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January 21, 2026 • 40 mins

Ben Askren IS BACK with Daniel Cormier in another edition of Funky and the Champ! DC and Ben talk about Nate Diaz clapping back at Askren for his past comments on Nate being below average in the UFC. Plus, hear Ben try to convince DC to end his beef and rivalry with Jon Jones, imploring Cormier to move on from the back-and-forth. DC and Askren also discuss the chaos in the lightweight division between Justin Gaethje, Paddy Pimblett, Arman Tsarukyan, and the champion Ilia Topuria. Ben predicts who will win the interim belt at UFC 324, and talks about the ongoing controversy between Topuria and Tsarukyan. And don't miss the guys react to the viral AI video that they made of DC, Khabib, and Islam, Ilia Topuria's fight plan for 2026, and Conor McGregor's next fights in the UFC!

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Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
Ben, I don't have much voice. I don't have much voice.
But hey, you see me in this white shirt. Don't
not look angelic?

Speaker 2 (00:21):
Uh? And jel, I know you too well to ever
feel like you'll be angelic, So just normal. Well, we'll
try to play you back from the dark side. They
got me, so maybe we'll get you too.

Speaker 1 (00:33):
Hey, you can't make jokes about that, man?

Speaker 2 (00:38):
Why not?

Speaker 1 (00:39):
Because okay, we can't make jokes about it. I don't
think we're in a clear a little bit. Hey, Ben, So,
how's everything I was? I was life, I was everything.
It's been a couple of weeks now we did this. Hey,
the reception to us doing our podcast again was very
very good. I enjoyed that. I like people seem to
be happy that you were back with In reality, a
lot of times you pissing them off.

Speaker 2 (01:00):
Bit you would be well, you know what you know
I pissed them off is because you know it's your
fault you make me say the things. Although I would
like you could I address the controversy for the last time,
go ahead, because you know, well, okay, so well, two things.
Number one, heel that you just died, are you're still
going to be a hater, and it's like, okay, number one,
I don't really I wasn't really making an opinion. I
was making a statement of facts. So and also, just

(01:22):
because you die doesn't mean you can't live anymore. What
do you mean, Well, I made a statement of fact
about nath Dieza's record, and I said it's average, and
so like, I'll just give you an example if you said,
if Daniel said, hey, Ben, what was your record in
the ufc SA, it was one and two? You know what,
it's below average. That is below average. There's just there's
just no way to spend that. And that wasn't I
came in when I was retired. I thought three guys

(01:43):
who all filed for a title belt, but one and
two is not a good record. It's just pretty Yes, yes,
I don't know why we're debating that.

Speaker 1 (01:52):
Can you accept that? Can you and you accept that freely?
Not a problem? No? I mean like, but do you
think that that's what the problem is? Do you feel
like Nate accepted on These fans don't accept it?

Speaker 2 (02:02):
Well, I don't.

Speaker 1 (02:03):
Uh.

Speaker 2 (02:04):
They did threaten a lung lung transparent patient. That was
kind of funny.

Speaker 1 (02:08):
He did.

Speaker 2 (02:09):
You didn't say he didn't say long transplants and long
long wait wait wait wait.

Speaker 1 (02:13):
Wait wait wow.

Speaker 2 (02:15):
The Louise fight, he said something Louise, I don't care
for a long, transparent patient. I'll slap you or something,
which I found to be hilarious. But yeah, I mean,
like I was.

Speaker 1 (02:26):
No Louise Sin the tweet, they went at.

Speaker 2 (02:30):
You, That's what I saw. I didn't look too much
into it. So but yeah, I mean I see. If
it's just a statement of fact, that's it. No, I
think it was real. Oh boy, I never know what
these these days.

Speaker 1 (02:43):
Bro, A bet did you? Yeah?

Speaker 2 (02:47):
They got you?

Speaker 1 (02:47):
It was good. Am I that fat?

Speaker 2 (02:51):
No? Of course not. They a Dellas everything.

Speaker 1 (02:53):
And but wait, I mean I am fat. I get it.
I've put on some weight since I stopped fighting.

Speaker 2 (02:58):
I think you started working out again, aren't you the
way I am?

Speaker 1 (03:00):
I am? But I was fat when I was fighting.
But Bro, I don't think I'm that big. Louis showeda video.
You're not.

Speaker 2 (03:09):
You're not that fat?

Speaker 1 (03:11):
Showed the video, Louise. I mean, Ben, that's crazy, that's crazy.
You know what's really messed up is the Russians and I.
We have this great relationship where we make jokes. We pull,
we tugged, we push and then uh, but I mean
it's become a thing. It's taking on a life of

(03:33):
its own.

Speaker 2 (03:33):
Now, let me see a little bit. Yep, that's the tweet.
It was real. I was I was right.

Speaker 1 (03:39):
He said he's gonna slap you next time he's seen you.

Speaker 2 (03:41):
That's fine. I've been sad before.

Speaker 1 (03:44):
Look, they ben changes DC's mind about the quality of
the IDs d C. He was good in UFC. He
was sixteen to twelve. Well, that's not good. There's really no.

