Level Change Podcast

The Kyushu Basho wrapped up this past Sunday putting the excitement of 2025 to bed officially. We saw our two Yokozuna battle for supremacy and a third competitor that ended up besting them both to take the tournament. That’s why we have our good friend, Tim Bissell of Sumo Stomp joining us to provide all the analysis and big storylines from the 15-day event. Tim takes us through all the best mome...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.com Doha plays host to this week’s UFC event, and it’s a solid action card. Not too many top names, but certainly some reliable action fighters and a lot to look forward to. Dan Hooker and Arman Tsarukyan always deliver, and after their little tiff at the weigh-ins , tempers may be flared here. Belal Muhammad...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.com Remember how events like this were something we’d get every other month? Or maybe every three months? Man, those were great times. We were spoiled, so spoiled. But we have a great event here with two title fights and a bunch of absolute bangers . Very little waste on this one, so we break down almost all...

Alright, kids. Stephie is taking the week off, so she left me the keys to the place. And I wish the circumstances were more fun, but we gotta talk about this rotten gambling scandal. Then there’s this card this weekend, and it’s not looking great. Not much on name value, but here’s hoping there’s some decent action on it. Otherwise, Mick Maynard needs another thorough roasting on social media. UFC...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.com See, it wasn’t until we stopped recording that we remembered this card was an early one in Abu Dhabi. And it makes all the sense in the world, since this is an actually great card. Like, top to bottom? It’s not bad at all and has some absolute bangers and topped by two title fights. Listen as we agonize i...

So here’s what we’ve got: Stephie’s backing most of the underdogs, which is very rare. She’s also down on the card, while I’m not. I actually like it! Lots of disagreement on where this card is going or how good it actually is, but we had some fun breaking it down. And yeah, we’ve got hard times. No TV or film talk this week, but we do start off with a bit of things that are bumming us out. And if...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.com UFC 320 is here, and it’s a great card. That’s it. No snark, no sarcasm. It’s good, and has a fair amount of promise. Sure, there’s some nitpicking to do here and there. But we breaks it down to the bone gristle to ensure you have the proper perspective on this one. With two title fights and some rather c...

The Aki Basho is in full swing— Day 13 to be exact—but we’re not gonna let it get completely away from us this time. That’s why we have our good friend, Tim Bissell of Sumo Stomp joining us for all the analysis, updates, and big storylines. Tim takes us through all the best moments of the tournament, including critiques of the leaders’ performances, how the other wrestlers are faring, and some pre...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.com Is UFC Noche 2025 good? Is it bad? Is it just in a weird place to the point where the UFC doesn’t even care about the branding already? Man, listen… it’s just there. You got an event series kickstarted from the premise of celebrating Mexican fighters near Mexican Independence Day and both main eventers ar...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.com A good Fight Night event? Yes! In fact, it might even be a great Fight Night event. The UFC heads to Paris and brings not only the a smattering of European standouts, but they’ve assembled some absolute bangers and some other pretty fun bouts. Plus, we talk so much about shows on Apple TV that it’s a sham...

The Nagoya Basho ended last month, and finally, after a few weeks of scheduling conflicts (on my part), we have a thorough review of all the action with our awesome friend, Tim Bissell of Sumo Stomp . Tim takes us through all the best moments of the tournament, including critiques of the winner’s performances, how the other wrestlers did, and the awards handed out. Tim also has his storefront up a...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.com OK, so Chicago gets a really good event this time. Look, we mean that. It’s got a bunch of names we don’t really recognize or are intrigued by, but the action potential is choice over here. Will Dricus Du Plessis find a Looney Tunes way to win this one and keep his gold, or will Chimaev finally reach the...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.com Did you know Slow Horses is being renewed for another two seasons ? Have you played the Korean sleeper hit Lies of P ? Both are better uses of your time than half of this card coming up this week. As far as the rest is concerned? Actually quite good! There’s some fun here in this one, but it’s a very lops...

Yes, the streets are correct. Victor is back, and he’s starving. Despite a not-so-great vacation, he’s somewhat rested and talking in third person for some reason. And we are here to discuss a flatly not-good Apex card, which is now our lot in life. But at least the headliner promises to be fun. There’s some meat on this bone, but it’s a small bone to peck at. But hey, we had some fun on the way b...

Since Victor is still on vacation on the beautiful sands of the Dominican Republic, Tim Bissell of Sumo Stomp joining me for double duty, first to help me break down the best fights from UFC Abu Dhabi, then to give us all the highs and lows of the Nagoya Basho through day 13. We look at who’s riding high, and who’s in the trenches. It’s can’t-miss content for sumo fans both new and old. Tim will b...

Since Victor is on vacation on the beautiful sands of the Dominican Republic, I decided I needed to pull out all the stops. We have our brother from another timeline, Mookie Alexander, now of The Soap Box Score (and still SBNation), joining me to break down select fights from UFC 318. Why only select fights? Because this card is a travesty. Dustin Poirier’s swan song deserved a better card than th...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.com Dog’s breakfast is on the menu in Nashville, because the UFC clearly doesn’t care about quality when it comes to shoveling out content above all else. So while there are some fun fighters, some of these matchups aren’t great. But we did have a bit of fun talking about it, as well as Jon Jones thirsting fo...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.com First off, you should watch Murderbot . It’s good. So good. Secondly, our very own pal Mookie Alexander is back! We discuss Jon Jones’ retirement, what his legacy is, and how fickle the combat sports gods can be. Then we delve into UFC 317 with its two title fights along with some of the better matchups o...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.com From Chappell Roan to a bunch of TV talk, we parse this week’s UFC Atlanta Fight Night event headlined by welterweight dynamo Joaquin Buckley and former champ Kamaru Usman. How’s the card? Not bad! Not great, either. It’s a nice little action card, after all. Not much in the way of divisional relevance he...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.com Damn, a whole lot of stuff has been happening. Francis Ngannou might actually be angling for a UFC return ? And Jon Jones got something sassy to say about it ? And would you believe Greg Hardy got arrested again ? We then look ahead to the joys of UFC 316, because there’s some real joys to be found here....

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.com The Natsu Basho ended ended a few days ago, so we decided that in light of the terrible, miserable UFC card this week, we would treat our listeners to a thorough review of all the action with our awesome friend, Tim Bissell of Sumo Stomp . Tim takes us through all the best moments of the tournament, inclu...

FREE EPISODE!! FREE EPISODE!! No fights this week, kids. But that’s good! We get a chance to change the pace for a bit and catch up with Stephie’s adventures on the road and talk a bunch of movie and TV stuff. After the niceties of it all, we delve into the odd timing for Ilia Topuria to split from his gym to make a new home for himself in Madrid. We also address the recent fracas in Russia involv...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.com UFC 315 kicks off from Montreal this week, and it’s a good card! It really is! But the hype? It’s just not there. There’s multiple factors as to why, and it’s a shame. It doesn’t have to be that way. And that’s why we’re here to tell you why you should be invested. Jose Aldo is on a card with two title fi...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.com Well, this is an odd predicament. Stephie isn’t feeling this card too much, Victor is kinda liking the vibe. Where does this lead? I dunno, we just break down the card and address how some of the old-timers are being fed into the woodchipper here. Also, Victor’s forays into aging and mortality continue in...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.com OK, this is a mixed bag. But it’s a fun mixed bag! Well, kinda. See, we’ve got some great matchups, some clear squashes, and some odd bits and ends from fighters that have gotten very little exposure. Should you be excited? Maybe? We break down most of it and grapple with the upcoming retirement fight of...