Mma Nation

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comThe UFC is on the road this weekend, with Houston, TX as the destination. However, this card reads more like an Apex event than a premium fight night. There are three ranked fights, but not all ranked fights measure out equally. The main card is where the better quality bouts are, but we’ve seen better. Strickland vs. Hernandez is the most intriguing an…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comWe are here this week to celebrate the legacy of Sean Strickland—and by “legacy”, I mean the ties that bind him to fight nights at the Apex and occasionally on the road events. Yes, yes, I know he’s headlined a PPV here and there, but it seems that wick has burned its way down the candle into the dregs. To celebrate him jabbing and teeping his way into …

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comThe UFC has created magic at the Meta-Apex—a real feat for those that have been down on fight cards that take place there. This event looks more like an on-the-road event than a Pandemic House show. The main card is where the largest concentration of talent lies, as expected. And let’s not overlook the best part of it, the return of the Gooch to action.…

UFC 325 wasn’t built the same as its predecessor, sacrificing quality to ensure local favorites were featured prominently on the card, and having a main event that kind of makes no sense. But that doesn’t mean the event was a bust—quite the opposite. The undercard saw an even mix of finishes to decisions, and some fresh ROAD to UFC talent to keep our eye on in the future.The main portion of the card bore witness to Quillan Salkilld embarrass Jamie Mullarkey in about three minutes flat, proving the gigantic gulf in the odds was justified. Tai Tuivasa took his sixth, straight loss at the hands of Tallison Teixeira, and it was as depressing as you might assume, for those that didn’t watch. UFC has to let Tai go and stop embarrassing him in front of his people.Mauricio Ruffy took Fiziev nearly to the end of round two, then decided he would end Rafael’s suffering, scoring the TKO and sending the Azerbaijani back to the L side of the column. Benoit Saint-Denis put a whooping on Dan “Prostituta” ← (IYKYK) after a fi

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comThe UFC is giving us back-to-back numbered events to kick off their second event of the year and under the Paramount umbrella. It’s a solid affair with some fights built for action (Hello Rafael Fiziev vs. Mauricio Ruffy!) and the latest ROAD To UFC finale. We’ve got lots of fresh faces to see, and plenty of veterans for those that don’t care for new ta…

UFC 324 was ravaged by injury before it ever got off the ground. A few weeks out, we lost Kayla Harrison vs. Amanda Nunes. On weigh-in day, after successfully making weight, Cameron Smotherman stepped off the scale, took a few steps and then faceplanted, busting open his chin which ended up requiring stitches. This morning, just hours before the event’s kickoff, we lost yet another bout, this time due to suspicious betting activity which later revealed Alexander Hernandez was injured, so his bout vs. Michael Johnson was canceled. Rocky start to a billion-dollar-per-year deal.The card itself was pretty good, with the prelims seeing four straight finishes. Considering that the bonuses have doubled now, and there’s added incentive ($25K bonus for all finishes that didn’t already earn a standard bonus) to get a finish, perhaps a fire has been lit under our modern day gladiators. And may I just say that the old guys really do find some magical reserves because Nikita Krylov certainly did.The rest of the fights, sa

The UFC is finally back for their first card of 2026 and the first card of their Paramount+ broadcast deal. It’s a good show, worth investing the time to watch it, with a main event that pits the aging slugger against the more youthful grappler. All the fights on the main portion are solid and should appeal to a wide range of fans—even without the Nunes-Harrison title bout. Now, let’s take a look at all the fights from the main card and the rest of the alternative stats.UFC 324 Main Card* Justin Gaethje vs. Paddy Pimblett 155 lbs* Sean O’Malley vs. Song Yadong 135 lbs* Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs. Derrick Lewis 265 lbs* Natalia Silva vs. Rose Namajunas 125 lbs* Arnold Allen vs. Jean Silva 145 lbsUFC 324 Alternative Facts* Ranked Fights: 7* Ranked Fighters: 15* Fighters coming off losses: 7* Contender Series Alumni: 8* TUF Alumni: 3* Road to UFC Alumni: 0* Debut: 1Make sure to tune in immediately after this Saturday’s fights for breakdowns and analysis on our 6th Round Post-Fight Show. Thank you for reading this ar

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comWe are finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, guys & gals. Next week, you’ll be getting a certified Vivisection—no filler! If you missed our last episode, the guys broke down the first half of their 2025’s Worst, so you should definitely have a listen. This week, our crack team of analysts are all here to give you a look back at the…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC is in week 562—at least it feels that way—of their extremely long winter break. If you missed our last episode, the guys watched another laughable MMA movie called Cagefighter: Worlds Collide, so you should definitely have a listen. This week, our crack team of analysts are all here to give you a look back at the very worst bouts of 2025 (part 1). L…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC is in week three of their long break, and the team at The MMA Depressed-us has outdone themselves. If you missed our last episode, the guys gave a dandy review of a supernatural Randy Couture movie about a fallen angel, so you should definitely have a listen. This week, our analysts are all here to give you a fun New Year’s treat by reviewing in rea…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC is in week two of their long break, and fans are getting restless, but don’t worry, the team at The MMA Depressed-us has you covered. If you missed our last episode, the guys gave a fine roasting of fighters that missed their retirement moments, so you should definitely have a listen. This week, our analysts are all here to give you a rousing and ra…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC is taking another break, this time in preparation for their Paramount Plus debut. It’s a long one, too—January 24th is when they come back to action with UFC 324: Pimblett vs. Gaethje. If you missed our last episode, the guys gave a fine roasting of Paddy’s career trajectory, so you should definitely have a listen. This week, our analysts are all he…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comThe UFC is taking their final card of the year back to the Apex for one last hurrah in 2025. It’s not their best offering, but it’s not their worst, either. We have some interesting bouts, decent alternative stats and a main event that could see a new title challenger emerge for the flyweight division. I’d say that’s nothing to cry about, and considerin…

