MMA History Podcast

Olympic gold medalist and MMA pioneer Mark Schultz returns for Part 2 of his most revealing interview yet. He finally opens up about subjects he’s long avoided — fixed fights, the dark realities of Foxcatcher, John du Pont’s mental decline and drug abuse, testicular amputation, and the shocking lows that followed his highest highs. Mark shares gripping stories about his battles with Rico Chiperell...

Women's MMA pioneer Jen Case (Dr. JenJitsu) joins Mike Davis for a rare, in-depth interview on the MMA History Podcast. Jen went 4-1 as a pro, finishing every victory by submission — including two wins over fellow pioneer Julie Kedzie (armbar and triangle). From a small Kansas farming community, she went from self-defense classes and karate to learning Jiu-Jitsu from Mario Sperry VHS tapes, compet...

In part two of the Cage Rage Chronicles, promoter Andy Geer reveals how the UK promotion went from regional shows to an international powerhouse that attracted Anderson Silva, Melvin Manhoef, and the biggest names in early 2000s MMA.Mike Davis and Joey Venti continue the deep dive into Cage Rage’s explosive rise, the business decisions that built a global brand with almost no TV money, Pride FC cr...

David "Tank" Abbott returns for part 4 as the team quotes directly from Tito Ortiz's autobiography This Is Gonna Hurt and gets Tank's raw, unfiltered response to every claim. From Tito's glue-sniffing childhood hallucinations and shocking family stories to the infamous stolen check incident, training sessions where Tito claims he dominated Tank on the mat, UFC blackballing ac...

Big Sexy Sean McCorkle Part 2 - UFC Exit, Monte Cox, Steroids, Wild Post-UFC Fights & More | Episode 333Big Sexy Sean McCorkle returns for an even more unfiltered Part 2. Shawn opens up about his controversial UFC departure after Joe Silva’s warnings about his tweets, the “risk vs reward” conversation, and his raw farewell message. He dives deep into his relationship with manager Monty Cox, ha...

MMA History Podcast #332: Marcus Davis "The Irish Hand Grenade" – TUF 2, UFC Wars, Supernatural Eye Healing & Street Life In this explosive episode, we sit down with former UFC welterweight contender and boxing standout Marcus Davis, the Irish Hand Grenade. Marcus delivers one of our most raw and unforgettable interviews of the year, opening up about his brutal upbringing in Maine, brushes with th...

In this powerful episode of the MMA History Podcast, host Mike Davis sits down with Mark Schultz, 1984 Olympic Gold Medalist, three-time NCAA champion, and one of the earliest crossover stars from wrestling into mixed martial arts. Mark opens up about his legendary wrestling journey — from high school state champion to dominating college wrestling at UCLA and the University of Oklahoma, his iconic...

Episode 330 – The Rise of Cage Rage with Andy Gear (Part 1)In this first episode of our Cage Rage series, the MMA History Podcast sits down with co-founder Andy Geer for a rare, in-depth look at the promotion that changed UK MMA forever. From running their very first event in a local leisure centre to landing a television deal by their second show, Andy reveals how they built a global brand on a s...

Ant Evans, former UFC Head of PR during the golden era, returns to the MMA History Podcast for episode 329. In this explosive 2+ hour conversation, Ant delivers an unfiltered look at 2009 — the year mixed martial arts truly exploded. He breaks down the Brock Lesnar UFC 200 surprise return, the Ariel Helwani leak that rocked the company, Dana White’s denials, and the internal accusations that follo...

MMA History Podcast #328: Rudy Silva Prison Interview – The Cocaine King of San Diego In this raw and unfiltered prison interview, former fight promoter, City Boxing and Alliance MMA gym owner, and self-proclaimed Cocaine King of San Diego Rudy Silva opens up to Mike Davis like never before. Rudy details his traumatic childhood, early days at City Boxing alongside Brandon Vera, Dean Lister, KJ Nun...

Jared Shaw returns to the MMA History Podcast for his fourth and most revealing appearance yet, pulling back the curtain on the spectacular rise and sudden collapse of Elite XC. As the promotion’s Vice President during its groundbreaking CBS era, Shaw was at the center of the Kimbo Slice versus Seth Petruzelli fight that many still blame for sinking the company overnight. In this unfiltered conver...

In this episode of the MMA History Podcast, MMA Detective Mike Davis and Joey Venti sit down with retired UFC heavyweight Sean “Big Sexy” McCorkle for one of the wildest, funniest, and most honest interviews in the show’s history. From selling appliances for crazy money to becoming a viral internet troll on The Underground Forum, Sean holds nothing back. He breaks down his infamous first-day submi...

MMA Detective Mike Davis and co-host Joey Venti sit down once again with early MMA legend and the original Huntington Beach Bad Boy, David "Tank" Abbott. This is Tank's third appearance on the show, delivering his signature no-holds-barred perspective on the raw, untamed early days of mixed martial arts. In this wide-ranging conversation, Tank addresses viral social media moments including his leg...

