The Co-Main Event MMA Podcast

Surprise! Just because the Co-Main Event Podcast wants you fools to have a very happy holiday (and because Chad has to go out of town next week) Dundas and Fowlkes got together to record episode 83 a little early. And why not? It’s not like recording it on Friday rather than the following Monday meant they were going to miss any big news, right? Oh God, they hope they don’t miss any big news. Not...

UFC on Fox 9 left a lot on the Co-Main Event Podcast’s plate, Ben and Chad don’t mind telling you. First Urijah Faber proves he’s still the man to beat at bantamweight by throttling Michael McDonald. Then, much maligned champion Demetrious Johnson comes out like a house of fire and knocks out Joseph Benavidez to retain his “World Championship.” Oh yeah, and in case you didn’t hear, this fellow by...

One show on the Fox family of networks down, another one coming this weekend. Episode 81 of the Co-Main Event Podcast finds Ben and Chad reveling in  the unexpected glory of Mark Hunt’s slugfest with Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva last Saturday on Fox Sports 1. Twas that rare heavyweight fight that goes a full five rounds, while seemingly getting better at every step along the way. In addition to that, t...

If you had to come up with an official slogan for the Co-Main Event Podcast, it might well be: Motherfuckers be acting silly. In that way, episode 80 dovetails nicely with the week’s MMA news. This week Ben and Chad take on the awesomeness that was Nate Diaz’s performance against Gray Maynard at Saturday’s TUF 18 Finale, before, during and after the actual fight. In addition, they talk about Ronda...

After the rollercoaster of the last few weeks it feels almost refreshing to return to the normal MMA news cycle, with the Co-Main Event Podcast sleuthing around for suitable topics with which to fill the hour. That is to say, this should be considered a slow week in mixed fighting circles as there is only one UFC event, and it’s sort of a minor one. Nonetheless, Ben and Chad spend a round of episo...

Big week for the Co-Main Event podcast, considering all the fallout from UFC 167. During episode 78, Ben and Chad discuss the hotly contested welterweight title fight between Georges St. Pierre and Johny Hendricks, including the bout’s various twists and turns as well as the somewhat questionable decision. Oh yeah, and then there’s all the other stuff that happened. From GSP’s bizarre sort-of reti...

For the listener, perhaps the best part of plowing through episode 77 of the Co-Main Event Podcast will be hearing Ben cough and choke his way through the full hour like somebody’s 70-year-old grandma with a carton-a-day habit. Or perhaps not. Tough to say, really. Whatever the case, Ben had a frog in his throat, you guys. Luckily, that didn’t stop the kid and/or Chad from taking on a boatload of...

And so the UFC begins its hard push to the new year this week, with shows on both Wednesday and Saturday, to be followed up by two more events this month and then three during the month of December. Not only that, but there’s Bellator 106 to consider, as the bridesmaid fight promotion’s most anticipated event underwhelmed for much of its three-and-a-half hour broadcast over the weekend. Until … un...

Lot of ground to cover during this week’s Co-Main Event Podcast. With Tito Ortiz’s “unexpected” neck injury forcing Bellator to scramble to re-book Michael Chandler vs. Eddie Alvarez on free TV last Friday, you might’ve thought this CME would double as a eulogy for the dearly departed fight promotion. Not so fast however, as episode 75 finds Ben and Chad discussing whether Bellator’s revamped free...

It’s always a joy to record the Co-Main Event Podcast, but some weeks? Some weeks are just superior to others. Take this week, for example, when in the aftermath of the excellent UFC 166 and in advance of Saturday’s UFN 30, Ben and Chad probably could’ve done two, maybe three shows. They will not do this. Don’t get any ideas. That said, episode 74 just rolls out  like a fine, velvety wine. From th...

With one of the biggest fight cards of the year on tap, Ben and Chad turn nearly their full attention to UFC 166 during this week’s Co-Main Event Podcast. And we only say nearly after yet another weird display from Rousimar Palhares at last weekend’s Fight Night card led to his UFC ouster and called for a fair amount of discussion on episode 73. Never fear though, gentle listener, you’ll get an ea...

Some personal news kicks off episode 72 of the Co-Main Event Podcast, with Chad explaining to inquiring MMA minds everywhere why he chose to leave his position at ESPN.com on Monday. Will he take Ben’s advice and join the Crips? Guess you’ll have to listen to the show to know for sure. In any case, the touchy-feely stuff gets dispensed with quickly and then the guys dive right into discussing Wedn...