UFC 323 delivered big in their last PPV event ever (or so they say). It had all the hallmarks of a great event going in with solid matchmaking and terrific stats on paper, and the action and skill level we were treated to surpassed our expectations. Nine finishes on a 14-fight card was just the beginning of the bonanza, as we also bore witness to a comeback story that might end up being called a fight of the year. Petr Yan gave a masterclass on how to defeat Merab Dvalishvili and ended up reclaiming his belt in spectacular, high level fashion.Joshua Van took the belt from Alexandre Pantoja, but it was in an anti-climactic, depressing way. Alexandre went to post on his left arm on his way down to the canvas and let’s just say it didn’t cooperate, snapping the entire wrong way, grossing out multitudes of fans in the process. Henry Cejudo put on a valiant effort in his bout with Payton Talbott, but was no match for the younger man, losing convincingly, despite a warrior’s performance. He retired in the cage and

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comThe UFC is taking their final PPV out with a serious bang, plenty for the proverbial buck, that’s for sure. For the fourth, straight event, we’re getting a really good card. There’s not much to take issue with on the company’s 323rd numbered card, especially with two title belts on the line and a bevvy of ranked bouts and fighters. Matchmaking is once a…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comUFC is taking another break, this time for Thanksgiving week. Our analysts are all here to give you a turkey roast in response to the announcement that Paddy Pimblett will face Justin Gaethje for the lightweight interim belt at UFC 324. The news comes after undisputed champ Ilia Topuria announced he wouldn’t be fighting during the first quarter of 2026 …

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comThe UFC is on an unprecedented roll—at least for this current era of mostly miserable cards. Why, you ask? For the third week in a row, we’re getting a really good show. And once again, all the components of what make an event great are contained in this one. The matchmakers did well, the stats look good and there’s a feel of importance to most of the f…

UFC 322 looked terrific on paper, and in practice, it delivered several highlight reel moments. Benoit Saint Denis starched Beneil Dariush in just 16 seconds to open the main card. Not to be outdone, Carlos Prates became the first person to ever knock out Leon Edwards. Then Michael Morales stopped Sean Brady inside the first round. That was followed by Valentina Shevchenko absolutely dominating Zhang Weili from bell to bell. It was so lopsided I felt sorry for Weili. Finally, we saw another lopsided beatdown in the main event when Islam Makhachev 50-45’d Jack Della Maddalena across the board to win a second belt. It was a mauling that even John Pork had a hard time watching. Now that we’ve reviewed the main card, let’s check out the rest of the results and bonuses while we’re here.MMA Vivisection & 6th Round is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.UFC 322 Results* 170 lbs.: Islam Makhachev def. Jack Della Maddalena by unanimo

UFC 322 is a genuinely great card. With two title fights, six ranked fights and thirteen ranked fighters, the paper stats look phenomenal. But the real treat is that the matchmaking is also good with truly compelling bouts to sink your teeth into. It’s an event worth getting excited for, and those are a rarity. Rejoice! Now, let’s take a look at all the fights from the main card and the rest of the alternative stats.UFC 322 Main Card* Jack Della Maddalena vs. Islam Makhachev 170 lbs* Valentina Shevchenko vs. Weili Zhang 125 lbs* Sean Brady vs. M. Morales 170 lbs* Leon Edwards vs. Carlos Prates 170 lbs* Beneil Dariush vs. Benoit Saint-Denis 155 lbsUFC 322 Alternative Facts* Ranked Fights: 6* Ranked Fighters: 13* Fighters coming off losses: 7* Contender Series Alumni: 10* TUF Alumni: 1* Road to UFC Alumni: 0* Debut: 0No bonus section this week. Make sure to tune in immediately after this Saturday’s fights for breakdowns and analysis on our 6th Round Post-Fight Show. Thank you for reading this article and listen

UFC Vegas 110 looked promising on paper, with solid alternative stats and suitable matchmaking. It wasn’t gonna set the world on fire, but it was decent enough. Fast forward to the event in actuality and you get a mixed bag with a possible fixed fight, another eye poke and follow-up questionable reffing to put the sour cherry on top of the sawdust cake. But Sedriques Dumas got beat up and that almost tips the scales back to good. And we also were rewarded with a lot of submissions, so the night wasn’t exactly terrible. Now, let’s check out the rest of the results and bonuses while we’re here.MMA Vivisection & 6th Round is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.UFC Vegas 110 Results* 145 lbs.: Steve Garcia vs. David Onama — Garcia def. Onama by TKO (punches), round 1 (3:34)* 265 lbs.: Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs. Ante Delija — Cortes-Acosta def. Delija by TKO (punches), round 1 (3:59)* 170 lbs.: Jeremiah Wells vs. Themba Gorimbo — We