The MMA Vivisection – UFC 286: Edwards vs. Usman 3 picks, odds, & analysis

After the recent UFC 285 PPV extravaganza, UFC 286 looks just a little tiny bit shabbier by comparison. The main event between Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards is great, as is the co-main between Justin Gaethje and Rafael Fiziev. After that, it’s a fine event of solid bookings, just lacking that tiny bit of extra edge, perhaps. Still, expectations should be high that fans will get a great night of fights.

For fans looking to support our podcasting work as Bloody Elbow leaves VOX network of sites, we now officially have a Vivisection/6th Round Patreon. Both shows will continue to be posted, for free on BE, SoundCloud, YouTube and other podcasting apps going forward. However, the Patreon will give fans exclusive access to the MMA Depressed-us from here on out.

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The MMA Vivisection is brought to you by ‘The Fine Art of Violence’, a collection of art and essays recapping the year in MMA by Chris Rini, featuring the most talented artists and writers in Mixed Martial Arts. The book is available in both hard copy and digital formats at chrisrini.com.

Here’s a look at the UFC 286 fight card, as it stood at the time of recording:

ESPN+ PPV CARD | SAT. MAR. 18 — 5/2PM ETPT

Leon Edwards vs. Kamaru Usman — Picks, Both: Usman | At 03:55, Odds 26:01
Justin Gaethje vs. Rafael Fiziev — Picks, Both: Fiziev | At 26:23, Odds 50:28
Gunnar Nelson vs. Bryan Barberena — Picks, Both: Nelson | At 51:59, Odds 57:10
Jennifer Maia vs. Casey O’Neill — Picks, Both: Maia | At 57:21, Odds 1:07:28
Marvin Vettori vs. Roman Dolidze — Picks, Both: Vettori | At 1:08:25, Odds 1:15:02

ESPN2/ESPN+ FEATURED PRELIMS | 3/12PM ETPT

Jack Shore vs. Makwan Amirkhani — Picks, Both: Shore | At 00:48, Odds 13:02
Chris Duncan vs. Omar Morales — Picks, Both: Morales | At 14:15, Odds 26:04
Sam Patterson vs. Yanal Ashmoz — Picks, Both: Ashmoz | At 26:31, Odds – Skipped?
Muhammad Mokaev vs. Jafel Filho — Picks, Both: Mokaev | At 35:28, Odds 45:59

UFC FIGHTPASS EARLY PRELIMS | 1PM/10AM ETPT (0 CARES)

Lerone Murphy vs. Gabriel Santos — Picks, Both: Murphy | At 47:43, Odds 58:20
Christian Leroy Duncan vs. Duško Todorović — Picks, Both: Duncan | At 59:39, Odds 1:09:37
Jake Hadley vs. Malcolm Gordon — Picks, Both: Hadley | At 1:10:33, Odds 1:15:55
Joanne Wood vs. Luana Carolina — Picks, Zane: Wood, Connor: Carolina | At 1:16:10, Odds 1:26:48
Jai Herbert vs. L’udovit Klein — Picks, Both: Klein | At 1:27:00, Odds 1:36:35
Veronica Macedo vs. Juliana Miller — Picks, Both: Miller | At 1:37:00, Odds 1:43:38For every event on your MMA calendar, be sure to check in over at DRAFTKINGS SPORTSBOOK for all of your up-to-date odds, stats and betting whims.

For those of you following the picks made on the show, we started tracking them with the July 13th, 2020 Vivisection shows for UFC Fight Island 1: ‘Kattar vs. Ige’. So far, here are the overall standings:

For our last event, UFC Vegas 71: ‘Yan vs. Dvalishvili’:

Zane picked 7/13 for 54% and Connor picked 6/13 for 46%

Overall stats from UFC Fight Island 1 in July, 2020, through UFC Vegas 71 in Mar., 2023:

Zane went 861/1342 for 64% and Connor went 821/1342 for 61%

2023 Stats:

Zane is 61/100 for 61% and Connor is 57/100 for 57%

2022 Stats:

Zane went 331/505 for 66% and Connor went 312/505 for 62%

2021 Stats:

Zane went 305/493 for 62% and Connor went 295/493 for 60%

July-Dec 2020 Stats:

