Hey Not The Face! Podcast

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit heynottheface.substack.com Dana White’s future is under our microscope in this episode, along with a spate of other topics including the ire that investors have with Ari Emanuel. We also cover just how big George Foreman’s impact on the business of boxing was, and ONE Championship’s problematic PPV from this past weekend. Follow along w...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit heynottheface.substack.com Today, we’ll be discussing the new reports of TKO’s proposed purses for the upcoming boxing promotion they’re forming with the Saudis. We’ll also be looking at some information about the UFC’s broadcast rights negotiations, and finally, we take a look at some steps that could be made to fix boxing. Follow alon...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit heynottheface.substack.com Today, we have another hodge-podge list of topics that revolve mostly around UFC’s broadcast deal and the newly formed boxing entity with TKO and Turki Al-Sheikh. We start the episode off by addressing the “Fake News!” claim from PFL’s Donn Davis, which was in response to something from our last episode. We al...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit heynottheface.substack.com Today, we have a hodge-podge list of questions from a wide variety of news stories from the last several days. We cover how successful the UFC is at filling arenas (including the sorcery they use to ensure seats get sold), how important the PR/social media arm is to promotions, Fanmio’s lawsuit against Ryan Ga...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit heynottheface.substack.com In our latest episode, we discuss Anthony Joshua’s 2024 finances, Netflix’s entry to serious boxing, and the emerging details on the alliance with TKO and the Saudis to create a boxing “league” that predict will “crush everyone else”. We also discuss a small order of business with the Dirty Boxing promotion. F...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit heynottheface.substack.com In our latest episode, we discuss the bombshell news that hit the media about TKO Holdings Group’s new partnership with the Saudis (via Turki Alalshikh) to officially launch a boxing league. We discuss all the particulars, including why this could end up being detrimental to the athletes, how the sanctioning b...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit heynottheface.substack.com In our latest episode, we discuss a variety of recent news, including some new GFL information, Power Slap’s big deal, ticket sales for Eubank-Benn, a listener question, the latest from TKO’s Mark Shapiro on the UFC’s broadcasting future and a retro question. Follow along with our outline as you listen: Ep. 13...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit heynottheface.substack.com This week, we saw an influx of financial information coming from TKO via their 2024 SEC filings and their quarterly earnings call. We also saw a very interesting lawsuit against Top Rank come to light, as well. In this episode, we discuss those topics in depth. We’ve also included the complaint in the Top Rank...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit heynottheface.substack.com This past weekend, we saw Beterbiev-Bivol II moved to a smaller arena, thanks to low ticket sales. On the flip side, we saw UFC have a tremendous gate for UFC Seattle. We take a look at how ticket sales are for both sports. We also discuss Dana White’s influence, the shift away from Joe Rogan by his fans, and...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit heynottheface.substack.com There are more than 200 UFC fighters that still haven’t submitted their claim information for the antitrust case settlement. Sitting at the top of the list is the guy who stands to make the most—Anderson Silva. The Spider stands to clean house with at least $10M, an amount even higher than what Conor McGregor...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit heynottheface.substack.com ESPN has current broadcast rights deals with UFC and Top Rank Boxing, but both of those deals are up this year. The UFC’s is up in April and Top Rank’s is up this summer. We examine the current deals, what ESPN pays for fight night cards, who the major players are for upcoming deals, and more. Follow along wit...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit heynottheface.substack.com Last week, TKO head Ari Emanuel went on Pat McAfee’s show for an interview where he made some pretty cryptic statements about the Ali Act. We break down what the act does, whether it works as intended, if there are loopholes that can be exploited, and more. Follow along with our outline as you listen: Ep. 132...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit heynottheface.substack.com Since Dana White’s press statement that essentially gave UFC fighters a pass to say anything they want without repercussion, there’s been no shortage of horrible things flying in the days since. Add to that Conor McGregor’s spitting incident and you have a kettle about to boil over. We discuss the latest devel...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit heynottheface.substack.com Yesterday, the MMA community was made aware of Bryce Mitchell’s podcast in the most unfortunate way. Mitchell touted Adolf Hitler as a “good guy” and said he was just trying to remove “greedy Jews” from turning Germans into '“gays”. We take a look at why UFC chose not to cut ties with him. We also discuss how...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit heynottheface.substack.com Last week, DAZN’s financials came out and to put it mildly, they should have some serious concerns. We take a look at the numbers and what could be the cause(s) of the huge dip from the previous year. We also look at Triller’s issues and how BKFC is faring under their ownership. We finish the episode with a li...

The UFC antitrust case has been going now for over a decade, but there is an end in sight, at least for the Plaintiffs in the Le v. Zuffa class. Imagine the collective surprise of the community when we got our very first objection filed by none other than former women’s strawweight champion, Carla Esparza (now married and using her husband’s surname of Lomeli). She filed objections to the attorney...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit heynottheface.substack.com The PFL has been having issues since their inception but none so much as last year and they’re off to a rocky start this year. We’ve now seen the release of nearly the entire Bellator roster and even a few PFL fighters, many of which have been picked up by GFL. In this episode, we discuss the PFL’s very restri...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit heynottheface.substack.com At yesterday’s presidential inauguration, it was hard not to notice Dana White present among the ultra elite invited to the closed-door affair. The president of the UFC has spoken at multiple Republican national conventions, and even spoke at the inauguration last night. He’s cemented himself as a power player...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit heynottheface.substack.com PFL’s struggles from 2024 will hopefully be a thing of the past if Donn Davis and his PFL crew can institute the necessary changes to promote the growth of the promotion. In a Town Hall held by MMA Fighting and hosted by Mike Heck, Davis was given a platform to answer fan and media questions. In this episode,...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit heynottheface.substack.com As if last week’s news wasn’t enough, this week we were treated to another healthy dose of media shockwaves. From the supposed asking price for UFC’s broadcast rights to their future partnership with the Saudis to run boxing, there was no shortage of hot gossip this week, and we’ll be breaking down the bigger...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit heynottheface.substack.com The year is just getting started but we’ve already got big news for Dana White, a litany of excuses from Donn Davis, and DraftKings is launching a subscription service. We’re just seven days into 2025! Join us for our discussion on those topics and more. Follow along with our outline as you listen: Ep. 122 Out...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit heynottheface.substack.com 2024 was a big year for combat sports news. We saw everything from the first UFC antitrust case being settled to boxing’s changing landscape. We discuss our own coverage as well as what ended up being the biggest stories overall. We also tell you who made the most this year in both MMA and boxing and we look a...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit heynottheface.substack.com The PFL has been notably tight-lipped about the increasing volume of complaints coming from the Bellator sector of their fighter stable. Patricio Pitbull has been the most vocal, posting numerous times to X about his plight. But what can he do to get some relief? In this episode, we discuss his issue and possi...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit heynottheface.substack.com In today’s episode, we have two major topics. In the first section, we take a look at this past weekend’s Usyk-Fury 2 card, from what we thought of the event to whether it looks to be profitable. In the bonus section, we discuss a typical financial career arc of a UFC fighter. The purse tiers, image rights, me...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit heynottheface.substack.com The Global Fight League went public last week, unveiling their loosely laid plans on Ariel Helwani’s podcast. Back at the beginning of November, we provided exclusive details from their promotional deck, and now, we’re revealing more exclusive details of the newly formed entity, this time in the form of their...