The Ariel Helwani Show - UFC White House card not political? Saudi Arabia pulls sports funding, more | The Craic

Episode Date: April 17, 2026

The Craic returns with Petesy Carroll, Chuck Mindenhall, and Ben Fowlkes back together as usual. After catching up, the lads react to Dana White’s comments insisting the UFC’s White House event is not political (8:48). Following reports that Saudi Arabia has pulled its funding from LIV Golf, the boys explore what it could mean for combat sports’ ties to the country and its boxing figurehead, Turki Al-Sheikh (38:23). Paddy Pimblett also stirred interest by revealing he’ll be fighting at International Fight Week, which is rumored to feature Conor McGregor’s return. The trio map out what that card could look like (46:59). Another UFC star making headlines was Arman Tsarukyan, after a viral video surfaced showing him being kicked off a flight, which prompts a reaction on the show (51:01). Ronda Rousey’s return to MMA has also sparked debate, with her comments on the UFC and Kayla Harrison giving the lads plenty to unpack (55:18). The trio preview this weekend’s combat sports fixtures, including UFC Winnipeg headlined by Gilbert Burns vs. Mike Malott (01:04:30), before answering your Super Chats (01:07:58).

Crackheads, it's Friday. Where else would you rather be than right here with us on the crack? A lot happening, you know? A lot of stuff moving about in the combat space. What are we going to talk about today? That's probably what you're wondering. I'll tell you.

Dana White's saying, this UFC Whitehouse event, nothing to do with politics. It's been a big talking point. I'm seeing millions of views all over X, formerly known as Twitter. another interesting situation developing with the Saudi funds being pulled from live golf.

You've got to wonder what that means for the massive, massive amount of capital they've pushed into boxing over the last few years and specifically Zulfur boxing, of course, which is in conjunction with Turkey Al-Sheek. Paddy Pimlet says he's fighting at International Fight Week. Very interesting considering who we already think is going to be fighting there.

could be a very, very tasty card should all have come together. A lot to be said about that. Armin Sarukian got himself in a bit of bother again. You know, is this all a coincidence? Kicked off a flight there yesterday, people saying he was on his phone, very confusing. Got a PJ immediately after that, though.

Don't let a buddy, Armin, just book that PJ. That's what I do myself. I don't do commercial flight anymore. Just the PJ every time. Ronda Rousey. She was spitting fire at this press conference. our boy Ariel Hwani up there front and center. She had some choice words for Kayla Harrison.

She had some choice words about the MVP pay. Very, very interesting. We'll also be happening a look at the weekends. Actually, of course, PFL, Belfast happened last night. I was up watching that. I did not attend. I feel very bad for not attending because it was a very, very good event, despite Paul Hughes, not making it.

To the main event, it was Dara Kelly instead. But unfortunately for Dara, he was knocked out 37 seconds into the contest by JJ Wilson who was calling for a fight with Alfie Davis there is a big event in Winnipeg

Mike Milott of course in the main event and one of our lovely host Chuck Mendenhall got a word with him so we will speak to him about that shortly man it's a lot going down Connor Ben has apparently re-signed for Zufo boxing

he's been on first take with Dana White this morning a lot going on we're going to try and get to it all, but I'm not going to do it by myself because there's far better looking on more intelligent people who can do that for you. Ben, folks, and Chuck Mendenhall are here. Chook Mendenhall, how are you, sir? Did you say a big event in Winnipeg?

I was just looking over that card and, uh, that seems like a stretch. It stood out to me as well, honestly. There is an event. I'll say that. There is an event in Winnipeg. I'm well, man. I'm well.

How are you guys doing? I'm doing fantastic, Ben. Good. I'm right off the jump be shouting my name. Pete, you made a comment in there where you said that you don't fly commercial anymore. No. The way I heard it was you can't fly commercial anymore because you kept taking your shoes off. And they got a lot of complaints.

They got a lot of complaints about you had the dogs out all the way out. And it was kind of considered a biohazard from what I heard. I taught the parts in between the seats in front of me were feet holders. So I naturally put my feet there. And yeah, I mean, I hadn't watched myself for a few days. What's the big deal? You know, these things happen. These things happen.

And I've learned now. And I'm a better person because of it. I think the Winnipeg event is huge. I'm a big UFC fan joke, okay? I'm not knocking it down. I was up until all I was watching PFL, Belfast, you know, relatively huge. Yeah, I saw that. I saw that.

That's good. I mean, it'll be fun to see Gilbert Burns. He's really good cooking with gas lately. What is he? like, come on. Four. Well, I mean, he's trying to get off the skid.

You know what I mean? Why are you doing this? He's a main event, Ben. Gilbert doesn't deserve that. No, he doesn't. You're right. We'll edit that part out later. I'm interested to see what we're going to see when we look out there on the crowd in

Winnipeg, because I've heard, I've heard a lot of Canadians who were not super enthusiastic about this lineup and then about the ticket prices. and they keep posting like seat maps and stuff. And the takeaway message I was getting is a lot of good seats still available, as they would say in the pro wrestling business. Come on down to the arena. Maybe you know how to do with the resale market. Maybe some of those prices start coming down.

But it'll be interesting to see if we see a lot of empty seats in there. That's pretty close to you. That's like a home game, isn't it? So Manitoba is just... Pretty close to me. I've been, I covered a UFC event in Winnipeg one time. It was in many ways a memorable experience. Winnipeg, I thought, was a super fun town, even though it is one of those towns you go to.

And everybody is like sort of proactively apologizing to you for their town. But it's like, well, why would you come here? Yeah, there was a lot of that. But they were, you know, they sort of treated their town as like a beloved dive bar. And I was like, you know what, brother, I love a dive bar. So I went out and went bar hopping with some locals there. And the most Canadian thing that. could possibly happen to me was I was trying to list off the Canadian things that I loved,

and I was like, hockey, the punk band Propagandi. And then one of the dudes I was with was like, I play rec league hockey with the guitarist from Propagandhi. I'm going to call him right now. And he called him on the phone and we talk. Wow, that is crazy. That is wild. You're not dispelling any of my stereotypes about Canadian people right now. Just so it is interesting about the crowd, though, because we did see a lot of empty seats. in London and usually that's sold out all the time. And we had people leaving during the main event this year. And I would say like the Canadian events have the same kind of,

they have the same kind of feel as the UK events where like people are buying the UFC ticket. They don't even need to see the card. They're usually just getting it. So if we were to see a similar thing there, I don't know if the USC would react to it all that much because they're still selling the tickets. We're still going to do that announcement. We broke every record somehow.

I don't know how, but we broke all the records again. They beat the Manitoba Moose from 2006. They had the attendance record up until. I mean, they are, like at some point, it seems like they're going to push the ticket prices until they find the point that the market can no longer bear. Yeah. And maybe they're there. And maybe that's a different point in different markets. I do think the Canadian fans have felt, I would argue, not unjustly, like they've been taken for granted for a while.

For a while, there was a point there in like the 2000s, 2010s kind of era where Canada was the new hotness. USC was very excited. We were doing huge events in Canada. Had George St. Pierre, we're selling out, you know, set in North American attendance records. And then they kind of just, they tapered back some of the events and also sort of treated like, well, these people are such huge fight fans. They will watch anything. And I think that there's some pushback now with the Canadian vans being like, okay, that's true. about us, but also you don't have to act like it's true.

They still owe, was it Calgary, USC 149? Remember that card? It was like so garbage. And Dana, why I was apologizing? What's that? The Otachi Palace one as well from the Gulf. Tachia Palace, you're right. They do Ootajie Palace.

Anyway, we're way off of your, we're way off your syllabus right now, man. You better get us back on target here. Can we talk about the syllabus? Like, I mean, the notes have changed. It's a big change because I have shortened them to allow more free flow. This is the banter you were talking. about, I think. This is what you're leaving room for. Can you feel it? Can you feel it? The notes have changed and it changes everything about the show

reading. There was something passive aggressive about the wording. I'll just say that. One of us called out by name, put an effort to promote more freestyle conversations and then in parentheses per request of talent. I see what you're doing. I don't appreciate it. I see what you do it. It wasn't me who's name. I'm trying to look, Chuck,

you've been a dream. Okay, you have been a dream. I thought so. I'm not talking to anyone else. I'm just saying, Chuck, you would have.

