MMA History Podcast

Joe “Daddy” Stevenson joins the MMA History Podcast episode 356 for a rare, unfiltered look at his rise from teenage pro to Ultimate Fighter Season 2 welterweight winner and UFC lightweight title challenger. Stevenson breaks down his earliest bouts, including his 1999 pro debut submission of Joe Camacho (triangle choke) at Empire One with Gene LeBell refereeing, his King of the Cage title runs, and coaching days alongside Cub Swanson and Charles “Crazy Horse” Bennett.He details stepping away from competition to chase his black belt under Marc Laimon, Joe Silva’s personal visit that led to The Ultimate Fighter, being Matt Hughes’ first pick, his defining finish of Marcus Davis, the armbar win over Jason Von Flue, and the emotional finals against Luke Cummo while navigating the birth of his son Frankie. Stevenson also covers his post-TUF UFC run, from the near-finish of Josh Neer and the bloody wars with Yves Edwards and Melvin Guillard to the high-stakes Kurt Pellegrino bout that earned him a lightweight title shot against peak BJ Penn, plus training stories with Kevin Randleman, Jeremy Horn, and the Big Bear camp. A must-listen for fans of early 2000s MMA, King of the Cage, The Ultimate Fighter, and the path that shaped one of the sport’s most accomplished grappling technicians.0:00 start0:48 MMA History Podcast intro1:20 Joey Venti’s guest introductions1:43 interview start 1:51 Joe Camacho story4:33 called out by Charles Bennett8:40 conflict with Bobby Hoffman (rumor)12:11 retiring to focus on black belt 14:17 auditioning for TUF season 220:01 getting to the TUF house 20:45 receiving first pick by Matt Hughes 24:34 Matt Hughes vs Frank Grillo on Kingdom 26:21 training with Gene LeBell26:50 Joe Stevenson vs Marcus Davis 28:04 Melvin Guillard vs Josh Burkman 28:51 Jason Von Flue joining TUF 29:49 having to keep TUF results secret 32:30 injury prior to TUF 2 finale 33:29 preparation with Marc Laimon36:02 Joe Stevenson vs Luke Cummo38:54 prank calls 39:46 Joe Stevenson vs Josh Neer 43:26 conversations with Joe Silva after loss 45:57 Joe Stevenson vs Yves Edwards50:24 importance of training 53:11 Cornered for fight by Kevin Randleman 54:08 Mark Coleman stats 56:00 training at the Barn 57:18 having a bloody fight with Yves Edwards58:42 understanding cuts from an officials perspective 1:01:45 interactions with Aaron Brink1:04:19 Joe Stevenson vs Yoshitomi Mishima 1:07:20 Joe Stevenson vs Melvin Guillard 1:09:24 Joe Stevenson vs Kurt Pellegrino1:13:21 receiving phone call to fight BJ Penn for the Title 1:18:42 Melvin Guillard grease accusation 1:19:52 judges for Kurt Pellegrino fight 1:20:53 interview wrap up 1:21:00 outro/ closing thoughtsNEW MMA History Clips Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@mmahistorypodclipsInstagram https://www.instagram.com/mmahistorypodcast?igsh=aHVweHdncXQycHBy&utm_source=qrSpotify https://open.spotify.com/show/3q8KsfqrSQSjkdPLkdtNWb?si=aL3D5Y3aTDi-PQZdweWL8gApple Podcast MMA History PodcastYouTube https://youtube.com/@MMAHistoryPodcast?si=bj1RBXTZ2X82tv_JMike - The MMA Detective - @mikedavis632 Cash App - $mikedavis1231Venmo - Mike-Davis-63ZELLE: [email protected] / ph#: 773-491-5052 Thank you for your support.#mmahistory #JoeStevenson #UltimateFighter #BJPenn

