It feels like yesterday Kamaru Usman was considered by many to be the #1 lb for lb fighter in the world, then came the infamous headshot KO loss to Leon "Rocky" Edwards. Considering that devastating defeat, followed by the recent resurgence of Jones, Volk and Islam in the lb for lb rankings, my question is where would a dominant victory over Leon on Saturday put Kamaru in the lb for lb discussion? If he wins the trilogy it would be his 7th title victory in one of the most highly competitive divisions in the UFC. Would it be enough to jump Islam or Volk?
Thanks for being the #1 lb for lb show in combat sports.
Can we cut the shenanigans with New York Ric? It is one thing to say he does not not enjoy the product more with a live crowd in attendance, but to say a live crowd in a packed arena has NO effect on the viewing experience is objectively wrong. If he thinks Yan vs Merab had the same viewing experience as Strickland vs Imavov, I say he's lying. Although I may not agree with all of Ric's takes, this one is just egregious. Can he concede on this point or will he double-down til the end of time?
I was always cheering against Michael Bisping when he fought. However, after he retired, I gained a new appreciation of him, and even miss him as a fighter. On the contrary, I used to like Jake Shields as a fighter, but don’t like his current persona of “Raging Jake”.
Are there any MMA fighters of which you became a bigger fan after they retired?
Are there fighters that you used to like, but no longer a fan of for reasons outside of MMA?
First - the record needs to be set straight that there is definitely a difference between an "interesting" division and a "Deep" division. Heavyweight is interesting (not very deep), while lightweight is deep (whether it's interesting or not is subjective). NY Ric, thank you for trying your best to teach Ariel this important vocabulary lesson on Monday.
Now for my question --- What is going on with Thug Rose's MMA career? She hasn't fought since in nearly a year. What opponent even makes sense for her besides a title shot with Zhang Weili? A thrilling rematch with Carla?
Thanks for the doing what you do guys, I appreciate you all.
Aerial what’s the score with you and Jon jones how come there has been no interview ? Surely after all the years you have spent covering him you and Jon can’t sort it out and Brandon was on so things can’t be too bad - much love Johny
Hello helwani friends. On Friday we saw the wwe announce rey mysterio in the hall of fame. Could you share your favorite rey moment and what rey means for wrestling a true trailblazer of the industry BOYAKA
Hello hello. I've got my fingers crossed, hoping for an answer this week to a dilemma that has plagued my life these past few weeks. A few weeks ago, my wife and I were attending a small get together with a few other couples . Nothing fancy, just a small dinner gathering at a friend's home. Apparently, their doorbell was broken and they forgot to mention it. Well, after not getting any response from 3 doorbell rings with adequate time between each ring, I finally decided to knock. I gave a firm 4 knocks just once. Our longtime friend's wife/host who we don't know very well (he recently got married and moved back into town), immediately swings open the door and says in a very annoyed tone, "No need to be so aggressive." Now, my question is, what is the proper etiquette for a knock? Is it more about the strength of the knock? The number of knocks? The intervals? If it's 7 knocks, but to the playful rhythm of Skunk In The Barnyard Pee-ewww, is that more acceptable than an aggressive single or double knock? We need answers. Nothing but awkward vibes ever since.
Is it the crew's take you want on this because my inkling is this may land better with Ariel and Luciana. There's always a place for frivolity for OTN though.
Maybe I should have clarified this very important point... Apparently, the issue wasn't actually with the doorbell itself. The doorbell was ringing and lighting up blue (Ring doorbell) outside so appeared to be working perfectly fine which is why I thought after 3 unsuccessful rings, a firm knock was in order. The issue was she had just bought a new phone and hadn't installed the Ring app back on her phone yet. Am I crazy in thinking this was totally on her?
I'm traveling across the pond with my wife for the experience. As our pal Dana White says, "there is no better crowd than London". We're so pumped. I have four quick questions for you.
1) What's your favorite UFC London moment?
2) Do you have any recommendations for us while we’re in London?