Zane went 164/244 for 67% and Connor went 157/244 for 64%

Stats Reference Spreadsheets: Vivi Picks Stats_3.16.23.pdf

Related

UFC 286: EDWARDS VS USMAN 3, Picks, Odds, & Analysis | The MMA Vivisection MAIN CARD Show by Bloody Elbow Presents on SoundCloud

UFC 286: Edwards vs. Usman 3, Picks, Odds, & Analysis | The MMA Vivisection PRELIMS Show by Bloody Elbow Presents on SoundCloud

If you enjoy our variety of shows, please give us a shout out in the comments here on Bloody Elbow, and give us a “like”, share & subscribe on your BE Podcast platform of choice: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Audible, iHeartRadio, Spotify, Stitcher, SoundCloud,TuneIn, OverCast, PocketCasts, Castro, Castbox, Player FM, imdb, ThisMMALife, Podcast Addict, Podvine, Podchaser, Podbay, Podtail, Owltail, Listennotes, Podcast Republic, MuckRack, Chartable, Podtoppen.se, & BE Podcast Substack…. & The Vivi Patreon.

Follow your favorite Bloody Elbow Podcast hosts on your preferred apps, such as: Downcast, PodCruncher, iCatcher!, Castaway 2, Podcastapp, Podbean, BeyondPod (Android), & more in your App Store! Coming soon to Simplecast, Pandora & Sirius XM!

For previous episodes, check out our archives on any of our BE Podcast platforms.

Check out the MMA Vivi Facebook Page, be sure to “Like”, Follow, Share — At: https://www.facebook.com/TheMMAVivi.

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Loyal Vivi Follower Call to Action: We need a loyal Vivi listener to volunteer your time for us…

The task we need accomplished, is for someone to go to the Bloody Elbow Presents YouTube Channel Vivisection Playlist, scroll down to UFC 251 Main Card show & UFC 251 Prelims Show (from July, 2020) and listen to each show every few minutes before the odds were timestamped (timestamps are listed in the show descriptions); you will be carefully listening for the guys’ picks for each bout. Make a log of Zane’s picks and Connor’s picks for each bout they discussed on the Main Card show and the Prelims show, noting the name of the event as you go along.

Then do the same for all of the following events from the beginning of 2020: UFC 251, UFC Vegas 4: Poirier vs Hooker, UFC on ESPN: Blaydes vs Volkov, UFC Apex 1: Eye vs Calvillo, UFC 250, UFC on ESPN: Woodley vs Burns, UFC FN: Overeem vs. Harris, UFC FN: Smith vs Teixeira, UFC 249, UFC Brasilia (UFC on ESPN+ 28): Lee vs Oliveira, UFC 248, UFC Norfolk (aka UFC on ESPN+ 27): Benavidez vs Figueiredo, UFC Auckland (aka UFC on ESPN+ 26): Felder vs Hooker, UFC Rio Rancho (aka UFC on ESPN+ 25): Anderson vs Blachowicz 2, UFC 247, UFC Raleigh (aka UFC on ESPN+ 24): Blaydes vs Dos Santos, & UFC 246. (These are the events in 2020 we did not track picks on, which makes our stats tracking incomplete for that year, and all years since then.)

Please send your completed log to our BE Production Manager: June M. Williams at orijunels@gmail.com and she will input your data into the ‘Vivi Stats Spreadsheets’ for us.

This project requires someone with integrity who will log the picks honestly and accurately, without bias towards either Zane or Connor. You will be credited by name for your hard work in the first post which contains the updated spreadsheet files.

If you are interested in volunteering for this project, please email June with any questions and let her know you are undertaking the task for her. Thanks for your consideration!

