UFC - Ultimate Fighting Championship

[Fanny Batter]

Just a reminder - Holloway himself pulled out of a fight scheduled four weeks ago. He's not going to be in peak condition, his management must be mad to let him take the fight. In saying that, it's a fight where the reward is probably worth the risk; he'll make a lot of money for fighting a man who he's expected to lose against and doesn't have to work for 12 weeks to get there, AND if he does win he's a superstar and in line to fight McGregor.

This isn't the end though, is it? Fully expect Michael Chiesa to submit Max to become Lightweight champ after Khabib misses weight by 4 stone.

[Nash Diesel]

I really thought this was a very very fucked up April Fool's joke simply because of how many times this fight has gone down the shitter. 1 fucking week before, and I don't know if this was a joke but someone said he literally turned to say hello to someone and fucked his knee up that way.

You have to give Holloway super balls status. Hawaiian motherfuckers don't give a fuck, that's why my favorite fighter of all time is BJ Penn because this is exactly some shit he'd do back in the day. Even today I bet he called Dana immediately and asked for the spot lol.

[Spedizzo]

[Spedizzo]

I was pulling hardcore for Khabib against Tony, but I agree, Max right now is coming across as badass. You cannot-not admire the guy right now

If you want to admire him more, here is a video of him over the last few months/years actually talking about wanting to fight Khabib:


Anyway, with all that said... I cannot see how Khabib doesn't maul him. Even with the rumor of being not 100%, short camp, etc aside... I can't help but feel that stylistically Max is nothing more than Tony Ferguson on "Easy" for Khabib... worse wrestling, less punching power

Conor was taking down Max at will in their first fight if I recall. It was 4 years ago, but... man, if Conor is taking you down... 4 years is not enough to be ready for a machine who is much stronger

If he somehow shocks the world, he becomes a legend

Khabib will be on Ariel Helwani's show today at 1PM EST FYI

[Caveman89]

I really thought this was a very very fucked up April Fool's joke simply because of how many times this fight has gone down the shitter. 1 fucking week before, and I don't know if this was a joke but someone said he literally turned to say hello to someone and fucked his knee up that way.

The word is that during some sort of media event, he tripped over some thick cables and fell, no joke...

[Caveman89]

As suggested by a random YouTube comment, A Thick Wire vs. Tiramisu should be the real Lightweight title match lol...

[Nash Diesel]

Matt Brown tore his ACL and is out of the April 14th fight against Carlos Condit.

[Spedizzo]

The word is that during some sort of media event, he tripped over some thick cables and fell, no joke...

Joe Rogan hinted that it is because he wears sunglasses in doors

[Caveman89]

Joe Rogan hinted that it is because he wears sunglasses in doors

I just watched Joe's podcast with Eddie Bravo, and I definitely can see that being the case. In almost half of Tony's interviews or press conferences, he's wearing shades.

[Nash Diesel]

From what I understand he was walking, someone said hi or he went to say hi to someone, he tripped over some cables and fucked his knee up.

I do like that Ortega was offered the fight as well, he's a pretty big dude and it would have been interesting to see him v. Khabib. I will say this, Holloway is no small man either. I could see him fighting at 170 one day. Maybe not full-time but bounce in and out of 155-170. 145 has to be a tough cut for him, or at least it will be imo as he gets older. Crazy that he is only 26...the fuck?

[Fanny Batter]

What's a shame to me is a 28 year old Holloway who's filled out a bit and having dealt with the grappling of Ortega and somebody like Chad Mendes if he returns to form at 145, would probably be the best opponent for Khabib. With a full camp too of course. I just can't see a guy fresh off an injury, still naturally a 145er, having not fought a grappling heavy fighter in years, pulling this off on six days notice. For anyone to beat Khabib it will take intangibles, and I feel Max's intangibles work against him in this situation. He is teak tough and a bit of a mad cunt though so I'm looking forward to seeing him try.