3) What's your current prediction for the main event and how?
4) Is there a fight outside of the main and co-main you're really looking forward to?
Ariel, Are the ringer MMA pound for pound rankings strictly for the UFC only? If No, how is Demetrius Johnson not on the list, if every fighter on the planet weighed the same Mighty Mouse would be the betting favorite in every fight.
You guys had an interesting talk about instant rematches the other day.
I personally have always thought that instant rematches are lazy matchmaking. It holds up divisions and makes top contenders inactive because they don’t want to risk their spot. The prime example is pantoja and because of that inactivity nobody remembers his last win making Moreno vs pantoja a harder sell.
So my question is do you feel like there’s been a great matchup that we missed out on because the ufc opted for an instant rematch instead?
Also doesn’t an instant rematch make the result of the first fight kind of irrelevant?
That edwards headkick may be my favourite moment in sport but I don’t know if I will feel the same about it if he loses on Saturday.
I wonder if Dan hardy will be in Veronica’s corner this weekend given Dana’s issues with him
I was listening to your discussion about which is the best division in the UFC right now, bantamweight or lightweight, and I can’t believe none of you guys picked up on this. Please see the below list:
Kamaru Usman
Leon Edwards
Colby Covington
Gilbert Burns
KHAMZAT CHIMAEV
SHAVKAT RAKHMONOV
Belal Muhammed
Sean Brady
Kevin Holland
We have Wonderboy, Masvidal, Geoff Neal and RDA who are freaking gatekeepers.
Not to mention up and comers such as Ian Garry and Jack Maddalena
170 is the deepest and most interesting division in the UFC, please discuss. I am shocked GC of all people missed this!
I couldn’t believe it didn’t get added to the list either. It’s arguably the most stacked but has the same problem as lightweight. A few guys at the top who refuse to fight
Not a bad shout. A good majority of this list though have fought for a title and have come up short, or have come up short on the way to the title. At Bantamweight there are like 4 people who deserve a title shot at the moment, that's how deep it is.
Only merhab deserves a title shot at the moment. Which he won’t take. The vera/ sandhaegen winner as well. I don’t think beating cruz is enough to earn title shots anymore. Maybe the winner fights omalley. Who knows. It’s definitely the most exciting division though.
Hey, long time listener, first time caller. With international fight week this year being UFC 290 do you think UFC 300 will fall on international fight week next year? Would you the ufc be willing to limit the amount of ppv shows to have 300 being in July or would they just have have 300 whatever month it happens to fall on and just hold the event in Vegas?
Ariel, London events are known for the incredible atmosphere they produce each and every time the octagon lands this side of the Atlantic.
On the topic of crowds and atmospheres what do you think are the top 5 atmospheres across all sports? Or what 5 events have produced the best atmospheres in sport?
Don’t be limited in your answer, I’m talking everything from Gold Cup at Cheltenham, the Last Day at Augusta, A Six Nations Game at Murrayfield when the Scots belt out their anthem or when the Irish go crazy for All Ireland finals
Greetings and thanks from Ireland.
Hope we can see you when Katie’s homecoming makes the top of the list !
Now that Jones has won the title, is there any way we eventuate decide he becomes the lineal champion? Pretty sure Fury is considered the lineal champ even though the lineage has been broken in boxing prior.
Bonjour Lord Ariel,
It feels like yesterday Kamaru Usman was considered by many to be the #1 lb for lb fighter in the world, then came the infamous headshot KO loss to Leon "Rocky" Edwards. Considering that devastating defeat, followed by the recent resurgence of Jones, Volk and Islam in the lb for lb rankings, my question is where would a dominant victory over Leon on Saturday put Kamaru in the lb for lb discussion? If he wins the trilogy it would be his 7th title victory in one of the most highly competitive divisions in the UFC. Would it be enough to jump Islam or Volk?
Thanks for being the #1 lb for lb show in combat sports.
Ariel!
