MMA History Podcast

Send a text Ep 237 Valentijn Overeem Early Career Deep Dive  Valentijn Overeem is a 50 fight club member that started his career in the mid 90’s.  Valentijn takes us through the early Dutch MMA/Kickboxing scene with some incredible stories while at the same time diving into some career highs.  Interviews like this are exactly the reason we love the early Dutch scene  Ep 237 Valentijn Overeem Early...

Send a text Ep 236 Pete Drago Sell Career Deep Dive  Pete Sell started his career at the famous Serra Longo gym in New York.  We discuss the Phil Baroni rivalry, Matt Serra beating George St Pierre as well as what it was like participating in the east coast underground  fight scene.  Ep 236 Pete Drago Sell Career Deep Dive  0:00 Lytes out intro 0:19 guest introduction 0:34 interview start  1:48 dr...

Send a text Ep235 Jeff Curran BEFORE the UFC  Jeff Curran is one of Pedro Sauer’s first black belts and his journey into the world of Mixed Martial Arts started BEFORE the first UFC.  Jeff Curran is a coach, promoter and most importantly a fighter.  Jeff brings us through various points in his early career that help the listeners understand why the words “locker room respect” is synonymous with hi...

Send a text Ep 234 Ben Rothwell BEFORE the IFL  Ben Rothwell has made a name for himself fighting against some of the worlds toughest competitors. Rothwells path to the UFC started when he was in high school, the stories uncovered on Ben’s journey to the top is an incredible listen.  Ep 234 Ben Rothwell BEFORE the IFL  0:00 Lytes out intro 0:19 guest introduction 0:36 interview start  0:42 plugs/...

Send a text Ep 233 Aung La Nsang Road to OneFC Aung La Nsang journey started with a student visa to travel to the United States from Myanmar. Aung La Nsang path to becoming a world champion is the most unique that we have ever covered.  This is a great listen  Ep 233 Aung La Nsang Road to OneFC 0:00 Lytes out intro 0:19 Joey Venti’s guest introduction 0:40 interview start  1:02 early life  2:40 tr...

Send a text Ep 232 Remco Pardoel Career Deep Dive  Remco Pardoel made his UFC debut at the 2nd event in the companies history. Remco Pardoel is a true pioneer of the sport; Cornered by the notorious Gerard Gordeau & Freek Hamaker, Pardoel gives us an excellent look into the Dutch underworld and its players while traveling the world fighting all comers.  This is a special interview and a great...

Send a text Ep 231 Todd Margolis Jiu Jitsu Pioneer  Todd Margolis journey into the world of Jiu Jitsu started after a need to compete when his wrestling career ended.  Todd Margolis path had him compete against some of the sport’s biggest names; Igor Gracie, Rafael Lovato, David & Marcos Avon just to name a few.  Todd’s career is one of the more difficult projects that we have taken on and we...

Send a text Ep 230 Johnathon Ivey Life of a Journeyman  Johnathon Ivey is a lockeroom staple that has fought a whos who within the sport of MMA.  We discuss some of his notable opponents as well as his roll in saving main events on the regional scene and navigating through some of the shadiest promoters in the business.  Ivey is someone that carries a lot of respect within the closed doors of the...

Send a text Ep 229 Luke Cummo Career Deep Dive  Luke Cummo made a name for himself on The Ultimate Fighter season 2. The Matt Serra & Ray Longo fighter went into the house as a huge underdog and would up in the finals.  We track Luke’s career and dig into his journey to becoming the pioneer class of the ultimate fighter.  Ep 229 Luke Cummo Career Deep Dive  0:00 Lytes out intro 0:19 guest intr...

Send a text Ep 228  Extreme Fighting 1 John Perretti & Igor Zinoviev  IF YOU USE ANY OF THIS FOOTAGE, WITHOUT PERMISSION WE WILL STRIKE YOUR CHANNEL  John Perretti is largely attributed as coining the phrase “Mixed Martial Arts”. In this episode we dive into his first event Extreme Fighting Battlecade.   John Perretti is joined by Igor Zinoviev and we recall an event that we consider to be the...

Send a text Ep 227 Sergio Batarelli IVT 1996-98 Sergio Batarelli was a world champion kick boxer that transitioned to being one of the pioneers of the No Holds Barred era.  Sergio Batarelli’s International Vale Tudo Championship was made famous for its 30 minute round and very few rules.  Sergio is a legend within our sport and is a foundational father of the term No Holds Barred.  0:00 Lytes out...

Send a text Ep 226 David Loiseau Career Deep Dive   David Loiseau is one of the founding members of Tri Star gym.  David Loiseau was surrounded by greatness with teamates like Ivan Menjivar, Georges St Pierre & Patrick Cote.  Denis Kang lined up the interview and joins us for a very special look at the beginnings of a career that fought some of the worlds greatest athletes.  Ep 226 David Loise...

