The MMA Draw Podcast

The Apex will celebrate its 100th UFC event this Saturday night and they did absolutely nothing to celebrate the milestone. Instead, the promotion decided they would present the worst Apex card of the year, perhaps the worst one ever—a feat hard to achieve with 99 bare-minimum cards under their belt already in the venue.We do slightly lament the loss of Garbrandt-Johns, but it wasn’t setting the world on fire, and aside from the main event, there’s a plethora of going-nowhere fights. Lateral movement is everywhere you look. But the main event is a juicy one and Zane’s favor is shining upon Carlos Prates despite his Fighting Nerds home. Let’s take a look at the event’s main portion and the alternative stats:MMA Vivisection & 6th Round is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.UFC Vegas 100 Main Card* Neil Magny  vs.  Carlos Prates 170 lbs* Karolina Kowalkiewicz  vs.  Denise Gomes 115 lbs* Ricky Turcios  vs.  Benardo Sopaj 135 lbs* G. Meerschaert  vs.  Reinier de Ridder 185 lbs* Luana Pinheiro  vs.  Gillian Robertson 115 lbsUFC Vegas 100 Alternative Facts* Ranked fights: 1* Ranked fighters: 3* Fighters coming off losses: 14* Contender Series alumni: 6* TUF alumni: 4* Debuting fighters: 4There’s no bonus section this week as Zane was in Mexico and wasn’t able to watch the card, but they will return to form next week. Make sure to tune in immediately after this Saturday’s fights for breakdowns and analysis on our 6th Round Post-Fight Show.Thank you for reading this article and listening to the podcast. Please consider subscribing to The MMA Vivisection & 6th Round Post-fight Show podcast Substack to enjoy our premium content. Your paid subscriptions are keeping hope alive that we can continue on with our shows. If you haven’t already, please pledge with a paid subscription today. If you have, please share this post far and wide.Thanks for reading MMA Vivisection & 6th Round! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comCanada is getting the rough treatment from UFC this weekend. A 14-fight event where 13 of the featured athletes are coming off losses seems like a hard sell, even with four ranked bouts. Sitting atop the heap is a great flyweight matchup between Brandon Moreno and Amir Albazi. Is it the kind of fight you put atop an on0the0road card? Probably not, but b…

*Note: Eddie out this week, so Zane winged it soloUFC 308 is in the books and with it, the hopes and dreams of many. What hopes and dreams, you ask? The ones that would’ve seen Max Holloway and Robert Whittaker leave the octagon victorious. Instead, they were finished, and they were violent finishes, to boot. Topuria never opened his mouth the entire fight. Cardio through the roof and I’d imagine his pulse rate hovered in the triathlete range. Holloway’s lauded cardio never failed him, but he was definitely breathing out of his mouth by round 2. Many foretold Topuria’s win, but to actually watch Max get finished was still sad to behold.Whittaker endured an onslaught of heavy pressure from Chimaev right from Jump Street and even made some narrow escapes but Khamzat was not to be denied. He took Rob’s back and locked in a face-crank, forcing an immediate tap. Why so fast, Rob? That answer came soon after when Rob pointed to his jaw. Later photos would reveal the crushing devastation Chimaev wreaked upon Whittaker’s jaw. Broken in at least two places. It’s a gruesome photo, be warned.Let’s look at the results and bonuses:MMA Vivisection & 6th Round is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.UFC 308 Results* Ilia Topuria def. Max Holloway via KO (R3, 1:34)* Khamzat Chimaev def. Whittaker via sub (R1, 3:34) * Magomed Ankalaev def. Aleksandar Rakic via unanimous decision* Lerone Murphy def. Dan Ige via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)* Shara Magomedov def. Armen Petrosyan via TKO (R2, 4:52)* Ibo Aslan def. Raffael Cerqueira via first-round TKO (0:51)* Geoff Neal def. Rafael dos Anjos via first-round TKO (injury) (1:30)* Mateusz Rebecki def. Myktybek Orolbai via split decision (29-28 x2, 28-29)* Abus Magomedov def. Brunno Ferreira via sub (arm triangle) (R3, 3:14)* Kennedy Nzechukwu def. Chris Barnett via first-round TKO (4:27) * Farid Basharat def. Victor Hugo via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x2)* Ismail Naurdiev def. Bruno Silva via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)* Rinat Fakhretdinov def. Carlos Leal via unanimous decision (29-28 x2, 30-27)UFC 308 Bonuses* FOTN: Mateusz Rębecki vs Myktybek Orolbai* POTN: Ilia Topuria, Shara Magomedov, Chimaev (yep, there were 3)Thank you for reading this article and listening to the podcast. Please consider subscribing to The MMA Vivisection & 6th Round Post-fight Show podcast Substack to enjoy our premium content. Your paid subscriptions are keeping hope alive that we can continue on with our shows. If you haven’t already, please pledge with a paid subscription today. If you have, please share this post far and wide.Thanks for reading MMA Vivisection & 6th Round! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC 308 is finally here and with it, one of the better PPV main cards of the year. At the top of the event is the featherweight title bout between reigning king Ilia Topuria and the challenger, one Jerome Max Holloway. Straight up banger, full stop. The co-main event of Bobby Knuckles and Khamzat Chimaev is a fight we’ve all looked forward to for a hot …