The MMA Vivisection – UFC Vegas 71: Yan vs. Dvalishvili picks, odds, & analysis

It’s always nice to see the UFC follow strength with strength. The world’s largest MMA promotion is coming off a huge PPV last week, with UFC 285, and now they’re right back at it with a top class ‘Fight Night’ event. In the headliner, former champion Petr Yan takes on top contender Merab Dvalishvili. They’re accompanied by a top ranked heavyweight bout between Alexander Volkov and Alexander Romanov, alongside what was meant to be the headliner from two weeks ago—a light heavyweight tilt between Nikita Krylov and Ryan Spann. Should be a blast.

For fans looking to support our podcasting work as Bloody Elbow leaves VOX network of sites, we now officially have a Vivisection/6th Round Patreon. Both shows will continue to be posted, for free on BE, SoundCloud, YouTube and other podcasting apps going forward. However, the Patreon will give fans exclusive access to the MMA Depressed-us from here on out.

For those looking to dive deeper into a card that feels as though it’s all just undercard, check out the Prelims Vivi below.Your official & honorary Vivi Hosts!

June M. Williams

The MMA Vivisection is brought to you by ‘The Fine Art of Violence’, a collection of art and essays recapping the year in MMA by Chris Rini, featuring the most talented artists and writers in Mixed Martial Arts. The book is available in both hard copy and digital formats at chrisrini.com.

Here’s a look at the UFC Vegas 71 fight card, as it stood at the time of recording:

ESPN+ MAIN CARD | SAT. MAR. 11 — 6/3PM ETPT

Petr Yan vs. Merab Dvalishvili — Picks, Both: Yan | At 7:16, Odds 31:05
Alexander Volkov vs. Alexandr Romanov — Picks, Zane: Volkov, Connor: Romanov | At 31:47, Odds 45:52
Nikita Krylov vs. Ryan Spann — Picks, Both: Krylov | At 47:00, Odds 52:23
Ricardo Ramos vs. Austin Lingo — Picks, Both: Ramos | At 53:03, Odds 1:01:20
Said Nurmagomedov vs. Jonathan Martinez — Picks, Zane: Nurmagomedov, Connor: Martinez | At 1:01:36, Odds 1:14:27
Vitor Petrino vs. Anton Turkalj — Picks, Both: Petrino | At 1:15:22, Odds 1:23:33

ESPN+ PRELIMS | 3/12PM ETPT

Łukasz Brzeski vs. Karl Williams — Picks, Both: Brzeski | At 2:39, Odds 10:06
Raphael Assunção vs. Davey Grant — Picks, Both: Assunção | At 12:28, Odds 22:37
Sedriques Dumas vs. Josh Fremd — Picks, Both: Dumas | At 24:08, Odds 32:22
Mario Bautista vs. Guido Cannetti — Picks, Both: Bautista | At 33:06, Odds 39:31
JJ Aldrich vs. Ariane Lipski — Picks, Both: Aldrich | At 41:35, Odds 49:14
Tony Gravely vs. Victor Henry — Picks, Both: Henry | At 50:19, Odds 56:25
Tyson Nam vs. Bruno Gustavo Silva — Picks, Zane: Silva, Connor: Nam | At 58:02, Odds 1:09:17
Carlston Harris vs. Abubakar Nurmagomedov — Picks, Both: Harris | At 1:10:06, Odds 1:16:01For every event on your MMA calendar, be sure to check in over at DRAFTKINGS SPORTSBOOK for all of your up-to-date odds, stats and betting whims.

For those of you following the picks made on the show, we started tracking them with the July 13th, 2020 Vivisection shows for UFC Fight Island 1: ‘Kattar vs. Ige’. So far, here are the overall standings:

For our last event, UFC 285: ‘Jones vs. Gane’:

Zane picked 9/14 for 64% and Connor picked 7/14 for 50%

Overall stats from UFC Fight Island 1 in July, 2020, through UFC 285 in Mar., 2023:

Zane went 854/1329 for 64% and Connor went 815/1329 for 61%

2023 Stats:

Zane is 54/87 for 62% and Connor is 51/87 for 59%

2022 Stats:

Zane went 331/505 for 66% and Connor went 312/505 for 62%

2021 Stats:

Zane went 305/493 for 62% and Connor went 295/493 for 60%

July-Dec 2020 Stats:

