The Co-main Event Podcast

We did not think it was going to go like that. Both figuratively and literally, our money was on Charles Oliveira to once again become lightweight champion at UFC 280. As it happened, Islam Makhachev was absolutely dominant, rolling to a second-round submission victory. Now, it seems the powers that be will set him up with a champ-champ fight against Alexander Volkanovski. That sucks for all the other lightweights, but you can absolutely take all our money for it. Plus, who's to blame for TJ Dillashaw showing up to fight a title fight he had absolutely no business fighting? And whether or not you thought Sean O'Malley deserved to win the decision, he kind of put it right in our faces with his performance against Petr Yan. This episode is brought to you in part by NordVPN. Grab your EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to nordvpn.com/comain or use the code comain to get one free bonus month as well as their exclusive 30-day money back guarantee. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Let's face it, Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev seems like a heck of a fight for the "vacant" UFC lightweight title. Factor in that this event goes down in the middle of a Saturday afternoon (can't argue with mid-day fights!) and the UFC has efficiently increased our hunger by feeding us a steady diet of garbage Fight Nights in recent weeks and we are pumped. Are we actually a little bit TOO pumped? This episode is brought to you in part by Draft Kings. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800- GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL/IN/LA/MI/NJ/PA/TN/WV/WY), 1-800- NEXT STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO/KS/NH), 888-789-7777/visit http://ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY), visit OPGR.org (OR), or 1-888-532-3500 (VA). 21+ (18+ NH/WY). Physically present in AZ/CO/CT/IL/IN/IA/KS/LA(select parishes)/MI/NH/NJ/ NY/OR/PA/TN/VA/WV/WY only. Eligibility restrictions apply. Free bets: New customers only.

It's been a few weeks now since news originally broke that Conor McGregor apparently hadn't been drug tested by USADA since the third quarter of 2021. Yet ... still nothing. It doesn't appear those reports served as a wake-up call that perhaps the UFC's anti-PEDs partner should put some agents on a dingy and have them motor out to McGregor's yacht with a sample cup. And in the absence of more robust testing, well, these rumors aren't going away. Cue Justin Gaethje, who speculated this week that the Irish fella has been "off doing steroids" during his time away. So, uh, can somebody please drug test this man? Plus, speaking of our old buds from the days before robust drug testing, Alistair Overeem is still out here nabbing wins in kickboxing. Oh, and there's another garbage-ass UFC Fight Night this week. Are they doing this on purpose to get us excited for UFC 280? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

So, Dana White lied right to our faces and it turned out the reason no fans or media could attend Saturday's UFC Fight Night event WAS because Mark Zuckerberg wanted to be there, after all. And even if Dana White tries to claim later that he didn't lie due to some semantic bullshit, we all know the truth now. Zuck just had to be there to watch Mackenzie Dern ... who unfortunately lost a majority decision to Yan Xiaonan and then felt the need to apologize if she "made anybody sad" with her performance. So, fuck, was that some super disheartening late-stage capitalism stuff? Yes, it was. Also, though, Bellator turned in a pretty fun event that included Brandon Gibson desperately trying to get Aaron Pico's arm to snap back into its socket between rounds, so at least there was some good stuff to be had. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ben Rothwell is set to make his first post-UFC appearance this weekend, taking on -- say it with us now -- Bobo "The Bible Belt Brawler" O'Bannon in BKFC. You know what, call us crazy, but considering his size, skills and experience, we kinda think Rothwell might do OK in BKFC. Plus, Melvin Manhoef calls it a career (but not before getting pounded into the Black Lands by Yoel Romero) and this weekend's UFC Fight Night event seems like ... well ... straight trash. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If we remember UFC Fight Night 210 at all, it'll likely be as a damn bloodbath. Cory Sandhagen got a much-needed win in a men's bantamweight contender bout against Song Yadong, after springing open an early cut that had multiple ringside officials nearly peering into Yadong's brain. There was also a grusome cut in Gregory Rodrigues' comeback win over Chidi Njokuani in the co-main and in his win over Bill Algeo, Andre Fili said his ear so filled up with Algeo's blood that it "felt like I jumped into a swimming pool." So, uh, yeah, nasty. In addition, we reflect on the UFC/WEC career of Jose Aldo and look ahead to Friday night's Bellator event in Dublin. This episode is brought to you in part by NordVPN. Grab your EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to nordvpn.com/comain or use the code comain to get one free bonus moth and their exclusive 30-day money back guarantee. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Well, that was fuckin' crazy, eh Mainiacs? Here we thought Nate Diaz and Tony Ferguson were both headed for demoralizing losses in odd match-ups against heavily favored opponents and then -- Boom! -- Khamzat Chimaev screws the whole shit up. Instead of seeing Diaz ragdolled by Chimaev, Nate lucks into a far more advantageous bout against Tony Fegurson ... which Diaz WINS and now exits the UFC into free agency with, like, ALL THE MOMENTUM. And Chimaev? Well, ordinarily, a guy who missed weight by 7.5-pounds -- thereby causing the UFC to have to rebook an entire PPV card -- would be in deep shit, but this guy seems like he's going to skate without suffering a single consequence after his own favorable match-up against Kevin Holland. So, we have a lot of thoughts about all of that. This week's episode is brought to you in part by NordVPN. Grab your EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to nordvpn.com/comain or use the code comain to get one free bonus moth and their exclusive 30-day money back guarantee. We are also

