Jump to

There’s nothing wrong with dreaming big if you believe in yourself. And Ilia Topuria certainly believes.

He actually may believe a little too much, going from talking about who is (and isn’t) getting a title defense before he’s won anything to wearing and even snatching away Alexander Volkanovski’s UFC Featherweight Championship in the leadup to their UFC 298 main event. At times it felt like Ilia was taking things too far.

There’s a fine line between confidence and cockiness and an even finer one between making the fans believe and making the fans wish you’d just shut up and fight.

UFC 298: Ilia Topuria deserved to be here

Thankfully, Ilia Topuria knows how to fight. One does not go 14-0 with 8 finishes if they don’t.

The only criticism that anyone could level at the German-Georgian-Spaniard is that he hadn’t fought enough ranked competition prior to earning a title shot. It was a fair criticism as, prior to Saturday, Ilia Topuria’s most notable win was a decision against former interim title challenger Josh Emmett.

It was a quality win but was it good enough? Was it enough to suggest that this man represented the new era, the changing of the guard, the new face atop the featherweight mountain? Or was he only getting this opportunity because the champion had already danced with everyone else?

Whether he deserved the shot or not, Ilia definitely wanted to believe he did, rocking the Conor McGregor cosplay throughout Fight Week, trying to convince everyone that he was coming to take over.

But trying to live out the dream of a man from 9 years ago, aside from being a bit tacky, only works if you can see it through to the end. Volkanovski had no problem letting Ilia wear his belt around on Wednesday because he still needed to get the job done on Saturday.

Alexander Volkanovski’s bark still has plenty of bite

Speaking of dreams, Alexander Volkanovski’s dreams have mostly occurred at press conferences while making light of any concerns being thrown at him regarding his age and his ability to still compete at the highest level. This is due to some setbacks or, as I should say, setback, since, prior to Saturday night, Volk’s UFC record was 13 and Makhachev.

A lot of questions have been asked during Volkanovski’s 4 year title reign, most of them being “Seriously, how great is he?” Ahead of 298, the question was “Is the greatness gone?”

It seemed a valid question to throw out after a 2023 that saw a successful defense against Yair Rodriguez sandwiched between two losses to UFC Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev. The second of those two losses was particularly bad, seeing Volk take the fight on 10 days notice and get his head kicked off in the first round.

That moment raised the stakes for 298 considerably because Alex needed to prove that, while his extracurricular endeavors may not have gone as planned, he still ruled his own roost. The man hadn’t yet tasted defeat at 145 but he’d also blown out the candles on his 35th birthday, and the odds of success in the lighter weight classes go down considerably once that threshold is reached.

And, while it was certainly fun seeing how believable Volkanovski was in his Bad Grandpa getup, we don’t want to believe that Volkanovski really is old. Or maybe that’s just me because I’m only a year older than Volkanovski.

Then again, for me, finishing the story means getting through the two bags of Valentine’s Day chocolates I bought on the 15th because they were on clearance. I know I’m going to regret it later but I saved soooo much money…

Ilia Topuria and Alexander Volkanovski both came to take part

Both men certainly made the leadup to the UFC 298 fight entertaining and the fight itself delivered as well. The Man from Down Under exchanged kicks and combinations with the betting underdog throughout the first round, with the second offering much of the same. Volkanovski didn’t seem to be in any rush to make the fight a wrestling affair, although maybe he should have after the challenger exploded with a combination that ended in a right hand that put the champ on ice.

There really wasn’t much that Volkanovski did wrong or should have done differently. Ilia Topuria looked every bit on the champ’s level and, unlike Brian Ortega or anyone else who has tried to seize the throne, he got the finish. Volk’s reign ended in a bang instead of a whimper as “The Matador” proved to be The Bull as well.

Hopefully the talk coming out of this fight is on Ilia Topuria’s performance and not on Volkaovski’s decision to even take the fight. Yes, there is reason to question if Volk was at 100% when the knockout was only 4 months ago but there was little about Volk’s performance on Saturday that made it seem like he was still compromised. He chose to defend his title and he lost it to the better man.

So it appears that, in this case at least, the cockiness has been justified. Now we’ll get to see how Ilia Topuria fares against the ranked competition he skipped to get to the top, as fights against Rodriguez, Ortega, and Max Holloway are all on the table now.

That is, unless he keeps the Conor cosplay going and avoids all the deserving contenders in favor of a red panty night against Sean O’Malley. Maybe he’ll give us the Dirty Dancing remake we’ve all been waiting for. The world is his pickle.

Whether or not you agree with our opinion pieces, Bloody Elbow will always tell it like it is, and share our views without ever compromising or kowtowing for access. Support independent MMA opinions by subscribing to the Bloody Elbow newsletter.

Jump to

Various text messages and emails from UFC executives have been recently unsealed from the antitrust lawsuit against the promotion.

Among the trove of documents that John S. Nash and Bloody Elbow have obtained from the antitrust lawsuit were previously unreleased payouts for their biggest stars, along with dozens of text messages, emails and depositions.

Filings showed various dealings and discussions among the UFC brass where they celebrated “cut throat” and “nasty” moves they pulled off in negotiations, and trashed their stars such Jon Jones and Mark Hunt. This latest set of documents Bloody Elbow has sorted through involve UFC executives discussing “rival” promotions.

Dana White trashes “very bad promoter” Scott Coker

One of the text exchanges revealed from the antitrust lawsuit was about Bellator booking a matchup between former UFC champions Tito Ortiz and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. Lorenzo Fertitta sent Dana White a message, saying “I thought they don’t take UFC castoffs.”

Dana White was then asked about this in his deposition. This is how the exchange went:

Question: Okay. What did you understand Mr. Fertitta to be saying there?

Dana White: That Bellator had come out and said, “We won’t take UFC castoffs.”

Question: All right. And — but nevertheless, UFC viewed Mr. Ortiz and Mr. Jackson as essentially castoffs?

White: That’s — that’s Scott Coker’s MO. Scott Coker doesn’t build anybody, right? He doesn’t turn anybody into stars. He just takes old names and recycles them. He’s a — he — he’s a very, very bad promoter.

Question: Okay.

White: Very bad at what he does.

Question: All right. And that’s a — that’s — you’re saying that — I just want to understand you. Because Mr. Coker’s been in several different promotions; right?

White: Right.

Question: Okay.

White: All failures.

Dana White: Ronda Rousey only became a star because of me

While Dana White was ranting about how bad a promoter Scott Coker is, the deposition then continued on to discuss former Strikeforce and UFC champion Ronda Rousey.

Question: Right. Is it your — not withstanding the fact that the UFC got some — I think as you testified earlier, some really great fighters from Mr. Coker’s Strikeforce promotion; right?

White: That we turned into stars. When you have Ronda Rousey and you can’t turn her into a star, you should probably go open a restaurant or something.

Question: And so — and so is it your testimony that at Bellator, Mr. Coker is continuing to essentially recycle has-been fighters? Is that —

White: Well, no. He — he recycles big names.

Question: Right.

White: That’s what he does. Rampage Jackson is a huge name. Tito Ortiz is a huge name. And — and basically, he re– you know, takes guys with big names and puts on fights with them instead of turning guys into stars, even when he has a roster packed with stars, and one of them include Ronda Rousey.

Question: Well, Ronda Rousey wasn’t a star at the time that she was fighting under contract with Strikeforce; right?

White: Till I turned her into a star.

Question: Right. But the point is, she wasn’t a star at Strikeforce; correct?

White: Yeah, no.

Question: Okay. So — and at this time in 2013 —

White: Just for the record, I turned her into a star immediately when she got to the UFC —

Question: Okay.

White: — her first fight.

UFC lawsuit strategy? Dana White contradicts previous statements

Dana White had a lot of curious statements even in that short snippet from his deposition. One of the first things to note is that Tito Ortiz vs. Rampage Jackson happened at Bellator 106. This was during Bjorn Rebney’s time, and several months before Scott Coker even came in to head Bellator.

According to White, Coker couldn’t make Ronda Rousey a star, and that only happened when he himself “turned her into a star” on “her first fight” with UFC. Those have been completely opposite to what he previously said about Rousey, as he repeatedly raved about her already being a mainstream “breakthrough star” that could make him change his controversial stance on not wanting women in the UFC.

“I think she’s a big thing now. She’s already done things that we couldn’t get done, I mean she’s been on talk shows that we could never f—ing get on,” White said while Rousey was still with Strikeforce, noting her appearances on mainstream outlets. “I heard she was the best selling cover of ESPN: The Body Issue, that was what I heard.

“…My point is, she’s one of those breakthrough stars. You guys know I went to the Sons of Anarchy premiere with her? When we got out of the car, the whole f—ing place erupted, like she was on the show or something … she’s ‘there’“

While White botched the timelines on Rebney, and seemingly did a 180 on all his previous statements on Rousey, the UFC President and now CEO going after Coker when officially discussing this case isn’t that surprising. After all, that’s directly tied to some of the main issues being argued in the lawsuit.

Does UFC use anticompetitive practices and abuse their overwhelming leverage to increase their stranglehold on the market, or do they just have the magic formula for promoting fights better than everybody else?

Plaintiffs (fighters) will argue it’s the former, that UFC abuses its power in various ways like locking up top fighters in restrictive contracts, buying and killing off other promotions, etc. On the other hand, defendants (UFC) will argue they’re just simply better, and rival promoters can’t compete because they’re “very bad” at their job.

Many of Dana White’s text messages allegedly deleted

Also interesting to the case is how the plaintiffs and their lawyers argue that thousands of relevant text messages from Dana White were allegedly deleted and/or not made available to them, despite the order to produce them for the case. Lawyers have pieced up numerous conversations from other executives’ devices, showing messages from Dana White that weren’t on the phones he provided.

White said on his deposition that Scott Coker sucks at promoting despite being “packed with stars,” but in private, one of the missing messages in question had the UFC boss tackling…

Read the rest of the post over at our Substack page.

In the full post, we take a look at Dana White’s deleted text messages that were uncovered and their official defense for it, along with dozens of interactions from other UFC executives and matchmakers as everyone took jabs at Bellator, Scott Coker, and even their former fighters.

Bloody Elbow is now an independent, reader-supported website, with a hard-earned reputation as the source of record for MMA business and legal coverage. While many powerful people would love nothing more than to have us go away, you can help us continue to fund this kind of uncompromising reporting by subscribing to the Bloody Elbow newsletter.

Jump to

Congratulations are in order for the winner of the 2024 WWE Men’s Royal Rumble: Slim Jim.

No, that’s not the name of a wrestler, even though it may very well have been a name CM Punk called someone on his way out the door of AEW…I kid, of course. I look forward to seeing him lose out on the main event of Wrestlemania to The Rock (again). At least he and Cody Rhodes know they have options.

Slim Jim is one of WWE’s sponsors. The brand that first involved themselves with wrestling years ago entered into a sponsorship with “The Fed” last year. It was a great move, as no company on the planet knows how to market to their audience better than the WWE…

All seemed to be well and good until Slim Jim recently made the decision to “pause” the sponsorship in light of a bombshell report about sex trafficking allegations made against Vince McMahon, the former owner of WWE and, until Friday, the chairman of TKO Group Holdings, the company formed by Endeavor to house both the WWE and its sister by another corporate mister, UFC.

The timing of the move couldn’t have been worse, happening right before the Royal Rumble, an event Slim Jim featured prominently in the advertising for.

Many questions needed to be answered: Would the event look different? Will the strained relationship cause problems for future events? What is LA Knight going to drive now?

Thankfully, we don’t have to answer any of those because rational heads prevailed when Vince announced his resignation from TKO. A follow-up discussion with TKO management paved the way for “The Jim” to resume their over the top (rope) marketing strategy.

Vince McMahon forced TKO’s hand

Now, we don’t know if Vince McMahon willingly stepped down or if his bosses at TKO told him he needed to resign or face termination, but considering how his retirement from WWE in 2022 ended, I’m thinking the latter scenario is the more plausible one.

It’s good that TKO did what had to be done but there isn’t much joy in how we got here. It’s bittersweet celebrating the end of the career of a man who, in spite of the crimes he’s allegedly committed or covered up in both his personal and professional lives, is, more than anyone else, responsible for pro wrestling as we know it today.

That being said, if you’ve read the report, you know there’s nothing to celebrate because the man is a monster.

As shocking as all of it was, it was even more shocking that TKO, in light of the allegations and the accompanying fallout, actually took action. It may have not been entirely surprising to them but they still took action.

TKO took action when, a year ago, no one could be bothered to issue a statement in the wake of then UFC President (and now CEO) Dana White slapping his wife, a moment captured in all its glory and packaged in a nice little bow for the world to see, to live on in Internet infamy.

Why would Ari Emmanuel and Mark Shapiro, the men who run both Endeavor and TKO, choose to hold accountable the former head of one of their corporate fiefdoms but not the current head of the other?

The reason could be due to the scale of the indiscretions since, as bad as it looked seeing Dana strike Mrs. Dana, it pales in comparison to the atrocities committed by Vince McMahon towards one former WWE employee (not to mention all of the other men and women he has harmed in the 40+ years he ran WWE).

It could be due to the level of importance that’s been placed on both men by TKO in the current business landscape too, as while Dana White is still the unquestioned and unchallenged leader of the UFC, Vince McMahon had been slowly getting phased out of any power and influence he had left in WWE. TKO seems content on allowing Nick Khan and Paul “Triple H” Levesque handle the business and creative sides of the company respectively, scuttering Vince McMahon into a role where he could do as little damage as possible.

Maybe that was due to the fact all of the damage had already been done…

UFC is no longer different from WWE

That’s the long and short of it right there, isn’t it? Dana White can get away with whatever he wants because he’s “irreplaceable.” There isn’t another promoter on the planet who combines the business acumen and the marketable look and brand that continues to make Dana White one of the most important stars of the UFC.

Then again, that was Vince McMahon once. He made the moves in the 1980s that allowed the World Wrestling Federation to become a national phenomenon, while his on screen rivalry with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin during the Attitude Era of the late 1990s is what allowed him to finish as the victor in the Monday Night Wars with WCW.

In the years since then, WWE grew and expanded exponentially. That’s in spite of the continued criticism lobbied at the company due to its content. Content that, regardless of who booked the shows, always had to go through Vince McMahon.

That means that, as any longstanding viewer of Monday Night Raw can attest, his alleged coprophilia is not anything new.

Fans had been through all the highs and lows of WWE’s content quality to the point of not necessarily hoping for Vince McMahon to go away but just hoping it would happen before the product became too toxic to be salvageable.

It’s kind of interesting to think about all of that in light of where UFC’s product is currently at, isn’t it? There are quite a few similarities.

I mean, I wouldn’t say the quality of UFC events under Dana White has ever been bad to the point of being unwatchable but, with so many events a year, it’s hard to find top-to-bottom cards that feel worth the price of admission. The opinions regarding UFC 297’s quality were uniformly harsh. It’s gotten bad to the point of postponements due to poor quality.

Vince McMahon didn’t say it’d be like this…

I can only imagine how many more Apex cards we’re going to get following UFC 300 to make up for all the strong and (mostly) relevant fights we’re getting. Oh and we still don’t have a main event for that show, but at least UFC gets to crotch chop PFL by stealing Kayla Harrison away.

It feels like we’re falling into the doldrums of the UFC not just in terms of card quality but in terms of fighter accountability as well. It shouldn’t be too surprising that, in a world where Conor McGregor was and still is the top draw (ROAD HOUSE!) that a fighter like Colby Covington would realize he could become successful by saying hateful things. Or Jorge Masvidal could become successful in spite of the crazy things he believes. Or Sean Strickland could be openly sexist and transphobic and no one would think anything of it.

Dana White’s reaction to all that has been to, at worst, brush it off and ignore it and, at best, exploit it and profit from it. The man who used to police this kind of behavior to the point of suspending and firing fighters has now deemed it not only acceptable but inevitable.

How can we be expected to hold these men and women to higher standards? They’re fighters, not rocket scientists or math teachers from Ohio!

Can Dana White escape the same fate as Vince McMahon?

Endeavor/TKO, in choosing to not address any of this in any way, is giving a ringing endorsement to it, most likely because, while WWE is still viewed as family-friendly entertainment, UFC is made to cater to an different crowd, a crowd that’s more likely to still use “woke” unironically in everyday conversation.

Just think of a similar sponsor situation, brought up by Dana White himself, when a sponsor objected to content the UFC CEO made and endorsed online. Dana doubled down and said that he would “never bow down to pressure like that…” And, if his employers continue to stay silent on the matter, he won’t have to.

Thus, we come to the real difference maker in what made the downfall of Vince McMahon possible while Teflon Dana continues to thrive. The real questions that should be asked in the wake of the Vince McMahon/Slim Jim situation is this: is this indicative of how TKO will run all of its businesses? If a similar situation happens now or in the future, one where a sponsor pulls advertising due to actions on Dana White’s part, will TKO act accordingly?

Vince McMahon has been where Dana White is now. If, given another 25 years at the helm without any meaningful checks or balances in place, could Dana’s career face a similar fate?

If his does, at least we won’t have to worry about Pelatons…

Maybe it won’t be an issue if Endeavor continues to target advertisers that appear to be okay with the alt-right Wild West the UFC has turned itself into. Maybe it won’t be an issue so long as advertisers feel like they need the UFC more than the UFC needs them.

But if it does become an issue? Or if something else ends up damaging the UFC’s business due to Dana White’s past actions, such as say…an antitrust lawsuit? Guess we’ll need to snap in and stayed tuned.

Jump to

Bloody Elbow has obtained more unsealed documents coming from the UFC antitrust lawsuit, and these latest batch of recently unredacted filings include several full contracts from UFC stars.

As we previously detailed on our first post that unveiled several payouts for UFC’s biggest stars, full contracts from a couple of former UFC champions had been unsealed.

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s UFC contract

A full UFC contract of Khabib Nurmagomedov was unsealed, showing a page which had the lightweight star’s signature and dated December 13, 2013, years before he won the title. At the time, Khabib was 21-0 and has already gone 5-0 in the UFC.

Khabib signed a contract that paid him $21,000, with a $21,000 win bonus. With each win, he would receive a slight pay bump of $3000, going to $24,000/$24,000, $27,000/$27,000, and up to $30,000/$30,000.

Zuffa was contracted to provide him with 1 hotel or motel room, and 2 round trip economy class fights for him and one cornerman. If he is involved in a championship bout, that goes up to two 2 hotel or motel rooms and 3 economy flights.

Khabib also had a per diem of $50 for meals, or meal vouchers for three meals a day, plus two free tickets to the event.

Matt Hughes’ UFC contract

Hall of Famer Matt Hughes’ much older UFC contract that was signed on October 8, 2001 was also unsealed. That date was prior to his UFC debut.

Hughes signed a contract that paid him $15,000 with a $15,000 win bonus. The escalating pay bumps was much bigger with each win for Hughes’ old contract, as he would get bumped up by $5000 with each win to $20,000/$20,000, and $25,000/$25,000.

UFC’s contract language on flights, hotel room, and per diem didn’t change in the 12 year difference between this and Khabib’s deals.

More full UFC contracts revealed

On the latest batch of unsealed documents John S. Nash and Bloody Elbow has obtained, several more full UFC contracts of their stars have since been revealed.

CM Punk

Phil Brooks, more commonly known as CM Punk, signed a deal with the UFC on November 30, 2014, two years before he even made his debut with the promotion.

His base purse was $500,000, with no win bonus, and it would remain the same for the duration of the contract.

He also got a standard cut of the PPV at the time: $1 for each PPV buy between 200,000 and 400,000 buys, $2 for each PPV buy between 400,000 and 600,000, and $2.50 for each buy over 600,000 buys.

Incidentals:

• 3 hotel or motel rooms, and 3 economy airline tickets for fighter and cornermen.

• $100 per diem for meals, three meals per day. 2 cornermen will receive $50 per meal.

• 4 free tickets for each fight, and if main event, seats will be within 10 rows of the Octagon.

As Bloody Elbow reported earlier, CM Punk took home $1,042,736 for his UFC debut loss to Mickey Gall after his PPV cut.

Brock Lesnar

Brock Lesnar’s UFC contracts were a bit different from their other fighters.

The former WWE star signed another deal in July 3, 2009, when he held the heavyweight title and was coming into UFC 100. Lesnar’s contract paid him through his company “DEATHCLUTCH,” with a purse for UFC 100 set at $1,500,000 with no win bonus and no cut of the PPV.

His subsequent fights, if still champion, will have a purse of $1,375,000, with a pay-per view cut of $2 per PPV buy over 700,000 buys. Other champions normally earn a PPV cut from a much lower PPV buy threshold.

If not a champion, he’d get a reduced purse at $750,000, with a win bonus of $250,000 and no cut of the PPV.

For Incidentals, Lesnar was the only one we saw with a specific note on having a hotel suite:

• 2 hotel or motel rooms, with Lesnar’s room being a suite if he’s the champion. 1 first class and 2 economy flights for cornermen.

• $50 per diem for meals, three meals per day for 1 fighter and 2 cornermen.

• 10 free tickets for each fight, and if main event, the seats will be within 10 rows of the Octagon.

Rousey previously requested for a hotel suite as well, but unlike Lesnar, UFC didn’t put that on her contracts.

Ronda Rousey

Bloody Elbow has obtained multiple contracts from Ronda Rousey from her MMA career, including another document that detailed negotiations that took place for the decorated champion, revealing dozens of requests from her camp, such as better pay and a separate deal for Cris Cyborg.

You can read more about it here, but below is a basic summary of her actual UFC contracts.

Rousey’s first UFC contract

A 6-0 Strikeforce champion in Ronda Rousey signed her first UFC contract on November 2012, and her initial purse was at $45,000 to show, with a $45,000 win bonus. With each win, she would receive a slight pay bump of $5,000, going to $50,000/$50,000, $55,000/$55,000, $60,000/$60,000, $65,000/$65,000, and up to $70,000/$70,000 if she won every fight.

She also has a cut of the PPV, where she gets $1 for each PPV buy between 200,000 and 400,000 buys, $2 for each PPV buy between 400,000 and 600,000, and $2.50 for each buy over 600,000 buys.

Incidentals:

• 2 hotel or motel rooms up to 8 days prior to the event, 1 business class airline ticket and 2 economy tickets for cornermen.

• $50 per diem for meals, three meals per day, for fighter and 2 cornermen.

• 4 free tickets to each fight, within 10 rows of the Octagon, or if main event, 8 free tickets within 5 rows from the Octagon.

As Bloody Elbow previously reported, Rousey’s first bout on this contract had her taking home $574,720 against Liz Carmouche after her PPV cut. Rousey’s base purses for her next bouts would seem to indicate that she stayed on this deal during her historic streak of defenses of the women’s bantamweight crown.

Rousey’s final UFC contract

On September 10, 2015, with six dominant title defenses under her belt, Ronda Rousey signed another deal with the UFC when she was on the very peak of her career.

For title fights, Rousey’s 2015 contract had her receiving a base purse of $3,000,000, with no win bonus.

She would also receive a slightly better PPV cut than before: $1 for each PPV buy between 200,000 and 400,000 buys, $2 for each PPV buy between 400,000 and 600,000 buys, $3 for each buy between 600,000 and 900,000 buys, and $4 for each buy over 900,000 buys.

If she loses her belt and isn’t in a title fight, her purse drops to $500,000, with no win bonus, and no PPV cut.

Incidentals remained largely the same from her contract three years prior.

Rousey would get upset and lose her very first bout on this contract against Holly Holm. As Bloody Elbow noted, Rousey would end up with a payout of over $4.4 million for that fight. Rousey’s other full payouts for several of her fights can be seen here.

Gilbert Melendez

In 2014, Melendez tried to test free agency and join Bellator, but UFC used their contract clauses to hold on to the former Strikeforce champion and not allow a different person to sign a high-profile fighter. Bloody Elbow previously obtained now infamous text messages between Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta celebrating their “Fukn cut throat nasty business” moves regarding the matter.

Contrary to earlier reports, Joe Silva also noted how “we did not match the bellator offer. Ours was deemed a better offer due to our history of ppv and him on tuf. Good for us actual money-wise but tough perception-wise in that people think we gave him what we wanted and now others will demand the same.”

This is the much discussed contract that Gilbert Melendez eventually signed on February 23, 2014, after they agreed on a few revisions.

Melendez would be paid $200,000 per fight, without any win bonus.

If he won his first bout and the title, he would get better pay for other bouts (listed below), but if he loses at any point, he would go back to his flat $200,000 fee:

• If Melendez would win the UFC title, his pay would increase by $25,000 with each win to $225,000, $250,000, $275,000, $300,000, $325,000, up to $425,000 for his ninth contracted bout.

• If challenging or defending a UFC title, Melendez would receive a PPV cut of $1 for each PPV buy between 200,000 and 400,000 buys, $2 for each PPV buy between 400,000 and 600,000, and $2.50 for each buy between 600,000 and 1,000,000 buys, and $3 for each buy over 1 million buys.

• For non-title bouts, Melendez would receive a “performance bonus” of $25,000.

Melendez had slightly better incidentals compared to others:

• 3 hotel or motel rooms, 1 business class airline ticket and 3 economy tickets for cornermen.

• $100 per diem for meals, three meals per day. 2 cornermen will receive $50 per meal.

• 6 free tickets to each fight, within 6 rows of the Octagon. If in a title fight, it will be floor tickets.

Melendez went on to lose his bout with Pettis for the title, and never got the additional contract terms and PPV cut above for his next fights. Joe Silva originally said that the contract was really “good for us actual money-wise,” but without the pay bumps coming in, it ended up even better for the UFC and cost them even less than projected.

Apart from the contract, Lorenzo Fertitta also previously pointed out how the move was even better for the UFC because of its effect on other promotions.

“We gotta keep taking these f—rs oxygen till they tap out. We have sacrificed too much to let anyone get traction now,” he wrote on a leaked text message to White.

Urijah Faber had UFC contract clauses for Conor McGregor, Cruz, Dillashaw

On August 26, 2015, Urijah Faber signed another UFC contract. This was his 12th fight with the UFC, and the former WEC superstar had won six of his last eight fights, with a loss on his UFC Manila main event bout against Frankie Edgar.

Faber’s contract started at $150,000/$150,000, with each win bumping both base purse and win bonus by $10,000 up to potentially $220,000/$220,000 for the eight fight if he won every bout.

As detailed earlier, Faber had contract clauses specifically for potential bouts with fighters like Conor McGregor.

• If he faces McGregor in a non-title bout, his base purse goes up to $250,000, with a $150,000 win bonus.

• If it’s a non-title bout in a main or co-main event slot of a PPV card, his pay gets bumped up to $400,000, with a $100,000 win bonus.

• If it’s a featherweight or lightweight title fight with McGregor, Faber’s pay goes up to $750,000, with no win bonus.

Faber, like many others, will get a PPV cut only if he’s a defending champion. Interestingly enough, there’s also specific contract language on him also getting a PPV cut if he’s challenging for the bantamweight title against T.J. Dillashaw or Dominick Cruz.

He would get a standard PPV cut on those scenarios: $1 for each PPV buy between 200,000 and 400,000 buys, $2 for each PPV buy between 400,000 and 600,000, and $2.50 for each buy over 600,000 buys.

Incidentals:

• 1 hotel or motel rooms, and 2 economy flights. If in a title fight, it becomes 2 hotel rooms and 3 economy flights.

• $50 per diem for meals, three meals per day, for fighter and 2 cornermen.

• 4 free tickets to each fight, and if main event, seats will be within 10 rows from the Octagon.

Faber coached against McGregor at TUF 22, but they were never planned to fight each other after the season concluded.

Holly Holm had UFC contract clause for Ronda Rousey, other perks

As Bloody Elbow reported earlier, Holly Holm had a pretty unique deal coming into the UFC that likely shed more light on why Dana White “hated” her manager.

Holm signed her first UFC contract on July 9, 2014, and her deal was quite different than most from the get go.

Her deal started out with a $25,000 purse, with a $25,000 win bonus. Instead of typical UFC contracts with pay escalations per win, Holm’s purse and win bonus would only increase by $5,000 after every two wins.

As we detailed earlier, Holm already had a clause for a Ronda Rousey fight from the very start of her deal with the promotion. For a title fight against Rousey, her base purse would be bumped up to $50,000 with no win bonus.

She also had a standard PPV cut if she is a defending champion: $1 for each PPV buy between 200,000 and 400,000 buys, $2 for each PPV buy between 400,000 and 600,000, and $2.50 for each buy over 600,000 buys.

Holm’s incidentals also had clauses not found in other UFC contracts:

• 2 hotel or motel room, 2 economy tickets for fighter and cornerman. For title bouts, it becomes 2 rooms and 3 economy flights.

• $50 per diem for meals, three meals per day for 1 fighter and 1 cornerman.

• 6 free tickets for each fight. If main event, seats are within 10 rows of the Octagon.

• Manager also receives 2 free tickets, within 4 rows of the Octagon. Manager and wife will also get 2 credentials and access to fighter’s dressing room.

• Fighter has the right to purchase 100 pre-sale tickets to the event. If opponent is Ronda Rousey, Holm’s camp will have the right to purchase 1000 pre-sale tickets.

Holm eventually fought Rousey about a year and a half after this UFC contracted deal. As Bloody Elbow previously reported earlier, Holm had a side deal and bonuses that led to her taking home $1,100,000 for that upset win, and much more on her next bout when her PPV cut kicked in.

More details on Faber and Holm’s unique deals can be seen here.

Chael Sonnen

Chael Sonnen signed another UFC contract on August 20, 2013. This was days after his win over Shogun Rua, and after his two failed title bids against Anderson Silva and Jon Jones.

Sonnen’s deal would have a similar base purse as his bout with Shogun, at $100,000, with no win bonus.

Incidentals:

• 2 hotel or motel rooms, and 3 economy flights.

• $50 per diem for meals, three meals per day, for fighter and 2 cornermen.

• 4 free tickets to each fight, and if main event, seats will be within 10 rows from the Octagon.

Sonnen also normally had side deals for his fights, with his bout with Shogun netting him $250,000 more than his disclosed purse of $100,000 (plus $50,000 performance bonus). He previously tried to defend the UFC’s low fighter pay by claiming he received several millions against Anderson Silva, but the numbers don’t support his outlandish claim.

Alistair Overeem

After eight fights in the promotion and on a four-fight winning streak at the time, Alistair Overeem signed another UFC contract on February 14, 2016. Much like many of the top stars from other promotions like Strikeforce, Overeem’s deal was structured slightly differently.

His purse started at $700,000, with…

Read the rest of the post over at our Substack page

In the full post, we detail several more UFC contracts from other stars and former champions, and how they differ from each other through the years.

Bloody Elbow is now an independent, reader-supported website, with a hard-earned reputation as the source of record for MMA business and legal coverage. While many powerful people would love nothing more than to have us go away, you can help us continue to fund this kind of uncompromising reporting by subscribing to the Bloody Elbow newsletter.

Jump to

Canada may have got to play host to the UFC’s traveling circus on Saturday night, but it was South Africa that got the biggest win.

Dricus du Plessis has had all the tools to be a star in the land of the MMA giants and, at UFC 297, he got the hardware to go along with it when he went toe to toe (among other body parts) with UFC Middleweight Champion Sean Strickland and did what he needed to get championship gold wrapped around his waist.

Dricus du Plessis has been waiting for this moment

The career of Dricus du Plessis has been, to this point, lined with gold, winning championships in EFC and KSW before joining the UFC in 2020. From there, he rattled off 5 straight wins to get himself to the forefront of contendership for Israel Adesanya’s championship, a spot that could be argued was being given to him as much as it was earned since Izzy was in need of fresh blood after avenging a loss to Alex Pereira.

It was an opportunity Dricus du Plessis could have sat on but, whether he wanted to keep fresh or whether he felt he needed a statement win to prove he deserved to be the next man up, he agreed to fight for the right at UFC 290 against former champion Robert Whittaker.

It was the moment du Plessis needed to show the world he was ready, putting Whittaker away with punches inside of 3 rounds. One infamous in cage confrontation later and there was no hotter matchup than the battle to see who truly was Africa’s favorite son.

(Spoiler: It’s Francis Ngannou)

But, alas, the fight wasn’t meant to be, as Dricus du Plessis was unable to make a quick turnaround to face Izzy in Australia at UFC 293. Instead, UFC turned to the man who has become as well-known for his words outside the cage as his strikes inside of it in Mr. Strickland.

