'm really wondering how many people

are going to show up unless there's some sort of like concert or something like that I'm wondering what the I don't know what the appeal is what do you guys think

line at 25 over under what do you say Pete as in like what are you saying 24 people to attend this no 25K 25K at the the watch party next door

over yeah I think Yeah. They were saying 80 to 100,000, right? Yeah. That was the figure they were putting around. I'd have to see what it looked like. You know, like even as a guy who a foy fan,

like what is the advantage of going to the place beside the place? I don't really understand that. Comradery, the atmosphere, you know? Was Venezuelan fans last night? We're at a watch party. Will they be there? The Venezuelan plan? I hope so.

Do you put Julianna Pany on the card, they will be? I don't know. No, man. It's very hard for me to get me head around this. I just can't, maybe I'm wrong. Like, just can't imagine like if there was an Irish equivalent of this 80,000 Irish people shown up to stand beside where the event is happening. Just can't imagine it. I tend to agree. Two quick things from Helge. Can we all agree that's, I always have a tough time with this word. S-P-H-E-R-E. S-P-H-E-R-E? Is it sphere or is it spear?

S-P-H-E-R-E? Yeah. sphere are you fucking with this right now can we all agree that sphere was never going to happen everyone calls it the sphere as everyone should i don't know why there was this weird push for just calling it sphere was that a thing oh he's saying dropped the though yeah really were the best on the nose questions today he also asks you built them i don't i don't know what i was reading to be honest we're back on the nose has never been better a few fatty boom bodies maybe before you were taking them in an eddie year two? Doing some green, but it wasn't

St. Patrick's stuff. What does taking the over slash taking the under mean? To Pizzi write this? Just in general and betting? A line is set whether it would be time and rounds, points scored in a game, and you're literally taking more or less than the number is set.

Maybe the most simple type of bet. Yeah. Minus 100 plus 250, a little more complicated. This? Yeah. Yep. Over under. Okay. The line is 25,000 people showing up next door to the White House. Is it going to be more than that or less than that?

Correct. There it is. More. A hot and cold. Hot and cold? I was like less. Is a good one. All right.

You're on, Pete. Example. Guys, that was phenomenal. 40 questions. I mean, what's better than that? Thank you very much. It's never been better.

It's back, baby. It's back. Still to come. Mosita Tama. Todd DeBuff in studio president of top rank. Can't wait for that. Love those chats. And Jeremy Stevens,

who's going to be on the May 9th, newer card across the river. here, Prudential Center against King Green, also on that card. We found out just last week, it's going to be Joaquin Buckley against Sean Brady and very important fight in the 170-pound division. And here to talk to us about it is the aforementioned the pride of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the one and only, Sean Brady. Hello, Sean. How are you?

What's up, my brother? How are you? We're in the dungeon today here. What are we doing? We're in the dungeon. My daughter's sleeping, so it's time. for me to get a lift in right after this conversation. Oh, gosh. We're just getting ready. I had a, we had sparring this morning, and now I have to do some other, like, just like strength and conditioning stuff.

So while she sleeps, uh, dad's got to get it in. Wait a second. I'm feeling a little bit stressed here. I feel like I'm eating into your training time here. How long is this nap? She naps from 2.30 to 4. So we have, we got plenty, we got plenty of time. We're all good.

You just put her down. Yeah, right? like right before I got on with you guys. Good work. How is she doing? She's good, man. She's just turned a year in February. So, uh, time, time is flying.

It's, uh, it's crazy. She's, uh, walking everywhere, falling into stuff. It's, uh, it's been crazy. But yeah, it's awesome. Okay. Well, uh, congrats and very glad to here. Uh, welcome back. Uh, we're fighting in Jersey.

There was some talk about you fighting at the apex, right? What happened there? They moved it? Yeah, so we were originally April 25th is when they scheduled us. We were supposed to be the main event at the Metapacks or the Apex, whatever they are nowadays. And then Hunter actually called Lloyd probably a week ago and was like, hey, like, would Sean be opposed to fighting on the Prudential card in New Jersey? And any chance I get to fight close to home, I'm taking it. Like when I was fighting for Cage Fury, I was going from Philly to Atlantic City, Philly to Atlantic City.

So now this is an AC, but it's still in New Jersey. So it's still home court advantage, in my opinion. So yeah, and it's three rounds. And I'm sure you know the pay that you get for a main event isn't huge. So I'm taking a little bit of a pay cut, but I don't have to train for five rounds, which is a lot of wear and tear on the body. so yeah, I'll take it. I do believe the last time you fought in the state of New Jersey, February 16th, 2019.

Yep. Your last six? Who'd you fight? Do you remember? Taj Abdul. I forget his last name. Hakeem. Yeah, I defended my cage for a belt, which is funny.

Next weekend, I'll be in Atlantic City cornering a bunch of my teammates because all the coaches will be in Seattle with Joe. for his fight. So we got a staple of guys fighting next weekend for Kate Fury. So they're still producing great talent. I was wondering if you were going to go out to Seattle. Would you have gone out if you didn't have to do that? If I didn't have a, no, it's, it's, that's like Seattle's far. That's farther than Vegas. So I was not, uh, yeah, I'll be six weeks out at that point. So, and now with the baby, it's just, it's too hard. Well, I know that you said that you prefer, you know, not prefer, but three rounds, five rounds, the pay is in that different. But fighting closer to home as opposed to going all the way out in Vegas, right,

especially a numbered event, a lot of people there, Prudential Center. It's got to feel a little bit, not bigger, but like there's a little more juice attached to it, I feel like. Yeah, especially if you're obviously looking at the card. I mean, if you have Hamza and Sean Strickland attached to the card, it's definitely a big card. And yeah, main events are cool. having your face on a poster is cool, but it's also cool not having to fly. My wife and my newborn, I mean, not my newborn, right, my one-year-old across the country, you know. We'll drive from my house

to the host hotel. It's like an hour and 20 minutes. So, yeah, I can't, I can't beat that. So, yeah, we'll drive up on Tuesday or Wednesday, and we'll have the whole team up there. We'll get a big Airbnb, and we'll treat it the same way as if we were somewhere else. But yeah, and like I said, I'm cool with three rounds, five rounds, whatever. But the amount of work that you have to do on top of everything we already do for a five-round fight, it's a lot. And it's a lot of stress on your body. So a main event is obviously awesome, but three rounds is also fine with me. How do you feel about the opponent when you were offered Joaquin?

Were you happy with it? Yeah, of course I always want somebody ranked higher than me, especially going from where I was before I fought Michael Morales. I was number one in the world. And obviously, I took that fight. Unfortunately, it didn't work out for me that night. But you always want to fight up in the rankings. But I kind of knew this was a matchup that was very possible. I just fought.

I lost. He fought. He fought. So we're both coming off losses. It's a good style matchup. So I knew that it was a possibility. Of course, I asked for the law. I asked for protest.

I asked for everybody. And they came back with Buckley, which is fine with me in my mind. I beat him. I get right back on the horse. I'm right back in the winning column and I'm right back in the race for a very clogged up division still. So yeah, I'm just happy I have a fight. Maybe the most clogged division. I'll ask you about that in a moment, but this is our first time chatting since MSG. You've had a few months to digest it. And you took a gamble there, obviously, because you were the number one guy and you fought back and Michael Morales is a stud. No shame and losing to him. How do you feel about it? Can you tell us your feelings on what

inspired that night in MSG and how you dealt with it in the immediate aftermath? Yeah, I mean, it's crazy because MMA is the craziest sport. I had the best training camp I've probably ever had in my life. It was the best I ever felt going into a fight. And then you can do all the right things and you still lose, you know? That's why it's just, it's such a crazy sport, but it's such an amazing sport as well. But yeah, everything was going smooth up until Thursday. I don't want to get too crazy with the details

because I don't want to sound like I'm making excuses, but I essentially didn't know I was fighting until Saturday at 5 p.m. What? What do you mean? Yeah. What do you mean? Yeah.

So just a lot of stuff. Something was wrong with, not wrong, something was going on with my medicals, and they didn't know if they were going to be able to get me cleared. So we had to do, we went through a lot from Thursday before the press conference until essentially Saturday right before the fight, a lot of stuff, a lot of stuff went down.

And UFC did everything they could to make the fight happen. And obviously they did. But I don't think from when I found out that something like this was going on, that I was in the right frame of mind. Because I didn't know, I was like, am I fighting, am I not fighting? And ultimately, I fought. I still went in there. I thought I was going to be able to still pull it off.

but unfortunately, it just didn't work out for me that night. Was it super stressful? Yeah, of course. And, like, that's why I don't, like, I try not to talk about it. I don't want to talk about it too much because I don't want to sound like I'm making excuses. Listen, Morales, he's big, he's strong. I was either going to go out there, take him down and do what I do to people or he was going to do what he did to me. And he called me and it's crazy because that's the first time I've ever even been dropped.

Like in training, a fight, I've never hit the canvas. And that's the first time I've ever hit the canvas. So, yeah, it's crazy. But, yeah, so it was super stressful. It was a very, very, very weird situation. I know for a fact I'm never fighting in the state of New York again, hopefully. It was just a crazy, crazy experience. And listen, it is what it is.

I rolled the dice, and it didn't work out. Do you regret taking the fight? No, no, of course not. Because I could have went out there and I could have strangled him or I could have won and everything would have been. And it's crazy because I could have still went out there and won that fight and not have gotten a title shot next. You know, like, so in my mind, I'm like, I'm still, I was still one fight away anyway because look what's going on right now with the division. But yeah, and obviously this is how we get paid and I have to fight. you know, like, I want to be more active.

So, yeah, it sucked the way that things played out and that the things happened the way that they did. But it's, it is what it is. Before the fight, the week of the fight, I do believe, Dana was asked if the winner of your fight was getting a title shot, he said yes. Yeah, but he said, he was like, he was like, sure. Yeah.

Like, someone wanted to ask a question, and he was just like, yeah, like, he was just getting through the question. So, you didn't believe it or like you weren't. Not that I didn't believe it, like, but just the way that protest knocked out Leon and then Ian goes out there and beats the law, it's like, we still don't know who's getting the title shot next. Like, is it Ian who, it's not tomorrow now, but for a while we thought it was going to be tomorrow. I think it should be Ian or Morales. Like, it's definitely between those two guys. If you look at Ian's record, like he probably maybe deserves it a little bit more than Morales.

But Morales is right there too, coming off B and me. so it's between either one of those guys. But yeah, when Dana said that, I was just like, when they told me after I beat Leon, I was next. And obviously, that didn't work out. I was wondering if, I personally don't think they'll go with Morales. In the end, I think they'll go with the end.

But I was wondering if you were rooting for that to make the loss feel a little bit better. Of course. Okay. It was like, it was like when I lost a ball, and then he won and everyone was like, all right, maybe he's showing dozens. suck as bad as we thought he did.

You always want the guys that you lose to win, you know? And I see Morales, like, he's going to be a problem for a lot of these guys. He's big, he's strong. He's, like, I'm a big 70-pounder, and I heard, like, the weight that he walks around. He's huge for 170. And not just, like, muscular-wise, like, his reach is insane. He's going to be a problem for a lot of these guys. And hopefully, one day, I get to get my...

I'm still trying to get my fight back with Ballol. I don't know if I'll ever get that one or Morales, but I'm definitely trying to get some get back on these boys eventually, so. Was he bigger, stronger than you thought he would be like when you're in there, he looks like a middleweight? Yeah, he's huge, but it just, I just didn't, at the end of the day, it just came down to me.

I just didn't follow my game plan. And same thing, even with all the stuff that transpired before the fight, I just didn't follow my game plan. That's it. That's the reason I lost the fight. I went in there, and I didn't do what I practiced, for eight weeks. It was, I'm telling you, Arrow, it's like, uh, it's crazy.

Because me and Joey just, probably for her, because he was helping me a lot for that fight. He's like, we're just like, man, like, you just, I just didn't get to show what we did. And that's what bothers me the most about the whole thing is I didn't get to go out there and just show how good I am and how, how hard I trained for that fight. And, um, that's what sucks about the sport, you know, it, uh, you could do everything right and you go out there and it's just, it's just not your night. One thing that I saw some people bringing up, you were wearing, and I don't know if you've done this a lot, like a knee brace on both knees. Yeah.

Was that something you were dealing with? So I had, I had like a burst sack in my knee that got, got infected before the fight. So I had to get drained a couple times. Just like, this is just normal stuff. But I wore two of them, so he didn't know. which one of my knees was. Ah, smart. You know, you see it.

Smart. You got to use your mind. Smart. Smart. You got to use your mind, brother. But yeah, I've never worn them before. But in New Jersey, because most states, you can't wear them. Some states you can.

Some states you can't. It's like the rules. Like, when you go to a state, you don't know what the right rules are. Yeah. But yeah, you can wear sleeves there. And, yeah, I just had like a burst of sack in my knee that had some, some juicy stuff in it. So they said, do you want to wear knee sleeves? I was like, yeah, of course, why not.

Okay, okay, okay, okay. But not something you'll wear in the future if you don't have to. No, no, no. I don't wear them. I don't wear them like anytime, but yeah, I just had, like, you ever, have ever had a burst attack before? No, I don't think so. They're just, they're just pain, like, if they're, you can get them drained and stuff

like that, but it's just, like, fluid around your knee. Like, it comes on, like, your elbow. So when you wear, like, a compression sleeve, it just kind of makes it feel a little bit, just makes it more comfortable. What was the immediate aftermath? Like, how did you deal with the loss? How did you handle it? Drove home with my daughter, my wife, and my best friend, Simon.

Had a cheat day and then got right back to the training on Monday, pretty much. It's a lot different than when I lost up a law because being a dad now, you don't have time to sit around and so, you know, like she has to, like my daughter needs to be taken care of. my wife went back to work on Tuesday. And yeah, it's just, I handled it a lot better. Like, when I lost the ball, it was the first time I've ever lost as an amateur, as a pro. I was devastated. Like, you would have thought that, you would have thought I got like the worst, the worst news in the world.

Like, you would have thought the worst or the worst happened to me, the way I was walking around. And I was just, like, sad. And then after this, I think it made it easier for me losing, knowing that, Everything I did, the way I felt in camp, and then the things that transpired before, like I said, not making excuses. It made it a little bit easier for me to swallow the pill knowing, hey. I went out there. I gave it everything I had.

Unfortunately, it didn't work out for me. But the great thing about the sport is the sucky thing, we have to wait a little bit, but I get to go back out there and perform again. And then once I go out there and win another fight and I win in May 9th, all will be forgotten. and yeah, winning solves everything. But it was definitely nowhere near as bad as the first time. It's just you really realize like things like what matters and what really matters in the world is your family, your kids, your friends, and stuff like this is all amazing.

And I get to live my dream every day, but a lot of people have a lot worse stuff going on in their life than losing a fight. You know, I'm still one of the best fighters in the world. I still believe that I've not even scratched the surface of proving how good I am. And that's what makes me excited. every day to come out here and train my ass off and I'm just excited to go out in front of a relatively home crowd and put on a performance. Two quick follow-ups on the aftermath. Did you drive home that night? No, my daughter was asleep or else we would have. Dude, another thing,

New York sucks. What? What is this? I hate New York City. So we- Because you're an Eagles fan. So, of course, of course. But we're, so the host hotel, I think the host hotel was in, I don't know where it was exactly, but wherever, we were staying in, like, I guess, like a gentrified part of Harlem or something like that. All the way up there? Yeah, but to get to the, I had like 15 people with me. To get in an Airbnb anywhere close to there, like, it was insane. So 30 or 40 minutes to the host hotel. Then we had to drive like 40, 45 minutes to get to the gym that we were trained.

at that was in Jersey, it was just, it is, I don't know how people, listen, I don't know, I've been up there a few times to train at Henzos and, uh, I don't like, I don't get it. There's just too many people, too many people, too much, too much traffic. Greatest city in the world, man, the energy is unmatched. Can't do it. Can't do it, brother. I think you're just biased, but that's okay. I would have, and it sucks because I wanted to, obviously I wanted to win the fight. I wanted to win and come in studio on Monday. Oh, we don't believe you. Listen, we don't believe.

I want to be there. I would have hung around for you. Well, we appreciate the sentiment. We appreciate the sentiment. And it will happen. It will happen. I'm curious about the cheat meal because you don't seem like a guy

who has many of those. What is that cheat meal? We, uh, I went, I went hard. Obviously, I was a little sad about the fight. Yeah, yeah. So we did, like, we got cheese steaks, aerial, we got pizza. I, I, I couldn't,

move for like hours afterwards. All in one sitting? We like throughout throughout the day. We got home we had like cookies we had all kinds of shit and it reminded me of why I eat the way I eat and I train the way I train

because I felt horrible. Wow. Absolutely horrible but yeah it's but no like right afterwards back to training we have we have Joey fighting we have Jeremiah Wells. My teammate Jeremiah is on the card that I was supposed to be on. Like I said,

next weekend, we got a bunch of guys I'm cornering in Cage Fury. One of my teammates, Christian Booby, this kid's three and one is a pro. He's just, he's trying to get on the ultimate fighter. He'll know after this fight, but kids are stud. I posted it on my Instagram the other day. If I could buy stock in a fighter, it would be this kid. We just have so many good things going on in our gym and big fights coming up. So there's no time to sit around. have fights coming up and we have to be in the gym and we have to be getting ready. So, yeah, it's all good. By the way, what's the vibe like at the gym?