Comparatively, comparatively, I have been a dream. Like, compared to me. Let's stick to the syllabus, as we say. All right. Dana White,

saying things about the boy house again, this time on Pat McAfee. Can we roll the clip, Andy, because I can't quote it verbatim. Are we allowed to do that? We're paying the entire bill on all of this. Everything that you see, not $1 of taxpayer money will go into this.

And this is the UFC's gift to the 250th birthday of America. And I think one of the myths that I would like to crush is, I don't care if you're far right, far left, right down the middle, wherever you sit politically, because everybody sits somewhere politically these days, This isn't about politics. This is about the United States. You know, what this country is about, how it was built, where we all came from. If you love America, you're going to love this event.

It has nothing to do with politics. We just happen to be in the White House lawn and the President of the United States will be there. They seem to be two very charged things there towards the end. I know you wrote about this in the mailbag this week. So I'm going to go to you first. What do you think of Dana Wade's comments regarding the White House event not being political? He's lying. That is, that is just-

Don't sugarcoat it, Ben. Tell us. He's just lying about it. The thing is, it's not even worth talking about whether he's lying about that or not. The question is, why lie about it? I don't quite understand that, because clearly, the UFC is pro-Trump. Like, that part is not up for debate anymore. You know, Dana White himself has spoken three.

times at the Republican National Convention in support of Donald Trump. They do a walkout for him. We got John Anick screaming into the mic like we're introducing him for a fight. You know, we got a Trump cam trained on him the entire time. They don't do that when he goes to other sporting events. When he's at, you know, like the NCAA championship or something, they get a little shot of him up there and be like, hey, yeah, he's in the building. But they aren't like taking out the spotlight, giving him his whole moment doing this walkout

to hype him up. that is a choice that the UFC is making. They're clearly, we've seen it. They are aligned with Trump. We got them sitting right there. You know, we want to draw attention to him. And this claim that the White House event is to celebrate America's 250th birthday. Again, all you need to look at to know that that is not true is to look at the date.

It is not on America's 250th birthday. It is not even the same month. I don't know if you realize this piece. See, July 4th typically thought of as America's birthday, our independence. They will Smith stop the aliens. But Ben, that's that's not a Saturday, though. So how are they going to do? In fact, Chuck, it is a Saturday this year.

Oof. I'm asking a lot of excuses. July 4th does fall on a Saturday. That was the only ace I had up the sleeve. Instead. And I, but I could even make the, the allowance if you were like, hey, we don't really want to do a televised live sports event. event on July 4th because it's not really a TV holiday here in America.

It's a get out and do stuff holiday. It's a like get outside, barbecue, go outside, watch fireworks, put a blanket down on the, the grass in the park. People aren't going to be in front of their TVs. They don't really want that on July 4th. So I can understand if you were like, we want to avoid. But I remember going to UFC events on a Friday in Las Vegas because Saturday was New Year's Eve.

And they were like New Year's Eve on the Las Vegas strip is a nightmare. People aren't going to watch it. So we'll do it on Friday. What they don't ever do is events on a Sunday. And why would we do an event on a Sunday here? Because it's Donald Trump's birthday, man. He turns 80, which I'm just going to, I'm just going to let the parentheses sit in, or the exclamation point sit in parentheses there.

80. He's 80 years old. Like Chris Rock said, you're too old to be president when you're 80. He doesn't look that young. I will say that. But he's. It's his 80th birthday, and that's why we're doing it then. There's just no other, there's no way around that.

It's like you're doing a birthday party for the guy who loves, like, attention and loves to be like the center of attention. I just don't understand why you can't just say it, man. Just say, this is a, a, we love Trump. This is a Trump event. We're doing it on the White House lawn. We're doing all this. And you know when you turn on this event and you watch it, it's going to be very Trump-centric.

I'm sure we'll do some stuff about America and everything. It is interesting to me when he's like, like, oh, it's about America and where we all came from. However, if you come from other places now and want to come here to America, we hate you immediately, but we're going to celebrate it here. It's just like, admit what you're doing, man. I don't, it seems. Why is he not admitting it, though?

Like, that's what I don't understand. Like, why is he protective about that element? Because we saw, like, five months ago, I remember Ariel speaking about, like, um, he was saying, like, not political again. He was talking about himself. I'm not a political. guy, the UFC isn't political. Like, Chuck, why, why is he protecting this thing?

Why is he so adamant? Like, this isn't political. This isn't that when all the examples Ben has given. It's clearly, it's clearly a, uh, a company that is very pro-Trump, like, very clearly. Like, there's no. They're very pro-Trump. And even like at the last, uh, telecast UFC 327, they even said specifically, rather than 250th birthday of America, they said it's President Trump's 80th birthday, or they said his

birthday, um, to celebrate his birthday. They actually said that. So it's not like, you know, it's not like the company. It's just coincidental that this is going on. The only thing I can think of, man, is that they've been so, so pro-Trump through this whole time. And I was watching Luke Thomas, who has been going on about this for a long time. By the way, he believes that there will be plenty of tax dollars spent on this. He doesn't believe that part of that either.

But, you know, I think. He was great. Yeah. Yeah. He's been kind of talking about that. I mean, it's right in his backyard. so he kind of has the insight more in that sense. But there's just so much about it that, you know,

he was mentioning that the laundering part of it, like basically the UFC kind of launders each time there's something going on. Going back to the January 6th, the insurrection thing, like, you know, months later he's appearing at a UFC, and this has just kind of been this kind of etch-a-sketch that he uses, like, hey, here I am the man of the people, and they present him in a different light each time in the UFC. This has been ongoing for that many years.

at least that many years. So I don't know. The only thing I can think of is that they're basically like, okay, we are, we're, this looks too cult like if you're just straight up pro Trump going to the White House, his birthday, and they're trying to kind of ease that a little bit so you're not being so polarizing to the casuals who are like, man, this is disgusting. That's the only thing I can think of. I don't know why all of a sudden you try to backtrack it.

It's, it's an insult to tell us like that it's not political though. I mean, that's just, I mean, like, anybody who. has paid any attention to this sport knows exactly what's been going on. I mean, it's just, it's insulting. Is it to be like, oh, no, this is not political? I mean, the dude spoke at the convention. You know, he was like his chief guy, like he was up there.

Introduced him. I'm like, this is, this can't help. When you think about pro teams that win a championship, what's the next step, right? They're like, they're going to go to the White House. This has been a huge political firebrand issue in terms of who's going to go and who's not. The teams that choose not to go, just by itself. by being at the White House is very political, right?

For these reasons, this is all political. Like, this whole thing is political. So it's, it's absurd to kind of pretend otherwise at this point. I mean, I do think they must, I'm sure, have done some math within TKO, within the UFC and realize like, okay, it doesn't come without risk to go all in for one side of the political aisle, especially when it's somebody where it's like Trump is a very divisive figure. The people who love him, love him. Really, really love him. But the other people who don't really don't. Now, I don't think I'm surprising anyone when I say that I am in the don't category.

But you look at like the polls and you're like the reason poll I saw from the New York Times said that 54% of voters in America right now disapprove of them. And so I can understand if they're looking at the numbers and being like, this is going to turn some people off if we're seen as we are in favor of this side of the political aisle and this. particular president because there's a lot of people that don't like that guy and a lot of people who are going to not like you as a result of you going so hard in favor of this guy. But the thing is, that's already happened. To the extent that that was going to happen, that has already happened. I hear from those people all the time who are just like, I find it harder and harder to watch these events. Because it's not just like he's at the event. They make it so you can't ignore it. The key politics out of sports people must hate it because they make it that there's no way you can

watch this event and just sort of like tune out that part. It's very much a focal point. And I know that there are a lot of people who don't like it and has pushed them away from the sport and from following the UFC. And so maybe they've looked at that and been like, if we are seen as doing this as a political favor and joining a political side, we're going to lose some viewers. But that part has already happened. So I don't know why you wouldn't just embrace it at this point. Do you think, right, when Trump was in a more favor of? position. Like you were mentioned in Poles, I'm sure he was more popular than he is now at some point. Do you think like during that kind of Dana kind of allowing sport to come back as he was saying at the time through the apex and putting on events in Florida and stuff like this?