Sean Strickland made the most of his time in the spotlight

Sean Strickland has been on quite the high since last September. He’s lived by the mantra of “When life gives you lemons, make haterade” but he’s done so in a way that’s become endearing to fans due to his brashness and relatability. He truly is a man of the people.

And he rode that wave of adoration into Sydney and into a grinding yet dominant unanimous decision win over Adesanya, upsetting the apple cart in a way nobody expected but everybody loved.

The path to the main event of UFC 297 wasn’t a given for either man, certainly not for Sean but also not for Dricus who, by turning down the fight at 293, had earned enough ire with UFC brass to turn the guarantee of a title shot into “we’ll see what happens.” But, thanks in part to Islam Makhachev’ knockout of Alexander Volkanovski pushing back UFC 297’s originally planned main event, his destiny wasn’t ultimately denied.

The UFC 297 fight was (mostly) worth the hype

Maybe it was always meant to happen this way at UFC 297. Maybe Saturday night in Toronto was the time and place for this chapter of both men’s histories to be written. On a night when Raquel Pennington showed that experience and endurance can overwhelm dynamism and aggression when she defeated Mayra Buena Silva. On a night when Neil Magny opened the gate and shut it closed on Mike Malott’s face. On a night when Jasmine Jasudavicius hurt Priscila Cachoeira so badly, Mario Yamasaki is probably getting blamed for it.

Maybe the first UFC Pay-Per-View of 2024 was the night this change was meant to take place, although it was by no means a given. The UFC 297 main event was tense and close through all five rounds. Strickland used his technique to work around du Plessis’ power. Dricus took advantage of Sean’s stance to land takedowns but he was never able to do much with them. Both men landed shots that left them bloodied and bruised by the end of the final round.

And, in the end, it was the South African who earned the majority of the judges’ scorecards to become the new champion via split decision at UFC 297. It can definitely be argued who truly won but both men went to war (as promised) and left the fans with something memorable after a long night of decisions. Yeah, it was another decision but it was a good battle.

Maybe the UFC 297 headliner wasn’t as exciting as their first fight but it still delivered. Hopefully Sean got the physical intimacy he was looking for.

Now that Dricus Du Plessis has the validation he’d been hoping for after UFC 297, there seems to be little question as to who he should fight next. It’s just a matter of whether Adesanya is ready to come back yet. The rumors have been that UFC was waiting on the outcome of this fight to finally make a decision on the main event of UFC 300 and, while it may not be wise to expect du Plessis to be able to make a quick turnaround after the fight he just had, it certainly would be as big a stage as UFC can offer to settle that rivalry. So maybe it will happen.

Or they’ll just make another interim championship. Everyone likes those, right? 

Either way, at least Dricus knows his spot is guaranteed now. If only the same could be said for Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad…

Jump to

When it comes to Saudi money and combat sports, it’s interesting to see what becomes the subject once money is no longer an object.

This time it’s the announcement of the vaunted supercard between MMA’s number 2 promotion (by default), PFL, and the promotion they recently acquired, Bellator. Scheduled for February 24th at the same arena in Riyadh that hosted Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou this past October, PFL is staging its biggest event to date, one that pitts many of their most recent season champions against the respective Bellator titleholders. Donn Davis is taking the biggest shot possible to prove to the world that his claim of being an MMA “co-leader” wasn’t just some mindless PR posturing that served no purpose other than to manufacture headlines.

It’s also a big opportunity for the world’s number 2 to do that exact number in their pants on the biggest stage they’ve ever been invited to dance (or rap) on.

PFL is putting their best foot forward (to try to not step in anything)

Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good looking card. Bellator stalwarts like Ryan Bader, Patricio Pitbull, Vadim Nemkov, and Johnny Eblen feature opposite a PFL cast that includes Clay Collard, Magomed Magomedkerimov, Renan Ferreira, and Bruno Cappelozza.

PFL is giving a little something to everyone on this card. For the jaded UFC fan desperate for something different yet still familiar, there’s Thiago Santos vs. Yoel Romero, a fight you wouldn’t be wrong for thinking must have happened back in 2018. 

And for boxing fans, there’s Claressa Shields’ next opportunity to supplement her income even though she’s one of the best boxers in the world.

It’s a great lineup, an assemblage of as many top names that could be gathered without requiring Dana White’s permission first. It’s the result of a fever dream so intense someone must have thought they were staring at Jon Jones when, in actuality, it was just Impa Kasaganay.

PFL is doing what UFC can’t (or won’t)

This event honestly beats the hell out of a lot of the upcoming cards UFC is giving us. I’ll take Jesus Pinedo and AJ McKee over the deluge of Apex cards (Dolidze vs. Imavov, Hermansson vs. Pyfer, Tuivasa vs. Tybura) any day.

It’s certainly better than UFC’s first attempt at a show in Saudi Arabia, which was supposed to happen March 2. That is, until the Saudis nixed it because they wanted something that would be more “entertaining.”

Which is ridiculous. How could they think that fights like Muhammad Mokaev vs. Alex Perez or Eryk Anders vs. Jamie Pickett wouldn’t be entertaining enough to headline a fight card? How could the Saudis not want to see Jairzinho Rozenstruik in action? He’s the best heavyweight prospect of 4 years ago!

Seriously, ARE THEY NOT ENTERTAINED?

They’re not? Oh. Well, then try again in the summer, I guess. Maybe UFC will luck out and they’ll find a reason to pull Conor McGregor from International Fight Week and slot him in. Or maybe they’ll find a spare BMF title fight lying around somewhere…

PFL said in their press release that they want to make the fights the fans want and, for at least one event, they’ll be able to do that (well, almost). Beyond that though? They better have some idea of how to make this Bellator coexistence work or they’re going to end up looking hopeless and irrelevant.

The card is super but hardly seems fair

I mean, look at the two sides of the card. It’s clear that the bigger names are within the Bellator ranks. Bellator, for all its flaws, has done a much better job of developing and marketing the fighters on their roster. They’re the clear A-Side of this record. They’re the cool kid on the block while PFL is the spoiled child who wants all the attention and is trying to get it by waving around the money their rich uncle gave them for their birthday.

How is it going to look if the Bellator fighters win all or most of the fights on the supercard? This isn’t the first time Bellator has been featured in such a fashion, as they went to Japan on New Years last year and dominated Rizin. Bellator made the sequel to Pride look like a joke (sequels are never as good as the original…). If PFL isn’t careful, they’ll become the next target of the MMA world’s laughter and derision.

There’s more than just a couple of Super Fight Championships on the line here. The company’s credibility is at stake. How will anybody be able to take them seriously in the future if they can’t position themselves to look like the winners of their own acquisition? I’m assuming they would have gotten Ngannou for this card if he wasn’t already preparing to box Anthony Joshua in Riyadh two weeks after.

It’s bad enough PFL didn’t schedule this supercard to happen the same weekend that another sporting event of super proportions will be taking place (I swear I only watch for the commercials and the slappity slap). Now they might be getting trounced by the very spoils of their conquest. This could be quite the InVasion indeed…

Seriously, what’s the rush?

Personally, I would have held off on doing the PFL/Bellator event, especially if the plan is to continue running Bellator as a separate entity. I get that it’s likely being done to satisfy whatever existing television deals the company still has but doesn’t the importance of unifying the championships of both promotions get diminished when both promotions will still be operating the next day and every other day for the foreseeable future? Sure seems like it does to me.

Then again, it’s possible that could have been the plan if not for the fact that Saudi Arabia is throwing a lot of money at PFL in exchange for big events, necessitating the need to use the Bellator acquisition as the jump start to their Super Fight series, one that will serve the purpose of providing (almost) all of the fights the fans really want to see while PFL continues to air a league format that no one is watching and international events that make us wish we got to see those on ESPN+ instead.

February 24th has been circled as the biggest date on PFL’s calendar. It will be their coming-out party, the chance for them to face what could be the biggest audience they’ve ever garnered to state their claim that they are here to stay and they are ready to play with the big boys. They need to present a united front that says PFL and Bellator are stronger together and that they can forge a path that will get everyone to the mountaintop.

If they can’t do that, then the world will get to watch as they free fall into the graveyard of a dozen other companies that have been put down by the industry leader.

Either way, it will be fun to see them try. It’s not like UFC will have anything to counter their event with anyway, right?

…what’s that? Brandon Moreno vs. Brandon Royval rematching in Mexico City? Yair Rodriguez vs. Brian Ortega? A bunch of names too inconsequential to have Wikipedia pages that have been booked to pander to the local audience?

Well played, UFC. Well played.

Jump to

Several documents have been recently unsealed from the class action lawsuit against the UFC, with Bloody Elbow recently uncovering contract negotiations from Ronda Rousey that revealed dozens of requests from the mainstream superstar.

As Bloody Elbow sorted through the trove of documents John S. Nash has obtained, among those that stood out were the full fighter contracts of Holly Holm and Urijah Faber. 

What made these two longtime UFC stars different from other fighters? Apart from the standard language on purses and incidentals, Holm and Faber both had other unique contract clauses added, including special terms involving the likes of Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey.

Holly Holm’s unique UFC contract gives clues on Dana White’s vitriol

Dana White repeatedly trashed and complained about Holly Holm’s manager from boxing through the years.

“He’s an old boxing guy who thinks he’s smart, and he’s not,” Dana White said in one of the many instances he spoke bad about Holly Holm’s manager Lenny Fresquez. “I don’t know if Holly really knows what she lost. I think she has so much faith in the people that surround her, she feels like, ‘Well, they got me this far.’”

Holly Holm signed her first UFC contract on July 9, 2014, with the world champion boxer being 7-0 in MMA at the time. That contract does give some clues on where Dana White’s anger is coming from, with her deal being quite different than most from the get go.

It included a special clause for a super-fight with Ronda Rousey, along with a few unique perks for Holm and her manager, that seemingly triggered a lot of that vitriol from the UFC boss.

Holly Holm’s purse would only increase after every two wins

Her deal started out with a $25,000 purse, with a $25,000 win bonus. Instead of typical UFC contracts with pay escalations per win, Holm’s purse and win bonus would only increase by $5,000 after every two wins.

While the base purse isn’t anything huge and those escalations were far worse than normal, perhaps Holm’s team managed to negotiate a higher base purse with more guaranteed pay up front. As Bloody Elbow previously reported, most UFC debutants at the time only had payouts of around $11,000 — including any and all “locker room bonuses.”

Holm would also get the UFC’s standard PPV cut if she won the title and came in as a defending champion: $1 for each PPV buy between 200,000 and 400,000 buys, $2 for each PPV buy between 400,000 and 600,000, and $2.50 for each buy over 600,000 buys.

Holly Holm has special terms for Ronda Rousey fight, perks for manager

While Holly Holm’s base purse and escalation was not very good, her incidentals had clauses not found in other UFC contracts:

• Holm had an extra room added compared to most, getting contracted for 2 hotel or motel rooms, and 2 economy tickets for fighter and cornerman. For title bouts, it becomes 2 rooms and 3 economy flights.

• She had slightly more free tickets, getting six instead of the typical four. If she’s in a main event, those seats will be within 10 rows of the Octagon.

• Apart from those, her manager will also receive 2 additional free tickets, within 4 rows of the Octagon. Her manager and his wife will also get 2 credentials and access to Holm’s dressing room.

• Holm will have the right to purchase 100 pre-sale tickets to her events.

While this was only Holm’s first contract with the UFC, she already had a clause for a Ronda Rousey fight from the very start. For a title fight against Ronda Rousey, her base purse would be bumped up to $50,000 with no win bonus.

For a bout against Ronda Rousey, Holm’s camp will also increase their right to purchase pre-sale tickets from 100 to 1000 tickets.

While it’s common in boxing for headliners to get a cut of every single revenue stream on top of their purses, UFC only gives a very small cut of the PPV to their stars and none of the other revenue. Apart from their negotiation style and minor concessions for the manager, perhaps it’s Holm essentially getting a small cut of that previously untouched live gate revenue that infuriates the UFC brass.

Holly Holm eventually fought Ronda Rousey for the belt after two wins and about a year and a half since signing this UFC contract. In a rare move, the UFC put the bout in a massive stadium, with 56,214 people attending in Australia. This made Holm’s contracted 1000 tickets a much smaller percentage of the live gate than if it was hosted in the UFC’s typical venues that were over three times smaller.

As Bloody Elbow previously reported, Holm had a side deal and bonuses that led to her taking home $1,100,000 for that upset win. She was paid more on her next bout, when her PPV cut kicked in as a defending champion.

Urijah Faber’s unique UFC contract

On August 26, 2015, Urijah Faber signed another UFC contract. At the time, the former WEC champ already had 12 UFC fights. He was coming off a loss on his UFC Manila main event bout against Frankie Edgar, but had won six of his last eight fights.

This UFC contract Faber signed started at $150,000, with a $150,000 win bonus. Each win would then bump up both his base purse and win bonus by $10,000 up to potentially $220,000/$220,000 if he wins all previous seven contracted bouts.

Faber had pretty standard incidentals:

• 1 hotel or motel rooms, and 2 economy flights. If in a title fight, it becomes 2 hotel rooms and 3 economy flights.
• $50 per diem for meals, three meals per day, for fighter and 2 cornermen.
• 4 free tickets to each fight, and if main event, seats will be within 10 rows from the Octagon.

Urijah Faber had special clauses for Conor McGregor, other fighters

What makes Faber’s deal unique, was that while most UFC contracts stopped there, he had additional clauses for…

Read the rest of the post over at our Substack page

In the full post, we go over the details and conditions involved that improved on Urijah Faber’s UFC contract that specifically discusses Conor McGregor and a couple of other fighters.

Bloody Elbow is now an independent, reader-supported website, with a hard-earned reputation as the source of record for MMA business and legal coverage. While many powerful people would love nothing more than to have us go away, you can help us continue to fund this kind of uncompromising reporting by subscribing to the Bloody Elbow newsletter.

Jump to

The trial for the class-action antitrust lawsuit against the UFC has yet to start, but it’s already brought to light pertinent and previously unseen information on the top MMA promotion’s controversial business practices and fighter pay.

Another trove of documents has recently been unredacted and obtained by Bloody Elbow, which includes fighter contracts.

Lawsuit reveals Ronda Rousey’s unsigned contract with multiple revisions

One of the recently unsealed documents that Bloody Elbow and John S. Nash has obtained, was a copy of Ronda Rousey’s previous contract with Forza (the Zuffa owned Strikeforce). It was unsigned and sent back with several handwritten notes and requests for revisions from her representative.

A proposed start date of October 1, 2012 was scribbled in, which is a few months after her final Strikeforce fight and soon before she officially joined the UFC.

These were likely all requests for revisions to the contract that Rousey’s representation wanted, just before several top Strikeforce stars like her were going to be absorbed into the UFC. While this specific document ended up unsigned, the notes do give an interesting glimpse at some of the negotiations that took place from the point of view of one of MMA’s biggest stars ever.

Ronda Rousey negotiated for better pay, shorter contract

While Rousey’s management pretty much wanted alterations on almost every clause in the UFC’s standard contract language, the most notable asks were on the monetary specifics.

According to the notes, Rousey’s team wanted significantly better pay. While the original Forza/Strikeforce contract had her starting purse at $35,000 with a $35,000 win bonus, Rousey’s representation asked to start at $100,000/$100,000.

Instead of the purse and win bonus both increasing by just $5,000, they asked for escalations from each win to go up to $150,000/$150,000, $250,000/$250,000, $350,000/$350,000 up to $500,000.

Her management also asked for a bonus for “non-PPV fights with extraordinary viewership,” and seemingly wanted a much shorter deal.

If Rousey wins every bout, the original deal can potentially go up to $70K/$70K on the eight fight. They asked it to top at $500K/$500K instead on just the fifth bout, crossing out the last three bouts on the deal.

Ronda Rousey wanted separate negotiations for Cris Cyborg fight

Interestingly enough, the contract also included a note that Rousey and her team wanted a clause specifically discussing any possible bout with Cris Cyborg.

While Rousey asked for escalating pay that capped at $500,000 to show and $500,000 to win if she won all five fights, she wanted a separate deal for any PPV bouts and a fight with Cyborg, specifically.

“Does not apply to any PPV bout for which shall be separately negotiated,” they wrote down on the contract. “Fee + share of PPV revenue to fighter + any fight w/ Cyborg shall be separately negotiated.”

Rousey vs. Cyborg was a super-fight that many people wanted for years, but it never materialized. One of the reasons repeatedly cited, was Cyborg not being able to make 135 lbs and Rousey not wanting to move up in weight.

Ronda Rousey wanted first class flights, hotel suites, medical insurance

As for the other incidentals, Ronda Rousey’s representation asked for “first class” hotels and flights. If she’s involved in a title fight, they wanted two hotel “suites,” and four first class flights for her team. They also asked for the promotion to pay the hotel room tax, internet and parking.

Instead of a $50 per diem, which can be switched to 3 meal vouchers a day, they wanted it in “non-accountable” cash that “increase by $25 for each new bout.”

They also asked for four free “VIP” tickets “within 10 rows of the cage” for each fight, and if she’s in the main event, they wanted eight tickets within five rows of the Octagon.

Her reps also wanted to discuss the possibility of having “medical insurance & dental for RR through Forza / Strikeforce / UFC.”

Did Ronda Rousey get what she wanted? Comparing her first UFC contract

While Ronda Rousey’s representative had dozens of notes and requests on her contract that they wanted to start by October 1, 2012, Bloody Elbow has also obtained a copy of a UFC contract signed by Ronda Rousey and Dana White, and dated November 19, 2012.

How much of their earlier demands were met after negotiations? Let’s compare those requests from the details on Rousey’s first UFC contract.

Ronda Rousey’s base UFC purses were far smaller than what she asked for

As noted above, Rousey’s Forza deal had several fights and escalations that started from $35,000/$35,000 that potentially went up to $70,000/$70,000 on the 8th fight. They requested for a shorter deal of just five fights, with significantly more pay from $100,000/$100,000 up to potentially $500,000/$500,000.

What did Rousey actually end up with for her first UFC contract?

She did get a slightly shorter contract from the original eight bouts. She asked for 5 fights, but ended up with 6.

As for the base purse, Rousey didn’t get anywhere close to $500,000. Her UFC deal still increased by $5,000 with each win and capped at $70,000/$70,000 like the Forza deal. She started at a slightly higher base purse of $45,000/45,000 with the two earlier fights being removed.

Rousey had a standard PPV cut added, no Cyborg clause

A difference from the Forza contract was the added clause for a PPV cut on her first UFC deal. Rousey got a standard UFC rate, where she gets $1 for each PPV buy between 200,000 and 400,000 buys, $2 for each PPV buy between 400,000 and 600,000, and $2.50 for each buy over 600,000 buys.

It’s common practice for UFC to have side deals for some of their biggest stars, but at least in this contract, no special clause for a Cyborg fight was included. 

There was also no mention of getting a bonus for “extraordinary viewership” like they requested.

Rousey’s base purse for her first bout on this UFC contract indeed started at $45,000/$45,000, and as Bloody Elbow previously reported, she took home $574,720 against Liz Carmouche after her PPV cut. 

Rousey’s base purses for her next bouts would seem to indicate that she stayed on this deal during her historic streak of defenses of the women’s bantamweight crown. She did get bonuses for some of her fights though, as indicated by this text message Bloody Elbow obtained with UFC officials confirming a $300,000 discretionary bonus for her bout with Sara McMann at UFC 170.

Incidentals: UFC grants Rousey free tickets, but not other requests

As for incidentals, UFC granted their specific request for tickets and added 1 business class airline ticket, but mostly stuck with the original language with minor tweaks.

For per diem, they added 1 cornerman’s meals, but declined every other request for guaranteeing cash and increases per fight. Requests for hotel suites, four first class tickets, and the others weren’t included.

Rousey also asked to discuss the possibility of medical insurance, but UFC kept the same contract language on the signed deal.

Ronda Rousey’s incidentals from first UFC contract:

• 2 hotel or motel rooms up to 8 days prior to the event, 1 business class airline ticket and 2 economy tickets for cornermen. 
• $50 per diem for meals, three meals per day, for fighter and 2 cornermen.
• 4 free tickets to each fight, within 10 rows of the Octagon, or if main event, 8 free tickets within 5 rows from the Octagon.

Ronda Rousey doesn’t get changes on UFC’s controversial contract clauses

Rousey’s representative also asked for the contract “term” to be shorter, and the UFC compromised a little.

They weren’t so lucky on the rest of their requests.

Apart from this and the main points such as purses and incidentals, Ronda Rousey’s reps also wanted dozens of changes on many of the contract clauses. These include a lot of the same controversial details being contested in the current antitrust lawsuit, including exclusivity, contract extensions and tolling provisions, ancillary rights and royalty fees.

Despite all those requests for changes, Rousey ended up with pretty much the same contract language on most of these clauses, with just “Forza” and “Strikeforce” being switched to “Zuffa” and “UFC” for her transition to the new promotion.

Here are just a few of the revision requests that were not granted:

Only getting cut after three straight losses?

Ronda Rousey’s team wanted a clause changed on where she could only get released if she loses three straight bouts.

It’s also worth noting that while most MMA fans think that fighters can get cut off a loss, the wording on these contracts show that UFC can also release them if they end up in a draw or No Contest.

UFC matching rights and extension clauses

Rousey’s representative wanted UFC’s controversial extension and tolling provisions revised. They also asked for provisions pertaining to their right to match to be “deleted,” but… 

Read the rest of the post over at our Substack page

In the full post, we go over the rest of the differences between what Rousey’s team asked for and what was granted, compromised, or declined. We also reveal details on the following UFC contract that Rousey signed years later, and how it differed from this deal once she was already at the very peak of her career and mainstream superstardom.

Bloody Elbow is now an independent, reader-supported website, with a hard-earned reputation as the source of record for MMA business and legal coverage. While many powerful people would love nothing more than to have us go away, you can help us continue to fund this kind of uncompromising reporting by subscribing to the Bloody Elbow newsletter.

Jump to

Introduction

Sure, in this post we are looking at blunders that have taken place in the UFC. But let’s not forget that mistakes in MMA are commonplace. It’s one of the hardest and most brutal sports on earth. Fighters at the top of this game must process an incredible amount of information and be mindful of multiple core disciplines with the sport to avoid a myriad of methods that could end the fight.

And mistakes in MMA aren’t like other sports. Hitting the net in tennis may suck, but it doesn’t hurt. Fighters risk it all in the ring and cage and when they make a bad choice, react too slowly or lose focus for an instance, they can be knocked unconscious or have a limb broken.

These injuries can sideline fighters for a long time and/or result in permanent injuries (some which get worse over time). The fact fighters can step into a cage, knowing the risks, is what makes them special athletes and fascinating humans. Their mistakes may be very public, and come at devastating costs, but they still deserve a ton of respect from us who watch on (especially since their hard work and pain is not adequately compensated).

Tim Bissell, Anton Tabuena and Nate Wilcox contributed to this article. Special thanks to all the BE writers past and present who were quoted in this piece.

UFC’s worst big fight blunders

10. Andre Soukhamthath shoots and misfires on Sean O’Malley

At UFC 222 in 2018 Andre Soukhamthath met an unheralded Sean O’Malley in the prelims. Soukhamthath, a former CES champ was three fights into his UFC career and coming off a TKO win over Luke Sanders. O’Malleu was a year removed from his contract winning performance on the Contender Series and had beaten Terrion Ware on the TUF 26 finale.

The bout didn’t disappoint early on, as both men showed their reputation as heavy hitters in the bantamweight division was well earned. Both landed good shots on the other, with O’Malley dropping Soukhamthath in round two.

In the third, with O’Malley leading on the scorecards, Soukhamthath landed a leg kick that buckled O’Malley. ‘Suga’ was hobbled by the kick. The loss of power in his legs meant he couldn’t throw much of a punch. And it felt as though another leg kick could put him down and maybe even lead to a rare leg kick TKO. O’Malley’s evasiveness was also zapped by the injury, meaning he was an easy target for Soukhamthath.

With multiple paths to stopping O’Malley opening up before him, Soukhamthath opted to shoot and wrestle O’Malley, giving his opponent all he needed to ride out the fight and secure a unanimous decision win.

Here’s how Tim Burke reacted to the incident live:

“Round 3 – Soukhamthath clinches right away. O’Malley fights him off. Front kick to the body from O’Malley. Front body kick and a jab from O’Malley. Soukhamthath lands a hard leg kick. It looks like O’Malley may have hurt his leg. Soukhamthath trying to batter him. He moves to side again. O’Malley returns to his feet. Or foot, since he can’t put any weight on one leg. Soukhamthath looks to drag him down again. O’Malley spins somehow, but Soukhamthath takes him back down. Soukhamthath looking for a guillotine. Knee to the body. Soukhamthath totally wasted an opportunity there. 10-9 Soukhamthath but 29-27 O’Malley.”

Dayne Fox further summed up Soukhamthath’s mistake in his Winners & Losers column.

“I really didn’t want to put Soukhamthath here [in the Loser section] as he fought back from a hell of a deficit to nearly pull off the upset. Then he foolishly went for a takedown when O’Malley could barely stand which was the best thing Soukhamthath could do… for O’Malley. I won’t deny Soukhamthath didn’t show a lot of heart and toughness, but he also showed some serious shortcomings in his mental capacity for the fight game.”

Souhkamthath would later spoke about this incident and remarked on how some had called him “the dumbest fighter in UFC history”.

“I’m getting trolled right now by so many people,” Soukamthath says. “They are calling me the dumbest fighter in MMA. The dumbest fighter in UFC history. Even my friend Rashad [Evans]. Everyone is wondering why I decided to wrestle, and I’m wondering the same thing.”

“After he rocked me, I still stayed in the fight, but I was kind of dizzy and dazed afterwards,” Soukhamthath says. “That shot really threw me off the rest of the game plan in the fight. I really wasn’t there.

”I think I was just fighting with instincts. I definitely regret it, because I’m a striker first and a wrestler second. If I would have just done my thing out there, I easily would have won the fight.”

This wasn’t a ‘big UFC fight’ like some of the others on the list. But with O’Malley going to being UFC bantamweight champion, and one of the biggest draws in the company, this mistake is a significant incident in UFC history. Had Soukhamthath gone for the kill at UFC 222 and stopped O’Malley, who knows what may have happened next?

9. Jon Jones breaks the rules

Before the hit-and-run, gas station d**k pills, the picograms and the battery charges, Jon Jones was a source of pride in the MMA community. He was a sensational talent who embodied mixed martial arts, capable of fighting across multiple phases and using devastating technique and creativity to ensure that he was leagues ahead of his competition.

After impressing early on in his UFC career with wins over Andre Gusmao, Stephan Bonnar and Jake O’Brien, Jones was given the co-main event slot on The Ultimate Fighter 10 finale (the series that included Kimbo Slice, Roy Nelson and Brendan Schaub).

In that slot he drew the popular—and pretty decent—Matt Hamill as an opponent (who was coming off a head kick KO win over Mark Munoz). This was Jones’ biggest test to date; someone who—on paper—could hang with Jones in the wrestling department and had dangerous power in his strikes.

But it didn’t take long for us to realize Jones really was as special as we thought. He schooled and pummelled Hamill. Towards the end of the first round he got full mount and rained down the most infamous elbows in UFC history.

Referee Steve Mazzagatti dove in to stop the fight before explaining to Jones that his ’12 to 6′ elbows were illegal in MMA. Mazzagatti then checked the replay (the first time a ref had ever done this in the UFC) and confirmed the elbows were illegal. Hamill didn’t know what planet he was on, so there was no way the fight could continue. That all adds up to a disqualification of Jones.

Jones will be remembered as the greatest MMA fighter ever (as well as one of the most controversial), but because he didn’t know the rules of his sport, he will never be undefeated.

BE Publisher Nate Wilcox covered the incident that night. Here’s his take on what went down:

“Jon Jones used his incredible greco-roman skills to get Matt Hamill on his back and followed with a vicious barrage of ground and pound to stop the fight in the first round. Unfortunately Referee Steve Mazzagatti declared a disqualification for an illegal 12 to 6 elbow strike. Jones threw an elbow straight down into Hamill’s face and the ref stopped the action to deduct a point but since Hamill was unable to continue and the fight was ruled a disqualification.

“Announcer Joe Rogan pointed out the ridiculous reasoning behind the downward elbow strike being banned when the unified rules of mma were adopted — a member of the original athletic commission had seen a demonstration of a martial artist breaking an ice block with a downward elbow and insisted on banning the move. Once again the poorly thought out rules set adopted from boxing has come back to bite MMA fans and fighters.”

UFC CEO Dana White would later claim that he “battled hard” to overturn that loss for Jones. Trent Reinsmith asked the Nevada commission if that was true. They told Reinsmith, writing for the Bloody Elbow Substack, that they had no record of the UFC trying to overturn Jones’ loss.

8. Valentina Shevchenko spins and misses

Valentina Shevchenko came into UFC 285 in 2023 on a nine fight winning streak, with just two close losses to Amanda Nunes spoiling her perfect UFC record. As UFC flyweight champion she had looked dominant, though not terribly exciting.

Check out Connor Reubusch’s piece on how Shevchenko ‘stinks up the joint‘, which was written ahead of her extremely dull win over Jennifer Maia at UFC 255. Around this time it felt like Shevchenko was unbeatable in the division, while also being largely unwatchable (despite her striking being so sharp and potentially lethal).

Shevchenko got some exciting wins after that oped and at UFC 275 she was finally made to look uncomfortable. Taila Santos took Shevchenko the distance and almost pulled off the upset. That shaky performance turned out to be foreshadowing, as the previously dominant ‘Bullet’ was dethroned the following year against fan favourite Alexa Grasso.

Grasso was giving a very good account of herself, but the win has to be attributed to a big mistake on the part of the then-champion. The mistake, as we’ll see a few times in this list, was being seduced into ‘spinning s**t’.

Tim Burke, who would later move to Mexico, was on the call that night. Read him reacting in real time to the fourth round spinning kick that spelled the end of Shevchenko’s long title reign.

“They trade jabs. Left from Grasso. Shevchenko misses with a kick and shoots. Grasso stuffs it. They trade. Champ sticks a jab. Grasso with her own. Inside leg kick from Shevchenko. Jab. Again. Grasso with her own again. Shevchenko with two quick rights, and a double jab. Grasso shoots in when Shevchenko goes to an orthodox stance. Doesn’t work. More jabs. Shevchenko spins and misses and Grasso jumps on her back! CHOKE! IT LOOKS IN! SHEVCHENKO TAPS!!!! NEW CHAMP! VIVA MEXICO!!!!”

Kristen King also recapped the fight:

” In the fourth round, Shevchenko made a huge mistake when she threw a spinning kick at Grasso. The Mexican fighter jumped on her back, worked her way to the rear-naked choke and squeezed until Shevchenko tapped. That was the first submission loss of her professional career. WOW!”

Shevchenko rematched Grasso a few months later. That fight resulted in a draw, meaning Shevchenko was unable to recapture the belt she had defended a record seven times.

7. Petr Yan gift wraps his belt for Aljamain Sterling

After a period of time spent as “the best fighter outside the UFC” Petr Yan joined the big promotion in 2018 and made an immediate impact. The Russian went on a six fight winning streak, beating up some big names in the bantamweight division (John Dodson, Jimmie Rivera and Urijah Faber). His head kick win over Faber set up a fight for the vacant bantamweight title against former featherweight champion Jose Aldo.

On Fight Island, at the height of the pandemic, Yan put away Aldo to hoist the UFC strap. But he wouldn’t hold it for long.

Aljamain Sterling rose to the top of the emerging shark tank at 135 lbs to earn a shot at Yan at UFC 259 in 2021. Many believed this would be a classic striker vs. wrestler bout and that if Sterling wanted to get anything out of it, he needed to avoid Yan’s strikes at all costs. However, no one could have predicted that a Yan strike would actually give Sterling the win.

Here’s what went down, courtesy of Dayne Fox:

“Petr Yan was in complete control, cruising on his way to a victory when he stupidly landed a knee to the face of a downed Aljamain Sterling. Despite many accusations of Sterling putting on an Academy Award winning performance, the knee that landed was a HARD knee that legitimately would have stopped the fight if it had been legal. Of course, it wasn’t and Yan threw it despite a firm warning from the ref not to throw the illegal strike. The rightful course of action was to give the belt to Sterling. Before everyone gets to feeling too badly for Yan, it’s a guarantee there will be a rematch.”