Speaker 2 (03:56):
Way too funny, right.

Speaker 1 (04:04):
Why do you give me across quick? The ideas too?
I got to help you. I can't let him slap you.

Speaker 2 (04:11):
It's okay. I'm getting more I'm getting more durable. I
think it'll be all right. I don't think anyone died
from a slap ever.

Speaker 1 (04:17):
You never know.

Speaker 2 (04:17):
But we can't let him slap It's okay by that time,
by the time I see anybody, because like I don't
really travel anymore, man, i'll be HiT's quick double like
lightning quick.

Speaker 1 (04:30):
But he's got great jiu jitsu.

Speaker 2 (04:32):
It's pretty good. Yeah, how many you gave him? How
many submissions did he have? You just gave him a copy.
He's got cross it's pretty good. And then I asked
you a question. I said, oh, well, you know how
many submissions did he have?

Speaker 1 (04:44):
So you're gonna base whether or not he's good jiu
jitsu on the amount of submissions.

Speaker 2 (04:47):
Yet, I mean, that's a pretty good indicator for you
want to know someone was a good pinner, you'd say, like,
how many people did he pin? Like, you know, how
many takedowns did he get? Is he good takedown guy?
I don't know how many takedowns did he get.

Speaker 1 (04:59):
Let me look at right now.

Speaker 2 (05:01):
I actually bet he's got quite a few, would be
my guests.

Speaker 1 (05:04):
But yeah, he got some submissions.

Speaker 2 (05:06):
But here's admitted Connor.

Speaker 1 (05:08):
That's at least one he submitted Connor.

Speaker 2 (05:11):
So I've hit a bunch in the beginning.

Speaker 1 (05:13):
Twelve submissions out of nineteen out of twenty one victories.

Speaker 2 (05:16):
Yes, how many? That's good.

Speaker 1 (05:18):
Yeah. And one thing he said, he's never he doesn't
get knocked out.

Speaker 2 (05:22):
Though he does not, he is no you know who
knocked him out and who asked me to come on
their podcast? And I said, I said, yes, you got
to know this. You have to know this, Dan, this
is a friend.

Speaker 1 (05:30):
Of knocked out. He didn't.

Speaker 2 (05:36):
Jake Paul is not your friend. And it went the
whole distance.

Speaker 1 (05:39):
It went the whole distance.

Speaker 2 (05:40):
Right, my friend knocked out Nate, your friend knocked out?
Ads trying to find the fighters. Yeah, yeah, I'm right.
April twenty, twenty thirteen. I bet I can almost guarantee
you were at.

Speaker 3 (05:54):
The fight twenty thirteen.

Speaker 1 (05:58):
I wasn't calling fights yet, you were not.

Speaker 2 (06:00):
But it's your buddy, and it was Thompson was there.

Speaker 1 (06:04):
Yeah, yeah he did, but he didn't knock him out.
He actually kicked him in the head and then they
threw the towel in to stop the fighting. Yeah, bro,
they tow the towel in. He didn't actually knock him out.
I remember that now. Yeah, bro, we just keep picking.

Speaker 2 (06:19):
Keep on the next topic. Get off here.

Speaker 1 (06:21):
No, no, I just you just you just you're back.
You're all the way back.

Speaker 2 (06:26):
Been asking I Actually I'm not deep into it. I
had my I hadn't had a break you know. Someone
asked me for the film, like, have you had a
breakdown yet? I didn't have one. Last Friday had a
breakdown Danielle, And it was like it was like I
was full of gratitude, and I'm just like, bro, I've
been through some ship for the last seven months. And
last Friday, three of my academies they did manager meetings

(06:48):
and stuff like that, and I was just alone the
whole day. No one was worried about me. I did
my own thing. I took care of myself. That hasn't
happened in seven months. And I'm good. And my brain
feels like I don't know if you have was actually
of an analogy for you because you're never had a
traumatic situation like this, but you know, like really.

Speaker 1 (07:06):
You're talking to me, I've had traumatic not like yours, but.

Speaker 2 (07:10):
I no, no, not like that. Hooled on, so my
brain started working again like like full full speed, almost
at least almost full speed. But you know, like when
you get you do a fight, and then you got
to camp and you know you probably still trained a
little bit, but he didn't train as hard yep, Okay,
So then you get back and when you when you
start back, feel like it's just a little bit slower things.
Timing's off a little bit, it's not super clicking, right, yes,

(07:30):
and you know, you know at some point during this camp,
she's just gonna start clicking right, and then you know,
sometimes it takes too long and you're getting little nervous
and you're like, damn, fights only fogs away and stuff's
not clicking, and one day just boom, it clicks.

Speaker 1 (07:42):
Yep, that's what it felt like.