Rest of the card is excellent too. Rose vs. Joanna 2 for me should have been marinated a bit but it's a great fight and should prove whether Rose's win was due to aforementioned intangibles or whether she is just a bad match up for Joanna. I'm leaning Rose here, Double J will likely be gunshy and not force her game like usual. Gets caught when she feels not in control of the fight. Back take, choke out.

Kattar vs. Moicano is another great fight. Moicano has beaten Jeremy Stephens and gave Brian Ortega all he could handle, while Kattar has looked slick so far in the UFC. Should be a brawl. Have to lean Moicano based on strength of opponent though, very much a dark horse.

Pettis vs. Chiesa is a big name crossroads fight. Obviously we know the slide Pettis is on but Chiesa is in need of a win too. Expecting some great scrambles with Chiesa gaining better positions and taking it on points, but his open style will give Pettis opportunities to finish.

Iaquinta vs. Felder is the shit. Both in top form with brutal finishes in their last few fights. Al finally gets a fight in New York vs. a Boston guy. Should be great fun. Felder's tough but Iaquinta can BANG and I see him wiping him out with the speed advantage.

Karolina vs. Herrig is a meaningful fight. Felice has put together a good streak but Karolina is the tested top 5 talent. Winner gets in the title discussion. I reckon Karolina will be too much standing and take a tight decision.

Borg vs. Moreno is a top prospect fight between guys rushed to the upper echelon. Will be fun. Borg is no joke on the ground and has more upside for me, but it won't be without a scare or two.

Lauzon gets a step down in competition, but I think his chin's gone and he gets slept again here.

Dunham vs. OAM is a decent top 20ish scrap. Hopefully Evan can get a win, got some bollocks on him. 50/50 fight though, probably goes to a split.

Cacares vs. Lobov is two guys who aren't really UFC level having a fun fight with dumb techniques. Goes to points, coin flip.

Zabit curtain jerking is crazy. He's awesome.

[Nash Diesel]

Khabib very well could be the next GSP in terms of domination.

And just so we're clear, this is in fact a 5-round fight for the LW championship, correct?

[Percussion]

Yes.

[Fanny Batter]

I'm interested to see Khabib over 25 minutes. Remarkably, in an era where Artem Lobov, Brandon Moreno and Eryk Anders have gone the championship distance, Nurmagamedov never has. It's the last litmus test for his greatness really, as who knows maybe he fades in title fights, or maybe he's not quite as relentless and loses rounds on a lower output in an attempt to pace himself? If he's Terminator over 25, he'll go on to be the GOAT for me. That pressure against Woodley and T-Wood needs oxygen after two rounds.

[Percussion]

Dana White Says Brock Lesnar Is Definitely Going to Return to UFC

So..

Francis Ngannou
Fabricio Werdum
Derrick Lewis
Stefan Struve

?

[Droid]

I'd say Strive for a tune up fight as his first fight back.

[Nash Diesel]

Idk. A guy who can take a beating and has a sick ground game off his back? More than likely it'll be someone who he has no business being in there against but they're not going to serve him up anyone outside the top 5-6. It'd be smart to just bring in some regional dude but that guy could still knock out Lesnar and nobody get behind him and then it's all pointless................................

[Hero!]

So Conor went nuts and attacked the UFC bus after media day. Apparently Dana had him arrested and he is now fired.

- - - Updated - - -

https://twitter.com/barstoolsports/s...58078148038656

[Percussion]

[Percussion]

And here's video from inside the bus..

https://twitter.com/jrsvx/status/981...60460323848192

[Fanny Batter]

What a stupid bastard. Gone from charming and cheeky to a complete fucking arsewipe in a couple of years. Money fucks up idiots man.

[Nash Diesel]

First Jones now McG? And is this shit about him being fired true? Haven't seen it yet.

[Percussion]

Nothing official about him being fired.

Artem Lobov (Conor's teammate) off the card now.

