The Co-main Event Podcast

You want twists? You want turns? You want a fight where both guys get to look strong AND vulnerable en route to one of best light heavyweight title matches of all time? Well, we give you Jiri Prochazka vs. Glover Teixeira at UFC 275. That was a crackerjack, is what that was. Plus, Taila Santos would have won if she hadn't lost against Valentina Shevchenko -- and maybe she would have won if she didn't literally break her face in the third round? Also, pour one out for Joanna Former Champion. This episode is sponsored in part by Nord VPN. Grab your EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to nordvpn.com/comain or use the code comain to get a Huge Discount off your NordVPN Plan + 1 additional month for free + a bonus gift! It’s completely risk free with Nord’s 30 day money-back guarantee! URL: https://nordvpn.com/comain Code: comain Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Challenger Jiri Prochazka is going off as nearly a two-to-one favorite over light heavyweight champion Glover Teixeira in the main event of Saturday's UFC 275. That should give you something to chew on, as this bout (just Prochazka's third in the UFC) pits the younger man's unorthodox, oddball style against the older fella's meat-and-potatoes approach. Who wins? It's gonna be interesting to find out. Plus, these Valentina Shevchenko fights keep sneaking up on us, largely because we all think we already know how they're gonna end. At some point though. somebody's going to shock the world. I mean ... right? This episode is brought to you in part by Draft Kings. Download the DraftKings Sportsbook app NOW, use promo code COMAINEVENT, throw down FIVE DOLLARS on UFC 275, and get ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS IN FREE BETS INSTANTLY. That’s code COMAINEVENT this Saturday at DraftKings Sportsbook — THE Official Sports Betting Partner of UFC. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and ref

Every time somebody asks Jorge Masvidal about his alleged encounter with Colby Covington outside the Papi Steak in Miami, it seems like Masvidal answers with a paragraph-long confession to the crime, only to end his statement with a pronouncement of his innocence. So ... is he trying to say he didn't do it? Or is he just saying no jury would convict him? Elsewhere, the UFC has finally confirmed some fights for this weekend's Fight Night card headlined by Alexander Volkov vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik. And Rickson Gracie is standing by his claim of being 450-0 is combat sports, while also admitting that he's totally ballparking it. This episode is brought to you in part by NordVPN. Grab your EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to https://nordvpn.com/comain to get up a Huge Discount off your NordVPN Plan + Free Threat Protection + 1 additional month for free! It’s completely risk free with Nord’s 30 day money-back guarantee! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We can't do it anymore, you guys. It's too much. Seems like every damn weekend our social media timelines are clogged with people arguing about some MMA judges' decision. Did they score it right? Did they score the ROUNDS right? What about the criteria? How about open scoring? ENOUGH. We're done. Or, at least, we could stand do to it a lot less frequently. This week, new rule: one judging controversy a month. After that, you gotta shut up about it for the next 30 days. Plus, did Holly Holm look a step slower at 40 years old? Did Eagle FC learn the hard way of the pitfalls of promoting fights between old-ass weirdsmobiles? Isn't it GREAT to see Anderson Silva clown fools in the boxing ring? This episode is brought to you in part by NordVPN. Grab your EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to https://nordvpn.com/comain to get up a Huge Discount off your NordVPN Plan + Free Threat Protection + 1 additional month for free! It’s completely risk free with Nord’s 30 day money-back guarantee! Learn more about your ad choice

What happens when you sit down to record the CME Proper and right away notice that Dustin Poirier has responded to one of your tweets? Why, you live-tweet him right back as you do the show, of course. That's what happens to us this week, as Poirier mulls the idea of fighting Colby Covington at 170. Elsewhere, we wonder how much credit -- a little? or a lot? -- is due Jan Blachowicz for defeating Aleksandar Rakic via TKO injury this weekend, when Blachowicz's own leg kicks may well have contributed to said injury. Then there's poor Logan Storely, who won the Bellator interim welterweight title over MVP in a fight so bad even Scotty Cokes had to comment on it. Oh, and Holly Holm (aka Holly Holmes) is back?!?! Well, OK! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We had ourselves a good, old fashioned emotional roller coaster during UFC 274, didn't we, Mainiacs? First you had Charles Oliveira missing weight (bad!) and being stripped of the title (real bad!), only to rebound to choke the life out of Justin Gaethje (very good!) in the first round of their main event bout. Now, Oliveira will be "no. 1 contender" headed into whatever is next at 155 (pretty weird!) Then, you had Rose Namajunas dropping the title to Carla Esparza (bad!) after pursuing a head-scratching stratgey (very bad!) en route to an unexpectedly terrible fight (very, very bad!). And lo, Tony Ferguson, who had already mostly been written off by fight fans (bad!), looked as good as he had in years in the early going against Michael Chandler (so ... good?!?) only to get kicked in his damn face (bad!) and knocked utterly unconscious in the second round (very bad!). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Just as we sat down to record this episode of the Power Hour, news flashed across the wire that Charles Oliveira had missed weight, been stripped of the UFC lightweight title and will now fight Justin Gaethje in a five-rounder where Oliveira can't win back the title. So we thought: Well ... fuck. This changes everything. We scrapped plans for what we were going to talk about during this week's Power Hour and put our focus on Oliveira, what this means for him and how he moves forward for this sure-to-be tough fight against Gaethje. Plus, in Power Rankings, Tony Ferguson goes off, Cowboy Cerrone sheds a tear and Dana White locks himself in a hotel room for a few days. This episode is brought to you in part by Draft Kings Sportsbook. ust download the DraftKings Sportsbook app NOW and use the promo code COMAINEVENT. Throw down FIVE DOLLARS on any UFC 274 fighter to win, and get ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS IN FREE BETS if they do. That’s code COMAINEVENT this Saturday at DraftKings Sportsbook — THE Official Spor

Dueling title fights are on tap for Saturday's UFC 274. In the lightweight championship scrap, both Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje will no doubt choose violence -- it's just a matter of exactly how and what kind. Plus, Carla Esparza has a chance to shatter the record for longest stints between UFC title reigns if she can beat Rose Namajunas for strawweight gold. Kinda hard to imagine that happening though, right? Also, are we more excited or scared for Michael Chandler vs. Tony Ferguson? Scared-cited? This episode is brought to you in part by Draft Kings Sportsbook. Just download the DraftKings Sportsbook app NOW and use the promo code COMAINEVENT. Throw down FIVE DOLLARS on any UFC 274 fighter to win, and get ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS IN FREE BETS if they do. That’s code COMAINEVENT this Saturday at DraftKings Sportsbook — THE Official Sports Betting Partner of the UFC. Minimum age and eligibility restrictions apply. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral s

It turned out to be a wild weekend in combat sports and, perhaps wildest of all, the guy who ultimately pulled off the biggest coup didn't even fight. Francis Ngannou crashed the party in the ring after Tyson Fury's win over Dillian Whyte and the two heavyweights proceeded to talk about a potential match-up between them in way that made it sound like they are both actually serious about it. So, uh, maybe you done fucked this one up, huh, UFC? Elsewhere, Jessica Andrade reminded us who the fuck she is, Clay Collard and Jeremy Stephens had a banger and there was--gasp!--controversy in Bellator. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With heavyweight champ Francis Ngannou recovering from surgery and assumedly still on the outs with UFC brass, the company is teasing a potential 265-pound bout between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic. Possibly for an interim heavyweight title. Possibly this summer. Ummmm, yes, please. We'd like that very much. Plus, AJ McKee found out the hard way that it's really tough it win all the fights. And Belal Muhammad extended his unbeaten streak to eight fights. But was his performance enough to get us to "remember the name"? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We said we wanted to see Khamzat Chimaev tested and, brother, he sure was during a three-round epic with Gilbert Burns. You know what? He mostly passed. There are a couple things -- specifically, his willingness to say, 'fuck it' and just brawl -- that still worry us about Chimaev, but it's clear now he is mostly deserving of the hype. Question is: What's next? Also, how you gonna boo Aljamain Sterling after that, man? And if you wanted to be reminded why Alexander Volkanovski is regarded as the best men's featherweight in the world, well, he just went and showed you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