Join the MMA Detective Mike Davis and co-host Joey Venti for an exclusive deep dive with Paul “The Hitman” Herrera — Division I All-American wrestler (Nebraska, 142 lbs), Tito Ortiz’s high school wrestling coach, and core member of the legendary Tank Abbott crew in Huntington Beach. In this raw, no-holds-barred conversation, Herrera recounts the Wild West days of MMA: his Olympic Trials run, train...

Join hosts Mike Davis and Joey Venti on the MMA History Podcast for Episode #323 with John "The Natural" Alessio. The former UFC Welterweight title challenger, 50-fight veteran, and Canadian MMA pioneer discusses his remarkable career from outlaw shows in British Columbia to the bright lights of the UFC, PRIDE, King of the Cage, Pancrase, and Super Brawl. Alessio turned pro as a teenager...

Jake "Irish" O'Brien joins the MMA History Podcast for episode 322. The former Purdue wrestler and UFC veteran recounts his journey from dominating Indiana high school wrestling as a three-time state champion to becoming one of the most promising young heavyweights in early UFC history. O'Brien shares rare stories from the Midwest MMA scene, including his wild amateur debut in a Cage Rage tourname...

Send us Fan Mail In this special international episode, UFC veteran Xavier Foupa-Pokam — known as Professor X — takes listeners on his unforgettable road to the UFC. A true pioneer of French MMA and one of the earliest members of the Snake Team under trainer Cyril Diabate, Foupa-Pokam details his transition from traditional karate to Muay Thai and mixed martial arts in the early 2000s, when the sp...

Send a text In episode 320 of the MMA History Podcast, host Mike Davis and Joey Venti sit down with UFC veteran and The Ultimate Fighter season 3 finalist Josh Haynes for an in-depth interview about his road to the Ultimate Fighter. As a former mixed martial arts fighter with a professional record of 14 wins and 11 losses, Haynes shares his gritty journey from starting MMA in 2002 as a 330-pound a...

Send a text Tank Abbott's WCW years in Part 2 of our exclusive interview on the MMA History Podcast. From negotiating with Eric Bischoff over Vince McMahon, training at the Power Plant under legends like Paul Orndorff and Dusty Rhodes, to wild angles like the jacket-on-a-pole brawl with Big Al (yes, that knife moment at SuperBrawl 2000), Tank spills the unfiltered truth on backstage politics,...

Send a text Tedd Williams MMA & Gladiator Challenge  Tedd Williams is a UFC veteran, grappling pioneer a national AAU Sambo champion, Gene LeBell black belt, and 7-1 pro fighter and one of the longest tenured promoters in the country.   Tedd Williams shares stories from the sport's raw early days: training with Bas Rutten, his UFC 24 main-event elbow KO over Steve Judson, co-founding King...

Send a text   MMA Docu Series Dive into the incredible story of Marco Ruas, the barefoot Brazilian who stepped into the UFC octagon before the sport even had a name. Often called the forgotten pioneer, Ruas arrived at UFC 7 in 1995 with a revolutionary well-rounded game—blending Muay Thai devastation, judo throws, jiu-jitsu mastery, and luta livre grappling—that shattered the era of pure specialis...

Send a text Paul Buentello BEFORE the UFC  50 Fight Club Member Paul Buentello started his journey fighting for Steve Nelson in the very tough and rugged Amarillo Texas MMA scene.  Buentello dives into what it was like fighting absolute legends in Evan Tanner, Gan McGee and Bobby Hoffman prior to getting his opportunity within the UFC.  This is a feel good story featuring a guy that is hard not to...

Send a text Ep 316 EliteXC Internal Chaos & CBS - Jared Shaw  Jared Shaw joins the MMA History Podcast, delivering the 3rd episode of our multi episode  Elite XC series. Shaw breaks down the CBS primetime peak numbers (6.51 million viewers for Kimbo vs. James Thompson).  The start of what is considered the “gold rush” of WMMA -  Gina Carano's pivotal win over Caitlyn Young ;, Robbie Lawle...

Send a text Ep 315 Tank Abbott Fighting in the 90’s   The Original UFC bad boy, David "Tank" Abbott, joins us for an unfiltered deep dive into the wild early days of MMA. From his explosive knockouts at UFC 6, legendary clashes in the tournament, street-fighting roots, and raw takes on the politics, "works," and personalities that shaped the sport - Tank holds nothing back. Now...

Send a text Ep 314 James Hergott - MMA Film Maker  James Hergott is one of the OG’s when it comes to filming the sport of Mixed Martial Arts.  While currently promoting his film Super Car Saints available on Amazon Prime; his past incudes Striking Truth with George’s St Pierre & Fighting for the Troops.  This episode is special drop where we discuss MMA History current issues along with James...