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC Vegas 99 is thankfully in the history books and not a moment too soon because that was an insanely long card. Just two finishes in eleven fights, and the fights that went the distance were mostly nothing to write home about. Michel Pereira got absolutely dominated by Fluffy Hernandez, then finished in the fifth round. It was an embarrassing performa…

You guys and gals aren’t going to believe this, but a mythical entity is afoot. The ultra-rare decent Apex card. That’s right kids, we’re getting a pretty solid event with UFC Vegas 99. Not only do we get three ranked fights, we have some really good matchmaking at play, as well. Charles Johnson vs. Sumudaerji is certified fresh. The main event is good, too. Middleweight doesn’t look completely barren these days. It’s not robust, by any means, but it’s got potential, and it’s been awhile since we’ve been able to say that. Let’s take a look at the bouts of the main portion as well as some alternative stats:MMA Vivisection & 6th Round is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.UFC Vegas 99 Main Card* Michel Pereira  vs.  Anthony Hernandez 185 lbs* Rob Font  vs.  Kyler Phillips 135 lbs* Sumudaerji  vs.  Charles Johnson 125 lbs* Jake Hadley  vs.  Cameron Smotherman 135 lbs* Darren Elkins  vs.  Daniel Pineda 145 lbsUFC Vegas 99 Alternative Stats* Ranked fights: 3 * Ranked fighters: 6 * Fighters coming off losses: 12 * Contender Series alumni: 5 * TUF alumni: 4 * Debuting fighters: 1 (Smotherman)Don’t forget to check out the bonus section for a great review of the UFC Vegas 98 card. Make sure to tune in immediately after this weekend’s fights for breakdowns and analysis on our 6th Round Post-Fight Show.Thank you for reading this article and listening to the podcast. Please consider subscribing to The MMA Vivisection & 6th Round Post-fight Show podcast Substack to enjoy our premium content. Your paid subscriptions are keeping hope alive that we can continue on with our shows. If you haven’t already, please pledge with a paid subscription today. If you have, please share this post far and wide.Thanks for reading MMA Vivisection & 6th Round! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC is back in business this weekend with their 98th Vegas themed Apex card, and much as one would expect, it’s kind of miserable. Okay, it’s a lot of miserable. If you don’t believe it, just scroll down to the alternative stats and feast your eyes on those. Outside the main event, there isn’t another truly intriguing fight. There are plenty of interest…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC 307 is finally in the books and good riddance. The judging stunk the place up. There were several decisions that made us give the side-eye and there were also several fights that made us want to stab our own eyeballs with a dull knife. But Kayla won, and we’re very interested in seeing her compete for the belt (you know she’s next). Poatan won his f…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comRED ALERT! UFC is giving us a card with SEVEN ranked fights! Of course it’s a PPV, but we can admit when the promotion is churning out solid content, and for the last few weeks, we’ve gotten some good matchmaking. This week features much of the same—although we’re not overly thrilled with the two dinosaur matches on the undercard. Means vs. McGee and OS…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC Paris is now history, but within the timeframe that it was an active event, it brought some show-stopping moments and another KO of the year candidate. The action was in high gear from the very first bout and was maintained all the way to the main event. Brian Battle declared he wouldn’t lose to a Frenchman after finishing Jousset and Renato Moicano…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC Paris has arrived for 2024 and as you probably guessed, it’s a decent card, as they tend to be when on the road. Have to make sure those seats are sold at a premium, right? At the top of the card is an excellent bout between Number 11 ranked Renato Moicano (Moicano wants MONEY!) and Number 12 ranked Benoit St. Denis. Will Moicano continue to surpris…

