So a break the fourth wall question here and I’ll go long (bear with me frank!)
The recent (almost) social gathering between Frank and Ric had me thinking of group social dynamics.
In my friendship group of 6, I can prob enjoy 1:1 time with 3 of my friends, do okay 1:1 with one of my friends and have the most horrifically awkward evening ever with the other one in the group.
There’s also a friend in my group who can enjoy 1:1s with all of us. He’s like the glue.
So in the crew (Ariel, Ric, GC, Frank, Crypto Joe, Corporate Alex):
1. Who’s the worst 1:1 pair for an evening together. How would that evening go?
2. Who is the glue - the person who can enjoy everyone 1:1
This Saturday at GLORY Collision 6 in the GelreDome, “King of Kickboxing” Rico Verhoeven will be back defending his GLORY heavyweight-title after more than two years.
His opponent is the interim heavyweight-champion Tariq “Cookie” Osaro.
What’s your prediction for this world-championship fight?
As someone who trains MMA and could name less than ten active boxers, I would like to defend boxing from your so-called "receipts". From the boxing fans perspective we in the MMA community hyped up Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley, and Nate Diaz to be some of the most dangerous fighters in the world. I was there listening to Chael say if Askren lost he'd have to re-evaluate his entire understanding of what a "fighter" was. Boxing fans believed us, bought the PPVs, and watched all three men get flattened by JAKE PAUL. And now we're upset they doubted us when we put a guy up against their active GOAT? NO ONE thought Francis would win. I didn't, you didn't, three-pac didn't, Fury certainly didn't. Lots of people are admitting they were wrong, loads are giving Francis props, why do we need to sour the whole affair by walking around shouting "told you so" when..... we didn't? I think you called that Francis didn't fumble the bag correctly, although I disagreed with you at the time, but no one thought this outcome was possible! Let people be wrong and change their minds, stop arguing so much with the three people on X trying to get a rise out of you :(. There is enough hate in the world, let's be happy and proud, not nasty and arrogant.
Hello to Ariel and the rest of the crew. I’m assuming there will be a lot of questions about Francis so I’ll go for a different topic.
My question is why are the UFC brass or UFC matchmakers so reactive instead of pro active when title fights fall through so often? Every single time they seem caught off guard by people who fight for a living getting injured.
Instead of having a backup fighter semi training for a fight he knows he’s not likely to get I wonder what you think of my idea to have 2 top contenders fight on every card when there’s a title fight from that weight class instead of having a diminished. I always feel like these late opponents are a potential good matchups lost rather than good fights gained. Bisping seems to be the only outlier here It also then means a top contender doesn’t end up being yesterdays news from the inactivity.
For example we could have had the best version of Pavlovic and Aspinall at ufc 295 . We could have Allen vs Evloev ready to step in against Volk if that is on the same card as volkanovski vs Topuria. We could have had Kara-France vs Kape at 296 and Ankalaev vs Walker could have been at 295 instead of 294 incase Pereira or Prochazka get injured. We could have Gaethje vs Holloway or gamrot as a co main when they try to rerun Makhachev vs Oliveira 2. Instead they seem to get caught with their pants down all the time.
Thanks for all the shows that help through my night shifts.
One of my favourite moments of the Ngannou performance and media tour over recent weeks was his calm response to the question raised by Ariel of 'Do you think Fury is looking past you'. Ngannou looked back and stated 'I'm looking past him too'. At the time this signalled to me that Ngannou believed Fury was discounting the chances of an upset. However, it now seems that this response was utter confidence. Fantastic to see Ngannous rise and I now hope he stays in boxing. Theres work to be done in driving the top fights and changing the nature of boxing. Ngannou entering the ring without a clear boxing stable helps drive this change I feel.
My question : Could Ngannous non association with traditional boxing stables like Top Rank and Matchroom (instead being part linked to PFL), lead to quicker matchmaking and easier routes to the top fights being made to guide his path forward?