Joey getting a chance to fight the former champion, Israel, Destiny. Biggest fight of his career main event next weekend. What's it been like as he prepares for this? It's been great. I think we don't let it get, like, even like, when I got the Leon fight, you know, I kind of like compare them to each other. Huge fights, but you can't, you can't let the moment become too big. You just have to do what you've always done to get to.

this spot and um joey can punch a he can punch a hole through a through a horse so he if he connects on izzie it's um it's going to be it's going to be trouble for izzie but it's been cool to see that they both are respectful of each other there's been no trash talk so i'm excited to as a fan to watch joey style versus izzie style it's going to be um it's going to be a good one i i saw an interview that you did with steady picks and um that's my podcast that's your podcast, excuse me. Wait, our podcast

is the Brady Bag Show on SteadyPick Network. Yeah, they're like a, they give out betting advice and stuff like that,

so we do our podcast through them. Okay, okay, and I understand, I understand. Yes, of course I know

about the podcast. I didn't know that that was the sort of umbrella. So you talked about seeing Buckley at the apex. The quote is,

we're in Vegas, we're at the apex. That's where I was doing all my testing. I'm in the front. I was waiting for an Uber. some loud ass mother effers coming out.

It's Buckley. He looks over and says, Sean Brady. Prior to this, he said something about me with my staff infection, not washing my ass. He was like,

man, why you block me on Instagram? We're about like here and he's loud as shit bro. I'm looking at him. I'm like, I don't like all this talking. We're talking about five minutes.

He's talking about selling fights. What's going on? Tell us about this story. What's going on here? So before me and Buckley were ever slated to fight, he was, he was like

he made some like I forget when it was I guess it was when I was supposed to fight Jack Della Madelena and I pulled out because I had a staph infection Yeah I couldn't fight He made some post about me Like saying I don't wash my ass

Like just saying some shit And he just talks too much So I blocked him on Instagram Like I don't It's I can block Whoever I want It's my life It's my Instagram

So I blocked them Because I don't feel like hearing that shit. And then we seen each other. He was like, why you block me? Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And I'm like, bro, I'm like, I don't do all this social media back and forth shit. And at this time, I just got booked with Gilbert. I was like, we're not fighting each other. I was like, I have a fight. And we just, we talked for like five minutes while my coach was standing behind me. We were waiting for our Uber because Joey was fighting and I was there doing like pre pre-camp testing shit. And so we literally talked for like five minutes.

It's like the PI has video footage of it. And he was like just trying to kind of be funny. And I was just like not really being funny. Like I don't like I just don't think he's a funny dude. I think he just, he talks too much. But then he made, he did an interview afterwards saying like he see me. I didn't say anything. Like he almost felt like he was bullying me.

So I'm like first off, you ain't bullying me. No, I don't care who you are. in this world. If you can beat me up, whatever. You're not just going to talk to me crazy or bully me. So he was just like, just bullshit and then just lying. Then he said, like, if you see me on the streets, uh, he would like run like he would like punk me on the streets or something nut ass. Some nut ass shit. Like, bro, I'm from Philly. Like, you're not just running up on me. Like, I'm some bitch. So, uh, that's when like I finally, because before, like, I would never even respond to half the shit he would say because he just says shit that says shit. So now, like, all right,

now we're fighting each other. Now I will address you. Like, brother, you didn't punk nobody. You weren't talking crazy when you see me in person. And now we get to fight. And now we get to settle it. So we will see in seven and a half weeks what the fuck is up. Okay, okay.

His last performance was a big one against Camaro. He hasn't fought since June of last year. Yeah. There was a lot riding on that one. And it obviously didn't work out. What did you think of how he fought in that one? Yeah, I mean, Camaro's a vet. Kamara knows what he's doing.

Kamar went out there and fought a very smart fight. And listen, Buckley, outside of the things he does on social media, he's an amazing fighter, super athletic, super explosive, crazy knockout power, super flashy. So he does awesome stuff. And yeah, so he's a great fighter. And I'm taking him as serious as I've ever taken any fighter. I'm training my ass off because I know what he brings to the cage. But, yeah, I mean, just like my last performance.

I don't think that was his best. I don't think my last was my best. So the good thing is we get to go out there and we get to settle it. You mentioned earlier, you think there's a bit of a log jam at 170, and it sounds like you think Ian should get the Islam fight? Do you think he can beat him? No. And I know people are going to say, like, I'm a hater of Ian. No, it's your opinion.

I just don't think that his style, like, I think Islam will get him down. and I think Islam will probably submit him. Like, if you look where Shavkat had Ian, if you look where MVP had Ian in, like a weird grappling spot, people can get to him. And if someone like Islam gets to him, which I think he would,

it would be a long night for Ian. But again, Ian's very tricky. And I knew that when I was trying to fight him and hopefully I still get to fight him. He's very long, rangy. He knows how to keep his distance well. He knows how to skirt along the octagon and keep you away from him. So, yeah, I think it will be a very interesting fight,

but ultimately, I think Islam will get him down and sub him. I'm just, I'm waiting for them to announce it. You know, it's like, what else is there? It's either him or Morales. And I heard Islam might be hurt, but if he's hurt, then do Ian and Morales, because that would be, I know Morales already said that he wants to fight Ian. So that'd be a really interesting fight. There is a theory out there that Morales's size, strength, and also judo background could be

kryptonite for whatever Islam brings to the table. Do you subscribe to this? I think Morales has a better chance than Ian, for sure. Way more unorthodox. I think he'll be very strong in those clinched positions where Islam will be looking for those inside trips, single legs, and all that. that all of his take downs. Yeah.

And I still think that Morales, we still haven't seen what he is like on his back or what he is like in this like a harder fight, a second, third, fourth, fifth round. So there's a lot of question marks there

where I feel like they've kind of been answered with Ian. Like you know where you're getting with Ian. I think Morales is still that, that question mark in the division. Have you seen any of Colby's comments? He's, he sucks I don't talk bad about

I really try not to talk bad about fighters but him with the whole Bo-Nichol thing like talking about he's Donald Trump's favorite fighter clearly not brother because they put you on the White House card

so if they did offer you Bo which it seems like maybe they did you said no so you had a chance to be on the White House yeah he's just take him like why is he still in the rank

When's the last time he won a fight? Yeah. You know what I'm saying? Like, once I last time he wanted to fight, then it's crazy because he did R-A-F. He's saying he's moving up to 185. He's talking shit to Bo. They're both there. That's the

writing is on the wall. Make that fight. And I'm sure they could have made it happen, but I guarantee you it was Colby saying, no. I highly doubt it would be Bo. No, no. I think Bo is begging for it, essentially. But

my boy, Kyle Dalcas from Philly. Hell yeah. A chance to fight a bow on the White House card, which is amazing. So we're super happy for him. Battle of Pennsylvania, you're on Team Dawkins. Of course, of course. Me and Kyle started training at the same gym together, our first MMA gym ever. Wow, wow, wow, wow.

We went back, back in the day. He still, he was just, he was at our gym a couple weeks ago when he was getting ready for Vicente, obviously before all this played out. So, yeah, Kyle's the man, his brother. brother Chris is super cool. They just opened up a gym next to my PT clinic. So, yeah, I see those guys all the time. They're good people and I'm looking

forward to Kyle. I think he has a really good chance at getting it done against Bo. Okay, really? You think he can pull it off? Yeah, Kyle's got super slick submissions if Bo gets him down and obviously we've seen what he did to Pereira, Kyle can crack. So yeah, I like this

matcher for Kyle. He's a big 85 or two. Sean, that's on June 14th. You're on May 9th. Looking forward to that very much. Prudential Center. Good to have you close to home. Big fight. Good chance to get back on track with some home cooking.

I know it's not Philly. No, it's not Philly, but it's pretty damn close. They're saying there might be a Philly card the end of the summer. So this might line up really nice. Okay, okay. Appreciate you doing this as always. Thanks for taking some time out of the workout with the baby sleeping and everything like that. Welcome back to the mix, so to speak.

And looking forward to seeing you back out there. And we're not that far from Jersey, by the way. So if you want to stick around for May 11, we'll be right here waiting. I got you. Yeah, Ariel, you're the man. Thank you for everything you do. Thank you, brother. Appreciate it.

There he is. Sean Brady, kind enough to join us after the announcement that he is going to be on that card. The Prudential Center coming up on May the 9th, a big one headline, of course, by Sean Strickland, getting another crack at the UFC middleweight title. that is a massive one against the relatively new champion in his first title defense, Hamzat Shemayev. Speaking of champions, it is assumed that it is going to be a when-not-if scenario as to when the great Moses-Satama, the very young Mosat-Tatama, still just 21 years young, believe it or not,

only turned 21 on the 28th of December. He is so very young, but he is so damn good. He is 13-0. he is an unbelievable talent. We haven't seen him since August, but he is returning to action on the 28th of March. So not this Saturday, next Saturday, at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester against Jermaine Franklin headlining that event.

It's on the zone, a big test for him. And he is here to talk to us about said tests. So without further ado, let us say hello to the king himself, Mr. Mosetama. There he is. Hello, Moses. How are you? Oh, good. Thank you. It's great to talk to you again, Moses.

Thank you very much for it. stopping by. My birthday's on the 29th, not the 28th. I screwed that up. Maybe it's 29th over in the UK. No, I just screwed it up. I'm sorry. But there's the fight card.

There's the poster. So that one's right, right? No, that's correct. That's correct. I think it's a very good show of Magnificson, 7. Obviously, you've got seven title fights on. So, yeah, man, it's good to be on your show, in it? Always.

Always great to talk to you. Always very exciting. Of course, we all remember when I saw you on the streets of Paris and I sort of introduced you to the world. A lot of people say that I found you before Frank and George and everything. I don't like to say that, but others do. By the way, you were supposed to fight in January, right? What happened?

So I was inspiring and my arm got caught behind someone else's arm and like they pulled it towards themselves. And like I had like a little problem in my bicep. And I thought like, do you know what, let me just push through this. So carried on sparring whatever I called Frank Warren my promoter And I was like I've had a little injury

And he was like I'll go get a scan And I was like I'm gonna see how I feel tomorrow And I'll let you know So he was like okay Tomorrow came I was like Frank I feel better Whatever

And then he was like Alright just take it easy So next week I went back to sparring Yeah For another punch I was like yeah This ain't correct And then Frank World

was just like, I'm not going to let you fight unless you get a scan, so I went to get a scan and found I had a grade two tear in my biceps, so that was me trying to push through it. And obviously, that was me trying to push through it when obviously I got a tear. Well, glad you didn't do that. Any surgery needed? Probably not, right? No, not for a grade two. Okay. How's it feeling now? It's better. It's better. I've had a good camp, no excuses, so I'm ready to rock and roll in it. How long did it take for you to get back to 100%?

I actually don't know because, like, it was never kind of a... I don't really know. I don't really know. It was maybe like I done like a... I done like three or four weeks of rest, and then I've done three weeks of rehab, and then I gradually kind of went into it, but I didn't really have no pains, no nothing.

So I don't really know when the recovery time was. roughly around a month, month and a half. Okay, so by the time this fight happens next weekend, it's going to be a little over seven months since your last fight, since we last saw you in August. How are you feeling? Like, it's a bit, you know, it's a long layoff for you, so to speak, especially so young in your career.

Do you feel like you're itching to get back in there? So, you know, like boxing is a big part of my life, in it. So even if I'm not, like, boxing, even if I'm not participating in the event, I'm always in the gym. So, uh, it's been seven months out of the ring, but listen,

like, camps are tough. Camps are tough. So, um, I needed, I needed that, I needed that break.

And obviously, I was in the box in January, but obviously the injury is the injury. But like I said, I'm, I'm happy how my career has gone. Like, you think,

obviously, since I've turned pro, what's been, like, three years, I've had, um, 13 fights. I'll beat Dillian Wyatt, beat Denson McKean, beat Marius Wack.

So I'm not complaining, man. What about when you were offered Germain, when it ended up being Jermaine in the end as far as your opponents, been around the game, tough out, only has two losses, one to Dillian, one to A.J. Never been stopped. So obviously that would be a huge distinction. But maybe not the name that people thought coming off of the last win.

How did you feel about it? Do you know what? I've got presented three names, and none of them was kind of Jermaine Franklin. And then my team kind of went back to, went back to Queensbury and said, what about Jermaine Franklin? I was like, well, Jermaine Franklin is not on the table.

And then we was like, we just kept trying to persist on Jermaine Franklin because I feel like my team believed that this is the necessary fight for my development. So, yeah, we just kept going back to Jermaine Franklin, back to Jermaine Franklin. And then obviously he ended up signing and then we're ready to rock and roll.

It's not, it's not, listen, there's bigger names, but I believe, like, the question marks that I have on my career, the question marks that people still want to be answered, I think Jermaine Franklin can answer them. So I think it's a perfect fight for me as of right now. Who are the three names? I can't tell you that.

Why? Top secret? I don't know if it's a top secret I just don't know if I should or allowed to say it so fair to say though that they weren't names that were really like jumping off the page when you saw them

if I'd be completely honest I think Jermaine Franklin's I think Jermaine Franklin's probably yeah it's probably the second of that name as in Latin known I think matter of fact amongst boxing crowd I think he's the most known out of the three names he gave me okay was there any discussions about

a title fight was there any discussions about a title fight yeah but it wasn't like a world title fight no okay not like maybe like a domestic title more of a european was got you um yeah because i think some people thought you might fight kubrat pulev um for the wba so with that i'm gonna i don't know how that situation actually ended but um it was like kubrat puolev you He, you know, a matter of fact, I ain't got a clue what happened. I don't even want to come and talk smack. I don't want to talk about things I don't know.

So I was supposed to fight him, I'm guessing, for the regular title, and he thought Gassiev, and obviously Gassier beat him. But obviously, he wasn't meant to fight Gassiaf because obviously I was his mandatory. So I don't want to talk for something. I don't know. No, I understand. obviously there was once a time where people thought you might become

the youngest heavyweight champion obviously since Mike Tyson and perhaps beat his record that came and went in May of 2025 we haven't talked since so I'm just curious were you disappointed when you were unable to break that record

man if I'd be completely honest of you like maybe being in like the pro ranks for for half a year I kind of knew that yeah your career is not really in your own hands so I kind of I kind of deep down, I knew that if I wanted to beat that Mike Tyson record,

I'd had to convince the people in power to put me in that position. So it's not even about beating the people that I obviously got the World Championships is actually being put in place or putting positions. So am I disappointed? I mean, no, because what's the quote, you shoot for the moon and your aim in the start? or something like that. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Although I didn't beat Mike Tyson record,

I did a Dillion White fight, right, in Saudi Arabia. So, man, they're success in that. They're success in that. I remember in the immediate aftermath of that win in Saudi Arabia, there was talk you versus Joe Parker, you versus Ussig. That was the talk, I remember Turkey tweeting about it and whatnot. Did any of that get discussed?

Was any of that close? Obviously, it didn't turn out that way, but that's who people were linking you with in the immediate aftermath. Just to let you. know yeah, if I had the opportunity to fight Joseph Parker or Alexander Usick, I would not turn that down.

So it wouldn't be wise for me to turn it down. So if things don't happen, then it can't, like... I don't think anyone's suggesting it to you. No, no, no, it's not as in like saying that it's my fault or anything, but it's kind of like, I'm trying to make these fights happen, so, like, kind of just

I don't know, be patient. Music is, I guess, he gets to call his shots of his career. He's not the right to basically do whatever he wants. from where it looks like he is. But apart from that, I'm trying to deliver the best fights that I possibly can.

I was just wondering if those talks were ever real, like if they ever actually got off the ground, so to speak, you versus either of those guys? The thing is, with a lot of the rooms, a lot of people, or I have somebody that speaks on my behalf. The reason why is that I don't need to be

in every conversation that is happening. so I only get kind of the tip of the icebergs and from what I've been told Joseph Parker and Uzik wasn't them How do you feel by the way I'd love to of obviously I'm saying, I have the opportunity And Wardley's fighting

You know he just beat Parker I thought controversially I thought that was a bad stoppage by the way I don't know about you I thought it was a little premature You're asking for my opinion Yeah I think the rest's job is to stop the fight before it gets too much so maybe it could have been boxing's opinionated

was it prematurely in my opinion I believe if the ref would have let it go on for maybe 20, 30 seconds long or Joseph might have actually been knocked out so but I don't know Yeah. You think Wardley beats Dubois? I think it's going to be a four-round fight either way. Wow.