Trent Reinsmith talked about the knee the morning after:

“Petr Yan was fighting well and looked to be on his way to retaining his bantamweight title until he threw one of the most illegal knees in UFC history. The knee landed to a downed Aljamain Sterling and after a long and drawn out process the fight was waved off and the title went to Yan. Yan lost this fight the moment he made the decision to throw that knee.”

Reinsmith also defended Sterling.

“Now, let me say, I couldn’t care less if Sterling was “faking” or “acting” regarding how badly he was hurt. I believe he was, but in the big picture, what anyone thinks is irrelevant in this situation. Why? The rules, that’s why.

What would have Sterling got if he continued to fight after the knee? An “attaboy” or props for “doing the right thing?” Cool, what’s that worth? Zero. The odds are pretty good Sterling would have lost if he continued. Yan clearly kneed Sterling (illegally) in the head. That blow had to take something out of Sterling. If he had continued, the illegal blow would have left Sterling compromised. Why should Sterling — or anyone — agree to continue after they have been hurt by an illegal blow?

Short answer? They shouldn’t.”

Yan, whose bone-headed knee scuppered his title reign before it really got started, was able to pick up an interim belt with a win over Cory Sandhagen. Then, in the rematch with Sterling for the undisputed title, he was thoroughly flummoxed by Sterling pressure-wrestle game, which resulted in a split decision loss.

Since then, he has lost a split decision to Sean O’Malley and a unanimous decision to Merab Dvalishvili. Those losses put Yan back into the chasing pack at bantamweight, a division with no easy fights, where every mistake is amplified.

6. Cat Zingano launches herself into a trap

In 2015, Ronda Rousey was MMA and the UFC. She had ascended from being the most interesting character in a fringe sport to a mainstream pop culture phenomenon. A big reason for this was the ease at which she sliced through her opposition under the bright lights of the UFC. The only fighter who had given her any trouble was Miesha Tate (who was the only fighter to take her past the first round). Tate had yet to blossom into a championship calibre, but she still made Rousey uncomfortable with her wrestling and striking before eventually falling to Rousey’s signature armbar.

When Rousey was matched with Cat Zingano at UFC 184, many thought that this might be the opponent who could expose some niggling doubts they had over Rousey and her abilities. ‘Alpha Cat’ had the athleticism, ruthlessness and toughness that might have been enough to show that Rousey was a one-trick pony who had benefited from a shallow division and friendly match-making.

Zingano was 9-0 at the time and was coming off a TKO finish over Amanda Nunes (who would eventually become the hands down GOAT of women’s MMA). Against Nunes she started slowly and got better as the fight wore on. Against Rousey, she seemed intent on getting off to a quick start. And that would be her downfall.

Rousey vs. Zingano lasted all of 14-seconds.

Dallas Winston was doing play-by-play that night. Here is writing a summary of the bout, which probably took longer to write than the fight itself.

“R1: Zingano bull-rushes Rousey with a flying knee and nearly takes her down but Rousey counters amazingly with a head-and-arm-throw. By the time the scramble settles Rousey is stretching out a modified straight armbar.”

And here is Karim Zidan (before he found his niche with the intersection of sports and politics) recapping the fight:

“Faced with an opponent promoted as her toughest challenge to date, Rousey disposed of her as though she was one of her easiest obstacles yet. She was prepared for Zingano’s quick-attack and immediately flipped over and locked in the submission in fourteen seconds flat. It was a stunning conclusion to a fight many anticipated to be (slightly more) competitive. However, Rousey was certainly not interested in prolonging her victory a second longer than necessary.

“What was the high point of the fight?

“How can one visualize a high point for a fight that lasts a grand total of 14 seconds? The entire contest was one continuous sequence that began with Zingano bull rushing Rousey before eventually tapping out to a quick tapout in a modified armbar.”

Phil Mackenzie also wrote about the fight, wondering ‘what if’ Zingano didn’t rush in.

“Lastly, of course, there was Cat Zingano. She didn’t show any fear. The opposite, really, because she hurled herself straight at Ronda Rousey. If it wasn’t stupid, it was at the very least an extraordinarily risky gamble — raw flying knees worked for Jose Aldo and Jon Jones, but they didn’t for Caol Uno or Andrei Arlovski. In this case, it was a gamble which failed.

“Perhaps she showed so little caution because she just thought her heart and her athletic and technical gifts would get her out of bad spots, as they always had before. They didn’t, of course, and this is her first defeat, and it’s a bad one. She wasn’t just beaten but posterized, slotted into the record books, going in fourteen seconds from being Rousey’s biggest test to being her fastest title defense.”

Zingano sacrificed her talents (which could have troubled Rousey) to dive head first into her opponent’s wheelhouse. Had she shown patience, she may have been the one to knock Rousey out on her feet (which would happen seven months later).

5. Michael Bisping steps into a world of pain

UFC 100 will be remembered as one of the best fight cards ZUFFA ever put on show. The dynamite main card included Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir, Georges St-Pierre vs. Thiago Alves, Jon Fitch vs. Paulo Thiago and Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Alan Belcher. Finishing up that line-up was Dan Henderson vs. Michael Bisping, in a UFC middleweight title eliminator bout.

Henderson and Bisping were coming off a season of coaching The Ultimate Fighter, which was appointment viewing back in 2009. Part of why the season was so important was because the coaches’ fight had such significance.

The fight was for a title shot, sure, but it also represented an interesting culture clash. Henderson best known for his exploits in PRIDE, was no ZUFFA darling and his intermittent presence in the UFC, and American MMA, meant his following was purely hardcore. Meanwhile, Bisping was a ZUFFA homegrown talent and graduate from one of the best, and most meaningful, TUF seasons in the books. His intentionally prickish nature was a barrier for him gaining mainstream popularity among a fan-base who was starting to identify with the UFC as the sole brand of caged combat sports.

Bisping’s personality was a major factor why Henderson was so supported in their match-up and why the ending of that fight was met with such applause.

In the second round of their contest, Bisping was getting hurt by Henderson, who was looking for an opening for his famous over-hand right (the H Bomb − the fact it has a nickname should tell you how devastating it was). The threat of Henderson’s punches turned the commentators into coaches, as they talked about how Bisping could avoid that powerful right hand. Whatever he did, they uttered over and over again, was not step towards the punch.

Unfortunately for Bisping, he couldn’t hear that advice. He continued to circle to his left, towards Henderson’s payload. It didn’t take long for Henderson to meet Bisping as he stepped to the left. And when he did, The Count was levelled.

Tim Burke called “one of the most thunderous knockouts in the history of the sport”.

Bisping’s eyes were already rolling to the back of his head when he hit the ground. Sadly, Hendo decided to follow his opponent to the ground and land a hammerfist from hell which remains one of the most unnecessary and egregious strikes in MMA history.

Brent Brookhouse was doing play-by-play that night, here is reacting to the KO live:

“Michael Bisping vs. Dan Henderson – Round 1– 2 fights, 2 USA chants.  Jab by Bisping.  Dan is cutting off the cage and misses with the right hand.  Nice counter by Bisping.  Henderson lands a few power shots and Bisping has to retreat.  Left hand by Bisping.  Henderson again is loading up the right hand.  Right hand again by Dan.  High kick misses for Bisping.  Right hand lands for Michael.  Leg kick by Bisping and he is looking a little better here.  1-2 combo by Bisping.  Right hand by Bisping again. 

High kick, left hand which lands for Bisping.  Right hand by Bisping again and he is winning the second half of the round.  Hendo is mauling him against the cage but they separate.  Hendo with a right hand to end the round.  10-9 Henderson.  Round 2 – Leg kick by Bisping early.  Right hand by Henderson, knee to the body for Bisping. 

Right hand by Henderson lands solid.  Jab by Hendo.  Counter right by Bisping.  Right hand by Bisping.  Knee to the body by Bisping and Hendo is getting a bit off his game having to chase and get a little bit sloppy.  Right hand by Henderson and Bisping is out cold!  HUGE shot!  Wow!  Dan Henderson wins by knockout, round 2.”

Nate Wilcox had this to say about the fight:

“In a sick KO to end the fight Dan Henderson sent a message to Michael Bisping- watch what you say about me, son.”

Henderson would be out of the promotion soon after this, only to return a year later. In 2016 he and Bisping rematched for Bisping’s middleweight title. The pair put on a fantastic fight, with Bisping, who had far exceeded his old rival in fighting accomplishments and mainstream relevancy, getting his hand raised by unanimous decision.

4. Jose Aldo takes the bait

Jose Aldo was the MMA hipster’s favourite fighter during the early 2010s, thanks to his explosive exploits in first the WEC and during his early UFC run. His brutal leg kicks, dazzling speed and opportunistic grappling made him easy to watch and his cold and stoic nature made him easy to buy into as a badass and one of the greatest fighters in the sport.

While Aldo was quietly dispatching of his opponents and padding his record as the best featherweight ever, Conor McGregor was loudly climbing up the rankings. McGregor made Aldo his foil during his early UFC run and used Aldo’s name to create soundbites which would make him the most marketable man in the company.

After McGregor beat up Chad Mendes, he was awarded a shot at Aldo. The UFC then took the pair on a press tour to further hype McGregor. Aldo endured the tour, his quiet and peaceful demeanour being tested at every stop. Occasionally he would boil over, but when it came time to fight he looked loose.

During the weigh-ins he smiled and poked at McGregor, who looked rattled (and skeletal at 135 lbs) himself.

However, when the opening bell sounded, Aldo’s chill vibes disappeared. He rushed to the center of the cage, clearly wanting revenge for all the discomfort and anxiety McGregor had caused him over the previous months.

In rushing out to meet McGregor, all Aldo succeeded in was putting his chin on a plate. The Irishman, who was a good puncher back in his day, didn’t miss. Here’s how Mookie Alexander reacted to that fateful punch in his play-by-play coverage:

“R1: McGregor opens with a glancing left cross. Dear lord. As soon as Aldo steps forward and throws a right, McGregor detonates an atom-bomb of a left hook and Aldo crumples to the canvas. McGregor has time for one hammer-fist to Aldo’s face as the former champ is staring blankly up at the rafters. Another new champion is crowned.”

Victor Rodriguez summed up what went wrong for Aldo.

“Jose Aldo, one of the greatest fighters of all time, didn’t look like the legend we’d hope to see tonight. There could be myriad reasons for this – inactivity, injuries adding up, lack of desire, distractions from McGregor’s banter, etc. The result remained the same. It took 13 seconds and one punch to slay the legend, He may not get an immediate rematch, barring some contractual clause or some other reason most likely to be in Zuffa’s financial interest.

This is only his second loss ever, and he’ll be back. Also, there’s no shame in crying after that loss. That’s his right, and he’s putting more on the line than anyone that points and laughs at something so basically human. Personally, I already pity the next guy he fights.”

Aldo fought for another decade and tested himself against a who’s who of featherweight and bantamweight fighters before leaving the UFC in 2022. Emboldened from his Aldo victory, McGregor went on to some of the biggest PPV selling bouts in combat sports history.

However, while Aldo may have lost to McGregor, he is now remembered for his incredible performances inside the cage. McGregor, on the other hand, is mostly remembered for things he said and things which have happened far from a cage.

3. Chris Weidman whiffs on Luke Rockhold

One reddit user said that Luke Rockhold “beat the prime out of” Chris Weidman. And that statement feels every bit as true as it is sad.

Weidman came into UFC 194 on a high, having taken the belt from Andeson Silva and then defended versus Silva and then two other Brazilian legends (Lyoto Machida, Vitor Belfort). He was 13-0 when he was given Luke Rockhold as his next challenger.

Rockhold was a solid fighter, but not exactly a world beater, he was giving Weidman in their fight, but in the third round, Weidman made it easy for him.

Despite clearly being a level below Rockhold on the feet, Weidman opted for a spinning kick (something he’d never landed before) in the third round. Rockhold easily evaded the move and then pounced. He dragged him down and gave him the beating of his life, opening up a huge cut. The beating at the end of round three carried over to the fourth, where Rockhold cruised to victory against a hurt (and exhausted) Weidman).

Here’s what Tim Burke wrote about that big mistake (before foreshadowing what comes next on the list).

“Chris Weidman made one major mistake – a strange spinning kick. Just one. And Luke Rockhold made him pay dearly for that – beat him up, cut him open, and took his belt. It looked a lot like the Lyoto Machida fight. Rockhold’s killer instinct is something that’s hard to describe. He’s an animal on top. He absolutely destroyed Weidman with elbows, and the fight could very well have been stopped in the third. It wasn’t though, so he took the wrestler down in the fourth and put him away.

“Like Rockhold in his post-fight interview, I’m having trouble finding the words to explain what I just witnessed. It was beautiful and terrifying at the same time. Congrats to Rockhold for an amazing win.

“That missed kick by Weidman will go down next to Chael Sonnen’s missing spinning backfist in infamy.”

Mookie Alexander was on play-by-play that night, see how he reacted to this in real time:

“R3: Weidman glances with a right body kick, and then another after deflecting a Rockhold body kick. Weidman doubles up on body kicks and they land but not nearly as hard as Rockhold’s. Weidman makes a clinch entry and takes Rockhold down with surprising ease. Rockhold gets to his feet and Weidman keeps him on the cage. Rockhold separates and lands a left body kick on the reset. Glancing right hand from Rockhold. Weidman with two consecutive right kicks to the body. Straight left lands for Rockhold.

“Another body kick from Weidman, who then tries to go high with a kick. Now a spinning kick from Weidman and Rockhold steps inside to jam it, then hops on Weidman’s back. Both hooks in for Rockhold, who transitions to full mount when Weidman rolls. Weidman covers up on a prolonged flurry of rights and lefts from Rockhold, and the champ’s face is bleeding freely. Rockhold sees the blood and amplifies his attack in volume and with the addition of elbows. 10-8 Rockhold for the late-round mauling.“

2. ‘Second Place Sonnen’ biffs his shot at destiny

In retrospect, Chael Sonnen’s heyday was a fun time in MMA with a character who excelled at playing the heel in a manner that enhanced the heroes of the era. Sonnen’s trash talk is easy to look back on fondly, especially given Colby Covington’s noxious attempts at plagiarism.

Unlike Covington, Sonnen actually came close to backing up all his talk. Though, thanks to an epic mistake, close would not be close enough for ‘The American Gangster’.

His fatal mistake came at UFC 148 in 2012, opposite one of his favourite foils, Anderson Silva. Sonnen had already fought Silva two years prior and took ‘The Spider’ to the brink of a historic loss.

He beat Silva from pillar to post in that first match-up, before succumbing to a triangle choke in the final round. That loss can be chalked up to grit and brilliance on the part of Silva. The rematch, though, that loss is all on Sonnen.

At UFC 148 Sonnen showed his beating Silva to the punch and out-muscling him wherever he pleased was not a fluke. In the first round he took the champ down and scored a 10-8 round, blocking Silva from landing a single punch. In the second, he was on course to do the same when, instead, he opted for a high risk striking move against the greatest perhaps the greatest striker to ever wear UFC gloves.

The move missed and Sonnen ended up on his butt at the foot of the cage. Silva strolled to him and then landed a massive knee to Sonnen’s solar plexus. Sonnen then turtled up and Silva had all he needed to pound out a win and escape Sonnen, for the second time.

BE Publisher Nate Wilcox summed it up what went down with ‘Second Place Sonnen’.

“When UFC Middleweight Chael Sonnen attempted a spinning back-fist, missed badly and landed flat on his ass against Anderson Silva last night at UFC 148 he visibly gave up and lost the fight right there. Sure Silva proceeded to knee him viciously in the chest, drop him with a right hook and finish with ground and pound, but the fetal’d Sonnen had already surrendered in his mind.

“Sonnen’s coach at the time, Matt Lindland summed up Sonnen’s issues with this brutally honest soundbite, ‘I’ve said this before as his coach: He’ll put the work in, and he’ll stay dedicated, and he’ll stay focused,’ he said. ‘He’s an incredible athlete. He’s got all the tools. But in fighting, you have to be a tough mother[expletive]. And he’s just not very tough.’

“Lindland was in Sonnen’s corner before the fifth round of UFC 117 begging him to hold on for the win but fearing that Sonnen would look for, and find, a way to lose.

“As accomplished as Chael Sonnen is as an athlete, his two careers have both peaked with silver medal performances. As a Greco-Roman wrestler Sonnen took second place in the 2000 World University Championships and as an MMA fighter he twice fought for the UFC belt and came up short.

“Sonnen showed he still had the template for beating Silva by utterly dominating the first round last night. But when he couldn’t get the double leg take down to start the second, Sonnen floundered. He wasn’t able to establish his striking game as he did against Silva in their first fight and in short order found himself throwing the hopeless spinning back elbow that landed him on his ass.

“In seconds he was curled up in the fetal position, taking a beating and losing the fight. It’s where Sonnen knew he would be in the end all along.”

1. Anderson Silva clowns away his title

Former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva tops our list with his loss to Chris Weidman at UFC 162, all the way back in 2013. During this time Silva had taken on mythical properties as the greatest fighters and martial artist on the planet (perhaps ever!), thanks to his creative, and often casual, destruction of his challengers.

He walked into UFC 162 on a 17-fight winning streak. That run included just two decisions, the stinkers he laid down versus Thales Leites and Demian Maia. Those performances, where Silva seemed more interested in showing his opponent up, than beating them in a fight, served as grim foreshadowing for what would happen against Weidman.

Silva, who had elicited boos in those bouts for antics that includes refusing to engage, dancing and goading his opponents, tried getting silly with Weidman. And he paid dearly for it.

In the first round Silva played around with Weidman, putting his hands on his hips, and acting like he had no fear, or respect, for what his opponent could do. After getting hit Silva laughed at Weidman and seemed to frustrate the American.

In the second round, Weidman again landed a hard shot on Silva. Silva, instead of defending himself, play-acted being rocked and wobbled. Then Weidman landed another punch, switching off the lights and sending ‘The Spider’ careening to the canvas. Weidman then pounded out Silva, with the now former champ’s eyes rolling around like The Cookie Monster’s.

Here’s how Brent Brookhouse called it on the night:

“Round 2 – Weidman shoots after Silva plays more and he gets stuffed. Silva landing the leg kicks now. Silva drops his hands and plays around and Weidman nails him and Silva goes down and it’s over! He just played around too much. Boy was I wrong. Chris Weidman wins by KO (punches), round 1.”

Tim Burke then summed up how most of us felt about Silva’s performance, sharing a frustration over the greatest MMA fighter of an era spurning his own talent in order to play the fool.

“Anderson Silva – That was all tactics? That was all an angle? Sorry, but that’s bulls**t to me. I paid to watch a fight, not a sideshow. Anderson’s days as a matador are over for the time being, and I’m honestly happy to see it at this point. I paid for the card expecting an actual fight. I bet on Silva expecting that he’d actually care about winning. Instead, he acted like a clown and didn’t take anything seriously.

Comeuppance can be beautiful, and it was last night. It was buried in in nine layers off shock and took a little while to bubble to the surface, but it was still beautiful. You deserved that, Anderson Silva. You deserved that. I never truly disliked you until last night. But you just burned through every ounce of credibility you had with me because you just didn’t care enough.”

In his recap, Zane Simon wondered what Silva’s reasoning was for his UFC 162 display.

“It’s hard to say if Anderson was looking to draw Weidman into making a glaring mistake that he could exploit, or whether he was just looking to humiliate him long term for forcing him into a fight he didn’t particularly care about. Either way it was his devotion to mockery and over emphasized showboating that spelled the quick and brutal end. Weidman looked to chase a flat footed Silva with a series of hooks, and rather than dance away Anderson attempted to limbo out of danger. A brutal left connected and sent him crashing to the canvas unconscious, an era ended in a flash.” Chris Weidman def. Anderson Silva via KO (punch) Round 2.”

In their rematch Silva would suffer a devastating leg injury. This loss, paired with the injury, conspired to rob Silva of his mystique and mojo. He would compete for a decade more, but never come close to reaching the heights of his championship run. It may have all been different had Silva not made such a brutal mistake at UFC 162.

Honourable/dishonourable mentions

Any list like this is going to be subjective by definition and there are plenty of classic moments we left out like: Art Jimmerson’s one boxing glove at UFC 1; Cody Garbrandt getting obsessed with the right hook and throwing nothing else at Pedro Munhoz at UFC 235 or for the moments of showboating and dancing he did against TJ Dillashaw about 2 minutes before he got finished at UFC 227.

There was also Forrest Griffin panicking and rushing straight into Anderson Silva’s right hand at UFC 101; Nate Diaz almost knocking out Leon Edwards in the 5th round at UFC 263 but electing to clown around instead of finishing his wobbled foe; Chael Sonnen giving Anderson Silva his arm all the time in the world to sink in a triangle at UFC 117; and Gray Maynard knocking himself and opponent Rob Emerson out at the same time with a slam at The Ultimate Fighter 5 Finale.

Well, that’s our take on the Top 10 UFC blunders, goofs, gaffes, mistakes and fight-losing moves. What do you think, how would you rank these? Did we miss any? Let us know in the comments below (also, feel free to share some that happened outside the UFC, too!).

Bloody Elbow merch available

Bloody Elbow is pleased to announce our partnership with Revgear. They have been a pioneer in the MMA gear industry and have grown into a formidable brand and true leader in the market. Revgear now have Bloody Elbow t-shirts, hoodies and hats so you can show your support for independent MMA journalism.

Colby Covington is a clown

The sad thing about Colby Covington, the mumble mouthed UFC contender who practically defines “try hard”, is that you can see what he’s going for. It’s actually a kind of a clever idea—a loud, belligerent avatar of American exceptionalism, parroting Donald Trump talking points for an audience that leans so far right that the boat is in danger of capsizing.

He wears a funny George Washington wig! He visits Trump at the White House! He cynically thanks first responders and the military whenever he senses the audience’s discontent! It’s good stuff—Chael Sonnen’s gimmick on Chael Sonnen level PEDs, the ultimate right wing tough guy grifting the most griftable people on Earth.

In a fawning ESPN profile pre-fight, we’re told it’s all just a character, an act being put on for money and attention. And, in theory, it’s an easy one to play, so over-the-top and lacking nuance that it doesn’t exactly require Olivier to pull it off. Memorize the talking points, deliver them in a booming voice, collect boatloads of cash from snowflakes desperate for any kind of athletic or pop culture success. Colby Covington should have it made.

It’s just that he’s so bad at it.

The problem with Covington is that you can see the doubt written on his face. It’s a part that requires confidence if nothing else—and the eyes don’t lie. This dude is constantly shook, afraid he’s going to get his lines wrong, afraid he’s going to get his ass beat at a Miami steak house, afraid he’s going to die alone.

Months into a one-way feud with the basketball star, he still fumbles something as simple as LeBron James’ name. When he attempts to deliver his political points, it’s clear they are just words tumbling inarticulately from his mouth. There’s never a sense he believes or understands what he’s saying, none of the “fuck you” smirking idiocy that so confidently animates the face of fellow dipshit Bryce Mitchell, for example, when he explains that the Earth is actually flat.

Colby, instead, spews his nonsense with dead eyes, joyless in his choices, winless when it matters.

Colby’s act failed on all fronts at UFC 296

Leon Edwards, earlier in the week victim to one of Colby’s ugly attacks, dispatched him with relative ease, only stumbling when he attempted to embarrass the wrestler by beating him at his own game. Covington, known for his swarming, if inefficient attack, was cautious until it was too late to win. His strategy is built on volume. For all his bluster about hurting and maiming foes, Covington is built to win decisions. Against Edwards, he didn’t even manage the courage to try, focusing instead on surviving the contest with his faculties fully in place, no doubt planning the Trump style denunciation of the judges from the jump.

“The judges have never favored me,” he said after the fight. “They hate me because I support Trump. Everybody hates Trump in this building. It is what it is.”

Never mind that Trump was met with a thunderous ovation when he walked into the arena—the truth has never been particularly important to this kind of culture warrior. This was the perfect opportunity for a rare show of humility. He had lost so clearly and in such a chicken shit manner, that the bravado just couldn’t work. He needed to regroup.

Instead, Covington doubled down on the rhetoric, losing the audience who had seen him shit the bed with their own eyes and weren’t buying it. The result was a dismal disaster, a fumbling not just of the bag, but of dignity and self-respect, a floundering, epic misstep among the most pathetic in the history of the UFC.

Only Conor McGregor, angrily spewing venom towards Dustin Poirier’s wife as he sat pitifully on the mat, unable to support himself on a broken leg comes close—and at least he had shock and pain to explain the vitriol. Covington? He’s just an asshole with a pea-sized brain and the smallest of small dick energy.

Peak Covington falls short of relevance

Prior to the fight, after years of trying and failing, he finally connected with the intended audience, greeted with raucous cheers and even a “USA! USA!” chant. But, in the end, the same crowd was jeering him, put off between the disconnect between his tough talk before the fight and cowering presence during it. That’s how bad he was, how utterly anemic and ineffective, even in the rare moments he was gifted a strong position by Edwards.

It was Covington’s third loss in a title fight in as many tries. There likely won’t be another. It’s a gimmick that requires winning. Trump and his ilk aren’t forgiving of losers—as demonstrated by the former President’s decision to leave the arena even as Colby desperately tried to win the booing crowd back with lavish praise of his beloved leader.

Trump, no doubt, prefers fighters who don’t lose title bouts.

Ultimately, Covington is a fighter who went for it in a big way, Sonnen without the charisma and winking charm. Like Chael, his greatest moment came in defeat, nearly pulling out a victory against an elite opponent before running out of the arena in disgrace. Unlike Chael, he isn’t articulate enough to parlay the gimmick into something more.

This was as good as it gets. Peak Covington, it turns out, is hardly Hall-of-Fame worthy—an ugly press conference insult, a one-sided loss, and a post-fight promo greeted with disdain and boos by his own public.

You can’t say he didn’t deserve it.

A lot of you are probably saying this column is mean. That I shouldn’t kick Colby when he’s down. And, as a general rule, I agree. A man deserves credit for setting foot under the bright lights and testing his mettle. But not Colby. He deserves this and more as the biggest loser in UFC history.

Jonathan Snowden is a long-time combat sports journalist. His books include Total MMA, Shooters and Shamrock: The World’s Most Dangerous Man. His work has appeared in USA Today, Bleacher Report, Fox Sports and The Ringer. Subscribe to Hybrid Shoot to keep up with his latest work.

Bloody Elbow merch available

Bloody Elbow is pleased to announce our partnership with Revgear. They have been a pioneer in the MMA gear industry and have grown into a formidable brand and true leader in the market. Revgear now have Bloody Elbow t-shirts, hoodies and hats so you can show your support for independent MMA journalism.

Jump to

Methinks the tea party should probably be called off…

It wasn’t a surprise that Colby Covington chose to embrace a Revolutionary War-styled “US vs. UK” narrative in his UFC 296 title shot against UFC Welterweight Champion Leon Edwards. There weren’t any surprises in the way “Chaos” built up the fight, from the way he dressed to the awful things he said about Edwards’ family to how he conducted himself after losing a unanimous decision.

What was surprising was the fight itself, as well as why it was even taking place to begin with.

There’s no questioning Leon Edwards’ undisputed status as champion. He’s the man who not only knocked Kamaru Usman out but spent an additional 25 minutes locked inside The Octagon with him just to prove to everyone that he is the new top dog at 170. It took Leon Edwards seven years to get a chance to redeem that initial loss and he did so in both dramatic and then dominant fashion.

There’s no better way to start a reign as champion than by taking down the nightmare that wreaked havoc on the weight class for the 3 years previous. The only downside was that, while Leon Edwards walked away with a title win and a successful defense, his career up to that point was still firmly tied to one man. If he wanted to create his own legacy, it wasn’t going to start until he began defending against the other hopefuls looking for a shot now that the boogeyman had been chased away.

And when Leon Edwards finally got the chance to start building that legacy, I don’t think he intended to do so with Colby Covington.

Leon Edwards wanted to fight anyone other than Colby

Nobody did, considering that, at the time Edwards-Usman 3 took place, Covington was a year removed from his last fight and hadn’t made much of a peep in the time since. That was until he showed up in London to serve as the backup to the UFC 286 main event.

Following the conclusion of that fight, Dana White made countless headlines by doing what he says he never does and made a match at the post-fight presser. That’s right: Leon Edwards’ first defense would be against Colby, the man who did nothing to earn the shot other than stand on a scale.

After a long wait, we finally made it to fight night, and what a night it was. We saw Paddy Pimblett put Tony Ferguson through 15 minutes of hell after he’d already spent a week there, Shavkat Rakhmonov “pick” his own destiny by submitting Stephen Thompson, and Alexandre Pantoja wrap himself around Brandon Royvval as if the man was sitting three rows behind him.

And let’s not forget about Josh Emmett’s sickening knockout of Bryce Mitchell. I think that was the closest anyone has had to a “come to Jesus” moment inside The Octagon. That was worse than Jake Paul knocking Andre August back into June. Good to see Modelo left just enough “fighting spirit” lying around for what might be the Knockout of the Year.

Also, as easy as it’d be to make fun of Ian Garry in light of all the things that have been said about him that were followed by him pulling out of his scheduled fight against Vincente Luque, I will refrain from doing so. Besides, there’s nothing I could say that hasn’t already been said louder and with less shirt.

It was a tense week to say the least, made even tenser by the method that Colby employed to get under Leon’s skin before entering the cage, namely making jokes about Leon’s father. 

There were quite a few attacks on fathers this week and, as a father, I resented them. Besides, if Colby wants to be a good Christian, he’s doing it wrong.

Leon Edwards’ gameplan went (mostly) to perfection

As emotional as Leon Edwards became before the fight, it didn’t seem to phase him during the fight, successfully using his striking advantage to keep the fight at the distance that best allowed him to pepper Colby with punches and kicks throughout the 5 round affair.

It seemed like there weren’t any concerns with how Leon performed but plenty with the way Colby did. His advantages have typically been his wrestling and the intense amount of pressure he exerts on opponents, picking them apart because they can’t hope to match his level of conditioning.

At 296, though, Colby didn’t fight like he usually does. He seemed hesitant to engage and spent more time letting Leon dictate the pace than he should have. That was most likely due to not having fought in 20 months. The only action he had seen in that entire time was inside a courtroom.

And Leon was excellent with his grappling, stuffing the majority of Leon’s takedowns. The only meaningful one he scored on was in Round 5 at a point where nothing short of a finish was going to be enough to secure a victory, which ultimately didn’t come for the American. The third shot at the undisputed championship was not the charm.

The night went as well as it could have for the Jamaican-born Brit. Now he can forge ahead and continue building his legacy, although, in doing so, we might be about to get another test of whether the UFC has any intention of pretending that merit-based competition still exists within the company.

Is there a name I should be remembering?

The obvious next opponent for Leon Edwards would be Belal Muhammad, who is the highest ranked contender in the division (after Usman) and has been waiting since defeating Gilbert Burns at UFC 289 in what was billed as a top contender’s match.

But who knows if that will actually happen. Maybe Dana will deem Rakhmonov more deserving due to his fighting style and finish rate (and the fact that fans don’t actively hate him), or because the company is concerned that featuring a fighter of Palestinian descent right now won’t send the right kind of message about the company’s politics (we all know where those lie).

Maybe something out of left field will happen, like UFC booking Leon against Conor McGregor at UFC 300. You know they would do it if it made sense to. Stay strong, Mike.

Or, for all we know, they’ll give Colby another shot since he *obviously* didn’t lose and the decision and championship were clearly stolen from him… *WINK*

Hey, if Nevada isn’t willing to go along with it, I bet California is…

Either way, whatever happens, there should no longer be any doubts about Edwards’ legitimacy. He is the best welterweight in the world. He was deemed the Fighter of the Year for 2023 and, if he keeps this up, 2024 may very well be his year as well.

Viva la revolución and a happy new year to all!

Jump to

This is a free preview of Sumo Stomp! Bloody Elbow’s official sumo partner. If you want more in-depth sumo analysis, and notifications for when sumo content drops on BE, subscribe to the substack now!

What went from for Takakeisho at the 2023 Kyushu basho?

Before the Kyushu basho got underway I asked you all which rikishi you’d like to receive the first ever ‘Sumo Stomp! Spotlight’. The winner of that poll would be someone I watched extra closely during the tournament and would analyze in a dedicated article after the fact (this one!).

Takakeisho won that poll. And you can see why. He was heading into the tournament on the heels of his second Emperor’s Cup victory of the year. His championship clinching bout at the autumn tournament may have been controversial, but I still think he looked fantastic throughout that event.