Michael Chiesa apparently cut from a broken window and may be pulled from the event.

Media saying Rose has said she's unsure if she'll fight from being shaken up by the bullshit.

Conor, everybody..

[Nash Diesel]

What a stupid bastard. Gone from charming and cheeky to a complete fucking arsewipe in a couple of years. Money fucks up idiots man.

I can appreciate his contributions to the sport I love but yeah the money made him a fucking idiot. Not a shocker as this is what happens to a lot of people. They either start partying too hard, saying stupid shit or doing stupid shit because they think they're above the planet, or a combo of all of them.

This guy is hitting them all and it's entertaining to an extent but his influence is strong so I'm glad most of these fighters just stop at the weird trashtalking and don't go fucking around like a moron. He'll be better off walking the strip in super tight shorts so all his boys can glaze over his cock imprint.

[Fanny Batter]

He'll get a long suspension and be broke by the end of it. Massive entourage of cokeheads to fund. Moron. Should have been made for life as a once in a lifetime athlete and inspiration to the working class, instead he'll be a washed up, dirt poor drug addict within 5 years.

[Nash Diesel]

Nothing official about him being fired.

Artem Lobov (Conor's teammate) off the card now.

Michael Chiesa apparently cut from a broken window and may be pulled from the event.

Media saying Rose has said she's unsure if she'll fight from being shaken up by the bullshit.

Conor, everybody..

Artem about got fucked up by Khabib the other day I just watched a vid of them getting into it.

And I'm not going to be too negative toward Rose but come on, you can't be pulling out of a fight because of something like that.

I want to know who said on the bus "I'm gonna kill this motherfucker" They sounded heated!

[Nash Diesel]

He'll get a long suspension and be broke by the end of it. Massive entourage of cokeheads to fund. Moron. Should have been made for life as a once in a lifetime athlete and inspiration to the working class, instead he'll be a washed up, dirt poor drug addict within 5 years.

Yeah it's going to be hard for investors and sponsors to rally behind this guy much longer. Dude supposedly has his own whiskey coming out is that right? These antics don't last forever but hey who knows with the world we live in.

[Percussion]

People saying it was Ali Abdelaziz who said that. Idk, but sounds like how he'd react.

[Defrost]

There is so much video and Connor is the one doing the damage. He is so fucked between the NYPD and the lawsuits coming from this.

[Bandit]

He is worth like 100mil and is by far the most popular name in MMA (people who have no idea about anything related to fighting know who he is).

He will get in trouble, but he will be fine. If anything, the trouble might boost his signal more and make him more of a household name in the longrun.

[Nash Diesel]

Trickle down effect. I don't care how much you're supposedly worth, you don't right your ship you're going to be fucked eventually. Maybe he NEEDS to fight to keep his shit in check, all this spending money, dancing in tiny pants while fucking around on your baby momma seems to be creating a problem for a guy who 5 years ago was on food stamps supposedly.

[Defrost]

He is worth like 100mil and is by far the most popular name in MMA (people who have no idea about anything related to fighting know who he is).

He will get in trouble, but he will be fine. If anything, the trouble might boost his signal more and make him more of a household name in the longrun.

He's a prize fighter. History says there may be that much money orbiting him, but he sure as shit isn't the one that has it.

[Fro]

you guys don't think this was a promotional stunt?

[virms]

Chesia is out of the fight. I'd imagine him and pettis will be suing McGregor without much question for Loss of fight money and money owed to their training camps. Potentially other lawsuits from others on the bus and then what will UFC do for the loss of two fights on the card?

Most people i have heard expect connor back in the octagon by the end of the year.

[Bandit]

you guys don't think this was a promotional stunt?

It def felt like some attitude era shit (but more real obv).

[virms]

If connor is out and Jones is out brock's pay day just went way up.

[Fro]

dana the new vince

[Torn]

you guys don't think this was a promotional stunt?