Do you think he would have been more open? Say it happened then. Say it happened in 2021, 2022 when he was doing these kind of things. And, you know, he got an opportunity to do this in the way. Do you think he would have been more like, yeah, well, this is our guy? Like, do you think it is a reaction to the downturn in popularity? Like, as you're saying, with these polls that he's kind of saying, not political all of a sudden now? It's an interesting question. I mean, are you saying, like, that it's why Trump wants to do it or it's why the U.S. It's hard to imagine the U.S. going to Joe Biden and be like, hey, can we come to the lawn on Sunday? Can we show up with the cage?

You know, it's just, it's hard to picture that for a couple different. reasons. And I remember talking to Dana White about this a couple of years ago maybe and where I was able, I did an interview with him and I asked him about all the Trump stuff. And I was like, you really are highlighting him. You know, what is that about? Are you not concerned about alienating people who have different political views? And he, and he again made the comment that it's not political. And at the time, he was like, that is just respect for the office. If Biden came, I would do the same thing. he said something once where he was he said i heard that like biden's grandkids or kids or somebody were at one of the events and left before i could talk to them and i was upset about that because i

wish i could have had the chance to give them good seats and and and treat them well and all that kind of stuff basically arguing like i'm not doing this for the person i'm doing this as respect for the office that's harder and harder to to get away with now like that that claim seems obviously untrue now in a way that it was only mostly untrue at the time. Because we're going so hard, really spotlight. The UFC, I don't know if you guys remember this, they made a short feature film for Fight Pass called Donald Trump, like, you know, combatant in chief or something.

And I think a lot of that data will say, like, essentially, hey, he's been a big supporter of ours and of the UFC and mine since the early days when the Trump Taj Mahal and Atlantic City was won. of the few places where we could do UFC events. And so I believe that that's true for Dana White. He is a big loyalty guy. And he's just sort of like, hey, this guy supported us. I'm going to turn around and support him.

I also believe that Dana White does not hold a lot of political ideologies. I think he is mostly just like pure self-interest. And to the extent that he's like aligned with Trump, it's because he sees like, this is a guy who could do you some favors and will. So it makes sense for him. Yeah. But it also just seems like at this point, it's been going on. on long enough. You must have heard from enough fans about it. You've kind of forced people into feeling some way about it. And so it's just disingenuous. And like you said, it feels like you're

being gaslit to do all that and then to turn around and be like, what? You guys think that we're political somehow? No, where'd you get that idea? Like, you're making it impossible for us not to notice. And I mean, come fight night. Is this thing going to seem like it's not political? You know what I mean? Like, come on. This is going to seem. I, you'd mention when they first, when this thing became like, when we thought, okay, this is really going to happen. Ben, you'd suggest to like, you know there's going to be some kind of honorary belt or some kind of ceremonial thing that's going to happen, right?

I still feel like that's going to happen. I still feel like there's going to be this moment where we're all going to be like, oh, my God, what is this? And watching it and talking about it for the next week afterwards, it's just going to happen. And I mean, all of this, all of this blue. You can't, you can't say it's about the office and in the same breath be like, you know, he's a, he's been a chum of mine.

We're buddies, you know, and, uh, you know, he helped me out back in the day. And because, I mean, I'm not even sure like Hamzat Shemaya would have fought in Chicago last August if, if Trump's not there. Like the, the favorite, like, we already, we've talked about this before. I mean, that that kind of relationship is very different. Darren Taylor mentioned it as well at one point. Like, what's that? Darren mentioned like he got help from the, like, kind of from the go. Like, kind of help to get in.

Like, these things were said. You've got a true advocate and the highest position, you know, right now. now in America and he's your ally. It's, you know what I mean? It's, it goes beyond just the office. That's, that's, that's all I'm saying. It's not going to just be the office here. Yeah, it's, it is interesting that like, this isn't the only sport that's, that's courting Trump, you know, like infantino, as I mentioned earlier, Johnny Infantino is getting a lot of criticism from the football world because he's bought an office in Trump Tower. He's, he's doing all of his business out of there. He is falling over Trump at any opportunity. He gave Trump the football. He gave Trump the football.

equivalent of a peace prize a few months back. You know, I listen to football podcasts and shout out second captains and they were speaking about Infantino, this is the president of FIFA, and they were like he would love to be like Dana White.

He would absolutely love to be like him. That close to him and in control of the sport the way Dana Hoyt is. I guess my question is, lads, Ben mentioned earlier people who don't support Trump, they're starting to feel a certain way when they're watching the UFC. It's just too much in their face and they're like,

I can't enjoy this while this is going on. Do you think that the White House event, it being the full realization of this relationship, essentially on a TV broadcast, right? Like it's going to be pretty much all about that despite Dana White saying it won't. It has to be. It's on the lawn of the White House. Do you think that will be a moment where

those people, the people who aren't in favor this government kind of go, well, there's no coming back for this from the UFC. This is just too much. It is far too much on this side of it. And I'm washing my hands of this. It feels like Ben, doesn't it already feel like both types of people

are already out? Yeah. Like you're just mentioning, that's the sense I get. The people who are, the people pay attention on a political level like this and they cannot separate the two. They watch this.

They've been, I've heard, this is the main thing I've heard about over the last, you know, a few years is just, it's disgusting in this sense, right? They can't bear to watch, you know, Trump getting his walkouts and all this stuff. They just can't do it. And that's why they're out of the sport. I don't think it has anything to do with the sport itself. I think it's just the affiliation. I've known too many of those people.

So I don't know if there's anybody on the fence that way that's going into it. I'm not sure that anything that happens at the White House is going to steer them off of where they're, like, where they're already at, you know? It will be interesting. I really wonder what the viewing experience is going to be like and also who tunes in for it because I've heard from people who are not at all fight fans, but they know what I do for a living. And when this first started coming up,

the idea of the UFC event on the White House lawn, I heard from a lot of those people just reaching out to be like, LOL, no way this is true, right? And they just knew that I would know. And so I would just be like, nope, but it seems like they're really going to do this. And they're just kind of like, holy shit, I can't believe that.

And I think a lot of those people are going to be like, well, this I got to see. Especially if it's on like CBS, if it's not something that you really have to jump through too many hoops to access, there's going to be a curiosity there for some people to just be like, what is that even going to be like? We've never seen a live pro sporting event from the White House lawn. And so they're going to want to check it out and tune in. And yet there's also going to be people, I think, who hear about. it and they go, okay, wait, the UFC, this organization I've heard of, maybe I've watched before, is essentially throwing Trump a birthday party. What the hell is that? And we'll want to avoid it,

like for that reason. And we'll also then, anytime they hear the UFC mentioned, we'll think of this. And so it's going to be a very, like the pressure is going to be on for this event and in a weird way for everybody. And that's why I kind of wondered, too, where somebody asked also in the mailbag about Josh Hokit taking this fight, which is essentially like that fight in particular felt like, we're making this one for the pleasure of the emperor. He watched a fight.

He said, like that guy. Why isn't that guy fighting? I also like Derek Lewis. Why isn't he fighting? And Dana White's like, hold on, I'll be right back.

And runs over there, offers this fight to Josh Hokit, we're told as he's essentially like sitting in the back of the ambo, waiting for a ride to the hospital. The point I made in the post fight, show you'll recall is it's risky to accept that fight then because you don't know what your body's going to feel like in the morning. You don't know what it's going to feel like two weeks on. You don't know if you're really going to be able to turn around in two months and ramp it back up again.

But also, you can picture how Josh Hokit might go in there and win a fight against Derek Lewis. You could imagine if you got Greg Jackson, a smart trainer like Greg Jackson in your corner, what he's going to tell you we should probably do and not do if we want to go in there and beat Derek Lewis. So it's got to be in your head. The president saw me out here in a slobber knocker in a real slugfest and said, I want that guy, put him on the White House card, a huge audience, huge stage. You know what the people want to see, Josh. You know what kind of fight they'd love to get out of you here.