It was believed that a win in Kyushu could give ‘The Angry Hamster’ a strong case for promotion to yokozuna. But that didn’t happen, did it…

At times, in Kyushu, Takakeisho looked dominant, but at other times he looked rather ordinary. That combination conspired for a mediocre record and little chance we see Takakeisho ascend to yokozuna status any time soon (or maybe ever).

So what went wrong? Why wasn’t a seemingly healthy Takakeisho able to follow up his electric showing at the aki basho?

Let’s try and figure it out.

We’re going to go day by day here and pay close attention to the technique and strategy that featured in each bout. Hopefully we’ll be able to identify a pattern and come to a conclusion on why Keisho looks so average at times this tournament.

Day 1

We don’t need to look too deeply to figure out how Takakeisho got off to a 1-0 start in Kyushu. Against Hokutofuji he got an early jump on his opponent, leaving the blocks before Hokutofuji could put both hands down. The gyoji didn’t have a problem with it, so it is what it is.

Despite hesitating for a split second, Takakeisho’s early start enabled him to hit Hokutofuji (who was especially vertical because he didn’t have time to lean into contact) square in the chest and drive him back to the straw.

Hokutofuji was able to power off his back foot (which was quite remarkable) and look for some open space. But Takakeisho kept hold of him and, despite almost crossing up his own feet, was able to lead Hokutofuji back to the boundary. Once he sorted his feet out he was able to get the last push he needed to secure the win.

Day 2

Takakeisho’s day two win over Shodai was superb. It followed the same routine as the win over Hokutofuji, except Shodai showed more resistance than Hokutofuji and forced the bout into a third phase.

In the first phase, Takakeisho again got a good start (not an early one, though) and was able to hit Shodai square in the chest. Shodai’s height made that easier for Takakeisho. The push forced Shodai back to the straw and, like Hokutofuji, he pushed off his back foot and looked for space; side-stepping to the left. when Hokutofuji tried this, Takakeisho was able to stick close to him and maintain forward momentum. Shodai was able to prevent this, though.

When he hopped to the side he also pushed back and was able to stop Takakeisho from stealing a march on him. After he backed up Takakeisho, Shodai advanced, squaring his feet and pushing up against Takakeisho’s thrusts. This nullified Takakeisho’s forward pressure.

Takakeisho sensed Shodai had the upper hand in a shoving match at this point, so he did something quite brilliant. He timed one of Shodai’s surges forwards and then feinted a push before hopping to the side. As soon as he landed, he swept his left foot back all the way to the straw. He did this to discover exactly where he was in the ring and how much real estate he had to work with for what he had planned next.

Watch his feet from that point on. He brought his right foot back in line with his left, so both heels were touching the straw. Then he side stepped to the right twice, with the second one including a 90 degree spin, landing perfectly in the extra space allowed by the toku-dawara.

The spin was a result of him changing his body shape to evade Shodai’s push and force his opponent to dive to the ground. He lead Shodai to this point of the ring to do this, knowing he would have that extra foot space on the landing.

The fight IQ, body/ring awareness and timing involved in this sequence was astonishing. Takakeisho gave Shodai his best shot off the tachiai but then recognized he couldn’t win a fire-fight and instead adjusted and lead his opponent into a trap.

Day 3

Takakeisho got to 3-0 with a quick and relatively simple win over Ura (someone he holds a 14-3 record over). Takakeisho went first, again, in the tachiai. But this time he used that advantage to get set and catch/halt Ura’s opening drive. Then he blitzed him back and out. He kept his feet low to the ground and struck off center on Ura’s chest, forcing Ura’s body to twist and make him off balance. Ura tried to dance away along the boundary, but Takakeisho was too quick and denied him the space he needed to escape.

It’s not quite a fist pump at the end there, but it did look like Takakeisho celebrated this victory a little. That kick at the end reminded me of the dreaded bat flip in baseball.

After this trio of wins Takakeisho was feeling confident. And why not? He’d beaten three good wrestlers and hadn’t looked in danger of losing.

Day 4

I noted that Takakeisho came out for this bout with a slight smile on his face, which I took as a sign of confidence. In retrospect maybe it was over-confidence.

I think Takakeisho was expecting the same fight out of Meisei that he had got in the aki basho, one where they traded blows until he got to the boundary line and deftly side-stepped and swiped Meisei down.

Takakeisho tried that same finishing manoeuvre here, but far too early, perhaps believing he could swat down Meisei anywhere he pleased. He went for the side step on the second charge forwards from Meisei (excluding the tachiai).

Meisei was able to stay on his feet by sliding out a stabilizing leg and then turning his foot back towards the conflict. Meisei deserves immense credit for what happened next. He blocked Takakeisho’s next charge, utilizing his foot against the straw. He then waded forward to give himself some room before executing a beautiful evasive move.

Meisei sensed Takakeisho coming in and he didn’t step to the side, he leaped! Takakeisho lurched forward, but there was no body there to stop his momentum. He was forced to do a little hop to stabilize himself and Meisei then went in for the kill, getting close in the clinch and denying Takakeisho any space to prevent the yorikiri.

That was Meisei’s best win of the tournament (which ended with a terrible 4-11 mark).

All the good things we saw with Takakeisho’s ring awareness in the Shodai win are reversed here. If he knew where he was when he attempted that side-step, that’s a poor decision. If he didn’t, then it speaks to a lack of focus. Either way, that brings him down to earth and puts him at 3-1.

Day 5

On Day 5 Takakeisho met Takayasu. The former ozeki had struggled mightily with injuries this year, but he looked much better this tournament. In Kyushu he managed a 10-5 record which will most likely land him back in the san’yaku.

Coming off a loss, Takakeisho opted for a henka here to get his tournament back on track. I’m fine with the move personally, but I imagine many will sneer at this bout and consider it as un-ozeki-like behaviour. I believe rikishi need to be ready for everything, though, including an opponent who won’t plow head on into you in the opening clash.

Takayasu did well initially, to avoid being pushed all the way to the straw or completely taken down. Takakeisho then did a great job of rushing his opponent and being light on his feet to anticipate Takayasu’s next move. Takayasu moved to his left on this occasion and Takakeisho was able to respond with his right arm, blocking Takayasu from moving too far to the side. That arm prevented Takayasu from squirting away while Takakeisho executed the all out dive for the win.

I think Takakeisho got a little lucky here. The underhook on Takayasu is a good move and he did well to shift his direction when he saw Takayasu step left. But a more slippery opponent, like an Abi or Tobizaru, could have stayed in along the side as Takakeisho crashed down.

It’s not a high quality win, but it gets Takakeisho to 4-1.

Day 6

Tobizaru has historically given Takakeisho more problems than most. Including this match, Takakeisho has a 5-6 record versus the Flying Monkey and he had lost the previous five bouts they’d shared.

Tobizaru’s ability to create space and escape tight corners is a nightmare for Takakeisho, whose best work happens when he can get hands on his opponent and drive through them.

Tobizaru started this bout with a henka, but Takakeisho recognized it quickly and was able to pull a lot of momentum out of his tachiai. After Tobizaru bounced back and started his herky-jerky offence, where he feints all kinds of attacks to draw his opponent into a mistake, Takakeisho was incredibly patient. He let Tobizaru have that space initially and used a wide variety of striking techniques to prevent Tobizaru from pushing him back or touching his belt.

He used some heavy slaps to the face to break up Tobi’s concentration, and light swipes on his hands to nullify potential grabs. When Tobizaru tried to thrust, Takakeisho pushed his hands up, redirecting the force upwards so he wasn’t pushed back.

One of Takakeisho’s defensive thrusts pushed Tobizaru a step back and that’s when Takakeisho took the initiative. He followed him back and searched for Tobizaru’s mawashi with his left hand, while swiping him with the right. I think this was to get Tobizaru to back off and step further back towards the boundary.

Tobizaru did step back, but Takakeisho then hit him with a hard slap across the face with his left hand. With Tobizaru’s head turned, Takakeisho put two hands on his chest and pushed him almost over the line. He then hit him with a lighter slap.

At this point Tobizaru has no idea where the next hand from Takakeisho is going to land. Takakeisho decided to follow the slap with another two handed push, which put Tobizaru right on the straw. Tobizaru, sick of getting hit in the face, turned his back to his opponent, inviting an easy okuridashi win for Takakeisho.

I really like this performance by Takakeisho. He was intelligent in blocking the henka attempt and then showed great defence and patience while he waited for an opportunity to impose his will on Tobizaru.

And when he got that chance, he didn’t miss. I think he channelled some of his past losses into the viciousness of those slaps and the hardest one seemed to take Tobizaru’s focus completely off the bout.

Day 7

This is where the basho went off the rails for Takakeisho. …

To read the rest of this premium Sumo Stomp! article head over to Substack.

Join Sumo Stomp!

Subscribe to the Substack!

Subscribe now!

Jump to

This feature first appeared on The Bloody Elbow Substack.

Forgive us for being intrigued by a bunch of MMA promoters chasing oil money like a slobbering bunch of Beverly Hillbillies.

2023 has given us two major storylines involving the Haves (WWE & UFC merging into TKO) and the Have Nots (everyone else chasing the oil money). If you’re fighting for dollars in an industry dominated by a monstrous $14 billion dollar operation, you could be excused in your search for fast money.

Three recent November 2023 stories involving PFL, ONE, and RIZIN adventures in the Middle East reveal some hard truths regarding the size and scope of Oil Money investment in the Mixed Martial Arts space.

The sheer lust for oil money

As the UFC prepares to go to trial to fight off antitrust claims in a Las Vegas Federal courtroom, everyone else in combat sports is scrambling to grab as much investor cash as possible. Why? The barriers of entry to get into the business and finance operations are rapidly escalating.

TKO’s control of market share is astounding. Tony Khan’s spending on AEW creates market distortion through the sheer breathtaking volume of money he’s spending — hundreds of millions of dollars.

Stagflation is a real pain in the ass. Higher-for-longer interest rates makes debt financing more of a challenge. Another wildcard? If there’s a global recession, that’s bad news for oil prices due to demand destruction. It may help with inflationary pressure but it certainly won’t help if you’re a promoter trying to grab as much oil money as possible for your fight investments. This is why the speed and scope of mergers and acquisitions in the combat sports arena has been so hard to interpret and comprehend. You’re not dumb for having difficulty processing what’s going on. We are witnessing games of high finance on a level that looks a little like the 2007 housing bubble.

RIZIN to the occasion in Azerbaijan

In Japanese circles, the lust for oil money has been irresistible. A Who’s Who of promoters, television executives, programmers, fighters, and media writers have been dreaming nonstop about oil money. With a generation of yakuza cash getting limited as a promotional lifeline, there have been quite a few retired fighters and Youtubers who have publicly made their motives known about accessing oil money to finance future fights.

The boxing match between Francis Ngannou and Tyson Fury provided the visualization of those dreams with the Japanese. The pomp and circumstance motivated a sense of confirmation bias. Why not us?

The politics of fossil fuels has always been a very sensitive and complicated subject with the Japanese government. They have heavily relied on imports of oil from Russia and Iran. However, Tokyo is also aligned closely with Washington D.C. and has been enforcing US sanctions on Iranian assets.

Japan shares similar values to Washington in terms of green energy policy. Japan has a lot at stake in executing a transition from a fossil fuel economy to a green economy. That transition was heavily complicated by the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster in 2011. Nuclear energy is a key component in a transition to a cleaner energy policy. The race to develop better nuclear fusion technology would change everything.

Until a transition can be fully executed, fossil fuels remains king. Which means Japan has a lot of experience in terms of pragmatic, situational ethics in regards to oil money from places like the Middle East. One of those oil partners is Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan is next door neighbors to Russia and Iran on the Caspian Sea. When people talk about Caspian oil money, they’re talking about Azerbaijan and its capital Baku. In chasing oil money from Baku, it means you are navigating the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Good luck with that.

The United States Senate, last week, unanimously passed a bill called the Armenian Protection Act that would prevent President Joe Biden from giving US money to Azerbaijan for the next two years. What that means in regards to Tokyo’s politics with Baku remains to be seen.

In the race to chase oil money, RIZIN leader Nobuyuki Sakakibara negotiated a sold show with Azerbaijan diplomats. He brought a RIZIN event to Baku. Baku has two things that a Japanese fight promoter loves: resources and judokas.

Baku recently hosted a grand slam Judo tournament event. The growing footprint for Judo in the country is grabbing international attention. Now you could see why RIZIN wanted to grab a piece of the action. Recruiting top foreign talent while getting paid and generating new business leads in an oil market flush with cash.

RIZIN’s debut event in Baku featured a main event of Chihiro Suzuki vs. Vugar Karamov. It was the perfect outcome for RIZIN. Karamov had Suzuki down and was ready to pounce … only to get high kicked by Suzuki on his back and get knocked out while in top position. Everyone was stunned. It was a great visual to air back home in Japan of a new hero who inexplicably shocked the world.

The strong desire for RIZIN to return to Baku is evident. You could see why when watching highlights from the November event. You could also see why Azerbaijan would want to use its wealth to negotiate a deal with RIZIN to develop a talent pipeline.

The pesky problem is that world politics gets in the way. With new US aid policy targeting Azerbaijan, we will see how both Baku and Tokyo navigate these waters. Baku investment in RIZIN makes sense as a buy-low investment. If international pressure, especially from Washington D.C., is placed on Japan to minimize ties with Azerbaijan, what will that mean for RIZIN? Oil money is not so easy.

ONE more lifeline from Qatar?

While RIZIN delivered a good show for their partners in Baku, Chatri Sityodtong and ONE are reportedly facing their own oil money adventures.

Kristie Neo at Deal Street Asia has published two key articles regarding ONE over the last three years that have given the public some clues on the sheer amount of financing to feed the promotional beast.

In September of 2021, DSA published an article titled ONE Championship generated $341m profit in FY2020 from asset sale to subsidiary. In November of 2023, DSA published an article titled ONE Championship said to have made new pitch to [Qatar] for extra funding.

In combination with the excellent work from Team Bloody Elbow on the eye-opening expenditures by ONE Championship, you would not be alone in having your jaw drop at what kind of investment and capital is needed for ONE to sustain a path for growth.

In an interview with CNBC International on Tuesday, Chatri laid out plans for ONE events in Japan, Qatar, and the United States in 2024. Strangely, CNBC did not post the interview on their Youtube channel. Instead, a one minute clip is available on their web site. That one minute clip, unfortunately for ONE, contained this visual:

As you might have noticed in the one minute video clip, Chatri is asked about whether or not ONE Championship can be profitable. He answers the question by focusing on lowering ONE’s burn rate and increasing revenues. Revenue is not profit, however. Now you can see why BE’s recent focus on ONE fighter contracts and Intellectual Property rights is a legitimate avenue of business interest. What is there for ONE to sell to oligarchs and global investors?

We focus on this CNBC clip because DealStreetAsia reported that ONE is trying to fundraise more cash from Qatar. What are they thinking right now?

DSA reported that the cost to produce a ONE event in Qatar would be $6 million dollars. How? Why? Furthermore, DSA noted that the event was supposed to be underwritten by Media City Qatar, Qatar Airways and Ooredoo. Will they still finance the show?

In this largely unnoticed CNBC International video clip from a few months ago, there is discussion from ONE about a second MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) with Qatar Media City and tie-ins with beIN Sports. When pressed by CNBC on a timeline for profitability, Hua Fung Teh predicts it will take two to three years before ONE is profitable. If you want a glimpse of what it’s like seeing ONE execute a sales pitch with investors, watch this video from the Invest in Sports 2023 meeting last month in New York City.

With UFC’s strong connections to Abu Dhabi, PFL working with Saudi Arabia, and RIZIN tying up with Azerbaijan, ONE is going to face a more challenging fundraising climate in 2024. Will the oil money still be there for them? The event in Qatar could end up making or breaking everything as a showcase event to the rich.

If your head is spinning at all of the reported accounting and paper transactions made by ONE Championship to make the business model attractive to investment, wait until you see what Bellator has turned into.

PFL MMA and Paramount turn Bellator into an accounting asset

When you strip out the signal from the noise by Donn Davis and PFL, the (minimal) details regarding their acquisition of Bellator from Paramount appears to be more of a story about big hype over big fundamentals.

Mr. Davis announced that PFL obtained Bellator assets from Paramount in an all-stock deal. No cash changed hands. No oil money?

It’s not uncommon to see a mixture of cash + stock in a merger or acquisition. Occasionally, you will see an all-stock deal if there’s a growth property or if the parties involved have a lot of money (e.g. see Chevron taking over Hess).

But an all-stock deal between PFL and Paramount for Bellator?

Mr. Davis repeatedly told the press on Tuesday that the deal was a scenario where all the parties involved had high upside and potential. As Damon Martin at SB Nation asked, what potential is there in buying a money loser? This is where an all-stock deal provides an opportunity for both sides to flex their accounting + marketing muscle.

Cash versus stock value (taxation)

An all-stock deal hypothetically allows Paramount to calculate a different valuation of the Bellator assets on their books rather than selling the Bellator assets purely for cash. It’s perfectly legal and it makes a lot of sense. Why receive a pittance in cash for Bellator assets from a disinterested buyer when you can calculate a higher valuation on the Bellator assets and not immediately pay taxes in an all-stock deal?

Bellator’s assets are worth more to PFL than they are worth to another party, like UFC. What UFC would offer in cash may not be as much as what PFL could offer in stock. The only question for Paramount is what’s the better deal. An M & A agreement based on an all-stock transaction is why Paramount wanted to conduct proper due diligence on PFL’s financials.

By (hypothetically) assigning a different valuation for Bellator on the books, Paramount can take advantage of future capital gains or losses in accounting when they divest from the PFL stock received in the deal. Most importantly, the all-stock deal allows them to save face.

PFL, meanwhile, is giving stock away in their company to Paramount but is also increasing it’s overall company value in the market simultaneously. Nobody likes diluting ownership shares in a company but an acquisition like PFL grabbing Bellator changes market share immediately while also acquiring skilled labor with fighter contracts.

For PFL, an all-stock deal makes a lot of sense because they don’t have to spend investment money received from Saudi Arabia. That money was reportedly earmarked for MENA (Middle East/North Africa) events. If you can’t touch that money to buy out Bellator, how else would they finance the purchase? Rather than get on the hamster wheel once again to chase money, an all-stock deal gives PFL a chance to consolidate assets in the market without increasing their burn rate. It’s their smartest play.

PFL’s all-stock deal with Paramount for Bellator bears no resemblance to the UFC + WWE merger under the TKO umbrella. The TKO merger was executed using a financial technique called a Reverse Morris Trust, which requires both companies to be profitable for the last five years and be of similar size in order to be able to spin off valuable assets into a new company for deferred taxation.

Indemnification

A big part of an all-stock deal, especially with Paramount maintaining a minority stake in the operation, is indemnification. How does Paramount make a deal in such a way where they can get upside while limiting exposure to any sort of future PFL liability?

If you want to go down the legalese on the indemnification rabbit hole, read this Thomson Reuters Practical Law article.

We did not hear specifically any information from PFL on Tuesday regarding how much Paramount valued the Bellator asset in their all-stock transaction. We also did not hear any specific information regarding the indemnification agreement(s) between both parties. This is a key and critical point to focus on, especially if you’re in the media and you’re asking questions to the parties involved.

How did Paramount’s attorneys approve a deal where they can maximize taxation issues while also hammering out indemnification provisions? Did they become, in essence, a Limited Partner thanks to the all-stock agreement?

Assignment of fighter contracts

If you lived through the time period where UFC acquired the assets of PRIDE, you know where I’m going with this. A key motivation for UFC in obtaining the PRIDE assets was getting first access to top fighters.

What UFC discovered, however, is that the kinds of contracts PRIDE had with fighters resembled Personal Service Agreements. Plus, PRIDE often contracted out with teams and gyms to access a group of fighters rather than hardened individual contracts.

In the UFC/PRIDE asset deal, there was immediate concern regarding the legality of third-party assignment issues and Zuffa had to write up some new contracts for fighters to sign. Any time you are dealing with international business parties, especially in the fight business, contract law wildly varies. This is why the all-stock deal between PFL and Paramount for Bellator, with Paramount maintaining a minority share, makes a lot of sense in terms of possible legal protection of the fighter contracts involved. That doesn’t mean that there won’t be any legal challenges, per se, but having Paramount still on-board might assuage assignment concerns.

The value of financing

For both PFL and Paramount, an all-stock deal for the Bellator assets allows both parties to raise capital if needed based on the new asset.

If Paramount wants to use their stake with PFL for financing, they absolutely can do so. They can also divest and deal with whatever capital gain or loss there is. Paramount’s decision to maintain a minority stake in Bellator is a form of insurance.

For PFL, franchising is a mechanism for fundraising. In speaking to Ariel Helwani on Tuesday, Donn Davis elaborated on the five franchises PFL has right now: PFL League Series (America), PFL PPV Superfight series, PPV Challengers series, PFL International League series, and now Bellator. Mr. Davis noted that Bellator and PFL would remain separate for the time because of commercial agreements that supposed require exclusivity. That makes a lot of sense.

What also makes a lot of sense is the concept PFL is going to try to sell to future investors. You may not want to buy into PFL but you might want to buy a piece of a tournament or a show series. Theoretically speaking, it makes some sense to try to raise capital by investing in shows or franchises rather than investing in the parent company itself. Some franchises might lose a lot of money and some franchises might generate small revenue. Piece-mealing financing makes some short-term sense for PFL.

The problem, long-term, is that PFL is going to need significant expenditure to make a splash. Currently, the story of PFL is a process story rather than a story about substance. Like ONE, it’s a story about high finance and interest outside of the cage rather than interest in the product that’s being promoted. At some point, the hamster wheel stops and you have to deliver.

The question is: what choice does PFL have in terms of their current marketing pitch? They have to sell themselves as Pepsi to UFC’s Coca Cola. To attract capital, especially oil money, they have to convince everyone that they will be the number two in a combat sports space that often just rewards number one due to monopolistic or monopsonic business practices.

The all-stock transaction allows PFL to increase market share without spending capital. Eventually they’re going to have to spend capital and do so on a parallel track. One track will be juggling revenue and profit while the second track involves a constant hustle to obtain new financing.

In the hype for oil money, expect the rich to get richer

Bet on TKO (WWE + UFC) to win the oil money sweepstakes.

Ari Emanuel’s relationship with Abu Dhabi and Mubadala Investment Co. means everything for both Endeavor and TKO. Ari already has First Mover status in the market. Don’t expect his footprint to shrink any time soon.

PFL is a vehicle that will allow Saudi Arabia to get a peek behind the curtain on how the financing and machinations of the Mixed Martial Arts space looks. They have reportedly committed $100 million dollars to PFL. That doesn’t mean they are obligated to commit more. They may be interested, but now it’s up to PFL to demonstrate a convincing reason to invest more money. PFL has to convince future business partners to invest in them, not UFC. They have to convince investors that they can gain enough market share to create their own dream monopsony. Otherwise, why not just invest big money in UFC?

What the RIZIN, ONE, and PFL deals this past month show is that there is a limit to what you can get with oil money. There are strings attached. The question has always been what the ceiling is for oil money in MMA. Right now, the public evidence shows that the hype over oil money financing major events doesn’t match the various dreams and promises being sold both publicly and privately by those in combat sports outside of TKO.

Bloody Elbow merch available

Bloody Elbow is pleased to announce our partnership with Revgear. They have been a pioneer in the MMA gear industry and have grown into a formidable brand and true leader in the market. Revgear now have Bloody Elbow t-shirts, hoodies and hats so you can show your support for independent MMA journalism.

Thank you for reading this article. Please consider subscribing to the Bloody Elbow Substack to enjoy our daily premium content. Your paid subscriptions are helping build our new site and keeping hope alive that our staff will remain intact. If you haven’t already, please pledge with a paid subscription today.

Jump to

Through the UFC antitrust lawsuit documents that were unsealed, Bloody Elbow was previously able to reveal the likely full payouts given to several of the highest paid UFC stars such as Conor McGregor, Jon Jones, Ronda Rousey and others.

These previously unreleased figures would include total amount the UFC paid to their athletes for each fight, including any non-disclosed side deals and cut of the pay-per-view sales.

Bloody Elbow has since done a deeper dive into this “Internal Zuffa Bout Compensation” list and have identified more payouts for dozens of former UFC champions.

How did we figure out the likely payouts of all these UFC fighters?

As noted earlier, an appendix from the unsealed Roger D. Blair’s expert report had an “Internal Zuffa Bout Compensation” that listed the payouts to every UFC fighter from 2011 to 2016. 

Individual fighter names weren’t listed, but the report does include how many bouts that fighter has had in the UFC at that point, along with how many fighters received such a payout. That alone made it easy to identify many of the top earners from the UFC.

For example, while it might be hard to identify one of the 4 fighters who were paid $27,000 for their 7th fight in the UFC in 2016, it’s easier to surmise that the outlying UFC debutant in 2016 with a $1,042,736 payout was CM Punk. Or that the only possible candidate for a fighter earning $4,374,326 in his 18th UFC fight in 2013 would have been Anderson Silva.

Combining information from disclosed purses from lawsuits, athletic commissions, along with some sources of Bloody Elbow’s business expert John Nash, we were able to make a fairly educated guess to identify the most likely purses for dozens more UFC champions.

It’s worth noting that while many of the biggest totals match our other sources, there could always be inaccuracies and human error involved in these sheets — like how former heavyweight UFC champion Cain Velasquez’s payout for his 14th UFC fight was listed as the 15th bout instead.

That being said, here’s we saw after doing a deeper dive into the document.

Median UFC payout was $29,000 during class period

John S. Nash compiled some interesting statistics looking at the overall payouts from the entire class period. 

From 2011-2016, there were 5004 total bout compensations.

Total compensation: $505,028,484

Lowest pay: $4,000 for one fighter on his third fight in 2011

Highest pay: $8,000,000 for Brock Lesnar in 2016

Mean Average: $100,925

Median Average: $29,000

Average UFC payouts per year

2011

600 total bout compensations

Total compensation: $65,315,210

Mean Average: $108,859

Median Average: $14,500

2012

682 total bout compensations

Total compensation: $59,996,307

Mean Average: $87,971

Median Average: $25,000

2013

773 total bout compensations

Total compensation: $82,064,874

Mean Average: $106,164

Median Average: $20,000

2014

1018 total bout compensations

Total compensation: $62,722,405

Mean Average: $61,613

Median Average: $25,000

2015

945 total bout compensations

Total compensation: $98,346,976

Mean Average: $104,071

Median Average: $29,000

2016

986 total bout compensations

Total compensation: $136,582,712

Mean Average: $138,522

Median Average: $36,000

Likely payouts for 33 former UFC champions

Once again these figures listed for UFC champions represent their full payouts, including any non-disclosed side deals and cut of the pay-per-view sales.

Heavyweight

Stipe Miocic

$125,000 vs. Junior dos Santos — Disclosed purse: $80,000 (30K+50K bonus)

$692,736 vs. Alistair Overeem — Disclosed purse: $650,000 (600K+50K bonus)

Cain Velasquez

$475,000 or $1,119,166 vs. Antonio Silva 2 — Disclosed purse: $400,000 

$350,000 vs. Travis Browne — Disclosed purse: $350,000 ($300K+50K bonus)

Notes:

There seems to be a minor error on the sheet, listing this as the 15th fight for Cain, but should’ve been 14th.

Junior dos Santos

$450,000 or $762,251 vs. Cain Velasquez 2 — Disclosed purse: $400,000 

$335,000 vs. Stipe Miocic — Disclosed purse: $310,000 (130K/130K+50K bonus)

Frank Mir

$400,000 or $475,000 vs. Roy Nelson — Disclosed purse: $250,000 (125K/125K)

$480,000 or $583,377 vs. Junior dos Santos — Disclosed purse: $200,000

$415,000 vs. Daniel Cormier — Disclosed purse: $200,000

$415,000 vs. Josh Barnett — Disclosed purse: $200,000

$415,000 vs. Alistair Overeem

$450,000 or $470,000 vs. Antonio Silva — Disclosed purse: $200,000

$475,000 vs. Todd Duffee — Disclosed purse: $250,000 (200K+50K bonus)

$110,000 vs. Andrei Arlovski

$400,000 vs. Mark Hunt

Andrei Arlovski

$225,000 vs. Frank Mir — Disclosed purse: $225,000

$250,000 or $260,000 vs. Stipe Miocic — Disclosed purse: $250,000 

$275,000 vs. Alistair Overeem

Josh Barnett

$220,000 vs. Roy Nelson

Light Heavyweight

Randy Couture

$1,750,000 or $1,396,544 vs. Lyoto Machida

Tito Ortiz

$820,370 vs. Ryan Bader — Disclosed purse: $525,000 (450K+75K bonus)

$1,221,632 vs. Rashad Evans

$1,396,544 or $1,750,000 vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira

$2,542,792 vs. Forrest Griffin — Disclosed purse: $325,000 (250K+75K bonus)

Notes:

Griffin fight was part of the Sonnen vs. Silva 2 card.

Daniel Cormier

$1,140,000 vs. Jon Jones 1

$630,000 or 1,000,000 vs. Anthony Johnson 1 — Disclosed purse: $230,000 (90K/90K+50K bonus)

$390,000 or $464,286 vs. Alexander Gustafsson

$2,048,343 vs. Anderson Silva — Disclosed purse: $500,000

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson

$862,850 or $1,176,108 vs. Matt Hamill — Disclosed purse: $250,000 

$857,143 or $1,705,969 vs. Jon Jones

$1,100,000 vs. Fabio Maldonado

Rashad Evans

$537,000 or $1,300,000 vs. Jon Jones — Disclosed purse: $300,000

$300,000 vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira — Disclosed purse: $300,000

$515,000 vs. Dan Henderson

$550,000 vs. Chael Sonnen — Disclosed purse: $250,000 (125K/125K)

Forrest Griffin

$500,000 vs. Rich Franklin — Disclosed purse: $275,000 (125K/150K)

$575,000 vs. Tito Ortiz — Disclosed purse: $350,000 (125K/150K+75K bonus)

Shogun Rua

$600,000 or $1,000,000 vs. James Te Huna

$285,000 or $530,000 vs. Dan Henderson 2

$195,000 or $550,000 vs. Ovince Saint Preux

Lyoto Machida

$329,000 vs. Randy Couture

$400,000 vs. Ryan Bader — Disclosed purse: $200,000

$200,000 vs. Phil Davis

$800,000 vs. Mark Munoz

$207,000 or $550,000 vs. Gegard Mousasi

$550,000 vs. Chris Weidman — Disclosed purse: $250,000 (200K+50K bonus)

$675,000 vs. CB Dollaway

$525,000 vs. Luke Rockhold

$200,000 or $500,000 vs. Yoel Romero — Disclosed purse: $200,000

Vitor Belfort

$500,000 vs. Jon Jones

$650,000 vs. Michael Bisping

$750,000 vs. Luke Rockhold

$850,000 vs. Dan Henderson

Middleweight

Chris Weidman

$1,967,908 vs. Anderson Silva 2 — Disclosed purse: $500,000 (300K/200K)

$793,688 vs. Lyoto Machida — Disclosed purse: $500,000 (225K/225K+50K bonus)

$707,301 vs. Vitor Belfort — Disclosed purse: $500,000 (250K/250K)

$2,073,083 vs. Luke Rockhold — Disclosed purse: $325,000 (275K+50K bonus)

Notes:

Rockhold bout was part of the McGregor vs. Aldo card.

Luke Rockhold

$155,000 or $250,000 vs. Costas Philippou — Disclosed purse: $130,000 (40k/40k+50k bonus)

$225,000 vs. Lyoto Machida

$630,000 or $1,000,000 vs. Chris Weidman — Disclosed purse: $210,000 (80K/80K+50k bonus)

$320,000 vs. Michael Bisping — Disclosed purse: $250,000

Michael Bisping

$375,000 or $400,000 vs. Jorge Rivera

$425,000 vs. Jason Miller — Disclosed purse: $425,000 (275K/150K)

$300,000 vs. Chael Sonnen 

$425,000 vs. Brian Stann

$300,000 vs. Vitor Belfort

$450,000 vs. Alan Belcher

Notes:

Eight more payouts from the former middleweight UFC champion can be seen on Part 1 of our report.

Welterweight

Matt Hughes

$1,833,000 vs. Josh Koscheck

Notes:

Koscheck bout was part of the Jones vs. Rampage event.