Zane went 164/244 for 67% and Connor went 157/244 for 64%

Stats Reference Spreadsheets: Vivi Picks Stats_3.9.23.pdf

Related

The MMA Vivisection MAIN CARD Show by Bloody Elbow Presents via SC — UFC VEGAS 71: YAN VS DVALISHVILI, Picks, Odds, & Analysis

The MMA Vivisection PRELIMS Show by Bloody Elbow Presents via SC — UFC Vegas 71: Yan vs Dvalishvili, Picks, Odds & Analysis

If you enjoy our variety of shows, please give us a shout out in the comments here on Bloody Elbow, and give us a “like”, share & subscribe on your BE Presents Podcast platform of choice: YouTube, SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Audible, iHeartRadio, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn, OverCast, PocketCasts, Castro, Castbox, Player FM, imdb, ThisMMALife, Podcast Addict, Podvine, Podchaser, Podbay, Podtail, Owltail, Listennotes, Podcast Republic, MuckRack, Chartable, Podtoppen.se & Patreon.

Follow your favorite Bloody Elbow Presents hosts on your preferred apps, such as: Downcast, PodCruncher, iCatcher!, Castaway 2, Podcastapp, Podbean, BeyondPod (Android), & more in your App Store! Coming soon to Simplecast, Pandora & Sirius XM!

For previous episodes, check out our playlists on any of our BE Presents channels.

Check out the MMA Vivi Facebook Page, and be sure to “Like”, Follow, Share — At: https://www.facebook.com/TheMMAVivi.

‘You should do jail time for doing steroids or EPO’ – Aljamain Sterling doubts effectiveness of USADA

The UFC’s relationship with drug testing has been an interesting one over the years. For a long time, the promotion maintained that making sure fighters were ‘clean’ was the job of athletic commissions, and not the promotion. Fighters got tested just before and just after their bouts, and as long as those tests were clear, everything was hunky-dory.

That all changed in 2015, when the world’s largest MMA promotion announced their partnership with the private drug testing company USADA. And in the years since, athletes have been subject to a year-round schedule of random visits from USADA agents, collecting samples to ensure a level playing field. At least, that’s the pitch.

However, it seems one fighter has some doubts about just how effective – or equal – the USADA program works in reality. Bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling recently sat down with Ariel Helwani and the MMA Hour, where what started as a fairly inoccuous question about disgraced former champion TJ Dillashaw became a whole rant about USADA, Petr Yan, and what Sterling seems to feel may be an unfair focus on US athletes.

“The whole USADA thing, man, it’s kinda laughable,” Sterling told Helwani, shortly after saying that he’d like to fight Dillashaw as the next top contender. “Because, it wasn’t even USADA that caught TJ. It was the athletic commission, the New York Athletic Commission. What are we paying USADA to do? Is this just a front to kinda, like, remove all liabilities? Just say, ‘Hey, this is a third party that we pay to test our guys. We have no accountability for this.’ Because, I don’t get it. It doesn’t make any sense to me.

“Because, I’m like—all these guys in these other countries, I don’t think they’re being tested as much as we’re being tested. And I do think – and people could tell me I’m crazy – I’ve watched [2017 doping documentary] Icarus, I’ve always had my suspicions about things. This sport was kind of founded on being prideful of, ‘Yeah, I’m jacked, I’m a monster.’ Look at back in the days, of what people used to look like—the Sean Sherks. I don’t want to disparage anyone’s name, but we kinda know who’s who—the Belforts, we know what’s up. To try and tell me, convince me that people aren’t still doing stuff?

“If USADA can’t catch TJ Dillashaw,” Sterling continued, “who actually had been outed by Cody Garbrandt in a press conference? And USADA doesn’t think, ‘Huh, maybe we should look into this?’ Because Garbrandt said he was the one showing people at the gym how to do it. Nothing happened after that. But the athletic commission of New York catches TJ Dillashaw? So what are they doing? Seriously, what are they doing?”

But it isn’t just USADA’s lack of ability to catch Dillashaw that apparently has gotten under the ‘Funk Master’’s skin. He also voiced serious doubts that international fighters weren’t receiving the same oversight as their American counterparts, mostly due to their celebrity status in their home countries.