Two fighters are off the card due to glass injuries and one of the champs almost pulled out, what do you think?

[Fro]

i think I've never been more in on MMA than I am right now. can't wait to see what happens next week

[Fro]

Dana nailed his interview. The hype for the next Conor fight will be unreal. I don't know if this was staged or not (probably yes) but either way Dana playing it off this smoothly is fucking brilliant and this will earn UFC hundreds of millions in the coming years unless they actually ban Conor which I highly doubt.

[thegoat]

Nah, Dana has played that off brilliantly because he sees money. That still doesn’t make me think it’s staged.

[Torn]

https://twitter.com/Tom_Winter/statu...592290305?s=19
NBC News: Champion UFC fighter Conor McGregor is in custody and is expected to be charged with assault by the NYPD following an incident in Brooklyn, NY earlier today, @jonathan4ny & @SarahWallace4NY report.

[Percussion]

The NYPD are in on the work, obviously.

Maybe next week Conor will skip his bail and then MMA will reeeaaally get interesting.

[Fro]

Dana goes "it was all on camera... you guys saw it right? We filmed it from all angles" lol

Fascinating stuff. They should get a lot more PPV buys this weekend let alone when Conor returns.

[Percussion]

Dana goes "We filmed it from all angles".

Must have missed it, but when did he say this?

[Percussion]

So Zabit is now on the main card after Chiesa and Borg both had to pull out due to Conor being a douchebag.

Brightside.

[Droid]

This is definitely not staged imo. I was actually looking forward to seeing Chiesa/Pettis. I like Chiesa and hope he's not too injured from his cuts. Rose better not pull out. I understand this was crazy and scared her but still. I hope they all get prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

[Fro]

Must have missed it, but when did he say this?

Paraphrasing

[OD50]

Holloway is out. "Medically unfit to compete". Anyone surprised?

#curse223

[OD50]

Rumors are they will do Pettis/Khabib. Pettis haven't made weight yet and is without an opponent.

Talks of it being a 5 round title fight. How crazy has this card been?

[Tainted Eclipse]

Something mysterious and unknowable about the metaphysics of a Khabib vs Ferguson fight is cursed, and brings evil into the world.

[Nash Diesel]

What the hell is going on?? lol.

Every few minutes it seems something crazy is happening. I'm sad about Max having to drop out. This sport is no joke. He's a tough motherfucker.

[OD50]

Pettis will have to make 155 instead of 156, I guess that's why he's taking his sweet time to weigh-in. At this point it wouldn't shock me if Pettis misses weight.

[OD50]

Pettis weighed in at 155.2 so he will have two hours to lose 0.2 lbs. "Shouldn't" be a problem right..?

[kangus]

So the latest is that Pettis wanted more money, the UFC declined to accommodate him so Paul Felder stepped up only to be declined by the NYSAC because he's 'not ranked' high enough to be given a title opportunity. Jesus.

[Percussion]

At this point I just want to see Khabib smash somebody.

[OD50]

Raging Al would make the most interesting fight vs Khabib I think. He's ranked #11 but weighed in at 155.2 so he would have to lose .2 lbs as well.

I was slightly surprised that Felder wasn't even in the top 15.

[Nash Diesel]

The fact Pettis wanted more money when he's not exactly in a position to request more is baffling. You're going to be able to win back your championship that you lost a couple years ago and do it against a beast.

[Dream-Evil]

Where’s Ortega during all of this? Wasn’t he offered the fight before Holloway? Or didn’t he put his hand up?

[Nash Diesel]

Where’s Ortega during all of this? Wasn’t he offered the fight before Holloway? Or didn’t he put his hand up?

I'm not sure he's even there. He was offered the fight after Holloway was originally offered it. The UFC just hadn't heard from Holloway so the contacted Ortega just in case Max didn't want to do it.

