Fitz and a Fighter

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On the newest episode of Fitz Nation, Fitz is joined by veteran MMA bookmaker and pro bettor Nick Kalikas. Nick is a former sport karate world champion who competed in martial arts. After his competition days were over, he had a chance to work as a bookmaker in Costa Rica for a sports book and create odds for UFC and MMA fights.

Catch Nick as a main betting analyst on "UFC On The Line" and his podcast "The Gambler's Perspective" with Gianni the Greek.  Both are on UFC Fight Pass!

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Fitz welcomes UFC veteran and MMA coach Din Thomas to the studio to talk about living a sober lifestyle.

Both Fitz and Din were all about having a few drinks and enjoying a good time for years, but both went sober starting in 2020.

Din talks about realizing he was drinking too much, the shift in mindset, the enjoyment of having no “crutch” with alcohol, and also why he quit as head coach at American Top Team.

Catch Din on his podcast "The Lover and the Fighter" on UFC Fight Pass Podcast Central!

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Fitz catches up with good friend Gianni "The Greek" to talk about the wild world of sports betting.  Gianni is a Philly native who started booking bets before he got out of high school and just continued down the same path.

He eventually found his way to Las Vegas where he was known as "Vegas Runner" and worked with major betting syndicates for decades.

Now, while continuing in the pro sports betting world, he has also joined UFC Fight Pass as a betting analyst for UFC On The Line, giving fans the sharpest takes and letting them in on UFC picks for the biggest events.

Catch Gianni on his podcast with Nick Kalikas "The Gambler's Perspective" on UFC Fight Pass Podcast Central.

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In this episode, Fitz catches up with Fortis MMA head coach Sayif Saud to talk about Ryan Spann's upcoming main event vs. Nikita Krylov.  They also talk about the heavyweight debut of Jon Jones as UFC 285 approaches.

Then, Jeff Novitzky joins the show to clear up the situation regarding Islam Makhachev at UFC 284 and the rules surrounding UFC fighter IV use.  They also discuss more USADA matters as the quest to keep the sport clean is always evolving.

Finally, Fitz caught up with Erin Blanchfield the day before her main event vs. Jessica Andrade to chat about the new spotlight on her career and all things New Jersey!

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While in Bristol, Connecticut to cover UFC 284 at ESPN headquarters, Fitz catches up with light heavyweight contender Anthony Smith.

Smith has an upcoming main event vs. Johnny Walker in May, a fight that has been talked about for awhile as a potential match-up that appears to finally be coming together.

They also talk about career longevity for fighters, how Smith has generated headlines through his work in media and more!

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Jon Anik joins the show before he hops on the call for UFC 284 to discuss finding his sports broadcast career, voicing opinions publicly, what it was like being an identical twin, changes in being the top UFC voice, how he built career skills, and the challenges of a UFC broadcast.

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Fitz is back with good friend Laura Sanko to chat about her upcoming gig as part of the UFC commentary team at UFC Vegas 68 with John Gooden and Michael Bisping.

Laura has been a part of the UFC broadcast team for years, but primarily serving in the reporting role on UFC Fight Nights and then helping to launch Dana White's Contender Series.

What's surprising to many is finding out that Laura did not come up the ranks as a sports TV reporter, but in the MMA world.  She fought one professional fight (she won) before becoming pregnant and retiring from competition.

But, she has continued to train through the years while growing her broadcasting career.  Being an analyst on a UFC broadcast has been a goal of hers for a long time and now she has that chance!

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Fitz strings together a few interviews during fight week at UFC Vegas 67.

Included on the show:

Veteran MMA coach Sayif Saud on UFC 283, coaching Brandon Moreno and the focus for his team at Fortis MMA after winning 2022 Gym of the Year from MMA Junkie.

Heidi Androl on celebrating firsts in 2023 and what her journey has been like covering MMA since 2009.

Harrison Green, who joined the UFC social media team at 20-years-old, on the bullet points to grow your following and what the UFC does well on social media.

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Fitz launches 2023 with a whole new outlook on Fitz Nation.

He details changes to the format of the show, going beyond just 1-on-1 interviews with newsmakers in the UFC.

On this and future episodes, you can expect segments like Q&A, fight previews for upcoming events, recurring guests, shorter interviews and much more.  The possibilities are endless!

Of course, Fitz Nation is streaming on UFC Fight Pass, and some of the new segments will be more video-focused.  The audio version of the show will share the best segments that work in your earbuds.

It's an exciting time and I think UFC fans will love some of this new content!  Happy New Year!

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Renato Moicano is back in the UFC lightweight rankings after his huge win at UFC 281 in New York City over Brad Riddell.  His first round submission was impressive and then he added to the moment by one of the most energizing and memorable post-fight interviews of 2022 with Joe Rogan.

Moicano has been a pro fighter since 2010, quitting law school in his home city of Brasilia to pursue MMA full time.  At both featherweight and lightweight in the UFC, he has been in fights with some of the biggest names, like Rafael dos Anjos, Jose Aldo, Brian Ortega, Cub Swanson, The Korean Zombie and others.


Included in this episode:

• how new popularity has changed Renato’s life (the value of learning to speak English) 
• upbringing in Brasilia (his father’s strong work ethic, growing up in an upper middle class family)
• deciding to become a fighter instead of going to law school
• what drew him to fighting (street-fighting uncles, getting in his first fight at six years old, story of his first pro fight)
• the feeling of freedom in fighting (how his third fight propelled him)
• keeping his passion and joy despite the pressure
• reflecting on big moments in his career (Jeremy Stephens fight, losses, Brad Riddell win)
• developing his public persona (speaking in third-person, being called “Mohawk”, having a healthy relationship with money)

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