The MMA Vivisection Shows: 'Main Card Preview' & 'Prelims Card Preview'

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comPraise the fight gods! We finally have a really good card. UFC 290 is stacked to the heavens and well matched in most cases—Jack Della Maddalena and Bo Nickal excluded. We’re being treated to two title bouts, a likely title eliminator, and more. Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard, you have done well.Thank you for listening to this Bloody Elbow Podcast. Our po…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comGuess what? We have another stinker of a fight night card. Once again, the UFC is selling us a bill of goods. The Apex shows have become a watered down pool of Contender Series talent that more often than not, ends up being equivalent to the regional level. Thank you for listening to Bloody Elbow Podcasts. This post is public so feel free to share it.Th…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comAs the headline states, Kevin Lee is returning to the UFC’s warm embrace. They weren’t shy about giving him a tough opponent either. Lee will be facing Rinat Fakhretdinov, a lethal finisher with 11 knockouts and six submission wins to his credit. While Kevin has knockouts and subs of his own, he hasn’t looked like the world-beater he once was in quite s…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comIt’s Tatsuro Taira fight week! As a matter of fact, UFC on ABC 5 has a few up-and-coming names worth keeping on your radar. Tatsuro Taira and Trevor Meek have wowed fans in their debuts and put their considerable talent on display. Taira has had two fights since his debut, and remains undefeated in his professional career. Meek will be making his sophom…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC on ABC 5 is a much better card than its doomed predecessor, UFC on ABC 4, which was ravaged by fight cancellations and rescheduled bouts. This event has more ranked talent, and some of the brightest stars on the rise. Names like Tatsuro Taira and Trevor Meek will be lighting up the prelims. The co-main event and the headliner are worthy of an ABC ca…

UFC Vegas 75 is not loaded with ranked fights (just one) or even ranked fighters (just three), but it does have some redeeming qualities. A solid main event in Marvin Vettori and Jared Cannonier and a spate of flyweight and bantamweight fights. It would be nice if all those fights weren’t restricted to the confines of the prelims, but hey, we’re still getting flyweight fights, and for that, we should count ourselves grateful.Thank you for listening to Bloody Elbow Podcasts. This post is public so feel free to share it.Here’s a quick look at the preliminary card:* Raoni Barcelos  vs.  Miles Johns 135 lbs* Jimmy Flick  vs.  Alessandro Costa 125 lbs* Kyung Ho Kang  vs.  Cristian Quiñonez 135 lbs* Carlos Hernandez  vs.  Denys Bondar 125 lbs* Felipe Bunes  vs.  Zalgas Zhumagulov 125 lbs* Tereza Bledá  vs.  Gabriella Fernandes 125 lbs* Ronnie Lawrence  vs.  Daniel Argueta 135 lbs* Modestas Bukauskas  vs.  Zac Pauga 205 lbsFollowFollow Zane @TheZaneSimon & Connor @BoxingBusch; follow us as @BloodyElbow on twitter, facebook, instagram, and at BloodyElbow.Substack.com & BloodyElbowPodcast.Substack.com.Bloody Elbow Podcasts is a listener-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Subscribe for Bonus ContentDon’t forget, in order to join the podcast Substack community and comment on the shows, or access the full show archive, or any of our Bonus Podcasts, you still have to pledge your support and become a paid subscriber. Give us your email address and you can subscribe specifically to the podcasts and hosts you enjoy the most, and opt out of the others. You will be notified when those shows post new episodes and when we drop bonus content podcasts (like 'The MMA Bunker/MMA Tête-À-Tête', 'The MMA Depressed-Us', 'The Hey Not the Face! Podcast', 'Show Money', & more). 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 Vegas 75 is not loaded with ranked fights (just one) or even ranked fighters (just three), but it does have some redeeming qualities. A solid main event in Marvin Vettori and Jared Cannonier and a spate of flyweight fights. It would be nice if all the flyweight fights weren’t restricted to the confines of the prelims, but hey, we’re still getting fl…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comSimon Says…The UFC 289 prelims have a pretty solid featured fight for ESPN between Nassourdine Imavov and Chris Curtis. In fact, it's solid enough that it's kind of a shame that it's not on PPV. Otherwise, much like the main card, the quality drop-off here is steep. The stakes are low, the prospects are minimal, hopefully the quality of the action will …

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comThe PPV that is not qualified to be a PPVZ: Wow. Yeah. This is NOT a pay-per-view card.C: It's dog shit.Z: Yeah this is NOT a pay-per-view card. (Worthy of repeating).C: Yep. It's bad.Z: It umm, Nunes-Aldana? I'm glad we're not just getting Nunes-Peña 3.C: Phil was clamoring for Nunes-Peña 3 and I was like, "listen, there's such a thing as a set up and …

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comMuch like the main card, the prelims for UFC Vegas 74 are solid if not exactly laden with thrills for the causal fan. Will Abubakar Nurmagomedov live up to his namesake? Will Muin Gafurov make a big splashy debut? Will Andrei Arlovski keep squeaking out narrow decisions over mediocre mid-tier heavyweights? I have no idea. I think the fight between Luan …