-For a Francis tune-up boxing match why not have him box an MMA fighter? Someone like a Ben Rothwell type, this allows him to be the favorite, get his feet wet, and hopefully still impress and build hype for a bigger boxing match. Don't get why the tune up needs to be against a boxer
-I noticed you didn't ask Anthony Smith about the "you're attacking my family" moment in the interview, is there more you can tell us about this or do we feel it was PTSD during the fight.
For the last few months I like everyone else have been extremely annoyed by the amount of Power Slap material the UFC YouTube page has been pumping out. It seems like there's more Power Slap promos than UFC promos these days.
So I decided to take matters into my own hands and take it up with the boss man himself, Dana White. Below is a receipt of his reply to me.
He tells me to "STFU" then goes onto say if you don't like it don't watch it. Yet I can't help but feel like it's being forced down our throats.
I would first like your reaction to Dana's response; he seems really tilted yet is clearly paying attention to what people are saying. Lastly what do you think the end game to this whole Power Slap bananza is? Do you forsee it being a permanent fixture under the UFC banner? Or will the UFC brass come to their senses and start listening to the overwhelming majority of combat sports fans who have denounced this malarky.
Thanks to you and the crew for making Mondays and Wednesdays always something to look forward to.
Good morning Hook Nose and Co. I recently did a Google deep dive on the Shevchenko sisters and was surprised to see that Antonina and Coach Pavel are listed as husband and wife. Can anyone confirm this as fact? Seems possible that this could be an arrangement that makes their nomadic lifestyle easier but given he has coached both sisters since children it’s interesting this hasn’t been discussed. Any intel?
What is good MMA Hour Crew.....Ariel, What is the real deal regarding Jon Jones? Any reason you know of why he would choose to sit out 3 years to go to heavyweight as opposed to stay at LHW and try to become a double champ? Jon at 205lbs could've beat Cyril at HW. Is it just me that this seems like an odd career move? FWO (Frank World Order)
Is there any potential fight card in the UFC that could ever coerce you into requesting a credential to attend and ask questions at pre or post fight press conferences? Very few media these days will ask the tough questions it seems and I miss that aspect. What would it take to get an actual journalist with a journalism degree back in a building to ask the questions we really want answers to? Is there anyone/event that would bring you back?
Hello Ariel, Pudnite here aka Zach from Twitter who had the great suggestion to play Tim Welch’s music a couple weeks ago. Initially I felt absolutely terrible about the situation and really believed I had ruined the show. One of the VERY few bad moments in the shows history... until the next day I learned that Tim just couldn’t hear the music, it was all just a misunderstanding and my idea was indeed, a great idea. After all that, I decided I wanted to add something more meaningful to the show this week. As a new MMA fan, only becoming a fan while Corey Anderson was on TUF (he attended the local college in my hometown, Lincoln College... also attended by Matt Hughes, so the college where many of my friends parents were professors held weekly watch parties for the TUF 19 season and I fell in love instantly) fast forward to present day and I’ve been trying to learn more about the fighters of past and the old organizations and such. This led me to watching the documentary “Once I Was a Champion”, about the life and death of Evan Tanner. For whatever reason I became extremely intrigued about this Evan Tanner guy. He seemed like such a deep thinking type of guy but also an absolute drunk to put it bluntly. The duality of him is fascinating. It was interesting to hear that he was one of the first fighters that really embraced social media, through MySpace, to connect with fans. As I became more intrigued, I listened to Chael’s segments on YouTube talking about Evan. It blew me away because, although you could tell there was still pain from Evans death that Chael is still to this day feeling, there was also A LOT of anger at not only Evan, but his fans from MySpace. He was almost blaming Evan’s fans for the actions/trip that led to Evan’s death while simultaneously calling Evan’s MySpace posts just drunk ramblings and not deep philosophical posts like others have mentioned they were. So I wanted to ask you, since you keep it 100, who was Evan Tanner to you? What kind of guy was he and what were your best interactions with him, if any? He seemed like a genuinely good guy, but he also had his demons like so many of us do and struggle with. Sorry for the long winded question, it’s just a fascinating subject to me. I hope this adds something a little more meaningful to the show this week unlike my suggestion from last week. I’d like to also say the MMA community is so lucky to have someone like you with such a large platform to speak on things that aren’t easy or glamorous to speak up for but need spoken up for. Never change Ariel.