And yet also you got to know that would be a bad, that would be the one way you could give Derek Lewis an opportunity to win this fight. And I wonder how that sort of pressure is going to play into it for people because it's like, do you want to be the guy who goes out there and shoots a double leg? And, you know, the people, the good news about it is we're setting aside select tickets for this. It's not a general viewing public. They're probably not going to boo you, you know, if you're working out of the guard. If they think you're doing a little too much lay and prey, you know, those people are probably not going to. Pete Hagseth is probably not going to be out there at booing you.

maybe he will be. It could be. But that's got to affect some of these people how they approach this, right? Yeah. Do you think they'll give Trump the power of the kind of gladiatorial thumb, you know, like at the end, like you can do this and then they just, you know. You know what? It's next to that when you say like they're doing it for the emperor. They better not have one of those moments where we mess up the scorecards and we got to bring the guys back to be like, oh,

actually know it wasn't a split decision it was a draw because man the conspiracy theorists will be out for that in a heartbeat you can't don't mess this one up buffer make sure you know the right name on that card to read wonder what his jacket's going to look like at the event he's got a oh shit yeah he's got to have an american sawing eagle on the back probably there's no way he has just one jacket he go he's going to he's going to change costumes like he is madonna and it's he's back there that it's hustling him through like backstage is there any chance we just have a massive restorative moment, boys. You know, like a...

The nation heels. Oh, man. I saw Rocky four. I've seen something like that before. If I could change. Ben's saying that, right? Ben's in the middle at the end going, and if I can change,

maybe you can change, you know, and then Trump and him hug. And it's like, we started it out. But, like, is there any way we come away from this just going,

that was fucking great, you know, didn't, didn't feel politically leaning at all, you know, just a great night at the fights. Well, that's the thing.

It's like, You look at some of the fights you got lined up. It's, I think the, these, we're still adding fights to the card. I think it's kind of a little bit of an admission that we didn't exactly blow people's hair back with the lineup on this one. People were expecting a little more. But, you know, absolutely, you could get some great fights out of this. You could imagine a situation where you get some really good performances and we kind of come away going like, wow, that was a great show. But you also know you're going to have to sort of like,

ignore a lot of other stuff to see the great show. You're going to have to kind of squint through the haze of whatever else we're doing in order to appreciate the fights. And that's what, that's the part that I think just kind of sucks. Like, don't put us in that position. And it's the exact opposite of what Dana White was an advocate for before, right? Remember when he didn't, he didn't want them to even mention that COVID was a thing that was happening when it was happening because he was just like, hey, this should be an escape.

Sports, this is entertainment for people. This should be an escape from what's going on. in the rest of the world. And when you're doing this, there's no real way for that to be the case. Whatever you tell us now, whatever you try to tell us, it's, we're at a moment where it's so politically divisive in this country that there's no way for you to do this event and for us to just sort of turn our brains off, relax, and enjoy the fights. That's the part that you can be absolutely assured will not happen.

There's a little part of me, too, that's like in five, 10 years from now when the country is kind of sobered up, like, because it's just such a, it's such a, it's such a crazy time that it's almost it's almost too much to wrap your head around in fact it is too much like every day feels like a different bit of craziness but in five to ten years you're looking back in this is it going to be one of those things you're like man remember the white house card my god you know you talk about it in this way that you're like ugh you know that's my biggest fear honestly it's so closely aligned to any like and honestly like it doesn't matter what ideology you have here. What, what, like,

aligning yourself to any political element, I think it always looks bad in hindsight. Like, these things, it's trends. It comes and goes. It's popular one stage. It's, it's the, it's the most hated thing the next. Like, that, that is the game of politics. And I guess that's my fear for UFC. And because of how big UFC is, the sport in general, like, is it just an ick in 10 years time where people go,

geez, remember the UFC? That's not concerned. What Chuck's question presupposes is that America soberes up at some point and doesn't just continue to ramp up. You imagine the pendulum swinging back toward the middle somewhere, which maybe will happen and maybe it won't. I'm curious to see how this reads outside the United States. Because, you know, obviously the UFC is a popular brand all over the world. It is. And it should be one of the most international sports. It's one of the few sports where it's you're drawing talent.

from all over the world. Just look at how few American champions we have. Now we have champions from all over the place. You can have fans from all over the place. The UFC has done a good job kind of growing and internationally. And I'm very curious how it looks to some of those fans when they hear, like, even if you take Dan White at what he's saying and, hey, it's not going to be a political thing. It's not going to be a Trump thing.

It's going to be an America thing. We're throwing America, 250th birthday. I could see how that might also just be weird if you were just an Irish fan. being like, all right, so I guess I'm going to tune in and watch America's birthday party? What the hell? Yeah, I mean, more people are focusing on the fights out here. But like in terms of like that relationship, the UFC and Dana White, I hear it mentioned all the time on different sports shows. And it's like in a mocking way, you know, like their relationship is like, well, come on.

You know, these guys are our best friends. They're using each other to gain. Obviously, I know Luke, Luke and Ben, I've heard Ben talk about this as well. like, you know, this event kind of being like a thank you for all of the support, you know, they're given Trump. And I think that's most people's take on it internationally. Like I don't, I think Dana White is often looked at like one of the most, one of the guys who's closest to Trump and they kind of ridicule the infantinos of the world because they're like,

you are so desperately want to be him. Like, how weird is that? the leader of football. Do you remember Dana White used to say back in, this is going to be bigger than soccer and people are laughing. Like, he's positioned himself in a way where Donald Trump certainly,

the leader of the free world certainly seems to think that the UFC is more important than football to some extent, which is a bizarre situation. And it's brought like, it's brought more attention to the UFC, but I don't know if it's good attention. I don't think it is. I don't think it is.

I'm pretty sure it isn't. And this event, I think a lot of people are, watching it like from the the spectacle element of it. Internationally like what the foot like what is this going to be you know like this is this could be absolutely insane but certainly the relationship between Dana and Trump is one that's ridiculed you know is is is widely ridiculed and let's let's face this is it above political above Trump this is a Dana event you know this is his it's always Dana I think Ben you were just

talking about this is a Dana white thing and let's not forget You know, when Trump was kind of involved in MMA, during the affliction times, when he was, you know, like kind of part of that whole thing, Dana's job then. And, you know, it was to destroy that. Everything about the commentary coming out of that was that he wanted, you know, to take them down. Of course, I don't know, like if he went directly at Trump. But, I mean, they were opposed to each other because that's business, right? Like, this is just, this is still Dana White. And it's the best thing to do coming out of the Trump era is going to be like, well, Like I said at the time, it was never political. So there could be reasons for him to do that just kind of protecting himself on the back end as you kind of go into other areas. I mean, who knows? But all I know is that this is a Dana White thing more than anything else at this point. I think that back in the affliction thing, he intentionally stayed away from going after Trump's involvement. Because I mean, Trump was kind of just like lending his name to the affliction.

Yeah. He was more focused on Tom, a Tencio T-shirt guy going after him. But I do remember where they have. had a press, I was living in New York at the time, and they had a press conference at Trump Tower and I went and Donald Trump came down the golden escalator and everything. And this was at a time where America viewed Donald Trump very differently. It was just like, hey, it's the guy from the TV show, you know, like, here he is with his kids and everything. And I really, the thing I remember about going to that press conference was, you know, it's an affliction event and you

had all these fighters mostly wearing affliction gear, you know, and that was, and the affliction gear was not subtle, as you might remember. It was skulls and chains and angel wing t-shirts and like... Flirtyly, Gothic. Yeah, glitter and just like t-shirts with like weird metal studs embedded them and everything. Infected pit bulls, you know? Yeah, everybody was kind of wearing those, except for Matt Linland, who at that point, I maybe had recently run for some kind of like state office in Oregon where he lived, but he was wearing a suit

there and I could see, you know, and I'd known Matt Lindlin for a little while at that time, and I could see on his face, he felt very uncomfortable because he, you know, it's like you showed up to the party and you, you get there and you see everybody else and you're like, oh, God, I am I over dressed? Yeah, I've worn the wrong thing. And he's not really a suit guy in general. And so it must have been a real, just like surreal moment for him because he's like, all right, press conference, Trump Tower, suit then, right?