In episode 355 of the MMA History Podcast, hosts Joey Venti and Mike Davis sit down with Arizona pioneer and former Rage in the Cage light heavyweight champion Edwin “Babyface” Dewees. A UFC veteran, The Ultimate Fighter Season 4 contestant, and 50 Fight Club member, Dewees began his pro career at just 17 years old in the unregulated Wild West of early Arizona MMA, where his mother signed the waiver and he stepped into the cage with almost no formal training.He recounts the surreal atmosphere of Roland Sarria’s Rage in the Cage shows—high school kids fighting multiple times a month, selling tickets, teaching classes for free, and chasing the dream of the UFC while rarely seeing real money. The conversation covers his rapid rise against names like Bill Cameron, David Harris, Antonio McKee, Alan “A-Dog” Sullivan, Joe Stevenson, and Drew Fickett, the intense loyalty and control inside Sarria’s gym, and the complicated relationship with a promoter who doubled as a father figure.Dewees also opens up about training alongside Joe Riggs, the Lions Den years, a brutal post-career attack that nearly cost him his life, and the long road that finally landed him in the UFC after more than 30 fights.It’s a raw, unfiltered look at one of the most unique and overlooked chapters in early American MMA. If you love the real stories behind the sport, this is essential listening. Subscribe to the MMA History Podcast for more interviews with the men who built the sport.0:00 start0:35 MMA History Podcast intro1:07 Joey Venti’s guest introduction1:32 interview start 2:15 first pro fight at 17 years old 4:37 high school wrestling career5:21 Richard Hamilton 6:13 Lions Den in Arizona 7:42 meeting Frank Trigg 7:49 experience with Homer Moore8:44 dealings with Rick Roufus9:31 training with Mauricio Zingano9:38 Victor Estrada 10:13 training at Roland Sarria’s gym11:36 meeting Don Frye 12:20 Edwin Dewees vs Bill Cameron 15:58 moms opinion on fight with Bill Cameron 16:39 Roland Sarria fallout with Rickson Gracie 17:30 receiving support from a Marine Corps recruiter 18:35 taking helicopter to hospital after beating 25:30 Edwin Dewees vs Chris Meyers 28:51 Edwin Dewees vs Davis Harris 31:20 Roland Sarria working as a male dancer 32:13 payment for Rage in the Cage32:53 Edwin Dewees vs Antonio McKee 35:24 payment for winning tournament 38:57 Edwin Dewees vs Trinity Boykin 2x in one night 40:11 Roland Sarria running shows simultaneously40:42 goal of making it to the UFC42:00 teaching MMA for free 44:18 being taken advantage of in early career 45:55 dark money entering the sport 46:45 Edwin Dewees vs Sean Williams 47:28 Edwin Dewees vs Allan Sullivan 49:54 unable to cross train at other gyms 51:31 tension from training with Bob Karmel53:55 Ryan Bader and Jamie Varner 56:10 Joe Riggs vs Alex Stiebling57:24 Edwin Dewees vs Christophe Leininger 1:00:30 Roland Sarria receiving help from students1:01:23 Edwin Dewees vs Jeremy Edwards1:03:08 Edwin Dewees vs Joe Stevenson1:05:29 Edwin Dewees vs George Lockhart 1:06:25 altercation with Drew Fickett 1:07:58 Edwin Dewees vs Drew Fickett 1:08:49 Drew Fickett crashing car into restaurant1:09:49 rematch with Drew Fickett 1:12:22 declining any sponsors 1:13:37 Edwin Dewees vs Shannon Ritch1:16:47 Edwin Dewees vs Sam Adkins1:17:28 Edwin Dewees vs Todd Medina 1:19:52 Edwin Dewees vs Homer Moore1:26:29 Edwin Dewees vs Auggie Padeken1:27:06 experience fighting in Hawaii1:29:16 Roland Sarria issues with Santino DeFranco 1:30:42 Dominick Cruz in the training room 1:31:15 Edwin Dewees vs Chappo Montijo1:33:15 getting a call from the UFC1:35:19 Matt Hughes and Joe Riggs training camp 1:36:01 Joe Riggs weight cut story 1:38:09 sneak peak for part 2 1:40:36 outroNEW MMA History Clips Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@mmahistorypodclipsThank you for your support. #MMAHistory #RageInTheCage

