Level Change Podcast

Hey, kids. We start the episode in true Haterus Maximus form, celebrating the downfall and disgrace of truly horrible people. We’re good at it, and they suck. No tears for them in this dojo.

But after that, we cut right into the meat of the week with Dana White being asked about Conor McGregor’s next fight while in Ireland as Conor McGregor was in New York. Whoops! That was awkward. Sorta. The verdict? It might as well have been the verbal equivalent of the shrug emoji.

Then, it’s the lamentable case of one Tom Aspinall being the backup fighter for Jon Jones vs Stipe Miocic, and the cancellation of former UFC bantamweight champ Aljamain Sterling vs Movsar Evloev.

Remember Matt Serra? Man, did he hate the way Tim Welch cornered Sean O’Malley. And Deiveson Figuereido got all the smoke for everybody while shoving Umar Nurmagomedov aside in the pecking order. And Dillon Danis is gonna need to get a CDL to pay his lawyers, because his last legal team just dropped him.

Kevin Lee is fighting again (yes, that Kevin Lee). But don’t worry, we’ll end on a nice note regarding Paddy Pimblett inhaling a bunch of chicken wings.

We sincerely hope you enjoy the episode and that you'll give us yourpatronage with a subscription, and that you’ll continue listeningevery week. If you have questions, comments or suggestions, pleasefeel free to reach out. Thank you all so very much. We appreciateevery one of you.

Please consider becoming a paid member for bonus episodes and other fun perks, as well as for some ice cream money. Because we love ice cream.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.com/subscribe

Hey, kids! We kinda went a little off-road this week, seeing as the life of one Sean Combs was unraveling after his arrest and subsequent court hearing. We dive into a bit of that and all the weird stuff that happens when rich guys that are unaccountable to anyone actually face consequences for their actions for the first time in their lives.

But don’t worry, we had plenty to address regarding UFC 306. Not just the business side of it all, but the Sphere itself, the perils of using a venue like that for fights, as well as the fights themselves.

How good was that undercard? The title fights may not have been what most fans expected or wanted, but there’s plenty to talk about there as well. Also, Irene Aldana had her face split open in what may be the worst cut in MMA history.

Go ahead, download now.

We sincerely hope you enjoy the episode and that you'll give us yourpatronage with a subscription, and that you’ll continue listeningevery week. If you have questions, comments or suggestions, pleasefeel free to reach out. Thank you all so very much. We appreciateevery one of you.

Please consider becoming a paid member for bonus episodes and other fun perks, as well as for some ice cream money. Because we love ice cream.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.com

Are you ready for the Sphere? Not sure that anyone is, but we’re glad to give you our best possible analysis of what UFC 306 brings to the table and how it’s gonna shake out. There’s a lot to like here, with some true up and coming talent and a pair of title fights at the top.

But before that, we touch on Henry Cejudo and Sean O’Malley making some rathe…

Hey, how about that Sphere! It’s looking real Hollywood for the UFC right now! Oh, wait… (presses finger to receiver in ear) oh, dear. Turns out Dana White isn’t quite as bullish on his prior prognostications regarding what a smash hit the UFC-Noche-Riyadh-of-Vegas-But-Totally-Not-Mexico is going to be.

But hey, they still got money coming in and Conor McGregor is going to return in early 2025, as per Dana White. Or will he?? Because we don’t have too much faith in that, baby. We’re not just tapping the sign, our position’s in the title and will remain so until further notice.

Speaking of McGregor, Belal Muhammad doesn’t have a single iota of interest in fighting him. And his reasoning is sound. Finally, we show some love to Mikey Muscumeci after his horrible ordeal that sidelined him from his match in last week’s ONE Championship event in Denver.

Get better, kid. You’re a good egg.

We sincerely hope you enjoy the episode and that you'll give us yourpatronage with a subscription, and that you’ll continue listeningevery week. If you have questions, comments or suggestions, pleasefeel free to reach out. Thank you all so very much. We appreciateevery one of you.

