Fight Night Fever: An In-Depth Look at UFC 289 and MMA Judging

Dave Clarke: 0:12

Welcome to Check My Oil. We're back, presented by Missing the Point podcast. I am here with the two usual co-hosts of this uproarious, wonderful occasion that is talking about an upcoming UFC pay per view. I've got Ben Peake, or professional mixed martial artist and current asshole. I've got Wilcox, former reformed professional gambler and now current professional gambler, really happy to be here with you guys to talk about the upcoming UFC 289 card. We've got some good pay per views coming up. to start the slate, it's going to be this one, headlined, of course, by the greatest women's MMA fighter of all time, amanda Nunez. I was treated to some spectacular knockouts in the women's division not common in the women's division, but it is common when Amanda is involved. So we'll get to her, but we're going to start as we always do with the pre-prelims. Ben, you're coming in live from fucking Dune right now. right, today's the day that all of New York is bathed in blood. apparently, you can't even go outside without chewing the air. How is it there?

Ben Peak: 1:17

Things are rough over here today. Things aren't good, but we're getting by, minute by minute, by hour by hour.

Matt Wilcox: 1:25

I think it's actually getting worse by the minute.

Dave Clarke: 1:32

I think it's almost like the climate's changing or something Someone should look into that I'll tell you. I saw Matt's Instagram story, matt of this parish, i saw your Instagram story this morning very full-throated advocacy of traffic reform in Boston. Ben is surviving wildfire smoke in New York. I got to tell you guys, that's just a Tuesday here in sunny Los Angeles.

Matt Wilcox: 1:54

It turns out I'm treating the deal with one of Los Angeles's major downfalls. I ain't not doing well with that at all.

Dave Clarke: 2:01

Yeah, yeah, no, this place is a fucking hellhole. All right, let's get into these karate matches. The very first fight and I got, to be honest, i didn't do a ton of phonetic reading up on what was going to happen to these names. So if I do butcher these names, i do apologize in advance. The apology is half-hearted, i don't feel that strongly about it, but you know, if you need it, you have it now. Nelson versus builder. Now you know, as we always like to talk about here on check my oil, there's value in underdog bets in mixed martial arts because I feel like the the Vegas lines are often weighed heavily by wins and losses, but there is a pretty big drop off in a lot of talent pools that these guys exist in. That being said, this is not where I see underdog value. I think that this guy, builder, he's never lost a fight. I knew his dad, bob middle name, but he's he's never lost a fight And what I did, and I think you know, oftentimes a guy, an undefeated guy, comes into the UFC and he's still sort of an unknown quandary right Like he's. It's difficult to assess whether or not that a no is as an inflated record, like Khabib, or if it's like a really solid, you know sort of undefeated streak that that this person is on. I you know he's got gold in another division, so I think that there in another promotion I should say So I think that should say something to you And I think that Nelson's got maybe a chance to knock him out in the first round, because there's questions about this guy, builders chin. But I think if he doesn't take advantage of them of that early, i think he's fine. I would predict a decision when I think it's. This is a very early decision, early and easy way to anchor a parlay mat. Am I, am I cray?

Matt Wilcox: 3:48

No, I think I think what you're saying makes sense. Honestly, I know I've watched builder fight. I can't say one time I've seen nothing fight. I just can't pinpoint Like I can't remember the fight. It doesn't seem memorable to me. So what I did here in my evaluation is I looked these guys up and down and I decided that builder has a really, really cool leg tattoo, but he stopped right under his foot, which kind of makes him a bitch.

Dave Clarke: 4:11

So I'm going to go now Let's go for the dog based on tattoos. You know, leah does that. My wife does that. When she sees a tattoo that she doesn't like before a fight, she says that guy's going to get his ass kicked. Ben is, as a former professional, i'd like to pick your brain on this. If you saw a tattoo that was really lame, would you then be less scared of a guy?

Ben Peak: 4:33

Now, hi, I made that mistake early on And dressing name. He's actually got a story about this, yeah, about that. Well, actually you got, so that you this is when you guys will be able to recall my first ever opponent, so it you should never underestimate your opponent, whatever, so on and so forth. They all say that shit but it. But it gets easy too When you see somebody. You see somebody who's a dork real Ted Neves. And it's kind of harder to notice that when, in any summer of like striking or boxing whatever, people become more hardened that way in there In their face, look a little bit tough and tough. But you guys were both at my first ever Naga competition, if you recall, and I got smoked. I got smoked by a Ted Neves, like this absolute. This absolute dork dude came in like a big, thick, heavy glasses, skinny looking, whatever guy. He was like Oh, i just lost my other division. Can I compete in this? And he took me down and and and worked me immediately. I was like shit, i was not expecting this. You can't expect it. When it comes to MMA, when it comes to anything that's grappling, you don't get hardened in the same way. You got to take it serious. You never know who it is.