“And I don’t think anyone is going to test from the USADA pool in these other countries the way that they’re testing us,” Sterling explained. “In the United States, you pop somebody, you pop a Jon Jones, you pop everybody else? You’re almost like a hero. You get the little badge of honor. It’s, like, cool, that you caught that guy. But these other guys from these other countries, when they’re not being caught, do you really think they’re trying to catch their guy?

“Their people who are almost, like—they’re treated like royalty, they have the red carpet treatment. Those small countries – and Russia’s not a small country – I’m just saying that in those small countries, they’re just looked at differently. It’s perceived differently. Sports is like the ultimate thing for them…they’re, like, God-sent when they win the Olympics—these types of things. So, when you have these athletes who are in the top of their sport, you think these guys are really trying to pop their guys? I don’t think so.”

And despite realizing that he has no real evidence of unequal treatment, clear proof of doping, or even – perhaps – much more than a gut feeling, Sterling still sounded adamant that there isn’t enough being done to stop doping in MMA. The way he sees it, the brutal physicality of combat sports should mean that using performance enhancing drugs carries the weight of a jail sentence for fighters who test positive.

“That shit bothers me man. That shit does bother me, because you should do jail time for doing steroids or EPO, or any type of shit like that in the UFC—in combat sports in general. You can literally rearrange someone’s career, their livelihood, doing this contact sport, man. This is not like playing basketball. We’re not shooting hoops, we’re not hitting a baseball into the crowd. You know what I’m talking about? We’re dealing with life-changing events when you step into that Octagon.”

“We’re not Lance Armstrong, we’re not riding a bike, bro. We’re in a freaking fist-fight. And if you can be a little bit more aggressive, a little bit more on point, a little bit more dialed in, that’s a more dangerous person in my eyes. So that shit should be jail time, bro. Fucking jail time. It should be fucking jail time, that shit’s fucked up, bro.”

As for how that all relates to his upcoming bout with Petr Yan? The longtime Serra-Longo talent claims that he isn’t “trying to put dirt on Yan’s name,” but added that he “would not be surprised,” if Yan were using PEDs. “Like I say, where there’s smoke, there’s fire, man,” he concluded

Aljamain Sterling vs. Petr Yan 2 is set to take place at UFC 273 on April 9th. The event has been scheduled for the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY, but recent reports suggest it may be moved either to Florida or to Las Vegas. The main event is expected to feature a featherweight title fight between Alexander Volkanovski and the ‘Korean Zombie’ Chan Sung Jung.

‘No one knows where I’m at’ – UFC’s Cheyanne Vlismas in hiding, not sure of Octagon return

Her debut fight inside the Octagon couldn’t have gone much worse for Cheyanna Vlismas (formerly Buys), a 3-round decision loss to Montserrat Ruiz that became most notable for Vlismas’ post-fight comments than any of the action during the contest itself. However, with two more fights in 2021, the 26-year-old walked out of the year with a 2-1 UFC record—and the label of one of the most promising new talents in the strawweight division.

For fans hoping to see her keep that momentum charging forward into the new year, however? It may be some time before Vlismas is back competing inside the cage. In a recent interview with MMA Fighting Vlismas revealed that she’s gone into hiding due to “reasons beyond belief.” The Xtreme Couture fighter wasn’t willing to elaborate on exactly what the circumstances were that pushed her to take drastic action, but says she hopes to be able to compete again by the summer.

“Unfortunately, I would love to fight again [and] soon, but because of reasons beyond belief, I cannot fight, and I cannot make any more money until I finalize some things in my life, and I don’t know when that will be,” Vlismas told MMA Fighting. “I’m trying to make that soon, but I don’t have an answer. I’m hoping by summer. I’m praying by summer. That’s what I’m gonna shoot for.

“As far as 2022, you’ll see me, but I have no answers. And honestly, it makes me want to cry how I have no answers for anything.”

“No one knows where I’m at, and I’m actually keeping it that way,” Vlismas added. “A lot of things happened before my fight – and even after my fight – and I decided what’s best is to just escape. I’ve been gone now for two weeks and I love it. I’m overseas and just living my life.”