Speaker 2 (07:44):
That's right, And what did you do? I start crying, bro,
really dude, you like, for seven months, I haven't really
been able to take care of myself like that, like
really fully, and my brain wasn't functioning really fully. Like
I was here, but I wasn't. I wasn't all the
way here, and now you're all the way back. All

(08:04):
the way is maybe at least my final clarity. Maybe
not physically, brain feels yet my brain feels very very
all the way there now. Where it was like it
was just like I would get really tired, or it
would be like I couldn't handle nearly the volume or
the load of things that I wanted to deal with it.
I always I felt the level of guilt because to
everyone else, I'm still me, right, but you know now

(08:26):
people want me to help with academy stuff or help
coaching or whatever, and it's like I just literally can't.
I couldn't handle it. You know, so I would try
to not do it, but I would just you know,
I'd struggle through it a lot.

Speaker 1 (08:37):
Yeah, Ben, where I'm happy for you, man, that makes
me really happy.

Speaker 2 (08:41):
Yeah that is.

Speaker 1 (08:44):
I can imagine. It was one of the best feelings
you've had in the real long time. And I'm telling
you just even the fact that you were doing stuff
prior to that. To get that back, yeah awesome. But
what I'm also not surprised is the moment you find
that clarity, you decide you're gonna use that brain to
start fucking people again on Twitter.

Speaker 2 (09:05):
Well, twin I was, I had such a great day
and then I got home and I there in my
family who got still of the couch and there was
two big ten matches and I'm just sitting there and
my family's like, you know, they're kind of into the wrestling,
but you know they're watching it and we're hanging out,
and I'm just firing two weeks away because see, Iowa
fans this one thing. So when when you're trolling someone,
it only works good listen, And since you're a bully,

(09:26):
you know this more than anyone. It works the best
when people react. And like there is no one who
gets as offended as Iowa fan base. So then it
just makes me want to just keep it up and
like tease them.

Speaker 1 (09:36):
You know, yep, yep, yeah, I got one for you.
I get more offended who John Jones, John Jones.

Speaker 2 (09:43):
You know what I came on here to have. I
came on here to have a harder heart with you.
I think you should just forgive and forget John Jones.

Speaker 1 (09:50):
No, no, come on, why listen. I am not.

Speaker 2 (09:53):
I'm not saying I am not. This is not me
saying be friends of them. I don't think you tell me?
Why tell me why?

Speaker 1 (09:58):
I so?

Speaker 2 (09:59):
I think I think it takes up too much mental space.
And he's just let John do what John wants to do.
You know, I uh, I don't want to make a
judgment on Johnny's always made some really bad decisions in
his life and done some really bad things. But you know,
he might be a really good person. I don't really
know him on that level.

Speaker 1 (10:14):
He's not. He's not. Let me tell you something about
John Jones. In everyday face to face with John Jones,
it's not as nasty as you would expect to feet
him and I It really isn't. It's not like we're
like arguing all the time. We do kind of go
back and forth. Sometimes it might seem like it suggests,

(10:35):
but there's a lot of things that's underlying about it.

Speaker 2 (10:38):
Yeah, So like I'll tell you, I'll tell you what.

Speaker 1 (10:43):
He's a good friend, Like people seem to want to
talk to him, So there must be a side of
him that I don't know. Here's the problem. I don't
know that you've ever had a relationship with anyone like
the relationship ship I've had, no Christ Chris only because

(11:07):
he beats you. This day with me and Joes isn't
just because he won. It's how we won. It's how
And it's like.

Speaker 2 (11:15):
But it's not going to bring you any joy. It's
not going to bring you any joy to worry about it.

Speaker 1 (11:19):
That was like, I don't think i've here. Let me
tell you something. It was a kid that beat me
up and picked on me when I was a kid.
I remember whenever we were adults. He said to me, oh, man,
you remember when we were children, and oh we had
all these great times and these memories. And it took
me back to the childhood and I was like, yeah,

(11:41):
we had fun at times, but was that before or
after we were fighting each other all the time because
you were an asshole as a seven year old kid.
I was like, get out of my VIP section. You
don't get to hang out with me because we're still
we're not fine. It doesn't go away. Sorry. He never
said sorry. All right, and John Joe's won't sorry.

Speaker 2 (12:03):
That's why so But no, no, I'm just saying, just
for you, forget him. What did he doing?

Speaker 1 (12:07):
Think that? But it doesn't bother me. I don't care
like I don't.

Speaker 2 (12:10):
Well, I'll give you a call. I'll give you an
example of last week where people were on you about
this one. But when you said something like he won't
be great as Gables coach or something to that effect,
he said that.

Speaker 1 (12:21):
You said that, Oh yeah, I did, I did, I did.

Speaker 2 (12:25):
So listen, do you agree with me? Well, here here's
what I'm gonna saying. The factual statement of what you said.
If a coach is too egotistical doesn't play out very well,
they can't be a good coach. Right, that's true or
not that that's one hundred percent true. Now, John is
obviously in his life in very egotistical, but listen, people change,
he's grown up. He might get who knows, So we

(12:47):
don't know that. We don't know that.

Speaker 1 (12:49):
I stated a statement of fact? Is that I used that.
You said that earlier. Yet the person that I know,
the person that I know or what I have seen,
would not seem to be a great leader. Yes, but

(13:10):
also you got to understand it. I'm just coming off
of a show with him. Yeah, so I have more
information in terms of what type of coach he is.