Robbie Lawler

Read the rest of the post over at our Substack, where we have much more payouts from 14 other UFC champions across five divisions.

The complete list includes just about every UFC champion that fought in that period, including some of the most dominant fighters from different eras of the sport.

Bloody Elbow is now an independent, reader-supported website, with a hard-earned reputation as the source of record for MMA business and legal coverage. While many powerful people would love nothing more than to have us go away, you can help us continue to fund this kind of uncompromising reporting by subscribing to the Bloody Elbow newsletter.

Jump to

This UFC 295 technical breakdown first appeared on the Bloody Elbow Substack. For exclusive and premium pieces like this, please subscribe today.

UFC 295: The staredown

UFC 295 reminded me of how there’s nothing quite like a fight bubbling with such potential violence that no additional hype is needed. Absent of pageantry and cringeworthy verbal sparring, the best fights immediately carve out a home in our minds when we see the two names written next to each other.

Anticipation culminates at the in-cage staredown. Even the separation of hundreds of miles and the artificial barrier of a TV screen isn’t enough to calm our heartbeats. For a moment, all our cynicism dissipates.

Regardless of the tumultuous state of the UFC’s light heavyweight division, when Jiří Procházka and Alex Pereira stood staring at each other from across the cage, I was reminded of another fight two decades prior that fits into the same category.

UFC 295’s Jiri Prochazka versus Alex Pereira was a throwback to a time when MMA was more like Street Fighter. Dynamic specialists with crippling flaws engaged in weird chaotic brawls, occasionally getting stuck in an excruciatingly slow stalemate when a fighter knew nothing of BJJ other than a basic guard.

While the fight was truncated by a dynamite left hook, as is the case in so many Alex Pereira fights, for nine minutes we were still treated to a fair share of intrigue, technical brilliance, and action.

Pereira’s kicks were an immediate problem at UFC 295

Just a minute into the first round, Pereira hit Procházka with a calf kick that swept him off his feet. The sound echoed throughout Madison Square Garden. After seeing the success Pereira found with his no-tell calf kick in bouts with Israel Adesanya and Jan Blachowicz, Procházka surely wanted to avoid them.

However, the issue was that Procházka’s favored stance makes him more vulnerable to low kicks and it’s not so easy to adjust something so foundational to his style. He always employs a wide stance with his weight heavily biased onto his front foot, making it very difficult to quickly pick up and turn out his lead shin to check a kick.

Procházka’s only real option was to try to anticipate Pereira’s kicks and retract his lead leg. The problem was that Pereira’s unique mechanics forego turning over his hips and remove nearly every indication that the kick is coming.

This created a real strategic problem for Procházka, who wanted to fence with Pereira from a long distance. Without the crippling effect of Pereira’s calf kicks, Procházka might have been able to use his length and darting blitzes to compete with Pereira at range.

Procházka’s crafty setups

Despite his vulnerability to calf kicks, Procházka was still able to find success at range by using feints and misdirection. Pereira was proactive with his low kicks but mostly reactive with his boxing, which gave Procházka the chance to draw out responses and punish them.

This success was mostly unsustainable though. Procházka landed some good shots, but they weren’t damaging Pereira as much as the low kicks were damaging him. Procházka had to adjust his strategy.

It’s not a kickboxing fight

Procházka has never relied on offensive grappling. He’s a striker through and through. But hyper competitive athletes will typically do whatever it takes to win and Procházka had no qualms about taking the fight to the mat after he was fed up with eating debilitating calf kicks.

It was in this exchange that we were also reminded that, despite his success across multiple weight classes, Pereira is still a specialist with serious vulnerabilities in the grappling department. That was most clearly seen in his response to Procházka’s initial single leg attempt. Rather than immediately fighting grips and pummeling for an underhook, Pereira just tried to frame and land some punches.

Pereira’s ability to hip out and wall walk was encouraging, but Procházka wasn’t a skillful enough top position grappler himself to make it difficult for Pereira. Most importantly, Procházka needed to control the legs and hips of Pereira when he had him against the fence. One way to achieve this would have been with a leg mount, using his own legs to wrap up Pereira’s and leaving his own hands free to control the wrists.

Still, despite Procházka’s limitations from top position, he did manage to find a few openings to land hard elbows.

Procházka swarms

After finding little success from top position, Procházka returned to a striking-based approach in round two. But this time, he committed to backing Pereira up, correctly determining that it would be much harder for Pereira to land the low kicks while moving backward. To achieve this, he used feints. This worked because Pereira’s main line of defense is his long guard and range, so when faced with a threat he will often just hop backwards and stick his arms out to obstruct his opponents.

Despite Pereira’s willingness to concede space, when he felt determined to stay off the fence he was able to use his jab to dissuade Pereira from pressuring. Even though Pereira wasn’t very active with his jab, every time he threw it, he did it with purpose. His body jab allowed him to back Procházka off and his pivot jab allowed him to circle safely.

In the second round, a new pattern started to emerge. Whenever Pereira landed a calf kick, Procházka was reminded that he needed to pressure. When he did, he found success, but he was also walking into a woodchipper. Still, Procházka found his greatest success of the fight when he launched an all out assault on Pereira.

The issue though was that Procházka couldn’t maintain this intensity for the entire duration of the round, let alone for the three more rounds following this if the fight went there. Immediately after his successful offensive onslaught, Procházka relented and backed himself up to reset.

Nowhere safe against Pereira

Procházka desperately needed a safety valve. After blowing his wad halfway through the second round, Procházka was looking for a way to rest and recharge. This is not to say that his stamina was lacking; even the most well conditioned flyweights can’t go full throttle indefinitely. Every fighter looks for opportunities to rest in a fight and great fighters build tools into their games to create moments to do that safely…

To read the rest of this UFC 295 technique breakdown, head on over to the Bloody Elbow Substack. You can read the rest of this article there for free. This piece, and many like it, are made possible by paid subscriptions to our Substack. If you like this kind of work, and want to support its production, please pick up a yearly paid subscription to day.

Bloody Elbow merch now available

Bloody Elbow is pleased to announce our partnership with Revgear. They have been a pioneer in the MMA gear industry and have grown into a formidable brand and true leader in the market. Revgear now have Bloody Elbow t-shirts, hoodies and hats so you can show your support for independent MMA journalism.

Jump to

I don’t think anyone can deny how good Tom Aspinall is after he defeated Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295 on Saturday night.

I’ll admit that I wasn’t completely sold on him before the fight. That was mainly due to Sergei having the stronger strength of schedule, beating the likes of Derrick Lewis and Curtis Blaydes prior to getting the chance to compete for the interim UFC Heavyweight Championship.

The Blaydes win got me so excited I even wrote a piece joking about him being a good interim champion because I assumed Jon Jones would never fight him. So close…

Instead of the Russian holding interim gold, the belt is going to England, as Tom Aspinall neutralized Pavlovich’s power and overwhelmed him with speed to win the fight in a little over a minute. It was as thrilling as heavyweight contests get.

I’m probably not alone in saying I’d rather watch that 25 times in a row than watch the Lewis-Jailton Almeida fight once, amirite?

And there’s no question that Tom Aspinall deserved to be in that cage. The only setback he’s had so far in his UFC career was against Blaydes in a fight that ended before it began due to Tom suffering a devastating knee injury.

He did bounce back in a big way when he returned a year later, running through Marcin Tybura and putting the whole weight class on notice.

And now look at him. He gets to join his fellow countryman Leon Edwards in donning the black and gold as a reigning UFC champion. Michael Bisping couldn’t be any prouder, I assume.

And all while Tucker Carlson and at least two Trumps got to bare witness (as opposed to standing in as a witness). Truly the greatest of honors…

What are Tom Aspinall’s (interim) plans?

Of course, the title win comes with a major caveat, being that it’s an interim championship. The only reason Tom Aspinall and Sergei Pavlovich fought was because the originally scheduled title fight between UFC Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones and former champion Stipe Miocic got scrapped when Jones tore his pectoral right off the bone.

Hopefully no one is hatching up a failed drug test conspiracy around it like some people posited as the reason why Jiří Procházka was out for a year.

I’m kidding, of course, I’m sure Jon will be back in time for the Royal Rumble.

If he isn’t, though? Then that puts Tom Aspinall in a tough spot. He won’t know what will happen to his interim status until Jones fights again, which may not be for 8 months or longer. Then, when he is ready to go, the plan seems to be to not book a unification match but to instead rebook the Miocic fight.

Aspinall could find himself in a position where, if he waits to fight Jones, he could be waiting for upwards of a year or more before he fights again. Does he really want to put up with that?

The answer is yes.

As important as it may be as a fighter to, y’know, fight, if he wants the big fight for the full championship, his best bet is to wait for Jones to get his Stipe payday and then call out the winner in the aftermath. He should call both men out in the lead up too, as that might be the best chance he has to actually get a fight with either one of them.

I say that because we all know the odds of either Jones or Miocic wanting to fight Tom Aspinall is low. That’s not because either man is scared but because neither man is interested in sticking around much longer. Miocic hasn’t fought in 2.5 years and is only coming back for the Jones fight (since booking him in an interim title fight would be “total disrespect”), while Jones is after one of the only two legacy fights left for him in combat sports (he won’t be getting the other unless he wants to lace up some boxing gloves and beg Dana White).

The UFC heavyweight division is arguably hotter than it’s been in years with contenders like Tom and Sergei and Jailton and Cyril Gane. They’re also risky fights because none of them have been around long enough to have built up significant name value outside the hardcore community. So it’s understandable that neither Jones nor Miocic are looking to get burned. Plus, Jon’s quick submission against Gane at UFC 285 may make any of those other matchups tough sells.

That’s why UFC wants to keep the Jones-Miocic match intact, so they can get the most value out of these guys before they both ride off into the sunset.

Interim title defenses: Could they be any more pointless?

When the interim fight was announced, there was talk that, if Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic doesn’t happen until next July or later, it opens up the possibility of an interim title defense, something that hasn’t happened since Renan Barão defended the interim UFC Bantamweight Championship twice in 2013.

But back then, interim championships actually served their intended purpose of representing the full championship while the champion was recovering from an injury or dealing with a contract dispute. Nowadays, interim championships are created to bolster weak pay-per-view cards or recoup whatever money might be lost after a proper title fight falls through for one reason or another.

While it’s infuriating enough that Jon Jones will be allowed to remain champion while he recovers when two of the last three light heavyweight champions were not offered the same luxury, it’s even worse knowing that there’s going to be a heavyweight title fight happening in 2024 and the man who was just crowned interim champion won’t be a part of it.

And if the Jones-Miocic fight falls through again? Then things might get pushed back further. Or it’s likely Dana takes action at that point and does one of two things. He either demands Jones fight Tom Aspinall, which Jones could refuse and choose to retire, denying Tom the passing of the torch moment he needs to claim he’s the rightful champion, or he decides to remove the interim designation from Tom’s name, forcing him to have to prove himself all over again.

He obviously wouldn’t be too far back in the queue if the latter happens but, if the interim champ doesn’t get to fight the full champion, then what’s the point of crowning an interim champion?

And, with that being said, what’s the point in defending an interim championship? No one will care if you were an interim champion if you never become the undisputed champion, so why take the risk of defending a belt when all losing does is set you back from winning the real prize? There’s nothing to gain for anyone in that equation.

Barão only defended the belt because UFC allowed Dominic Cruz to remain champion for over two years before finally forcing him to vacate after his series of unfortunate injuries. UFC wouldn’t let Jones do the same if it came down to it, would they?

…would they?

Tom Aspinall should do the right thing (and do nothing)

I’m going to remain positive and say that won’t happen. That’s why Tom Aspinall’s best play is to stay put and do nothing, meaning take no fights until the Jones situation is figured out. Best case scenario is Jones fights Miocic, beats him, and decides to defend against Tom Aspinall. Worst case is Jones-Miocic doesn’t happen or, if it does and the winner decides to retire, Aspinall gets a call that he’s either been promoted to undisputed champion or that he’s being stripped but will be placed in a fight to crown a new champion. Either way, he knows he’s getting a chance to wear the real belt.

The timing may work out anyway since Tom Aspinall revealed he fought on Saturday with a back injury, which makes the win even more awe-inspiring. So, all he needs to do is relax, heal up, and wait by the phone.

Anything can happen in this sport, like how Dana said Dricus du Plessis won’t get the next title shot before booking him in the next one because it ended up being the only main event they could cobble together for January. Crazy sport this is. May it always be so irrational and illogical.

Jump to

Could someone please tell Alex Pereira to put down the controller and give someone else a chance to play?

Seriously, with the number of finishes at Saturday’s UFC 295, it kind of felt like everyone was just playing UFC 5 on easy (if so, solid marketing tactic). Jared Gordon got to finally erase the bad taste his fights against Paddy Pimblett and Bobby Green left in viewers’ mouths. Diego Lopes is starting to become someone other than just the guy who looks like that dude from Blink 182. Jessica Andrade beat Mackenzie Dern like she owes someone money, which she does.

And congrats are in order for Tom Aspinall, who proved he deserved the hype by coming in on less than 3 weeks notice and defeating Sergei Pavlovich by first round knockout (denying him of his destiny) to become the interim UFC Heavyweight Champion. The finish was exciting and it’s refreshing to see a new, young face atop the land of the giants.

We really needed that after Jailton Almeida’s win last week against Derrick Lewis left us all feeling violated.

It’s just unfortunate that we probably won’t get to see Aspinall in The Octagon again until after UFC gets Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic rebooked, but at least we know who is going to get elevated to full champion once Jones and Miocic either do or don’t do the deed and then ride off into retirement because neither one of them is interested in risking their legacies against a hungry lion capable of mauling either one of them, so there’s that.

While Tom will hopefully get his true moment in the sun, Saturday night was about the triumph of the man with the “hands of stone.” Alex Pereira faced the returning Jiří Procházka to determine a new UFC Light Heavyweight Championship, a belt that is surprising anyone still wants considering how snakebitten it has been over the last year.

Alex Pereira knew the risks at 205

It was actually almost one year ago when the light heavyweight division turned into the land of confusion. That was when Procházka, in preparation for a title defense against the man he won the belt from, Glover Teixeira, suffered a shoulder injury in training.

The injury was severe enough that, in spite of all the expletives and hyperbole Dana White threw at it, Jiří could not compete. That led him to make the decision to, either under his “samurai code” or UFC’s pressure, vacate the championship to allow the division to move on…

…which it did, sort of. After failing to produce a new champion in the UFC 182 draw between Jan Błachowicz and Magomed Ankalaev, two men who are having very bad 2023s, UFC got some traction when Jamahal Hill defeated Teixeira at UFC 183 to become the new (new) champion. That lasted until July when Hill ruptured his Achilles tendon during a UFC-branded charity basketball game.

At least the Los Angeles Clippers don’t have to worry about Jamahal not being able to perform, unlike some people…

And that’s how Alex Pereira entered into the picture. Almost two years ago, Pereira made his UFC debut. Exactly one year ago, he became UFC Middleweight Champion after stopping Israel Adesanya at UFC 281. He then lost the immediate rematch at UFC 287 before deciding to move up to light heavyweight. It was a move that proved extremely timely as, two weeks after Jamahal’s injury was announced, Pereira competed at UFC 291, winning a split decision against Błachowicz. That put him directly in line to face the returning Procházka to crown a new (new) NEW champion.

As bumpy of a road as it may have been to get us here, we got here and honestly, the matchup made a lot of sense. If Procházka was going to have to fight to win back the championship he never lost, who better to do it against than the student of the man he originally won the championship from, right? The universe always seems to find a way to make sense out of nonsense.

Glory comes to the former Glory champion

The fight itself was quite competitive to boot. The first round saw Procházka take one too many leg kicks before taking Pereira down and controlling him to end the round. The second round saw both men open up with their punches, exchanging wildly. That was until Alex Pereira dropped Procházka with a left hook. Some follow up elbows saw Procházka fall to the canvas, prompting the referee to stop the fight.

The fight was probably called too soon but what happened happened and now we have a new Champ Champ and he managed to do it in only 7 UFC fights, which is insane.

I mean, Conor McGregor could only win one championship after 7 UFC fights. What a slacker, right?

Aside from the loss in April, Alex Pereira is having quite the year. He found a path to quickly take over middleweight and now he’s done the same in a second division, very similarly to the path he took to becoming a 2 division kickboxing champion in Glory, an organization that just recently inducted Pereira into their Hall of Fame.

Of course, he was able to hold those titles simultaneously, which isn’t something he could replicate in the UFC, so point McGregor.

Still, it’s incredible that, while most fighters spend their entire careers chasing greatness, Pereira has been able to ensnare it twice within a span of just two years. That’s either an indication of how great the man is or an indictment of how depleted and vulnerable the two MMA weight classes he competes in truly are right now. Things may be dire but at least one man’s family will be happy.

One champion to rule…whatever’s left

So then the question moves on from “Is Alex Pereira good enough to be champion?” to “Is Alex Pereira good enough to be THE champion?” In a division that’s been nothing but unstable since Jon Jones walked away from it, can Alex Pereira be the glue to finally hold everything together again?

It’s hard to say but it’s possible. His first defense will most likely be against Hill. That fight makes sense as a way to tie up all the loose ends from the last year and get the 205 Multiverse back on the same timeline again.

If Alex Pereira wins that, then the future for him may be whatever he wants it to be. Maybe he’ll be able to convince Adesanya to go 4 out of 5 or he’ll offer Anthony Smith some pity. For all we know, the man is going to be crowned UFC Heavyweight Champion a year from now. It’s hard to doubt someone that is so good at seizing opportunities and finding paths to victory, whatever that victory may be. Whether it’s winning championships or putting with his girlfriend, the man gets things done. Alex Pereira starts them and he finishes them.

Jump to

Hello and welcome UFC fans and Bloody Elbow readers. Victor Rodriguez and I are still here in 2013 and in search of a way back to 2023. We pushed the DeLorean to a tire shop for new rubber only to discover we didn’t have enough cash to cover it and that time travel will demagnetize your credit cards. So we remain trapped here until next week. Last week we were properly introduced to Idiot and the episode ended with a very angry and sad Ronda Rousey after her friend and heavy favorite Shayna Baszler was tapped out by Juliana Pena in the first tournament bout of the season.

As a result Team Blue remains in control of the matchmaking and Miesha Tate has chosen Chris Holdsworth to take on Ronda Rousey’s Chris Beal for tonight’s fight.

DS: We pick up right where we left off last week with Team Tate celebrating Pena’s victory and her being rewarded with a milkshake, Miesha even gives Shayna a slice of chocolate cake with a hug as a consolation prize. Back at the gym Ronda Rousey is admonishing her team for losing while Eddie The Idiot is standing there looking like the kid who got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. We’re barely into this and it’s already time to take a shot.

VR: Lemme tell you this: I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Miesha Tate. She is exactly as nice and cool as you see in this segment. She didn’t have to do it, but she did. She clearly cares about and respects these fighters and that was a lovely gesture for someone that was really going through it. I get why Ronda Rousey was the way she was, too. Sometimes that kind of “tough love” training is what you know and what you’ve been brought up with. Problem is that it’s not universal and it won’t work for everyone. Edmond didn’t have much to say or do here, but that’s gonna change.

Ronda Rousey has a UFC sad

DS: On TUF 10 when Matt Mitrione leaked the future fights to Jackson’s team, he copped to it right away admitting “I’m an _______, it’s just what I am”. Now on the van ride to the gym, Julianna is being accused of doing the same thing by the rest of the team. So I guess this is just a storyline they use every season, like Barry Allen losing his powers on The Flash.

VR: I’m just bothered that it wasn’t as funny as Kendall Grove and his “Team Dagger” thing. That was actually kind of endearing. Look, you’ll have to forgive me for not caring. You don’t get the chance to have a full camp and perform at your best on this show, is it really cheating to know ahead of time who you’re probably facing? Only truly negative thing about this was how it was handled and the fact that Roxy got dragged into it. 

DS: I’m sorry, I really want to move on from this segment but when Julianna points a finger at Roxy being the source of the alleged leak, Roxy’s head pops up from behind the back seat like a groundhog sticking its head out of its hole and it made me chuckle. I’ll take any moment of levity I can get here.

VR: Glad it was short-lived, the guys immediately were like “Nuh-uh, she’s a samurai”. Roxy is the best part of this show, it only makes sense she got brought back for a later season.

DS: Is this TUF or Big Brother? The most sexual tension I’m used to seeing on this show is when Wes Sims accused Zack Jensen of playing with himself in the shower without cleaning it up afterwards, leaving Wes to step in it.

VR: Nah, they’re just bored. It’s like prison, you deal with what you have around you. In this case it’s alcohol and people you find attractive. They’re all in the same age group, isolated from the world and engaged in athletic activity, that’s gonna get somebody wanting to mingle with someone at some point. I guess maybe in retrospect it seems more benign than it seems here. I’ll just take it as Chris Holdsworth being a guy that likes flirting and Julianna just kinda going with the flow.

DS: I think either the TUF production crew was hoping there would be more of this stuff for them to use or maybe there was and they’re just saving it for later in the season, either way I’m not looking forward to it. You know, I never really gave it much thought until right now but do you think there are TUF shippers out there? I mean it’s not that far-fetched of an idea is it?

VR: Nah, that requires some level of investment from the viewer to a degree that this show perhaps doesn’t really accommodate. You don’t see much evolution or growth from them as people, which may be by design. Sure, there’s a great emphasis on their tragedies and failures in the hopes of seeing them triumph. That alone seems to be the only cathartic quality of the show. But anything resembling interpersonal relationships on that level? I doubt it. 

DS: Leave it to Ronda Rousey to evaluate the striking of a fighter who only has one fully working hand at the moment and give it the thumbs up. If you’ve ever really looked at the way she throws her punches it goes hand in hand (pun very much intended) with Idiot and his teachings.

Injured hand? Just wrap it up, you’ll be fine…

VR: Three things got me here: The sense of dread of seeing Edmond wrap Chris’ hands, Ronda Rousey talking about how she’s had open pitbull bites on her foot and not feeling it during a fight, and Beal wrapping up in a towel in the background. Was he wearing anything under that? Did the California commission not notice Ronda Rousey had an open wound? The joys of MMA, man. No matter how mainstream this sport gets, it’s always gonna have some painfully bush-league stuff.

DS: Everyone arrives at the… Red Rock Resort & Casino to watch a UFC Brazil event and they clearly didn’t go all out for this watch party. While there’s a pool table, food, and most importantly an open bar, the whole thing doesn’t exactly scream “WE’RE A MULTI BILLION DOLLAR COMPANY”. Maybe that’s why there’s an open bar, the more they drink the better the place looks?

VR: Ah, yes. The UFC Brazil era. Man, they strip-mined Brazil with their lazy Wednesday night cards, their two-a-day events and the inexplicably horrid pacing that had events ending at like 2:00am. The joys of sitting through a 14-bout card with only three ranked fighters and some truly awful main events along with a metric ton of no-names. By and large, those cards sucked after the first handful. Glad they had a chance to witness that along with us.

Ronda Rousey gives dating advice

DS: Like with her decision to have Idiot as her head coach, Ronda Rousey is really in no position to be questioning Miesha’s choice in boyfriends. Before getting together with and eventually marrying Travis Browne, Ronda Rousey was with Brendan Schaub of all people. Yes, the same guy who got knocked out by an 87 year old Big Nog in Brazil. The same one who’s constantly shoving his foot in his mouth on podcasts or twitter. And he’s the same one who owes his entire second career as a professional edgelord to Joe Rogan.

People in glass houses Ronda Rousey, that’s all I’m saying.

VR: This part is where it gets dicey to me. They’re at this viewing party with all the coaches and fighters together and Caraway’s sitting at the bar minding his business. Ronda Rousey comes over to address his comments online that he was gonna punch her teeth down her throat. Now, that’s unequivocally a horrible thing to say, and time has revealed him to be a massive jerkwad.

I’m not gonna get into Ronda Rousey’s dating life, it’s just sad and weird her two most publicly known relationships are two guys that have a habit of saying remarkably dumb stuff. But I get your point – questioning Tate’s choice of partner is rich when she ended up with guys that have had way bigger controversies.

Well someone thinks they’re a BAMF

DS: And right on cue, here’s Idiot running over like the good little lap dog he is because his meal ticket has summoned him. I’m not taking a shot, I’m filling an entire tumbler for this because I think I’m going to need it.

So now Idiot is going to defend Ronda Rousey’s honor over the aforementioned terrible tweet and this is just adorable, acting like he’s an actual threat to anyone in that room. He’s only dangerous to someone if he’s coaching them.

VR: Ronda Rousey took umbrage to a comment made about how she hits pads, and decides to call Edmond over? It’s a little sad, she really thought Edmond was either going to intimidate Bryan or that if push came to shove, Edmond was actually going to hurt Bryan. Say what you will about Bryan Caraway, the man had a wrestling background, an amateur and pro record, and a handful of submission wins on his record at that point. Ever see Edmond in a pro fight? Because I sure have. And I’m not impressed in the slightest. Especially since he fought a guy that was 4-12 at the time. 

Calling him over like that changed anything is more of a testament to how Ronda Rousey felt she had backup and that Edmond was more than he ever was as a coach and a fighter. And that’s why I rag on him so much, this sort of thing enabled people to suffer very real harm for no reason.

I kind of wish Bryan had shot on him right then and there to expose him for the impostor he is. But it was broken apart for the dumbest reason “Too many cameras here”. Not because it was the right thing to do and would set a bad example for the fighters, who didn’t agree to any of this, but the cameras. Good grief. 

DS: Then Idiot says “So long as I live, nobody is gonna break Ronda’s teeth!” complete with a finger pointed in Bryan’s face. No one is fooled by his fronting here, the only reason he’s acting this bold is because there are enough people around to hold Bryan back from shoving his entire foot up Idiot’s rectum.

VR: There’s the other thing, I do genuinely think he cared about protecting Ronda Rousey. And it was nice that he stood up for her. It was the right thing to do, after all. This is a case where the “Let them fight” gif is perfectly adequate, since they’re both trash people. I guess Ronda Rousey really wanted the opportunity to rightfully call out Caraway, but this ain’t the guy to make Caraway quake in his boots.

But all credit to Edmond for having her back and at least trying to show face when it mattered, even if Bryan didn’t start the argument in that moment. You gotta hand it to him, whether he could back it up or not. 

DS: He’s only protective because without Ronda Rousey he’d be assistant manager at a Taco Bell. Oh now that he’s across the room and well out of Bryan’s punching range, it looks like Eddie The Idiot’s mouth is going to write even more checks his ___ can’t cash. You know what, I’m going to stop here otherwise the next four paragraphs would just be me viciously mocking him. But TLDR, I hate this guy, I really really do.

Besides, we’re only three weeks into this adventure, I need to pace myself.

VR: I’mma keep it real, I don’t get tired of pointing this stuff out here. This is the most prolonged exposure and there were so many signs of what was to come that we just kind of didn’t see at the time. I still stand by what I said a minute ago regarding Edmond stepping up, but there’s no need to prolong that. 

DS: While the Ronda Rousey hype train hadn’t yet reached the insane level it would a few years later, this is where it really started gaining momentum. If you weren’t around back then, people were theorizing that she was so good she could beat a man in the UFC, then move over to boxing and dominate there just like she had in MMA, and then she was going to go to Hollywood and become the next A list actress.

Too bad for her and Idiot they didn’t know their hype train was more like Thomas The Tank Engine and they were eventually going to run head first into a Union Pacific Big Boy in Holly Holm.

VR: Well, that’s the thing with a lot of elite talent in MMA. That aura of invincibility is quite a thing. It just doesn’t go away slowly most of the time. Just sort of… explodes.

DS: It’s finally fight time and Beal is walking the 30ft to the cage wearing a blacked out hockey mask, exactly why I don’t know. And is it just me or does Holdsworth resemble the kid brother of a friend we all had growing up?

VR: I swear he looks like an amalgamation of a bunch of the kids my son goes to school with. Seems nice, though. 

DS: Victor is better than I am when it comes to breaking down and analyzing a fight, but it looks to me like Beal’s bad hand doesn’t become an issue until about half way into the first round.

Blue Chris tags Green Chris with a right that sends him crashing to the canvas and he pounces landing elbows and then starts looking to secure a guillotine. Beal does the best to fight it but is forced to tap out after about 10 seconds.

VR: Earlier in the episode Beal talks about what he expects in the fight and he says something about being ready for Holdsworth’s “Jiu-Jitsu stuff”. Which for a pro fighter at that point in time… doesn’t sound great, you know? Submission grappling is already integrated in mainstream MMA training.

That phrasing sounds like it was out of 1994, not the 2010s. Beal absolutely had some submission grappling chops, but Holdsworth had him dead to rights on that guillotine and adjusted his legs beautifully for the finish. Looked alright on the feet, too. It was a pretty good fight. 

DS: So while Ronda Rousey’s team drops to 0-2 giving everyone a frowny face, it worked out for Beal as he would eventually get himself a UFC contract the following year just like Shayna. Next week it will be Jessica Rakoczy taking on Bloody Elbow’s own Roxanne Modafferi and we’ll be here to cover all the action. If my bottle of Maker’s Mark doesn’t run out.

VR: Save some liquor for later, the time machine probably runs on it. 

How much money did UFC leave on the table by letting Francis Ngannou walk away?

The UFC has trained a generation of fight fans to obsess over TV ratings, arena gates, and PPV buys. It will be an overarching theme for UFC 295 at MSG and a continuation of one of the most brilliant marketing campaigns in the history of sport to convince customers that the better business is for their (arguable) monopoly, the more validated you should feel as a UFC superfan.

Zuffa has created a self-fulfilling psychological loop of confirmation bias. Only they could provide fans with the best matches because of centralized economic control. Without it, MMA wouldn’t exist as a sport and would never, ever become a major player. Their version of greed was altruistic in stopping boxing’s version of greed.

Now the chickens have come home to roost. The fever has been broken. UFC’s psychological control is facing its most serious challenge yet.

The main story heading into Battle of the Baddest was all about the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia financing the world’s richest combat sports party. They built an arena supposedly in 60 days (wonder how that happened), bought a ton of media and celebrities to attend the event, and wanted to demonstrate not only their seriousness as a sports promoter but also as a global power that can provide safety and security with turmoil just hundreds of miles away from their borders.

The Saudis ended up buying a near-replay of 1990’s Mike Tyson vs. Buster Douglas classic upset at the Tokyo Dome. Playing the role of Evander Holyfield sitting at ringside was Oleksandr Usyk, whose bugged-eyed shock at Ngannou’s third round knock down of Fury captured the world’s emotions in a single scene. This wasn’t supposed to happen. The biggest heavyweight prize fight in modern history between Usyk and Fury was moments away from being flushed down the toilet.

Saturday’s fight in Riyadh between Francis Ngannou and Tyson Fury not only changed the trajectory of the boxing business but also changed the fortunes of the Mixed Martial Arts business, too.

A crisis of confidence for both UFC and the boxing world

Tyson Fury walked in as a 20-to-1 favorite to beat Francis Ngannou. It’s not quite the absurd 42-to-1 underdog story that Buster Douglas was against Mike Tyson, but it’s as close as we’re going to see for such a large underdog status in a modern major prize fight. Buster Douglas was a trained boxing professional. Francis Ngannou was making his boxing debut.

Ngannou drew first blood. Then came the knockdown and special dance that caused an industry earthquake. Fury was able to escape with a win but the damage was already done.

A man who was dirt poor for his entire life changed the fortunes of some of the most powerful people in fight sport. Mr. Ngannou validated both himself and KSA’s investment in him.

And everyone was left scrambling.

‘The boxing world’s gone mad!’

The boxing world is completely changed from what it was just 30 days ago. Showtime is out. Al Haymon is looking for a new home for PBC. Now there are serious questions about the credibility of the Heavyweight division.

What’s the most marketable fight now? Who is legitimate and who is a fraud?

There have been several boxing fights that have drawn magnificent gates in 2023. However, the allure and influence of a heavyweight prize fight cannot be understated.

A powerful 1-2 combination KO has completely altered the landscape of boxing economics. Tailor made for gloomy online fight fans, who will play conqueror one minute and martyr the next.

The boxing heavyweight champion looked horrible against the lineal MMA (and former UFC) heavyweight champion. He can’t travel to America because of sanctions against Daniel Kinahan. Tyson Fury’s inability to fight in America opened the door wide open for Saudi Arabia to promote his fights, some of the biggest in the sport.