Vlismas entered the UFC competing under the name Cheyanne Buys, following her 2019 marriage to fellow MMA fighter and UFC flyweight JP Buys. She changed her name back to Vlismas ahead of her December 4th bout against Mallory Martin. Vlismas won that fight via unanimous decision, picking up a ‘Fight of the Night’ bonus for her efforts, money Vlismas says “saved” her. Despite that success, Vlismas claims that – given her present circumstances – she wasn’t even supposed to take that bout.

“If it was [up to] me, I would love to fight, but I am told I cannot,” Vlismas revealed. “I was actually not even supposed to fight in my last fight. I was asked not to by some high-up people. They told me, ‘Please do not take this fight.’

“Even my family didn’t want me to fight, one, for being sick, and two, for other reasons I can’t speak about. No one wanted me to fight at all, so the fact I got to finish off 2021 with a fight, and winning, and proving to people just that little [more] like I did it, more for myself, it was a good feeling.”

A strange situation to be sure. But, hopefully one that sees Vlismas safe and back in competition sooner rather than later.

‘I hate losing a lot more than I like winning’ – Ryan Hall talks post-fight shrugs, volatility of MMA

MMA is home to plenty of odd personalities and unconventional talents. But, few fighters are as unusual to in their approach to combat itself as longtime grappling ace and featherweight UFC talent Ryan Hall.

And it’s not just down to his Imanari rolls and leg lock prowess, MMA has seen its fair share of exciting guard grapplers. It’s also baked into a striking style that’s largely based around defensive movement, distance maintenance, and a regular output of creative kicks. Fighters that face Hall inside the Octagon often find themselves with a puzzle to solve that runs against the meta of the sport at large.

When Hall wins, it can feel like he’s done so by breaking down the ability for his opponent to have a fight with him at all. He forces foes into aggressive pursuit, only to spring on them with a thrilling submission attempt when their aggression gets too wild. And when it all works (as it often has) he follows up those moments of victory with a shrug to the camera.

In a recent interview with the MMA Hour, Hall explained his trademark post-fight celebration. One he says is a nod both to the chaotic and unpredictable nature of MMA, and to the fact that, as far as he’s concerned, winning isn’t nearly as important as not losing.

“Ah, well, that happened,” Hall elucidated (transcript via MMA Fighting). “You can win, and you can lose. Every single fight that I ever won, I could have lost.”

“I would say I’ve had times in fights where I’ve been lucky,” Hall added, after talking about what he felt were a few “lucky” turns for Ilia Topuria in the Georgian fighter’s recent victory over Hall. “You step this way instead of that way, and I’ve gotten good outcomes and I’ve gotten bad outcomes. … So I guess what I would say is I’m here to learn, I’m here for the challenge, I’m here to fight with everything that I have and face the best opposition that I can. I just need to get the experience and need to keep pushing forward.”

“But win, lose, or draw, I will push forward,” he said. “I recognize the volatility of the game; I recognize the seriousness of the game. When you win, you’re like [shrugs].

“I hate losing a lot more than I like winning.”

‘Fans come to watch me knock people out and do f-ing shoeys’ – Tai Tuivasa had bone to pick with pushy UFC 269 security

There’s no doubt about it, Australia’s Tai Tuivasa is on a serious hot streak. Following back-to-back-to-back losses in 2018-19, ‘Bam Bam’ has breathed new life into his Octagon career—rattling off four straight victories, the latest of which he picked up over Augusto Sakai this last weekend.

But, if crushing power has been the key to the 28-year-old’s success inside the cage, he’s built an equally strong reputation for his celebrations outside of it. The man who brought the ‘shoey’ to the UFC has made a habit of getting a few drinks in with fans as he makes his way to the back of the arena after each highlight KO.

Unfortunately, as the AKA trained fighter revealed during his post-fight press conference, overzealous staff severely handicapped his drinking spree following UFC 269.