I hope MF Zoom doesn’t banish me from the Substack for asking a second question, but as I write at the time of night that Frank is likely rampant on Reddit, I wonder if you’ve considered doing a full interview with Francis in French? Correct me if I’m mistaken, but I believe his first language is not English. Although I don’t think big Francis gets the credit he deserves for how thoughtful and humble he is in English interviews, I think audiences get a better understanding of a person’s depth when they are able to express themselves in their native language, or at least one they’re more familiar with. I think we may be able to gain vastly more insight into his movie-like life with a more expansive vocabulary and your interviewing prowess. Just a late-night thought from YaBoyLanzi.
Also, Frank, I love the dynamic you bring to the show. I’d be honored for you to ditch out on plans with me at the 11th hour.
Simple answer here. Most people listen to the show while at the gym or at work or doing other things so most people will skip the interview rather than read subtitles. It works for the people who do watch the full show but I’d say that’s a small percentage.
Hola Ariel. I watched a video of you recently talking about Shams with Pablo Torre and Katie Nolan.
1. Any chance of some sort of crossover episode of your show with those guys or Dan Le Batard?
2. Woj broke the James Harden Clippers trade 39 minutes before Shams did, but Shams’ post included who was getting traded back to Philadelphia. What do you think is better, Woj getting the first word, or Shams having the complete trade 39 mins later?
Hi Ariel and team! I try not to be a hater and see things from all perspectives, but I can’t seem to find any reason to appreciate the new nba in season tournament. To me, watching professional athletes try to win $500k each is insane because most of these guys already have life changing money. I feel like I cannot support something like this. I recognize the nba season in general is watching rich guys play sports, but at least the fan bases have something to root for and have hopes to see their favorite team when a championship.
Given that Bellator 301 is almost certainly going to be their last event, I think it would be really cool if they brought back say 10 of their most important historical fighters, almost like they did with Fedor’s retirement. Who would you say those fighters are? And is there anything else Bellator could do to celebrate its history at its final event instead of fading out unceremoniously.
I know you see the chat as bunch of savages, but the truth is we love the show and we love you and the crew (especially Mysterious Frank). It would be cool if you gave us a spot in the parlay boys, even if it's just once a month? Maybe we could just have a trial run and see how it goes??
You could drop a poll into chat with a few options and we could vote on it, or we could just put our votes directly into chat when asked.
We appreciate anytime you acknowledge and interact with us, and we appreciate the show y'all put on each week.
Ariel - Do you believe Francis Ngannou winning the PFL HW Championship Belt is something he needs to do for his legacy or do you feel like it's irrelevant at this point? Thanks, love the show, appreciate all the content. You have a great team there and it's a pleasure listening to you all. Thanks again
Long time listener, first time caller. So what's the deal with you and Uncle Chael after the heated debate? You guys good? It was very disappointing to see Chael's complete inability to accept his wrong call and instead, double down and end up looking like a complete tool. This is why I don't listen to his content, because it's perpetually warped, wrong headed and ultimately, obsequious to the Pumpkin Head Overlord. Keep up the amazing work. You're literally the best in the biz.
First time poster, long time listener... Can you speak to a recent post by John Jones on X, formerly known as Twitter, about you. Specifically, the backstabbing comment.
On a semi-related note🤣, Arianna should be upset as you did make some comments about her perceived lack of professionalism while interviewing Fabiano... Keep up the good work!!!
Hello Ariel, I think most people would agree Paulo Costa v Chimaev is one of the most exciting fights at MW, the UFC seem to want that fight too. Costa told you he wants Chimaev in December, my question is instead of fighting Khamzat now, isn’t the smarter move to take a easier/more favourable matchup next, continue to build heat by talking all the smack possible about Khamzat until he fights Strickland & if Khamzat wins, sorry Cannonier & DDP but the Khamzat vs Costa rivalry makes that the biggest fight to make for the championship, if Khamzat loses, the fights still there, what do you guys think? Much love, your boy Abay ✌🏾
I just want to say. I appreciate you all so much. Positive, fun questions. It’s really a great community over here. Thank you 🙏
You lead by example! Love the content.
Thank you ariel!
Mensch recognise Mensch 👊🏽
Alright Ariel, Frank and the crew,
So a break the fourth wall question here and I’ll go long (bear with me frank!)
The recent (almost) social gathering between Frank and Ric had me thinking of group social dynamics.
In my friendship group of 6, I can prob enjoy 1:1 time with 3 of my friends, do okay 1:1 with one of my friends and have the most horrifically awkward evening ever with the other one in the group.