That's got to be a suit thing. I'll wear the one suit I have that I haven't worn. since I went to my cousin's wedding and then he shows up there and then Josh Barnett and everybody else is in affliction and he's going, God damn it. Motherfucker. I feel so out of place. That is funny. We need to, look,

you know, you've been given the notes although they've been shortened. There is segments, okay? And we've taken a big chunk there, okay? So I'm going to move on now. Thank you both for your comments on the first topic. Second topic. Saudi Arabia is pulling its funding from live

golf purr, thousands of reports online. There is fear amidst the Formula One community. There's fear amidst Newcastle fans, the Saudi public investment fund own them. Everyone's going to go, well, what's going to go on here? Of course, you know, a sport that's been greatly assisted by the old Saudi PIF is boxing. Turkey Al-L-Hik has come into boxing, has made all the big fights to spend. Oscar Delahoyahue certainly thinks he spent over a billion. I would not disagree with that.

And of course, he is one of the great collaborators with Dana White on Zufa boxing. Obviously, this has got to do with the war that's happening, the straight of our moves, all this kind of stuff. Oil fields, all this kind of stuff is going down. Very serious stuff. But I would be very worried if I was Zufa boxing, who have previously said that, oh, no, we didn't pay that $15 million to Conner Ben. He was re-signed for Zufo boxing, I should say. But they were like, no, no, no, we didn't pay. for that, Turkey paid for that.

I mean, would you be worried if you're on the old board there, Chuk, if you're here in a Lib Arab, sorry, they're pulling all of their money from all of those sports? What does this mean for boxing? Yeah, I would be a little bit because there's, I think, just common sense there's an aspect. I know, I know

that the, it's something like one point, there's over a trillion dollars, right? This seems like, play money in a weird way, like when you talk about the Saudi money and the way it's being thrown around. But when level heads start to be like, you know, we'd like to make this a little more commercial than,

maybe make it more like a business where you can actually make money, which seems to be kind of the direction, or at least the opportunity to start steer things in that direction, that's going to, you know, speak to people across all of the sports from cycling, everything that they've been involved with. So it's a, I think that the boxing aspect of it, just given the, you know, the size of the person's, the fact that it, the fact that it, feels like, you know, his excellency has basically involved more on a large, it's more of his

taste. I love boxing, you know, so it's based more on enthusiasm than it is any kind of wise investment or, you know, and I think that, you know, when you've got that kind of setup and really it does come down to moods, which is crazy sometimes, like the guy can just have like, you know what, I'm done, you know, that's, that's disconcerning. I think that that's like, that's where the boxing side of it. And I mean, honestly, man, what was it? Who's the soccer play they signed? It was Ronaldo, right?

For like $230 million for a year? I mean, that kind of, it's just so absurd that it's astronomical by even the craziest standards in American sports, the craziest standards. Guys who are getting, you know, 10-year, $500 million contracts were like, man, that's just mind-boggling. But then you hear that and you're like, okay, we're nowhere near kind of what's going on with that money. but if things start to go in that direction where they want to,

you know, they want to start getting more out of what they're doing and not just be like, we can because we can. That's going to be, that's definitely going to affect the boxing area at some point. Yeah, that's the thing is when I read some of these reports, I was reading a Reuters report from it where they were just basically saying,

the fund wants to stop essentially throwing money on things that have either no financial return or an unclear prospect of financial return. And that's what they do with. Well, and that is what the part, especially that sports and boxing in particular have been enjoying is here are people who are going to fund these big events and fund these big purses and all that kind of stuff. And they don't ever seem to be asking if the money coming back in is worth it. And that's great news for everybody invites sports because they're like, hey, awesome.

We will take that money. If you're giving it away, we will absolutely line. up for it. And instead, if they're just trying to be like, hey, we would like to have the things that we spend money on, bring us some kind of return. That is not what people want to hear. The other part of me, though, you know, when I, when I look that, yeah, how dare they? When I looked at this report, it said that they were trying to transition, like, focusing on five key areas. And the areas are tourism, travel and entertainment, urban development and livability, advanced manufacturing and innovation,

industrial logistics, clean energy, water, renewables, infrastructure. Jesus, that fifth one's a doozy. Yeah, well, some of these, they group tourism, travel, and entertainment as one, essentially. But if you're the boxing people, you're going,

we're entertainment, right? Like, that's us? Like, we're okay then? You know, but you also, the part I wondered was, you had to know this day was coming. It might have gotten here a little sooner than your thought.

But when they start throwing that money around, anybody who's paying attention had to have been like a startup company. Yeah. Like they're not going to do it forever. You know, they're not going to just be throwing these millions around without ever asking about the return on investment. That can't last. You had to know that.

And that was one of the things why, like I kind of don't blame somebody like Connor Ben for just being like $15 million for one fight. Sure. Hell yeah. Give it to me because the faucets not going to stay on for it. Let me run over here. How much of the overheads, Torque? only have a trillion.

Yeah. I mean, what did he's one? The guy who benefited the most was probably Francis and Gano in a straight way in two different ways, right? Because the PFL, wasn't it like a hundred million or something like that? Isn't that what,

like what was invested from the Saudi money? And obviously like he fights one time. They got all that back, joke. They got all that back. There's no doubt about that. I'm sure they got a big return on that. But then obviously like he was a big part of like the Saudi like when they, with the boxing area when he fought Fury.

right. So he's kind of cashed in in a big way too. And if they're having second thoughts, I'm sure he would somehow factor into that, you know, like he's been a major player in that. But he can't be like, imagine Dana Voight like thinking, shit, I'm going to use, I'm going to lose my war of words with Eddie Heron because Turkey's just going like, oh, no, we have no more money. He's like, what? Like, I mean, surely Zufa would keep going, right? Like they aren't, I think on a pride level, I think Dana's going to keep Zouffer going, even if. Turkey pulls a plug and his affiliation are on my in Dreamland here.

Well, yeah, and also the kind of Zufa boxing events that they've been doing outside of the like, you know, Connor Ben one-off kind of fight thing, but like the actual Zufa boxing, yeah, the actual Zufa boxing events that they've been doing at the apex. Those I don't, you could do those

without breaking the bank. If you have to spend your own money to do those, you absolutely can. And that's the thing. When Eddie Hearn says they're not out the garage yet, and he's, It kind of adds a point. Like, they're running events that could be pretty budget friendly. So you don't have to ditch it and move on, especially when you spent all this time and energy trying to get the All-E Act changed.

You talked all this shit about how you're going to war and you're beating up babies and all that kind of stuff. Yeah, you don't want to change your mind about it just because the Saudis aren't. And the Saudis are probably, it might be one of the last things they get around to Cutton because it doesn't. This is a rounding error essentially for them. as far as like the kind of money that they have been throwing around. I mean, I was at the event in Times Square. Like, you know, like you go to a boxing event

and you're like, why? And it's just because they could. Remember they were talking about, they were talking about doing one in Alcatraz? Remember they're like, we're going to go to Alcatraz? We're going to like, we're going to revamp the. And now, and then they're doing this boxing event. Who is it that's on the boxing card?

I forget. I'm, but it's the pyramids. Oh, sorry. Oh, yes. Yeah. The pyramids in Giza like next month, right? Like, so it's, these are the, these are the types of things that are like, hey, I got an idea. Let's do this. And as somebody who doesn't care about

the expenditure of that, they just want to be able to do it. And at some point, that's a lark. You know, that's like, that's just a guy saying, ah, let's do it because we can. That will, that is never in the history of humanity lasted very long. Nobody does that forever. Did you get a, did you get a t-shirt from the Times Square event? So you were there? I was stuck in like, you know, Times Square for like two hours trying to get out of there. It was mad and said, oh, it's such a bad scene. Well, we're going to have to see how this shakes out, boys. It's no, no shake turkey.

That was not a pun. And shakes out, okay? That's just the way I said it. It's a turn of phrase. Paddy Pimbley, boys, is saying that he's going to be fighting. Well, if you do with the mats,

what he said the BBC sport, he said, when we fight in 12 weeks time, the whiz kids out there were somehow able to like count the weeks. And I end up on like July 11th. That can be done. You can count weeks. No, come on.

