This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit bloodyelbowpodcast.substack.comUFC Austin wasn’t just great on paper, it was absolutely marvelous in practice. With finishes galore, including slam knockouts, there was a lot to love with this card. And Arman Tsarukyan’s violent finish of Beneil Dariush was positively scary. But nothing was scarier than watching Jalin Turner knock Bobby Green out twice. That’s right, the ref, in one …

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit bloodyelbowpodcast.substack.comAustin, Texas will set the stage for this weekend’s UFC Fight Night with the Moody Center hosting the event. And, if you hadn’t noticed, this is a damned good card, but we know why that is. Say it with us, fam, because it’s not at the Apex! However, there is a caveat: Arman Tsarukyan, Bobby Green and Kelvin Gastelum are the only fighters from the main …

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit bloodyelbowpodcast.substack.comMiesha Tate is certainly a longtime veteran of the sport and some even call her a pioneer. To see her relegated to the prelims just seems so incongruous and out of place. But, after the disappointing losses she’s taken, perhaps being in the featured prelim is just what the doctor ordered—taking the pressure of main eventing or being in the co-main.Blood…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit bloodyelbowpodcast.substack.comWell, after a week off from UFC weekend content, we’re back to the grind. We’ve got a very nice event this weekend in UFC Austin, so we selected a quartet of contests that we feel are the most important ones. Here’s the bouts we predicted:Bloody Elbow is fighting for the sport, the fighters and the fans. If you share our mission, please consider becomin…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit bloodyelbowpodcast.substack.comEddie Mercado is back with another great fighter interview, this time with the Wheaties box poster boy, Anthony “Showtime” Pettis, who is planning an unexpected turn for the future. Find out which former UFC champion will be facing him in the Karate Combat arena. Hear his thoughts on PFL and a lot more.Bloody Elbow is fighting for the sport, the fighter…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit bloodyelbowpodcast.substack.comWith no UFC until December 2nd, the boys are back with another depressing watch of three fights. The focal point of the show is foul play (fights with lots of fouls). Pretty ingenious considering we’re about to enter the foulest holiday of them all. We’ve even got a Faux Phil since real Phil was unavailable for recording. Let’s take a look at the fights…

FREE EPISODE ALERT!! FREE EPISODE ALERT!! FREE EPISODE ALERT!!A lot has happened since our last episode so we tried to cram it all in a neat package. First, we went over the absolutely phenomenal cards that were Bellator 301 and UFC Vegas 82. Bellator saw two new champions crowned but never let on that the PFL purchase revelation was just two days away. They kept their secret in the most impenetrable vault.Bloody Elbow is fighting for the sport, the fighters and the fans. If you share our mission, please consider becoming a paid subscriber today.UFC Vegas 82 was also a great card. Top to bottom, the event delivered all manner of submissions and some gnarly knockouts, as well. In practice, it performed so much better than it did on paper. One thing is clear, and that is Paul Craig’s ceiling.We also discussed the latest developments in the UFC antitrust case. Zuffa, UFC, et al are not fairing well with their motions. The honorable Judge Boulware indicated that he was going to deny their motion for summary judgement. He also denied their motion to reopen discovery and then he did something nobody was expecting—he put injunctive relief back on the table for the plaintiffs if they win. Finally, in our bonus section (which is FREE today), we welcomed back Bloody Elbow’s Tim Bissell for a Sumo Stomp update of the Kyushu basho, which is in the last days now. Find out how those ozeki jitters affected some of the wrestlers and what’s going on with the ‘Angry Hamster’. If you’re a budding Sumo fan, this is a can’t-miss episode.Thank you for reading this article and listening to the podcast. Please consider subscribing to the Bloody Elbow Substack to enjoy our daily premium content. Your paid subscriptions are helping build our new site and keeping hope alive that our staff will remain intact. If you haven’t already, please pledge with a paid subscription today. If you have, please share this post far and wide.Follow us as @BloodyElbow on twitter, facebook, instagram, and at BloodyElbow.Substack.com & BloodyElbowPodcast.Substack.com.Thank you for listening to the Level Change Podcast. 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 bloodyelbowpodcast.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit bloodyelbowpodcast.substack.comUFC Vegas 82 looked miserable on paper, and is often the case with Apex cards, the event delivered a lot of action in practice. That still doesn’t exonerate the promotion of phoning it in with Apex cards. At least they’re consistent, though. Fans are all but guaranteed fights from deep within the roster’s benchwarmer ranks with names man have likely nev…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit bloodyelbowpodcast.substack.comLet’s face it, friends, UFC Vegas 82 is a miserable card, as most Apex events are. Zane Simon certainly picked the right week to go on vacation, so that he could be spared of this nothingburger of a card. But never fear, fans of sanctioned violence, the boys have a brand new episode of The MMA Depressed-us and it’s a hoot!Bloody Elbow is fighting for th…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit bloodyelbowpodcast.substack.comYou read that headline right, folks. Conor McGregor, who was expected to headline UFC 300 (never official, though) is no longer on the card according to his longtime coach John Kavanagh. In an interview with Ariel Helwani, Kavanagh revealed the UFC was the decider in this latest delay of McGregor’s return to action.Bloody Elbow is fighting for the sport…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit bloodyelbowpodcast.substack.comUFC 295 is a damned good card, all the way through. Are there fights you can pass on and not feel bad about? Sure, but the majority of these contests are solid as a rock and look like they’re barnburners just looking for a place to happen.Bloody Elbow is fighting for the sport, the fighters and the fans. If you share our mission, please consider becomin…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit bloodyelbowpodcast.substack.comWoohoo! We’ve got a terrific main card and the boys are here to tell you all about it. As the title suggests, Jiri Prochazka is back and taking on an equally dynamic athlete with not much mind for anything but violence in Alex Pereira. And it’s for the belt! We. Are. Happy.Bloody Elbow is fighting for the sport, the fighters and the fans. If you share o…