[Nash Diesel]

All but confirmed that Khabib will face Al Iquinta in a 5 round fight. The question is the belt. I guess Al didn't make 155, he weighed in at 156, so it won't be for the belt apparently. That's all speculation but just by the simple rules you have to be at 155, no more, not even .2 over.

[kangus]

Confirmed. 5 rounder. If Khabib wins he'll be champion, if Iaquinta wins, no belt because of the .2 lbs.

[OD50]

Imagine if Iaquinta wins but still can't win the title.. Will Conor still be stripped? Same goes for Ferguson and the interim title. Crazy times at LW.

And could this mean Pettis/Felder?

[Nash Diesel]

Dana said yesterday or the day before that Tony will not be stripped despite what was rumored earlier. If Ferguson has to have surgery he's fucked anyway, he'll be out for about a year so they'll strip him anyway.

Khabib losing is probably worst case scenario over anything that's already happened. Al is a fun guy to watch but he's always been way under the radar. I don't know if there's any money in a fight with him against Conor.

[Percussion]

Supposing Khabib wins, it really is a lame way to win the title. Shame really.

[Nash Diesel]

Supposing Khabib wins, it really is a lame way to win the title. Shame really.

We can't sleep on Iaquinta but yeah, #12 in the rankings yet somehow Felder (ranked #11) wasn't good enough? Weird but whatever man. If Khabib runs through Al, which I think could very well happen, then it's on to the next.

[OD50]

Iaquinta is #11 in the official UFC rankings, Felder isn't in the top 15.

[OD50]

It was promoted during the weigh-in as if Iaquinta was fighting for the title, and he was announced at 155, not 155.2. What's going on? I actually give Raging Al a pretty good chance here. Khabib trying to walk through Iaquinta's punching power could be a big mistake.

[Percussion]

According to Helwani ..

Dana White just announced that Al Iaquinta, if he wins, will be considered UFC champion. White said that NYSAC may not recognize him as champ because of the .2 but he will. That is a new one.

uhh, ya.

[Percussion]

[OD50]

I didn't even realize that Matt Serra TKO'd GSP on April 7, 2007. How crazy would it be for his student to also do the impossible on the exact same day 11 years later. Maybe there are some super natural forces at work around this event..

[Tainted Eclipse]

aw man, they changed the colby covington fight to UFC 225 in chigaco for "safety reasons." man, him fighting in brazil would have been so awesome.

[Fro]

Very well filmed and edited

[Percussion]

Yup, the embedded series is always a really good effort.

[Nash Diesel]

Publicity stunt 101

[Caveman89]

Publicity stunt 101

After looking at everything that happened, this definitely reeks of a publicity stunt that just went too far.

[Tyson]

Conor is a fucking Neanderthal. That said, he'll be back in the octagon within a couple years; money talks...

[Percussion]

Zabit Magomedsharipov vs. Kyle Bochniak official for UFC 223.

Don't know anything about this Kyle lad, but looking for Zabit to rip his arms off and strangle him with them.

Wow. No idea Zabit was going to fight a maniac. Hats off to both dudes in a big way.

[Percussion]

So I still really wanna see Khabib/Ferguson.

[Nash Diesel]

I do too. I mean props to Al for going the distance and Khabib looked stellar.

Not sure why he was calling out GSP. There's still a pretty good chunk of top 10 fighters he's yet to face including Ferguson, McGregor, Alvarez, Gaethje, etc.

[Droid]

I do too. I mean props to Al for going the distance and Khabib looked stellar.

Not sure why he was calling out GSP. There's still a pretty good chunk of top 10 fighters he's yet to face including Ferguson, McGregor, Alvarez, Gaethje, etc.

I think it's because of how big a name GSP is. Having his name on your record if he could beat him (which I doubt Khabib could) would be rediculously amazing. Khabib isn't afraid of anyone it seems.