I think Wardley has the ability to, and to be honest, I probably would put more money on February. It's just, yeah, it doesn't even matter because he surprises everyone anyway. He would have thought he was going to beat Justice, and he would have thought he was going to beat Joseph Parker. Who would have thought that he was going to be, or not David Adelae. so man even if I go against him he's probably going to prove it wrong anyway

well your fights around the same time as theirs and you're all queensberry guys any chance you win you fight the winner if I win I fight the winner I mean yeah if Frank Warren allows it they're all Queensby players in it so yeah I guess

it's kind of Frank Warren he has to open the gate for us to be able to obviously if If Fabio wins, then we're at the same gym. It might be a bit awkward, but obviously, if Dubois wins, it would probably be more likely to happen. Have you guys talked about that yet? What would happen could happen if you have to fight each other? I mean, one of us would have to leave the gym.

Yeah. Have you discussed it? No, never. It's never been on a, it's never been like a conversation. I've got Jermain Franklin. He's got Daniel Dubois. Like, I've never, never really thought Wardly as my opponent. like obviously when you

when obviously knocked out Justice Hooney everybody saw how how excited and how happy I was for him so I've never really seen him as an opponent no do you spar often

no we've never sparred never sparred no never sparred any particular reason Ben likes to keep the the gym as a team environment I like that

okay so it's only outsiders yeah I wanted to ask you two questions about Usik. What do you think of him fighting Rico Verhoeven and it being for the WBC title? Man, Uzik, you can do whatever he wants, man. He's done that right. But, see, I don't like to use the word fair,

but I don't think it should be allowed to fight for the world title. Obviously, like I said, Ux's on the right to do every once, but I don't think it's fair. I don't think it's correct. for for Rico to be able to fight for the for the world title in his first fight that's just a it's a bit crazy my my theory is what if Rico wins he still beat the guy right and that's that's

significant if you beat the guy you might as well walk away with his belt no I know he hasn't earned it and he's and he's a newcomer but like he's still Alexander Usig if you beat him fair and square if you knock him out then you kind of deserve to be the champion in my opinion Yeah, that makes sense, but listen, and God do not with Tyson and AJ, so, I'm not here to, as I'm trying to not to swear. I'm not trying to put anyone down, so, yeah, man, if, like, if, if, if, if, if, if, if, if, if, if, if, if, if, if, if, if, if, if, if, if, if, if, if, if, if, if, if, if, if, he's

got the opportunity to fight Usik for WBC, like, it'll be foolish for him not to take that. It's just kind of whatever it's fair on if he's able to fight for his first fight. It's a bit crazy. Usik laid out, like, how many fights left and against who, your name wasn't mentioned. At this point, do you think that's probably never going to happen? Probably not, but what are we going to do? Yeah. We don't have a spilled milk.

Of course. But maybe... What's that? we don't cry of us spilled milk we'll just keep it stepping yeah yeah do you do you hold out hope do you care about that sort of thing or is that not that important to you fighting him ultimately you want to be champion you want to be king of the heavy weights it's more about that than fighting him if something's not in my control there's no point of me getting upset or angry about it um i remember my brother told me a quote or told me something a long time ago he said he said um you

can't get angry over things you can control and you can't get angry over things you can't angry other things you can control. And I'm not going to get upset of evil or because if I can control it, I would. And if I can't, what are you going to do? I'm just going to have to move on. Listen, like, who's-ezy-so-once-in-a-generation fighter? And, like, obviously, I'd love to have the opportunity, but if I don't, what am I supposed to do, pull him out of his grave?

Yeah. You know what I mean? So it's just, yeah, man. it's just just if it happens it happens if it don't they don't control the controllables as they say exactly no i understand that and of course you're doing your own thing and you have to get by germane and the others put in front of you before you even worry about that sort of thing is it annoying by the way like you've got a big test in front of you and people like me are asking about these other guys who you are not fighting does this annoy you a little bit yeah i'm sorry

do you know i i want to i want to when i come to the stakes i want to I actually come to the studio. Yeah, man. When you coming? I don't know. Well, I'll have to try to check the diary, but I feel like these Zoom ones, we need to do the... Face-to-face. Yeah, the studio ones.

I couldn't agree more. It's a different vibe. You mesh different when you're in front of someone. 100%. 100%. What state is it? We're in New York City. Oh, okay.

So that's... I feel like that's local. I mean, show them the one shot, Andy. I mean, this thing right here behind me is the Empire State Building. Oh, shit. See that? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Have you been to New York? No, I've never been to the States. You've never been to the U.S., period. I'm not in the States, no. What's going on? What's stopping you? No, it's never, listen, like, growing up, yeah, we never really had bread to be traveling like that.

Very sure. Obviously, now that I've turned professional, I've been very busy, so, And when life slows down a little bit Yeah, I might travel. I travel to, well, I didn't go out in the city, but I went to Miami to go to Puerto Rico.

So it was like I went to the airport, I guess, but I never actually went out in the States. There's only one request from the team. They say, you're more than welcome. We'd love to have you. We'd love to make this happen. But we need some Team of Talma merch, some Nike merch.

I mean, that stuff is unbelievable. You know, some guy came up to me and he said, I just brought a team Italian top and I was like, where from? There ain't no one selling. And then he showed me a picture of it. I'm like, the zone ain't one of my sponsors. Like, this isn't, this isn't like team Fingie Talk.

I'm like, where did you get this from? And then I was like, we need to see whoever selling this stuff. You got it from wish.com. I don't know where he got it from, but I mean, he paid big bucks for it as well. So I'm like, you know what? That's where it isn't it? fair place. Somebody's out there hustling. Yo, why aren't they selling that in the UK?

They're not selling that at JD or all those other stores? Nah, we're not selling the team in town with Kit. Why not? I have no idea. I'll get, I'll... Come on, you're the future face. You're the guy. With all due respect to Tyson and AJ and all these dudes, I mean, we're on the back nine here of the career.

You've got a whole freaking 20-year run ahead of you. I'll get on to my brother. Yeah, come on. go by the way what do you make of that Mahmadov fury fight coming up what do I make of it I'm happy Fury's back yeah um I'm happy Fury's back he's uh and obviously haven't spent time around him like I know how much boxing means to him so not having boxing in your life yeah man I think I think I'm happy he's gonna come back because I feel like I think he needs boxing Do you think we ever get that AJ fight though?

I think it's possible, yeah. It feels like the universe is just kind of working against them in some weird way. Listen, it might be a man you pack your flight, a situation where it might be past the time, but it could happen. I don't know. Listen, I don't want to speak on shoes that I'm not in, but I feel like Floyd, I feel like, I feel like, Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury

all over to the British Public Club. Of course. What a mad game this boxing world is. Do you follow all the drama, all the stuff? There's a lot going on right now. A lot of drama in the matchroom,

Queensberry, Zufa boxing, re-ad season, all kinds of madness. Do you follow this stuff? Do you go online and read up on it? Um, not really.

Really? Blinders. It's not overnight. It's just, you know what? That's outside of boxing. I have stress in my daily life where I'm like, I don't even need to be adding extra stress of other stuff. So I'm just like, I'm not even on social media.

I just, when it's the right time to go back on, I'll come back on. When's the last time you were on? On social media. Yeah. When I posted my latest Instagram picture. So I just come back, post, come off. You delete it off the phone? No, I keep it at a phone that I have when I'm at a certain place.

So, if I'm at home somewhere else, then I won't be able to access it until I go home. This is a lot of discipline for a young man. Life's letting me just like down these places. And I don't know on Instagram sometimes or something there might not be the best for your career. So I'm like, as of right now, I don't need it. I wish I had this discipline. No Snapchat, no nothing like that? I heard all the kids are on Snapchat.

Oh, man. I have Snapchat, of course. Oh, you do? What is? I'm not a Snapchat for, to look on Zufo boxing or whatever. Sure. What are you on there for, by the way? What's going on over there?

Chatting? I feel like you're asking too many questions now. I'm on the hot seat. Oh, no. I don't know. You know what? If I'd be completely honest with you, I've got so many memories that I'm actually annoyed that they've added that. You need to pay to keep the storage on that.

I've got so many memories from when I was a kid. So I just, I don't know. What are you going to do? You're going to spring for it? No, I'm probably going to download it onto my phone and then get rid of Snapchat. Okay. All right. Yeah.

I say, I mean, you're most of the time you can, you can afford it, right? What is it? Nine bucks? No, I think it's like two pound a month. Oh, damn. Yeah. Two pound a month. that's the price of a cup of coffee.

Man, I don't even know what to say. You're about the headline, The Co-op Live. What are you trying to insinuate? That you're killing it. You're killing it in life. I'm trying my best. I appreciate you. I appreciate you notice in that,

but I'm trying my best. And just curious, everything around you, life, as far as like, you know, there's people who probably come out of the woodwork, they want a piece of you, the leeches, all this stuff. You're doing well? Like, you feel like you're

navigating this world well? Listen, I'm only 21 year old. Yeah. And people need to realize that not only I obviously got my career, but I'm growing up in front of the cameras. Like, first I'm at a camera shoved in my face. I was 16 years old. From 16 to 21 for 21, like, we're important years on a man's life. And like having to adapt to that or having to, I guess, yeah, grow up in front of the world.

opinions and whatnot so I'm trying I'm trying is there anyone in the public eye like a sportsman a celebrity that you think handled it well who you've looked to to see how they've navigated this um are you just like it do you mean as in like I think of a David Beckham right when like Beckham came on the scene he was quite young and he had to deal with a lot of attention and pressure and things like that AJ was pretty young as well like there are people who have had to deal with this from your country You think AJ was young?

How old was he, actually? When he was in the Olympics. When he was in the Olympics, I think he might have been like 22, 23. So, I mean, a little bit older than you, but still, that was the London Olympics, so there was a lot of pressure on him. Yeah, true. But I think AJ's handled it very well. I think David Beckham's handled it very well.

Agreed. Yeah, do you know, I take it from, or I take, I take what I like from other people. So what I see that AJ's done correct or what I've seen that David Beckham does, well, I'll put that in my own career. Like, I wouldn't shape my whole identity around them, but I'll definitely take certain things from them.

For sure. Well, you're doing great. You're well on your way, and I'm very, very excited to see you back in action. So it's March 28th next Saturday, co-op live, you versus Jermaine Franklin, the magnificent seven, as that poster said. You're such a big deal.

It was a magnificent seven. You couldn't find January to scrap the whole thing for you. It's really the magnificent one, if we're being honest, Moses. But I know you wouldn't say that because you're too humbled to say that. They're fighting. No, I know. I'm looking forward to really Hutchison and Ezra Taylor. I'm actually quite annoyed that they're fighting on this undercut because I really wanted to watch it.

So, yeah, man, I hear it. Good luck to you. Eric, was you calling me cheap earlier? No, I wasn't doing that. I wasn't doing that. I was just saying, can I listen, I just don't like to waste money in it.

I get, I get you, man, I get you got to be smart. To be honest, I don't know what's going on on the Snapchat and I have young kids myself

and so I was trying to get a sense for like, what are they charging you over there, you know? Well, I don't know where it's on the States. I mean, I rarely use it anymore,

but like I said, yeah. Yeah, they call me Unk over here, you know? Yeah, really? That's what they say. 43? 43. Oh, snap.

What? You call me old, Moses? I just didn't realize it was 43. That's worse than cheap. My bad. No, man, you look good for your age. I appreciate that. I've also been doing some boxing myself,

so if you come over here, I could show you just the right I thought against Dillian, like, just the cross, you know? I'll show you some footage. I'll send it to you via your PR. It's hard to get you on the social media. Yeah, you won't get me on social media. No, I won't.

would love to have you in studio, so you're welcome anytime. Please do come. It'll be a great time for now, though. Good luck next weekend. Can't wait for it. And always great to talk to you. Really appreciate it, Moses. I appreciate it. All the best. There he is. The great Moses, Sittama, just 21 years young. He became 21 on the 29th of December, not the 28th. And he is fighting next weekend on DeZone. And I'm looking forward to that very much. He is must-see TV. Give me a bit of a hard time there, Moses. golly but I enjoy I enjoy the bans as they say you know the bans the banter yeah man know the bans

you know about the bands you know about the bands it's kind of your fault because I mentioned the Nike thing and that led us to like yeah you know look whatever gets us

the Timitama Nike's sweaters that's all that matters how are they not selling that I do I've looked up and down the internet can't find it what I don't understand

guys on billboards and they're not even own his merch are you not like he's as far as like 21-year-old phenom Brits right now in sport. I know there's the 16-year-old who just scored for Arsenal, but he's on the short list.

He's going to be heavyweight champion, I would imagine, in very, very short order. There's a lot of drama over there and a lot of things that are tied up. I feel like people would buy that. It is crazy. You're looking at one right here. He's so young, 21. You forget he's 21 when you talk to him, right?

Yeah. Is it crazy I have a WBC title and he doesn't? It's a little bit crazy you consider them. WBC title. It's a wristwatch. I've got a black belt. What else do I have? BKFC title.

All kinds of belts here. Jeremy Steven's going to join us at 430. I'll answer your super chats after that. In a matter of moments, though, we are going to be joined by Todd DeBuff, the president of Top Rank. They actually just announced a big deal this morning with the one and only Desone,

our old friends at DeZone. In fact, we have a video of Bob Aram making the announcement and talking about the announcement. Let's play that, and then we'll welcome in Mr. Todd DeBuff. Here we go. Hello, everyone. Thank you for joining us today. In the next few weeks, I'll celebrate 60 years since promoting my first fight

when Muhammad Ali defended his title against George Chavallo in Toronto, Canada. What started with that one event has turned into a historic run with some of the most unforgettable and iconic moments in the sport. Now we're beginning a new chapter at Top Rank as we've signed a multi-year partnership with the global home of boxing DeZone. This agreement will bring our events, library, and unparalleled roster to the Zone and their subscribers. Not only the current great fighters,

but the fighters from yesteryear that are just legendary, in the sport. Fighters like Manzone and Valdez and Tommy Hernes and Marvelous Marvin Agla and Sugar Ray Linnett and Roberto Duran. We're proud of the history we've built over the past six decades and we're very excited about the next chapter. I look forward to bringing the best fighters and the best fights to fans everywhere watching on the zone, which is the place to be to watch really great modern boxing.

And so there he is, the one and only Bob Aram, the legend, still doing his thing. Let's talk to the president of top rank Mr. Todd DeBuff about this very exciting announcement. There he is. Todd in the house. So great to see you. How are you? I'm great. I told him I got the walk and I was hoping for a Jennifer Hudson walk.

I was waiting for the good to hold the music. We're not quite there yet. We're not quite there yet. But we're working our way up. Congratulations. This is the famous desk that I fantasize about. You fantasize about this? I fantasize about this.

Why? Because I just, I think this one puts McAfee's the shame. I appreciate that. Wow. That is high praise. I love it. Wow. I love it.

Thank you. I appreciate that. I mean, I just come more often. I'm in. I love this, I love this, it's real. Look at this,

WBC title. This shit, this shit is real, man. Yes, yes, yes, all of this. This is as real as he gets, right? Even this window is quasi real.

I love it. Well, welcome, thank you very much. If you don't mind, just bring the mic closer. Get comfortable, yeah, there we go. Listen, I left my jacket out there. I appreciate that.

Congratulations. This is very exciting. I have a million questions. You know, I figured that was nice. Yes. And by the way, I just let everybody know, you text me late last night. I did.

Right. Like, I'm really excited. We're going to chew this one up. So I'm like, all in. I'm like, a sleepless night for me. You know, a lot of people have texted me in the industry. Oh, this is big. Okay, we're going to get some answers here. Great to have Todd in studio. How did today go? You had the press conference earlier. You know, everything went fantastic. And I really, you know, it's new, right? And, you know, I've been down the road a long time with a lot of different partners. And it's new. And so, and to, and to, One thing, like I said at the press conference and I said it in private, is like, you know, we've been talking for over a year. I've known them for five years, six years, right? So it's like, are they friend or foe? Right. It's like, which one am I taking you at?

And I'm really glad, just smooth, like-minded, the way we think, the way we talk, it was really a wonderful introduction. Okay. So your last event with ESPN was July of 2025. At what point did you come to the realization that that relationship was coming to an end? I think we kind of, I mean, I don't know that it was coming to an end is a fair description. Okay. Right. I think what the description, as we kind of talked about, was at the time, we needed size and we needed live.

And when you think about it, we sign in 2017, 2017 to do our first. We move from HBO to ESPN there, and we do a bunch of live events. ESPN Plus doesn't get launched until the beginning of 18. And that became the impetus behind our bigger part of a deal. If you remember, it was like up three times and like in the number of years. So they were really having an initiative to drive the directed consumer product. There wasn't rights just dangling around. So they needed my library.

They needed size of events, 24 from international, 30 from here. It was a big thing. So the way it was described was, listen, our needs now have changed. Our needs have changed. We don't need the size. We may be interested in some bigger nights or independent nights, you know, maybe one a month, maybe one a quarter, or whatever it was. So we kind of knew, like, their needs and their direction was a bit different.