TJay Thompson, the architect of SuperBrawl and Icon Sport and a foundational figure in early Hawaiian MMA, joins the MMA History Podcast to detail how a Boston native managing female oil wrestling at Gussie L’Amour’s nightclub near Honolulu Airport fell into promoting fights in 1996. With no prior combat sports background, he ran packed monthly no-holds-barred events in the roughly 400-capacity bar using a homemade steel, cable, and plywood ring before partnering with Norwegian strongman and World’s Gym owner Ode Haugen to move the shows to Blaisdell Arena under the SuperBrawl banner. Thompson recounts the early financial losses that nearly ended the promotion, the turnaround to profitability on the road in Guam, and key cards including SuperBrawl 2’s Vitor Belfort versus Jon Hess main event—promoted as Victor Gracie and held under true no-holds-barred rules—that drew Shaquille O’Neal and the Los Angeles Lakers. He covers Jay R. Palmer’s rapid rise as an untrained street fighter and his notorious head-stomp finish of Maurice Corty, the brutal 30-minute John Lober versus Frank Shamrock war that turned the Blaisdell crowd against the Lion’s Den, Matt Hume’s early influence on matchmaking and rules, Dan Severn’s willingness to take half his purse after a poorly attended El Paso show, and the creative workaround of staging SuperBrawl 7 as an ancient pankration-style “Pain Creation Tournament” to navigate Hawaii’s ban on extreme and ultimate fighting.The conversation also touches the tense Relson Gracie–Egan and Enson Inoue rivalry that dominated the local scene in the late 1990s. This episode captures the chaotic, high-risk origins of one of MMA’s most influential regional promotions and the characters who built Hawaiian MMA from the ground up.0:00 start0:48 MMA History Podcast Intro 1:19 Joey Venti’s guest introduction 1:35 interview start 1:52 start in MMA promoting 6:55 Foxy oil wrestling tapes 8:30 Jay R Palmer9:16 hosting events at the Blaisdell Arena 10:55 mistakes made by promoters 14:34 Hosting Superbrawl 115:56 Jay R Palmer career highlights 18:15 SuperBrawl 1 card19:23 attendance for SuperBrawl 121:32 Vitor Belfort vs Jon Hess (last NHB fight) 26:40 video rights for SuperBrawl 2 28:55 dealings with Carlson Gracie 29:05 Lakers in attendance at SuperBrawl 230:50 Maurice Corty vs Jay R Palmer 34:27 relationship with John Perretti36:37 Zane Frazier 37:26 Pete Williams vs Mark Coleman controversy 40:09 John Lober vs Frank Shamrock44:56 Pat Miletich vs Jason Nicholsen46:38 Danny Bennett vs Jay R Palmer 47:50 connecting with Matt Hume 52:10 Danny Bennett vs Jay R Palmer (rematch) 53:25 SuperBrawl 4 fight card 53:49 SuperBrawl 5 success 54:46 experience with Dan Severn 58:32 SuperBrawl 61:00:04 brawl at the Pan Ams1:04:19 aftermath from the Pan Ams 1:06:54 Baret Yoshida leaving Relson Gracie 1:09:56 SuperBrawl 71:10:23 SuperBrawl 8 fight card 1:13:02 Ronald Jhun1:14:39 SuperBrawl 9 in El Paso 1:16:01 teaser for part 21:16:57 interview wrap up 1:18:00 outro/ closing thoughtsNEW MMA History Clips Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@mmahistorypodclipsInstagram https://www.instagram.com/mmahistorypodcast?igsh=aHVweHdncXQycHBy&utm_source=qrSpotify https://open.spotify.com/show/3q8KsfqrSQSjkdPLkdtNWb?si=aL3D5Y3aTDi-PQZdweWL8gApple Podcast MMA History PodcastYouTube https://youtube.com/@MMAHistoryPodcast?si=bj1RBXTZ2X82tv_JMike - The MMA Detective - @mikedavis632 Cash App - $mikedavis1231Venmo - Mike-Davis-63ZELLE: [email protected] / ph#: 773-491-5052 Thank you for your support.#SuperBrawl #TJayThompson #MMAHistory #HawaiianMMA