Now juxtapose the reaction from the fans, boxers, and press to the muted response from Team UFC. Hunter Campbell and Dana White drew a line in the sand with Francis Ngannou. They could have had a piece of the action in either MMA or boxing with their best heavyweight. Instead, we got this gem from Dana White:

“Francis just thinks that he’s in a position where he’s got some Conor McGregor-Mayweather fight on his hands which he does not. Anthony Joshua called it a gimmick fight this week. You know? When asked about that fight, he’s like ‘I’m focused on fighting the best guys in the world. I’m not interested in a gimmick fight’ and that’s one of the big problems with boxing right now is it’s all about these gimmicky type fights and that’s just not what I do here. It’s not what I do.”

The man marketing Power Slap has spent a lifetime issuing a sales pitch that he is the only one giving you the fights that you want to see, unlike those other scumbag evil promoters. He’s on your side.

Look at Dana now. He didn’t want to pay the money it required to make the Francis Ngannou vs. Jon Jones fight happen. He relied upon the media parroting a talking point that UFC offered Mr. Ngannou “the richest heavyweight contract ever”.

Was it a case of déjà vu all over again for Dana? Did he see Ngannou as Randy Couture 2.0? That’s how Mr. Ngannou categorized contract negotiations. The old UFC playbook dictated that every time a fighter demanded independence, they would return to UFC on Zuffa’s favorable terms. UFC could always rely upon no one else paying what they would pay. 2023 is a different landscape. Your business frenemies are no longer individuals, they are world governments. With one big paycheck, Saudi Arabia entered the sports conversation and became the wildcard at the negotiating table.

Ari Emanuel knows this well because he has been busy converting UFC into a government contractor. Endeavor and Silver Lake are the ultimate mercenaries. If anyone understands the leverage of KSA, it’s Ari. Last Friday, Phil Mickelson went on Twitter and posted Exhibit A on Ari’s ability to play — with or against — KSA.

According to the legendary golfer, Endeavor and Silver Lake knew about KSA’s interest in starting LIV Golf and had offered the PGA a deal to run eight “elevated” tournaments with players getting 50% and Silver Lake getting 50%. Ari was supposedly using Saudi interest as leverage to score a big deal while framing it as a bridge to prevent player defections. Mickelson claimed the PGA said no on three occasions, never imagining that players would make the jump to Team KSA. Oops.

Kind of sounds like what Francis Ngannou did. How did Endeavor not see it coming?

Is Dana White capable of navigating this kind of political shop in 2023? As we recently saw in his Bud Light interview with Sean Hannity, his old playbook is toast. If Ari can sideline Vince McMahon from WWE creative, he can sideline Dana as well.

Ari Emanuel’s key decision on Conor McGregor & Floyd Mayweather

In 2015, it was impossible not to read an article or see an ESPN segment crowning the rise of Mixed Martial Arts and the downfall of boxing. It was insufferable to read thousands of “boxing is dead” thought pieces. It got so out of hand that Larry Merchant sent a hand-written letter to The Los Angeles Times.

“Last week you ran an opinion piece declaring that boxing is dead. Then last weekend you gave excellent coverage to its funeral, Canelo Alvarez burying Liam Smith before nearly 52,000 mourners at Cowboy Stadium in Dallas (and tens of millions more world-wide on television and the internet). May boxing rest in peace.”

Larry Merchant

Or, as he more succinctly put it, “Nothing will kill boxing, and nothing will save it.”

As accurate as Mr. Merchant was, the “boxing is dead” narrative was a critical storyline adroitly exploited by two individuals: Dana White and Al Haymon.

Dana White had convinced the general public that UFC was rising as the king of combat sports and that part of the success was their stringent control of purses.

Al Haymon built his Premier Boxing Champions empire under the premise that they would be on as many TV outlets, offering the biggest fights under one promotional banner. Through an endless hedge fund bankroll, they were going to force the hand of rival promoters to work with Haymon-aligned fighters to jack up the purse bids.

The yin and the yang of combat sports. It’s funny how Mr. White and Mr. Haymon always complemented each other. They served each other’s needs.

By 2016, Conor McGregor’s star had never been brighter. His fight with Nick Diaz sold 1.65 million PPV buys. He was the face of UFC.

Enter Ari Emanuel. His purchase of UFC from Frank & Lorenzo Fertitta for $4 billion dollars shocked the world. Dana White promised bigger and better things for the fighters and for UFC’s brand.

Conor McGregor wanted a bigger piece of the pie. Under Zuffa’s old ownership, no UFC fighter would ever box outside of the company. With the Fertittas gone, conditions changed. Conor had real leverage and threatened to sit out 2017.

Dana White proffered a purse bid of $50 million. Whatever the final number was between Conor and Endeavor to reach an agreement to negotiate with TMT, Stephen Espinoza (Showtime), and Leonard Ellerbe, the match with Mayweather sold 4.4 million PPV buys.

Conor McGregor made more money in his Mayweather exhibition fight than all of his UFC bouts combined. It changed the financial landscape for future MMA fighters, who viewed UFC as a spot to build their brand and eventually land a “boxing pay day.”

It makes sense if you view UFC’s restrictive contracts and arbitration clauses as more of a business model resembling a talent agency than a fight promotion.

Instead of UFC taking advantage of their dominance in the combat sports landscape by paying fighters higher purses, they opted to let McGregor do the exhibition bout with Mayweather. This flashpoint would surface in the Ngannou/UFC contract talks.

Whether the fight was a salary dump, an easy agent’s cut, an attempt to placate their top draw while not changing the underlying business model, or smothering a temper tantrum, the end result is that many UFC fighters started to develop a wandering eye.

What if UFC had paid Conor McGregor more money to stay strictly in MMA? McGregor had already been a two-division champion. He beat Eddie Alvarez. What would the 2017 campaign have looked like in UFC? It’s one of the biggest “what ifs” in modern combat sports history.

McGregor vs. Mayweather was a short-term win for UFC in terms of keeping their top fighter happy but it cemented an image of the “inferior” status of MMA fighters against boxers in the eyes of the general public.

It also cemented the image of UFC half-heartedly letting a fighter find out what they’re worth under quasi-free agency. The eye-opening gap in purses between Mayweather/McGregor versus major UFC main events created some much-needed public scrutiny. If MMA was truly the king of combat sports, why didn’t they pay fighters more money?

All the parties involved in promoting Mayweather-McGregor saw it as an opportunity to maintain the status quo. Dana White and Ari Emanuel wanted to maintain their core UFC profit margins while locking in new media deals.

Leonard Ellerbe and Al Haymon were busy raising their profile and enticing new talent recruitment into TMT & PBC. They swallowed up most of the top prospects.

Showtime’s plan of dominating a post-HBO boxing world was on a fast track. Showtime was king and Leonard Ellerbe was busy calling DAZN “an app that nobody watches.”

Six years later, Paramount pulled the plug on Showtime Sports. Floyd Mayweather sold an exhibition match to Abu Dhabi, who turned around and cut a deal to air it on DAZN. Mr. Haymon is now facing a much tougher media rights market for PBC.

You would think that these developments would prove to be a source of vindication for the vaunted UFC “business model.” Wall Street values TKO stock at $80-83. They’re signing new state-sponsored contracts left and right. They just signed a $100 million sponsorship deal with Bud Light.

Part of UFC’s business model revolves around a form of restrictive free agency with champion clauses, tolling, and matching offers/windows. When a fighter generally does reach free agency, they’re usually on the downside of their career. It is rare to see a UFC champion in their prime test free agency and find out their true value.

Francis Ngannou had one shot at free agency. He had one chance to cash in big. UFC dared him to leave. Every UFC fighter watched Conor McGregor cash in his leverage and get the big boxing payday.

The company’s greed and rigid ideology led them to make a big miscalculation that no one would even come close to paying what it would take to keep Francis Ngannou to set up the marquee fight with Jon Jones. Penny wise and pound foolish.

Guess who was in attendance in Riyadh to watch Francis Ngannou score the biggest pay day of his fighting career? Conor.

For UFC, it shouldn’t have gotten to this point. They had the money to make the fight everyone wanted to see with Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones. They blew it. It didn’t have to be this way.

Let the second guessing begin.

How will UFC respond to the growing threat of billionaire opposition?

Old-school UFC business ideology would indicate that Dana White will simply wait out Francis Ngannou getting one or two more pay days and hope that he vanishes from the face of the Earth.

Power through this, let things burn out, and hope that he loses in embarrassing fashion so that the candle flame is extinguished.

Current-school UFC business ideology would consider creating an off-ramp to placate fighters while maintaining full portfolio control. One example would be to buy out Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship or Jorge Masvidal’s Gamebred Bare Knuckle promotion.

Acquire a bare-knuckle company and legislatively package it with Power Slap to try to force regulation and legislation through as many state athletic commissions as possible. It would be another cog in the suffocation strategy to offer an extra sold show event in a traveling circus to a state or country near you. UFC could use Mike Perry and Eddie Alvarez as examples of how to score a larger, but controllable purse.

Would such a strategy stop UFC fighters from jumping to Saudi-backed combat sports contests? Perhaps, on the margins.

The new world we face in the post-Ngannou/Fury era requires a different level of thinking. As long as UFC is tying up with government actors to finance A and B-level events, it would make sense to negotiate with ESPN to cut a deal with either Todd DuBoef (Top Rank) or Al Haymon (PBC) to create a boxing silo that allows the prospects of some boxing-style paydays for top UFC fighters while maintaining full control of who fights whom and where.

This would instinctively go against Ari Emanuel’s gut feeling about always being on the right side of the trade. It would incontrovertibly go against UFC orthodoxy of minimizing fighter salaries but they may not have a choice.

Market Distortion vs. Market Control

As billionaires and foreign governments jump into the sports business, the value of doing business is getting severely distorted. However, market distortion does not equal market control. You can accomplish both but all it takes is one rich money mark to create chaos. Think of activist investors in the mold of Nelson Peltz & Carl Icahn.

WWE controls the global professional wrestling market but Tony Khan has created a large market distortion by spending nine-figures in US dollars over the last five years to run All Elite Wrestling (AEW).

UFC controls the global Mixed Martial Arts market but governments like Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia have the resources to radically distort fighter salaries with large events.

If Tony Khan is his own bank, the Saudis are a thousand Tony Khans. Regardless of how long they decide to stick around as a dominant player in the combat sports space, their mere existence has already dramatically distorted the market now and after they exit or scale down investment.

The barrier to entry in combat sports is getting more expensive by the day. Revenue streams supporting an entry into wrestling or boxing or Mixed Martial Arts are shrinking. The cable industry is in a stage four collapse. The yakuza in Japan is severely diminished. Streaming is proving to be a terribly volatile business model. What you’re left with is Wall Street, oligarchs, and governments.

There is a bittersweet irony that the biggest threat to UFC’s monopoly in combat sports is Mohammed bin Salman. You couldn’t provide stronger prima facie evidence against UFC’s market control than by pointing out that it took the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to shake things up.

Those Wall Street analyst warnings about KSA investments being a threat to TKO stock? Francis Ngannou is now Exhibit A.

UFC has spent twenty years denying MMA fans some of the biggest interpromotional fights that could have expanded the sport’s popularity. You have to go back to 2003 for Chuck Liddell vs. Rampage Jackson at PRIDE’s Tokyo Dome event.

PRIDE’s biggest aces didn’t get a chance to fight during their prime years in the UFC. When Dana tried to sign Fedor in the later stages of his career, a failure to reach an agreement was blamed on “those crazy Russians.”

UFC remained a closed shop. That strategy obviously worked for Frank & Lorenzo Fertitta in helping them sell UFC for $4 billion dollars. However, the economic conditions have changed for both Endeavor and UFC in 2023. They’re a publicly traded company with debt that needs to be serviced in a higher-for-longer interest rate environment.

Ari Emanuel has always taken pride in being on the right side of every trade. The money, leverage, and energy is flowing towards Francis Ngannou and KSA. The master of the political shop has an important decision to make.

Is he willing to make a deal to generate the biggest payday for his operations or will he stay married to the artificial pay ceiling he put on the the sport of Mixed Martial Arts in 2017?

Francis Ngannou is positioning himself to build generational wealth for both his family and the sport of Mixed Martial Arts.

UFC still has the opportunity to make a fight between Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou. For the price of one or two years’ worth of Bud Light sponsorship, Ari Emanuel could pay Francis Ngannou and PFL enough money to co-promote a fight the public wants to see.

That’s a hell of a better way to market the new UFC/Bud Light business partnership than by having Sean Hannity argue that UFC fans should be good Christians and give Bud Light a second chance for redemption.

For the first time in his life, Dana White is now on the sidelines and has limited power in making a monumental fight that could permanently change the course of Mixed Martial Arts. Francis Ngannou may have lost his battle with Tyson Fury on the scorecards, but he won big betting on himself and betting on the future of a sport outside of UFC’s control.

Will he be able to convince the world that Mixed Martial Arts does not automatically equal the UFC?

If appreciate combat sports journalism like this and want to see more if it, please sign up for the Bloody Elbow Substack. Our Substack platform is first place longform articles like this appear.

As Israel continued to bombard Gaza just three weeks after a devastating incursion by Hamas militants, some of the world’s most famous faces flocked to Saudi Arabia to attend a much-anticipated heavyweight boxing match. 

The star-studded event featured a showdown between WBO heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury and former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, serving as the centerpiece of the extravagant Riyadh Season winter festival’s grand opening this past weekend. It provided the hosts with an opportunity to display their opulence, featuring bespoke arenas, luxurious VIP enclosures, a glamorous opening ceremony, and a dramatic boxing ring emerging slowly from beneath the stage floor. 

The so-called “Battle of the Baddest” marked the halfway point in Crown Prince and de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman’s 14-year plan to remake the kingdom’s economy by 2030—a plan characterized by projects like a $500 billion effort to build a futuristic city called Neom on the Red Sea, as well as unprecedented investments in golf, football, esports and gaming, and entertainment.

This event was among the cornerstones of Saudi Arabia’s ambitious sports strategy, aimed at positioning the kingdom as a premier tourism destination and a global sports hub, including the realm of combat sports. 

Even Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou can’t provide cover for Sauidi political problems

Nevertheless, as dazzling as the Saudi extravaganza was to behold, it could not conceal the realities confronting the kingdom and the broader region.

During the event, reports emerged that Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman—the brother of Crown Prince bin Salman, known as MBS— is expected to visit Washington on Monday for talks with senior Biden administration officials. The talks come amid U.S. and Saudi Arabia concerns that the fighting between Israel and Hamas could spill over into a regional war.

Meanwhile, Senator Richard Blumenthal—the Chair of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI) currently probing the PGA Tour and LIV Golf agreement—was among the group of senators who met with MBS in the Saudi capital Riyadh several days ago. He later told The New York Times that Saudi officials warned an Israeli ground invasion into Gaza would be “extremely harmful” to the region. 

Blumenthal’s message came as tensions continued to rise throughout Gaza. The besieged enclave has faced constant bombardment from Israeli airstrikes for three weeks while essentials like water and fuel are scarce, furthering the humanitarian crisis. Two days ago—approximately 24 hours before Ngannou faced off with Fury in Saudi Arabia—Israel intensified its siege of Gaza by disrupting communications and plunging the enclave into a communications blackout. 

At least 7,950 people have been killed and more than 20,000 others injured in Israeli attacks on Gaza since Oct. 7, according to the latest figures released by the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Ramallah. 

U.S. President Joe Biden has repeatedly voiced his support for Israel’s right to self-defence following the Hamas attack, stating recently that the “United States has Israel’s back.” On the other hand, Saudi Arabia has been among Arab countries that have condemned the targeting of civilians in Gaza and denounced the siege, underscoring the differences between the two allied nations. 

A setback for Saudi/Israeli relations

Prior to the Oct. 7 attack, Saudi Arabia was discussing a potential deal whereby the kingdom would normalize relations with Israel in exchange for a myriad of benefits from the U.S., including support for a Saudi civilian nuclear program. Those talks are now on hold amid the ongoing conflict.

Meanwhile, pro-Palestinian demonstrators took to the streets around the globe last weekend to call for an immediate ceasefire after Israel expanded its bombardment and incursions into Gaza. The protests took place in major world cities, including Berlin, London, New York and Toronto. The global show of solidarity has led to a tonal shift from Western politicians, with European Union leaders now appealing for humanitarian “pauses” after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen first voiced unequivocal support for Israel. 

Saudi officials also denounced Israel’s siege and called for a ceasefire — even as they tried to keep the kingdom’s national narrative focused on MBS’s ambitions. 

The path forward

Last week, Saudi hosted its annual investment spectacle dubbed “Davos in the Desert,” which drew a gaggle of billionaires, tech titans and grifters, including former White House envoy Jared Kushner and Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon. Days later, the kingdom assembled a cast of characters like Cristiano Ronaldo, The Undertaker, Kanye West and Eminem to watch boxing in the desert. 

On Nov. 4, the WWE will return to Riyadh to host Crown Jewel, the annually recurring event that takes place as part of the 10-year partnership between the entertainment brand and the Saudi government. Vince McMahon, the Executive Chairman of TKO, the parent company of both WWE and UFC, was present at the recent Ngannou vs. Fury event and announced that Riyadh’s new arena would become the new “home” for WWE.

“Everything that is the best in the world, it’s going to be here,” McMahon said “This is our home now.”

While Saudi Arabia strives to captivate the world with its lavish events and lofty national aspirations, it remains unable to mask the stark challenges faced by the kingdom and the wider region. These include the looming specter of a regional conflict, ongoing Middle East instability, and the elevation of regional rivals such as Qatar, who has emerged as a key player in the ongoing conflict. This juxtaposition between grandeur and adversity underscores the delicate balance the kingdom must maintain on the world stage.

In the midst of extravagant spectacles, the kingdom seems unable to escape the shadows of a region in turmoil, serving as a stark reminder that even the most opulent events cannot eclipse the realities of our time.

This article was originally published on October 30th, 2023, for Sports Politika, and has been republished on Bloody Elbow with the consent of the author. To see the article in its original format, click here.

Sports Politika is a newsletter about the intersection of sports, power and politics. If you like what you see, upgrade to a paid subscription ( or gift a subscription if you already have your own).

Health, Wellness, And Dying Expertise

A disturbing story recently came across my timeline. The notorious influencer and MLM mastermind, Jessie Ward, died from complications of colon cancer. Ward’s death is tragic, but the more you learn about her circumstances and plan of action, the more upset you’ll get.

In her own words Ward claimed, “I didn’t even give my dog chemo when she had cancer. I took a holistic route.” Consciously ignoring the recommendations of her doctor, Ward used a menagerie of wellness tools.

Ward mixed a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, intravenous high dose vitamin C infusions, ozone treatments, a Biocharger, magnetic treatments, red-light therapy, and drinking 8-12 glasses of juice per day to treat her illness. When talking about her methods Ward noted, “I’m not telling anyone what to do. Do what you feel like is right for you.”

On September 5th Ward took to TikTok to tell her audience she was healing, her plan was working, and a recent PET scan revealed good news. Less than two weeks later Ward was dead.

The Problem With Feeling Better

My first job out of college was working for a retail health and wellness studio. We offered saunas, cryotherapy, hyperbaric chambers, and other tools. I have countless stories of working with middle aged men and women that used our tools to alleviate the symptoms of their autoimmune conditions. Many could not live a normal life without using something we offered.

We also had MDs overlooking our messaging and nurses in every location. We were careful about what we recommended, for what specifically, and why.

My job actually had me interfacing with executives from manufacturers of our devices and others we were interested in. Some of these devices we evaluated were used by Jessie Ward in her cancer quest.

I’m not going to beat around the bush. There were many times when I would ask someone on their end what the device’s mechanism of action was, a fancy way of asking, “How does this device do what you say it does?” I’d get a smile, a nod, and they’d defer to someone I never got more than an email from, or hand me a loosely crafted “science” deck to review on my own. On more than one occasion I was actually familiar with some of the studies cited in these decks ahead of time. When I asked about specific papers and how they related to the device I cannot remember getting a concrete answer.

To properly address the bullshit claims that I have sifted through would take it’s own dedicated encyclopedia. Let’s just say the bullshit was so fresh I could hear mooing.

A lot of these companies get away with what they do because their customers feel better. They feel something, they have disposable income, the sales pitch was convincing enough, and that’s that. These customers are happy to try something new and stay ahead of the curve. It’s advanced procrastination and high health level masturbation. It feels good, but you’re probably just wasting your time. This brings us to combat sports and how Ward’s story relates to how I spend most of my life these days, in a Brazilian jiu-jitsu gym.

One of the reasons I like combat sports is bullshit can get pushed aside pretty easily. You say you have a magic chi modifying technique that prevents you from being submitted? Cool, you still need to fight my hands before you pass out from a rear naked choke. Combat sports allows us to test our theories and techniques in ways that are uncommon in the modern world and are inherently grounded in reality.

Unfortunately, one of the highest bullshit artists in the health and fitness world has made their way into MMA at the highest level.

Functional Problems in MMA

In September Johnny Eblen defended the Bellator middleweight title by stopping Fabian Edwards. I have a particular interest in Eblen for how he spends his time training outside of the cage.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Johnny Eblen (@johnnyeblen)

Eblen has been working with Naudi Aguilar and the system known as functional patterns for a couple of years now. Eblen, like their company likes to report, claims that Functional Patterns helped him “get healthy and get back to being an elite athlete when I was injured all the time”.

Eblen is the second high profile athlete to make their way to Functional Patterns. The first is Olympian and world champion wrestler, Kyle Dake. Both have made similar claims that mirror the case studies on Functional Patterns website, “I was hurt and now I’m healed.” What I’m interested in is the data.

One of my old bosses regularly said, “The plurality of anecdote is not data”. Stories are great but we need verifiable evidence to make claims. Upon going through Functional Patterns website, there is an overwhelming plurality of anecdote, but next to 0 data.

I don’t want to completely throw the baby out with the bath water. I have friends that are part of Functional Pattern’s plurality. I’m willing to grant that paying attention to your posture while standing, walking, running, and throwing like Functional Patterns forces you to do, could be parts of a balanced health and fitness routine, especially one that is focused on rehabilitation. I also grant that there might be a world where Functional Patterns is just another block of your training. All of that leads me to think that Functional Patterns might have a place as a rehabilitation tool.

What I don’t understand is Functional Pattern’s own claim to “train organisms in relation to their biological characteristics.” What the fuck does that mean?

We know the principles of fitness that tell us what works. We know that with progressive overload and specific adaptation to imposed demand humans will get stronger, faster, and more technical. More importantly if training organisms in relation to their biological characteristics, like Functional Patterns claims to do, is superior for performance then where is the evidence?

Where are the athletes native to the Functional Patterns’s system that went from newbie amateur to world champion? I can’t find them for the life of me.

There are unlimited athletes from basically every sport that bench, squat, and deadlift appropriately to improve their performance. Functional Patterns inheriting athletes like Kyle Dake and Johnny Eblen is like being gifted a Ferrari and being told not to scratch it. Dake is literally the only person to ever win four NCAA weight class titles across four separate divisions without a redshirt season. Dake was a freak before he ever heard of Functional Patterns. He built different.

My point with all of this, and any other weird health and wellness intervention, is it works until it doesn’t. When it doesn’t, it can be really really bad, and you have to pay with your time and money the whole way through.

Combat sports is about mitigating risk. Everything you do in individual camps and over the course of your career should make you better at controlling and hurting your opponents so you can survive, prevent them from hurting you, and win prize money. What makes more sense:

1. Giving some of your limited time away to work on something that should, could, and might work?
   Or
2. Leveraging the decades of sports science literature that tells us how you can train to improve performance and hiring a qualified medical professional (like a physical therapist) that has read that literature so they can coach you on what we understand to work?

I’d rather learn from the failures of others than repeat those failures myself.

The common pushback you’ll get to this question is that these mainstream medical professionals don’t have access to the same information. They haven’t had their eyes opened to the truth about how you can best prepare your body. And some of them are even conspiring to keep you weak and unhealthy.

Conspirituality And A Lack Of Evidence

Functional Patterns infiltrating combat sports and the death of a prominent influencer may seem disconnected but I can assure you they’re not. There is a growing distrust in conventional knowledge, institutions, and expertise generally that needs to be addressed. This disturbing trend is being fueled by social media telling you, they don’t want you to know the truth about something and everything needs to be questioned, particularly in how we take care of our own bodies.

The problem with questioning everything is twofold:

1. If you spend all of your time rediscovering the world you’ll never be able to live your life and continue progressing
2. Most people don’t have the tools nor information to accurately test what they want to

Again, learn from others’ mistakes, aka you don’t have to try to use magnets to treat cancer.

Don’t get me wrong, I fully believe that there are organizations whose own incentive structures don’t line up with the vast majority of people, let alone my own. I also believe some organizations’ operate under the assumption that the ends justify the means, and that can have harmful consequences.

We can recognize that and still believe we need high quality evidence before we adopt a new behavior, product, or person’s guidance. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.

I also recognize that the country I live in is teetering towards illiteracy. With an inability to read combined with the pervasiveness of social media health influencer culture, many are operating according to inaccurate recommendations from people that aren’t qualified to provide any in the first place. That’s bad.

You might be wondering, what does “work”? How can I know?

Wellness, What “Works”, And the Dunning Kruger Effect

The truth is that we are very lucky that things like strength, speed, and endurance are simple metrics. Generally speaking, we can put people on specific fitness plans, test and retest, and have a reasonably clear idea of which one works better. It doesn’t matter how you define “functional”, if you’re not improving strength, speed, and endurance while avoiding injury your fitness plan isn’t working.

With most other health information, getting highly specific concrete answers is much trickier, and you’ll see this in the way that technical people speak about these topics. Every answer is nuanced and thorough. The sentences have error bars around them.

Conversely, less technical people or people with a murkier view of the subject will give confident, concrete answers. This is known as the Dunning-Kruger effect, that is “people with limited knowledge or competence in a given intellectual or social domain greatly overestimate their own knowledge or competence in that domain relative to objective criteria or to the performance of their peers or of people in general”. The least informed is often the loudest. The least informed can be due to their own lack of information, or, there being a general lack of information surrounding the topic, thereby making it harder to acquire information. Now let’s zoom out and go back to where we started.

Jessie Ward openly spoke out against the agreed upon medical consensus, ignored the opinion of experts, and likely shortened her own life by doing so. I have no idea why she thought the way she did, but I cannot help but see a direct connection between the social media-ification of health information and the lost life of this influencer. And it makes me profoundly sad.

Health and fitness, like much of our day to day lives, is boring. Like really fucking boring. We know what gets us 90% of the benefits; sleeping a lot, eating nutrient dense food, and regular exercise that gets harder over time. For the overwhelming majority of people, everything else is only going to carve out slight, negligible improvements. That slim minority of people is best suited working with trained experts to find the weird shit that could, should, and might give them an edge because those experts have learned from the mistakes of others and are qualified to make recommendations.

Don’t get me wrong, some of the tools Ward mentioned are promising for specific conditions. Hyperbaric oxygen chambers have a lot of data that shows they can be helpful in managing traumatic brain injuries. Again, that’s a specific use case for a specific condition and it doesn’t necessarily mean that it will confer general health benefits, let alone help cure cancer. Maybe it will, but, to be the best of my knowledge, we can’t make those claims, especially if someone is sacrificing other generally health promoting activities, like sleep, to use a Hyperbaric chamber more.

Whether you’re preparing for a world title or just trying to live a better life, success in health and fitness largely comes from the experts’ consensus. The other stuff is just fluff, high level masturbation. Yeah it’s fun to use magic magnets, special lights, and spin around with kettlebells and cables, but if that fluff is getting in the way of what has more evidence for working then you have a serious problem on your hands.

Why Should I Listen To You?

You shouldn’t just listen to me. But that’s kind of my point.

You should be seeking opinions from several people that have a blend of professional, anecdotal, and scientific experience. See what they agree on, and then try that. And then retest against what you originally got. If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it. And if you can’t manage it, you’re better off forgetting it.

We only have a limited amount of time to improve our health and fitness, get ready for competition, and live a fulfilling life. Does it really make sense to spend that time trying the brand new thing that’s been marketed to us by some random pretty face to improve something that we can’t even objectively measure?

It might work until it doesn’t, but can you afford the consequences of when it stops working?

If you enjoyed this piece, please head on over to Open Note Grappling on Substack.

And check out Watt’s previous piece, GOATs in sports like MMA & Grappling: Gordon Ryan, and athletes’ asterisks here.

Jump to

Hello and welcome to the newest instalment of the Retro TUF Recap series. Last week after kidnapping Victor Rodriguez and taking him with me back to the year 2013 and reviewing the first episode of TUF 18, we found the DeLorean had four flat tires and there was no lug wrench. So since we’re stuck here we’ve decided to keep watching and reviewing the season. The premier episode was really little more than a two hour long prologue where a collection of 32 fighters got whittled down to 16 and then Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate picked their teams.

The first official Team Ronda Rousey vs Team Miesha Tate match-up will be heavy favorite Shayna Baszler taking on Julianna Peña, but we have a lot to trudge through before we get there.

DS: A long time ago I saw someone theorize that the UFC doesn’t exist to promote fights so much as it exists to promote Dana White. And given the fact that he’s shown third in the intro credits behind coaches Miesha Tate and Ronda Rousey, I think that theory holds water. In fact one could argue it’s only become worse in the last decade as these days he uses his UFC clout to try and prop up and revitalize his Angry Face Slappers promotion that crashed and burned before it even launched.

VR: I still have a copy somewhere of the very first issue of UFC magazine.  Who was on the cover? Was it Brock Lesnar? Georges St. Pierre? Anderson Silva? Nope. It was Dana White  And it kind of makes sense, you know? Fighters come and go, and he remains the single constant. So… yeah. At this point in time it appears that the approach was to emphasize on the UFC itself by way of making getting into the organization via winning on the show the ultimate goal, and Dana as the looming power figure. It seems like minor nitpicking if you’re not familiar with the era and how promotion looked prior to it.

TUF 18 Week 2 Recap

I got dibs on top bunk

DS: Julia is the first one through the doors of the TUF house and she excitedly shouts “Where’s the upstairs!?”. Hopefully she’ll find it at the top of the nearest staircase, but then again it’s possible this place is like the old Bill Dozier Batcave where the only way up or down is via a set of fire poles. This is the same house (I think) where when Mikey Burnett wanted to go outside he didn’t do it by simply walking through a door or climbing through a window. No, he opted to try and get outside by literally running through the wall… more than once… several times actually. So anything is possible.

VR: Is it even the same house? I legit can’t even tell at this point. If it is, good on them for the renovation work. Because the original TUF house looked the way pickup artists in the early to mid-aughts dressed. And those guys dressed like perverts, but on purpose. But I also can’t really fault them, because everyone’s trying to get their TV moment and I’m guessing these are some of the spontaneous attempts at showing some kind of quirkiness or added excitement and surprise.

DS: I think so but I’m not 100% on that, I think this is the same place they used for TUF 10 because that retaining wall in the backyard looks familiar. I remember Wes Sims dressing up like a 6’10 ninja and creeping along it so he could pounce on Matt Mitrione. The UFC probably goes into every season just expecting to write off the security deposit when filming is over.

Oh hey, good news, she found it!

VR: Was gonna be a loooong month if she didn’t. Alhamdullilah.

The injury bug is getting off to an early start

DS: Gorman is continuing to play into his role as the obnoxious jerkwad by saying no woman could make him tap out, I’d wager his mother would have a thing or two to say about that.

VR: This is bait, and I’ve long held the suspicion that men talking like this have some kind of fetish of being strangled by a woman but want to put up a front. Can’t speak for the man, though. It just makes him come across as clueless. That’s an automatic L on reality shows, because people like their villains to have some level of smarts. At least a level or two above whatever this is. 

DS: Oh noes, during training Gorman tells Miesha Tate that he’s torn his hamstring and needs to see a doctor, however we’re not shown how many times he got her confused with Ronda Rousey till he found Tate herself. Boy I sure hope it’s not that major and he’s able to continue… not. Yes my jokes are just as fresh and edgy as his attitude.

VR: See, he should have played it up even further and demanded a man doctor. Because they understand men. How can a woman properly diagnose a man? Maybe the weight of his massive swinging balls led to the undue stress on that hammy, have you thought of that Derek? HAVE YOU?

DS: Yeah, thanks for that Vic. I’m taking a shot just to help purge that mental image from my head.