Some people can do that. It's harder than counting cards, I can tell you that. He's funny. on the International Fight Week, which makes me kind of think, I think the UFC responding to the criticism that they got for the early cards in the Paramount era, because, you know, people would have us believe that Connor McGregor could be fighting Max Holloway that same night. And Paddy Pimlet's going to be there as well, one of their big stars, who was named up by Ronda Rousey at a press conference we were speaking about in a short time.

You've all seen the list. Yeah. But, wow, like, this would be a pretty significant eye-catching event, right? Chuck, if you have Connor McGregor fight, potentially v. Max Holley. away and the body all on one guard. Yeah, I think so. I mean, it's, they traditionally kind of try to stack that up pretty nicely and I think that that would make a lot of sense. I was curious as to who he'd fight and obviously a long time ago, we'd, we'd speculated that that should be Conner's fight, right? But as soon as he said, he was starting his diet already, 12 weeks out or whatever it is,

I was like, no, that's not the case. You've seen him when he doesn't start the diet. So it's impressive. You were talking about counting the months. I was trying to count his chins, you know, because It was like, he was like, he was like, he just shows him. But, but he, uh, it is interesting to kind of contemplate. Who do you think, who do you think they'll put him against?

I guess that's the, that's kind of the key, right? Like, I mean, that's gaugie for you. I've never seen how do you take a beating like that in my life? I've watched them since he started fighting. What's up? Three, three months now.

So, and it'll be what? Six, what would it be like six months after that? So I don't know. Well, also, don't you think that if you are planning to have Connor McGregor at International Fight Week and you really need, if you're the UFC,

you need to pull off a big, big fight this summer and show people you can still do it. Pop out and show them, as John Jones would say. You, if you're counting on Connor McGregor to lead the dance for you there, you need some backup plans. It's a good show. Because we tried to do this before

and it didn't work out. We tried to have Connor Greger out there at International Fight Week. Didn't go well. So there's always a chance that he might pull out that something might happen there. You need to have other stuff on there so that the card doesn't completely fall apart

when you lose that one. So I could see you try to get some other people who bring other types of star power. Patty Pimlet's a good choice for that. They're like, Josh Hookett, keep your shoes off. We may need you for the same. Keep your shoes on. You make a good, like who do you put them with?

Like, is it a drastic shift down the way category? Like, I mean, down the, down the list again in terms of he fights. Like, it's, it's tough to match Paddy confidently in that mix, right? Like, do they do the Moikano

fight? I mean, that probably makes sense, right? That would make, that would make sense. Especially after his last performance, Moikano. Yeah. Like, kind of coming back. I feel like it'll be something,

something like that or, uh, hooker. I don't know, would they do that one? Euchar or something. Dere Ush, yeah, he's got heat there, yeah. Yeah, and I think, Don't you think that the UFC would want to put Patty Pimlet in a position to be successful? That's true, too.

Because they like having Patty Pimlet be a guy. You know, he, he quitted himself well in the amount of beating he was able to take at the hands of Justin Gagchi. But they would probably like to see him get back in the win column, go back to being a guy that fans can rally. If you go out there and you just, you put him into a fight where he just gets beat up on, you sort of lose him. and you might not gain somebody else as a result. Yeah, that would be bad for him to take another beating. That would be bad. I think now you're looking at Patty Pimlet a whole different way.

If he's able to bounce back from the Gaichi thing, you can start to kind of build this thing back, right? Where he was. Speaking of U.S.A. Stars, Arm and Sarukians ended up in a bit more bother again. We have some footage here of him being us to leave a plane. the man who made this video said he had his phone out and the guy beside him

took the table down during taxiing which is a big no-no okay no matter where you are in the world for some reason you gotta follow the rules the table can kill a man I think that's what it's about that's him telling us

what I just said there so thank you sir with the glasses but you know I was kind of watching this and it's kind of funny like Sarukin Dan Is that really that though is it because he put his tray down is that why this was going to on his phone and the gobi-soitam had his tray down.

Okay. Now, we're only hearing this. You could be on the phone. I was going to say. You couldn't be on 95% of people. For years, the airline lied to us about electronic devices and it made it seem like if you got an electronic device out and everything. I got scolded.

I got scolded every time, I think. Put your phone away. They did basically the equivalent of what your dad would do when you were a kid and you were driving in the car and try to turn the dome light on in the car. You're going to kill us all. What are you doing? doing and they did that for years and then they just gave it up they're just like now whatever i mean put it in airplane mode i guess but you can be on the phone but everybody knows you can't take that tray down everybody knows that kill you straight away he'll rip your fucking abdomen straight open okay look that's the part though i read this new yorker article not long ago about uh turbulence and how injuries due to turbulence are on the rise just because like maybe climate change is changing the way air turbulence works or anything

But they did, there was one segment where I was like, okay, you did convince me that whenever I'm seated in a plane, I'm going to have the seatbelt on because they had some story about the turbulence and just threw people up so suddenly, so quickly that people's heads went through the little roof thing and into the luggage compartment. What the fuck? Yeah. And people were hospitalized from that. And I was just like, well, now that I know that can happen, yes, I will observe the Vassan seatbelt sign. I will not just sit here with the tray table down. Like as a spear pointed at my abdomen, you did convince me on that. But honestly, if you're saying like this was the thing that started this incident,

they don't come by, see your tray table down during taxing and be like, get out. Off the plane. You have to be a jerk about it. Because if they're going to come by and tell you, they're going to be like, hey, hey, raise the tray table. And if you just do it and are cool about it, then you don't have an issue, especially if it was taxing. Like, we're getting ready to take off. and we stopped that whole process to kick people off. You must have been being a dick.

Boy, there's, there are at least 150 very angry passengers on there. Yeah. People hate that shit. He seems more to chill, though, getting off, right? Like, it doesn't seem like, dare I say, a kerfuffle, okay? Which he has known to cause. He has known to cause a kerfuffle before. He has done that.

But that's my question, right? That's my question, like, is this, is this another mark against Herman? Like, where the UFC are like, oh, For fuck's sake. It doesn't help, right? It doesn't help. And it's honestly like, what did you think when you first heard, Armand's Rookin kicked off a plane, you went, well, yeah, probably.

You know, like, you. I know. I was waiting for him to headbutt like the studio. Yeah. You were not, when you first heard that this had happened, you were probably not inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt just because of the way you know he has behaved in the very recent past. You were probably like, well, he probably deserved it.

Oh, yeah. Oh, well, we'll see how this one checks out. I'm sure this is going to be the last issue. I think he's learned his lesson. I saw his face there and I was like, I saw his smile when he got on the pro chat and I was like, that's a guy who's learned. I saw contrition, you know. He was like, hey, it's one thing when I pissed off the UFC and started a brawl at a wrestling event.

But when my good friends at American Airlines looked at me and told me how disappointed they were in me, I knew I needed to change. I needed to start with the man in the mirror, you know? That's right. make that change, as the great Michael Jackson once said. Yeah, yeah. Rhonda Rousey, boys, she's been saying a lot of stuff. Aril Hwani was there at the

press conference, he was holding court, and Rhonda was on fucking fire, and we're going to play some video here, we're going to have a little, this is quite a video that we have here of Rhonda talking about Kayla Harrison, but I just can't, this is my feeling, right? I just can't believe she's come back so strong, and compared to where she was before all this to where she is now,

it's going to blow my mind. I'll let you go see the video for us, and then we'll have a chat about it. I'm missed if I don't ask you. I saw a podcast recently, Death Row MMA, hosted by Jorge Mosbidal, and Kayla Harrison was on, and she was asked about this fight

and was quite dismissive of the fight, and I believe she referred to as quote, and I love Kayla, and I love Jorge as well, but she did call you irrelevant. And so I was wondering if you saw those comments and what you had to say about them. How are you going to talk about someone being irrelevant when all you've done

is talk about her your entire career. Me or? OK, OK. Gotcha. I just want to make sure. But I wanted to give you a chance to respond. Oh, me irrelevant or Gina irrelevant? I think she just dismissed me.