There’s also a friend in my group who can enjoy 1:1s with all of us. He’s like the glue.
So in the crew (Ariel, Ric, GC, Frank, Crypto Joe, Corporate Alex):
1. Who’s the worst 1:1 pair for an evening together. How would that evening go?
2. Who is the glue - the person who can enjoy everyone 1:1
Cheers mate
Nim
Dear Ariel,
This Saturday at GLORY Collision 6 in the GelreDome, “King of Kickboxing” Rico Verhoeven will be back defending his GLORY heavyweight-title after more than two years.
His opponent is the interim heavyweight-champion Tariq “Cookie” Osaro.
What’s your prediction for this world-championship fight?
Viva Heelwani and greetings from the Netherlands,
Maurits School
This might be Rico’s toughest test to date, Cookie has been looking like an absolute wrecking ball as of late!
Hi Everyone,
As someone who trains MMA and could name less than ten active boxers, I would like to defend boxing from your so-called "receipts". From the boxing fans perspective we in the MMA community hyped up Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley, and Nate Diaz to be some of the most dangerous fighters in the world. I was there listening to Chael say if Askren lost he'd have to re-evaluate his entire understanding of what a "fighter" was. Boxing fans believed us, bought the PPVs, and watched all three men get flattened by JAKE PAUL. And now we're upset they doubted us when we put a guy up against their active GOAT? NO ONE thought Francis would win. I didn't, you didn't, three-pac didn't, Fury certainly didn't. Lots of people are admitting they were wrong, loads are giving Francis props, why do we need to sour the whole affair by walking around shouting "told you so" when..... we didn't? I think you called that Francis didn't fumble the bag correctly, although I disagreed with you at the time, but no one thought this outcome was possible! Let people be wrong and change their minds, stop arguing so much with the three people on X trying to get a rise out of you :(. There is enough hate in the world, let's be happy and proud, not nasty and arrogant.
Your fan from Norway,
Finn
Hello to Ariel and the rest of the crew. I’m assuming there will be a lot of questions about Francis so I’ll go for a different topic.
My question is why are the UFC brass or UFC matchmakers so reactive instead of pro active when title fights fall through so often? Every single time they seem caught off guard by people who fight for a living getting injured.
Instead of having a backup fighter semi training for a fight he knows he’s not likely to get I wonder what you think of my idea to have 2 top contenders fight on every card when there’s a title fight from that weight class instead of having a diminished. I always feel like these late opponents are a potential good matchups lost rather than good fights gained. Bisping seems to be the only outlier here It also then means a top contender doesn’t end up being yesterdays news from the inactivity.
For example we could have had the best version of Pavlovic and Aspinall at ufc 295 . We could have Allen vs Evloev ready to step in against Volk if that is on the same card as volkanovski vs Topuria. We could have had Kara-France vs Kape at 296 and Ankalaev vs Walker could have been at 295 instead of 294 incase Pereira or Prochazka get injured. We could have Gaethje vs Holloway or gamrot as a co main when they try to rerun Makhachev vs Oliveira 2. Instead they seem to get caught with their pants down all the time.
Thanks for all the shows that help through my night shifts.
Hello crew,
One of my favourite moments of the Ngannou performance and media tour over recent weeks was his calm response to the question raised by Ariel of 'Do you think Fury is looking past you'. Ngannou looked back and stated 'I'm looking past him too'. At the time this signalled to me that Ngannou believed Fury was discounting the chances of an upset. However, it now seems that this response was utter confidence. Fantastic to see Ngannous rise and I now hope he stays in boxing. Theres work to be done in driving the top fights and changing the nature of boxing. Ngannou entering the ring without a clear boxing stable helps drive this change I feel.
My question : Could Ngannous non association with traditional boxing stables like Top Rank and Matchroom (instead being part linked to PFL), lead to quicker matchmaking and easier routes to the top fights being made to guide his path forward?
Luke from Dublin :)
Shalom, Ariel! I back.