Plenty of news and notes to discuss this week on the Co-Main Event Podcast and not all of it jolly. On Episode 71, Ben and Chad spend the bulk of the time sorting out happenings that range from unsavory to simply unsatisfying. There is Yushin Okami’s recent release from the UFC to consider, along with news that the rematch we all expected/wanted between Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson isn’t goi...

There was so much awesomeness to go around in Jon Jones’ UFC 165 win over Alexander Gustafsson that Ben and Chad thought something special was in order for episode 70 of the Co-Main Event Podcast. Unfortunately, they were both too tired to think about it for long, so in the end they just decided to commit all three rounds to that one fight. Don’t fret, the guys still find some time to discuss the...

Don’t know if you heard amid all the boxing chatter last week, but there’s a pretty cool mixed-fighting show this Saturday night too, as UFC 165 emanates from the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario. This week the Co-Main Event Podcast reckons on whether Alexander Gustafsson really will turn out to be the stiffest test of Jon Jones’ career at said event, or if everyone is just excited for this f...

Just because there is no major MMA show this week doesn't mean the Co-Main Event Podcast won't have more than enough fight-related BS to BS about during episode 68. For starters, Ben and Chad chop it up over Georges St. Pierre and Johny Hendricks bickering about who exactly is (or is not) going to conduct the independent drug testing for their UFC 167 fight and who is (or is not) going to pay for...

The first Co-Main Event Podcast of the Anthony Pettis Era went down in style, with custom-made suits and Corn Nuts for everybody. Nah, not really. Since episode 67 was recorded on Labor Day, Ben and Chad did this one in board shorts and trucker hats, with a couple of Olympias coozie’d-up at the ready. Fine, that’s not exactly true either, but it is a verifiable fact that Chad’s daughter screamed a...

Two shows, one week? Two shows, one week. As the UFC prepares to double dip with the revival of its old Wednesday evening time slot for Fight Night 27 and Saturday’s UFC 164, the Co-Main Event Podcast is along for the ride. During episode lucky number 66, Ben and Chad discuss Benson Henderson finally getting his shot at a rematch against Anthony Pettis, Josh Barnett making his long-awaited return...

Consider it yet another significant hurdle cleared by the UFC on Saturday, as the organization’s Fight Night 26 show ferried Fox Sports 1 into the world with the violent, crowd-pleasing stuff of promoters’ dreams. As the fog of war dissipates, the Co-Main Event Podcast swoops in to sort through the particulars. So, Chael Sonnen got a big light heavyweight win just in time to drop back to middlewei...

Episode 64 marks another early arrival for the Co-Main Event Podcast, this one recorded and put in the can just as news broke that Jason “Mayhem” Miller had allegedly been arrested for domestic violence. So, that’s about typical as it concerns breaking news constantly occurring just as the podcast is finished. Fortunately, there was more than enough preexisting MMA news to fill this episode as Ben...

One of the many things that makes hosting the Co-Main Event Podcast so fun is that to date Ben and Chad have never encountered a week where they had to be all, “Well, just a bunch of boring, normal, sane stuff happened.” This week was obviously no exception, with Bellator announcing that Tito Ortiz and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson would headline its first ever pay-per-view effort on Nov. 2. The guys...

Online voting did not go as planned last week during the quest to find a winner in the Co-Main Event Podcast music contest. Nobody’s fault, really (except maybe the dudes who wrote up the rules for the contest itself) but in the end Ben and Chad had no choice but to declare the thing a draw. Thing is, though, that could well turn out to be a blessing in disguise, as now the CME has two dope new th...

Don’t mind telling you, Universe, there are a lot of unknowns on this weekend’s UFC of FOX 8 card, which means the Co-Main Event Podcast had its work cut out for itself during episode 61. Witness Ben and Chad trying to sort out whether the legend of Rory MacDonald is more hype than substance, if Jake Ellenberger can make a run at the 170-pound title before it’s too late and just who the hell is th...

Thank God for Anthony Pettis, Brian Stann and Anderson Silva, as those three gentlemen provided a significant lift to episode 60 of the Co-Main Event Podcast during what otherwise may have been a fairly slow news week. First Pettis poured gas on the conspiracy fire as he slid safely into a lightweight title bout against Benson Henderson at UFC 164 after T.J. Grant pulled out with a concussion suff...

Don’t know if you guys heard, but UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva (who has long been regarded as pretty good at fighting) lost the title to Chris Weidman this weekend at UFC 162. It was sort of an upset and that makes episode 59 of the Co-Main Event Podcast a pretty big one. Ben and Chad take a fairly indepth look at the fight itself, including the many machinations of public opinion in t...