But she called you irrelevant. And I was like, but you've been talking about Ronda your entire career. So I mean, obviously that's not very irrelevant. Right. Well, I mean. Well, Gina is so relevant that she's the whole reason that she's whole reason that the 145 pound division even exists. And I am so relevant that the only reason she has a job at the UFC is because of me. And Kayla is so irrelevant that she couldn't even

keep the 145 pound division around. And honestly, she's just sour because no matter what she does or what she accomplishes, she can't change the fact that she has the charisma of a wet towel and will always be in me and Gina's shadow. So the next time she wants to talk shit, she should look down her feet and consider who paved the road that she's walking on. Oh wait, she can't look down on her feet because she's too busy holding onto the belt and a neck brace. And then she goes on and says that I lied about training in judo in Canada in like 2006. Like, what the fuck are you to call me a liar, okay?

I was training there for five months. Bitch, you weren't even there. Okay? Over the last decade and a half of being a public figure, I have cultivated a reputation for being unabashedly truthful. this bitch just got here and was already caught in a lie. What did she say after she won the belt? She had, oh, I'm never going to say anything bad about Ron

that she took care of me when I was broke in Japan and bought me groceries. I want you shut the fuck up and eat your groceries. Hunter trying to act like her next sub-accombing fight is the biggest woman's fight of all time. Then why is it being booked as a co-main for a men's interim title fight? Okay, the bitch isn't even bigger than Patty the Batty. No offense, Patty.

I think he's got more potential than anybody in the UFC and he should call me when his contract runs. out. But here's another contradiction that I think is a fucking kicker is if she thinks that her fight is the biggest women's fight of all time, why is she getting paid less now than I was 10 years ago? So rid of me this, bitch. Are you overvalued or are you underpaid? And what really pisses me off, with anything else, yeah, I'm not fucking done, is how small she thinks. This is not just the biggest women's fight of all time. This is the biggest MMA fight of all time. It's going to get the most views on the biggest platform, on a card with the biggest stars, and it was all

assembled by, and will be headlined by, two women who dare to dream big. And this dream is going to bring more opportunities and greater revenue share to fighters than they've ever had before, because this fight is bigger than just me and Gina, and it's bigger than anybody on this stage. It represents an unstoppable force of change in this industry spearheaded by the fighters themselves. Bet your fucking asses is the biggest enemy fight of all time. Bart and Ryan. Well, you know, tell us how you really feel, Rhonda. I will say, going on all that, going on all that and then being like, and another thing, what really pisses me on. I'm not fucking dumb. The other stuff, minor, okay?

But the thing, like, are you guys surprised? Because I just, I feel like she's come back and she's reminded us all why she was a star. I didn't think she could. Again, I really didn't. She was so far away from that. Like, we were talking about the media and the fan feel for Ronda, like, I'm ferdy and off how she's come back here. Yeah. Shut the fuck up and eat your groceries is objectively an awesome line, you know? Because it's a bar. So if somebody says that to you, what are you supposed to say back?

Like, no. You know, you're like, I guess I will. Like I, you know, I will eat my groceries. I made good money. That part is true. But yeah, you're right. That was the first thought I had, PTC2. It was just like, okay, this person came back from pro wrestling and showed you that she

can still command a microphone. can still work room and a press conference, all that kind of stuff and go out here and sell a fight, which is good because to be honest, what you were selling with Ronda Rousey versus Gina Krono in 2026 is more sizzled and steak. So you do have to be able to excel at this part of it. But you also feel like,

Ron Roussey, she needs somebody to yell at. That's when her whole thing works best is when she can have an antagonist. And it really wasn't going to. to be Gina here, you know? Like there's a friendly vibe going on with her and Gina. It's just like, hey, it's you and me together put on this big MMA event on Netflix. So, but she, friendly doesn't work as well.

Friendly is not as, is hypeworthy. So having somebody else to yell at even if they're not there, that that's where her stuff really shines, I think. That's funny that you mentioned that. I didn't really put that together, but you're 100% right. She's, it's complete reverence with Gina for the most part. So she needs, if she's going to show that side of her personality and to kind of make bold claims and, you know, whatever it is, it's better to have. Because she did this even on the other press conference where she was kind of going to get like, it was she was being respectful.

Hunter Campbell then. Hunter Campbell, exactly catching the truth. But the problem is nobody knows who the hell Hunter Campbell is except for like hardcore. You need to have somebody you can yell out in the press conference where people are like, okay, yeah, I know who that is. Yeah. So, I mean, but you know, the truth is, Pizzi, like you were mentioning, I did kind of forget that she was like that. that. You know, I think that the way she ended her career, it almost like, you know, like a vortex, just kind of swallowed up everything. She went away and you're like, man, I, you just kind of,

you just let her slip, you know, like she was slipped into the past, but it's like when you see her like this, I do remember her being at certain press conferences or whatever it was and just getting that same kind of like momentum built up as she's talking and you're like, oh shit, here we go, you know? Even when she was, that was it like, I'm not a, the do nothing bitch or wherever she was like the whole thing. Like, I remember, you know, everything had that intensity. So I think I'd forgotten just how intense she does make these things. It is funny, though, because that's not the fight, right?

Like, the fight is with Gina. It's a very strange setup. And I don't, you know, the response from Kayla was basically, let's fight then. You know, let's just, let's have a fight. But you know that that is never happening. So you can be as bold as you want in this scenario, right? Like, they're never going to fight. it's a sign the contract situation there from Kayla, right?

Sign the contract. Right. As far as this weekend is concerned, we already had PFL, Belfast yesterday and honestly, delivered a lot more than a lot of people thought it would without Paul Hughes on the card. PFL are kind of in a weird situation this year. We're kind of calling a make a break year. I think John Martin did call it a make or break year when he was on with Ariel last week. And honestly, when I was watching PFL Chicago, I know it was one of the few.

you who did, I was kind of like, well, this doesn't look good. The UFC pay-per-view is on at the moment, and this is on, and now you're going to do this event in Belfast without Hughes. But honestly, I heard it was well attended. I heard about 5,000 people were in attendance, and they've also shown that they have the raw materials to have a market there. Reese McKeigh is signed there. He got a win over Alex Lahore.

Kaelin Lockron was there, and he got a big win over Alan Philpott. He was a heavy favorite, but the lads had a great war awards in the buildup, too, and I think it really helped the card. Owen Sheridan of SPG had a great win as well. Omran Chabon of Team KF. Obviously there was some big chaos for Irish fighters as well. Kieran Clark suffered a spinning elbow

KIO at the hands of Dean Garnett to taste defeat for the first time. And that also happened in the main event with Derek Kelly who stepped into face Paul Hughes. JJ Wilson scored a beautiful left hook knockout. But I'm telling you, that could become one of those events like a Paris, like they hope a Madrid will become.

I think Belfast, they have something there. And the vignettes, all the stuff that they put up was really, really good. Carl Frampton was in the video, Stephen McComb, all the famous Northern Irish boxers were there, FAI in Belfast

featured heavily throughout. So really, really good event based on not a lot of people being very pumped for it. I thought it delivered in a way that not a lot of people expected to,

but that is not all because UFC Winnipeg is this weekend. Mike Milott is facing Gilbert Burns and we all talked about how excited we are about this at the start of the show

with Chuck Menanhall, I mean, this lucky motherfucker, got to speak to Mike Moloch. Chuk. It was like winning the lot of. I mean, come on. You know, talking to Mike, the thing I wanted to ask him is just because I think this is his sixth consecutive fight.

Like he's just the designated Canadian now. Like this is our guy. We're going to roll out anything, you know, and this is his first main event. So now the spotlight is more on him. So I just kind of wanted to know in general, did you, does he like that kind of spotlight? Do you, does he have like yearnings to be like, I'd love to fight in Brazil or I'd like to go down and fight in the States sometime. It's just they're keeping me up there. I can't get out of it. I think he genuinely does love that. I think he loves the Canadian

shine he's got because if you remember even in that Kevin Holland fight when he's walking out, it was a big pop for him. Like it was just feel like a big moment. But I was like, do you feel like that you're kind of like the GSP, not in terms of winning and legacy and things like that, but you know, and being a title or even being ranked? But I'm saying like, do you feel like they're plugging you into the market? Like, we know we got somebody with this guy. And it felt like that was a little, you know, not what he wants. He was like, if it is, it's the UFC thinking that it's not me. He was very clear on distinguishing and saying, like, I've just, I'm focused on winning and I'm just hopeful that eventually I, you know, I take a ranking.