I’m not going to take the easy way out and say what Ronda Rousey is acting like here, but between her general temperament and the production crew editing things to emphasize just how uncouth she can be, what else am I to think? Especially when Ronda Rousey kicks open the door and loudly starts telling everyone they need to GTFO so she and her team can have the space.

VR: And that’s the rub with these shows: you’re gonna have people doing this to play it up for the cameras. Maybe not stuff they wouldn’t ordinarily want to do, but they get to do it big because there’s a camera on. Ronda Rousey’s also an atrocious actor, so that makes all of this way muddier and much more awkward.

Ronda Rousey introduces her team to Eddie…

DS: And we have our first official named sighting of coach/idiot in search of a village Edmond Tarverdyan, whom I will only refer to as “Eddie The Idiot” or just simply “Idiot” from here on out. So take a shot.

After Ronda Rousey got trounced by Amanda Nunes, I wrote a piece where I said it was my opinion that Idiot was incompetent at best and the wish.com version of an MMA coach at worst, and I still stand by that opinion. Because he didn’t just lure in Ronda Rousey, he managed to fool quite a few different fighters into believing that he was some genius world class coach when he clearly was anything but. Check the records of guys like Travis Browne and Jake Ellenberger and look at how well they did before joining up with him and compare it to how they did while under his tutelage, same goes for the Horsewomen.

I don’t know if having everyone slow jog in a circle while throwing terrible punches and kicks then slapping their feet is a valid training technique or if it’s just something Idiot cooked up. Judging by the faces on everyone but Ronda Rousey, I think it’s fair to say it’s the latter. This looks like a half baked idea your 2^nd grade PE teacher thought of after taking an edible the night before.

VR: I’mma meet you halfway on that assessment, and declare him to be both incompetent and a phony. You know why? Because I’m cursed with a good memory for a lot of this stuff, and I remember his depositions under oath during his bankruptcy case. He claimed he could have fought and beat Jose Aldo.

DS: He WHAT!? I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, I mean this is a man who had a giant terrible mural of himself and Mohamed Ali together painted on the wall in his gym, that’s the kind of ego we’re dealing with here. What did Ronda Rousey ever see in this guy?

VR: He lured in Jake Ellenberger and to no one’s surprise, that went horribly. Travis Browne went from Alliance in San Diego to Jackson/Winklejohn to Glendale Fight Club. It’s like he was playing the MMA game but moving the difficulty slider higher and higher for himself. We’ve all seen and heard what his training is like, and the more I think of it the sadder I am for these fighters trying to chase this dream of being in the biggest organization and on a unique stage with the reality show and the utter disservice that it is to have this guy of all people coaching them. 

This is called foreshadowing

DS: Shayna is in bed talking to Duke saying she’s better than Juliana both on the feet and on the ground, and with more than 10 years of experience, she sees no way she could possibly lose to the likes of Peña. Clearly in all that time she never learned to not tempt the MMA Gods like that, because they will smite you for it.

VR: I don’t fault Shayna. It’s not like she thought she was hot stuff, she was legit good. And with her grappling background, she probably saw herself as a better submission grappler overall (valid) and a better striker (sorta). Problem is Shayna was not quite as strong, plus Peña was really good at muscling takedowns. 

DS: Idiot sighting, take a shot.

VR: I dunno, I just see the guy and it’s a bizarre reminder of something that was once there and just isn’t anymore, you know? It’s amusing to see how he’s been memory-holed for the greater part and most people probably forgot about him until we started talking about what a goof he made himself out to be. Fun times. 

DS: This has to be a major HIPAA violation for this doc to be telling Gorman just how bad his injury is with Miesha and Dana sitting right there. Either way he’s out of TUF and it couldn’t happen to a nicer guy. Now lets see if Dana teases replacing him with Kimbo Slice… nope, it’s Louis Fisette.

VR: Gonna guess that this sort of disclosure is either agreed upon beforehand prior to the disclosure on camera or contractually permitted as a condition to be on the show.

DS: During the staredown Shayna places a queen of spades playing card on Julia’s chest like a low rent magician and it’s promptly thrown away. You know the thing about card tricks? They’re exactly that, they’re an illusion, a slight of hand, a lie. They can be figured out with a dash of critical thinking and some keen observation.

VR: I’m still capable of being easily distracted by a lava lamp, I have no room to be talking smack on this one. 

DS: Dear TUF Production Crew, we got the narrative ok? Shayna is overconfident and Pena is much more level headed. It’s hat on hat at this point, just show us the fight already please.

VR: More padding than a Zorb. Remember those? They’re so cool. I want one so I can do this someday. Gotta fill that timeslot and sell more razors and energy drinks!

After many montages, it’s fight time

DS: Aren’t those 12-6 elbows she’s landing on Shayna’s head illegal? Or does it not count because she’s throwing them while on her back?

VR: First one looked accidental, second hit the side. I’d let this slide.

DS: Idiot sighting saying Idiot things, take two shots.

VR: Wow, this fight was way better than I remember. Lots of clever reversals and shifts in the grappling department. They went for broke in the second and Juilianna’s punches were ugly. But she sat on them and you saw them adding up. The final takedown Shayna tried got reversed and it looks like she ran out of gas after being on her back for a bit. She turtles up, and Julianna takes the back, flattens her out…

DS: And that’s all she wrote and Ronda Rousey ain’t happy…

After watching her friend tap out to an RNC, Ronda Rousey screams “Are you ______ kidding me!?” while Idiot sits there looking like an idiot. Either way, take another shot.

VR: I get Ronda Rousey’s reaction, though. Shayna fought on Showtime, she probably should have been signed by the UFC outright if they were bringing in 125ers and washouts like Sheila Gaff when they opened the division. And this ends with a massive upset against a prospect most people had never heard of in a fight that they were sure they were gonna win. Them’s the breaks. 

DS: Don’t feel too bad for Shayna, despite coming into TUF off a loss and now being submitted by Peña and being the first eliminated, she’ll still get a UFC contract next year. I’d say this is a case of it’s who you know and not who you are. Ronda Rousey being this seriously upset at Miesha Tate and vowing revenge doesn’t make a lick of sense, I know I know “reality tv”, but what exactly did she do that Ronda Rousey herself wouldn’t have if things went the other way? At least Ronda Rousey cares more about her team than Quinton Jackson did during TUF 10.

VR: Unfortunate that things didn’t go great for Shayna, she really seems like she’s super cool. I guess I’m glad she got her shot in the UFC proper even if it wasn’t the run she would have wanted and it took some time to get there, you know? Also, why be mad at Tate? Her fighter won fair and square. Looking back, it’s even weirder seeing as Julianna is still a top contender and literally beat the greatest of all time in Amanda Nunes via finish. It’s not like Shayna lost to some fraud by some odd technicality or a faked foul.

DS: For our fight next week Miesha Tate selects Chris Holdsworth to take on Ronda Rousey’s Chris Beal, and unless we find a way back home we’ll still be here to recap it.

VR: I’ll keep doing these sober, but I can’t promise that’ll hold up for too long.

DS: Vic, I asked you to do these with me because I thought you’d make for a good drinkin’ buddy, if I wanted another teetotaler I would have asked Alexander K. Lee about working together again. Anyway, that’s it from us, we’ll see you next time.

You know you can count on us for quick, consistent quality UFC coverage. Bloody Elbow is an independent, reader supported publication. Please subscribe to our newsletter to keep up with our best work and learn how you can support the site.

Jump to

With one punch, Francis Ngannou completely changed the trajectory of his post-UFC career.

He shocked the world on Saturday when he entered a contest with Tyson Fury as a +700 underdog and came as close as anyone has come to pulling off the biggest upset in boxing history (Buster Douglas can rest easy knowing he’s not about to be removed from the sports edition of Trivial Pursuit just yet).

While a good number of boxers and MMA fighters thought Francis Ngannou actually did enough to win, the upset was not meant to be. That doesn’t mean he didn’t earn anything in defeat, though. He represented the sport of MMA exceptionally well while gaining the respect of the boxing community that was outraged such a farce was sanctioned to begin with.

I mean, if I told you the boxing champion was the one throwing elbows and shooting doubles, would you believe me?

Maybe Tyson Fury would fare better in that room with Jon Jones then we all thought…

Francis Ngannou is the real deal

The point of all this is to say that Francis Ngannou performed tremendously well. So much so, in fact, that the WBC President confirmed that Ngannou is about to be a Top 10 ranked heavyweight.

In boxing. A sport he only just debuted in. That’s crazy.

I know that being ranked doesn’t mean a whole lot. After all, Jake Paul would have received a WBC ranking for beating Tommy Fury so anyone can do it (apparently beating a YouTuber is only good enough to secure you a spot in the upper 30s). For all we know, they’ll throw John Fury a number if he manages to get Mike Tyson back in the ring.

Still, it’s good to see Francis Ngannou get the recognition he deserves. The hard work has paid off. He’s put the boxing world on notice because he’s here and he’s for real.

So, now that the boxing debut is in the rear view, it’s time for Francis to get back in the cage, right? He got his wish and had his fight. Now he needs to start thinking about his return to MMA.

But here’s a question: why would he go back to MMA? Why should he go back? If he just did what he did to Tyson Fury, why wouldn’t he stay in boxing? Sure seems like a more viable career path to me.

Boxing offers better competition…

We’ve discussed previously the main issue regarding the PFL contract he signed earlier this year (besides the boxing ambition that he certainly proved us all wrong on), namely who is he going to fight? There will be plenty of suitors thanks to the arrangement Francis has where his opponent will be given their own bag to fumble, but the options haven’t improved at all from earlier this year.

Is it going to be Ryan Bader? Junior dos Santos and his “supplements”? Alexander Volkanovski wearing his Katniss Everdeen Halloween costume?

Before Saturday, there wasn’t anyone outside the UFC who seemed capable of headlining a pay-per-view opposite Ngannou. Now the task seems even more daunting for the PFL.

Francis Ngannou is no longer just a former MMA champion with a puncher’s chance at being something greater. He’s so much more now than he was just days ago. Who can the PFL find that will seem worthwhile at this point? Why would Francis Ngannou waste his time fighting a has-been or a nobody in MMA when fights with Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder are achievable and already being called for by promoters?

Maybe if The Bronze Bomber was actually being serious about doing a fight in both boxing and MMA, and not just chasing headlines.

…and far better compensation

Plus, while it’s expected that Francis Ngannou is going to make more per fight in the PFL than he did in the UFC, the man just made well into the 8 figures in his first boxing co-promotion. If he knows he can make that much without the risks and wear of an MMA camp, why would he put himself through another one?

The reality of Francis Ngannou’s contract with PFL means that he’ll probably need to fight for them at least once. If I were him, I’d try and make that fight happen either as soon as possible or delay it for as long as he can. That way, he can spend more time chasing the real money fights.

Wilder, Joshua…even a rematch with Fury would be more exciting than anything Ngannou could do in MMA outside of the fight with Jon Jones — that we all know won’t ever happen because Dana White doesn’t like sharing his toys.

As MMA fans, we should want the best for Francis Ngannou, right? So it’s time he casts aside the 4 ounce gloves and sticks to 10 ounces.

Or 12 ounces. Or more. Seriously, have you seen how hard the man punches?

Whether or not you agree with our opinion pieces, Bloody Elbow will always tell it like it is, and share our views without ever compromising or kowtowing for access. Support independent MMA opinions by subscribing to the Bloody Elbow newsletter.

Jump to

After years of seeing MMA fighters on the wrong side of crossover boxing results, we finally have a moment we can take pride in.

Yes, Francis Ngannou did not beat Tyson Fury in their “Rumble in Riyadh”, or whatever stupid tagline you want to give to the multimillion dollar sportswashing spectacle we were treated to on Saturday, but he did as much as anyone could have done in defeat, more than the majority of professional boxers Fury has faced throughout his career. And that’s a pretty big deal.

No one knew what to expect except Francis Ngannou

There wasn’t much of a baseline as far as where to place expectations heading into this fight. This wasn’t some Paul Brothers/KSI influencer nonsense. This was the top Pound-for-Pound boxer on the planet today, and one of the best heavyweight boxers of all time, taking on a man with no professional boxing experience and who had only been an MMA champion for less than two years.

The closest comparison would be 2017’s clash between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor, where the five division boxing champion allowed the two division UFC champion to win the early rounds as a way to tire the Irishman out before ending the affair by TKO late.

What we saw on Saturday was vastly different. Francis Ngannou is no Conor McGregor. He’s not a man who used his mouth and charisma, in addition to his skills, to get the edge on fighters and rise to prominence throughout combat sports. He’s a man with tremendous punching power who trained like his life depended on it (because it did) to learn how to harness his natural gifts and develop an all-around game capable of shutting down the competition.

Despite the differences, Francis Ngannou is similar to McGregor in that he understands his worth, so much so that he was willing to sit out the remainder of his UFC contract simply because he wasn’t allowed to box. He felt he deserved the chance to test himself against the best punchers in the world and was willing to risk losing his status in the MMA world to do it.

For a man who has had to fight his entire life to get what he deserves, it really doesn’t seem like it was asking too much, especially since he took the gamble and it paid off, signing a very good PFL deal (for him) and putting together what he really wanted: a showdown with Tyson Fury.

Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou seriously just happened

Even though the fight wasn’t for Fury’s WBC championship, even though the status of the fight as an officially sanctioned pro bout wasn’t made clear until hours before the fight happened, it happened. Both Fury and Ngannou made weight and made the walk. Considering the volatility that exists within high level combat sports, that was a victory in and of itself.

And as for the fight itself? Few predicted it would be competitive. Even fewer predicted it would last more than 3 or 4 rounds. No one predicted that Ngannou would be able to touch Fury or knock him down.

Then the third round happened and the world saw The Gypsy King fall off his throne.

Now, it’s easy enough to argue that Fury didn’t take the fight seriously. He likely didn’t train as hard for this fight as he has for previous battles, like the Deontay Wilder trilogy, and it showed. Fury was fast and aggressive to start, which gave way to sloppiness.

Tyson made mistakes and left openings, allowing Francis and his MMA “awkwardness” to land strikes, culminating in a left hook that caught Tyson in the side of the head and sent him crashing to the canvas.

I’ll assume “coach” Mike Tyson taught Francis that one…

…but the former The Ring champ had been there before. After shaking it off, Fury tightened up his game. Francis, however, stayed with him, keeping things close all the way until the bell rang at the end of the 10th round.

Floyd knocked Conor out in the 10th round. Francis Ngannou was still standing tall.

And not only did Francis knock Tyson down and survive until the final bell, he even won on one judge’s scorecard. How crazy is that? The best heavyweight boxer in the world only skated past The Predator with a split decision.

As close to a ‘win-win’ as anyone could have hoped for

I personally think this was the best outcome for all parties involved. Tyson Fury obviously needed the win, as while he wasn’t risking his championship, it sure would have been quite the black mark on his record, and boxing as a whole, if the man with 33 boxing wins lost to the man with no boxing wins. Plus, losing to Francis Ngannou would have made the unification bout with Oleksandr Usyk a much tougher sell (not that Saudi Arabia wouldn’t still throw heaps of money at them to stage the contest because it’s Saudi Arabia).

As for Francis Ngannou, he just proved that an MMA fighter can hang with the best boxer on the planet. To think how many MMA fighters we’ve seen attempt this dance in the last couple of years. We’ve seen Conor lose. We’ve seen Tyron Woodley and Ben Askren get humiliated. We’ve seen Nate Diaz…be Nate Diaz. Francis Ngannou went to Saudi Arabia and flew higher and shined brighter than anyone thought was possible.

Whatever is next for him, whether that’s a PFL headliner, or whether he takes the clout and cache he just earned to cash in on another high profile (and lucrative) boxing matchup, Francis can rest easy knowing that he did himself and the sport of MMA proud. He can keep soaring higher and higher because for him, there really are no limits.

Bloody Elbow offers quality coverage of major boxing main events for the MMA fan who appreciates the sweet science and likes to keep up here in the community. If you want to see more of this kind of work, please subscribe to the Bloody Elbow newsletter and learn how you can support the site.

Jump to

Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou are in the desert this weekend (hope they don’t say that to a referee, though) to compete in the biggest boxer vs. other spectacle since Floyd Mayweather toyed with, and ultimately stopped, Conor McGregor in 2017. The pair will be throwing down in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia as part of the Kingdom’s latest chapter in sportswashing.

The fight, which exists in some liminal space between exhibition and pro bout, isn’t expected to be competitive. But it may very well be interesting. Before strapping in for the event on Saturday, here are some numbers that tell the tale of this match-up and what we might see happen in the ring.

Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou: By The Numbers

0

One of the most significant numbers related to Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou is a big fat zero. And yes, zero is a number, I checked.

Zero is the number of pro boxing fights Ngannou has under his belt as he heads into a fight with his generation’s greatest heavyweight pugilist. The only other time a boxing neophyte took on someone of this talent level was when Conor McGregor took on Floyd Mayweather. And after McGregor’s snot was punched into the second row, I think it’s hard to view this kind of match-up as anything but a squash match.

We don’t even need that case study to tell us this. A simple thought experiment is sufficient. An expert in one field will always be better in said field than someone whose only experience in that field is tangential and based on something that is parallel to the field, but very much not it. And MMA is not boxing.

Yes, Ngannou first wanted to be a boxer when he made the perilous journey across the Mediterranean desperate for a better life. And yes, Ngannou’s MMA reputation is based on devastating power punches. But we’ve heard something like this before. McGregor started his fighting life at Crumlin Boxing Club and he’s known for MMA striking, too.

We need to face the facts here. No amount of highlight reel KOs inside a cage or ‘MMA angles’ can cancel out the fact that Ngannou is doing something for the very first time against a man who has put in his 10,000 hours and deserves the title of master.

Zero is a very small number. Again, it’s a number, look it up. But when it comes to Fury vs. Ngannou it might be the most significant number of all.

5

Five centimetres doesn’t sound like a lot, but when you’re going toe-to-toe against someone who knows how to utilize range, that small distance can feel like a chasm.

Francis Ngannou’s reach is listed as 211 cm. Tyson Fury’s is 216 cm.

Fury is a master of range and expert with his jab. He’s used it to break down foes and set up KO blows for years. In his trilogy fight with Deontay Wilder in 2021, which he won by 11th round KO, Fury landed 36 of the 117 jabs he threw (30.8%), according to CompuBox. Wilder landed just 9 of his 102 jabs thrown (8.8%).

Those numbers show that Fury is excellent at maintaining the distance he wants to fight at, one where he can land his jab, but his opponent can’t. The 6’9″ Fury also has height advantage over most opponents, including Ngannou, and that only helps him find a home for his jab, which he uses to strike down and over the top of his opponent’s guards.

See what happens when he starts stringing them together.

58

Thanks to his reach and height, Fury is adept at evading shots. But he’s also got marvellous footwork and ungodly head movement. And it hasn’t seemed to fall off much despite his age creeping towards 40.

In his last pro bout, against Derek Chisora in December 2022, Fury was hit with just 58 power punches over 10 rounds (per CompuBox). 44 of those were to the body. Chisora threw 152 power punches, so he landed just under forty percent of them.

Fury landed 142 of 255 of his power punches (55.7%), which lead to a 10th round stoppage. Only 24 of his power punches targeted Chisora’s body.

Chisora has gotten up there in age, but he’s a better boxer than Ngannou will ever be. If Ngannou lands 58 power punches on Fury on Saturday, it would be a miracle.

644

It’s been 644 days since Francis Ngannou last fought. That was his UFC heavyweight title defence against former teammate Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 on January 22, 2022. He won that fight, which went the distance, despite carrying a significant knee injury.

A lot has happened since then.

After his fight with Gane, Ngannou was finally able to get free of his cumbersome UFC contract. He had wanted to amend the contract to allow a fight like this with Fury, but with the UFC not allowing him the same courtesy they gave McGregor, he and his high-powered CAA agent were able to get him out from under Dana White’s thumb for good.

After that there was a long period of wondering where Ngannou would land, until eventually news broke that he had signed a ‘sweetheart deal‘ (as our own John S. Nash calls it) with PFL MMA. That rich contract allows Ngannou to compete in boxing whenever he feels like it.

644 days is nowhere near enough time to learn how to be a boxer able to hang with a WBC champion. But is it also too long a time to be spent out of action that ring rust might creep in?

If he’s coming off a bad injury, Ngannou may not have been able to spent all that time training. I don’t feel great about him going straight off a walking-wounded performance in a UFC title fight to his first ever boxing match with one of the world’s best punchers.

Perhaps Ngannou should have taken a warm-up fight (against a carefully selected opponent) first, to regain his fighting shape and also aid in promoting his abilities as a boxer.

5892

5,892 seconds encompasses the entirety of Francis Ngannou’s Octagon career. That’s almost 100 minutes of fighting across seven years and 12 fights. Half of that time was spent in just two fights.

The vast majority of his fights have been quick events. He’s only gone the distance four times in his MMA career. And he’s only won one of those. His first pro loss was a unanimous decision defeat in his second ever MMA fight. His next two decisions were losses to Stipe Miocic (five rounds) and Derrick Lewis (three rounds), both in 2018.

After those losses Ngannou went on a historic tear. He beat Curtis Blaydes in 45 seconds, Cain Celasquez in 26 seconds, Junior Dos Santos in 71 seconds and Jairzinho Rozenstruik in 20 seconds. He then took his time to beat Stipe Miocic, taking out the champion at the 52 second mark of the second round.

After a long lay-off he beat Ciryl Gane by unanimous decision in only the second time he had ever gone past three rounds and only the third time he had ever gone past two rounds.

He’s scheduled to go ten three minute rounds with Fury.

And Fury (who has fought 220 rounds in his career) can fight that distance in his sleep.

10,000,000

This is what this is all about really, isn’t it? $10,000,000. That’s what Tyson Fury says Francis Ngannou will make with this fight. And though there’s not been any hard evidence presented to support that number, it’s not unthinkable that the Saudi-bank-rolled spectacle could land the former UFC champion that kind of scratch. Our own analysis suggests the total number Ngannou could earn from the fight could be upwards of $18,000,000.

Regardless what the real number is, it’s assured that this fight/exhibition/whatever it may be, will earn Ngannou the biggest payday of his life.

Given where Ngannou comes from, a sand mining village in Cameroon, and what he’s been through, deathtrap migrant boats, Spanish prison and sleeping on the Paris streets, it’s a remarkable turn of events for the 37-year-old.

It’s easy for me to call this money from the House of Saud ‘blood money’ and recognize it as something designed to further distract from their fanatical patriarchal society that is deadly to women and queer folks. But I don’t have Ngannou’s past and I didn’t toil for years fighting in a cage for a pittance compared to what the promotion made off my name, face and efforts.

I’ll judge Ngannou on what he does after he receives his big giant cheque in the desert, instead of judging him for taking it. Win or lose (and he’s going to lose), I hope he makes some good decisions with his new found wealth. Given some of the charity initiatives he’s founded so far, I’m choosing to be optimistic.

You know you can count on us for quick, consistent quality UFC, MMA and boxing coverage. Bloody Elbow is an independent, reader supported publication. Please subscribe to our newsletter to keep up with our best work and learn how you can support the site.

Jump to

This weekend former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou (who never actually lost that belt) is in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to box WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury in a fight that may or may not be an exhibition bout. Regardless of the rules and stipulations, the bout will net Ngannou one of the largest purses ever for a UFC fighter (past or present).

But despite the stage for Fury vs. Ngannou being so grand, and the earnings being so rich for all involved, seeing a UFC fighter, even a champion, don the big gloves and switch to the sweet science is nothing new. In fact, it’s pretty common.

Below are 10 UFC champions who switched over to boxing after making their name in the UFC. With Francis Ngannou joining their ranks this weekend it will be interesting to see if he can match the success of a Jose Aldo or Anthony Pettis or if he’ll embarrass himself, like Tyron Woodley and Tito Ortiz.

10 UFC champions who tried boxing

1. Conor McGregor

Up until Francis Ngannou’s exploits, Conor McGregor and his improbable bout with Floyd Mayweather Jr. was the most audacious and sensational MMA vs. boxing match-up we’d ever witnessed.

When there were rumblings that McGregor and Mayweather wanted to fight, many of us shook our heads at the ridiculousness of it all. How could they fight? Why would the UFC allow such a thing? Would this even be sanctioned? How would it work?

All those questions got ironed out (thanks to wads and wads of cash) and all us doubters were left with egg on our faces as McGregor and Mayweather embarked on a North American tour that lead-up to a fight in August, 2017.

The bout, which was a pro boxing bout, was entertaining enough and McGregor tried his best to utilize ‘MMA angles’ to surprise and stifle Mayweather. But in the end, the popular opinion that a boxer would beat an MMA fighter in boxing (as a chess player would a Go player in chess) proved true.

Mayweather calmly pecked away at McGregor, avoiding any kind of meaningful offense. Yes, McGregor landed more than Canelo, but don’t be a dweeb about it. Mayweather was comfortable the entire fight and when he put his foot on the gas he was able to put McGregor away (despite a rather quick stoppage, mind you).

The fight marks a clear transition point in the fortunes of McGregor. Leading up to that bout he was an all conquering MMA phenom, with crushing UFC title clinching wins over Jose Aldo and Eddie Alvarez.

With the Mayweather fight, McGregor’s clownish persona began to fully eat away at anything authentic left inside the Irishiman. Since then he’s been a shell of himself, competitively, and an embarrassing figure outside the cage (and on social media). He’s still rich, though, so I guess that counts for something.

2. Anderson Silva

For a certain generation of MMA fans, Anderson Silva is beyond compare. The former UFC middleweight champion was equal parts devastating and debonair during his storied championship reign. There were some incredibly frustrating (and weird) moments during that period, but much of that was overshadowed by his clinical finishes with hands, feet or knee.

The same generation who was wowed by the Silva they first saw in the Hard Rock on Spike TV was also shocked and dismayed by his losses to Chris Weidman. We were then thoroughly depressed by his lingering presence where he was overwhelmed by younger, stronger middleweights who wouldn’t hold a candle to the Spider in his prime.

His 2020 release from the UFC was met with relief from some quarters, with many believing (and hoping) the 46-year-old would ride off into the sunset and not put his body on the line anymore. However, it seems even legends can’t resist the lure of the ring.

In 2021 Silva returned to the boxing ring (he had two pro boxing bouts before he became an MMA household name). Initially, he booked some very appropriate opponents.

His first bout of this new era was against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., who was ten years his junior with over 60 pro fights to his name. Silva won the fight by split decision, leaving his opponent’s father fuming. Next he met, and KO’d, Tito Ortiz (more on that later).

And then he took a fight with Jake Paul…

Paul vs. Silva went down in October, 2022. Silva looked fine to start with, but he couldn’t keep the pace for eight rounds. And why should he? He’s pushing fifty!

It was a crushing experience seeing a twenty-something hobbyist land a shot on, and drop, an icon like Silva. But The Problem Child’s win is just a reminder that Father Time is, and will remain, undefeated.

3. Jose Aldo

From one Brazilian MMA legend to another, Jose Aldo laced up the big gloves after getting his release from the UFC in 2022. Aldo’s career trajectory in the UFC mirrored much of what happened with Anderson Silva; a steady and impressive rise, a concussive dethroning and then an uncomfortable lingering period. However, Aldo’s latter years in the UFC were far more competitive than Silva’s, as he notched wins over Marlon Vera, Rob Font and Pedro Munhoz.

Aldo came to the UFC in 2011, via ZUFFA’s purchase of WEC. This transaction made Aldo, the WEC featherweight champ and every MMA hipster’s favourite fighter, the inaugural UFC featherweight champion. He held the belt for four years until one Conor McGregor managed to unsettle Aldo enough to fool him into a rash lunge in the opening seconds of their much anticipated title fight.

After that loss Aldo plugged away at building his MMA legacy, with fun fights, surprising wins and a positive, even goofy, attitude that seemed a polar opposite from the perturbed and severe figure he cut during the McGregor saga.

His first foray into boxing was an exhibition bout against Emmanuel Zambrano in February 2023, which he won via unanimous decision.

His pro debut came a few months later. On a Gamebred Boxing card he met former UFC opponent Jeremy Stephens. The fight ended in a majority draw.

In July 2023 Aldo defeated Esteban Gabriel Espindola via unanimous decision.

4. Cris Cyborg

Cris Cyborg Justino is one of the greatest female combat sports athletes of all time. She’s won in MMA, BJJ, Muay Thai, amateur wrestling and—since 2022—pro boxing.

Cyborg would be the unanimous choice of women’s MMA GOAT if not for Amanda Nunes, who handed Cyborg a 51-second KO loss in 2018, costing her the UFC featherweight title. That is only the second loss on Cyborg’s 30 fight record. The first was a kneebar defeat in her MMA debut in 2005.

Aside from those losses, Cyborg has been a dominant force wherever she has fought. Most recently she won the Bellator featherweight title and has held it against all comers, including Cat Zingano and Arlene Blencowe.

Strangely, Cyborg is most famous for a fight that never happened. During the heyday of Ronda Rousey, fans were clamouring to see Rousey tested against the same women who ended Gina Carano’s hype train. But the fight never happened. The UFC had no desire to risk their Golden Goose against Cyborg and, along with Rousey, demeaned her at every opportunity.

Rousey would later be found out by Holly Holm (one of the most acclaimed boxers to ever become a UFC champion).

Cyborg’s boxing career started in September 2022 with a unanimous decision win over former Brazilian national champ Simone Silva. Though, that fight came just a month after Silva was TKO’d via a body punch and while she should have been observing a medical suspension.

Cyborg’s second boxing bout was in December 2022. That’s when she beat Gabrielle Holloway by unanimous decision on the undercard of Terrance Crawford vs. David Avanesyan.

5. Tyron Woodley

Tyron Woodley won the UFC welterweight title with a KO win over Robbie Lawler at UFC 201 in 2016. He then defended the title in bouts with Stephen Thompson, Demian Maia and Darren Till. In 2019 he was dethroned by Kamaru Usman, who took a unanimous decision win over The Chosen One.

Woodley was unable to recover from that loss, losing to Gilbert Burns, Colby Covington and Vicente Luque before being released from the company in March, 2021.

Soon after his release Woodley scored the biggest pay day of his fight career. He was in the right place at the right time to capture the attention of Jake Paul, who was on his way to being one of the biggest stars of the 2020s cross-over boxing trend (fad?).

Paul was coming off a KO win over Ben Askren, which was Paul’s first headlining event. After beating a former Bellator champ, Paul saw the marketing potential of taking on a former UFC champ.

The lead-up to their bout included lots of trash talk and a silly tattoo bet. The fight itself was a tense and low action affair with both men getting their licks in. The younger and marginally more experienced Paul was able to edge it on the scorecards, though, and secure his best bragging rights at the time.

Seven months later the pair would run it back. Paul was scheduled to face Tommy Fury in December 2021, but Fury had to pull out of the fight due to injury. Woodley, who had been grumbling about the split decision loss, jumped at the chance to rematch Paul (and cash another UFC purse dwarfing cheque).

Unfortunately for Woodley the rematch ended in a devastating face-plant KO loss, generating the single greatest highlight of Paul’s career.

6. Vitor Belfort

When former UFC light heavyweight champ Vitor Belfort rejoined the UFC in 2009 he ushered in a chaotic and, frankly, thrilling period remembered as the TRT Vitor era.

Those years featured an incredibly jacked Belfort wrecking Rich Franklin to set up a middleweight title fight with Brazilian rival Anderson Silva. Belfort ate a foot from Silva, though, and had to go back to the drawing board. Wins over Yoshihiro Akiyama and Anthony Johnson earned him a light heavyweight title shot against Jon Jones. That ended in a slick keylock submission win for ‘Bones’.

Then the TRT Vitor era really went into hyperdrive. With the sport lax on testosterone replacement therapies, a swole Belfort pulled off a trifecta of devastating head kicks versus Michael Bisping, Luke Rockhold and Dan Henderson.

Soon after this TRT was banned by the athletic commissions and the wheels fell off, when it comes to Belfort’s violent potency in the cage. He was then TKO’d by Chris Weidman in yet another title fight. After that he went 2-3 1 NC, with all his losses being T/KOs.

Belfort then announced his retirement and left the UFC in 2018. He signed with ONE a few months later, but left that promotion without booking a fight.

With cross-over boxing all the rage, Belfort returned to the boxing ring in 2021 (his first boxing match was in 2006, a TKO win over Josemario Neves a year after he won the UFC middleweight title).

Triller (remember them?) got into the Belfort game and initially tried to match him with a YouTuber called The Real Tarzan. That fell through, though. Next up, former six division champ Oscar De La Hoya was matched with the Phenom. However, De La Hoya fell out of the bout thanks to a nasty bout with COVID-19.