Speaker 2 (13:19):
Okay, Well, I mean the statement of fact is some
eco too egotistical? Then if you know, if a coach
has a lot of ego, they can't take someone under
them starting to rise above them, right that they really
struggle with that, and then they can start undercutting them
and whatnot. So you know that's possible. But no, I
just think it's like, you know, it doesn't doesn't do
any good. Well, he's not my anymore, I guess. But

(13:41):
like say the thing about George Molesall, I did, I
try to think of who cares what he's doing on
a data basis or I'm just gonna do it.

Speaker 1 (13:47):
I'm actually happy, I hope on a daily basis his
life is great. Okay, I actually wish I don't wish
the harm are bad in the ways that I may
have prior. I actually know that while dude, I swear
there were times where John Jones and I had like
laughs laughs, seriously laughs at stuff, but I don't. I

(14:12):
just don't think it will lead to a moment where
there's a friendship and that's okay.

Speaker 2 (14:18):
And I don't think you should be friends with them.

Speaker 1 (14:20):
That's what people don't understand, like I think, I don't.
I don't think that it's as big a deal as
it was. Here's the thing it does, and the problem
is our arrival so big that it does generate people watching.
People want to hear about stuff, so you speak about it.
And that's really why gets brought up in regards to

(14:45):
him and I.

Speaker 2 (14:46):
Next topic every time, Next topic, next topic, and it'll
sell that.

Speaker 1 (14:51):
But he is fighting, right, he is fighting. So I
think what Dana White said the other day was probably
my greatest idea of what John Jones could do. When
Dano was asked about the fight, he said at two

(15:12):
oh five, Yes, question Mark, that would be a fight.
But can I count on John Jones. Can't have Jones
doing something bad or pulling out of the effing White House, right.
The boss is not certain that he can trust him
on such an important fight card. But I think what's

(15:33):
bigger than me is if the fight happens, he could
potentially happen at two o five. I think Jones is
better at two o five because I believe that he
has to train harder, He has to be more committed
to just get down to the weight, so you be
put in better training camps because of that. Do you
think that the fight at two oh five would be

(15:55):
better for Jones? And do you been from the outside
believe that a fight between Jones would even be competitive?

Speaker 2 (16:02):
So I think I think two or five are heavyweight.
It's it's heavy favorite Jones, which well, I think praises
is kind of a uh no lose type situation. Jones
was the best of all time, and I have a
hard time and this is dumb, but I haven't it
hasn't been proven the other way because for somehow he

(16:22):
never ends up in wrestling matches. But I just remember
Izzy out of Sonya taking him down and holding him
down for a significant portion of time, and I can't
not see John doing that to him, not taking him down,
you me, and holding him down.

Speaker 1 (16:39):
See that's the thing, right, Joel's is smart inside the outgoon,
very smart. The path to victory he will take and
honestly he's a tremendous striker also, But I believe if
you're fighting at Perira Brol, you should be taking or
attempting so many takedowns. Even on Caliath in the last fight. Yeah,

(16:59):
he follow striking the first time, but the last time
he didn't give any take down one. Perera just ran brilliant.

Speaker 2 (17:07):
It's crazy crazy, So yeah, I like, I don't know,
I'm not gonna hold my breath on that one. I
kind of feel like it's not gonna happen. I think
Perera does see it as a no lose uh. And
then but then the other thing that you haven't mentioned,
I think Dana White sees because Dana's always thinking of
this is if I get you know, I can't trust John.
It's like, okay, but if John comes back and kills Pereira,

(17:28):
you devalue Perera, and then John's likely to say I'm
never fighting again. Yeah, if you're the UFC, you don't
get any more fights out of John Jones. Whereas Pereira,
he is older, but he's not really showing any signs
of slowing down. He's fought at a very active clip,
so you want to keep him like prime commodity. And
if you can get you know, four to six more

(17:49):
good fights out of him without being devalued by John Jones,
because uh, if you said, hey, Ben, you get to
bet the over and old John Jones fight two and
a half more fights in the no way, there's no
fight that many like. He wants to come back. Beat
up Peira, say I beat up a different guy who's
won multiple belts. I'm the extra greatest of all time
and they just run away.

Speaker 1 (18:09):
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Now that statement you just made, would that be considered selfish?

Speaker 2 (19:54):
I mean, it's it's smart and it's but you know,
I guess would.

Speaker 1 (19:57):
That be considered a well selfish thought like, let me
go and elevate myself more and not necessarily care about
what happens to the company behind me, but also but
also still not fight the one guy that everybody said
I should fight when I went up to said weight

(20:21):
class at heavyweight. So that come off as selfish.

Speaker 2 (20:27):
I'm you know what, I'm funny enough. I'm actually gonna
say no, and I'll give a great explanation. I will say,
the UFC is a company, not the person. Now, if
he was lying to Dance's Dane, I'm gonna come back
and fight four more times, give me the fight, and
then he does it. Now that's selfish, man, Do.

Speaker 1 (20:43):
You remember what? But do you remember it? Now? This
is me just this is not me making stuff up
businesses me. Dana once said something to the effect of
the steep a fight happens, you're gonna give me the
Asphal fight. That was a situation greed. I don't call
that actually no, but Ben, so hey, let me have
the Alex.