I think Burns is ranked. I hope I get his ranking, that type of thing. That, that struck me. I just thought he might have more of a reverence, I guess, for GSP and, you know, kind of go on a bit. I'm sure he does, but, like, it felt like he'd heard or thought this line through before or that, like, he's designated Canadian. And maybe he's kind of just tired of talking about that sort of thing. You know what I mean? So I feel like, but just, you know how you get the sense of like, as a guy carrying the right kind of chip on his shoulder?

I think he is. I think he's like, you know, he was so close to being undefeated that Neil Magny fight, like last 15 seconds is how he went down. So he's got a legit claim to being like, you know, he even if you count that one as kind of like he was winning the fight to being one of the more intriguing guys at Walter Waite. and this is his moment. I know he's, you know, to kind of show the rest of the class that he's on their level. You could understand, right, if somebody, if you were the guy, as I was asking him, who's a Canadian and people start being like, are you going to be the next George St. Pierre? And you're like, it's a little bit like, like if you're a Swedish rock band and people are like,

are you the next Abba? And you're like, there it is. I knew it was going to happen. Gary looks at shit. Ian Gary is, please, please. I am the new Connor McGregor. Yeah. Yeah, please ask me about that.

Please. No, no, no. When I was talking to him, I was trying to be delicate with it because I was like, I'm sure he has fielded a question like this a lot, you know, but it's still, like, it's more of a, it's, it doesn't reflect. It's poor, it's more poorly reflected on the interviewer than it is the guy that fielding the questions. I feel it got awkward.

I feel it got awkward. Based on how you're saying this. A little awkward. You know, some guys just, you could tell that they're just like, all right, man. I think people are sleeping on Gilbert Forrens. over a two to one underdog going in here. That's pretty wild. Like, he's only lost to fucking, like, the new Avengers of Welterway.

Yeah. You know what I mean? It's all the fucking main guys. Dude, and the way these cards look like with Moikano recently, like he was, like, the Gobert's 39. These guys keep showing up in the moment that you're like, nah, they're done. They're done. That's the moment these guys, like recently, like these veterans are showing up.

So I would not be a bit surprised if Burns goes on there and does this thing. Yeah. Well, um, let's hear. do we have any super chats please Andy? Oh. Yeah. I need to get that as a ringtone. It's a fucking sweet.

Who's calling it this hour, Ben? It's pizza again. Thoughts on Kinans, Dubai arrests and extradition. Huge news. RT broke the news at about an hour before we started here today that Daniel Kinan has been arrested in the UAE. This has been some, I genuinely didn't think this was ever going to happen. Daniel Kinney, for those who don't know,

is the leader of what the FBI at this stage called like the biggest drug cartel in the world. He has, he's based in Dublin. There was a huge feud here. We've referenced it a few times on the show, especially when we're talking about Irish boxing between the Kinnan and Hutches. There was a lot of people killed across Dublin. And basically there's been a lot of people arrested to do with this. Like this has been a concentrated effort by the Irish government to shut down the Kinnahans.

they moved to the UAE where we believe there was no extradition agreement with Ireland. So there was always talks of when is Daniel Ginnon going to get arrested? He popped up at an MMA event about three months ago, I believe it was, 971, and that made huge headlines all over the world. Today, it's been reported that he has been arrested. So it's huge. Some of you will know that Kinan tried to rebrand himself as a power broker within the boxing industry. That was around the time that Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury had agreed

to fight for the first time. Tyson Vury put out a video thanking Danielle Kinahan. He was believed he was the main man behind MTC Global. They said that the Kinans had nothing to do with it for a long time. Eventually that was proven. People like Darren Till were affiliated with the Kinans. I'd come out and back them and had to kind of walk back their stance. He was affiliated with a lot of boxers, a lot of MMA fighters too.

There was even an MTC promotion. Then there was Probellum, which he was also involved with. This has been a huge, huge thing in Ireland and across Europe and eventually into the US. Top ranks Bob Aram had to come out and make a statement regarding the fact that it came out that he had negotiated with Daniel Kinnahen for Tyson Fury to sign with Top Rank at one stage. It is a story that is involved with boxing and MMA. I'm sure we will have more on this as the news comes out because right now all we know is he has been arrested. boy Irish police and he was he was arrested in

in the UAE very very interesting and I can imagine the legal process will be a looking lengthy one here lads yeah you know I'm just glad that we don't have those shady characters in MMA you know what I'm saying so at least we're dodging that it's just an Irish thing as far as I know it's just a it is wild

it's crazy it's got I mean this is this news was breaking literally on the show for me I didn't even see this until right now so it's crazy what was this what this guy say. Ben still is that G.C.? No, it's just GC's face. Maybe it is GC. Ben still undefeated, undisputed

versus Pizzi's notes. Mm-hmm. That's right. You can't contain all this Pizzi. You want to take me and put me into like a tidy little container. You want to control me. You want to limit my

artistic freedom and it's not going to happen. It's like you're asking Miles Davis just to play Block courts. Yeah. You can't tame a rainbow, you know. He puts baby in a corner. You can't bottle up a sunset, Petsy.

And you can't, you can't just funnel Ben Folks into your rigid outline. Listen, I will continue to Troy. That's all I can tell you. For those of you may be interested, me and Ben went head to head on the main card minute this week, the pro quince. It's a growing live in 19 minutes on. they should all watch it, right? If you're busy, you don't have to.

You know, like, you don't, if you have stuff to do, like, that's fine. I understand. I won't be mad at you. I do think that the, the format of the game has some flaws that could be addressed, uh, but that's neither here nor there. There you go. I'm looking forward to watch that.

I called you out as well. I'm not going to lie to you. I did say you're a motherfucker, but then I apologize straight after. I was doing the night dea's thing. I was like, come. Motherfucker. I took it as an affectionate thing, yeah. Thank you. Thank God.

We don't have any of... He does that all the time. Chuck gets into some road rage and some... That's right. That's right. With only using the foyerters between the MVP card and Hoydow's card, can we play fantasy MMA and make either card better? Oh my God.

Yeah, I mean... Well, you put it like Philip Lenz into anything, right? Like, and he's... You got a big thing going on there. That's a big project? A fun game to play, honestly, is a mix and match. with those two fight cards, especially just because you can imagine the type of security incident we could get into with either Nate Diaz or Mike Perry at the White House.

I think the natural one everyone's thinking of, you know, who would put these guys together? Francis and Gano would be Derek Lewis. That's the one I'd pick. Wow. That could only go well. Huh? You're just, I mean, that is the kind of fight. I'm hoping that one day they will fight.

You put that fight. together and you tell people, look, it can't suck twice. Right? There's no way. Oh, my lord. That's the best of got for you. That's the best I've got. Saladin Pranas v. I'lli,

Tupori. Saladin Parnas, I've been fucking talking about this guy for nearly a decade since he's a fucking teenager. You know, this is, this is big for this guy to be fighting on Netflix. He's getting 500K a fight at KSW. How the fuck are you ever going to sign him? This is, it's insane. I can't wait to see this motherfucker fight.

No, Hokit versus Francis. I mean, that could be. I'd watch the shit out of that. Hokit. Hokim, honey, put on a show. Yeah. Hokit would cut an awful promo about immigration. It was just be an abomination. I don't think that's actually probably true.

I don't think that's happening regardless. I think that's going to go down, unfortunately. Anything else, there, Andy? Well, you looking motherfucker, you got us again. Yeah, the three of us, I mean, I call it the fillet, the fillet. That's American Philly of M.A podcasting. And we just keep giving it to you every fucking week. They try to bury us here on the Friday.

Can't bury this. How do you say garage? You say garage? Garage. Yeah. Garage. I don't have them. I'm not sure.

No. My brother has a fucking larding up around the corner there. Fuck you, Luke. Anyway, listen, love you all very much. Thank you to Oscar. Thank you to Chuck. Thank you to Ben. I'm a piece and Carol.

I love you. Enjoy the points.