As a lawyer in Australia. I just cant fathom how UFC fighter contracts can be so restrictive and binding. Australia has stringent employment laws that ensure employers do not exploit employees by ensuring worker rights and benefits if the person is an employee (eg. leave, set amount of work and right to give notice of resignation etc). If the person is not deemed an employee, the contractee (in this case, the UFC) has little power over them. They cannot enforce measures like retricting them from finding other employment or the freedom to do their own thing outside of that contract, like, wearing their own merch etc.
Legally, It seems bizarrely unjust that the UFC can simply restrict someone from working. Forever. or until they complete their contract on the UFC's terms. Especially when they arent paying that fighter regular income.
My question therefore is:
How can these contracts be binding? How do the US courts allow these unfair contracts to exist? Would you consider having an ex fighter supply a previous contract and have a lawyer on the show run through these things in lamens terms for the viewers?
I feel like fighters and fans alike would hugely benefit from knowing how these things work. This could inform us on why parties act the way that they do and could perhaps avoid further complications going forward.
Ariel, did you see that Super Sodiq Yusuff picked you to win a fight at UFC 289 this weekend? (He said you are Aiemann Zahabi). That Helwani boxing baby!
MMA has been exhausting lately....so how about a kinda/sorta journalism related question...
Have you ever interviewed somebody with awful smelling breath? If so, Did you lose focus on the interview because of it? I had to sit in a meeting today with somebody whose breath made me want to pass out. Would it have been rude to insist on a breath mint?
Ariel and friends, hello from Bristol Ct! Really easy one…is Dustin taking the high elevation serious enough for the upcoming war between him and Gaethje? It really seems like last time out everyone gassed in Salt Lake except for Usman. I heard Poirier say he’s showing up like 2 weeks early on your last interview with him. Doesn’t seem like a long enough time but obviously I’m not an expert. Curious for your thoughts. Thanks guys love the show! Keep up the great work!
Good day sir. I was on ESPN earlier today and it mentioned an NFL player getting investigated for sports betting which reminded me of the James Krause accusations. Any updates?
Long time listener and never making the cut to the questions.
I agree with holding the judges accountable post fight however wouldn’t that open the floodgates of fighters and/or managers openly criticising them? Like could you imagine a fighter during the hot mic blasting a judge ain’t a good look. I do agree tho, it’s time for change and I’m all for it. But can it also be foul-proof?
After Kai's interview on Monday, I started thinking..
What if the World's Most Famous Apex was only used for fighters that are outside of the Top 10-15 in each weight class? Fighters that are still climbing the ranks and building their brand/experience..
Then, once they have broken into the top, they've officially earned their place on a higher level Fight Night or PPV card. Seems like an efficient positive/negative reward system and might help build stars.
Also, can we just officially go back to the "Parlay Pals"? It flows better, is more inclusive in today's world, and can be changed to "Parlay Boys" if/when Julianna regains the belt.
Good day Ariel and crew!
Do you think judges should be moved from a cage side setting to a private viewing area so they can see camera angles better like we at home can?
Hey Ariel, two questions:
-For a Francis tune-up boxing match why not have him box an MMA fighter? Someone like a Ben Rothwell type, this allows him to be the favorite, get his feet wet, and hopefully still impress and build hype for a bigger boxing match. Don't get why the tune up needs to be against a boxer
-I noticed you didn't ask Anthony Smith about the "you're attacking my family" moment in the interview, is there more you can tell us about this or do we feel it was PTSD during the fight.
Keep up the great work!
Greetings Ariel,
Is there any hierarchy between Mick Maynard & Sean Shelby?
I notice that Sean Shelby seems to have the more popular, stronger performing divisions...BW, FW, LW, WW.
Is this just coincidence or is there seniority when it comes to the match makers?