Speaker 2 (21:03):
Well, that's by that's by a trusting right, That's that's
the point of one of the things Dana's speaking about.

Speaker 1 (21:10):
So I'm just saying, Ben, I asked the question, I
don't know.

Speaker 2 (21:15):
I do. I do not. I do not classify that
as selfish.

Speaker 1 (21:18):
I do because, like you, gotta make sure. I always
believe this, and I believe this was just about everything
that I do. You leave it better than you found it,
whether but.

Speaker 2 (21:29):
Data did not operate like that. I mean, like, listen, Dana,
I love Dana, good or bad, but he he didn't
be really dirty. Think about how we're talking one fifty five.
Think about what he's doing to uh arment right now.

Speaker 1 (21:40):
But listen, think about this right, this is just me.
You leave it better than you found it, at least
you try to. I do, because there's gonna be someone
behind you right that may need it more than you did.
Whether you're going into your high school wrestling team, leave
the program better or you're going into a job. The
next person should find that job in a great place

(22:00):
that you left it. Always leave it better than you
found it. You don't believe, and that would be the
case if.

Speaker 2 (22:11):
You and I were buddies. But we have maybe different
feelings about the UFCU. A lot warmer. You've been there
for a long time to care you. You have a
great job with them. Me obviously, I have a very
mixed bag. I appreciate the opportunity, but if you've watched
out Data Operates, it is a very transactional business. If
you can do something for the company, he'll push you,

(22:33):
and if you can't, he's kind of freaking ruthless. Like
he's really really can be ruthless, and you know, as
a businessman, that's his right to be able to be ruthless.
I don't really hold that against him, but that doesn't
mean I'm not going to acknowledge it as what is true.
And so now that John is treating it transactionally also
and to another guy we're probably talk about tonight, We're
going to talk for a long time. Apparently Connor is

(22:55):
treating it very transactionally also, Well, he said, now he
is right. But I mean, Honor's been kind of in
and out and you know, kind of came back for
who fought Seroni and then he thought that and he
just appeared again. You know, he's kind of been But
so I think a lot of these guys, you know,
like you brought up a high school team or a
college team, they don't feel the same sense of warmth
or duty they feel like you havec is a transactional

(23:17):
entity to them.

Speaker 1 (23:18):
Yeah, all right, I understand. I don't think we'll agree
on this, but you're right, you know, I really don't.
I'm just trying to make it a point that I
still will not change my thought that it'll be hard
to separate yourself from the greatness Ben. I don't corner
Ben general.

Speaker 2 (23:35):
I think I think you're right. I think John rather Tom.

Speaker 1 (23:38):
Or in wrestling matches, I generally try not to sit
in the corner if I don't have to wait. Why not,
just because when I think, like too many people are
like on you, like the kids they need their coach.
But let's try to Like you've been in such a
big personality in wrestling the whole time you're coaching, they're
talking about Ben asking, been asking, Ben asking annoying.

Speaker 2 (24:01):
That's annoying.

Speaker 1 (24:01):
By that's I've given up it, Like it's just killing
Warberts on the match, just killing himself. That gives the
best kids in the country, everybody's watching, but you're talking
about Ben as.

Speaker 2 (24:13):
I agree that's it's unfortunate. But on that one, I
just I don't really see a easy solve, uh solve
for that one? Yeah, Hey, lets talk about fifty five
I want to talk about.

Speaker 1 (24:24):
Yeah, Armond's not getting the title fight. The boss said
the other day the reason is because he headbutted Dan.

Speaker 2 (24:32):
It was I don't know why I did that. That
was really dumb.

Speaker 1 (24:34):
You behind it?

Speaker 2 (24:36):
Uh No, I mean this is.

Speaker 1 (24:38):
One of those things.

Speaker 2 (24:39):
Well, I think this is one of those things that's
very again transactional. If Dana is a businessman, Patty pimblet
winning the title is the best outcome? Is there? Popular?
You don't have a super super popular I mean I
guess maybe Tom assmall super popular, you know, British fighter
type guy. You can really put juice him up a lot,
and Arman is not going to create the same response.

Speaker 3 (25:00):
I don't believe why Armond eating food get millions of fuse.

Speaker 1 (25:06):
He eats food, he gets millions of views. I don't know.

Speaker 2 (25:11):
I mean, I just don't think he thinks about that.
I think Dana was mad about when he pulled out
the one time.

Speaker 1 (25:18):
You can't possibly think that he's holding onto that a
year later when he's like that and waited as a
backup fighter.

Speaker 2 (25:26):
I definitely he is. And you know, it's probably one
of those things like if something that someone does something
you always have that in the back of your mind,
that that's the thing, and you know, so that stays
in his mind. The head butt was he proas, shouldn't
have done that. That was probably not a great idea
on his part. I have no idea. I have no
idea whatsoever. But you know, it's like, yes, we made

(25:47):
a few mistakes. But this guy, man, he sure has
been good and he's kind of been, you know, moderately dominant,
and he's beat a bunch of good guys. It feels
like he's the obvious number one at that weight class.
He has a history where he had a decision with Makachev.
It feels like a long time ago. I don't know
when that was.