A pretty underwhelming Noche UFC card didn’t deliver the action where the two title fights were concerned, but up to that point, we had a great run of fights, even if there was a dearth of finishes. There were only two finishes on the entire card. We did get a contender for round of the year (the decade even) with the third stanza of Zellhuber vs. Ribovics, which was an outstanding contest. The production pizzazz didn’t really kick in much until the main card, aside from some color changing displays and the unique ring girl costumes, but once the main card got underway, we were treated to the dazzling AI displays in full 16K that didn’t quite translate on our subpar monitors and TV screens. But Norma Dumont won, and for that, Stephie and Zane can rejoice.Let’s take a look at the results and bonuses. We even have an announced gate and attendance.MMA Vivisection & 6th Round is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.UFC 306 Results* Merab Dvalishvili def. Sean O’Malley via UD (49-46, 48-47, 48-47)* Valentina Shevchenko def. Alexa Grasso via UD (50-45 x3)* Diego Lopes def. Brian Ortega via UD (30-26, 30-27 x2) * Esteban Ribovics def. Daniel Zellhuber via split decision (28-29, 29-28 x2)* Ronaldo Rodriguez def. Ode Osbourne via UD (29-28, 29-27 x2)* Norma Dumont def. Irene Aldana via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)* Ignacio Bahamondes def. Manuel Torres via first-round TKO (4:02)* Ketlen Souza def. Yazmin Jauregui via sub (RNC) (R2, 3:02)* Joshua Van def. Edgar Chairez via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)* Raul Rosas Jr. def. Aoriqileng via unanimous decision (29-28 x3) UFC 306 Bonuses & Supplemental Info* FOTN: Zellhuber vs. Ribovics* POTN: Bahamondes, Souza* Announced Gate: $22M* Announced Attendance: 16,024Don’t forget to check out the bonus section where the boys give their patented, five-star review of all the fights. You can’t get this anywhere…or can you? We like to think you can’t, so we’ll stick with that. Just be sure to listen! *Zane was solo so this episode doesn’t have a bonus segment. FREE FUN FOR ALL!Thank you for reading this article and listening to the podcast. Please consider subscribing to The MMA Vivisection & 6th Round Post-fight Show podcast Substack to enjoy our premium content. Your paid subscriptions are keeping hope alive that we can continue on with our shows. If you haven’t already, please pledge with a paid subscription today. If you have, please share this post far and wide.Thanks for reading MMA Vivisection & 6th Round! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC 306 week is finally here and with it, a solid card. Is it worth all the hype and huge production budget the promotion has invested in it? Absolutely not. Will it be a fun watch considering the match-ups? Yes it will. Maybe we see Sean O’Malley be the one to stop the Dvalishvili juggernaut, or maybe the Georgian ends Sugar’s title run.And if the boys…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC Vegas 97 is over and done. The fat lady has sung her song. The man with one name (Yizha) was soundly trounced. Jacqueline Amorim answered everything Vanessa Demopoulos threw at her for 3+ minutes, then decided she’d had enough and submitted her. Jessica Andrade was bested by Natalia Silva and Sean Brady beat Gilbert Burns by a considerable margin. L…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC Vegas 97 isn’t where all the action is happening, or even part of it, but it does have a fight here and there that is worth the watch. It gives that deja vu feeling, though, like we’ve already seen it before. Such is the way of all Apex cards. Who knows, maybe we’ll get better quality cards once the expansion is done. We won’t hold our breath, thoug…