And that was that was before the you know well before that so we kind of knew that months before Yeah, yeah it was it was yeah it was it was you know months before maybe like like six months before So at that point are you able to shop around? Yes yes historically in the TV business the reason I'm asking this is by the time one deal is done you kind of know where the next stop is right and that wasn't the case with you guys Well, I could have made deals. Okay. I don't remember. We're not going to talk about like, you know, we felt it was very important to stay strong.

And just because we were naked, or as people would say, oh, you don't have a deal, you're, where are you going? And I basically said, I think, for 53 fucking years, we never had media rights deals. It didn't actually come into play until we actually did the ESPN deal, right? Because you would be at Showtime for one night, HBO the next night, a Univision series, an ESPN series. We were all over the place, but nobody had a traditional media rights deal. That was kind of defined for the first time

at that ESPN Disney thing, where they said, I want everything. I want the whole vertical, and I want it there. That was the beginning of a meteorite steal. It never existed before then. And so you never felt the pressure, right? Because everyone's talking about you, everyone's saying you don't have a home, August.

September, October, you weren't feeling nervous, anxious, sweating about this. You knew you were going to take your time, who was going to work out the way in which you wanted to work out. Is that fair? No, I'm asking. Is this a fair? Yes. I mean, obviously, obviously you think about, oh, my God, is this merger going to happen?

Is Paramount married you with this? And what happens to this network and what's going on with this one? And they're spinning this out. And what about here? And I'm not sure if I want to go there. And what am I going to tell my fighters? what am I going to do? Okay, so you were sweating it a little bit.

Everybody sweats in this business. Anybody's saying they don't sweat it in any media rights negotiation for any content parter is full of shit. Okay. All right? I mean, look, remember the, what was it, wrestling, right? They went and they pulled out the rabbit out of the hat getting the Netflix deal. Right?

They were worried where they were going. So I think everybody, you're not, we're not all the NFL. Right. Right. Everybody is worried like NFL is going to extract so much money from the media market now that every property is like, oh, no, what does that mean about me? Are they going to get rid of MLB or NHL or, you know, or golf or whatever because they have to have the NFL? Everybody is thinking that. So, yeah, we're all, you're always on pins and needles, right?

We need media partners to be healthy. We need them to be successful. Legacy is struggling today. It is absolutely struggling. So when you go into a marketplace with into a marketplace with mergers happening, split off splinters, and you're looking at red ink everywhere, yeah, you're nervous. Did it take longer than you expected? Unfortunately, I'm not controlling the process as much as I want.

Yeah. Right? Certain, you know, certain thing, timing is everything. Timing is such a big piece of it. I mean, our ESPN deal was time perfectly, by accident, though. right, which was the ESPN Plus launched, the DTC getting launched, right? The first piece wasn't, I had to make the move from HBO and Showtime, right? I wanted to get off an entertainment channel and move along to a sports channel.

That was phase one, but the bigger phase was, oh-oh, we're going all in on DTC. That timing worked great for me. So it's hard to figure out. You can't necessarily time it. Were there talks to go back to ESPN? Oh, absolutely. Because it seemed like for a moment ESPN was out of the boxing business, but then very recently reports started to pop up that you guys were talking again. Yeah, we have a great relationship with them. We're talking to them all the time.

Okay. I mean, so, I mean, it's, you know, I would say that one thing that we did do was, I think we did remain very civil. and there was no bitterness and there was no, you know, resentment and they're a wonderful platform, they're a great partner, we loved everything about it. Their needs were different than our needs, right? And their needs weren't necessarily exactly

what, you know, that could take our whole vertical like we did before, so we had to be inventive. What did you learn about the state of the TV business, broadcast business, streaming, you were out there in the wilderness, right? I'm sure you talked to everyone. And so you probably,

know very, very, very precisely what is going on, what people are looking for, what networks are looking for. So what did you learn about this throughout this process? I mean, I think I hit on it before that legacy is really challenged. I mean, I think as much as you can hear about it or talk about it and you can watch CNBC and, you know, the guys roll their eyes, oh, we're a Vissant now, I guess. Right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. And then like, you know, it's a legacy is completely challenged. And I think if you were to look at the diagram of how our world looks at, it's Amazon, Apple, Google, Netflix because they're first to market, Disney, probably because they have a mode around themselves because of the parks business. And I think this merger was the one to

probably add the sixth, right? Everybody else's game on. They don't know where it is. But I think when you start to see, you know, the way the dynamic has shifted and you're starting to see the power of YouTube. And, I mean, they're advertising sales words. They released greater than the aggregate of almost the entire bundle of everybody else in ad sales. The world is just technologically just, we're going more toward tech than we are to legacy media. And I think in my era and in the era of Bob, we had a huge. huge value on free to air. Free to air was it. That's all we thought about. Free to Air, Fox, NBC, CBS, that made it. It's a different world today. I think it's a component of it. It's never going to go

away. But pay cable seems like it's dying pretty quick. Speaking about, we just played the video that he shared announcing this and sharing his feelings. How involved is he at this point in this process and these types of things? I mean, he's involved in he wants to know. He wants to be informed. And he just, you know, he's sitting there. I mean, he is actually a historian in the evolution of media. Right. What he has done. Yeah. Right. And so when I explained to him, hey, look what has happened over time. And he's like, oh my God, I can't believe this. So I think he's very in tune. He has really good instincts. And he's open-minded to understanding disruption, other mechanisms that people are getting content.

Social platforms. I mean, social platforms are a massive leader today in everything that we do. Those appetizers of content, regardless if it's on an NBA game on Peacock, as soon as it goes out socially, it's getting to way bigger audience than anything we ever thought.

So all of that, he gets it. I'm always blown away. I see him one week in Japan, one week in England, here on the East Coast, like, the motor doesn't seem to be slowing down. I don't understand it. He defies logic and time. He does defy logic and time. The reason why the motor has temporarily slowed down. Okay.

He had a knee replacement surgery. Interesting. Okay. How's he doing? He's doing great. I mean, it's amazing. But at 94, having your knee replaced is like, so we're hoping it's bionics. We think it's the $6 million man is coming back. Oh my gosh. No, no, no, no. So I think he's doing great, but it's hard. because he's not somebody that stays stationary. He's not somebody that wants. So his brain is going and he's at home,

but we just keep him engaged, and I think he's doing really well. Why does he feel the neat? Like, why does he need to be there in Japan? Like, why does he have to go all the way to the Middle East or Europe? Why, you could chill at home? It's, it's, chilling at home is, is not his, em. It's not his DNA.

Not his thing, man. It's not his thing. He loves the fights. He loves the fighters. He loves to be in the action. that's what he loves, keeps him going. And I feel like the fighters love him, right? Like I see, they want the meeting, they want the photo up, they want to be in his presence.

Yeah, in the last 10 years, yeah, or seven years, yes, the previous 53 years. I got a lot of shade from our fighters coming at us. This generation, yes, this generation, yeah, Grandpa Bob, Jeffa Bob gives the ring, right? Exactly, exactly. Before there was a knife in his back. Right, right. Good point. Good point. Fair play.

So when did you feel like DeZone was close? When did you start to feel like, okay, this is going to be our home? You know, I think we have an obligation. I think all of us have an obligation in the content business to see where the marketplace is going, right? And I was, DeZone came in in a very bold way early on and really like kind of caught me by surprise because, I mean, I taught John Skipper. or what a South Paul was, again, Loma and Rigo, at the Highsmith, you know, when they had the

Heisman, yeah, the Heisman trophy winner, yeah, and all of a sudden I see him come into the marketplace and throw $300 million to Canello on another platform. I didn't know what to think, right? And back then. And over time, I was like always watching, watching what they were doing, seeing what they were doing, seeing what the content is, what is their strategy. And they have an excellent strategy throughout the world. I think the real question is, what were they doing here? And were they disrupting my business? Were they looking at how could we do this?

And I think I loved their commitment to the sport. It wasn't like, yeah, I'm nice to have. It was a half to have. And those half to halves and people that like your sport, and because I've been an evangelist for boxing is just so undervalued at times. People don't get it. Let's talk about it. And seeing how high it was on their radar was a really, you know, a big, big importance to me.

I think the other thing that I really liked was their creativity. And we started to do events, some of those re-ad season events. And I started getting exposure to them. The final, and I would say just over a year ago, was when we started talking. and talking about like-minded nature of the bigger we make the sport, the bigger we get. There used to be a mindset that I'm a platform. I don't care how small it is. I want it all here for me.

And that's where the product ends up getting hurt, right? When the sport gets stuck on an island at times and isn't able to get released. And when I saw that what they executed with Club World Cup here in the United States and partnering with people. I was like, they got it. They figured it out. I get this. We're like-minded.

We're like-minded. And that gave me the confidence, you know, that there was a path forward. For the last few years, obviously on ESPN, you were their only boxing property. Now you're sharing the broadcaster with many different properties. How do you feel about that? I think it's a benefit for everybody. I mean, I think, you know, I've been in the business 33 years. and often we had headwinds and friction because we weren't all aligned or we didn't have a common interest.

And the convenient, non-common interest was different networks. So now, if we all have a stake in this wonderful platform, it's going to be singless. We should be able to make matches. Now, we get along great with Eddie. We get along great with the Warrens. We get along great with PBS. we can talk all day long, but a lot of times, you know, I mean, Mayweather Pac-O was a mess to make between the HBO's and the showtimes of the world.

So we had a lot of lines. It would be like taking, you know, an NFC game on Fox and saying, hey, I want it on CBS on Sunday. That's not their relationship. They have the AFC. You get it? Yes, yes, yes, yes. And so you just said, good relationship, great relationship with Eddie with Frank.

One thing I wondered, we know that Golden Boys deal with the zone is coming up or is up, And they've done a couple of shows here and there, but it doesn't seem like anything long term has been signed. Are you replacing Golden Boy on DeZone to the best of your knowledge? That's Golden Boy's business. That's DeZone's business. Okay. I'm not, I mean, I'm looking at what is a really good strategic partner for us, somebody that makes sense for us, great for our fighters, opportunity. And that's my business.

And my relationship with DeZone is independent. And so far, that was one of the real reasons we want to do it. And, you know, it's going to be interesting because. I really find that now the fighters are going to have to, like, there is no excuses, right? So when guys used to turn down fights sometimes, it was like, well, he's over there, I'm over here. The manager, whoa. We're not going to be able to get that one done, are we? Right?

Right. So it's going to put a lot of heat on them, right? Because the pressure is going to come into, let's start making some matches. Somebody's got to make decisions you don't have an excuse. How many years is the deal? Multiple years. Why can you be? I'm going to be.

Why are people so afraid of the years question? I think we've decided, and I think this is respectful. Okay. If it was an exclusive deal of I was their only person, I get it. Then I have no problem giving them, and we both agree, no problem giving you more of the granular finances. It's not, there's multiple rights holders. I don't want this to be precedential that they hold my deal against somebody else,

and you see this all the time. You hear about, well, why did this guy get this much money? Why don't I get it? I get you. Let's not open a Pandora's box. Let's have a little like, you know, we have our own different relationship. Whatever it is, it is. And it's good.

And I think those details can be more harming to us create in a really good free market. Could I ask how many fights, how many events per year? It's, I mean, that again, it's still, it's. Is that one? Because we know, they tell us. how many match room they tell us how many right so rude the matrum's a legacy deal okay right we want to and um i've seen eight to 10 i've seen eight to i don't think i don't i don't think i don't think i mean honestly i'm not sure it's going to be less than or greater than i think it's going to be

work really fluid right there's no set number i mean not really no and and i'm to set the line what would you say the line would be you know are we setting the line at 12 over under what are we taking come on man is that a big question yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah Yeah. That is a big question. I just want to know the scope. Because I want to be, I want to respect their relationship.

Okay, fair enough. Right? Because what if they dug in their heels with one of their other rights holders? Okay. Even though they don't have the gun. And they said, I couldn't get you those extra two fights. And they said, why did you just give those to top rank? That's bullshit.

You don't want to. I've been with you forever. Okay, okay. Right? And I just think it's like, let's, let me listen, we're doing something that hasn't been done before. In what way? We're putting all the content holders under one umbrella. Okay, okay.

Let's embrace that. Well, it's all, right? You understand. The majority of the majority of the, the majority of the, yes. The majority of the rights holders in this space for the last 40 years are now moving towards one platform. That's good for the sport. Let's see what, you know, and I don't want to disrupt the momentum, right, and get somebody, you know, sideways. Is this your exclusive home?

No. Okay. So you can make a deal with someone else if you want. Yes. Are you going to look to make a deal with someone else? Yes. Okay. Is that imminent? Has that been done yet? Has that been signed?

No. Okay, but is it closed? So we are, we, we have, they are my cornerstone, um, uh, streaming partner. Yeah. All right. They are the first spoke of a wheel. All right. Uh, the way I look at it is we are going to grow the space together. We are going to grow the space together and hand in hand working to work to. expand. So how that happens and where it goes together and what other mechanisms we use and other platforms to grow the business will be aligned. And that's the most important. Are there restrictions like you can't go to another streaming platform? It could be linear if you're with like in that regard. I mean, I feel like there's a deposition. No, I love this

stuff. I live and breathe. Don't you know? I love it too. This is a great opportunity to speak to the president of top. I listen, well, you can tell me to go, You could tell me to take a hike. I still do have to ask these questions because everyone was wondering. So I think what we described to them is, and what we all agree to, is our body of work and what we have is so significant, right, with regard to what my bandwidth is that we believe that we can add up a bunch that could be very supportive to them, however we do it. And it may be that, you know, they say, hey, we don't want you to, and let's start expanding even. further. Okay. So I don't want to, I don't want to be concrete on anything. I want to say, this was the cornerstone to our first spoke of the, of that wheel. Okay. How many spokes we have

to be determined, but obviously they understand that and we all know that there could be other pieces that wheel done. There's talks, you would say? Yes, absolutely. It's always talks. Oh, yes. Yes. And by the way, I remember, you know, I used to be represented by Nick Khan. So I remember getting invited to the big press conference, Mayweather-McGregor Week, when you guys announced the ESPN deal. CAA was representing you guys, and you were out there,

and the word was, you got a great deal, based on what everyone said. Were you doing this on your own this time, or did you have someone representing you? So the CAA group that did was Alan Gold, his group, which does her media rights,

and Alan, who worked with Nick at that time, still is there and was in... leading this. has shepherded us through the process as well. Okay. In, you know, we complement each other. When's the first one? Do we know that?

The first top rank on the zone event? You know, we're in the process of, there's some big swings we're looking at to possibly happen. So I don't want to prematurely jump into things. We have option A could happen as early as May. Option B could happen as early as June, but it all depends on how a couple of these things fall. But that time frame? Yeah, yeah, I mean, we're looking, we're looking spring. You have sort of like a dream scenario, like a fight that you want to kick this off?

No, I think what I would, like, I really believe in not just the one, but it's the body of work, and it's how you do that. And I think what we have is, and we've always excelled at, and I remember early on in my days when I was going in Albuquerque with Danny Romero and Johnny Tapio, right? we do such wonderful development of these fighters. So going to Norfolk, Virginia, just seems like a great one for Kishon. Coming into New York with Shushu, no-brainer. Going back to Puerto Rico with Xander, amazing. Taking Abdullah Mason to Cleveland, right? Those things are how we develop platforms.

And we've done this only for, you know, 50 years, right? when HBO was just launching and getting into boxing. And then in 1980, when ESPN did Friday night fights, that was a strategy we had. And then we did it with Univision in the 90s. And then we came back to it, you know, with ESPN, with DTC. So I think they need national scale. And national scale happens when you energize local markets.

First, your local markets, it starts the avalanche starts the bill. Then national goes. So that's really what we live. love doing, getting lively crowds, hometowns, connecting to the fans there. And I think you guys do a tremendous job. And quite frankly, I said this before you even came on, even knew you were coming on. I think of the American promoters. And I think you can be a very strong case of the global promoters.

No one has a better young stable right now, future superstars than you guys, than top rank, these names. And you've had names that have turned into stables, excuse me, that have turned to staples like Shakur and Tio, who just headlined MSG, et cetera, et cetera. those guys are future superstars and on the cusp of greatness. Maybe not pay-per-view draws right now, but draws locally and on TV. Is there a desire on your end to be in the pay-per-view business anymore, or do you want this to just be on DeZone without that second paywall attached to it? So DeZone's in the pay-per-view business.

To a degree, right? They've got this pass. It's a little confusing. I don't want to speak for them, but I can say it's part of their strategy. Got you. All right. So we are going to complement that strategy. We are a big piece of complement.

This is where they want to go. We can figure out solutions there. I think we're going to look at all of the above. And it could be just subscription. It could be pay-per-view. It could be whatever. And I think largely at ESPN, it wasn't that we weren't in the pay-per-view business. I think what happened was, and I'll kind of revisit that for a moment, is when COVID hit.