I hope MF Zoom doesn’t banish me from the Substack for asking a second question, but as I write at the time of night that Frank is likely rampant on Reddit, I wonder if you’ve considered doing a full interview with Francis in French? Correct me if I’m mistaken, but I believe his first language is not English. Although I don’t think big Francis gets the credit he deserves for how thoughtful and humble he is in English interviews, I think audiences get a better understanding of a person’s depth when they are able to express themselves in their native language, or at least one they’re more familiar with. I think we may be able to gain vastly more insight into his movie-like life with a more expansive vocabulary and your interviewing prowess. Just a late-night thought from YaBoyLanzi.
Also, Frank, I love the dynamic you bring to the show. I’d be honored for you to ditch out on plans with me at the 11th hour.
Simple answer here. Most people listen to the show while at the gym or at work or doing other things so most people will skip the interview rather than read subtitles. It works for the people who do watch the full show but I’d say that’s a small percentage.
Do it in French with subtitles! Prerecorded of course. Great idea.
Hola Ariel. I watched a video of you recently talking about Shams with Pablo Torre and Katie Nolan.
1. Any chance of some sort of crossover episode of your show with those guys or Dan Le Batard?
2. Woj broke the James Harden Clippers trade 39 minutes before Shams did, but Shams’ post included who was getting traded back to Philadelphia. What do you think is better, Woj getting the first word, or Shams having the complete trade 39 mins later?
Good day Ariel,
With the end of Bellator all but confirmed can you power rank your top 5 pound for pound Bellator fighters of all time.
You’re the man!
Scott F
Hi Ariel and team! I try not to be a hater and see things from all perspectives, but I can’t seem to find any reason to appreciate the new nba in season tournament. To me, watching professional athletes try to win $500k each is insane because most of these guys already have life changing money. I feel like I cannot support something like this. I recognize the nba season in general is watching rich guys play sports, but at least the fan bases have something to root for and have hopes to see their favorite team when a championship.
Am I overreacting?
Hi Ariel,
Given that Bellator 301 is almost certainly going to be their last event, I think it would be really cool if they brought back say 10 of their most important historical fighters, almost like they did with Fedor’s retirement. Who would you say those fighters are? And is there anything else Bellator could do to celebrate its history at its final event instead of fading out unceremoniously.
Ariel,
I know you see the chat as bunch of savages, but the truth is we love the show and we love you and the crew (especially Mysterious Frank). It would be cool if you gave us a spot in the parlay boys, even if it's just once a month? Maybe we could just have a trial run and see how it goes??
You could drop a poll into chat with a few options and we could vote on it, or we could just put our votes directly into chat when asked.
We appreciate anytime you acknowledge and interact with us, and we appreciate the show y'all put on each week.
Much love from The GREATEST State of Texas,
Osi O
PS. SHOUT-OUT TO THE CHAT!!!
Ariel - Do you believe Francis Ngannou winning the PFL HW Championship Belt is something he needs to do for his legacy or do you feel like it's irrelevant at this point? Thanks, love the show, appreciate all the content. You have a great team there and it's a pleasure listening to you all. Thanks again
Long time listener, first time caller. So what's the deal with you and Uncle Chael after the heated debate? You guys good? It was very disappointing to see Chael's complete inability to accept his wrong call and instead, double down and end up looking like a complete tool. This is why I don't listen to his content, because it's perpetually warped, wrong headed and ultimately, obsequious to the Pumpkin Head Overlord. Keep up the amazing work. You're literally the best in the biz.
Hola Ariel,
First time poster, long time listener... Can you speak to a recent post by John Jones on X, formerly known as Twitter, about you. Specifically, the backstabbing comment.
On a semi-related note🤣, Arianna should be upset as you did make some comments about her perceived lack of professionalism while interviewing Fabiano... Keep up the good work!!!
Hello Ariel, I think most people would agree Paulo Costa v Chimaev is one of the most exciting fights at MW, the UFC seem to want that fight too. Costa told you he wants Chimaev in December, my question is instead of fighting Khamzat now, isn’t the smarter move to take a easier/more favourable matchup next, continue to build heat by talking all the smack possible about Khamzat until he fights Strickland & if Khamzat wins, sorry Cannonier & DDP but the Khamzat vs Costa rivalry makes that the biggest fight to make for the championship, if Khamzat loses, the fights still there, what do you guys think? Much love, your boy Abay ✌🏾