All the best
Don Money
Bonjour Lord Ariel,
For the last few months I like everyone else have been extremely annoyed by the amount of Power Slap material the UFC YouTube page has been pumping out. It seems like there's more Power Slap promos than UFC promos these days.
So I decided to take matters into my own hands and take it up with the boss man himself, Dana White. Below is a receipt of his reply to me.
https://ibb.co/rdhNKxJ
https://ibb.co/qdkHn3K
He tells me to "STFU" then goes onto say if you don't like it don't watch it. Yet I can't help but feel like it's being forced down our throats.
I would first like your reaction to Dana's response; he seems really tilted yet is clearly paying attention to what people are saying. Lastly what do you think the end game to this whole Power Slap bananza is? Do you forsee it being a permanent fixture under the UFC banner? Or will the UFC brass come to their senses and start listening to the overwhelming majority of combat sports fans who have denounced this malarky.
Thanks to you and the crew for making Mondays and Wednesdays always something to look forward to.
Url of original post: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CtAPNs3gc1E/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Good morning Hook Nose and Co. I recently did a Google deep dive on the Shevchenko sisters and was surprised to see that Antonina and Coach Pavel are listed as husband and wife. Can anyone confirm this as fact? Seems possible that this could be an arrangement that makes their nomadic lifestyle easier but given he has coached both sisters since children it’s interesting this hasn’t been discussed. Any intel?
What is good MMA Hour Crew.....Ariel, What is the real deal regarding Jon Jones? Any reason you know of why he would choose to sit out 3 years to go to heavyweight as opposed to stay at LHW and try to become a double champ? Jon at 205lbs could've beat Cyril at HW. Is it just me that this seems like an odd career move? FWO (Frank World Order)
Mr. Heelwani,
Is there any potential fight card in the UFC that could ever coerce you into requesting a credential to attend and ask questions at pre or post fight press conferences? Very few media these days will ask the tough questions it seems and I miss that aspect. What would it take to get an actual journalist with a journalism degree back in a building to ask the questions we really want answers to? Is there anyone/event that would bring you back?
Hello Ariel, Pudnite here aka Zach from Twitter who had the great suggestion to play Tim Welch’s music a couple weeks ago. Initially I felt absolutely terrible about the situation and really believed I had ruined the show. One of the VERY few bad moments in the shows history... until the next day I learned that Tim just couldn’t hear the music, it was all just a misunderstanding and my idea was indeed, a great idea. After all that, I decided I wanted to add something more meaningful to the show this week. As a new MMA fan, only becoming a fan while Corey Anderson was on TUF (he attended the local college in my hometown, Lincoln College... also attended by Matt Hughes, so the college where many of my friends parents were professors held weekly watch parties for the TUF 19 season and I fell in love instantly) fast forward to present day and I’ve been trying to learn more about the fighters of past and the old organizations and such. This led me to watching the documentary “Once I Was a Champion”, about the life and death of Evan Tanner. For whatever reason I became extremely intrigued about this Evan Tanner guy. He seemed like such a deep thinking type of guy but also an absolute drunk to put it bluntly. The duality of him is fascinating. It was interesting to hear that he was one of the first fighters that really embraced social media, through MySpace, to connect with fans. As I became more intrigued, I listened to Chael’s segments on YouTube talking about Evan. It blew me away because, although you could tell there was still pain from Evans death that Chael is still to this day feeling, there was also A LOT of anger at not only Evan, but his fans from MySpace. He was almost blaming Evan’s fans for the actions/trip that led to Evan’s death while simultaneously calling Evan’s MySpace posts just drunk ramblings and not deep philosophical posts like others have mentioned they were. So I wanted to ask you, since you keep it 100, who was Evan Tanner to you? What kind of guy was he and what were your best interactions with him, if any? He seemed like a genuinely good guy, but he also had his demons like so many of us do and struggle with. Sorry for the long winded question, it’s just a fascinating subject to me. I hope this adds something a little more meaningful to the show this week unlike my suggestion from last week. I’d like to also say the MMA community is so lucky to have someone like you with such a large platform to speak on things that aren’t easy or glamorous to speak up for but need spoken up for. Never change Ariel.