Send a text Miguel Torres WEC & UFC Years  Miguel Torres career started prior to the 135# weight division existing within the UFC. A true pioneer of the lighter weight classes Miguel Torres takes us on his journey from being in the top 3 P4P in the world to his unceremonious exit from the UFC.  This episode is unscripted and raw and it features someone that belongs in everyone’s Hall of Fame M...

Send a text Ep 224 Darrick Minner Fall From Glory  Darrick Minner is a Midwest standout from Nebraska City that fought 50x prior to making his UFC debut.  We track Darrick Minner’s journey through his stint in the UFC which ended when fought Shayilan Nuerdanbieke.  What would seem as just a set back in Minner’s fight career quickly turned into a media firestorm with lots of accusations and beliefs...

Send a text EP 223 Adrian Serrano Before the UFC Adrian Serrano is a legend within the early No Holds Barres era of MMA.  With almost 150 fights, Adrian Serrano recalls traveling all over the world fighting  under a limited rule set.  Special Thank You to Jake Klipp for connecting us and helping preserve this very important piece of Mixed Martial Arts history  Adrian Serrano BEFORE the UFC Ep 223...

Send a text Ep 222 Igor Zinoviev Career Deep Dive  IF YOU USE ANY OF THIS FOOTAGE, WITHOUT PERMISSION WE WILL STRIKE YOUR CHANNEL  Igor Zinoviev made a name for himself at Extreme Fighting 1 when he defeated Mario Sperry.  Zinoviev went on to Fight Frank Sgamrock for a world title and quietly disappeared from the world of combat sports.  The low profile Zinoviev has had a lot of questions in regar...

Send a text Ep 221 Josh Barnett Road to the UFC Title  Josh Barnett became the youngest UFC Heavyweight Champion by defeating the legendary Randy Coutore.  Josh takes us though his journey from meeting people online for “mutually agreed upon combat” to entering into the world of Japanese pro wrestling.  Buckle in, this is a fun listen 0:00 Lytes out intro 0:19 Joey Venti’s guest introduction 0:51...

Send a text Ep 220 Carlos Newton MMA Career Deep Dive  Carlos Newton is a pioneer of the early days in f Mixed Martial Arts as well as Canadas first World Champion.  Carlos Newton made his debut on John Perretti’s Extreme Fighting; in this interview John Perretti joins us in order to add depth to the accomplishments  Carlos Newton was a main fighter in the UFC anti trust lawsuit.  We would NOT hav...

Send a text Ep 219 Mario Sperry ADCC & MMA Deep Dive  Mario Sperry can be described by the word “legend”; a fierce competitor in both Jiu Jitsu and MMA Mario Sperry takes us through the no holds barred era of the sport as well as his path to the ADCC Hall of Fame.  Mario Sperry gives us incredible insight into his years with Carlson Gracie as well as a behind the scene look at Pride Fc.  Mario...

Send a text James Werme UFC Dark Era  James Werme was a UFC employee from the Ultimate Ultimate 1995 to UFC 35.  James Werme was originally hired by SEG’s David Isaaks as an assistant; behind the scenes Werme quickly developed into bigger rolls eventually becoming an on air personality.  James takes us through the Wild West of the No Holds bar era and its transition into becoming “Mixed Martial Ar...

Send a text Ep 217 John Lewis Career Deep Dive  John Lewis is a mixed martial arts  pioneer that made a name for himself during what some call the “UFC Dark Era”.  We are also joined by legendary match maker John Perretti & we dive into John Lewis career and the steps that each of these men took in order to pave the way for the lighter weight classes  John Lewis does NOT do interviews and the...

Send a text Ep 216 Landon Showalter Career Deep Dive  Landon Showalter is an unsung hero from the Pacific Northwest.  At the time of his fight career one could argue that the world’s toughest area of fighters all lives within 90 minutes of each other… Landon Showalter fought ALL of them.  This interview is what our podcast is built on, great stories from fighters that literally lived by the saying...

Send a text Ep 215 Mark Robinson Sumo & ADCC DeepDive  Mark Robinson hails from South Africa and is known as his countries greatest athlete. Although he had one fight in the UFC, what Mark Robinson accomplished in Sumo and ADCC is absolutely legendary and filled with controversy. Mark Robinson does not sugar coat feelings nor avoid hard topics that were rumored but never discussed on record. T...

Send a text #MarkColeman #KevinRandleman #MMA Mark Coleman Tribute To Kevin Randleman This is an older recording that we thought would fit right in with this podcast  There is no more fitting tribute to Kevin Randleman than that of friend and mentor Mark Coleman. Mark was inspired to speak about Kevin's life and what resulted is nothing short of a mini-DEEPDIVE on Kevin's Hall of Fame ca...

Send a text Ep 214 John Perretti MMA Pioneer Deep Dive  Former UFC Matchmaker John Perretti joins us in order to discuss the Contenders Grappling Event and its impact on modern Jiu Jitsu.  John Perretti addresses a lot of the rumors and backstage issues during his tenure with the UFC and does NOT sugarcoat what took place. Perretti is a man that has been scrubbed from the UFC's history books...