It's pledge month over at the CME Patreon. If you haven't yet signed up to join the team, we'd love it if you'd consider lending us your support at: https://www.patreon.com/comainevent This week, we set about getting primed for Saturday's UFC 279 fight card. Or, rather, we set about trying to guard ourselves against heartbreak, as Nate Diaz vs. Khamzat Chimaev AND Tony Ferguson vs. Li Jingliang BOTH go down on this card. Dude. Who's idea was THAT? Also, we reflect on Ciryl Gane's third-round TKO over Tai Tuivasa at UFC Paris last weekend, which won Ben a lot of money, perhaps scuttled Chad's heavyweight prophecy and put Gane in line to receive ... well ... something. This episode is brought to you in part by Draft Kings. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800- GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL/IN/LA/MI/NJ/PA/WV/WY), 1-800-NEXT STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO/NH), 888-789-7777/visit http://ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), 877

The UFC touches down for the first time in Paris, France this Saturday, with Ciryl Gane and Tai Tuivasa set to do the damn thing in an allegedly important heavyweight contender bout. Is it still a big deal when the UFC is able to break into new territory, as it will do this weekend? And if so, a big deal for whom, exactly? Plus, in Power Rankings, everybody keeps talking like Big Fran will be back in the UFC, Conor McGregor maybe posts a video of himself receiving oral sex on his yacht and, man, do you ever wonder what MMA would be like today if Greg Jackson hadn't KILLED THE ENTIRE SPORT 10 years ago this week? Join here: https://www.patreon.com/comainevent Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One Championship took advantage of a UFC-free weekend and made its debut on Amazon Prime Video over the weekend. You know what? It was pretty good. Can recommend. Would do again. Plus, One maybe kinda lucked out getting a resurgent Demetrious Johnson as its flyweight champion at this event. Now, the biggest question is, can One and Prime make a splash in the American MMA market? And how much of that comes down to whether Prime really wants to invest in live sports? Plus, we look ahead to UFC Paris. This episode is brought to you in part by Draft Kings Sportsbook. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800- GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL/IN/LA/MI/NJ/PA/WV/WY), 1-800-NEXT STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO/NH), 888-789-7777/visit http://ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY), visit OPGR.org (OR), call/text TN REDLINE 1- 800-889-9789 (TN), or 1-888-532-3500 (VA). 21+ (18+ NH/WY). Physically present

In what has to be the most shocking ending to a UFC pay-per-view card in recent memory, Leon Edwards kicked Kamaru Usman right in his damn face with less than a minute remaining in the fifth round of a fight Usman was about to win on the cards. Thus, UFC 278 and Usman's title reign both came to a close. We're almost certainly running this one back, so gird your loins for a third fight between these two dudes. In other news, Luke Rockhold somehow made it through a three-round war with Paulo Costa even though he looked hella sleepy, capping it by rubbing his head-blood all over Costa's face. And if we told you Merab Dvalishvili was going to go 0-16 on takedown attempts and still win a decision over Jose Aldo, would you have believed us? This episode is brought to you in part by NordVPN. CME listeners can grab their EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to https://nordvpn.com/comain to get up a Huge Discount off your NordVPN Plan + 4 months for free! It’s completely risk free with Nord’s 30 day money-back guarantee! L

On Saturday in Salt Lake City (man it still feels weird to type that), Leon Edwards' long, strange journey to a UFC welterweight title shot finally comes to a head. Edwards will fight champion Kamaru Usman in the main event of UFC 278, where Edwards is going off as close to a 3-to-1 underdog. It's been such a long slog, with so many broken promises and missed opportunities, how will Edwards react when he's out there for real? Plus, Dom Cruz looked OK right up to the point Marlon Vera kicked him in his damn face. And Rory MacDonald walks away. This episode is brought to you by NordVPN. CME listeners can grab their EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to https://nordvpn.com/comain to get up a Huge Discount off your NordVPN Plan + 4 months 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