Related

UFC 269: OLIVEIRA VS POIRIER | 6th Round Post-Fight Show by Bloody Elbow Presents

“Oh look, this is a touchy subject tonight,” Tuivasa revealed when asked how many shoeys he did following his latest victory. “I got pushed out of there pretty fast, and had a bit of an altercation with one of the officials. Hopefully, don’t do that again please.”

“Look, I understand he’s doing his job,” Tuivasa added, “but I don’t know if—he wasn’t a UFC worker or anything. Fuck, to be honest, I don’t know what he was. He just pushed me out of—you know what I mean? My fans come to watch me knock people out and do fucking shoeys. And I felt that he was pushing me out of there and trying to tell me how to do my job, when I don’t tell him how to sign gloves and shit. You know what I mean? “

“Exactly, they come to pay to watch me, not you,” said the Sydney native, in response to another reporter’s question.

But, while Tuivasa may have been frustrated, he also tried to clear the air, that he wasn’t holding on to any long term grudges.

“No, no. Look, I apologized to him,” Tuivasa said. “I kinda went after him. Sorry, official. But, you know how my back is. Don’t fuckin’—like a little rash, you know what I mean? Let me do my thing.”

“That’s my drug, I love it,” he responded when asked how he felt about seeing so many fans holding shoes aloft for him after wins. “This is why I do this, for the fans. I do this to entertain and have fun, and it’s a feeling you can only get by doing that. And, I’ve said it before, that’s what keeps me going. I do this to entertain, and I love it. I love my walkouts, I love the cameras, I love the lights, I love knocking people out. I love it.”

Fortunately for Tuivasa, it sounds like he had some thrilling plans for the rest of the evening—telling one reporter that if he got a performance bonus (which he did), that half of that money wasn’t making it back home with him. For that kind of cash, no doubt he can make up for what he missed in free drinks from the crowd.

“To be honest, I only got one shoey in. I was pretty filthy. Ah, two—sorry, the one on the cage. Steve’s, and one in the crowd. But, I was pretty filthy on that.”

MMA fighter vs Butterbean wannabe, bar fights – Tiger Muay Thai MMA Training: Episode #5

Last time out, MMA Mania’s Andrew Richardson got some solid sparring in, and took in an amateur fight card accompanied by a full spread of delicious Thai food. His mini-doc series so far has brought him from the training grounds of Team Alpha Male in Sacramento all the way to Phuket Thailand, to get some work in at one of the world’s largest combat sports facilities, Tiger Muay Thai.

| Watch Episode One HERE and Episode Two HERE and Episode Three HERE and Episode Four HERE! |

In this latest episode, Richardson left behind his training grounds and signed himself up for an semi-regulated ‘bar’ fight. No mouth guard, no hand wraps, no contracts (but he did at least get to wear head gear and shin guards and gloves). A true ‘anyone who wants some can get some’ kind of situation.

There is no pageantry nor warm up, no hand wraps or mouth guard. My only regret is not bringing my usual mouthpiece to the isle, but I truly didn’t think I was going to compete! I like to think I am pretty self-aware, but I really managed to dupe myself this time. Case acted as my primary cornerman, aided by any drunk tourist who wanted to put in his two cents.

The rules of the fight certainly made the situation trickier. When faced with a spastic opponent, I generally like to wrestle or evade until his energy runs out a bit. With one minute rounds — split up by a full three minutes of rest! — and no grappling allowed, neither tactic was available. Knees and elbows were not permitted either, so any clinch advantage was moot as well.

Watching the fight back for the first time, I don’t hate my performance as much as I thought I would. In truth, only one punch of his landed clean across the three minutes, an uppercut amidst the sea of overhands, and I wasn’t bothered by it. My showing was sloppier than I would’ve liked, but the rules and atmosphere encourage wildness, and I was a bit swept up in the moment.

It is a bar fight after all.

Battling Bullies, BBQ Beatdowns – Tiger Muay Thai MMA Training: Episode #4

Andrew Richardson has taken viewers into the heart of one of combat sports’ biggest training facilities. We’ve seen him go through grueling conditioning circuits, fast paced grappling classes, and stuff himself with a variety of six legged snacks.

| Watch Episode One HERE and Episode Two HERE and Episode Three HERE! |

In this episode, Richardson gets some solid sparring in, and checks out an event called the BBQ Beatdown, where he got to enjoy all the food he could eat, along with watching a dozen or so amateur bouts, headlined by a pro fight.

