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On today's episode of The Luke Thomas Live Chat, we'll examine Topuria vs. Tsarukyan, the UFC in 2026, what to do with the women's side of the sport and more.

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In this episode of The Fighter and the Kid, Brendan and Bryan sit down with comedian and wrestler Nick Simmons, who joins right as the guys finally address the years of Reddit hate, online criticism, and the wild narratives fans have created about the show.

They dive into the hilarious but eye-opening ways women underestimate real strength, why self-defense fantasies don’t match physics, and how pepper spray, bear spray, and knives work in real-world scenarios.

Nick shares his insane PCP pandemic home-intruder story — including the break-ins, the stairwell fight, the loose slice of pizza, and the moment the cops let the guy go… right before he bit one officer’s nose and an EMT’s Achilles tendon.

They compare this to the Anthony Smith intruder fight, breaking down why meth and PCP shut off the “governor” in the brain and create freak-level strength.

From there, the guys get into Mongolian and Polynesian genetics, strength competitions, football concussions, stingers, and the brutal gap between normal athletes and genetic freaks.

Nick also opens up about moving from NYC to Austin, meeting his girlfriend’s intimidating dad, being a regular at iconic NYC clubs, and the new comedic grind of trying to get passed at The Comedy Mothership.

The guys finish by roasting each other’s outfits, shoes, and the chaos of performing comedy while your friends try to mess with your head backstage.

A funny, honest, chaotic episode with one of the best young comics in Austin.

DraftKings - Download the DraftKings Pick6 app now and use code FIGHTER. That’s code FIGHTER — New DraftKings customers can play just $5, and get $50 in Pick6 credits.

O'Reilly Auto Parts- https://oreillyauto.com/FIGHTER

True Classic - True Classic - Upgrade your wardrobe and save on @trueclassic at https://trueclassic.com/fighter ! #trueclassicpod

Magic Mind - https://magicmind.com/

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of The Fighter and the Kid, Brendan and Bryan sit down with comedian and wrestler Nick Simmons, who joins right as the guys finally address the years of Reddit hate, online criticism, and the wild narratives fans have created about the show.

They dive into the hilarious but eye-opening ways women underestimate real strength, why self-defense fantasies don’t match physics, and how pepper spray, bear spray, and knives work in real-world scenarios.

Nick shares his insane PCP pandemic home-intruder story — including the break-ins, the stairwell fight, the loose slice of pizza, and the moment the cops let the guy go… right before he bit one officer’s nose and an EMT’s Achilles tendon.

They compare this to the Anthony Smith intruder fight, breaking down why meth and PCP shut off the “governor” in the brain and create freak-level strength.

From there, the guys get into Mongolian and Polynesian genetics, strength competitions, football concussions, stingers, and the brutal gap between normal athletes and genetic freaks.

Nick also opens up about moving from NYC to Austin, meeting his girlfriend’s intimidating dad, being a regular at iconic NYC clubs, and the new comedic grind of trying to get passed at The Comedy Mothership.

The guys finish by roasting each other’s outfits, shoes, and the chaos of performing comedy while your friends try to mess with your head backstage.

A funny, honest, chaotic episode with one of the best young comics in Austin.

DraftKings - Download the DraftKings Pick6 app now and use code FIGHTER. That’s code FIGHTER — New DraftKings customers can play just $5, and get $50 in Pick6 credits.

O'Reilly Auto Parts- https://oreillyauto.com/FIGHTER

True Classic - True Classic - Upgrade your wardrobe and save on @trueclassic at https://trueclassic.com/fighter ! #trueclassicpod

Magic Mind - https://magicmind.com/

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of The Fighter and the Kid, Brendan and Bryan sit down with comedian and wrestler Nick Simmons, who joins right as the guys finally address the years of Reddit hate, online criticism, and the wild narratives fans have created about the show.

They dive into the hilarious but eye-opening ways women underestimate real strength, why self-defense fantasies don’t match physics, and how pepper spray, bear spray, and knives work in real-world scenarios.

Nick shares his insane PCP pandemic home-intruder story — including the break-ins, the stairwell fight, the loose slice of pizza, and the moment the cops let the guy go… right before he bit one officer’s nose and an EMT’s Achilles tendon.

They compare this to the Anthony Smith intruder fight, breaking down why meth and PCP shut off the “governor” in the brain and create freak-level strength.

From there, the guys get into Mongolian and Polynesian genetics, strength competitions, football concussions, stingers, and the brutal gap between normal athletes and genetic freaks.

Nick also opens up about moving from NYC to Austin, meeting his girlfriend’s intimidating dad, being a regular at iconic NYC clubs, and the new comedic grind of trying to get passed at The Comedy Mothership.

The guys finish by roasting each other’s outfits, shoes, and the chaos of performing comedy while your friends try to mess with your head backstage.

A funny, honest, chaotic episode with one of the best young comics in Austin.

DraftKings - Download the DraftKings Pick6 app now and use code FIGHTER. That’s code FIGHTER — New DraftKings customers can play just $5, and get $50 in Pick6 credits.

O'Reilly Auto Parts- https://oreillyauto.com/FIGHTER

True Classic - True Classic - Upgrade your wardrobe and save on @trueclassic at https://trueclassic.com/fighter ! #trueclassicpod

Magic Mind - https://magicmind.com/

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sean Ross Sapp (@SeanRossSapp) and Alex Pawlowski (@AlexSourGraps) review tonight’s episode of AEW Dynamite, November 26, 2025 including: -The Opps Celebrate New AEW World Champion Samoa Joe -Kyle Fletcher vs. Kazuchika Okada in a Continental Classic Gold League Match -Darby Allin vs. Kevin Knight in a Continental Classic Gold League Match -Jon Moxley vs. Mascara Dorada in a Continental Classic Blue League Match -Babes of Wrath (Willow Nightingale & Harley Cameron) vs. Sisters of Sin (Skye Blue & Julia Hart) in an AEW Women's World Tag Team Championship Tournament Quarterfinal - What is up with the title belts and the C2? - Toni Storm meets Moxley Grab your EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to http://nordvpn.com/fightful to get a Huge Discount off your NordVPN Plan + a Bonus Gift! It’s completely risk free with Nord’s 30 day money-back guarantee! ➼ https://nordvpn.com/fightful Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee! If you want to bet on Wrestling, or any other sport, check out our new partner where we get ALL of our odds! https://mybookie.website/joinwithFIGHTFUL and use the promo code FIGHTFUL. Deposit $100, get $50. Go in with $200, and they’ll make it $100!

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Arman Tsarukyan and Kyoji Horiguchi both reestablished themselves as top contenders. Ian Garry reestablished himself as the guy who sort of makes other middleweights look mediocre, sometimes.

Completely changing our tune on Bo Nickal--PLUS the return of Heavy Henka with Miguel Class--all on our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/heavyhands

Predatory instinct: how Max Holloway attacks: https://open.substack.com/pub/facepunching/p/predatory-instinct-how-max-holloway?r=evbq&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false

Heavy Hands merch: https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/64577943?asc=u

CONTENTS

00:00 Intro 5:19 Tsarukyan vs Hooker 23:06 Garry vs Muhammad 48:15 Horiguchi vs Ulanbekov 57:55 Orolbai vs Hermansson 1:05:45 Riley vs Grad