And they were all. off the air and they weren't getting their cable, you know, given, they weren't getting their cable fees because they didn't have live events coming. There was an initiative for them to be like, we were thinking about doing Loma and Lopez on pay-per-view. And they said, don't please, please, let's put this on linear. Let's start to lean in more heavily on linear. And that was a strategy that was executed where they wanted to light up the linear, you know, network. And which worked simultaneously was to do the simultaneously simulcast on ESPN plus it wasn't up until that point that you could do both that you would only be on linear and then we had exclusive plus so that was the

beginning of a of a strategy executed by ESPN and ourselves we've been frustrated at the inability to make the boots enous Virgil Ortiz fight and now of a sudden we see hey it could be Xander Zayas sliding in and quite frankly I said this yesterday that's a very good plan being if that is plan B, is it plan B? It's a very good plan B if it's a plan B. Are you interested? Absolutely.

Are there talks of this happening? Absolutely, you should have been at lunch with me. I was doing my show. It's a long show. Zias versus Boots is tremendous. Yeah, we're talking. Would you do that in Puerto Rico? Would Boots be okay with that?

I'm not sure Puerto Rico's the place to do it. You know, in a perfect world, I love New York for that fight. I really love New York for the fight. I think we've been playing around with some buildings and looking at some stuff. In New York, the availability is a little bit. But it's in talks. I mean, I think people have, I mean, that you've saw the chatter out there.

Zander wants the fight. We would love to do the fight. And I know that match room and DeZone would love to see Boots get that fight. What was it like for you over the last few months? Your guys, and I know you referenced this at the presser, like, Top Rank has been kicking ass. But you've had to do it maybe on different places, different platforms, other shows. I mean, even Zaya's and Vargas are at the freaking Super Bowl, at the halftime show with bad buddy.

Like, you didn't disappear. And I'm sure that gave you some sort of hope that like, it wasn't hope. It was, it was, I mean, Ariel, you've been in the business, right? I mean, we can talk about, you know, we have something in common. We both were at ESPN. Yes, we were. Right, right. All right.

All right. All right. So there's a point that you have to believe in yourself. And you're not going to make, you make decisions based on. strategy and you make decisions based for long-term success. So if I had to rent my guys out basically and do POSs so they wiped everybody's ass, kicked everybody's ass, fine with me and thank you. You're keeping them busy.

I'm just proven that we got the crem to like gram, right? That must have felt good, right? Oh, it's great. When our guys deliver, it's amazing. Abdul is winning over here, Shushu's winning. I mean, every single guy. I mean, and then how about, you know, and then we whip Andy Cruz's butt. Right, right.

And then Navarepi, it's smoked sunoians. I mean, we really did, you know, you know, Maritaya, and most people did not think Maritaya was going to do it. And, you know, and this is Andy Cruz, the great gold medal is. My matchmaker's like, don't wait, he's going to run them out of the ring. I love it. I love it.

All right. So, I mean, you know, the one thing, and like I said at the press conference, to Peter, I was like, you had no choice. I whipped all your stable, man. You got to come to us, right? I'm just going to keep wiping them down, down. So I think that's a big piece. It's like there's nothing like being able to talk bold when they can fight bold, right?

You know, when you can deliver, when you have that ability, you can talk all you want because then you take on all comers. It's when the market ability out does your fighting ability and you start talking bold. You better be careful what you chew off. And that's part of matchmaking. I'm weaving in the fight stuff and the business stuff, okay? It's like it's like a boxing match. You know, you slip the jab. How am I doing?

How am I doing? How am I doing? You're doing tremendous. Am I like the James Tony role yet or whatever? You're incredible. You're Bernard Hopkins. Esk. Ring Magazine, Twitter posts about this on Monday. They delete the tweet. They have the terms. They delete it. What was that all about? I don't know. And I don't give a shit. Okay. Were there terms correct? I don't know. And I honestly, I don't know.

Okay. Could you tell us? I'm going to ask you. But I told you I'm not going to tell you the term. So where are going to go? The number. This is a whole thing, right? I'm so sick of this source is bullshit. Right? I mean, and by the way, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's almost like the bullshit we deal with in everyday journalism, right? And I'm, right, we know what CNN's going to do. We know what MSNBC is going to do.

And we know what Fox is going to do. Everybody's compromised. Sports fans. The fucking space is compromised. All right. People have, are playing. They're playing chips. Everyone is not playing.

There is no agnostic. journalism anymore. There is no Time magazine in Lucian. People are playing games and they got bets. Same shit goes on in sports. So I don't want to bother my nonsense or my Twitter read or my stuff with

people playing games because usually where it comes from, it's an agenda. So I don't know what it is. I don't care about it. All I care about is. To that point, let me just ask you this. Front Office Sports writes about this deal and they say that the zone wanted to do this because they were

growing frustrated with Eddie loaning his fighters out to other platforms namely Netflix accurate I thought that was a little weird and I'll tell you why they just resigned Eddie and it felt like hmm that's weird why would you resign the guy it's such a yenta thing has such bullshit has this been said to you

never never okay okay there's a lot of drama it's not drama it's this is made up shit this is throwing shade on people right this is what people where is it coming from I mean I think I mean what do you mean where is it coming from Like, who's... People try, people do this shit all the time.

They make up shit just to, you know, misery loves company, right? People want to see other people suffer and beat them up and play these games and spin out shit that has no relevance on them. They do this shit for a living, right? They do it in all parts, in all parts of life,

but sports is one of them. How do you feel about the boxing business right now? It's very interesting. Speaking of this drama, I mean, not that long ago, you have Eddie and Frank holding hands with Turkey, now they seem to be on the,

outs with him right and now it seems like Turkey is aligning with Zufa boxing TKO and it seems like it's changed dramatically in the last six or eight months your take on the state of the business right now well those are personalities in the business those are people that are playing in the business all right I'm I'm an advocate of very big I've been I always say this I'm an evangelist for the the sport I was born in Las Vegas and I remember in 81 going to see Leonard and Hearns so my my family taking me I used to the town used to get lit up for all these prize fights.

Were you at that one? Were you at Leonard Duran? No, I was not. My hometown. The brawl in Montreal. There we go. I was not there. You weren't there.

I was not there. So I've been always just an evangelist for the sport, and I've always felt it was positioned the wrong way. I think I believe just so passionately, there is nothing like, nothing like that moment when those two fighters leave the locker room and enter the ring. That sensation. The goosebumps that is incredible.

And when people see that and experience it, they go, oh my God, I've never seen anything like this in my life. And I say that because that's traditional boxing. That is where we excel. I don't know. You know, people ask me about Jake Paul. I appreciate him. I think what he does and marketability is amazing.

But I'm really not into that business. Really, I'm not into that business. You know, people talk about, oh, Mayweather Pack. I'm like, I did that 15. years ago and it was three years late. I mean, I feel sorry for all these young kids on the stage because those kind of sizzles, right? Those sizzle events that last, expire the next time, are taking away a lot of oxygen for the sport, for the young kids. But it adds awareness on a different perspective. So I have a conflict. But I think the sport in itself, because of

our, the relationships of top rank coming to the zone. The promoters wanting to align to make the best fights out there, the globalization of it, Nakatania in a way in May, everything is coming together beautifully. The personalities, that's a whole different story. I think you have to look at the foundational pieces, though. Do you have a working relationship with Rietz's season? Yeah. I mean, yeah, absolutely.

I mean, if they need something, if they want something from our shows, from our stable, We will obviously do that. We obviously had a bunch of fighters on the ring show, which was, you know, Shushu, Kishan, T.O., right? You know, we're all here in New York two months ago. Okay, okay. You did mention Inouye, and we showed the graphic that was posted this morning of the announcement and the fighters and whatnot. Conspicuous by his absence, I do believe this one right here was Naoya, in a way, who is scheduled to meet Junto Nakatani in May. Is there a reason for that?

No, I don't know. Okay. No, I think because this is our U.S. rights, and he's really not fighting in the U.S. Okay. Will you guys be promoting that? So we're, we have a relationship with both, in a way, and Nakatani, right, long-term relationships. So that will err on his own? I can't. Okay.

That's a big time fight. It's a wonderful fight. It's a wonderful fight. So I think you, you know, what we tried to do, was put into an agreement with the zone, a working relationship with select fighters from a territory where they really wanna lean in on. And that's America.

Okay. So the exclusion, I mean, I'm not sure even Raphael Espinosa was on that slide, I didn't really see it. So we had to be careful about, I mean, their strategy, they're leaning, like, they are leaning on Eddie and Frank to go move the UK. That is their core, that is their base, they need to develop that.

market they're really leaning on us to like let's light up the US let's get the momentum going let's move this sport and keep pushing it and that's why we kind of IDed some guys that were going to be frequently on them on the platform since your last show on ESPN a new player is coming to the game Zoufa boxing and they're they're coming right what do you make mean they're coming there well well well well they're coming in the sense that they're trying to you know bring in this Ali enhancement act they're bringing in their own belt there's a lot of changes okay let me ask you about

that how do you feel about this a rare opportunity to get your two cents first with the ali enhancement act so ridiculous why I mean I you know I just think it's you know it's so hypocritical and it's and it's really the fact the fundamentals let's let's talk about UFC was created by Nevada boxing commission regulators right Lorenzo Fertita bought it he in Nevada but didn't create it didn't create it let's it about my rights yes yeah yeah in in the current version yes right cleaned it up all all these guys had the the creations they all brought in Mark Ratner they brought in Kirk Kendrick right they brought in Michael Marsh they brought in a lot of Epstein he wasn't he wasn't he was my sure I know

that's what I'm saying but he was part of Zufa no okay I'm saying they they brought in people to so they did and what they did was they architected a beautiful product in UFC. But they also did was they, they saw the problems that existed in how boxing got regulated and eliminated, created a business model

so they didn't have to succumb to that. Right? And all they did was tell us how bad we were and how bad boxing was and Bob Aram is this and Bob Aram is that and fuck boxing and it's an old man sport. Now they want to come in with the third leg of the school, right?

They have wrestling, which is fiction. they have, it's as real as it gets is on the other side, so who knows what's in between, right? And the third leg of the school is boxing. And they say, we want to play, we want to play. But we want to change the rules for us and nobody else. That's, you know, I saw Dana call somebody a pussy. That seems like a fucking pussy, right?

What do you mean you want to change the rules for you that only apply to you and nobody else? I don't get that. I really don't understand it. And I think that if you want to get into the sport, great, come into the sport, right? Come into what we're all operating in. It would be like, I want to trade stocks in the SEC, but I want to do it a separate way. I want to be able to front run somebody, right, or get inside information.

It doesn't make sense. But they're very powerful. They're very well connected. They have a great product in UFC and in WWE. They're great at it. And I think I understand their strategy. They want to build out a boxing vertical. I'm not sure they really, I can't figure out which path they're choosing on this one.

I heard it was a league. I heard it wasn't a league. I don't know. And I think they're in the air on where they're going. How do you feel about them introducing their own belt? Okay. I mean, I mean, you know, I don't, I don't, I, I find it very hard. I think I echo what Eddie says.

I mean, over the last, I sent you a note over the last couple of months, I've really enjoyed. Eddie is a wonderful communicator. Yes. And he's clever and he has something. And he's 100% right. Every time I walk into a kid's room and he's 17 years old or 18 years old and I meet the family, they all want to be a world champion. They want to be a world, they want to wear the green belt.

They want the WBA belt. They want the IBF belt. That's what I see. and very similar to the tradition than the history of baseball, right? People like, they look at the record book, the animals of like great batting averages and Ruth, and they go back in the history. There is that vein where the grandfather of these kids saw Julio Cesar Chavez fight and Salvador Sanchez and these represented something.

So I think you can't take the history out of the sport, but I give them credit for trying. That's it. You think it's inevitable that they will be successful? in making these changes, having their own belt, the Enhancement Act, if you will. It seems inevitable. It seems inevitable that this bill will pass. It seems inevitable that they'll be able to have their own belt. Do you think they'll be successful? I mean, I think there's, I think, I think they're all smart. They have an enormous amount of a political influence. They have been spending tens of millions of dollars on lobbyists for decades. And I think they'll get shit done. How successful will be is

really up to them. And I think they got to be careful. I think they have to be careful. I think I haven't seen this much vocal just rage by the MMA athletes today against UFC then in 30 years. I've never seen this. The genie's out of the bottle. I think they played a game with this Connor Ben thing. I don't know what the purpose of that game was, right? And then they kind of try to wipe their hands of it. But that domino fell. And I have never seen anything where these athletes who were so scared to say anything, this is like old iron curtain shit, right? Where people don't say anything.

I'm going to get thrown into Siberia. I'm going to be thrown away. You know, and the propaganda, I got to listen to all that bullshit. I haven't never seen anything like this where these kids are just all now voicing their opinions. And that's the domino. I'm not sure they sure thought was going to fall when they got into it. What do you make of Dana's demeanor since getting into this, you know, the things that

he has been saying about the business, about what he's going to. to do, how he's going to dominate, about how there's no competition, there's no evolution, there's no forward thinking, beating up babies, all this stuff. That's Dana. I mean, he's a bully. I get it. I mean, I don't understand, I mean, I don't understand for my purposes. You know, Dana, you know, words meet your actions, actions meet your words, right?

And I listened to all of his stuff where he used to just destroy boxing promoters that we take no risk. We don't, we don't, we, we just show up, we leverage everything for one night, we take no risk. And then I see him, you know, like, like, like, like tattoo in, on an island with between Crawford and Canello and a photo op where he's not doing anything. He's like, you know, like a, he didn't take any risk on that fight. He's not doing that. He's standing there just like one of us smucky promoters in between two guys and like a stand-up cut up. It just feels off to me, right? I have personally, I don't, not a big thing of like sticking my face into, in between the fighters. I think like when somebody wants my fighter, I give it to him, I give you the privilege to promote it, you get the branding, you get this.

I just don't get some of that, that kind of pageantry that exists in the sport, but we do it and it's kind of like, eh. But that one, I give them so much credit because they do take risks. They do own the, they do monetize a product and own it. In this one, they were just an extension. They were an agent for a ring. And that just feels off to me. It doesn't feel like their business model. And it feels like what he was criticizing us about years ago, he was doing here, in this case.

And then they say, oh, and we're not paying Connor Ben. Who signed him then? I don't understand. It's like I can't figure out. I wish there was a consistency between what he criticizes us for and what the actions you're going to do to change it. because I do believe they did a great job with UFC. Fantastic job. And they should get all the credit for that.

Have you watched their shows so far, the first four shows that they've done? No. Nothing. Highlights, clips. I've seen stuff on social. What do you make of it? I mean, we've got a bunch of guys that we used to have four or five years ago, you know, guys that, you know, I mean, they're just putting on good fights. And I think that, I think the intent, I think it's smart, right?

I thought it was a smart little play, right? They kind of create the XFL or something like that. Guys that don't make it in the big leagues, guys that fall out of it. You know, you create this league. It's Zufa boxing. We just put on great fights. And you can build something up slowly. I totally get that.

It makes sense. I think it's a great place for guys that it may be a tight market or not to have an opportunity. And it may, I mean, it may just shoot off and be great. I don't know. But I can't figure out what their strategy is. Uniforms, like them? No. I'm a big, I just think that the character of the fighter is so much on that quilt work of all the patchwork of, I mean, even the cornerman that, remember Chuck Bodek, he had stickers on his head. I love that stuff. It's part of it. You know, the sombreros with Chavez. I mean, that is the character. When Tyson Fury comes in on a throne, I mean, that is just, you know, that creates a connection. But I don't dismiss what they're doing. That's fine, right?

I'm not sure they know what path they're on. Okay. That's just my thing. I think we would all say they're jumping around a bit. I think that Zufa boxing kind of scenario, it's a fine product. They announced today a deal with Sky Sports. Did you see that? Coincidental timing?

Probably because that's how they work, but that's okay. So meaning you think it was intentional to announce it on the same day? Oh, I mean, listen, I know probably. Okay, okay. I'm not going to say, I mean, listen, it's, you know, this is the gamesmanship, right? They're, you know, these guys are all very clever and let's see what they got. It's fun to follow from this side of the table, as you know. You're not a follower. You're knee deep in it. Don't give me this shit like you're a follow. Well, no, follow.

You're not a follower. What does that mean? You're not a follower. Okay. You're all in on this. I adore it. It's so much fun. You're all in on it. I love it. I absolutely love it. I mean, it's like, it's like, and people, you know, and that's what's great about it, right? It's like people like you that are in on it. Whatever side you're picking, you're in. I'm down the middle. I don't, I wish you would say you're down the middle, but you come on.

Everybody knows that you're going to throw shade on. No, no, no, no, on the UFC side? Yes, you're a little bit, you do, you lean a little bit. I keep a, I, I, oh, come on. You know why people say that? Where's the true serum? Let's get some true serum. You know why people say that?

There's no way. I'm the only one that actually criticizes them. And so because that, it becomes sort of more profound, whoa, there's a guy criticizing he's actually leaning on. I actually say this. You were the first to criticize them. Okay. Fairly or unfairly?