So, Mike Tyson is big mad at Hulu for producing a mini-series about the boxer's life without any of his input. He's happy with Dana White, however, who Tyson says turned down a lot of money to advertise the new show on the UFC. We ask: Is Tyson right to be peeved? Is this a new business niche for Hulu, since they allegedly did the same shit to Pam Anderson earlier this year? Is that shady or nah? Plus, in MMA, Jamahal Hill out-brawled Thiago Santos and Geoff Neal out-dueled Vicente Luque at Saturday's UFC Fight Event, each winning fighter now planting his flag as a prospect we should probably be giving our full attention. A couple of new TUF champions were also crowned. Oh, and it turns out Dominick Cruz is gonna fight Chito Vera next weekend? Knock us over with a feather. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More than merely making some physical adjustments in the wake of her title loss to Juliana Pena at UFC 269, it seemed like Amanda Nunes just flat vowed to show the world she was still the women's MMA GOAT on Saturday at UFC 277. And, yeah, mission accomplished. Nunes battered Pena from pillar to post for 25 minutes in their main event fight, duly recapturing the 135-pound title and reminding us all that we probably don't appreciate her greatness as much as we should. So, sorry if we ever doubted you, Amanda. Also, Brandon Moreno continued to be a badass men's flyweight and a true delight as a human being. Plus, we circle back to touch a bit on the stuff we missed from UFC London. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are two primary questions we hope to have answered by the UFC 277 main event. Firstly, did Juliana Pena merely catch lighting in a bottle when she took the women's bantamweight title off Amanda Nunes during their first meeting at UFC 269? Secondly, is Nunes still about that life? If the answer to one or both of these queries is yes, then we figure we've got a good chance of seeing Nunes recapture the title on Saturday in Dallas. If not? Things could get dicey. And in the co-main, while Davey Figs eyes two-division supremacy, the UFC is just gonna go ahead and establish an interim belt at men's flyweight. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Yeah, so Brian Ortega and Yair Rodriguez were just getting down to what was shaping up as a pretty fun main event on Saturday's UFC on ABC card when Ortega's shoulder popped out of joint while he was trying to escape an arm bar. So, that was a very specific sort of bummer that might only happen in MMA. Now, you gotta try to explain to your non-MMA buddies what a shame it was that this guy's arm popped ... at a time when we didn't think it was going to pop. Also, Dana White doesn't seem like he wants to talk about Nate Diaz anymore and UFC London is actually kind of a stacked card! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Where to start with this guy Rafael Fiziev? The technique? The power? The composure? How about the takedown defense? Poor Rafael dos Anjos spent 15 minutes trying everything he could think of to get Fiziev down and almost none of it worked. Then, in the fourth round, RDA has a little success, actually lands a couple takedowns and you start to wonder if things are gonna go Dos Anjos' way. Answer: NOPE. Fiziev storms out in the fifth and KOs him in 18 seconds. DAMN. Add ya boi Fiziev to the already crowded list of lightweights knocking on the door of title contention. Plus, Israel Adesanya isn't just gonna sit here and accept your criticisms. And T-City, El Pantera and ABC? Yes, please. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On one hand, you gotta hand it to Israel Adesanya for beating Jared Cannonier in the UFC 276 main event without really seeming to try that hard. On the other hand, man, it really didn't seem like he was trying that hard, did it? I guess when the Undertaker-inspired entrance gets better reviews than the fight, maybe that's not a great sign. At this point, it's pretty obvious there is a wide gulf between Izzy as advertised and the Izzy who actually shows up. If that's the problem, though, maybe kickboxing nemesis Alex Pereira has arrived as a middleweight contender at exactly the right time? Plus, Alexander Volkanovski kinda wore Max Holloway around like a hat. And TWO MMA retirements in one night? Many of us, it would seem, are getting too old for this shit. 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

It's international fight week and UFC 276 looks pretty stacked. Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway are gonna go out there and try to make their series one for the ages. Robbie Lawler's gonna be there. Cowboy Cerrone's gonna be there. Sean O'Malley. Uriah Hall. If you recognize any of these names it should be because they're some of the usual suspects the UFC generally calls when it wants to pull off a blockbuster pay per view. This main event pitting Israel Adesanya against Jared Cannonier, though? It doesn't feel overly critical to say hopes don't seem particularly high for that one, right? This episode is brought to you in part by Draft Kings. Download the DraftKings Sportsbook app NOW, use promo code COMAINEVENT, bet FIVE DOLLARS on any UFC 276 fighter to win, and get ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS IN FREE BETS no matter what. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1- 800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL/IN/MI/NJ/PA/WV/WY), 1-800- NEXT STE

Since we missed The Proper on Monday due to some family vacationing, we decided to offer up this episode of the Live Chat for free via the CME feed. Hope you all enjoy this hour of unfettered discourse and #WildOnWednesday action featuring the questions, comment and concerns of the beloved patrons of the CME. On tap this week, among other things: fallout from Saturday's UFC on ESPN event, Tony Kelley's remarkably inauspicious UFC run, Joe Lauzon's trick knee scuttling his fight against Donald Cerrone again and that awkward situation between Phil Hawes, Deron Winn and Daniel Cormier. This episode is sponsored in part by NordVPN. Grab your EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to nordvpn.com/comain or use the code comain to get one free bonus month and their exclusive 30-day money back guarantee. URL: https://nordvpn.com/comain Code: comain Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices