The Show Money crew is back to spew their sometimes educated, sometimes random theories on the only show exclusively dedicated to the business of MMA.
The Show Money crew is Paul Gift, “the economist”, Jason Cruz, “the lawyer”, and John Nash, “Bloody Elbow’s Financials Columnist”, who also happens to be the man who knows everyone and everything in MMA. They bring you the business side of MMA, in depth, in a way you won’t find anywhere else!
In this episode the issues discussed include:
1. UFC’s recent Earnings Release
2. Ari Emanuel recent “Fireside Chat Conference Call” topics
3. The PFL (Professional Fighter’s League) “may” have plans in 2023 for a PPV (Pay-Per-View) SuperFight Division
Be sure and follow Paul at @MMAanalytics, John at @heynottheface, and Jason at @dilletaunt for all of their twitter musings.
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Brian Ortega before he fought Alex Volkanovski at UFC 266. | Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Top featherweights are set to battle in July.
The UFC has announced that their show scheduled for Long Island, NY on July 16 will be headlined by two of the best featherweights on the planet: Brian Ortega and Yair Rodriguez.
Ortega currently sits second in the UFC featherweight rankings, behind former champ Max Holloway and reigning kingpin Alexander Volkanovski. Rodriguez is ranked fourth. With Volkanovski and Holloway set to dance for a third time, also in July, this fight could well determine the next challenger at 135 lbs.
Hold on to your seats, folks We’ve got a one headlining in Long Island! @BrianTCity vs @PanteraUFC
[ #UFCLongIsland | Sat. July 16 | @UBSArena ] pic.twitter.com/9Y5aBqo5Ch
— UFC (@ufc) May 26, 2022
Ortega has been there twice before. His last fight was a unanimous decision defeat to Volkanovski in the main event of UFC 266. In 2018 he lost, via TKO, to Holloway for the title. His only fight between those losses was a lopsided decision victory over Chan Sung Jung.
Prior to losing to Holloway, Ortega was undefeated in his career — going 14-0 (1 NC). The UFC competition he beat to earn his title shot included Frankie Edgar, Cub Swanson and Renato Moicano.
Rodriguez last fought in November; losing a unanimous decision to Holloway. Prior to that he defeated Jeremy Stephens (in a make-up fight after a no contest marred their main event in Mexico City) and KO’d Chan Sung Jung with an epic last second elbow strike.
Rodriguez’s career record is 13-3 (1 NC). His other UFC loss is to Edgar. He holds notable wins over B.J. Penn, Alex Caceres and Dan Hooker.
In addition to Ortega vs. Rodriguez, UFC Long Island is set to feature Askar Askarov vs. Alex Perez, Michelle Waterson vs. Amanda Lemos, Ricky Simon vs. Jack Shore and Li Jingliang vs. Muslin Salikhov.
Roy Jones Jr. is pictured at the Creed II premiere in New York City. | Photo by Daniel Zuchnik/WireImage
Roy Jones Jr. teases a matchup with UFC legend Anderson Silva.
Roy Jones Jr. finally got round to watching Anderson Silva’s latest boxing match as the former multi-division champion congratulated ‘The Spider’ on his dominant performance against Bruno Machado on Saturday.
That wasn’t all, though, as Jones — a long-time idol of Silva’s — teased a possible boxing match with the former UFC middleweight champion.
Jones, now 53, told 47-year-old Silva to ‘stay ready so I don’t have to’.
“I see y’a Anderson. I’m impressed so I ain’t gone sleep on y’a. Just in case. Lol. Stay ready so I don’t have to get ready. Lol. But good work though. Congratulations,” Jones posted on Instagram yesterday.
Jones last fought in Nov. 2020 at Triller Fight Club where he fought heavyweight legend Mike Tyson to a draw. The dual American-Russian citizen has been linked to a fight with Silva since back in 2009 when ‘The Spider’ KO’d Forrest Griffin in iconic fashion at UFC 101.
A lot has changed since then, though, and although Silva is currently enjoying somewhat of a career revival in boxing, the UFC legend no longer appears to be interested in what was once his dream matchup.
“I’ve been talking about this fight for many, many years ago,” Silva told the media prior to his KO victory over Tito Ortiz. “First of all, I respect and I’m a big fan of Roy Jones. I try to copy Roy Jones in my entire life because he’s amazing, and I respect Mr. Roy a lot, and I don’t think this fight would happen right now.”
Association of Boxing Commissions president Mike Mazzulli issues a response to judging criticisms.
In light of the recently debated fight outcomes over the weekend alone, the conversations about MMA judging and its supposed flaws have intensified. Former fighters, and quite expectedly, the coaches involved, have voiced their displeasure towards this current trend of questionable decisions.
Over the years, MMA judges have been taking a beating from critics who usually don’t hold back. But recently the president of the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC) Mike Mazzulli spoke to MMA Junkie to issue a response. MMA officials are also part of the ABC umbrella.
“There are basketball and football coaches that have never played a snap or a game of basketball and they’re elite coaches. But when it comes to judging and refereeing MMA, the people we use are highly qualified,” he said.
Mazzulli then enumerated the combat sports and martial arts backgrounds of the officials who usually oversee MMA events.
“A fine example is Sal D’Amato. He’s a black belt in karate. Derek Cleary is a black belt in karate and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Eric Colon owns his own jiu-jitsu gym. Dave Tirelli owns Tiger Schulmann’s gym. Dave Peabody, a local judge (here) is a black belt in karate.
“Dan Miragliotta was a promoter and a Muay Thai fighter. Bryan Miner (was a kickboxer). In the future, I hope before commentators speak, they do their research.”
Mazzulli also extended an invite to all critics to the ABC’s commission convention this summer.
“The ABC meeting is in Niagara Falls. As the president of the ABC, I’m inviting any fighter or commentator to attend for free and learn how to judge. The criteria are right on the ABC boxing website. It’s right there, so don’t tell me you can’t find it. It’s not a secret.”
Last weekend’s UFC Vegas 55 event alone was riddled with judging controversies, including the headliner between Ketlen Vieira and former champion Holly Holm. The latter ended up with the split decision win, a decision that many felt should’ve gone the other way.
Fabricio Werdum getting his hands wrapped for a UFC Fight Night in July 2020. | Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
The Brazilian legend is putting his MMA career on hold to pursue boxing.
After briefly considering retirement earlier this year, former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum has decided to shift his focus from mixed martial arts to boxing.
Werdum opted not to re-sign with the UFC following the completion of his contract over two years ago. ‘Vai Cavalo’ enjoyed two successful stints with the promotion but wanted to move on and try something else. That led to his eventual signing with Professional Fighters League (PFL) to join the heavyweight tournament in the 2021 season. He debuted at PFL 3, where he suffered a controversial first-round technical knockout loss to Renan Ferreira. The loss was overturned to a No Contest after the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board ruled that Ferreira tapped to a guillotine choke before the TKO happened.
The ordeal with Ferreira and a health scare left Werdum feeling uninterested and unmotivated to fight again, which saw him withdraw from the rest of the season and mull over retirement. Though his status with PFL was up in the air, the Brazilian recently expressed interest in returning in 2022 for a potential fight in June. However, he has since had a change of heart again and revealed he would no longer consider hanging up his gloves — for now.
“I don’t like the word ‘retired’ or ‘stopped fighting,” said Werdum to Brazilian media in a recent press conference (H/T Guilherme Cruz of MMA Fighting). “For us, fighters, it’s very hard to stop doing what you love. I’ll completely change my focus.”
Werdum previously hinted at pursuing a career in boxing and said he would do it if it meant getting another championship opportunity.
“When I set out to become jiu-jitsu champion, I did it – in the UFC, I also did it,” said Werdum. “I don’t have that title in boxing, and I want to dedicate 100 percent to boxing because I want that title. I was champion in everything, except boxing. I never competed in boxing, and I want to add another belt on the wall.”
No date has been set for a boxing debut, but Werdum will be ready to field offers soon.
In terms of his professional career, Werdum went 24-9-1 (1) after more than two decades of fighting. The 44-year-old has wins over the likes of Alistair Overeem, Fedor Emelianenko,Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira and Cain Velazquez.
Marina Rodriguez defeated Yan Xiaonan at UFC 272. | Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
UFC strawweight contender Marina Rodriguez would like to face champion Carla Esparza for the title next.
UFC women’s strawweight contender Marina Rodriguez wants a second chance against Carla Esparza, and with the title on the line this time around.
After defeating Yan Xiaonan in her most recent outing, the Brazilian believes she is the clear top contender in her division and claims that the rematch would draw attention to the match.
In an interview with Combate, Rodriguez explained how her win streak should be enough to prove she is the real number one contender at strawweight. Furthermore, Marina believes that a new challenger like herself would be refreshing after so many title fights with the same athletes.
“I’m the strawweight with the longest win streak in the division, so I think it’s only fair for me to be the next challenger,” Rodriguez said. “All the other athletes in the mix have had their chances already. I believe it’s time to shake things up and give other athletes a chance. The fans like new blood fighting for the belt. Whoever gets this chance for the first time will try to show fans how important this is to them. I’m sure they’ll deliver a fun, aggressive fight and that they’ll leave all they’ve got in the Octagon in order to win the belt.
“That’s my case,” Rodriguez said. “If I have this chance, I’ll not let this fight be boring for a second. This is my chance to become champion of the world, I won’t let it pass me by. You have to give your life for it. I’m a UFC employee, though, so I follow their plans. If they think I should do one more fight before the belt, I will. I’m not counting on my next fight being for the belt.”
Currently on a four-fight winning streak, Rodriguez (16-1-2) defeated Amanda Ribas, Michelle Waterson, Mackenzie Dern and the aforementioned Xiaonan in her most recent outings. In fact, the 35-year-old’s sole professional defeat happened in July 2020, when she dropped a split decision to current champion Esparza.
Dustin Poirier speaks to reporters at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas ahead of his lightweight title fight against Charles Oliveira. | Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
“I’m not a scrap-and-tell kinda guy; I don’t say what happened, but he knows what’s happened those years in the gym.”
What happens in the gym, stays in the gym.
That means Dustin Poirier isn’t going to tell the world what happened between him and Colby Covington during their old sparring sessions at American Top Team (ATT), but it’s probably safe to say ‘The Diamond’ got the better of ‘Chaos’ in the stand-up department.
Poirier admits Covington used to outwrestle him but hinted that there were plenty of times when he got the upper hand and gave his former teammate a good beating behind closed doors.
“And Colby knows what’s up. I’m not a scrap-and-tell kinda guy; I don’t say what happened, but he knows what’s happened those years in the gym,” Poirier told Ariel Helwani during a recent appearance on The MMA Hour (h/t Jon Fuentes of MMA News).
“And at the same time, I agree. I know he’s taken me down and ridden me out rounds, but he also knows a couple times what happened to him.”
Covington parted ways with ATT in 2020 after butting heads with several teammates at the gym, Poirier being chief among them. The two have been at odds ever since, with Poirier recently agreeing to a welterweight showdown with Covington on July 30th.
170Lbs July 30th ⭐️
— The Diamond (@DustinPoirier) May 14, 2022
Covington has yet to respond to Poirier but that’s likely because the two-time UFC welterweight title challenger is currently embroiled in a criminal spat with Jorge Masvidal, who is alleged to have attacked Covington outside a steakhouse in Miami and potentially caused a brain injury.
Demian Maia ahead of his fight against Belal Muhammad at UFC 263. | Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Maia would sign a new contract with the UFC if it meant being able to retire from mixed martial arts with the promotion.
Demian Maia is not done fighting yet.
After completing his contract with the UFC, Maia is a free agent following his unanimous decision loss to Belal Muhammad at UFC 263 this past June. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace is still competing in grappling, but wants one more fight in mixed martial arts before retiring. He has one condition, though.
In a recent interview with Luke Thomas of Morning Kombat, Maia explained that he would only fight for the UFC to complete his nearly 20-year professional career.
“No, I’m not officially retired,” said Maia. “I want to do one more fight in the UFC but I don’t want to fight in any other event because UFC is my house. It has been my house for the last 15 years. If I get another chance, I will do one more fight there, but I am pretty much more focused on the other parts of my career. I’m still training some MMA. I’m still doing boxing and Thai boxing with takedowns. These kinds of things. I want to keep these sharp if I need to do one more fight.
“At the same time, I’ve focused a lot on jiu-jitsu again, sport jiu-jitsu, because I want to compete more under these kinds of rules,” continued Maia. “One thing is that I feel pretty healthy. I feel pretty well in terms of conditioning. So I said why not give me a couple more years fighting in jiu-jitsu or MMA and then retire.”
Maia signed with UFC in 2007 and found success at welterweight and middleweight during his tenure. The veteran fought for championship gold in both divisions, but fell short against then-champions Tyron Woodley and Anderson Silva. He also won 22 fights, the fourth most in UFC history.
If given the opportunity to fight again with the UFC, Maia would take it immediately. UFC president Dana White was hesitant to offer him something after UFC 263, saying that was ‘probably it’ for him in terms of fighting for the promotion. Maia understands that it is up to White and the rest of the UFC brass, but is holding out for a potential one-fight deal just in case.
“It depends much more on the UFC than on me, but I would do one more,” said Maia. “Of course, they would like to do, for sure, a longer contract but for me, I can do a longer contract but it doesn’t matter because I would do one more fight.”
Maia returns to the mats for his next grappling match against Benson Henderson at Polaris 20 on June 25.
As usual, not much happened in the aftermath of UFC Vegas 55.
While it was quite controversial, the main event of UFC Vegas 55 produced a new title challenger at women’s bantamweight. Ketlen Vieira didn’t do a ton to Holly Holm over five rounds, but it was enough to pull off a close split decision and move into the upper echelon at 135. People can debate the judging all the want, but it won’t change the result.
In other news, not much happened. Michel Pereira fought a great fight and took a victory over a game Santiago Ponzibbio. That got him into the rankings. After that? Pretty much nada.
Here’s a look at the changes this week.
Men’s P4P – No changes.
Heavyweight – No changes.
Light Heavyweight – No changes.
Middleweight – No changes.
Welterweight – Pereira enters at 14 following his co-main event win.
Lightweight – No changes.
Featherweight – No changes.
Bantamweight – No changes.
Flyweight – No changes.
Women’s P4P – Marina Rodriguez is up one to eight, with Holm falling to nine. Vieira enters the P4P list for the first time at 11. Yan Xiaonan, Mackenzie Dern, and Irene Aldana all drop a spot to 12 through 14 respectively.
Women’s Bantamweight – Vieira is up three spots to sit at two. Holm falls to three. Aldana is down to four, with Raquel Pennington dropping to five.
Beneil Dariush at the press conference for UFC 262. | Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC
Dariush doesn’t understand why Oliveira wants to fight McGregor over other contenders in the lightweight division.
Beneil Dariush is frustrated by Charles Oliveira and his pursuit of a fight against Conor McGregor.
Having fought his way to contention with seven consecutive wins in three years, Dariush finds himself near the top of the lightweight division and wants to further his ascension by fighting — and defeating — his fellow contenders. Among those contenders is Oliveira, who went from UFC lightweight champion to No. 1 contender after being stripped for missing weight ahead of his defense against Justin Gaethje at UFC 274 earlier this month.
There is no word yet on who Oliveira expects to fight in a No. 1 contender, but he has expressed interest in McGregor. ‘Do Bronx’ previously explained during a post-fight press conference that it would be ‘a great payday’ and ‘good’ for his legacy. That is all good and well, but Dariush would prefer if he continued to build his legacy around fighting contenders instead. During an appearance on The Fighter vs. The Writer with Damon Martin of MMA Fighting, the 33-year-old ripped the Brazilian for pursuing the ‘Notorious’ one.
“What actually is really bothering me is Charles Oliveira,” said Dariush. “He’s talking about wanting to fight Conor, and he talks about how these guys never gave him a shot when he was outside the top five, blah, blah, blah. We were supposed to fight October of 2020. I have a fight contract, I can post a picture of it. I was supposed to fight Charles, and he pulled out of the fight and then a couple of months later, instead of fighting with me, he fought Tony Ferguson. He said something about family issues and I’m not going to say, ‘Oh, he had to fight me. I can’t believe he didn’t do that.’ Family comes first, I understand that. But the same thing people did to him, now he’s doing to me.
“He was supposed to fight me, bailed, went and fought Tony Ferguson,” continued Dariush. “And now instead of fighting actual contenders, he wants to go fight Conor? He wants to go fight Nate Diaz? This is hypocritical, man. This is the only thing that’s bothering me.”
McGregor has not fought since suffering a broken leg in his fight against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 this past July. Since undergoing surgery to fix a broken tibia and fibula, the former two-division champion has been recovering and teasing a return.
Despite his declaration that he would be ‘billi walking straight to a title shot on my return,’ McGregor is 1-3 in his past four fights. There is also no indication that he would receive that title shot, so Dariush still struggles to understand why Oliveira is adamant about fighting him. If given a choice, Dariush said Oliveira should consider either him or Islam Makhachev next.
“I understand the media has their thing,” said Dariush. “I understand the UFC has their part, but for him to be chasing a unicorn? It’s just super frustrating. There’s two clear contenders in front of you and you’re trying to chase a unicorn. And no one knows when Conor is going to fight again. The guy might not even fight this year. He might just be like, ‘Oh, the leg is taking too long. I’ll fight next year.’ Whatever. What is going on here? Make it make sense. It just doesn’t make sense.”
Dariush was in action at UFC 262, where he defeated Tony Ferguson via unanimous decision. The Kings MMA product was scheduled to fight the aforementioned Makhachev, but was forced to withdraw after suffering an injury in training.
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