Will from ATL here (shouts to GC)
Can we cut the shenanigans with New York Ric? It is one thing to say he does not not enjoy the product more with a live crowd in attendance, but to say a live crowd in a packed arena has NO effect on the viewing experience is objectively wrong. If he thinks Yan vs Merab had the same viewing experience as Strickland vs Imavov, I say he's lying. Although I may not agree with all of Ric's takes, this one is just egregious. Can he concede on this point or will he double-down til the end of time?
Much love to Ric and the rest of the crew.
Yeah I feel like NY Ric is going out of his way to be the “opposing” viewpoint with some of his takes.
The ultimate contrarian.
Shalom Ariel!
I was always cheering against Michael Bisping when he fought. However, after he retired, I gained a new appreciation of him, and even miss him as a fighter. On the contrary, I used to like Jake Shields as a fighter, but don’t like his current persona of “Raging Jake”.
Are there any MMA fighters of which you became a bigger fan after they retired?
Are there fighters that you used to like, but no longer a fan of for reasons outside of MMA?
Hiya hiya,
First - the record needs to be set straight that there is definitely a difference between an "interesting" division and a "Deep" division. Heavyweight is interesting (not very deep), while lightweight is deep (whether it's interesting or not is subjective). NY Ric, thank you for trying your best to teach Ariel this important vocabulary lesson on Monday.
Now for my question --- What is going on with Thug Rose's MMA career? She hasn't fought since in nearly a year. What opponent even makes sense for her besides a title shot with Zhang Weili? A thrilling rematch with Carla?
Thanks for the doing what you do guys, I appreciate you all.
Marina Rodriguez. Title shot goes to lemos imo. Not that anyone asked me 🤣
Aerial what’s the score with you and Jon jones how come there has been no interview ? Surely after all the years you have spent covering him you and Jon can’t sort it out and Brandon was on so things can’t be too bad - much love Johny
Hello helwani friends. On Friday we saw the wwe announce rey mysterio in the hall of fame. Could you share your favorite rey moment and what rey means for wrestling a true trailblazer of the industry BOYAKA
Hello hello. I've got my fingers crossed, hoping for an answer this week to a dilemma that has plagued my life these past few weeks. A few weeks ago, my wife and I were attending a small get together with a few other couples . Nothing fancy, just a small dinner gathering at a friend's home. Apparently, their doorbell was broken and they forgot to mention it. Well, after not getting any response from 3 doorbell rings with adequate time between each ring, I finally decided to knock. I gave a firm 4 knocks just once. Our longtime friend's wife/host who we don't know very well (he recently got married and moved back into town), immediately swings open the door and says in a very annoyed tone, "No need to be so aggressive." Now, my question is, what is the proper etiquette for a knock? Is it more about the strength of the knock? The number of knocks? The intervals? If it's 7 knocks, but to the playful rhythm of Skunk In The Barnyard Pee-ewww, is that more acceptable than an aggressive single or double knock? We need answers. Nothing but awkward vibes ever since.
Hello HelloHello,
Is it the crew's take you want on this because my inkling is this may land better with Ariel and Luciana. There's always a place for frivolity for OTN though.
Just submitted this one for Ariel and Luciana for tomorrow. Think you're right about it fitting their show better.
I'd love to hear Ariel and the crew's take. Luciana may be biased in this situation. Lol
You can hear doorbells outside. If you couldn’t tell that a doorbell didn’t ring three times, this one might be one you!
Maybe I should have clarified this very important point... Apparently, the issue wasn't actually with the doorbell itself. The doorbell was ringing and lighting up blue (Ring doorbell) outside so appeared to be working perfectly fine which is why I thought after 3 unsuccessful rings, a firm knock was in order. The issue was she had just bought a new phone and hadn't installed the Ring app back on her phone yet. Am I crazy in thinking this was totally on her?
For the sake of solidarity, at this point I am going to blame her too.
Good Day Ariel-
I'm traveling across the pond with my wife for the experience. As our pal Dana White says, "there is no better crowd than London". We're so pumped. I have four quick questions for you.
