The MMA Vivisection & 6th Round Podcasts

UFC Atlanta is not as bad as the alternative stats would suggest. Let me tell you why. We have three former champs on the main portion. It doesn’t matter that none the trio is likely to end up with a strap again, but we do have some recognizable talent for this on-the-road card. The other, more obvious reason is that we’ve become s...

UFC 316 was a solid card on paper that managed to deliver some big moments in its application. We got a terrific performance out of Merab Dvalishvili, who had his way with Sean O’Malley and ended up ultimately submitting him. O’Malley’s lifestyle changes did nothing—in fact, Sean seemed even less competitive than their first fight.

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UFC 316 is blessed relief from the constant grind of the Apex and lackluster Fight Nights that happen outside of it. If one thing has been driven home, it’s that UFC is going to give us slop and somehow, people still love it. This weekend doesn’t have a wealth of great fights, but it has two titles on the line and some solidly dece...

UFC Vegas 107 looked absolutely awful on paper, but in practice, we did have some exciting moments. The ladies’ fights were somewhat underwhelming, though. Alice Ardelean defeated Rayanne dos Santos, which wasn’t a terrible watch and even won FOTN. However, Macy Chiasson vs. Ketlen Vieira was a complete slog of a contest that saw Vieira victorious. Side note: Chris Leben turned in an awful score card for that fight.

Dusko Todorovic ...

UFC Vegas 107 is not giving what it needs to give, stat-wise. A whopping 12 fighters are coming off losses—on a card that only has 11 fights. Fourteen of the athletes hail from the Contender Series. Could it provide a bunch of action? Sure. Will it matter to the advancement and growth of the competitors outside the two ranked bouts...

UFC is taking another break, just a month after its last one, because of Memorial Day. Not that we’re complaining, just making note of the situation. Our analysts are without their man across the pond, though. Phil is likely battling crime or doing some other civic duty that aids and benefits the public, but Zane and Connor have d...

UFC Vegas 106, much like last weekend’s UFC 315, looks okay on paper. It’s got a couple ranked fights—which is amazing for an Apex card—as well as fairly low stats for fighters coming off losses. There is a downside because a lot of the fighters with losses have some problematic losing streaks. Gilbert Burns is on a three-fight skid and he’s sitting at the top of the card. Ditto for Paul Craig. In the immortal words of somebody I c...

UFC 315 delivered some terrific finishes and good fights on the undercard. We saw Bruno Silva felled for the first time in a terrifying finish that left him with a dented skull (think Cyborg Santos vs. MVP). Silva left the arena on a stretcher. We also bore witness to Jessica Andrade being swarmed and finished in under three minutes, and without ever landing a shot on Jasmine Jasudavicius. And Mike Malott destroyed Charles Radtke d...

UFC 315 has great stats and two title fights, but the big PPV feel of it all is severely lacking. And if ticket sales are a true indicator, the Canadian fans aren’t feeling that big card vibe either. Or maybe they’re showing the UFC that they don’t appreciate the close affiliation with the Trump administration on the heels of POTUS...

UFC Des Moines looked like a glue factory convention on paper and it delivered that same energy in practice. Were there a few good fights? Sure, and we got a few finishes, but by and large, this was an Apex level event that the poor folks in Iowa paid prime rates for. Shameful promoting by UFC.

There was a moment that brought almost all MMA fans together, though. That was when Reinier de Ridder stopped Bo Nickal with a vicious kne...

UFC Des Moines is the ghost of Christmas past. They’ve gone and drafted Jeremy Stephens back into the comforting embrace of the octagon, fresh off his success at BKFC, but not very mindful of his MMA bouts outside the promotion where he went just 2-1 in the PFL. There are other picked-over, near-demise oldsters on the card, as well...

UFC Kansas City looked like a mixed bag on paper, but in practice, it ended up being a pretty good event. The card started off strong with several finishes right from Jump Street, but it would level out with some decisions, albeit good ones with the exception of Pereira-Magomedov. Carlos Prates found out the hard way why you don’t ...

UFC Kansas City is what I like to call a good, old-fashioned mixed bag. It has a terrific main event and some fun matchups overall. So where’s the problem? That lies in the stats, and there’s one that’s really putting a wet blanket on the whole event: 15 fighters are coming off losses. If this were an Apex card, that would be an e...

UFC is taking a little break after its 314th numbered event—a PPV that took place in Miami with the president and several members of his cabinet sitting cageside—so our crack team of analysts (just Zane and Connor this week) are here to provide plenty of laughs and even some thoughtful conversation as they courageously trudge throu...

UFC 314 looked incredible on paper and in practice, it was pretty good. It didn’t reach greatness, but it was pretty good. That said, there were some factors that kept it from that greatness that must be acknowledged. Let’s look at the good: Michael Chandler got dominated and choked out, making Paddy Pimblett look like a world-beat...

UFC 314 is a terrific card, full stop. It’s got all the elements we hope for: ranked fights, plenty of ranked fighters, and we’re not overrun with fighters coming off losses or from the Contender Series. The bouts are matched well and are compelling, with plenty of room for advancement. The main card is quite top heavy, with a conc...

UFC Vegas 105 was miserable on paper and didn’t provide much more in practice. From weird judging to lackluster performances, the big moments we DID have just didn’t seem as impactful. There were a few surprises, though. Rhys McKee finally got a win, and a big one. Brad Tavares didn’t let Gerald Meerschaert have his way. Then there were the expected outcomes: Dione Barbosa finished Diana Belbita super fast and Loma Lookboonmee adde...

UFC Vegas 105 happens to be another one of those cards that looks absolutely awful on paper, and while it may deliver some action, what sets it on a troubling path is the recycling of fighters coming off strings of losses. It’s one thing to have a dearth of ranked talent, but quite another to feature an athlete coming off four stra...

UFC Mexico turned out to be a pretty eventful card, filled with wild escapes, questionable reffing (I’m looking at you, Mike Beltran), and a fighter’s post-fight speech that reminded everyone why UFC is the bad guy when it comes to fighter pay. Loopy Godinez and Julia Polastri put on one helluva fight but received no reward for it,...