Level Change Podcast

Another Abu Dhabi card, so you know what that means: a solid PPV with some outstanding matchups. We’ve got Ghost on board from Phantom Punch Breakdowns to give a more detailed analysis on some of these, specifically the main and co-main events featuring Max Holloway vs Ilia Topuria and Robert Whittaker vs Khamzat Chimaev.

But there’s more fights of consequence, as well. We’ve got Aleksandar Rakic facing Magomed Ankalaev at light heavyweight, and UK dynamo Lerone Murphy against Dan “50K“ Ige. It’s a solid event with some of the best matchups on paper that can be made right now, and we carve through that thing like a pumpkin. Enjoy!

UFC 308 Fight Card:

* Ilia Topuria  vs.  Max Holloway 145 lbs

* Robert Whittaker  vs.  Khamzat Chimaev 185 lbs

* Magomed Ankalaev  vs.  Aleksandr Rakić 205 lbs

* Lerone Murphy  vs.  Dan Ige 145 lbs

* Shara Magomedov  vs.  Armen Petrosyan 185 lbs

* Ibo Aslan  vs.  Rafael Cerqueira 205 lbs

* Geoff Neal  vs.  Rafael dos Anjos 170 lbs

* Myktybek Orolbai  vs.  Mateusz Rębecki 155 lbs

* Abus Magomedov  vs.  Bruno Ferreira 185 lbs

* Kennedy Nzechukwu  vs.  Chris Barnett 265 lbs

* Farid Basharat  vs.  Victor Hugo 135 lbs

* Bruno Silva  vs.  Ismail Naurdiev 185 lbs

* Rinat Fakhretdinov  vs.  Carlos Leal 170 lbs

UFC 308 Fun Factoids

* Ranked Fights: 5

* Ranked fighters: 10

* Fighters coming off losses: 8

* Contender Series alumni: 8

* TUF alumni: 1 (Whittaker)

* Debuting fighters: 3 (Cerquiera, Naurdiev, Leal)

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Welp, another UFC Vegas weekend has come and gone. It was what it was, a mixed bag. We take a quick look at how that went and how good or not good that was. But PFL had a very consequential show that somehow leaves us with waaaaaaaaay more questions than answers.

Who does Francis even fight now? What about Cyborg? And how does the PFL actually make their PPVs profitable? Do they even need for the PPVs to be lucrative if the rest of the product is still viable? Plus, a little dream matchmaking that gets sad when you realize that an essential part of it involves a party that refuses to either co-promote or do tournaments.

But that’s not all! Ilia Topuria is very confident ahead of his title defense against Max Holloway this weekend. But is he putting the cart before the horse by aiming for more belts already? Also, what’s the deal with Tatiana Suarez and her latest injury withdrawal? Finally, Kamaru Usman says he’s got gold in the vault with an unreleased podcast encounter with Belal Muhammad, but he’s putting up some absurd conditions for that to see the light of day.

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You’re not gonna believe this, but a very dumb guy said a very dumb thing. Also, it’s not totally noteworthy every time someone misses weight, but a particular situation ahead of this weekend’s UFC card is a bigger problem than most cases.

Not only do we get into the latest musings of one Brendan Schaub surrounding the potential return of Donald Cerrone,…

So, what are we looking at this week? First: Florida Man does Florida Man things, again. MMA fighter that retired decides he’s no longer retired. Again. Another retired MMA trailblazer defies calls for retirement. Again.

But that’s not all! Jamahal Hill decides that he needs to explain his post-fight gesture at UFC 307 in the least necessary explanation in recent memory. And it’s a terrible look. And look out: Dana White is absolutely, positively mad that the ranking system his organization set up is incompetent at best. Glad he finally got the memo, huh?

Finally… come on. Conor McGregor is never fighting again.

We sincerely hope you enjoy listening and that you'll give us your patronage with a subscription. If you have questions, comments or suggestions, please feel free to reach out. Thank you all so very much. We appreciate every one of you.

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It’s a very bad week for a UFC event with a lineup that’s below paltry for various reasons. But we do at least get a banger of a main event well worth our time. But the news of the week is weird, as well.