Speaker 1 (26:04):
It was, it was, it was, it was in Russia,
the fight on the week's notice and went to the decision.

Speaker 2 (26:10):
So I don't know if it feels like they're purposely
skipping over him. It's nice that ilia sounds like he's
gonna come back fast because we can get this on
the road then, right, So the two fifty five is
a fight. Next week, they fight, they get a winner.
The UFC's obviously hoping for Pimbleic because there's a longer
shelf life.

Speaker 1 (26:26):
Ilius said he's back in like April.

Speaker 2 (26:28):
That's Miami perfect, right, So then you pop Ilia back
in against Patty or Justin and then you get armand
in their idea, you know, not too far after that,
maybe a early fall or something like that, so we
can we can resolve this. Ideally, that's what happens. I
think that's I don't.

Speaker 1 (26:41):
Think for a second that Iliot's are poor. You fights
in April and fights again in the fall.

Speaker 2 (26:46):
Really, that's only twice in a year.

Speaker 1 (26:48):
Yeah, but when did ily you fight twice?

Speaker 2 (26:50):
Look at it now, you got me see, I'm looking
at records again. I actually feel like she was moderate
act for a while.

Speaker 1 (26:57):
Yeah, in the beginning. I don't think he fights off anymore.

Speaker 2 (27:00):
Let me see, he fought once in twenty five. He
did fight twice in twenty four October and February. He
fought once in twenty three. He fought twice in twenty two,
once in twenty one, twice in twenty twice in nineteen,
twice in nineteen. So mostly twos are ones. To what
I can find, he has never fought. Oh my god,

(27:23):
he's never fought three times in a year. That's nuts.

Speaker 1 (27:26):
Even in the beginning.

Speaker 2 (27:28):
No, he fought two and twenty fifteen, two and twenty sixteen,
did not fight in twenty seventeen two and twenty eighteen
two and twenty nineteen two and twenty twenty one two
one two one so many wait, wait you hear that
one two one two one. We'll do for two.

Speaker 1 (27:44):
It might be two. If doesn't pattern right, Maybe maybe
it's the pattern people try to People try to poles
or paint that as if Ilia isn't fighting because now
he's the champ. But it sounds like that's just the
way that he's his career since the very beginning, where
he's like he's not gonna over extend himself to make

(28:06):
sure everybody else feel good about what they're doing. But
armand Rookian Wall, the UFC may not be in a
chord with most people thinking the fighters though, have him
on their mind, he said. Patty pan Was said, it's

(28:26):
annoying that people are saying, I'm ducking Arman. I've never
been to fight against Arman. If I was ever offered
that fight, I would have punched his head in by now.

Speaker 2 (28:35):
That's what the US. But you know, the UFC does
other people they know, hey, Patty, we ain't gonna make
you feel like a bitch. We ain't gonna make it
turn it down offered to you.

Speaker 1 (28:45):
But he's said he want to do that to you.

Speaker 3 (28:47):
But he's saying he wouldn't have turned it down. But
they don't even want to make him turn it down.
How many of these beat how many of these guys?
Do you think Armor beats how many of the light weights?

Speaker 1 (28:58):
Or I'm talking Gage she the Pouria and Patty.

Speaker 2 (29:02):
Pimblet, Well, I just saw. I think he beats Pimblet
and Gai Chee for sure, and I think him. I
think very highly of Tapuria. I've said that many times
on the show, So I think I think that one's
a toss up to me. But someone made the point
earlier about how how much older that lightweight division is,

(29:22):
so we're gonna get it, probably a turnover relatively soon,
you know, Holloway, Gee Chee Hooker. A lot of you
guys are older. So I think we're gonna get a turnover,
h you know, relatively soon here where there's a bunch
of new guys. Juice neupped division.

Speaker 1 (29:38):
I think about this situation, and I know what's unfortunate
that Illiot thea Pooria is going through personal issues and
we wish him all the best. I love though that
he's saying he's gonna come back very quick and get
back to work. You know, it feels like the UFC

(29:59):
believe and supports him in what he's going through, because
a lot of times they will just take the belt off.
Someone Dana said, hey, I'm gonna.

Speaker 2 (30:08):
Wait for what it's it's just a marital dispute.

Speaker 1 (30:12):
But he said because before it was open ended, right,
we had no idea when he was coming back. Elliot's
are poor You told fans this April return date. It
wasn't like he did an interview. He did this on
like Twitter or something where he's answering questions and said
I'll be back in like April or May. If he
fights in May, by the way, that would be one

(30:33):
of the bigger May pay.

Speaker 2 (30:36):
Per views or wait, there's no pay per view anymore, right.

Speaker 1 (30:39):
Not pay per view? All right, I'm gonn get a
little used to. That would be one of the bigger
UH cards, you bigger number of events numbered events in
a while, and maybe because for a while May has
been UH having fights that weren't the best. Remember one

(31:03):
like it was UFC three to oh one was in May,
the UFC Canada with the man the new dat fall.

Speaker 2 (31:08):
I don't travel.

Speaker 1 (31:09):
I can't remember that.

Speaker 2 (31:09):
Damn schedule, get.

Speaker 1 (31:11):
I do it. It was like the main car generally
is one that comes back a little bit right, because
it's the one that's right after Miami that normally gets
blown up really really good.

Speaker 2 (31:21):
Hey, did you realize you've seen our back to back weekends?

Speaker 1 (31:26):
Yes, it is.

Speaker 2 (31:27):
I bet you, I bet you're going to them. I
didn't realize that. What the heck?

Speaker 1 (31:33):
It's uh, next weekend in Vegas the following weekend in Australia.

Speaker 2 (31:37):
For Australia, you're too famous. You should stop going to Australia.
It's too far away, too much flight. I like, I like,
I like Australia, actually love. I love Sydney. But that's
a lot that's travel for you.

Speaker 1 (31:49):
But Perth is Perth is on the no travel list.
I don't like to go to Perth.

Speaker 2 (31:56):
But Sydney, well that's the one that's all the way
on the other side, right.

Speaker 1 (31:59):
Say, le's just go to austin Sydney. It's only like
ten hours. It's not that bad.

Speaker 2 (32:03):
No, but you no, wrong. I think it's sixteen, Luis, please,
I'm a geographer. I'm looking it up right now. I'm
on fire.

Speaker 1 (32:13):
Ben's got this mental clarity, and he's back to being annoying.

Speaker 2 (32:16):
He's back to fourteen and a half to fifteen and
a half hours.

Speaker 1 (32:20):
I was, really it's far wrong.

Speaker 2 (32:23):
Well, you probably don't map. You're probably in first class.

Speaker 1 (32:26):
Before I let you go. Who wins Justin or Patty?

Speaker 2 (32:30):
Oh man, I'm cheering for Justin Patty.

Speaker 1 (32:35):
Uh.

Speaker 2 (32:36):
He he's for sure getting better. I wasn't in president
a long time ago. I thought he lost to who's
the guy trained at rufus Sum He's a scrapper, short stocky.

Speaker 1 (32:46):
I know you talk about the name right now.

Speaker 2 (32:48):
Unfortunately, but so I did th'k he was that good?
But he's he is significally better, right, And he's a
lot younger than Justin. Justin's like he's getting close. He's
a little younger than me. So he'srobab getting close to forty.

Speaker 1 (32:59):
Uh.

Speaker 2 (33:01):
I'll probably go Patty. Unfortunately, I want just to wim.

Speaker 1 (33:06):
Patty pebble be Jared Gordon.

Speaker 2 (33:08):
Jared Gordon.

Speaker 1 (33:09):
That's and that was that fight where people were mad
at him. Because he thought, yeah, it was crazy, be
a great fight. This this lightweight division is always fun
right now, it's even.

Speaker 2 (33:23):
We got we got one topic off. I'm wearing you
out tonight. See I told you my my energy back.
We got Connor versus George at the White House. Do
you think this is going to happen? I have been
on record for I don't know how many you are
saying Contord's not gonna fight. I think it'd really be
funny if he if he came to Jesus and that
made him fight, because you know, Jesus probably doesn't care
about fighting, but I guess it gives him a platform.

(33:45):
You never know, that would be funny if that.

Speaker 1 (33:47):
Was the case. I was saying, but why why did
they just say no? Chandler?

Speaker 2 (33:55):
I felt so bad for my.

Speaker 1 (33:58):
I was just about to say, was gonna sayment at
this point? Do you have to give it to Mike?
I mean he has waited and waited for Connor McGregor.

Speaker 2 (34:10):
Yeah, you know Dana again, Listen. I accept Dana for
who he is, but he sees what he sees it,
which I kind of feel like it's weird. I mean,
what I would be thinking if I was dating is
how do I give it to someone who can take
the juice from Connor and then keep it going Because
George is also a little bit older, right, and Chandler's
a little bit older also, both of them are, so

(34:31):
you know, I would be thinking like, how how can
I it kind of infight someone? Maybe he's in his
early thirties, right, so maybe that person has a handful
of years left. But yeah, I mean, Michael has pretty
much been a great company guy. I think he's taking
every fight they've said he's not at all. He's done it.
Always put on all exciting fights, and I think one
of his fights has been boring. Obviously, his record has
not been outstanding, but it was like it just felt like,

(34:53):
if Connor comes back, that's what's happening. Michael waited around,
I want to say the first time he waited was
like two years yep. So it's like, yeah, I just
seems kind of not right.

Speaker 1 (35:04):
It's almost like you have to just fight and hope
because I honestly believe that if you'd have been fighting
more frequently, the worst he would have done, the closer
he would have gotten to the McGregor fight, because I
think McGregor wants the one that he can beat. He

(35:24):
wants somebody to beat, right, And if I'm the UFC,
I want to see Connor McGregor and get a victory
on the South lawna at the White House, because again,
that's your biggest star having his moment on the biggest
fight card of all times.

Speaker 2 (35:41):
But I just wait, hold on, Daniel. But what you
said earlier about John is you know you got to
pass it on. So it's like this is when again
where Dana's actually kind of in a tough spot. You know,
I guess I feel you're kind of picking on.

Speaker 1 (35:52):
Connor's not gonna but but Connor's not gonna not fight again.
If I think that if he makes it back, he'll fight, Okay,
I don't know if it'll be three four times. I
think that he will fight, but at least once more
than once. I think he'll fight more than once. I
believe that.

Speaker 2 (36:10):
Yeah. I mean that's because that's right, that's your ideal
cases he comes back for you get him for two
or three or four more. Otherwise if he doesn't, if
you think you're getting inim for one, you try to
get him to, you know, again, feed him to someone younger,
I don't. I don't know who that's going to be exactly.
I mean that, right, that would be a big one.

Speaker 1 (36:28):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (36:28):
Give give him someone who's young, a little younger maybe
late twenties, early thirties, got some shelf life in him,
and he's gonna get out there another ten times for
you or something. Yeah, I got one cool not I'm
not a fan of this guy, picked on him many
times machadad Gary, Yeah, because that would be like, yeah.

Speaker 1 (36:50):
Well here's the thing though, right, I think if you
think started thinking Machattle Gary, you start thinking, hey, is
it machadd Gary? Or does Machadald Gary go fight one
more time to earn his title fight? Or does the
fight over Connor get the title fight? Yes, you think
it does?

Speaker 2 (37:06):
I think it does. I think because I think part
of what we were just talking about Patty Pima a
part of who gets the title shot? We actually talked
about this episode last episode also is part of who
gets a title shot? Is who do people care about?

Speaker 1 (37:19):
Hey? Ben really fast com McGregor said he's renegotiating because
there's no more pay per view model. What's fair though?
How do you find a fair market value for a
guy like Conor McGregor, who every time he fought, he
moved the line for what a pay per view sales was.
There was never a bottom line for a guy like

(37:42):
Connor McGregor. How do you make a fair value for
a guy whose whole business was rooted in pay per viewing?

Speaker 2 (37:49):
Because and because now, I mean because the other thing
you're saying is what you see to deal deals with
it seven.

Speaker 1 (37:54):
Years, seven years, seven seven years, seven million.

Speaker 2 (37:58):
So there is no way in hell Connor mcggor is
still fighting when they got to renegotiate this. So they're
gonna renegotiate in six years, they're gonna start renegotiating. Connor
is not around them.

Speaker 1 (38:09):
He won't.

Speaker 2 (38:10):
There's no way in hell, right, So it's almost like
Connor's value to It's not like you see gets paid
more if Connor moves the needles, So you can't pay
him that much because it's like Connor, you're not really
you know, unfortunately, you're you're gonna be retired in six years.
It's impossible.

Speaker 1 (38:23):
You're not.

Speaker 2 (38:24):
So you're not gonna move the needle on our next negotiation.
That's it's a tough sell because you're asking me to
spend money that I'm not gonna get back.

Speaker 1 (38:33):
You'll get me a bigger viewership, but it necessarily won't
lead to more revenue.

Speaker 2 (38:38):
Yeah, or because I gotta because I gotta keep that
going for but six more years.

Speaker 1 (38:43):
But he's still but he still elevates the gate every time.

Speaker 2 (38:47):
Well, but but there's a problem. What's the problem there?

Speaker 1 (38:50):
But there's still a lot of money to be made, right,
But the gates, his gates are gonna always be bigger
than everybody else.

Speaker 2 (38:57):
But you're forgetting right now, you know, you know what
they said, right what there is no gate at the
White House. They're not selling tickets. Yeah, you can't even
selling tickets.

Speaker 1 (39:07):
Yeah. Wow, So you common will have the gyms that
he thought he has.

Speaker 2 (39:11):
I mean that's you know, because yes, you I mean,
to your point, you're correct. If Connor fight's in New York.

Speaker 1 (39:16):
City or some ten million dollar gate, almost.

Speaker 2 (39:20):
Probably maybe more right.

Speaker 1 (39:22):
Because they did well. His last gate in Vegas, I
don't know, it was crazy.

Speaker 2 (39:27):
I think it was more than that McGregor highest gate. Boom,
let's see Connor BER's highest gate. Yeah, he did no
seventeen million, seventeen his gate. Oh my gosh, Oh my god. Dude,
I totally forgot. Oh my, I'm for going braining here.
Dal His gate for the Chandler fight was twenty million
before the fight.

Speaker 1 (39:47):
Yeah before he pulled out. Before the fight got camps
twenty million. He still has a lot of bargaining gyms
because there's no one else it has a twenty million
dollar gate, man.

Speaker 2 (39:57):
Nobody, So what's the fair number?

Speaker 1 (39:58):
Twenty million to walk the octagon.

Speaker 2 (40:01):
But if they can't sell, they can't sell tickets.

Speaker 1 (40:04):
Of course, not so stupid, All right, Ben, I got
you guys on the next one. Hey, guys, we got
the clear minded Ben asking. I'm begging call me until
the next one. Piece
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