UFC 273 might be a teensy bit of a lower-profile affair that the last few UFC pay-per-views, but the top three fights are still gonna be a lot of fun. Oddsmakers don't think these bouts will be all that competitive, but this week we take a deep dive into Alexander Volkanovski vs. Chan Sung Jung, Aljamain Sterling vs. Petr Yan and Gilbert Burns vs. Khamzat Chimaev. Who will prevail? What will we learn? Which one of these things could be surprisingly even? You have questions, we have answers. This episode is brought to you by NordVPN. Grab your EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to https://nordvpn.com/comain to get up a Huge Discount off your NordVPN Plan + Free Threat Protection + 1 additional month for free! It’s completely risk free with Nord’s 30 day money-back guarantee! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Curtis Blaydes is big, athletic and -- as he proved on Saturday night -- has a well-rounded skillset. On top of that, he's only 31 years old. In the aging and shallow heavyweight division, all those things add up to make him a perennial title contender if not, at some point, a champion. Chris Daukaus? Weeeeeellll, maybe not so much. In other news, Demetrious Johnson and Sexyama nab wins in One Championship and new (troubling) shit has come to light about Chael Sonnen's alleged drunken Las Vegas assaults. This episode is brought to you by Fulton & Roark. Right now at FultonandRoark.com, CME listeners can save 15% on their first purchase with the coupon code "IFYOUNASTY." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It had been a couple years since the UFC was able to make the trek across the pond and perhaps that break allowed everybody's aggression to become duly PENT. Because once the ref said "fight"? Hoo boy, some people got busy. You had Tom Aspinall kicking down the door of contendership. You had Paddy the Baddy notching another win and being adorable (as long as you don't find out about his social media presence!). You had Molly McMann throwing spinning shit, chugging Howler Head and stealing peoples' replica belts out of the crowd. And then Paul Craig. Well, what can you even say about Paul Craig? This week's episode is brought to you by Fulton & Roark. CME listeners can save 15% on their first purchase with the coupon code "IFYOUNASTY." Check out the website at fultonandroark.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We thought Magomed Ankalaev vs. Thiago Santos would be a banger, but instead it turned out to be a tepid 25-minute affair where two aggressive, powerful light heavyweights canceled each other out. So, that was a letdown. But in Eagle FC, Diego Sanchez looked slightly better than expected in a loss to Kevin Lee. So, that was a treat. Plus, now that Bellator really is in the Adam Borics business, maybe that doesn't seem so bad? This episode is brought to you by NordVPN. Grab your EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to nordvpn.com/comain or use the code comain to get a Huge Discount off your NordVPN Plan + 1 additional month for free + a bonus gift! It’s completely risk free with Nord’s 30 day money-back guarantee! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the immediate wake of his lopsided and predictable unanimous decision win over Jorge Masvidal on Saturday at UFC 272, Colby Covington got right to work building his NEXT big grudge match. This one (he hopes), against Dustin Poirier. Yeah, if we were Poirier's managers we're giving that one a hard pass. At this point however, doesn't it kinda seem guys like Poirier, Nate Diaz, Masvidal, Covington and Conor McGregor are in their own little division? Oh, and at some point, shouldn't SOMEBODY have saved Renato Moicano from himself? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington are set to settle their longstanding personal grudge on Saturday at UFC 272 and, frankly, the end can't come soon enough. At 37, and winless since 2019, this seems like a must-win for Masvidal, but he's going off as a fairly significant underdog. What to think? Also, Islam Makhachev deserves a title shot, which is very different from actually getting one at lightweight. Plus, Gegard Mousasi is one of the best middleweights in the world. This episode is brought to you by NordVPN. Grab your EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to nordvpn.com/comain or use the code comain to get a Huge Discount off your NordVPN Plan + 1 additional month for free + a bonus gift! It’s completely risk free with Nord’s 30 day money-back guarantee! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Well, Johnny Walker got posterized by Jamahal Hill on Saturday in the UFC. It was his fourth loss in five fights and it was an ugly one. Not does it establish Hill as perhaps the hot new contender at 205-pounds but it raises some questions about what Walker ought to do next. In addition to that, we discuss the highlights from BareknuckleFC and Bellator 274 as well as looking ahead to next weekend's fight between Islam Makhachev and Bobby Green. This week's episode is brought to you by NordVPN. Grab your EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to nordvpn.com/comain or use the code comain to get a Huge Discount off your NordVPN Plan + 1 additional month for free + a bonus gift! It’s completely risk free with Nord’s 30 day money-back guarantee! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Robert Whittaker made some big improvement between his two bouts against Israel Adesanya, making Saturday night's UFC 271 main event a very competitive affair. In the end, however, it was just too much Adesanya. And still. But now who's next at 185-pounds? Jared Cannonier? Sean Strickland? And what of Whittaker? In the co-main, Tai Tuivasa continued his unstoppable march to the UFC heavyweight title (or so we are all desperate to believe). This episode of the CME is brought to you by NordVPN. Grab your EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to nordvpn.com/comain or use the code comain to get a Huge Discount off your NordVPN Plan + 1 additional month for free + a bonus gift! It’s completely risk free with Nord’s 30 day money-back guarantee! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It would be an understatement to say things didn't go Robert Whittaker's way at UFC 243, the first time he fought Israel Adesanya for the middleweight title. But that was 2019, in The Before Times, and it feels like a lot has happened since. Given a second opportunity to take on the champ this weekend at UFC 271, can Bobby Knuckles make things more competitive? Plus, Derrick Lewis and Tai Tuivasa in a potential No. 1 contender fight? And Sean Strickland, man. What can we do with this guy? This week's CME is brought to you by NordVPN. Grab your EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to nordvpn.com/comain or use the code comain to get a Huge Discount off your NordVPN Plan + 1 additional month for free + a bonus gift! It’s completely risk free with Nord’s 30 day money-back guarantee! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices