The MMA Vivisection & 6th Round Podcasts

UFC Vegas 107 looked absolutely awful on paper, but in practice, we did have some exciting moments. The ladies’ fights were somewhat underwhelming, though. Alice Ardelean defeated Rayanne dos Santos, which wasn’t a terrible watch and even won FOTN. However, Macy Chiasson vs. Ketlen Vieira was a complete slog of a contest that saw Vieira victorious. Side note: Chris Leben turned in an awful score c...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC Vegas 107 is not giving what it needs to give, stat-wise. A whopping 12 fighters are coming off losses—on a card that only has 11 fights. Fourteen of the athletes hail from the Contender Series. Could it provide a bunch of action? Sure. Will it matter to the advancement and growth of the competitors ou...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC is taking another break, just a month after its last one, because of Memorial Day. Not that we’re complaining, just making note of the situation. Our analysts are without their man across the pond, though. Phil is likely battling crime or doing some other civic duty that aids and benefits the public, b...

UFC Vegas 106, much like last weekend’s UFC 315, looks okay on paper. It’s got a couple ranked fights—which is amazing for an Apex card—as well as fairly low stats for fighters coming off losses. There is a downside because a lot of the fighters with losses have some problematic losing streaks. Gilbert Burns is on a three-fight skid and he’s sitting at the top of the card. Ditto for Paul Craig. In...

UFC 315 delivered some terrific finishes and good fights on the undercard. We saw Bruno Silva felled for the first time in a terrifying finish that left him with a dented skull (think Cyborg Santos vs. MVP). Silva left the arena on a stretcher. We also bore witness to Jessica Andrade being swarmed and finished in under three minutes, and without ever landing a shot on Jasmine Jasudavicius. And Mik...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC 315 has great stats and two title fights, but the big PPV feel of it all is severely lacking. And if ticket sales are a true indicator, the Canadian fans aren’t feeling that big card vibe either. Or maybe they’re showing the UFC that they don’t appreciate the close affiliation with the Trump administra...

UFC Des Moines looked like a glue factory convention on paper and it delivered that same energy in practice. Were there a few good fights? Sure, and we got a few finishes, but by and large, this was an Apex level event that the poor folks in Iowa paid prime rates for. Shameful promoting by UFC. There was a moment that brought almost all MMA fans together, though. That was when Reinier de Ridder st...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC Des Moines is the ghost of Christmas past. They’ve gone and drafted Jeremy Stephens back into the comforting embrace of the octagon, fresh off his success at BKFC, but not very mindful of his MMA bouts outside the promotion where he went just 2-1 in the PFL. There are other picked-over, near-demise old...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC Kansas City looked like a mixed bag on paper, but in practice, it ended up being a pretty good event. The card started off strong with several finishes right from Jump Street, but it would level out with some decisions, albeit good ones with the exception of Pereira-Magomedov. Carlos Prates found out t...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC Kansas City is what I like to call a good, old-fashioned mixed bag. It has a terrific main event and some fun matchups overall. So where’s the problem? That lies in the stats, and there’s one that’s really putting a wet blanket on the whole event: 15 fighters are coming off losses. If this were an Apex...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC is taking a little break after its 314th numbered event—a PPV that took place in Miami with the president and several members of his cabinet sitting cageside—so our crack team of analysts (just Zane and Connor this week) are here to provide plenty of laughs and even some thoughtful conversation as they...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC 314 looked incredible on paper and in practice, it was pretty good. It didn’t reach greatness, but it was pretty good. That said, there were some factors that kept it from that greatness that must be acknowledged. Let’s look at the good: Michael Chandler got dominated and choked out, making Paddy Pimbl...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC 314 is a terrific card, full stop. It’s got all the elements we hope for: ranked fights, plenty of ranked fighters, and we’re not overrun with fighters coming off losses or from the Contender Series. The bouts are matched well and are compelling, with plenty of room for advancement. The main card is qu...

UFC Vegas 105 was miserable on paper and didn’t provide much more in practice. From weird judging to lackluster performances, the big moments we DID have just didn’t seem as impactful. There were a few surprises, though. Rhys McKee finally got a win, and a big one. Brad Tavares didn’t let Gerald Meerschaert have his way. Then there were the expected outcomes: Dione Barbosa finished Diana Belbita s...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC Vegas 105 happens to be another one of those cards that looks absolutely awful on paper, and while it may deliver some action, what sets it on a troubling path is the recycling of fighters coming off strings of losses. It’s one thing to have a dearth of ranked talent, but quite another to feature an at...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC Mexico turned out to be a pretty eventful card, filled with wild escapes, questionable reffing (I’m looking at you, Mike Beltran), and a fighter’s post-fight speech that reminded everyone why UFC is the bad guy when it comes to fighter pay. Loopy Godinez and Julia Polastri put on one helluva fight but...

UFC Mexico is so bad that it broke Connor’s internet. That’s right fam, Zane and Connor set out yesterday to record the main card episode but were unable to complete it due to an internet outage. We view this as a sign from the fight gods to abandon ship. There was about 16 minutes of uninterrupted content, so we decided to go ahead and host it, then give it away for free. Let’s take a look at the...

UFC Mexico is an ugly, ugly card. The alternative facts tell a very grim tale. But before you dive in and listen to our guys analyze these bouts, I’d like to draw your attention to the fact that you’re getting the prelims early and the main card late. There was a technical glitch, and to make a long story short, it didn’t get recorded. So, you’ll get that one tomorrow, but today, you get the preli...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC London has some good looking fights on the card, as should be the case when we get an on-the-road events. The alternative stats don’t look terrible, and the action quotient looks like it could present us with a banger of a show. Will Sean Brady be able to best the former champ or will Leon Edwards retu...

UFC Vegas 104 turned out to be a typical card. When you look at it on paper, it inspires you to want to load it into a cannon and fire it directly into the sun. But in practice, it delivered a lot of action and plenty of finishes. When it came to the main event, Roman Dolidze was able to scrape together the victory, avenging his previous loss to Marvin Vettori—who somehow managed to forget his cup...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC Vegas 104 has a deceptively decent alternative facts list, but don’t let that fool you. We have a more than healthy dose of Contender Series, TUF and Road to UFC alumni here—17 in total, or more than half the card. There’s just a single ranked fight on a card with 13 bouts total. Are ya picking up what...

UFC 313 looked decent on paper but in practice, it wasn’t much to write home about. We did get four great finishes and a banger from Gaethje-Fiziev, but the main event was anti-entertainment. It was a dud of a fight that saw Ankalaev hug his way to a title. Jalin Turner declared he was retiring, but King Green said he wasn’t—both were finished in the first round of their respective fights. It was...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC 313 has a solid main card that looks like it has all the ingredients for an action-packed night. At the top of the event is a title fight to be contested at light-heavyweight between reigning champion Alex Pereira and Number 1 contender Magomed Ankalaev—a real wrestling vs. striking bout that will test...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC Vegas 103 looked absolutely dismal on paper and in practice…well, it wasn’t too bad. Hyder Amil managed to get a good fight out of William Gomis and Nasrat Haqparast defied the odds to eke out a split over Esteban Ribovics. Andrea Lee may have set a UFC record with most losses in a row, as she just log...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com We’re back at the Apex for another watery card. After last weekend’s Seattle event, it’s hard to look at this bout roster and think that it holds much promise, but lest we forget, for the 18 people that will watch this card, it will probably be gangbusters for them, thanks to being loyal enough to want to...