This all lead to 59-year-old former undisputed heavyweight champ Evander Holyfield fighting the 44-year-old USADA-less Belfort. The bout, which featured former president Donald Trump in the commentary booth (no, really), ended in a sad first round TKO win for Belfort.

After a fight at Misfits Boxing versus Hasim Rahman Jr. fell through, Belfort fought former UFC opponent Jacare Souza at a Gamebred Boxing card. Belfort was able to avenge his Octagon TKO loss with a unanimous decision win.

7. Frank Mir

In 2021 someone convinced former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir to fight Kubrat Pulev in a triangle shaped ring. That fight ended as you’d expect, with the active Pulev (who was coming off a fight with Anthony Joshua) blasting through the retired Mir with little trouble.

Even in his prime, Mir wasn’t known for the striking side of MMA. The heavyweight grappler could end any fight and ruin anyone’s day on the ground, and he could land a heavy punch, too, but few would imagine that his game could successfully be ported over into boxing.

In the UFC Mir was a UFC heavyweight champion and interim heavyweight champion, winning belts as an underdog on both occasions. The first was back at UFC 48 in 2004, when he broke Tim Sylvia’s arm.

His interim title win was at UFC 92 in 2008. That’s when he TKO’d Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. Mir was coming off a famous kneebar win over Brock Lesnar and after taking the interim title he was matched with Lesnar again in a title unification bout at UFC 100. Lesnar learned from his mistakes, though, and took that fight via second round TKO.

Mir would hang around the top of the division for years to come and would unsuccessfully challenge for the belt again in 2012. He was eventually released from the UFC in 2016.

After that he hopped over to Bellator, where he lost to Fedor Emelianenko and Javy Ayala and beat Roy Nelson before calling it a career in 2019.

8. Anthony Pettis

Anthony Pettis’ tenure as a UFC champion was short, but not insignificant. He came over to the promotion with the rest of WEC, immediately after beating Benson Henderson in a thrilling, wall-walking, fight to win the WEC lightweight belt and drop the curtain on the popular company.

His UFC debut was a dud, spoiled by the tenacious Clay Guida. He soon got back on track, though. After a split decision over Jeremy Stephens he busted up Joe Lauzon and Donald Cerrone to earn a UFC lightweight title shot, against familiar foe Benson Henderson.

That fight, at UFC 164 in 2014, was a little weird. With Pettis getting a quick tap out on an armbar inside the first round. Pettis then went onto The Ultimate Fighter to coach opposite future opponent Gilbert Melendez on one of the last memorable TUF seasons.

After that show had wrapped, and produced Carla Esparza, Rose Namajunas, Tecia Torres and Angela Hill, Pettis beat Melendez with a guillotine at UFC 181.

Pettis lost the title in his next match, after a lopsided beating at the hands of the best Rafael dos Anjos we have ever seen. Pettis became a very inconsistent fighter after that, alternating between wins and losses as he yo-yo-ed through weight classes.

He left the UFC in 2020, off a win over Alex Morono. He signed for PFL the following year, competing in their 2021 and 2022 season. In five PFL bouts, Pettis managed a single victory (over Myles Price).

In 2023 Pettis headlined Gamebred Boxing 4 against former four-division champion Roy Jones Jr. Pettis beat the 44-year-old Hall of Famer by majority decision.

9. Tito Ortiz

Tito Ortiz’s time in boxing is brief and unremarkable. He was KO’d by Anderson Silva in 2021 on the same card that Vitor Belfort beat up Evander Holyfield.

Ortiz’s loss to Silva had former president Donald Trump in the commentary booth. Ortiz’s fondness for Trump has become both the defining aspect of his personality and lead to the most notable acts of his career in public life.

Ortiz had a dysfunctional career with the UFC which often saw him at odds with current CEO Dana White. Despite the fractious relationship between the parties, Ortiz was able to have a successful run as UFC light heavyweight champion between 2000 and 2002. He won the belt with a win over Wanderlei Silva and defended it five times, including against Evan Tanner and Ken Shamrock. He dropped the belt to Randy Couture at UFC 44 in 2003.

Three years later he was TKO’d by Chuck Liddell at UFC 66 in an unsuccessful attempt to get the belt back. A torrid spell followed with eight losses, and a draw, in ten fights.

In 2014 he left the UFC for Bellator, where he went 4-1 before moving on. In 2018 he KO’d Liddell for Golden Boy Promotions. A year later he submitted Alberto Del Rio in Combate Americas.

In 2008 he met the love of his life, Donald Trump, while appearing on The Celebrity Apprentice. That proximity lead to Ortiz becoming an ardent supporter of the 45th president and a peddler of any conspiracy theory that advances Trump’s positions, reputation and/or ego.

In 2020 Ortiz won a city council seat in Huntington Beach, CA, which included a temporary mayoral gig (HBC rotates the mayor position among councillors).

Ortiz’s tenure was marred by refusals to mask on public property, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and disagreements with fellow councillors and constituents. He quit his position after less than six months.

10. Ricco Rodriguez

Ricco Rodriguez isn’t the most well known former UFC champion, but the heavyweight should be remembered as one of the best grapplers to ever win a UFC title. The former ADCC, World and Pan American BJJ champ won the UFC title with a TKO over Randy Couture in 2002.

However, he would lose the belt to Tim Sylvia in his first defense. His only other UFC fight was a unanimous decision loss to Pedro Rizzo. Outside of the UFC, Rodriguez competed in PRIDE, KOTC, YAMMA, WEC, Bellator, IFL and dozens of other regional outfits. He retired from MMA in 2019 with a record of 54-27 (1).

Rodriguez managed to win over 50 fights despite never fully reaching his potential as an athlete. Much of that is down to his publicized problems with substance abuse and mental health; which were discussed at length during his appearance as a cast member on the first season of Dr. Drew’s Celebrity Rehab in 2008.

Rodriguez dabbled in boxing in 2006 and 2008, appearing in two bouts. His first was a KO win over Brandon Baker. His second was a split decision loss to Chad Davies.

Honourable mentions

Two other former UFC champions have quasi-competed in quasi-boxing. One time interim heavyweight champ Shane Carwin once fought former pro skateboarder Jason Ellis in 2016 with one arm (the other was duct taped across his chest). He won the fight by second round KO. You can see that below:

More recently, former light heavyweight champ Quinton Jackson teamed with former K-1 staple Bob Sapp in a ‘Siamese boxing’ bout at Fight Circus 6: The Rise or Fall of Sloppy Balboa, where he took on Fight Circus owner Jon Nutt and someone called Woody.

Jackson and Sapp won by third round TKO. See that below.

You know you can count on us for quick, consistent quality UFC, MMA and boxing coverage. Bloody Elbow is an independent, reader supported publication. Please subscribe to our newsletter to keep up with our best work and learn how you can support the site.

Jump to

It seems safe to say that Islam Makhachev will finally get to move ahead of Alexander Volkanovski in the Pound for Pound rankings.

Islam Makhachev put an exclamation mark on UFC 294

That’s after the UFC Lightweight Champion put an exclamation point on the short notice rivalry he found himself in with the UFC Featherweight Champion. Makhachev outpointed Volkanovski in their February meeting at UFC 284. It was a controversial outcome, one that Makhachev ensured wouldn’t be repeated after knocking Volk out with a head kick at Saturday’s UFC 294.

UFC 294 was set up as a showcase not just for Makhachev but for many of the top and up-and-coming Russian fighters on the UFC roster. This was done in large part to please the Abu Dhabi crowd, as most of the Russians who were on display are also Muslim.

In addition, this was likely done due to many of those same fighters experiencing difficulties traveling to the US or anywhere else right now (remember that whole “war with Ukraine” thing?) but hey, I’m not trying to make this a political piece.

By the way, didn’t Dana say flags were back? Wonder what happened there. Hmmm…

Russia came to play at UFC 294

World events aside, UFC 294 represented a strong display of the Russian might we knew has been coming since Khabib Nurmagomedov first started ragdolling everyone in sight.

The show actually gave us a little bit of everything, from knockouts to submissions to nut shots (and doctors who don’t know what nut shots are).

Seriously, Johnny Walker is lucky the doctor made the call to end his fight with Magomed Ankalaev after he got blasted with a knee to the chin while his knee was on the ground. Otherwise, there’d be calls to have Aljamain Sterling stripped of his Academy Award.

Oh, and there was also Staph. Lots of Staph, but don’t tell anyone, okay?

The true Russian might was felt when Khamzat Chimaev took down former Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman with relative ease and earned a majority decision. He now stands at the front of the middleweight contender line and is the last man any fighter on the active roster wants to stand opposite.

Good luck, Sean. We’re all counting on you.

Of course, this wasn’t the originally scheduled fight. Two weeks ago, it was supposed to be Paulo Costa, but he got Staph and admitted to it BEFORE the fight (what an amatuer…), which resulted in him getting pulled from the match-up, allowing Usman to step up in a scenario we only expected to see in UFC 5.

Paulo still got some action, though, so everything seems to have worked out.

Islam Makhachev is firmly carrying Khabib’s torch

Things definitely worked out for Makhachev. He was originally supposed to face Charles Oliveira in a rematch of their UFC 280 title clash. It was a fight he won in dominant fashion, so there wasn’t much to gain by besting the Brazilian a second time.

Instead, Charles pulled out of the fight and in stepped Volkanovski, getting a rematch he desperately wanted on 11 day’s notice. It was another rematch but, after winning the first fight in less than convincing fashion, it allowed him the chance to prove, once and for all, who the better fighter was.

And prove it, he did. The fight started close, with both men battling for position in the clinch but, before things could get more technical than that, Islam went for the kill and drew first blood. After five grueling rounds in their prior outing, it only took the champion half a round to put things away this time.

It was a satisfying conclusion that allows Makhachev to move on to other business, such as a potential clash with Justin Gaethje (or more posturing over the welterweight champion, since no one wants to defend their own belt anymore).

It was, overall, a satisfying night for a nation of fighter that can be classified as tough and dominant and determined to be the best. It’s certainly good for them because their fellow countrymen might not be doing a whole lot of winning in the immediate future.

That’s okay, though. At least the UFC is morally bankrupt enough to have zero qualms about showing off how good Russians are at this whole MMA thing. Next stop: Riyadh season.

Jump to

Is hiring a surveillance guy the way to catch a drug cheater’s wandering eye?

When former FBI agent and current UFC drug testing boss Jeff Novitzky announced that recently-retired FBI Special Agent in Charge George Piro would be overseeing UFC’s new drug testing program in conjunction with Drug Free Sport, the first question that came to mind:

What does George Piro have to do with UFC drug testing?

Last week’s press conference announcing UFC’s departure from Travis Tygart and USADA in favor of hiring a well-heeled former FBI boss raised some eyebrows. The media parroted UFC’s talking points about “the man who interrogated Saddam Hussein” relentlessly. The sanctimonious tone from Mr. Novitzky towards anyone questioning the credentials of Mr. Piro raised my antenna.

John Morgan tweeted, “Passionate response from Jeff Novitzky when I asked about need for oversight for George Piro.”

“To even think that he would go against the principles and values … and make decisions for financial reasons or business purposes, you haven’t done your homework on George Piro.”

So, we did our homework on Mr. Piro, and his law enforcement background tells an incredibly unique story that only piques our curiosity as to why he was hired by UFC.

He’s extremely well-connected in political media

The first thing we learned about Mr. George Piro is that he’s extremely well-connected to the biggest movers and shakers in political media.

Whether it’s Peter Bergen at CNN or Catherine Herridge at CBS News or Adam Goldman at the New York Times, the former Miami SAC can place a phone call to any major global media outlet and someone will answer. When you come from the world of National Security in the American government, you have power. You have instant connections. One phone call can change the narrative of a story very quickly.

His deep intelligence connections and reputation in the Middle East is quite an asset to have as UFC & WWE expand business ties with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi. Security and surveillance is paramount. Hiring Mr. Piro makes a lot of sense if you view the evolving UFC business model under Ari Emanuel through the lens of a quasi government contractor first and a sports operation second.

Very high-level security clearance

The second thing we learned is that Mr. Piro possessed a very high-level security clearance in the FBI.

Before joining the FBI in 1999, he went from the Air Force to work with the Stanislaus County Drug Enforcement Agency. He transitioned to the FBI Phoenix field office. Mr. Piro’s FBI career advancement blossomed quickly under Directors Robert Mueller, James Comey, and Christopher Wray. Mr. Piro steadily built a résumé under multiple Presidential administrations. For over a decade, he rose in the ranks of the most powerful national security divisions within the FBI & Department of Justice. In a video interview shot at the American Top Team gym in Coconut Creek, Florida, Mr. Piro discussed his work experience and learning under the tutelage of John Perren, who was one of the most powerful criminal intelligence analysts in Washington DC.

After spending a decade in DC for the FBI in their Washington Field Office and in an inter-agency capacity overseen by the Counterterrorism Security Group within the White House, he applied to take the job as Special Agent in Charge of the Miami FBI Office. He was back in DC a few years later after an appointment by Director Wray to the number two slot in the International Operations division of the FBI. He returned back to his role as Miami SAC a few years later.

Access to powerful surveillance tools

The third thing we learned about Mr. Piro is how deep his access was to a network of powerful surveillance tools utilized by the American government.

The highest level of Top Secret security clearance is required to work in the Joint Terrorism Task Force for the Washington Field Office. The FBI/DOJ National Security Division has access to the most powerful intelligence tools in the world. There is Section 702 computer surveillance in conjunction with the NSA.

There are National Security Letters. Then there is the Five Eyes joint treaty between America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom which allows for sharing of intelligence collected by those respective governments.

Given the administrative roles that Mr. Piro was assigned to in Washington D.C. he had knowledge of some of the most secretive intelligence compiled by the US Government.

It is interesting to note that the juxtaposition of UFC hiring Mr. Piro while also hiring fighters connected to Ramzan Kadyrov. A highly unusual combination to say the least.

He had access to Mar-A-Lago during protective investigations

The fourth thing we learned about Mr. Piro is that he had access and interaction with the Mar-A-Lago property during protective investigations as the Miami FBI SAC. He also was heavily involved in investigating criminal cyber activity.

Medicare & Medicaid fraud in South Florida is big business. The Miami FBI field is on the investigatory front lines and gained national attention for helping indict former NFL players over allegations of cashing in on phony medical bills.

The Miami bureau is the fifth largest FBI office in the States. It also handles international affairs for US citizens in both Latin America & South America. 

There is also one particular reason that FBI Miami became a unique hot spot for national security: Mar-A-Lago, the primary residence of former US President Donald Trump. Before he was President, while he was President, and after his Presidency, there have been some… unique… situations at Mar-A-Lago that have required the FBI to be in attendance.

One of those incidents included an SUV that breached two security checkpoints and got shot at with bullets. Mr. Piro found himself addressing the media at a rather interesting press conference.

The combination of the FBI and Secret Service working together in matters relating to Mr. Trump certainly created some delicate moments.

As highlighted in Special Counsel Jack Smith’s indictment of Donald J. Trump over classified documents, the FBI had opened a criminal investigation from Washington in late March of 2022 and DOJ had impaneled a grand jury the next month.

What did Mr. Piro know or not know about the infamous August 2022 “raid” by the FBI of Mar-A-Lago before he retired at the end of June of 2022?

This became one of several public points of contention between Mr. Piro and suspended FBI agents who alleged that the Bureau was politically weaponizing lawfare against political opponents.

Mr. Piro vigorously denied allegations of involvement in the Mar-A-Largo FBI search. One suspended agent, Kyle Seraphin, made serious allegations and had a rather pointed response to the New York Times article publishing Mr. Piro’s denial. 

The UFC’s hiring of a high-profile FBI figure like Mr. Piro would certainly seem to go against the narrative that Ari Emanuel is running a MAGA operation. The reaction from a heavy portion of the UFC audience which supports Mr. Trump will be an interesting story to observe moving forward.

He’s been busy post-FBI retirement

The fifth thing we learned about Mr. Piro is that in his post-FBI retirement stint, he’s been busy connecting with both security & public speaking organizations.

Like many high-level retired FBI agents, Mr. Piro is capitalizing on his access to powerful people by aligning himself with security contractors and creating his own security company, Piro Global Services Inc.

Read the PGS company profile once and you’ll understand quickly that his calling card is intelligence. He is also aligned with NarrowGate Security Agency and was a special guest for the Restaurant Loss Prevention & Security Association. He also was recently appointed to the Advisory Board of V2 Global.

He trains BJJ and proudly represents American Top Team

The sixth thing we learned about Mr. Piro is that he prides himself on physical training and is channeling his ambitions through jiu-jitsu with American Top Team.

Muscle & Fitness Magazine has the ultimate promotional piece:

George Piro: Protecting the American People. FBI Special Agent in Charge George Piro inspires fitness and serious training.

It’s the kind of public relations piece worth its weight in gold. Mr. Piro revealed that he started training at American Top Team when he moved to Miami to be the SAC of that office.

He is proud of his training and who he trains with. This August 7^th, 2022 7News Miami WSVN article highlighted his training in preparation for the 2022 No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu Masters Championship, which Mr. Jeff Novitzky highlighted during last week’s press conference with Hunter Campbell. FloGrappling has two videos (one from 2018 and one from 2022) of Mr. Piro’s BJJ contests.

Mr. Piro had plenty of pictures of his BJJ training on his Instagram, with his handle proudly stating his gym affiliation “GeorgePiro ATT.” After UFC’s announcement of his hiring, Mr. Piro’s original Instagram account was still active.

However, he has since changed his social media account name to “GeorgePiro_BJJ” and his profile description was also altered from “American Top Team” to just “BJJ Athlete”

Bloody Elbow has obtained screenshots from before and after.

What’s the end game?

As a business relationship, UFC hiring Mr. Piro is a win-win situation.

UFC hiring someone freshly departed from the current FBI administration guarantees that Mr. Piro’s governmental and media connections are still active.

With Ari Emanuel transforming UFC into a political operation and quasi-government contractor, Mr. Piro fits perfectly into company management because he won’t make waves like Travis Tygart.

Piro also, to our knowledge, doesn’t have a background in sports medicine or athletic drug testing administration.

Mr. Piro professionally attaching himself to UFC is a huge career boost. He’s likely going to receive a significant paycheck while also maintaining and building deeper connections in the worlds of law enforcement and politics. It’s a lucrative way to maintain and expand the Rolodex he amassed over multiple decades.

Days after Mr. Novitzky announced Mr. Piro’s hiring, the UFC posted a LinkedIn job offer for the administrative assistant position in their new in-house drug testing program. It looks to be an exhaustive undertaking.

After reading the requirements for the job offering to build UFC’s in-house drug testing operation, we’re left to ask one basic question:

Did UFC hire Mr. Piro to oversee a drug testing program?

There are a lot more questions than answers.

This article was first posted on our Substack. Subscribe now to get quality posts before anyone else, and to get access to our other features and exclusives.

Jump to

This last week saw a shockwave sent through the MMA ecosystem. After nearly 8-years of cooperation, the UFC and USADA announced the upcoming end of their business partnership. From there, things got pretty nasty.

A brief background

For those that don’t know, the whole circus kicked off when the drug testing agency sent out a press release essentially stating that, while Conor McGregor had re-entered the testing pool, the months long saga of his potential return had worn away the working relationship between the two companies. USADA especially cited comments made by UFC commentator Joe Rogan, which they felt reflected the general attitude of UFC brass.

“I really think [the UFC] should do all that in-house,” Rogan said on a recent podcast, speaking of the UFC’s drug testing program. “’Cause USADA does stuff like—well they don’t do it anymore—but they were doing stuff like waking guys up at 6:30 in the morning like the day of the weigh-ins and testing them. It was ****ing insane, for world title fights, ****ing insane.”

Shortly after USADA’s press release, it was revealed—both by company CEO Travis Tygart, and later by UFC officials—that the UFC had in fact decided to sever the relationship themselves in a recent conference call, citing a desire to (as Rogan suggested) run a program more selectively attuned to their needs. In the days since, there’s been some name calling, some finger pointing, and just a general feeling of a long-strained relationship suddenly snapping in a very public way.

The only real question is: How did it last so long?

The UFC has proven itself to be, more than anything else, a very reactionary company over the years. When COVID-19 hit they scampered away from regulation for as long as possible, until forced by law (and Disney executives) to stop hosting events. From there they publicly touted the tightest protocols in the business, but dropped them all the moment restrictions relaxed. As long as there was a legal need, they made it happen, once the oversight was gone, so was the action.

The UFC’s kneejerk history

More recently, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the promotion made the kneejerk call to ban flags from fighter walkouts. Right up until last week, when Dana White made a big show of bringing flags back at the expense of all those (imaginary) crybabies who couldn’t handle them in the first place. I’d love to know what drove either decision, because it wasn’t public outcry.

Going back in time, fans can remember the testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) era, when fighters were battling for the right to essentially legalize doping through doctor’s notes. With the UFC looking to polish up its image for a future sale, and the NSAC eventually putting it’s foot down on therapeutic use exemptions (TUEs), the promotion needed to make a big statement. So they brought in hardline drug testing for all athletes; they brought in USADA.

The thing with USADA, unlike the UFC’s other moves over the years, is that they very much acted as a business partner with the UFC and not just a subordinate brand that was happy to be there—or a series of regulations the UFC could handle all on their own. This wasn’t the Reebok deal and this wasn’t the ‘official’ UFC rankings. USADA had rules and protocols and processes that had nothing to do with the way the UFC does business and, if the current war of words is any indication, they weren’t all that willing to bend their rules when the UFC wanted.

The thing about a reactionary business like the UFC, however, is that it can survive having a boss if it has to, and it loves being the boss if it gets to, but there’s not much room for a hands-on cohort. When a business prides itself on being able to flex on the fly and adapt to whatever it feels the needs of the moment are—free from broader ideology (beyond a quest to put on fights and make money)—having someone looking over their shoulder is the last thing they need.

This is the reason that, despite years of claiming that they were ‘fixing’ the system, the UFC has maintained the same half-assed in-house rankings pool for years; dictated by a bunch of figures so tangential to the industry that most fans would never know who any of them are even with a formal introduction. Because fixing that system would require bringing in 3rd party oversight and cutting lose basic control over a tool that’s become a key part of contract negotiations and fight card formation.

A new, flexible system

To the UFC’s credit here, with the announcement that they were leaving USADA, the promotion detailed their new drug testing plan and it does include an arbitrator: former high ranking FBI agent—and current American Top Team gym member—George Piro. It also, however, includes a two-part system that allows the UFC to potentially dictate any number of terms and to change out parts while still maintaining the appearance of a whole.

Instead of having a partner like USADA, that runs with their own standard of operation and may not have any interest in what the UFC thinks would make for good comprehensive drug testing, the promotion now has an agency that runs sample collection—almost certainly at a standard set by the UFC. And a lab that tests those samples—likely to a standard that the UFC wants them tested. Piro doesn’t appear to have any history overseeing a comprehensive drug testing program. Which isn’t to say that he’s not potentially capable, but it has to be wondered what his standards of oversight are. Does he know anything about how doping works?

Is Piro just there to see to it that the UFC runs the program they tell him they’re going to run? Does he have standards that he’ll be setting entirely independently? And if he does, as someone hired by the UFC, how strict can he be against their business interests without getting replaced? Like I said above, the modular nature of this program essentially allows the UFC to make whatever changes they want going forward, while still claiming that the system itself has been maintained.

It’s not hard to see how that would appeal to someone like Dana White, who wants to move only when forced. It’s also not hard to see how it could start out as something pretty comprehensive in appearance and end up slowly diluted without casual observers ever being the wiser.

Is worse drug testing actually better?

Maybe that’s all for the best. I’m not going to pretend that I’m the most gung-ho anti-doping advocate out there. Mostly I feel like having something in place that prevents clear abuse—while making easy allowance for TUEs when necessity can be shown, or making room for tainted supplements (considering the popularity of supplement use and the lack of regulation)—is the way to go in a sport that gives athletes little in the way of leverage over their careers in the Octagon. If fighters aren’t going to collectively bargain for it, the best a PED protocol can be is not too terribly detrimental over minor offenses.

That said, for anyone that is a fan of hardline drug testing, this has to feel something like the end of an era. The UFC had a true partner in USADA that held athletes in the promotion to its own standards, independent of what the UFC or those athletes might have wanted. The path forward seems unlikely to be nearly so clear cut.

This article was first posted on our Substack. Subscribe now to get quality posts before anyone else, and to get access to our other features and exclusives.

Jump to

News broke this week that the UFC is the latest sporting organization to announce plans to jet to Saudi Arabia. They’ll plant the Octagon in Riyadh on March 24, 2024, per a report from ESPN.

Now, let me fill you in on an important conversation that happened in the UFC offices prior to this announcement. It’s a conversation that has been mirrored by every other fight promotion doing business with governments like the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

“How do we get our cash and avoid political retribution?”

After the recent Hamas attacks in Israel with hundreds of civilians murdered, the risk profile of promoters pushing big fights in the Middle East just got even higher. In the process of chasing tens of millions of dollars, no one wants to be responsible for holding an event that turns into the next Munich 1972 sporting massacre.

The irony of promoting combat sports near a war zone

In a business that promotes eternal conflict, there is a certain painful irony in conducting business in or near a war zone and hoping that peace lasts just long enough so you can safely escape back home. 

Obviously, Saudi Arabia is not Gaza. Riyadh is about 1400km (almost 900 miles) from Israel, but it’s extremely naive to believe that the sudden eruption of violence out of Gaza over the weekend will not have an impact on Saudi Arabia.

In fact, it’s only been a few months since New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman celebrated the new ease of travel between Riyadh to Tel Aviv in anticipation of the two countries normalizing relations.

That diplomatic process, years in the making, is on fragile ground.

It wasn’t too long ago when Houthi rebels from Yemen were attacking Saudi oil facilities and Riyadh itself with missiles and drones. The Chinese-brokered peace deal between the Saudis and Iran seemed to have reduced the risk of a repeat (the Iranians were backing Yemen against the Saudi invasion which started in 2015).

The growing drum beats of an American political class wanting a direct military conflict with Iran means all bets are off when it comes to future sanctions and conducting business in the region. So much for easy money, huh?

The Fight biz thrives on dirty money

The fight business has always thrived on dirty money. Some money is dirtier than others. Promoting big fights in the Middle East makes most yakuza gangs look like nuns at a monastery.

Vince McMahon’s legacy of signing a major deal betwee

n WWE and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia earned him enormous backlash from his critics. What he saw was an ongoing freight train full of cash that was going to overwhelm him and every other major sports property in the world. The man who embraced cable television expansion and live-streaming premium content was never going to reject KSA money. Why get steamrolled by a hostile takeover when you can grab the same bag as the owners in the Premier League? Everybody’s got a price, right? That price tag can come with some headaches.

Remember the rumors and lawsuits filed in 2020 regarding allegations of wrestlers being “held hostage”? WWE vigorously denied the claims but the gossip mill had already created a negative portrayal of scrutinized WWE/KSA ties.

Despite whatever complications there were from the Supershow event, WWE continued their lucrative agreement with KSA to promote events like Crown Jewel. Female wrestlers changed their attire. The telecasts aired infomercials promoting goodwill in the Kingdom.

The closeness of WWE to KSA became a flash point when wild speculation hit the internet that the Public Investment Fund had supposedly purchased WWE. The PIF didn’t end up with WWE but they got the next best thing with the TKO merger.

UFC owner Ari Emanuel isn’t afraid, but should he be?

Ari Emanuel isn’t afraid of doing business with any government or any political party at any time. That’s the price of promoting your company as a quasi-government contractor.

Eddie Hearn, promoter of Matchroom Boxing, has been the most vocal supporter of promoting big fights in Saudi Arabia and has taken a verbal tongue-lashing over it on venues like Talksport. The tongue lashing doesn’t matter if the payoffs are triple the size of purse bids from other countries. Mr. Hearn’s argument sounds like recent comments from another boxing promoter, Todd DuBoef.

Promoting the upcoming Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou fight at the end of October, Mr. DuBoef revealed to Gareth Davies a sense of confidence mixed with a sense of inevitability that all of KSA’s resources for investment in combat sports is an unstoppable force.

“Look at the soccer players getting [hired]. Headlines last week that they’re going to be finalists for the World Cup. Formula 1. Formula E. WWE. They are now becoming and are able to establish themselves as a hub of global entertainment. As a child of Las Vegas, that’s what Las Vegas and Caesars Palace was, right? They [used] boxing as that mechanism, to draw people in, to draw global attention but on a way bigger level.”

The timing of Mr. DuBoef’s comments about KSA promoting fights like Caesars Palace in Vegas ignited a curious flashback for this experienced fight fan. 

1993 Fan Man incident presents scary possibilities

Caesars Palace happened to have a very high profile security incident in 1993 with a motorized paraglider that would change the way major sporting venues analyzed risk assessments. 

The 1993 “Fan Man” fight between Riddick Bowe and Evander Holyfield.

There’s a generation of American fight fans who were born after the 9/11 attacks. They don’t know of the American way of life without the Patriot Act and mass surveillance. Nobody could have conceived of a random guy parachuting into a world heavyweight title prize fight. Who would do such a thing? 

Now try to imagine the challenge of promoting “easy events” in the Middle East with paragliders and drones flying in the region. It’s great to make a buck when there’s peace. With tensions rising and political alliances fraying, promoters will now get to experience the joys of trying to cash in with big fights in mostly outdoor venues during a hot conflict.

One terrorist attack at a Saudi-backed sporting event could upend that government’s entire sports investment strategy.

The logistical complications of maintaining security for upcoming fights in venues like Riyadh is going to be a challenge for both promoters and the governments sponsoring the bouts.

As we highlighted earlier with Vince McMahon’s previous dealings with KSA, you never are really truly sure what is happening on the ground. What’s the trust factor? What happens when you have rich businessmen who have their own private security firms, some of which may not get along with the governments you’re doing business with or – even worse – accuse them of targeting their clients? Get used to hearing names like Gavin de Becker and Erik Prince.

How safe is travel to Saudi Arabia?

How secure is the airspace for flights in and out of a country like Saudi Arabia? Many airlines are cancelling flights in and out of Israel. You never know when an airport becomes a prime target of attack. Interesting times in Cairo, Istanbul, and Dubai.

The US State Department as of July 13 rates the risk of travel to Saudi Arabia as “Level 3 – Reconsider Travel” and that was before the Yom Kippur attacks on Israel.

According to Forbes, “this spring, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Tourism quietly ordered the removal of all security checkpoints for vehicles and guests at tourism lodging facilities, according to Michael O’Rourke, CEO of Advanced Operational Concepts, a security consulting firm.

“‘This mandated change was not the result of an improved security situation or a reduced risk of terrorism,’ he says. ‘The removal of these defenses has created a security gap you can drive a heavily-laden truck through.’”

That same Forbes piece highlighted another risk of travel to the Kingdom, “‘The country is also known for its surveillance of telephone and electronic communications’, says Dale Buckner, a travel security expert and CEO of Global Guardian.

“‘Travelers should assume that communication is monitored at all times,’ he says. ‘Hotel rooms may also be subject to surveillance and can be accessed without the consent of the guest. Electronic devices may be screened by customs officials on arrival and departure.’”

Running a major combat sports fight in an outdoor venue during a hot war is a massively appealing target to anyone looking to cause trouble and send a message to the world. Emotions can run high, especially among office staff and fighters. Policies and procedures you hoped to avoid come into play. Take for example Dana White’s recent comments about UFC “ending” their flag ban.

“Everybody’s too soft, everybody’s too sensitive about everything. When the decision was made to do this, I was just like, ‘Eh, what’s the big deal if they don’t have flags?’ Mexican Independence Day flipped the switch and I was like, ‘That’s enough of the no flags thing.’ Flags are back. If any flags hurt your feelings, too f*cking bad.”

Try waving the Israeli or Palestinian flag right now at a UFC show on foreign soil and see how flexible TKO is on their speech & expression policy when tensions flare up. All you have to do is go on Twitter and take a look at some of the comments directed by various fighters and agents towards each other.

Once you start signing contracts with Middle Eastern governments to represent their interests, you assume the risk and absorb the chaos. There will be a growing list of conscientious objectors who will simply say they want no part of this.

In the immortal words of Bobby Heenan, “there are no friends, only enemies!”

This post was originally published on the Bloody Elbow Substack on October 11.