[Nash Diesel]

Saturday night showed just how deep 155 is. Honestly, I would love to see Poirier get the next title shot. Do I see his next fight being for the title? Unfortunately no. I don't know how long Tony will be out, we don't know when Conor will ever be back.

Sherdog proposed he fight the winner of Barboza-Kevin Lee. I like the idea of him v. Alvarez 2 but Eddie hasn't really made it sound like he cares to fight Dustin again. Maybe if it were for a shot at the title but who knows what the future holds. This is why Conor not fighting is such a fucking mess. He just throws so much shit for a loop.

[Percussion]

Don't think Conor is of any consequence at this point so much as a rehabbing Tony being the clear and obvious no 1 contender to Khabib's title with a logjam after that of good fighters who've all hit one recent roadblock or another.

Just a matter of how long Tony will be on the mend.

Eddie/Poirier for a title shot isn't a bad consolation if Tony is going to be a while.

[Nash Diesel]

I just know that if Conor calls Dana tomorrow and says I want Khabib in Russia in August, they're going to do that fight. Even if they say Tony will be ready to go in July. When the first name that popped out of Khabib's mouth when asked essentially who's next and he said he wanted to fight GSP.....I about shot myself. I mean I get why he would say that, but Jesus Christ there's 3-5 guys right now who could challenge him without question, the fuck is GSP doing? It was almost as bad as T-Wood calling out GSP and Nick Diaz.

If we take Tony and Conor out of the picture I would definitely like to see Poirier get the shot. 3 of his last 4 fights were FOTN, I'd even say the Alvarez fight was one of the top 2 fights on the card that night. 3 wins, 1 no contest, I don't really see anyone with a better streak in the top 10 other than those we took out of the conversation.

[Percussion]

Sure they'd make the big Khabib/Conor fight if they could. Don't know that they could pull it off in Russia though. 8 hour difference for a fight that big I just don't see getting worked out. Nonetheless that hypothetical fight isn't messing anything up currently. It's just talk right now about a guy who may or may not ever fight again. He's a non-entity at this point.

As for GSP, it just makes sense for Khabib to want that fight if it were possible. Still not a fan of guys skipping rank, but it's obvious why Khabib would favor it when asked. GSP vs a returning 155 Nate to establish him as a legit LW contender? May be a terrible idea, but just throwing something out that I haven't heard.

Dustin is certainly on the doorstep. Just a win over Eddie would send him toward Khabib with a worthwhile hotter momentum, imo.

[Nash Diesel]

Do any of you find it odd that CM Punk called Mike Jackson a "can"....? How are you "can" with 1 pro fight and how can someone who has never won a fight going to call someone a "can" when they are a literally just an overpaid can lol. CM Punk is like Barry Horowitz getting paid $500,000 by Vince back in 1989. Makes zero sense but that's Punk. He says stupid shit like that and it makes you go wait a minute, does he not realize that he too is a jobber?

[Percussion]

If Punk actually said that then he's pretty oblivious. Not that that's any real big surprise though.

But it does make plenty of sense for the UFC to 'overpay' Punk.

[Nash Diesel]

If Punk actually said that then he's pretty oblivious. Not that that's any real big surprise though.

But it does make plenty of sense for the UFC to 'overpay' Punk.

Oh I'm not questioning his pay as much as I'm just pointing out that he's an overpaid can. Nobody is watching this guy going "He's the shit look at his skill level". I'd actually be pretty shocked if he was paid even half that the next time. I also saw a pre-fight lineup, and their fight is the curtain jerker. I guess that's kind of smart as well, put him on Fight Pass and a bunch of ninjas will order that shit. I won't. Fight Pass sucks.

[Percussion]

Maybe I'm not following here, but how is he overpaid if you understand why he's being paid what he is?

[Percussion]

Great card btw, 225.