I think you stood up to him. I think you stood up to him. And I think that's what's got us to this place that where I'm seeing these fighters now, vocal like you were 15 years ago or 10 years ago. It's something that they've never seen before. and they've been able to keep the whammy over people and they've been able to pass out the punch and keep drinking the punch

and if you do this we're going to have a, you know, when then, when you open your mouth, then go, you're going to the penalty box. But do you think something will really happen like Eddie said, oh, there's going to be a revolution? I don't know if there's going to be, I mean, I think one person will talk and this person, but what will it really lead to?

Well, I don't know that it's a headache, right? Yeah. It's just a headache, right? And, you know, I don't follow the sport well enough, but I do know that when you talk about some of their largest profile, which they did a brilliant job in the Connor McGregors and the Ronda Rouseys and all these guys that are the high profile of people, that voice is a big voice today. Regardless if it's in the business or not in the business, if they're not active or not. and John Jones, all these guys are now speaking. And that's never happened before, right? This is like people are vocal in the streets of, you know, in a country wanting revolt.

When people go out there, right, the governments get nervous, right? They don't want to see the masses, you know, speak up so much. And I think this is what you're seeing now. I don't know that it creates a revolution. I'm not sure because they are. are the best product in MMA. They've created an incredible brand. They have an incredible machine. But I think to hear this vocal anti, you know, especially as it were so associates to pay, the paying disparity is an issue. This is what the WMBA is dealing with. Yes, yes, although they did

fix that this morning. I don't know if you saw that. Yes, they came to a deal. Yes, 100k to 600K. So, So, I mean, I think when you talk about pay disparity, that is a real, real, you know, sensitive spot for, it resonates with people. And people want, feel like they're taking care of. Could I ask, you know, you mentioned Dana being a bully. He's a competitive guy. But when you hear him still speak about Bob in the way in which he does at Bob's age, considering everything Bob's done in his career, does it annoy you? Does it upset you? Do you get emotional about it?

This is a man who's obviously a big part of your life. I sort of feel like once you hit the 90 mark, like maybe we should lay off on the insults. What do you think? You know, I honestly, I've known Dana, I mean, that whole ecosystem. Yeah. 30-something years. I don't know that Dana really means it. Okay.

And that's why I kind of like, it kind of goes off my shoulder, right? I think he was really smart in making Bob the heel. wrestling term. Love it. He made him the heel. I think he was trying to bring a product on. He had a product that people in mixed martial arts, that they were architecting, and it was very telegenic. He was trying to make it young and hip and cool.

And if he could make his product, and he represents this edgy, tough guy, strong, you know, edgy, foul mouth, whatever it is, resonating with a young demographic across the kind of. country. And if he could take the sweet science and give it a poster boy and a poster boy of a cantankerous, you know, Brooklyn old guy, he could then benefit his sport and say, you want to be with that guy, he represents. This is what he represents. This is what I represent. I'm cool. He's that. And I think he has just over time perpetuated that story and story and story. I think it's convenient. I could be totally off, but I think it's the narrative he wants. I think he's now believing it and living in it so much that he it's just too much of his like his his his persona that he probably can't reel it back but i really do believe that's it okay uh two more for you and again

rare opportunity to pick your brain we've never had it's not going to be this rare i know but we're never done it before all right i've never done it before i've been here for a while i mean i didn't know i'd be welcome are you kidding me uh i love these chats these are my favorite kind of chats um i love the business of the fight game yeah could i ask you know we talk to a lot of people so i will say that full transparency. I do know that there were recently some layoffs at the company, right? How are things at the company right now? And was there worry? That is accurate, correct? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Was that as a result of this stuff or was it a byproduct of something else? Like the TV deal? No, no. I think, I think, you know, it's, I mean, listen, I mean, Amazon lays people off.

We did some selective, we did some selective trimming. Okay. As based on, we had a, we had our previous Meteor-Rite Steel had a very big bandwidth of a lot of events, 24 abroad, 30 here. And if there was some duplicity or if we were overlapped, we kind of just paired it down. And we just streamlined. You told me you don't want to say how many fights per year under zone? I respect that. Can I ask, how many fights does top rank want to do in a calendar year? You know, that's a really, I mean, that's a topic to be discussed.

because when I came into the business, it was like quantity that you were successful. Quantity. The more fights you do, the more successful you are. And then I realized that's kind of bullshit. It really is quality, right? And quantity and quality where they fit, right? And I kind of think that I don't have a wish list on a number, right? I think what I would like to do is make sure the big business.

guys, the studs, the world champion, all have the ability to fight as frequently as possible. If we say at that level, which we see the cadence is twice a year, that would be great. The next breed, right, is the guys in the bullpen. The guys ready, that challenger, those guys that are developing from the Olympics and everything like that, and having an additional outlet that gives them the frequency to grow, to develop, to get their trait. So I don't have a number on that, right? but that's the two products I kind of see.

Okay. You know, and if you kind of looked at like in the old days, you had like USA Tuesday Night Fights were doing one level, but you had HBO doing the other level. And I think, or HBO after dark and World Championship boxing. I think there's two categories that we would like to present, and that's how I'd look at it. Okay.

What, if anything, could you tell us about this Billy Keene lawsuit? Is there anything you can say about it? Anything you want to say, I've not heard you talk about it, so I wanted to give you the opportunity to say, your side if possible. It's active litigation and it's still active because it came out like a year ago. Yeah. Okay. Is there an end in sight? No, you don't want to say. You want to say your piece or no, I just wanted to give you that opportunity. I don't want to say my piece. I think all I say is, you know,

just a lot of nonsense and, you know, I thought it was pretty cheap. Okay. It was cheap. I just felt the way it was done and using a bunch of fictitious, Using fictitious allegations and putting in them a lawsuit and hiding behind the privilege of a lawsuit to then leak it to the press to smear somebody's name is a terrible thing for anybody to happen to anybody. So it sucked, but I thought it was cheap, but that's how those guys play. And who are those guys? It doesn't matter. Okay. How are you handling everything?

I'm fine. I'm fine. I mean, listen, I mean, it sucks. It's just, you know, it's not something, you know, you know, you see this all the time. I mean, we've seen this in other, I'm not a high profile person. So for anything to be in the New York post on me, it's like, somebody did somebody a favor, right? Who gives a shit about me, right? Maybe you see this with entertainers and rappers where these frivolous lawsuits get filed.

They take the contents of a lawsuit, right? They leak it to the press because it's privilege. And they say, well, we can write this. It's no defamation. And, you know, facts speak for themselves, and I'm on the right side. We all are, top rank, everybody's on the right side, but I just thought that's dirty pool. Okay. And, you know, just, you know, gross shit, and I think the legal system should be changed.

And writers should be, have some accountability, but that's not what we're in today, right? You're hopeful get wrapped up soon? I'm, I don't know. The end, I don't know. Okay. All I know is, you know, you know, Don't fuck. I'm not going to get bullied around by a bunch of bullshit. Okay. You enjoying all of this? It's a great day for the company.

Oh, enjoying being here or a lawsuit. No, no, no, no, no, no, life. Like, okay, you got this out of the way. You've got other stuff. You've got great young talent. I think the interesting thing is what you talk about is out of the way, right? I just look at like. I don't mean that in a negative way, but it's, I actually look at it as like, like, okay. Now the work begins, right? Yes. Here's this piece of the puzzle is done. Now, how can we make this pie bigger? Okay.

How can we make the pie bigger? How can we grow our business, grow the platform, do bigger matches, get our, you know, do all these things. And I think this is important. I really, you know, I took a little bit personal, I say, because of, you know, because of the timing that existed, I want to, you know, I want to support my, everybody that works for us, all of our fighters. And that's why we like, go, go, go guys, go do these fights here, keep them going. And I love that they believed in us and believed in me and our team. And I love that everybody was like, we're with you. We understand, right?

And it all paid off. And I think they're all very happy with this announcement. And, you know, this sport is so damn good. And it's so global. And it's got some characters. And everybody is always going to tune into a prize fight. They just love it. And it doesn't matter what country or what language the sport resonates.

I was just going to say before you said that, in the last few months we've talked to Abdullah, we've talked to Kishan, we've talked to Shushu, a bunch of your guys. And every single one of them, I did ask like, hey, what do you think about the state of top rank? What's going on? And every single one said, we're all good. I believe in them. They'll figure this out. Like I never had a single one of those guys say, I'm getting worried, I'm getting annoyed. They're not delivering. Every single one had your back, had the company's back. I thought was pretty cool. I really appreciate that. I mean, I think it's hard to, It's hard to like say, you know, like, you know, I can't tell them.

I can't tell people. You can't put your cards on the table. It's a small industry, right? You can't lay everything out there for everybody. And I really appreciate that I had to be silent and we had to be silent. We had to keep moms the word. But I think one of the things we did, which I think was a very good thing, is we didn't hear, we listened to their needs. We knew they had to stay active.

And if I had to rent them out to go fight on somebody else's show, in another world, I would never do that. But I'm like, okay, think long game, don't think short game, right? Don't think, wait, wait, wait, wait, and let these kids, like, get stale and not be, just be in the gym and not go. And like we talked about in six months, a rattled off wonderful winds, and we're all ready to go. This has been tremendous. Thank you, Todd. Listen, I enjoy it.

Deposition is a tough word. Golly. I mean, if I had a table like this, the definition would fly by. I mean, this studio is fantastic. Thank you. And you do a great job. Appreciate it. We love having your guys on.

Love talking about the fights. Welcome here for the first time. Hopefully you'll come back and congratulations on the big deal. Thank you very much. Todd DeBuf, president of Top Rank, there's the announcement right there. They announced it officially this morning. We're going to take a quick break. We'll have Jeremy Stevens on.

All right, that was our conversation with Alex Perea, obviously Plinyo by his side as well. Todd DeBuff, president of Top Rank was phenomenal. Hope you enjoyed that as much as I did. I love those chats. Let's move along now to our final guests of the day. And we found out late last week that he is returning to the UFC. He was in the UFC back in May of last year. Then he had the amazing fight against Mike Perry in BKFC. And now he's back.

He's back on May 9th. He's returning at the UFC event at the Prudential Center nearby in Newark, New Jersey. Against King Green. He's the one and only. He is the veteran, the little heathen himself, Jeremy Stevens. and he's kind enough to join us on this Wednesday afternoon. There he is. Hello, Jeremy.

How are you? What's good, Ariel? How are you doing, man? I'm doing great. Great to talk. Seems like you were just in a scrap or something. Yeah, wrestling. Getting back to that wrestling.

You know, faces little scratched up, a little scrape, it's got a little poke, a little scrape there, but, you know, business as usual in MMA. Of course. And welcome back to MMA.

And so, actually, this one kind of came out of nowhere because we know about, you know, when you came back, you wanted to fight back home in Iowa, and then you had the BKFC fight and then I think a lot of people thought all right maybe you'd stick there for a minute how did this all come up

how is Jeremy Stevens the only one who seems to be able to go around from all these these guys are doing wrestling events but you're doing the fight stuff UFC BKFC back to UFC how did this come about yeah you know after my last my last fight it's you know I

and I couldn't sleep for like three days like I was just up hell early just stewing and thoughts and you know I reached out to Dana you know the man himself was just like, you know, thank you for the opportunity. It was on eight weeks. I've been three years deep and becoming the best bare-knuckle fighter that I could be.

You know, I would, you know, there's definitely more to me. You know, I would love another opportunity in UFC, another shot at MMA. And, you know, he was like, yeah, let's do it. So I was already, you know, I immediately started training in MMA. And then, you know, I got the Mike Perry fight. fight in BKFC and then I switched over back to bare knuckle boxing

and you know ever since I've been getting healed up and everything like that I've been back at the MMA because I knew this was the route that you know I was going to take and I was looking for the opportunity and the right timing and here we are with an incredible opponent you know

like you said Raldog you know we're out here really really fighting scrapping doing the real and that happened to be UFC BKFC motherfuckers can't run for me. Ariel, let's go. So does this mean you've now closed the door on BKFC? Are you going to stick around with the UFC for the foreseeable future?

What's the situation? I feel like I'm doing what I want, when I want, and how I want. It's kind of, you know, I've lucky Lucianoed the game. You know, I was cut out of UFC. You know, I called my way back, you know, at a bare knuckle to create an opportunity in my hometown. Great performance against, you know, a tough. up-and-coming, hungry dude. You know, he squeaked out the decision, wrestled.

And, you know, we expected that. You know, the fact that I get preparation, I go to BKFC, UFC, UFC. I'm just making the most of my opportunities. You know, I built my name under UFC. You know, UFC gave me the biggest platform, built my name, built my brand. And I'm just being authentic. I'm doing me. You know, I'm price fighting.

And the fact that, you know, I've literally, it's kind of like my big bro, Anthony Johnson, rest in peace. You know, he got his way back into UFC, you know, through his fights. He went out there. He earned it. He was putting people to sleep, putting on exciting fights. And, you know, there you have it. By the way, I love that shirt.

Who made that shirt? How can we get that shirt? Well, he's an MMA.com. Hell yeah. Put my Instagram, click on the profile. Eric, I'll send you one, bro. Just shoot me your dress after this. I'll send you all a little care package.

I got a couple different ones, too. I think you'll dig it. I appreciate it. Thank you. I appreciate you. Last time we spoke was in October in the aftermath, in the hallways, in the bowels of the Prudential Center. And that conversation, that clip, I mean, it really spoke to me. And it's rare that we get to see someone and talk to someone in the immediate aftermath of a tough, grueling fight like that.

I mean, it was an unbelievable thing to witness that fight in the conversation afterwards. How long did it take for you to get over the fight physically but also emotionally? Because you can tell in that moment you were quite emotional. Yeah. Yeah, you caught me with my pants down there. No, you were tremendous, man. I think it makes people love you even more, to be honest. I don't think anyone thinks any less of you. You're right. I was just going to get into that.

You know, yeah, you caught me in a real, real vulnerable moment, just getting sitch up, getting out of there. That was super free. That was really cool now that I think about it. But I got amazing feedback for that, you know, and just the courage going out there, stepping up an opponent, doing what I've done. had a tremendous year.

A few days probably. You know, it took just to kind of get over it, get with the healing, kind of wrap my thing, like, where do I go? How do I pick back up? And, you know, there for a time I was in the gym, but I would say that was more discipline, me, instead of being like actually really wanting to be there and healed up 100% and actually just like in a good mind frame of wanting to be back,

that definitely took some time. But, you know, after a while, just, you know, I had my pity party a day or two to try about it and get the fuck over it. And, you know, life goes on and take the good, take the bad, the ugly from that fight. And keep moving on. And I'm glad I did that. I'm in a better place. Like, I'm actually excited to be back into MMA, back into the UFC, a place, like I said, that's kind of built my name, built my brand to have a great matchup. You know, by the way, fucking Paramount.

everybody, you know, I think everybody's been waiting for fights like these. You guys are in for a treat, and I'm going to deliver a one hell of performance. I'm going to ask you about the fight in a moment, but just curious about the Perry fight. Are there things that you lament? Are there things that you wish you would have done differently in that fight against Mike? Yeah. I mean, there's always things that you can go back and look like, man, I would have done this. I would have done this. And, you know, you just, you can't change that. But what you can do, what Jeremy Stevens is all about is adapted. And I love like, you know, a lot of people say, you know, I'm level 39 in this year, years of game of life. And, you know, I can, I can always take something, adapt and grow and learn.

And that's why I stick around. That's why I put on entertaining fights. That's why I fight nothing but the absolute fucking best and doing it for damn near two decades at the highest level. And it's because of those adjustments that I'm willing to make things that, like, I can look into a fight. you know again see the vulnerability like what what could i've done different what you know what what's the next step what uh how do we approach it you know there's there's there's always been thoughts and i let those i let those sink in the intention and then boom i just i've become a doer i start i start going out there i start mixing things up i start finding the right angles the right the right

training systems and uh rebuild sometimes and and then you come back and you know uh your next opportunity, boom, everybody's talking about the fucking highlights that you've been, you've been doing the changes that were made. And that's what I love about, you know, fighting to me is like that type of art, being able to sculpt those ideas, making changes in real life, in a real form. Do you have a desire to fight in bare knuckle again in BKFC? Oh, yeah, absolutely. I love the fact that BKFC is, uh, given another platform. I think it's totally different from MMA. I don't even know what. They're not even like competing against each other. Like BKFC is a completely different brand.

There's guys that are big names that are around. Guys in UFC maybe still now, maybe right out of the UFC, that could easily come over and put on exciting fights for the BKFC fans and the fans all around the world that are actually really growing and liking the sport. It's like names like me, Perry, these guys that are crossing over Yoel Romero and BKFC that are really going to start igniting, I feel like, a new movement or the next movement. That's, you know, BKFC is very excited. I feel like I'm really good at it. I love it. I belong there.

It feels like home. There's definitely that opportunity down the road. But right now, just 100% focused on MMA. There's some kind of beautiful symbolism that you're back in the same arena. you're back in Newark for this fight. Do you think about that stuff? Do you care about that stuff? Yeah, it's like an old dog.