Joe Brammer, known as The South Side Strangler, joins the MMA History Podcast to recount his journey from a chubby son of a preacher man in Des Moines, Iowa, to a Midwest submission specialist who ground out a path to the UFC. He details the raw early 2000s Iowa scene built around Toad Holler bar fights and promotions like Midwest Cage Championships, sharing stories of training and fighting alongside Josh Neer, Houston Alexander, and Jeremy Stevens in an era of minimal oversight, high fight volume, and wild characters. Brammer walks through his early pro bouts, including a lights-out moment during an XKK Trials fight, his guillotine choke win over Michael Johnson that helped launch his UFC run, and his Octagon appearances against Mark Bocek and Aaron Riley after short-notice call-ups and brutal weight cuts. He also covers training stints with Ivan Salaverry in Seattle, time at Throwdown Training Center in San Diego around fighters like Dean Lister and Jocko Willink, plus the injuries and close calls that shaped his career before he returned home to run gyms in Waukee and Ankeny, Iowa. This episode captures the unique, under-the-radar Midwest pipeline that produced far more UFC talent than its size suggested.0:00 start0:27 MMA History Podcast intro 0:59 Joey Venti’s guest introduction 1:19 interview start 1:24 staying off of social media 3:19 plugs/ promotions 3:52 fighters coming out of Iowa 7:00 starting off with Jeet Kune Do8:34 fighting at Toad Hollar 11:53 experience with promoter Chad Mason 14:40 becoming friends with Josh Neer19:45 UFC mismatching fighters 21:16 experience with XKK promoters Nick and Jeff 22:22 lights shut off during fight with Joe Germain 26:09 the end of XKK 26:49 XKK Trials fight card 28:40 Joe Brammer vs Cody Geertz29:31 MCC creating an app 32:40 thoughts on Jeremy Stephens35:55 moving out of Iowa 37:44 reason for fighting once a year 38:34 breaking Jaw cutting weight 42:54 Chad Masons reputation 44:10 Josh Neer vs Houston Alexander 46:22 Joe Brammer vs Allen Hernandez 47:07 Joe Brammer vs Alonzo Martinez 47:55 Alonzo Martinez travel story 50:01 100 fight club members 51:40 Brandon Quigley taking 2 KOs in 2 nights 53:48 MMA organizations not following rules57:11 dealings with Travis Fulton 58:18 training with Chris David 59:16 training with Ted Worthington 1:00:28 Bryan Bresler 1:01:16 experience with a Combat Doctor 1:03:08 Joe Brammer vs Michael Johnson 1:05:38 manager Monty Cox 1:06:11 Manager Ivan Salaverry1:07:38 sparring with Josh Barnett 1:08:25 Terra LaRosa1:08:58 Matt Hume 1:09:34 Maurice Smith career highlights 1:11:03 Joe Brammer vs Chris Mickle 1:18:46 receiving a call from the UFC1:20:06 training at Throwdown 1:20:58 working with Rudy Silva 1:23:43 Rudy Silva stories 1:24:44 experience with Brandon Vera 1:27:31 Jocko Willink 1:29:08 Timmy Ford1:29:25 training partners in San Diego 1:30:44 not joining Miletich fighting systems 1:31:28 Drew McFedries 1:34:11 Joe Brammer vs Mark Bocek1:38:23 Houston Alexander vs Kimbo Slice 1:39:07 Eric Paulson 1:39:18 cornering Jeremy Stephens 1:41:56 Joe Brammer vs Aaron Riley 1:42:53 going 0-2 in the UFC1:43:04 dealing with injuries 1:45:06 Tomasz Drwal1:45:36 Victor Moreno 1:46:05 Interview wrap up/ outroNEW MMA History Clips Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@mmahistorypodclipsInstagram https://www.instagram.com/mmahistorypodcast?igsh=aHVweHdncXQycHBy&utm_source=qrSpotify https://open.spotify.com/show/3q8KsfqrSQSjkdPLkdtNWb?si=aL3D5Y3aTDi-PQZdweWL8gApple Podcast MMA History PodcastYouTube https://youtube.com/@MMAHistoryPodcast?si=bj1RBXTZ2X82tv_JMike - The MMA Detective - @mikedavis632 Cash App - $mikedavis1231Venmo - Mike-Davis-63ZELLE: [email protected] / ph#: 773-491-5052 Thank you for your support.#MMAHistory #JoeBrammer #IowaMMA #UFCLightweight