1) What's your favorite UFC London moment?
2) Do you have any recommendations for us while we’re in London?
3) What's your current prediction for the main event and how?
4) Is there a fight outside of the main and co-main you're really looking forward to?
Thanks,
Zach W
🚨 thread's close gang. Tight turn around for showtime this week 👍
Ariel, Are the ringer MMA pound for pound rankings strictly for the UFC only? If No, how is Demetrius Johnson not on the list, if every fighter on the planet weighed the same Mighty Mouse would be the betting favorite in every fight.
Hi Ariel and the crew
You guys had an interesting talk about instant rematches the other day.
I personally have always thought that instant rematches are lazy matchmaking. It holds up divisions and makes top contenders inactive because they don’t want to risk their spot. The prime example is pantoja and because of that inactivity nobody remembers his last win making Moreno vs pantoja a harder sell.
So my question is do you feel like there’s been a great matchup that we missed out on because the ufc opted for an instant rematch instead?
Also doesn’t an instant rematch make the result of the first fight kind of irrelevant?
That edwards headkick may be my favourite moment in sport but I don’t know if I will feel the same about it if he loses on Saturday.
I wonder if Dan hardy will be in Veronica’s corner this weekend given Dana’s issues with him
Hello Ariel and team,
I was listening to your discussion about which is the best division in the UFC right now, bantamweight or lightweight, and I can’t believe none of you guys picked up on this. Please see the below list:
Kamaru Usman
Leon Edwards
Colby Covington
Gilbert Burns
KHAMZAT CHIMAEV
SHAVKAT RAKHMONOV
Belal Muhammed
Sean Brady
Kevin Holland
We have Wonderboy, Masvidal, Geoff Neal and RDA who are freaking gatekeepers.
Not to mention up and comers such as Ian Garry and Jack Maddalena
170 is the deepest and most interesting division in the UFC, please discuss. I am shocked GC of all people missed this!
I couldn’t believe it didn’t get added to the list either. It’s arguably the most stacked but has the same problem as lightweight. A few guys at the top who refuse to fight
Not a bad shout. A good majority of this list though have fought for a title and have come up short, or have come up short on the way to the title. At Bantamweight there are like 4 people who deserve a title shot at the moment, that's how deep it is.
Only merhab deserves a title shot at the moment. Which he won’t take. The vera/ sandhaegen winner as well. I don’t think beating cruz is enough to earn title shots anymore. Maybe the winner fights omalley. Who knows. It’s definitely the most exciting division though.
Hey, long time listener, first time caller. With international fight week this year being UFC 290 do you think UFC 300 will fall on international fight week next year? Would you the ufc be willing to limit the amount of ppv shows to have 300 being in July or would they just have have 300 whatever month it happens to fall on and just hold the event in Vegas?
Sent with love.
Hey MMA hour crew!
These are mostly for Mysterious Frank.
Frank, what’s your favorite Aphex Twin track, and album?
Also, Ariel - a couple of weeks ago you joked about having Mysterious Frank for an in studio guest interview. I think this needs to happen.
The fan(s) have spoken. Unveil Frank!
Ariel, London events are known for the incredible atmosphere they produce each and every time the octagon lands this side of the Atlantic.
On the topic of crowds and atmospheres what do you think are the top 5 atmospheres across all sports? Or what 5 events have produced the best atmospheres in sport?
Don’t be limited in your answer, I’m talking everything from Gold Cup at Cheltenham, the Last Day at Augusta, A Six Nations Game at Murrayfield when the Scots belt out their anthem or when the Irish go crazy for All Ireland finals
Greetings and thanks from Ireland.
Hope we can see you when Katie’s homecoming makes the top of the list !
Shalom Ariel,
Now that Jones has won the title, is there any way we eventuate decide he becomes the lineal champion? Pretty sure Fury is considered the lineal champ even though the lineage has been broken in boxing prior.
Keep rocking in the free world.
Ben