You know, you know your way home. You pissed on some territory. You know, you mark your spot. You know, it's good feelings. You know, made some fans, you know, those vulnerable moments like that, you know, going back there, they've seen me fill up that arena, put on a great performance and going back to end of May, it's exciting. I do think about that.

And I think that I've been there. I've smelled the air back there. I've been around the people, the staff, like people around. You know, I've been in the city before. You know, I was right in the hood last time. I had an Airbnb and there we were looking for on every storener. It was nice. So I've already been in the territory.

I feel like one of their own. Would you think of the matchup when you were offered King Green? Different than your matchup last year. Veteran looked good in his last fight, has seen, done it all, fought them all. What do you think? Everything that you just said, you know, great, great, great match up, you know, uh, someone, someone who's kind of just like a mirror image of me, spotting, I believe, King of the Cage years back to, uh, you know, he's, he's created

his life and made a career out of it. Not a lot of people can really do that, uh, coming, coming from like a similar cough, uh, same background. You know, he's got, he's got tremendous highlights, uh, fought, fought the who's who. You know, it's kind of like, uh, fighting, uh, splitting image of yourself. amazingly, you're both 39. I wrote down some stats here. Both 39. You have a combined 105 professional

MMA fights between you. 64 combined UFC fights. You made your pro debut in January 2005. He made his pro debut in January of 2008. Dare I say, last of a dying breed. Right? You two guys? I mean, that's an incredible number. 64 combined

UFC fights. 105. That's got to be, I don't know what the record is, but that's got to be up there as far as combine fights for a UFC fight. That's dope. Yeah. Yeah, when you put it like that, you put it like with what he's done, you know, he's taking out great, great competitors, great legends,

and himself former champions, fought on short notice. I mean, you name it. You know, that's what people really want to see. They want to see real true fighting, I believe. Like we are from an old school, but we still have evolved and we can still, obviously, you know, he just knocked the new era kid out, you know, so like, think about that. that. It's easy to get here, but it's harder

to stay year after year, and you're only finding, like, it's only like the fucking real dogs. You know, the guys like Max Holloway, Justin Gachie, these guys are, you know, starting to kind of get older, but, you know, they've never looked better. They've still got that real rawness to them

that keeps them around. Obviously, there's other things, too, that are taking care of their health, taking care of their bodies, and it all comes with it, but it's incredible where the sports going. I'm still happy to be here, it's a fucking honor. I love it. I could die out there. Seriously. It's a childhood dream. I'm living. And I'm just grateful. The opportunity, the life that it brings, meeting you,

connecting with fans all over the world. I feel like anywhere in the world, I could go. I have a place to stay. I really mean that. That's cool. I always find it funny when people ask fighters, when journalists ask fighters, like, what's the motivation at this point? Well, ultimately, like, you get paid, you're a prize fighter. So the motivation, the most important thing I would imagine is you want to make money, you want to provide for your family, you want to have money in the bank, like that, that is the most important thing. And so I'm not going to ask that question, but as far as like the athletic part, the actual

journey, the career, do you have things that you would like to still accomplish? Are there things on that list that you would like to do before it's all said and done that really motivate you at this point? Yeah, absolutely. And you're looking at it, bro. I've been through the fucking ringer I've had a battle through BKFC fight tough fights to

get where I'm at and I don't ever I don't ever forget it you know what was the basis of the question again I kind of I was about to snap out there but it was a great question Were you mad at me? Did I upset you? No no no no but I was going in my mind

It was basically like when people say to to fight it's like what's the point of this fight what's the point of that fight the paycheck is the point So I know that, but as far as like the actual like athletic journey, the feats, the things that you want to accomplish as a fighter, are there a thing, you know, is it a certain guy? Is it a certain ranking? Is it a title content? Like I don't, I don't know. Is there something in that regard that still motivates you? Yeah, absolutely. This is this is the sprint to the finish. Like I can see the finish line, especially with him made. This could be my last UFC fight. That's that's how I'm taking it. I'm super grateful and honored that I've had this platform. and there would be nothing more than I go out there and starch Bobby King, Bobby King Green out there.

And, you know, it's, I, I love the motivation of getting better. I can see the finish line. So I'm grateful to be here. Even the shitty parts, like, the making way, like, I'm still happy to do it. I love doing it. And, you know, like, you caught me in that vulnerable moment about, you know, I wanted financial freedom and creating instability. And we're in that process.

And you do it by going out there and performing, getting paid the checks, getting these exciting fights that you're talking about. You're taking a risk on yourself. You're betting on yourself. You're crawling through the BKFC just to fucking get back into the UFC. Then going back to bare-knuckle to get the biggest bag, fight the biggest name, the biggest opponent, to be the scary things that a lot of people didn't want to do. You know, fuck, man. I was pretty much like dead broke a couple years ago to change my life. life to, you know, now a millionaire, you know, to, to change in my, my kids' life, you know,

reaching, reaching these goals. But man, I still fucking have this passion for, for fighting, for the, I don't know, the life, the, the challenge that it brings, the, the weight cutting. People, like, can't believe that I look this great and I've been doing it this long. And it's like, dude, like, why, why aren't you fucking being, like, great at 50 or looking good at 50 and live the life that people talk about and they watch the motivational video, and man, I'm still living it. I enjoy every, every bit of competing, fighting, putting motherfuckers lights out, hearing the fans roar, scream your name, see me fucking lose, come back, lose, come back, fucking crush somebody

and just fucking celebrate those wins in life because, you know, I know there's, my time's coming, right? Like everybody else has faded out like the fucking sandlot around me, my training partners, coach, like everybody's kind of gone. You know, I've been mixing things up, going other places to get this. And, you know, what I hear from the older guys that are retired is like, man, just enjoy these moments, bro. This is it.

Let it all out. You know, trust yourself. And, you know, once it's gone, it's gone. You know, you see every, those guys that kind of come back, this and that, you know, a little bit of money, but there's going to come a time where everybody's got to just, just hang it up. And I know that day will come. It's a little further down the road than I see.

And I just, I'm happy about living a life today and enjoying every single little moment, every little opportunity that I get. And it's incredible. I just passionate about it. When you talk about not that long ago being broke, how long ago are you talking about? It was about 22, 20, 23. Oh, wow, that's really not that long ago. Yeah, yeah.

That's UFC era. Yeah. Yeah, PFL, you know, like all that. I was just going through the ringer. You know, I was having a hard time struggling. Just lots, lots going on personally in my life. Couldn't figure it out. Just fucking fail, fail, fail, fail.

Fucking just, you know, waking up in the middle of the night, sweating. Like, did I do the right thing? But for some reason, man, I believe in God, man. I believe in faith. You know, I was like, you know what, man, like I still got my house. I got equity. I can sell my car. I could do this, do that.

Got myself out of the gutter, dude. I did it on my own. You know, I fucking, I did. And it took, it took an incredible wife, you know, just my belief and God to really get these opportunities that I am now. You know, people like, man, you know, like, dude, I fucking, I did it. You know, I, uh, solid people around me that believed in me and, you know, put the fucking hard work and bounce back and fucking, uh, got times 10. Did you ever stop believing?

Did you ever fear that it wouldn't work out? No. No, I just, I mean, I did. I was like, fuck, man. Am I going to, am I really going to fail or fucking like, is this not going to work out? You know, I, but I just, there's always that fear. There's always the back of the mind. But, you know, you've got to just push forward.

You got to be, uh, persistent. And trust the process. Trust that, you know, God's making you in these times. You know, it's, it's really taxing when you're, when you're financially kind of, or when you're financially hurting, you know, you're doing this, you're doing that. And, you know, there's times where, you know, I didn't fight in beat fantasy for a year. I thought I was going to fight like January, February, March. Like, I trained, like, thank God I just have a good mindset because I trained all the months, bro. And then I ended up fighting, like, I think, Bobby Taylor, like, at the end of the year, and stretched it all out.

It was good learning lessons, though. I needed that to be where I'm at today, to have the mindset. I've endured the hardships, and, you know, I was able to learn those lessons and turn it around. And that's, you know, there's nothing short of, like, what I'm going to do May 9th. I'm going to learn some lessons about my last fight and getting back and going through that whole fucking process. Now I get this opportunity to go out there and really just put a fucking state.

and Plymouth fucking rock that Stevens deserves to be here. I deserve to be here a long time. I'm worthy of it. I'm certain of it. I'm going to go out there and do my fucking thing and a great opportunity to do so. It's going to ignite the whole card. I don't feel like the passion is waning or anything like that, but you are approaching the big four-oh.

Do you know how much longer you want to do this for? Have you thought of that? Yeah, as far as MMA? Yeah, I think another year, two-year stops. Okay. You know, being realistic with myself, my body feels great. I still feel fucking incredible. I'm able to perform.

I don't take steroids. I don't do peptides. I don't do any of that shit. I'm natural. I'm still moving. I'm still fast. You know, this time I get a fight down at my weight class too, which I love. I'm a little bit faster.

I'm a lot more athletic, getting back into wrestling, to grappling, as you can tell. You know, it opens up a lot more opportunities and I'm excited. I don't, I don't, I don't, I don't, I don't feel my, I don't, I don't feel my, I don't fill my age, you know, but being realistic, how long do I really want to do this for? The other two years, Max and your boys out. And when you say, because you said

MMA, so does that mean you want to do other stuff longer, or you're talking about all the fighting, two years? I think I can get all my fighting done in two years. Okay. You know, if bare knuckles, it's always going to be around, they, their, uh, their pays real nice and, you know, I could do bare knuckle

at a thousand percent a little bit longer. And that's dependent on pay and opponents and where we're at. I don't think too further down the road, but like I said, I see a spread to the finish line. Absolutely. And I'm enjoying these years that I have,

and I feel like my best years were still yet to come. I still throw head kicks, flying knees. I mean, you name it, and I'm picking up more intellect as we go. Student of the game, baby. By the way, speaking of opponents, former opponent Mike Perry just announced to fight Nathan Diaz earlier this week.

Who do you like in that one? that's fucking uh m m ms it's m m m yeah on the uh the netflix card a week after your fight damn i'm gonna have to go with dyes okay m m ms you know i feel like you can kind of smother him up he's long these he's uh these guys are super super awkward with their boxing they got good boxing good cardio uh perry could cut him though you know and you know perry strong he's mean but as far as like MMA, I mean, I'd have to go with Diaz.

You know, Diaz is tall, he's a big guy. He's not someone that he's just going to overpower. I think strength-wise, Perry's a lot more stronger. But, man, you can never count out the Diaz, you know, an M.A fight at all. That is a fun one. Also, speaking of former opponents, I did see a video. I initially saw a video of Charles Olivera talking about which former opponents would get invited invited to a barbecue.

And then you responded saying essentially F you, bud, because he said, you're not invited. What's up with that? Yeah, I don't know, man. I imagine, you know, back in the day, we're different, we're different men now. Back in the day, you know, he didn't make weight and got a problem with this at 45.

And I'm telling you this motherfuckers is sitting there, like stoic, like not suffering at all. Like, I made weight, man, I'm fucking suffering. I'm dying. People are like checking on me in the back. I'm like, bro, I need to hit the fucking scales. And he just didn't make weight, you know, and, you know, I was, uh, I, you know, of course, you got to, you got to accept the fight. If not, you don't get paid. It's not like you're getting like a whole lot. It's like, all right, well, fuck, dude, just miss weight by, you know, several pounds. And then, you know, you go fight, you have a close, close fight. You know,

I was in, I was like, he tried to hug me in the third round and I just, like, bro, I don't do that shit. You know, there's this, you know, some people do that. Like, after the fight, I'm, I'm super cool, super cool. Like, we're done competing. I can turn it out during the fight. I don't like to hug. I don't like to do any of that shit.

You never know. So, you know, I'd shoved them. And then later on when we were, uh, getting announced for the winner, he, he raises his hand. He was like, trying to be all cool. And I was like, well, get the fuck out of here. And I turn it around. I go, make weight at least one fucking time.

Like in your life. Like, and, you know, language barrier, he probably didn't understand, but, you know, he realized, like, I wasn't trying to be all, like, buddy, buddy with him. So, you know, hence I don't get the invite to the Brazilian barbecue, which are good, by the way. They are tremendous, yeah.

Did you see his last fight? Would you think he got a little bit of stick for that? Say what you want. He's a winner, you know? That's MMA, you know? Say what you want. There's no stigma on the BMFEL that says you've got to be the fucking baddest motherfucker.

You know, he fooled everybody. and, you know, he won. He played his game. He won. He's still getting paid. It is what it is. You know, is that a BMF, like, fight or, of course, people are always going to say, like, oh, that's not the real. But, dude, he went out there.

He won. You know, fucking much pressure it is to win. You get half a check. You know, obviously, Charles is doing fucking good. But, dude, you lose. You go to the back of the line. Think about Max. You know, you're just coming off some fucking serious wins.

You lose, you go back. Like, you know, this is what keeps this fucking going, competing for the fucking, for the food. you know just hungry wolves lions Charles did what he had to do to win say what you want about it winning is winning Ben Diesel said it right shout out to Vin Diesel

by the way opponent that you would love to fight before it's all said and done is there a guy or two that comes to mine MMA wise 155 yeah man I got to go with Justin Gachey you know I think that's a fucking

ferocious matcho I was pushing for Mike Chandler like Michael Johnson, but man, a real a real banger, I think me and Gachi, that's a banger. Banger for sure. He's fighting Ilya next. Do you think he has a shot? Gaci always

has a shot. I just see Ilya just at a little bit different level. It's incredible to see the levels that he's able to perform at. He thinks he's a little bit more tighter, a little bit more sniper. I don't think it's an easy task by any means unless he goes out there and just gets slept right away,

but, you know, I got to put Gaichi in in that dog fight, you know, and I wouldn't be surprised that maybe Gaichi upsets him. He did better than a lot of people thought he would against Patty. Yeah, yeah, he did. I thought I saw him losing it, but, you know, I think Gaichi just, him being real, dude, he just exposed what was true,

that he's just meaner, he's a nastier dog. He's been in those types of wars. He's getting better, you know, technically. He's picking into. choosing his shots, he's picking in, he knows when he's got your, you know, like, he looked really, really, really skilled and sharp, and that's really cool

to see out of a veteran and someone of that class. You know, because Patty, you know, he's no joke. He's a big fucking dude. Like, he's gonna, he's, he's pudgy type. You know, he can fucking take those picks, take the beating. And he did take, take a beating. He just wasn't

capable of putting, you know, his will being stronger than Gach's will. He just took him. When you see fighters today, when you observe fighters, listen to them, see how they act and fight, do you feel like you are the last of a dying breed, Jeremy? Do you feel like you're different? Do you feel like you're cut from a different cloth? You know, no, I don't feel like the last of a dying breed.

I always say that. I love these young fighters and like these idiots, poorers, and people that are coming up, the guy who just beat Emmett. I didn't even ever see that dude fight once. And I just seen him beat Emmett. And I was like, wow. Yeah, he's great. Like, you know, these are like, these are like our younger brothers.

We're all from the same flock. We all need dance partners. These are like our younger brothers. We're Spartan 300s and these guys are the new fucking evolution off of our, our work, our sweat equity in the game, them watching us. And then they're at the age of eight. They're getting boxing. You know, like look at Elya.

He's over there wrestling and competing in these grads. Like, you know, that's the new era that's coming through. I don't feel like I'm the last. of a dying breed. I feel like there's a ball in this too some, it's just a few fighters every now and then we'll kind of come through where they're just, they're

mean, you know, they're willing to go to like what Max always says, go to crazy land. People are a little bit different temperament, you know, what they're willing to do, what type of pain they're willing to go through. You know, my last opponent, you know, a lot of people are saying he's bigger than me and this and that. I know with the contract

I signed. What I was really impressed by was this guy's unique ability to take these shots, this unique ability to take these pain to go through to sacrifice membranes, your jaw, your fucking nose, to get these wins. You know, I think

that's what kind of separates some of these competitors, you know, wrestlers from these like real gifted fucking trained like what I would say a fighter first who became like an athlete and then a martial artist.

I, I I am not surprised to hear you say that. I think some fighters would be like, oh, these fighters are different, but I love to hear you give love to the younger generation, to the up-and-comers, to the new guys, because I do think that they're different.

I think the mentality from your era, the guys who scratched and clawed their way to the UFC, the UFC wasn't as popular, it was a different sport, the sponsorship game was different, the distribution game was different, everything was different, but at the end of the day,

fighters are fighters. I will say, though, it's interesting to see fighters get into the sport, now as mixed martial artists as opposed to, you know, back in your day and beyond prior to that when they were coming in as maybe wrestlers or boxers. We're not seeing that as much. There are some definitely Gable Steeveson and whatnot, but it's evolving, which is great. Everything should evolve. Yeah, I always say, man, my grandfather, dude, like, you know, when I was 16, he invited me to a bar. I don't have a nephew or a cousin that I would think that's 16 years old that I'd have to be,

hey, you want to come fight at this bar? Someone looks around your height and size, you know? Wait, when he invited you, he invited you to hang out or to fight? To fight. Oh, wow. I mean, you come down the first week, just to watch it. He didn't want me to fight. He's like, just watch it.

