Derek Brunson x Darren Till preview, and other random thoughts

Some random thoughts on this Friday evening …

1. Very fun weekend of combat coming up. A rare labor day weekend of fun combat, too. I also like that the UK is in focus for this one. I like the UK. #BTAriel

2. On the UFC side of things we’ve got a card that is built around some of the best UK-based fighters in the promotion, such as Darren Till, Tom Aspinall and Jack Shore. It also features the debut of fan-favorite Paddy Pimblett and the return of the lovable Molly McCann. The card will air in the afternoon in America because so that it can air in primetime overseas. Smart move.

3. If Till wants to make a run at 185 any time, this feels like a must-win. I like his chances, though, Brunson has been a tough out as of late.

4. This card was supposed to happen in England, but, you know, COVID. Such a bummer because any English arena would have been electric for this one.

5. In addition to the UFC card, we’ve got KSW 63, featuring Roberto Soldic vs. Patrik Kincl. KSW always puts on fun shows.

6. This is a wonderful KSW promo for the main event. They really do a tremendous job at promoting fights.

7. Over on the boxing side of things, we’ve Katie Taylor, the woman I consider to be the best pound-for-pound female fighter on the planet, returning against Jennifer Han for the undisputed lightweight title. I love watching Taylor fight, and I love watching the way she conducts herself. I’m a big fan. I want to interview her one day, too!

8. Sticking with the Euro fighting theme, we also have Josh Warrington and Conor Benn, of note, fighting. Basically, if you’re a fan of European fighters, this is the weekend for you.

9. Speaking of boxing, predictably next week’s Oscar De La Hoya vs. Vitor Belfort fight is now off. De La Hoya got COVID, per his social media, and of course that wasn’t predictable and of course we wish him the best. I write predictably because something just felt off about that one. It seemed destined to never happen. In fact, I said on the show this week that I didn’t feel like it would happen. Alas …

10. Triller is now hoping to finalize Belfort vs. Evander Holyfield. Yes, that is true. This does nothing for me. I kinda wish they’d just book Belfort vs. Anderson Silva, who is fighting Tito Ortiz in a boxing match on the same card, and be done with it. What a mess of a situation.

11. Issue is, CSAC might not sanction that main event, and if they don’t, the card will be moved to Florida, per Triller’s Ryan Kavanagh. Again, the card is next week.

12. Why do I get the feeling Teofimo Lopez will never fight for Triller? Is Fight Club around in 6 months? I hope so. Options, especially ones that pay really well, are great for fighters, but this has felt like Affliction since day 1, with the overspending and the musical acts, and we all know they only lasted two events.

13. Why do I keep seeing people, including my old friend Daniel Cormier, talking about Nathan Diaz vs. Conor McGregor 3? Did we forget that McGregor snapped his ankle less than two months ago? He probably doesn’t return for a year, right? Why does it feel like we are trying to put Diaz on ice? He pretty clearly stated he wants to fight Luque next and we know he wants to fight again this year. And all of a sudden we want that trilogy? Why didn’t we try to make it once in the last three years? Is that enough questions for you?!? Weird situation.

14. Exciting news! We posted our first Ringer MMA Show podcast this afternoon. Join me, Petesy Carroll and Chuck Mindenhall (aka 3PAC) as we preview tomorrow’s UFC card and talk other fun stuff. A post-show pod will also be out tomorrow night.

It’s all coming together, friends! Life is good. Have a great evening. I’m going to listen to some Certified Lover Boy and have some PF Chang’s for dinner. Later b.