Arlovski/Tuivasa - old lion/young lion
Punk/Jackson - spectacle is what it is
Overeem/Blaydes - another may/december fight with styles clash to boot
Holm/Anderson - eh, it's something
Dos Anjos/Covington - ww title eliminator, with colby's cringy nonsense as well
Whittaker/Romero - killer mw title rematch between two studs

also depending on interest - Rashad Evans, Ricardo Lamas, Clay Guida, Benavidez/Pettis, Gadelha/Esparza

Pretty dope all around.

[Nash Diesel]

Maybe I'm not following here, but how is he overpaid if you understand why he's being paid what he is?

I understand why they are overpaying him. To a degree. UFC 203 did a really good number, 450,000+ buys and one has to think half of those fans bought it to see CM Punk. But even then it took FOREVER for him to fight. If he's literally the first fight of the night and they're paying him $500,000, then I won't understand the reason. I understood the first time for obvious reasons but he looked like dog shit and most of those fans who paid to see that fight had to have felt extremely let down and practically robbed.

[Percussion]

Not sure what his placement on the ppv portion of the card matters. Anyone ordering at least in part to see Punk fight aren't going to be swayed one way or another whether he curtain jerks or main events.

And I don't know what they're paying him for this fight, but gotta think it'll be less than last time and likely something in line like last time with what the expectation for him to draw will be. If it's the same then I think a fair argument can be made that they're wasting money on, or overpaying, him.

And so as long as he's making a decent return on the investment then it isn't really overpaying.

[Nash Diesel]

Not sure what his placement on the ppv portion of the card matters. Anyone ordering at least in part to see Punk fight aren't going to be swayed one way or another whether he curtain jerks or main events.

And I don't know what they're paying him for this fight, but gotta think it'll be less than last time and likely something in line like last time with what the expectation for him to draw will be. If it's the same then I think a fair argument can be made that they're wasting money on, or overpaying, him.

And so as long as he's making a decent return on the investment then it isn't really overpaying.

I'm not talking about his placement on the ppv portion. From what I'm reading pretty much every where that has the fight card listed, he's the first fight of the entire show. He's Fight Pass. That's why I said in a way that's kind of smart because while I couldn't stand Fight Pass, some would pay the $10 just to see Punk fight.

Do you think they signed him on a per-fight deal? That'd be interesting as they typically do 3-fight deals. So you have to think if his base pay was $500,000 the last fight, his next 2 fights at the very least are going to be the same right? Again, I'm not sure his exact deal but when have you ever heard of a UFC fighter making X amount for his base pay in his first fight in the company, and then his 2nd fight the base pay is less?

Again, I'm only talking about the base pay, not bonuses, not Reebok money. CM Punk was paid $500,000 plus whatever the fuck else he got paid from Reebok, I'm sure some ppv points as I can't imagine that card pulled 450,000 buys because of the entire card.

I went to bat for Punk getting mad money because I 100% get the whole "draw" aspect. But the cat's out of the bag and this dude sucks so unless he can prove he himself is not a can and that he deserves that money then naw, he's still overpaid. If you sucked at your job as a McDonald's worker but you were famous so everyone in town came to that specific McDonald's, does that mean you should make 10-20x the amount of pay a 3 year model employee makes because nobody comes to just see him flip burgers?

[Percussion]

I'm not talking about his placement on the ppv portion. From what I'm reading pretty much every where that has the fight card listed, he's the first fight of the entire show. He's Fight Pass. That's why I said in a way that's kind of smart because while I couldn't stand Fight Pass, some would pay the $10 just to see Punk fight.

Do you think they signed him on a per-fight deal? That'd be interesting as they typically do 3-fight deals. So you have to think if his base pay was $500,000 the last fight, his next 2 fights at the very least are going to be the same right? Again, I'm not sure his exact deal but when have you ever heard of a UFC fighter making X amount for his base pay in his first fight in the company, and then his 2nd fight the base pay is less?

Again, I'm only talking about the base pay, not bonuses, not Reebok money. CM Punk was paid $500,000 plus whatever the fuck else he got paid from Reebok, I'm sure some ppv points as I can't imagine that card pulled 450,000 buys because of the entire card.