In general, the fights were … not high-level. I’m talking punching from the bottom while mounted-type fights! That’s okay though; anyone who has ever seen a regional amateur event knows that fights can be plenty fun regardless of skill level.

There was one major exception, and it overshadowed everything else by a mile. In the lone professional bout of the night, 12- and 14-year-old Thais faced off in Muay Thai. Both had over a dozen professional bouts to their name, and the two brought the action. It was the most exciting bout I saw while in Thailand, as the two adolescents battered each other, the momentum shifting sides with each clean cross and cutting elbow.

Previous to BBQ Beatdown, I had visited the prestigious Rajadamnern Stadium in Bangkok for live fights, and none of those 10 adult bouts were quite as exciting as this one. I don’t mean to imply that children should be brutalizing each other, nor am I condemning a Thai cultural institution.

All I’m saying: those kids can f*cking fight.

Eating weird bugs, avoiding Russians – Tiger Muay Thai MMA Training: Episode #3

Episode one of Andrew Richardson’s journey to train at Tiger Muay Thai took viewers with him as he first stepped into one of the world’s largest combat sports facilities. His struggles to get himself back into fight shape, and the sweltering heat of Thailand. In Episode 2, Richardson detailed the gym’s approach to pro grappling classes as well as a visit to the Phuket ‘Night Market’ to try and find some interesting local delicacies.

While the attempt to find some new and fun food to eat may not have gone all that well last time around, Episode 3 found a lot more success.

Finally, one of the signature moments: bugs! Outside of eating insects, the primary focus of the episode is an MMA technique class, which focuses on mixing up striking and wrestling.

While in the technique class, the sheer number of active fighters drilling, as well as the heat and sweat made avoiding collisions difficult. Especially when there are a some fighters not just drilling, but hard sparring. And when there’s a language barrier between you and the fighters you want to keep from running you over? Things can get a bit hectic.

The mats at Tiger are absolutely packed, and combined with the amount of sweat from the intense heat, practice can quickly turn into an overcrowded slip-n-slide. If you want to leave the room with an intact ACL, it’s supremely important to be aware of your surroundings.

Especially if you’re among the lightest guys in the room like myself!

Check out the whole episode, and stay tuned for part 4, where Richardson gets an up-close look at a “semi-organized bar fight.”

Watch the UFC 247 Jon Jones media day scrum: ‘I want to be champion for this next decade’

It’s fight week for UFC 247! And that means all the scheduled media events, hype building, and preparations are well underway ahead of this Saturday’s PPV event in Houston, TX. In the main event, light heavyweight king Jon Jones will look to maintain his death grip on the division against fast rising new challenger Dominick Reyes. This will be the third defense of Jones’ latest title reign, having regained the belt for the third time against Alexander Gustafsson back in December of 2018.

Ahead of his upcoming bout, Jones sat down to take questions from the media on a whole variety of topics. Jones spoke about his excitement for fight week, his expectations of Reyes as an opponent, and about his intentions to prolong his championship reign for as long as possible.

“My goal is to be here for an extremely long time,” Jones said. “I want to be here for the whole next decade, and I want to be champion for this next decade. I mean, I look at Daniel Cormier as an inspiration. For him to be champion at 40-years-old – dominating guys much younger than him – he lets me know that, if I do the right things and really take care of myself, there’s no reason why we can’t keep up with this next generation of fighters—this next decade of fighters. So, that’s the goal, that’s the motivation. Thank you for the motivation, Daniel Cormier.”

UFC 247 takes place Saturday, 8th from the Toyota Center, in Houston, TX. Jon Jones vs. Dominick Reyes is expected for the PPV main event. A women’s flyweight title fight between Valentina Shevchenko and Katlyn Chookagian is set for the night’s co-main. Stay tuned to Bloody Elbow for more news and updates as the card approaches.