We’ve got a special episode today, a preview of the last Grand Sumo tournament of the year, the Kyushu basho, with Bloody Elbow’s Tim Bissell. We go through quite a few topics, which I’ll list below, but if you require more in-depth analysis, Tim has a great feature that you can check out here.Bloody Elbow is fighting for the sport, the fighters and the fans. If you share our mission, please consider becoming a paid subscriber today.Now, let’s get cracking on that listicle.* General terminology* Why Mongolia is so important in Sumo* How to attend one of these tournament matches* What NOT to do when you’re a Sumo wrestler* Will a new yokozuna be crowned* Who is the ‘angry hamster’?* Ozeki jitters* All about Atamifuji* All about Hokutofuji* What’s up with Wakatakakage?Thank you for reading this article and listening to the podcast. Please consider subscribing to the Bloody Elbow Substack to enjoy our daily premium content. Your paid subscriptions are helping build our new site and keeping hope alive that our staff will remain intact. If you haven’t already, please pledge with a paid subscription today. If you have, please share this post far and wide.Follow us as @BloodyElbow on twitter, facebook, instagram, and at BloodyElbow.Substack.com & BloodyElbowPodcast.Substack.com.Thank you for listening to the Level Change Podcast. 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 bloodyelbowpodcast.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit bloodyelbowpodcast.substack.comLast week, big news hit combat sports media circles. Well, actually two things happened:* The UFC’s appeal to the antitrust case was denied by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals* The release of every UFC athlete payout from 2011-2016That release of the athlete payouts gave John Nash and Anton Tabuena plenty of fodder to go through, and the long and the shor…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit bloodyelbowpodcast.substack.comThe boys are back in town! The boys are back in town! And they’ve got a brand new episode! This week features intense discussion on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals denying the UFC’s appeal in the antitrust case. From important dates to the standard operating procedures of the courts and how the next series of events in this case could play out. Blood…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit bloodyelbowpodcast.substack.comAfter being absolutely ravaged by late cancellations and replacements, UFC Sao Paulo saw a mixed bag of results. Eduarda Moura announced herself to fans in a big way with her sensational debut and Vitor Petrino might have rearranged Modestas Bukauskas’ memories with the crushing left he hit the 29-year-old with.Angela Hill got back in the win column wit…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit bloodyelbowpodcast.substack.comThat’s right, Elves Brener will be back in action against Kaynan Kruschewsky, the late replacement for Esteban Ribovics. Will the Elves keep his winning streak intact? And we cannot overlook the intriguing pairing of Angie Hill and Denise Gomes. Denise is riding a two-fight win streak and Angie is coming off a loss to Mackenzie Dern. There’s plenty of a…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit bloodyelbowpodcast.substack.comYesterday, news broke that the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals denied the UFC’s appeal to the antitrust lawsuit, so of course we had to record in the dead of night to bring our listeners all the details. John explains all the upcoming dates the honorable Judge Boulware has set forth and what happens next.Bloody Elbow is fighting for the sport, the fighte…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit bloodyelbowpodcast.substack.comPhew! We’ve got 13 fights to look forward to Saturday and you know what? They’re pretty good. You can probably guess why, though. It’s right there in the title, UFC Sao Paulo…as in not at the Apex. Are all the fights great? Nope. But a good many of them are, and that’s a decent way to set the table after a weekend off. And we have the added benefit of D…

We had a special guest drop in this week, TUF 30 winner Juliana Miller gave us 20 minutes of her time to discuss the surgery that’s taking her out competition until sometime next Spring, the external sponsors she’s managed to acquire, training at Sikjitsu and more. I had toyed with the idea of making this our bonus content, and in the episode, that is what you’ll hear, but in practice, I am making the entire episode free so everyone can have access to the interview. Bloody Elbow is fighting for the sport, the fighters and the fans. If you share our mission, please consider becoming a paid subscriber today.We also weighed in on Francis Ngannou’s big weekend and the impact it’s had on combat sports and what we’d like to see next from “The Predator.” Finally, we made our picks on four fights from the main card. Spoiler alert: This is not a bad card! There are plenty of potential bangers on UFC Sao Paulo. Rejoice! Let’s take a look at the fights we selected to preview:UFC Sao Paulo* Jailton Almeida  vs.  Derrick Lewis* Caio Borralho  vs.  Abus Magomedov* Rodolfo Vieira  vs.  Armen Petrosyan* Ismael Bonfim  vs.  Vinc PichelHEADS UP! IT’S FREE EPISODE WEEK!! THIS ONE IS ON THE HOUSE!!Thank you for reading this article and listening to the podcast. Please consider subscribing to the Bloody Elbow Substack to enjoy our daily premium content. Your paid subscriptions are helping build our new site and keeping hope alive that our staff will remain intact. If you haven’t already, please pledge with a paid subscription today. If you have, please share this post far and wide.Follow us as @BloodyElbow on twitter, facebook, instagram, and at BloodyElbow.Substack.com & BloodyElbowPodcast.Substack.com.Thank you for listening to the Level Change Podcast. 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 bloodyelbowpodcast.substack.com/subscribe