I went to bat for Punk getting mad money because I 100% get the whole "draw" aspect. But the cat's out of the bag and this dude sucks so unless he can prove he himself is not a can and that he deserves that money then naw, he's still overpaid. If you sucked at your job as a McDonald's worker but you were famous so everyone in town came to that specific McDonald's, does that mean you should make 10-20x the amount of pay a 3 year model employee makes because nobody comes to just see him flip burgers?

- Only going by the ufc website and it's listed as the 5th fight in, which is curtain jerking the ppv.

- Yes, I'd imagine they did. He's not a typical a fighter and there was no good indication that he'd continue on a typical fighting career path. And whether he's on a 1- or multi-fight deal it's always up for renegotiation.

- If that sucky popular mcdonalds worker is drawing all those people in to actually spend money then yes, he would obviously be worth more money and not be considered overpaid.

[Percussion]

And so Kevin Lee misses weight for tomorrow's Fight Night, coming in at 157. Fight still on with a 20% purse forfeit to Barboza.

Hope Edson knocks his head off his neck.

[Fanny Batter]

These early weigh ins make my decision to not have Fight Pass a good one. Always gets gutted on weigh in day. One fights already fallen through, the flyweights, and Ladd vs. Smith will likely be cancelled too. Makes cards much more digestible to be honest, these TV cards are so long that 13 fights in total is an almighty slog.

[Nash Diesel]

You know what I miss....I miss when you'd be watching an event, and say it's a 4-fight main card. Well the first 3 would be over within 90 minutes so then they'd insert a few prelim fights. I can't even tell you the last time I watched a UFC event and they did that. Seems like they'd just start dragging ass and showing a bunch of promotional stuff. Maybe they did it a few times and the main event almost ran too long? Or maybe they still do it and it's just that I don't watch all 97 UFC shows a year.

[Fanny Batter]

I can do the long cards for PPV's, as the 4 fight TV prelims generally fits quite tight unless there's a couple of early finishes so there's no dead air. These FS1 shows are outrageous though. You get to the main card after as many as 7 fights that aren't good enough to get on a third tier main card, THEN there's sometimes 20 minutes of fluff between fights. TUF hype, overlong packages, the breakdowns from the news centre. Christ. They can last 7 hours bell to bell. 7 hours for a generally weaker card. Madness. TV events never show earlier fights anymore, the PPV cards occasionally show earlier fights after the main event though.

[Nash Diesel]

Yeah man and back in the day, like 10+ years ago, those prelims in hindsight were pretty good and I would sometimes be hoping a fight would end quick so I could see someone on the prelims. Because back then, we didn't really get the prelims on free t.v. Spike never really had that until later I think, definitely not like today where the prelims are on Fox Sports or Fight Pass before the ppv.

[OD50]

So, what to do with the LW's? Probably never been more competitive but at the same time a complete mess on top.

Khabib is the undisputed champion, winning the title by beating #11 Al Iaquinta. Ferguson got stripped of his interim championship and is out approx 9 months. Conor got stripped of his title and nobody knows exactly where his heads at. Kevin Lee mauled Barboza but just lost to Ferguson before that. Alvarez went to a NC with Poirier and KO'd Gaethje, ditto for Poirier except that he beat Anthony Pettis between the Eddie and Gaethje fights. Khabib tweeted yesterday that he is looking to defend the title in November or December..

So, what do we do to sort this shit out?

I still think we need Alvarez/Poirier II to sort out who's ahead of those two. I'd like to see Gaethje/Barboza, exciting stylistic fight and gives Edson a break from being beaten like a drum on the ground. Reschedule Pettis/Chiesa and Felder/Iaquinta, if Felder doesn't accept the most respectful call out ever from Dan Hooker instead.

What to do with Khabib/Lee/Ferguson/Conor?