I came back the second week and signed up and fought. Was that your first time fighting? First professional. Wow, wow. 16. That's crazy. Or like amateur wise. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Yeah. Then, you know, when I got in the UFC, I didn't go through No Ultimate Fighter Show. I didn't do any of that. I was basically just making a name for myself around Des Moines, getting some titles down in New Orleans, fighting in Iowa, fighting in Minnesota. I'd go and slang my t-shirts and some events. I kind of just made a name for myself. Hit up, you know, Joe Silva at the time and those guys and, you know, just got an opportunity. You stayed ready, you know, and people were like, oh, you're playing in Thomas.

I'm like, well, don't beat the fucking breaks off this cat. You guys don't know me. You know, like, this is my chance, like opportunity. And, you know, I go in there and again, it's like I put on a fucking tremendous performance where they just undeniably had to call me up again. And I even fought in between. They could even get me another fight. And they're just like, yeah, just don't lose.

I went back to my hometown, sold the fucker out. Made more money off that fight. And then went back to UFC because obviously UFC is like, you're betting on the winning horse, bro. Nick Walker, Midwest Cage 9. fight back in July of 2007. By the way, in that fight that your grandfather invited you to at the bar, was that MMA? Yeah, it was

No Holds Bars. Yeah. Oh, I love that. That NHB, bud. I love it. Yeah. What a story. That place was legit, man. In Des Moines, Iowa, the lumberyard had the ring girls. It's like a strip club. They had the ring girls. You had to be 18 to get in there.

My grandpa, you know, I know these guys gets me in and, you know, you watch the first week and the second week and sign me up. Incredible. What a story, what a career.

Welcome back to the UFC, Jeremy, Jeremy Stevens, King Green, May 9th, UFC Newark Prudential Center on Paramount Plus. Appreciate it, man.

Good luck in training and looking forward to it. Yeah, I'll send you a shirt, bro. Thank you. Your address, man. Thanks for having me. We'll do.

The great Jeremy Stevens, Little Heathen, one of a kind, one of a kind. I know he didn't necessarily agree with the Last of a Nighting Bee, but that is a term of endearment at least around these parts and it's

just different when you hear about those stories. Not a lot of guys these days have stories like that you know, debut in a bar no holds bars like this is crazy stuff. In Iowa, we love Iowa here. It's one of the great towns in the United States of America.

So that is a lot of fun. You love Iowa. And by the way, almost a to the day of that fight, this fight against King Green, the one that you guys went to last year. Remember that? Was it? Was it? Could you tell that he was an Iowa guy when he walked out? You guys, oh yeah, yeah, yeah, big pop.

You guys, did you build in the building at that point? Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, big pop. I'll call you main car GC for nothing. Heaven versus Mason Jones. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Legendary fight. Let's get to some news and notes here, and then Super Chats, and we'll call it a day. We've been talking about DeZone. How great was Todd DeBuff? Golly, he was a fireball out there.

They did a field. officially announced the David Benavides against Zerda Ramirez fight that is on the second of May. Interesting that he said that Naoya Inouye, maybe not on his own. Who knows? Because that's that same day, by the way. So another big fight to look forward to for May 2nd. Also, U.S.C. Perth that day as well. In the morning, though.

So we may get Jack Della versus Carlos Pratchez at the same time as Naoya Inouye versus Junta-Nakitani. May 2nd, I mean, we might have to have another uncrowding. on Saturday. Is there a wrestling event? We'll have to look it up. May 2nd, May 9th, that at Hamzaa Strickland, May 16th, May 23rd. May is going to be nuts. May's going to be nuts. So shout out to those two. That's a big time fight. Benevita's moving up to Cruiserweight to fight Zerdo Ramirez. I want to see him fight Jayopataya. I'm not sure if that's going to happen anytime soon. Ilya's training. He is coming back. June 14th, White House Lawn Sunday

against Justin Gichi and he's looking pretty fit by the way look at this guy he's looking like he's looking like he's looking like he's ready to go tomorrow

look at that golly looking like a welterweight out there also on that card our friend Alex Pereira who of course we had in studio on Monday and he too is getting ready for

June 14th of course at heavyweight A little dancing A little celebrating Was that Frank who said that? Yep Hell yeah A little this, a little that

I love it He really brought it on Nug over there He got nervous What's this David Feldman? No, is it David Feldman? No, it's Andrew Feldman, our good friend Andrew Feldman He did a video on my You Only Die Once motto I'm seeing here

What do we have here? This is my new motto in life, guys I always say you only live once, right? New motto is you only die once. Live every day. Wow. Every day tunes fulls, that's my new motto. Wow.

Interesting nuance of the difference between you only live once and you only die once. Yes. The idea is there's only one death. There's a lot of days. There's only one life as well though. Yes, but every day you must live it to the fullest. Are we going to be a ding for this music? I mean, this is great,

but I'm worried here. I'm not able to fully enjoy it. Too late at this point. You've checked out. Here we are talking about life. Gems. I'm just trying to, I'm just trying to weigh in here. You're saying I'm weighing in, a way in it.

Okay. Wow. It's like a fever dream. Before we all die, you've got to go to Vegas. What? Oh, wow. Look at the boys. Okay, well, that was nice.

Hopefully we don't get dinged for that, guys. Oh, too late now. All right. He only die once, man. That's true. That's what we should reply to YouTube. It's true. That is true.

And I know we're very into the, uh, the, uh, color schemes and the uniforms and whatnot. What about this Curtis Campbell that everyone's talking about? The Pink Panther rocking the pink shorts, GC. What do you make of this? I don't know, man. Sean O'Malley had to become champion to get those pink shorts. Custom shorts in the debut, right?

Chris Campbell strolls right in for his debut. People are very upset about this. That's that bullshit. Yeah, I saw a video of him talking about it. He's an interesting cat, this, Curtis Campbell. We have this video? Listen, it's the pink panther for the reason. the hot pink tighties always stay on so we have to change it for the contender series last time

but now the back in business sounds like a scouser there sure does Bach whole pink tides is he wearing contacts when he fights or what I fucking hope so people are very excited Who's to check? Yeah hey shout out to Bob

Big day for Bob Love Bob Curtis Campbell Undefeated he will be competing on this card against Danny Silva card headline by Moffsar The new thing by the way is not Mofsar Evelov It's Yvlovev

Have you heard this? Yvloev Yvlovev Yvlovv, it's not Mofsar Evloev It's Mofsar Yvlovav I guess it's kind of like When I used to start You know I called the Fodor

And everyone jumped on the bandwai game But it's always interesting When someone's like Nine fights into their career And all of a sudden we start calling them something different You notice that? Like it used to be like Islam Makachev and then it's

Mahachev and of course who could forget the Israel Adesanya controversy of 2019 I really tried to start that movement at ESPN but it did not didn't really get it. Bobby King King Well he actually changed his name so that's different that's not pronunciation if it fits it sits sure sure anyway do we have any do we have any how do you say superchats frankly

yeah we have a few Okay. Get cooking Connor. I think they're referring to Connor McGregor based on the spelling. Good play. Good play. No, man.

Fuck Connor. What is that one from? I haven't heard that one in a while. It's an interview you guys were doing and you asked him about Oh, that's right. That's right. Or him and Connor again or whatever.

Or him and Connor on your terms. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. Yeah, we will do some cooking. Can't wait. Monday. Go to Miami of Ohio logo? Where, where? On that guy's Super.

Oh. Wait a night? Yeah, that was weird, right? Undefeated, losing the conference tournament, and then you got to go through the play-in? It's ridiculous. It's a 64-team tournament. They went undefeated in the regular season.

Just let them out. Yeah, what the hell? As an 11 seed, right? Yeah. If they would have won that conference tourney, what would they have been? I think it was like an eight-seat or something. Not even a one, huh?

No, hell, no. Wouldn't even have been close to a one. Undefeated whole season, you don't get a one. Just a weak schedule, I guess. Yeah. What else, Frankie? What else? Kevin Vasejos Yes

Featherweight champ versus Ilya Oh Lightweight champ in a year or two Question of So Kevin moving up I mean He's a big boy Pretty jacked

That'd be big time right For the culture Argentina versus Spain Let's go I'm in Oh what else Frankie What's your gut feeling Will Major League Baseball

Participate in the L.A. Olympics Even with an impending knockout Which by the way is insane Is happening hit me with that one again one time can you go back to what's your gut feeling will major league baseball participate in the LA Olympics

even with an an appending lockout which by the way is insane is happening by the way I love Jake's questions he's always on point with the questions they've got to figure it out these are the things they have to figure out there's three things major league baseballs to figure out

because they've got all this momentum now got a new TV deal, they're on NBC, all this stuff. They've got to figure out three things. Number one, avoid the freaking lockout. Please, for the love of God, avoid it. And they usually threaten and everyone gets nervous because of the strike of 94, but they figure it out, please for the love of God, you've got all this momentum. Please don't screw this up.

They're on Netflix. Opening days on Netflix next week. Are you kidding me? Home Run Derby on Netflix. Feel the Dreams game on Netflix. Don't screw this up, guys. That's number one. Number two, you've got to figure out

I think I don't World Baseball Classic was great there is a thought you do it every three years but during the All-Star break so you do it in the middle of the season people say you can't do it

because it's going to pause the season they'll lose out on money you take 10 days out hockey figured it out with the face off they figured it out with the Olympics I think baseball can figure it out 162 games like chill out

so I think it might even be more popular in July although I don't mind it in March Some do, some don't, some say July. I would like to see it. The other thing is you got to get the MLB players to the Olympics. 2028, Los Angeles, Dodger Stadium. You got to get them to the Olympics.

You got to figure it out. You just have to figure it out. For the good of the game, for the growth of the game, figure it out. It's back. Baseball has been gone for the last couple Olympics. Bring it back. Dodger Stadium. Imagine Otani at Dodger Stadium representing Japan.

Imagine all these same dudes. It's going to be six teams shorter. but all these same teams come on figure it out so yes I agree figure it out don't let us down baseball's having a renaissance they're enjoying a renaissance right now

figure it out what else Frankie what else what would be better for Gables' career Whitehouse or MVP well White House leads to UFC I think the ideal thing would have been get the the Netflix fight and then sign with UFC

but I think he agreed to all that way before. I think he agreed to that all that way before. I think had he known, I would have signed that one fight deal, get the massive exposure, beat up someone in two, three minutes, and then sign with the UFC. But I don't think that's on the table right now. What else, Frankie? What else?

Connor BMF fight in December? I think it happens. Why not July? I don't think there's a strong appetite to see him play Charles right now. I think there's an appetite to see him fight for the belt, but if he fights in July, then is he fighting in December? Probably not. I think they want him in July International Fight Week. And then does he

want to sign an extension? Does he want to be their long term? I mean, the game's changing. Connor won off on Netflix? I mean, who says no? What else? Thoughts on Obafimi versus Brock Lester for WrestleMania? A lot of people are excited about this. Brock, doing the

job, so to speak, putting him over and telling him to step on his chest, which everyone loved. Don't hate it. feel like WrestleMania needs a bit of a kick in the arse feel like it needs to be you know feeling bigger I think Roman and punk are doing a great job there's some fun matchups Roman and Punk

Jade and Ria this is a fun one but don't listen to me what you need to do is check out the latest episode of uncrowned wrestling the uncrown wrestling show hosted by the great Jason Solomon the Solomon the Solomaster best theme song in the game if I do say so myself and really I do want to give a

shout out to our producer slash engineer for the program, the one and only Franklin Lenz, who does such a great job putting it. Yeah, I mean, you put that thing together. And you do such a great job. You double dip on a Tuesday. It's tremendous. And it's one of the great joys in my life.

When the new episode drops, I listen to it in portions. I ration it off because I enjoy listening to it. So I don't want to finish it all in one, not sitting, if you will, but in one effort. It's a great thing, very proud of it. Also, check out Inside Boxing. Specific feeds for each show coming out soon. That's a new thing that we're working on.

So BITB is going to have its own feed soon. The crack. Who the fuck is we? Inside boxing. It's good stuff. What else, Frankie? What else? Andy, congrats for Venezuela. I love a rapist, but I would have preferred to listen to G.

in his native southern accent for a whole day as part of the bad laughing tear face emoji. Oh. Am I supposed that? Does he think I'm suppressing a southern accent? Yeah, what is that? Never heard you have an accent? Yeah, that's weird. You just haven't hung out with me long enough.

I've been around some of our mutual friends that are so southern, it's funny. You know what I'm talking about. No, I don't. I know what you're talking about. I know what he's talking about. They wear hats like this and they chew on like a little great. Grass? No? Blade of grass? What? I don't even know what that

that is? This is like... Genji Roba. Yeah. Oh, what else, Frankie? What else? People forget, man. Darren Till should fight on Netflix. Do they forget? I'm not sure they forgot. But yeah.

Everyone stop chatting shit. What's the other one? What's the other one that he says? Keep my fucking... There's another one. There's another one. Keep my fucking name. That's the one. That's the one. That's the one. That's the one. It's so good. It's so good.

do you have them broken down by person? I have them by freezes. Wow. That's interesting. And like that one's called chatting. Why don't you just do it by persons? You put all the tilts together. Maybe because there's so fucking many of them.

Yeah, but do all the tills together, all the Connors together, all the Francis's together. Remember when I was talking about micromanaging? This is an example of that. Okay. I'm joking. I never, why did you get so sad? I'm just trying to make, I was pondering. I've never said that.

I'm just trying to. to make your life easy. That's all. That's fucking illegal. You use that one too much. Those fighting words. Okay. What else, Frankie? What else? A couple of things written in French here.

Hello, you, Quebec. His sponsor of UFC. Did you follow the war betting scandal of the war correspondent, Manuel Fabian, Crazy World? No, but I'm 100% certain you know what this is about. I don't actually. Oh, wow. I imagine if there is a polymarket bet for the war, it's fucking.

crazy. That seems like something up your alley, but... Because I bet? No, because you're into like all the, you know, the mesh... I do understand the geopolitical concern, but I still think people betting on a war-ish. That is insane. That is insane. We're talking about people's lives.

Yes, it's absolutely nuts. What else, Frankie? What else? There was an old episode from around two years ago where Ariel did a Hasbula impression while G. GC and Rick desperately tried to move on. Really? Someone please find it. Sounds fire.

How does he speak, Hasbula? What does he do? Now I'm desperately telling you to stop. What does he do? What's wrong with that? It's not true. Oh, he actually does sound like that. What else, Frankie?

What else? I think that was it. Oh, okay. Wow, what a way to end? BITB tomorrow, friends. What do we got? What do we got? You see London?

Hell yeah. We're going to talk about it. Okay. Time for bound rankings. best British Slang In it Yo, you know who loves a good in it

Moses Sitaama You can be with a bunch of Inits Yeah I can't tell him Mosa Tama hates me or loves me No I think that's kind of his His thing The way he goes about life

Yeah yeah yeah Bit of a drier guy Love him love him love him I love him I love how he brought it up later In the interview You call me cheese In it

Yeah exactly All right, so that's the phone number. 415. SUP, BITB, that's 787-2482, 415, 787-2482, leave the boys a message. Crack on Friday, and then I'm back with you on Monday. What a week, friends. What a week for me. I pass the baton off to the boys now.

Of course, oncrown.com, the place to be for all the action. We never sleep over there, so the news is coming in. we shall have it for you over there but time to say goodbye as the great Andrea Bocelli once said, right? Time to say goodbye. Is that not what he says?

Is that not what he says? I don't know. Andrea Bocelli. It is what he says, but this song is so sad. Why is it sad? It's about someone going to World War I. Is it?

Yes, and the idea is like, they're probably not going to see them again. I might have already like just only listened to us in Italian. I mean, I don't know. Okay, well, I have to say, he, um, he sang that song at the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games. I feel like it would have been more fitting in the closing. Yeah.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Have you seen Solo Mio, the movie? Hmm, is it about Ande? Kevin James? No. Well, Andrea Buccelli plays a massive partner. He was, he did very well. Okay.

Check it out. Solo Mio. I think his son is now a singer as well, right? It would make sense. I just saw a tweet here from Devin Haney, very random, three hours ago. I want Daniel Cormier to teach me to wrestle. What's that all about? Does he want to come over?

Come on over. Does he want to be an MMA fighter? What's happening? Oh, now I see another interesting one. Jay-Z? Why is J-Z spelling his name like that? Why are there two dots over the why? What's going on?

Is this a new thing? He's been doing that forever. No, he has. He has not been doing this forever. On his album, what was the one from 196? Yankee Stadium, July 10th and 11th. You guys pulling up? Birthday party for all of us?

You were there, bro. Hell yeah. Oh, here's a picture of... Look, I don't know what that is. It's been a tremendous few days. Thank you to all our guests today. Thanks to all of you. Thanks to that.

Back to my day, this is a piece of out here.