Much love, Zach!
Ps, can you say Tuesday for us?
You should thank Louis for reading this novel. Lol
Hahahahahaha I posted it last week too so hopefully he reads it twice... I like to be precise with my thoughts
Don’t post it for a third week 😉
Lol I’ll change it up a bunch but leave it long so you can read at least half of it before realizing it’s the same question ❤️❤️
Hey Ariel,
After watching TUF 31 and how it's progressing, do you think there's a genuine opportunity for Conor McGregor to become a great coach?
Perhaps this is his last *real* chance to win over his greatest rival, Khabib.
Or do you think there is something keeping him from trading the gloves for the pads?
Hi Ariel and the boys
Been wanting to ask this for a while...
As a lawyer in Australia. I just cant fathom how UFC fighter contracts can be so restrictive and binding. Australia has stringent employment laws that ensure employers do not exploit employees by ensuring worker rights and benefits if the person is an employee (eg. leave, set amount of work and right to give notice of resignation etc). If the person is not deemed an employee, the contractee (in this case, the UFC) has little power over them. They cannot enforce measures like retricting them from finding other employment or the freedom to do their own thing outside of that contract, like, wearing their own merch etc.
Legally, It seems bizarrely unjust that the UFC can simply restrict someone from working. Forever. or until they complete their contract on the UFC's terms. Especially when they arent paying that fighter regular income.
My question therefore is:
How can these contracts be binding? How do the US courts allow these unfair contracts to exist? Would you consider having an ex fighter supply a previous contract and have a lawyer on the show run through these things in lamens terms for the viewers?
I feel like fighters and fans alike would hugely benefit from knowing how these things work. This could inform us on why parties act the way that they do and could perhaps avoid further complications going forward.
Much love from "The Gong"
Dan W
What up MMA Hour crew!?
Ariel, did you see that Super Sodiq Yusuff picked you to win a fight at UFC 289 this weekend? (He said you are Aiemann Zahabi). That Helwani boxing baby!
Hi Ariel,
MMA has been exhausting lately....so how about a kinda/sorta journalism related question...
Have you ever interviewed somebody with awful smelling breath? If so, Did you lose focus on the interview because of it? I had to sit in a meeting today with somebody whose breath made me want to pass out. Would it have been rude to insist on a breath mint?
Cheers boys!
Ariel and friends, hello from Bristol Ct! Really easy one…is Dustin taking the high elevation serious enough for the upcoming war between him and Gaethje? It really seems like last time out everyone gassed in Salt Lake except for Usman. I heard Poirier say he’s showing up like 2 weeks early on your last interview with him. Doesn’t seem like a long enough time but obviously I’m not an expert. Curious for your thoughts. Thanks guys love the show! Keep up the great work!
Ariel,
Good day sir. I was on ESPN earlier today and it mentioned an NFL player getting investigated for sports betting which reminded me of the James Krause accusations. Any updates?
Hey Ariel,
Long time listener and never making the cut to the questions.
I agree with holding the judges accountable post fight however wouldn’t that open the floodgates of fighters and/or managers openly criticising them? Like could you imagine a fighter during the hot mic blasting a judge ain’t a good look. I do agree tho, it’s time for change and I’m all for it. But can it also be foul-proof?
Thank you
Ali from Sydney Australia
Feel like Ariel covered this point on Monday bud.
Hi Ariel,
After Kai's interview on Monday, I started thinking..
What if the World's Most Famous Apex was only used for fighters that are outside of the Top 10-15 in each weight class? Fighters that are still climbing the ranks and building their brand/experience..
Then, once they have broken into the top, they've officially earned their place on a higher level Fight Night or PPV card. Seems like an efficient positive/negative reward system and might help build stars.
Also, can we just officially go back to the "Parlay Pals"? It flows better, is more inclusive in today's world, and can be changed to "Parlay Boys" if/when Julianna regains the belt.
Who's with me??
Thanks!