Please consider becoming a paid member for bonus episodes and other fun perks, as well as for some ice cream money. Because we love ice cream.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.com

Alright, kids. We gotta be real here, this card is not the prettiest. But it’s got some very fun action action bouts and some talents to really keep a close eye on. We break down the latest batch of Apex fights, but not before we address the farcical idea of Conor McGregor running for any kind of elected office, anywhere on the planet.

We’re also joined …

What’s good, kids? Thank you all for your patience as we took some much needed time off, because there’s so much to dig through now that we’re back. It’s all unmitigated gall and delusion served up in the biggest KFC bucket possible.

And just who are the people we’re most concerned with? Well, Michael Chandler is still refusing to hold the L, continuing to sell us on a fight that’s way overdue. Meanwhile, Darren Till is talking big like he’s still doing what he was doing in 2015. Also, Alex Pereira is eyeing an opportunity to return to his old stomping grounds at middleweight. I’mma keep it real with you, chief… we’re not big fans of that idea. But there’s a lot to consider about it and it looks like some seeds are being planted here.

And did you hear about the upcoming Bellator event this weekend? No? We talk about how it’s easy to miss and why exactly it’s looking far less Hollywood than what it should be. Also, we get a little sad discussing the latest debacle in which former UFC champ (and show favorite) Jessica Andrade is accusing her former manager of embezzling around $2 million dollars from under her.

Glad to be back, even if it means carving through the unpleasantness.

We sincerely hope you enjoyed the episode and that you'll give us yourpatronage with a subscription, and that you’ll continue listeningevery week. If you have questions, comments or suggestions, pleasefeel free to reach out. Thank you all so very much. We appreciateevery one of you.

Please consider becoming a paid member for bonus episodes and other fun perks, as well as for some ice cream money. Because we love ice cream.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.com/subscribe

This week, we’ve got UFC Vegas: Cannonier vs Borralho, which doubles as both a very consequential showcase for two top middleweights as well as another TUF finale.

What’s that? Oh, you didn’t watch this past season? Don’t worry, neither did we. In fact, there may not have been too many people watching that one. But lucky for us we do have some interesting fights with some solid bangers mixed in with what can reasonably be expected to be some pretty awful duds. But the fights that are good are really, really good.

Also, we take a break at the end to talk PFL and why in the world their footprint isn’t any larger or deeper. It really seems like the fighters are being done a disservice. But you know who’s not being done a disservice? You, the listener. Hope you love this episode and spread the word for us to keep building this community as we talk fights and make your day a little brighter.

UFC Vegas 96 Main Card

* Jared Cannonier vs. Caio Borralho 185 lbs

* Angela Hill vs. Tabatha Ricci 115 lbs

* Ryan Loder vs. Robert Valentin 185 lbs

* Michael Morales vs. Neil Magny 170 lbs

* Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Gerald Meerschaert 185 lbs

UFC Vegas 96 Prelims

* Dennis Buzukja vs. Francis Marshall 145 lbs

* José Medina vs. Zach Reese 185 lbs

* Viacheslav Borshchev vs. James Llontop 155 lbs

* Josiane Nunes vs. Jacqueline Cavalcanti 135 lbs

* Zygimantas Ramaska vs. Nathan Fletcher 145 lbs

* Cong Wang vs. Victoria Leonardo 125 lbs

UFC Vegas 96 Fun Factoids:

* Ranked fights: 2

* Ranked fighters: 5

* Fighters coming off losses: 7

* Contender Series alumni: 7

* TUF alumni: 5

* Debuting fighters: 3

* Road to UFC alumni: 1

We sincerely hope you enjoyed the episode and that you'll give us yourpatronage with a subscription, and that you’ll continue listeningevery week. If you have questions, comments or suggestions, pleasefeel free to reach out. Thank you all so very much. We appreciateevery one of you.

