Time Out With Manouk Akopyan

We cover:⚫Glory's new home on DAZN⚫USA expansion with Miami show May 1⚫Combat sports content distribution landscape⚫Memories as a top executive at UFC for over a decade and working with Dana White

My interview with UFC No. 3 ranked flyweight Amir Albazi, who returns after heart and neck surgery and a 17-month layoff on Saturday to face former champion Brandon Moreno in a main event fight on ESPN.My conversation with Albazi (17-1) covered his rags to riches journey living in Iraq under Saddam Hussein's reign and then in Syria and Sweden as a refugee and a gang member robbing people, and all the way to London to graduate college. Albazi is a perfect 5-0 in the UFC and is already drawing comparisons to Ilia Taporia’s rise – the all-around mixed martial artist Albazi has 9 wins by submission, 5 via KO, and 9 first-round finishes. A win against Moreno, who's fought everyone under the sun, would allow “The Prince” Albazi to graduate to a title shot.

My interview with UFC ranked featherweight contender Dan Ige, who is fighting on the main card of UFC 308 on Saturday against undefeated upstart Lerone Murphy. Ige will be setting up the Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway and Khamzat Chimaev vs. Robert Whittaker fights out of the No. 3 slot of the PPV card. Ige is coming off one of the most badass moments in UFC history, taking a fight on three hours notice against Diego Lopes for the co-main event of UFC 303. Dana White called Ige a stud afterward and promised to deliver anything he wanted for stepping up to the plate. And here he is now, looking to live up to his 50K nickname against Murphy.