The Hey Not the Face! Podcast

Francis Ngannou got away and we’re so very happy he did. Going from a $600K payday in the UFC—all because of the UFC’s hard-nosed tactics at the negotiation table—to a 10-figure purse in your second boxing match is unheard of unless your name is Conor McGregor. Ngannou may be giving the Irish superstar a run for the money in that regard very soon, and might even wind up on the coveted Forbes List...

TKO Group Holdings, the conglomerate that went public last fall after the merger of the UFC with the WWE, released its full 2023 financial results last week. Having reported on their SEC and investor reports for the first and second quarter of last year, I am once again only going to focus on what we learn about the UFC’s finances from their 8-K , 10-K and earnings call . The MMA Draw is fighting...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com Ryan Garcia has once again called out UFC’s bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley. Boxing’s babyfaced superstar engaged in a back-and-forth on X (formerly Twitter) with the UFC bantamweight champion, prompting many to wonder if Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions would be able to co-promote a fight with...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com The WWE is in hot water thanks to a lawsuit filed by former employee Janel Grant. The lawsuit alleges Vince McMahon, other officials and even included a former UFC superstar engaged in sex trafficking and/or sexual assault and the suit came with evidence. McMahon resigned from all his positions at WWE and...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com A pair of unrelated videos surfaced yesterday that grabbed our attention, mainly for the inaccuracies contained in both. The first is a short clip of an interview former presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy conducted with Dana White. The second is from the Joe Rogan Experience and features a conversation b...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com Conor McGregor is—and has been for years—one of the most enigmatic figures in combat sports. Hell, he’s one of the most enigmatic figures in all of sports. Much like Ronda Rousey, he’s had a transcendent career journey, crossing the threshold between sports and pop culture. And with pop culture actually dr...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com Over the course of the last few weeks, several boxing stories have dropped. We watched Showtime air its last boxing event after nearly 38 years of broadcasting the sport. From there, PBC, who had been calling Showtime their broadcasting home, ended up signing a huge deal with Amazon, so we’ve got one major...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com MMA has had an incredible year news-wise, thanks mostly to three big stories. We’ve seen all sorts of drama, from the New Year all the way to now. We opened the first week of the year with Dana White assaulting his wife on video for the world to see. We’ve seen Power Slap become a real thing and it has now...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com The UFC antitrust case is the gift that keeps on giving, especially recently. You may be asking yourself “What’s happened now?” and the answer to that question would be class certification. Once the honorable Judge Boulware awarded the plaintiffs class certification, it set the wheels in motion for an aval...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com Yesterday, news broke that the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals denied the UFC’s appeal to the antitrust lawsuit, so of course we had to record in the dead of night to bring our listeners all the details. John explains all the upcoming dates the honorable Judge Boulware has set forth and what happens next. B...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com Francis Ngannou’s boxing debut was nothing short of incredible, and even though he didn’t get his arm raised in victory, many in the combat sports world felt he DID do enough to get the nod, but the judges instead scored it in favor of reigning lineal heavyweight champion Tyson Fury. The tally would see “T...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com Over the years, John Nash has reviewed contracts from all the major MMA promotions and several big boxing contracts, as well. We’ve been able to see just how restrictive, and at times, draconian, most of the MMA agreements between promotions and athletes truly are. The UFC set the standard with their boile...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com It’s been a busy couple of weeks in the world of MMA business and finance, but we tried to cover all the most pertinent topics. Front and center is the new filings that came out last week on the UFC’s first half of the year. We also discuss the latest rumblings of a Bellator buyout by the PFL and what that...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com A lot has happened in the last two weeks. The court gave a date in the antitrust suit, the defendants requested an appeal, the plaintiffs responded and we’ve got all the pertinent details. Spectrum and Disney have been in a battle over rising rates to broadcast Disney’s content—specifically ESPN. John opin...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com Nate Quarry might be most famously known for his fight with Kalib Starnes or for his comeback fight against Pete Sell, but he is doing much bigger things these days. These days, he’s known as one of the original plaintiffs in the UFC antitrust suit, but because he was part of the identity class, which was...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com Since the antitrust case finally received its class certification from Judge Boulware, the community has been abuzz with what the honorable judge’s written opinion means. The commentary from him was quite serious and he appears to clearly side with the plaintiffs. He used pointed language that left no doub...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com This week, the UFC antitrust lawsuit finally got class certification. Judge Boulware awarded the certification to the plaintiffs (the fighters), then gave his written statement, which was brutally honest. John Nash is back to break down the judge’s statements, what they mean, and how he views the impact of...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com There’s been no shortage of big news in the last two weeks. From Ari Emanuel’s involvement in the SAG-AFTRA strike to how much of Disney’s assets Bob Iger was talking of selling off and everything in between. Just how differently does Ari treat actors and fighters and why, as well as what “finding a partne...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com The UFC is the industry leader in MMA, without a doubt. The promotion is in the unique and very fortunate position of having a monopoly and a monopsony all at once, and their financial statements illustrate that point quite well. One of the ways they’re able to profit so heavily while the fighters make so...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com Over the last month, the sports community has been trying to process the massive bombshell the PGA tour dropped when they announced they’d be merging with the LIV tour. For months, the PGA tour told the golfing community—including golfers themselves—that they had no intention of merging with LIV. And then...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com Let’s face it, combat sports need a lot of work, but for the purpose of this post, we’re specifically focused on MMA and boxing . It should be noted that the latter has an advantage over mixed martial arts thanks to the Ali Act . That said, there is still a plethora of problems that need addressing in boxi...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC, the real predator UFC fighter pay has long been a topic of concern among fans and pundits, especially with the departure of Francis Ngannou earlier this year chewing up the news cycle. Ngannou would finally announce his historic PFL deal last week, setting tongues wagging and catching the attention of...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com Episode 16 Francis Ngannou has been the most high profile free agent MMA has likely ever seen. Even when Fedor Emelianenko was in the UFC's offices all those years ago, trying to come to a deal that worked for all parties involved, it wasn't at this level. Francis has avenues that Fedor never did because b...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC antitrust suit history At the end of 2014, a group of UFC fighters (some retired and some not) banded together and filed a class action lawsuit against the UFC and its parent company at the time, Zuffa, LLC. Fighters like Cung Le, Jon Fitch and Brandon Vera were named class representatives with a claim...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com Episode 14 Have you ever thought to yourself, 'Self, I need to know more about MMA managers. What am I to do?' Well, if you have, we've got the solution for you; a thorough explainer on what managers do, what credentials they must have, key differences between combat sports and stick-and-ball sports manag…