First off, Conor McGregor may be going to trial in Ireland. It’s looking very likely. But is he throwing up a smoke screen by announcing how badly he now wants to fight Michael Chandler after Chandler has moved on? And on top of that, proposing settling the score with Nate Diaz and Dustin Poirier?

We also look at some of the recent releases from the UFC roster, including longtime mainstays like Ovince St. Preux and Rick Glenn. After that, it’s a weird and winding road trying to make sense of BKFC’s David Feldman’s claims about how his organization actually sells out all their events.

Also, a look at Kayla Harrison in a gargantuan display of grace and class as a response to PFL doing her dirty on fight night.

We sincerely hope you enjoy listening and that you'll give us your patronage with a subscription. If you have questions, comments or suggestions, please feel free to reach out. Thank you all so very much. We appreciate every one of you.

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Conor McGregor is everywhere except in church or in a gym these days, and now it seems he’s been offered Justin Gaethje a handful of times and turned that down. Sucks for us, it’s a banger. Shame it won’t happen…. or will it?

And what was a promising card on paper didn’t quite deliver in practice, but at least the main event made up for it. Funny part is, it almost didn’t happen due to Alex Pereira suffering the plagues of Job in his camp. Kayla Harrison also had a rough road to her fight, and it got ugly fast.

And former champ Amanda Nunes was watching that bantamweight championship match. Was she impressed? Not sure. But she seems to want back in, and we wanna see it.

Finally, some sad news from the lawsuits against the UFC. The testimonies from the fighters are bleak, and they really need serious help.

We sincerely hope you enjoy listening and that you'll give us your patronage with a subscription. If you have questions, comments or suggestions, please feel free to reach out. Thank you all so very much. We appreciate every one of you.

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This is another fun one with another exceptional guest. The one and only Dan Tom joins us to break down UFC 307 in what should be an action-packed event with so much to look forward to.

Dan’s perspective is great, and we managed to have a ton of fun analyzing this card from top to bottom. Free listeners get the prelims, but there’s almost an hour of bonu…

We’re joined this episode by none other than Alana McLaughlin, trailblazing MMA fighter and tireless advocate for equality. We get to discuss the new documentary “Unfightable“, which chronicles her struggle to get into MMA and the price she’s paid for doing so.

There’s a lot to chew on here, but as usual with Alana, there’s some really fun moments. She was kind enough to stick around for the rest of the episode to discuss a few headlines as well. That includes Matt Brown anointing Kayla Harrison as the new unstoppable force at bantamweight, and Julianna Peña refusing to give her any shine when it comes to the title picture.

We also discuss Jake Paul being taken to court over his serious allegations against Matchroom Boxing. It could turn out to be some very costly sour grapes. Also, did you hear about the law firm seeking litigants against as-of-yet unidentified “MMA fighters and managers” for heinous crimes? We take a look at that, as well.

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 content and other fun perks. We need some ice cream money. Because we love ice cream..

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Alright, kids… this is good. The UFC sets up shop in Paris for another Fight Night event with some truly great fights for a rabid crowd. Headlining this one will be Benoit Saint-Denis (ranked #12) facing Renato Moicano (11). It’s a tremendous bout and very fitting duel for the Parisian crowd, with the winner possibly elevated to the top 5.

Nassourdine Im…

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Today, you’re going to be treated to a Sumo spectacular featuring the honorable and always gentlemanly, Tim Bissell. In our continued coverage of the 2024 Aki Basho, Tim takes you from where we left off a week ago, all the way through the final days of this tremendous tournament. We were delighted by tons of action, sensational technique and dare we say…flamboyance from the Big Boy Brigade.

As always, there was elite talent on display, with the winner having a near perfect run, going 13-2. It was a thriller, punctuated by two retirements, with one being a record-setter. And the bouts themselves? Glorious. It all gets discussed right here. For free. On the house. Complimentary. No charge. The Continental Breakfast of podcasts.

Please remember to check out the Sumo Stomp, where Tim tirelessly devotes himself to the art of Grand Sumo and all its rich tradition.

We sincerely hope you enjoy listening and that you'll give us yourpatronage with a subscription. 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 content and other fun perks. We need 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