The MMA History Podcast welcomes Ant Evans for his third appearance in episode 352. The former head of UFC media relations for the UK and continental Europe revisits 2010 as Zuffa’s international expansion accelerated. Evans covers the UK fighter wave led by Michael Bisping and Dan Hardy, the “cursed” UFC 108 card with multiple major pullouts including Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort, and the office culture of the early Las Vegas years. He details Chael Sonnen’s Ric Flair-inspired belt stunt, press access battles of the era, and landmark shows such as the sold-out UFC 110 Australian debut with Cain Velasquez, Jon Jones’ first main event against Brandon Vera, Georges St-Pierre vs. Dan Hardy at UFC 111 (including Hardy’s storage-unit training camp), UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi with Anderson Silva vs. Demian Maia and Frankie Edgar’s upset of B.J. Penn, Randy Couture’s submission of James Toney at UFC 118, and Brock Lesnar’s comeback win over Shane Carwin at UFC 116.The conversation contrasts the lean, record-breaking Zuffa period with the later corporate era while teasing a Cro Cop Canada story for the next instalment.0:00 start0:37 MMA History Podcast Intro 1:08 Joey Venti’s guest introduction 1:21 interview start 1:24 head of PR in the UK for the UFC3:48 UFC 108 disaster 6:43 Joe Silva issues with Gerald Harris 7:27 UFC 109 helping Chael Sonnen with bad guy image12:17 interactions with Doug Crosby13:34 Chael Sonnen Dark side of the cage 15:24 Joey Venti’s studio set up 16:59 camaraderie in the UFC19:18 the UFC original US office 20:36 2 UFC employees fighting 30:14 UFC hiring Karen Bell 31:45 UFC limiting access to the press34:43 Sherdogs relationship with pride FC37:10 getting media coverage for the UFC40:13 issues with modern coverage on UFC 44:07 reporters receiving bad seating 46:33 importance of having reporters at events 47:59 Teddy Atlas and Max Kellerman 50:54 UFC 110 Australia 55:10 Mark Hunt legal issue with the UFC 58:41 Jon Jones vs Brandon Vera 1:03:04 UFC 111 GSP vs Dan Hardy 1:11:16 UFC 112 Ariel Helwani reporting 1:16:49 Ariel Helwani refusing pay from the UFC1:21:13 Anderson Silva vs Damian Maia controversy 1:26:13 UFC 112 card 1:26:27 Frankie Edgar fight shorts controversy 1:29:55 UFC 113 card 1:30:22 Paul Daley sucker punching Josh Koscheck 1:31:10 Mike Russow vs Todd Duffee 1:32:12 Chuck Liddell condom story 1:35:05 UFC 116 1:39:36 Kendall Grove comments about TUF 1:41:04 UFC 1171:41:25 James Toney vs Randy Couture1:45:52 IRS issues with James Toney 1:47:55 Dana Whites personality behind the scenes 1:50:59 UFC in 20101:54:03 interview wrap up 1:55:19 outro/ closing thoughtsInstagram https://www.instagram.com/mmahistorypodcast?igsh=aHVweHdncXQycHBy&utm_source=qrSpotify https://open.spotify.com/show/3q8KsfqrSQSjkdPLkdtNWb?si=aL3D5Y3aTDi-PQZdweWL8gApple Podcast MMA History PodcastYouTube https://youtube.com/@MMAHistoryPodcast?si=bj1RBXTZ2X82tv_JMike - The MMA Detective - @mikedavis632 Cash App - $mikedavis1231Venmo - Mike-Davis-63ZELLE: [email protected] / ph#: 773-491-5052 Thank you for your support.#MMAHistory #UFC2010 #AntEvans #MichaelBisping