Please consider becoming a paid member for bonus episodes and other fun perks, as well as for some ice cream money. Because we love ice cream.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.com/subscribe

We witnessed another bonkers performance from UFC middleweight champ Dricus Du Plessis, as he managed to shock the world, yet again, with a submission win over Israel Adesanya, of all things. That card had some bright spots that really needed to be highlighted, and we make sure to do just that. We even said some nice things about the rankings for once!

But wait! We also discuss the potential implications of the new court date in the Zuffa lawsuit. Plus, Manny Pacquiao may be the luckiest man in combat sports this week after an utterly absurd situation where he dodged a big, big legal mess.

Tom Aspinall is amazing in the cage, but it turns out his talk is just as lethal. Finally, for some reason we took detours in to what the hell is going on with Alicia Silverstone and the constant embarrassments of one Oscar De La Hoya.

We sincerely hope you enjoy the episode and that you'll give us yourpatronage with a subscription, and that you’ll continue listeningevery week. If you have questions, comments or suggestions, pleasefeel free to reach out. Thank you all so very much. We appreciateevery one of you.

Please consider becoming a paid member for bonus episodes and other fun perks, as well as for some ice cream money. Because we love ice cream.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.com/subscribe

We break down UFC 305 this week, with a lovely little card in Australia.

Dan Hooker and Mateusz Gamrot face off in an absolute banger at lightweight, with Kai Kara-France and Steve Erceg in the co-main at flyweight. And the main event? A middleweight title clash with Dricus Du Plessis venturing into enemy territory to face former champ Israel Adesanya.

Not too much in the way of heavyweights on this one, and there’s a ton of local flavor here, too. With some guaranteed action fighters plugged in, this is definitely more of an action-forward card here. Some bouts have more divisional relevance than others, and it should be a good one.

What will the main event look like? We look at how the vibes have shifted for both fighters recently and wonder what we’re into here. Where does the loser go? Do things fare much better for the actual winner? Find out as we talk about it all right here.

Here’s the card in full:

UFC 305

Main card:

* Dricus Du Plessis  vs.  Israel Adesanya 185 lbs

* Kai Kara-France  vs.  Steve Erceg 125 lbs

* Mateusz Gamrot  vs.  Dan Hooker 155 lbs

* Tai Tuivasa  vs.  Jairzinho Rozenstruik 265 lbs

* Jingliang Li  vs.  Carlos Prates 170 lbs

Prelims:

* Junior Tafa  vs.  Valter Walker 265 lbs

* Josh Culibao  vs.  Ricardo Ramos 145 lbs

* Casey O'Neill  vs.  Luana Santos 125 lbs

* Jack Jenkins  vs.  Herbert Burns 145 lbs

* Tom Nolan  vs.  Alex Reyes 155 lbs

* Kenan Song  vs.  Ricky Glenn 170 lbs

* Stewart Nicoll  vs.  Jesus Aguilar 125 lbs

Fun Factoids:

* Ranked fights: 4

* Ranked fighters: 9

* Fighters coming off losses: 15

* Contender Series alumni: 5

* TUF alumni: 1

* Debuting fighters: 1 (Nicoll)

We sincerely hope you enjoyed the episode and that you'll give us yourpatronage with a subscription, and that you’ll continue listeningevery week. If you have questions, comments or suggestions, pleasefeel free to reach out. Thank you all so very much. We appreciateevery one of you.

Please consider becoming a paid member for bonus episodes and other fun perks, as well as for some ice cream money. Because we love ice cream.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit levelchangepodcast.substack.com

In case you were not paying attention, Dana White clearly hates the idea of awarding fights based on merit. Instead, he’d rather beat the same old tired drum of “Jon Jones will face nobody but Stipe Miocic, Amen.” That kind of sucks for fans of the promotion because Tom Aspinall is right there! More importantly, he has the interim belt—so it would make …