Dave Clarke: 5:45

Yeah, they should think of some sort of like truism about that, maybe to do with literature, like don't judge a novel by its spine, or something along those lines. I'll leave that to the professionals, but I think I think that there's no way to really judge it. I mean, like look at those memes about like Justin Gaichi. Like there's a goofy picture of Justin Gaichi rolling around where he's got like glasses on and he's got like a goofy smile. It's like how do I explain to my friends that don't watch MMA That this guy is like one of the best fighters on the map, right? But yeah, i mean, it's difficult, honestly, when we're doing research for these shows and you're kind of deep in the pre pre limbs And, if we're being honest, the pre pre limbs of a card that maybe gave up some of its organs to some other cards coming up afterwards, you're you're looking at something where it's like how did Vegas even really pick these lines? You know, so there might be some fucking value in the dog. I have been on this show kind of doubting the power of featherweights before. It's just, i do have this thing stuck in my head where it's like I don't really, i don't really trust a featherweight to get a first round knockout, like I would a welterweight up or even a lightweight up. So we'll see. I guess I I'm hesitant to really give hard advice on a betting line on this because I don't know a ton about these two guys, but I think it's going to be a good way to snap the show off. We're not doing the early pre limbs because there's two fucking fights. I don't know what they're, even what. Just fold them in. Fold in cheese, david. Fold in the cheese. Okay now, i was talking to you guys earlier about how I'm not. I'm not really schooled on the pronunciations of these names, but the hobby versus quealing I'm going to go with. And then we always end up watching the fucking thing and like the announcers have actually figured out how to pronounce their names and I'm like, oh, that was a rough. It wasn't quealing at all, it was Smith. But I think this is a weird one for me, matt, i'll start with you. This is a pick them on odds. I think it's a pick them from the eye test Again their Bantam weights. They're lower down on these on this pre limb card. I'm not a hundred percent sure I would bet on this. I think this has stay away written all over it. I don't really know what Sahabi is, because he's like looking at his kind of activity, or lack thereof, over the last few years He has. He hasn't really been a consistent fighter. Do you see, probably see, still see something in them, or maybe you know they they're keeping them to sort of fill out the roster and, you know, keep it deep. I I'm not privy to Dana White's decisions on these things like who gets cut, who doesn't. I sometimes it feels like he's cutting really good talent. Sometimes he's feeling it feels like he's keeping tin cans and maybe that's a matchmaking thing in order to like get guys wins. I don't know, but he he's fought some guys. He's fought Draco Rodriguez, he's fought Ricky Torquois And I think that, like he's, he's a guy that seems to be able to move into decent competition. But on the topic of like things, that shouldn't matter, but do the guy who he's fighting? his nickname is the Mongolian murderer. Like I always have a tough time betting against guy I was kind of scary.

Matt Wilcox: 8:46

I'm going to give it to the hometown boy. Here We're in Vancouver First time in a long time. They tried to stack it with Canadians. That I felt like had the advantage And I just like, i see, i see a record like 24 and nine in the sand So, and it just doesn't have that same vibe was like the Dagestani guy. You know who's three and one over there. I'm. I'm just not. I'm going to go with Zahabi here. I don't feel comfortable with it. My smart brain tells me I'm not going to bet on it.

Dave Clarke: 9:12

My dumb brain had one of those. That's all. That's new.

Matt Wilcox: 9:15

I will absolutely bet on this.

Dave Clarke: 9:17

Yeah, i mean fuck it. you know it makes it more entertaining. But my question to you is if your nickname is the Mongolian murderer, are you the Mongolian that does murders, or do you murder only specifically Mongolians?

Ben Peak: 9:31

That's a fantastic question.

Dave Clarke: 9:32

Yeah.

Matt Wilcox: 9:32

Was it highly.

Ben Peak: 9:33

Yeah.

Dave Clarke: 9:35

What was it?

Matt Wilcox: 9:37

I donated.

Dave Clarke: 9:38

No, it's just the Mongolian murderer.

Matt Wilcox: 9:41

The.

Dave Clarke: 9:42

Mongolian the murderer because he's Chinese. So like realistically he could be either one. You know he could be a attacker or defender. And chances are there's some blood in there from them, from a long descended Mongolian, because if Mulan is any indication, there were a lot of them.

Matt Wilcox: 9:55

I was just gonna say we should pause this and watch both Mulans, and then we'll get back to these guys, because this isn't you know, i'm not sure we're done.

Dave Clarke: 10:03

Are we gonna get down to business? Yeah, i mean, like this is a fucking coin flip, ben, what do you got?

Ben Peak: 10:12

I think I think Zahabi doesn't really have the wrestling to get this done, to be honest, and I think we laying as here we're going with here. I think he's gonna overwhelm with volume. I think he probably take the decision when, here, i think Zahabi, tough guy, he's got how many knockouts, five of his last seven fights, something like that But again, this is over, like seven times in five years, something like that. Some crazy fight, and I don't think he's gonna have the stuff to put away the hungry or fighter. I think we like, comes in, does it?

Dave Clarke: 10:46

I think I agree because, like the whole hometown thing, like it depends on the hometown, you know, like I liked the bump It might have given Mazvedal fighting in Miami, i like when Brazilians are fighting in Brazil, i think that has like a like an impact. You know, i think if you're like George St Pierre fighting in Canada, like, or Conor McGregor fighting in Ireland, or you know like these things are a thing, i think if you're like an early Freelim fighter fighting in Canada, i mean, look, that's not to say that I think Canada has some of the best knowledge base of mixed martial arts. I think there's gonna be a great crowd. I really do. I think, because of how big of a deal GSP became in the in that country, i think it's really elevated their mixed martial arts like IQ and you can tell shitty crowds. We've had a couple in the past few, few years, not to name any names, but like Jacksonville, i'm fucking looking at you. Yeah, these, i mean these, these things matter right, and I think that a good crowd actually can influence fights. I mean we've had conversations about how bad the judging is. We're actually slated to talk a little bit about that Kai Carr France decision last weekend, but I mean, fuck it, let's do it now. I think you know the judging's so bad and the refereeing has been guilty of being bad too. We've seen this. The crowd gets impatient because of ground grappling and it influences the referee, it influences the judges. Ben, over the course of your experience in mixed martial arts, in kickboxing, is it frustrating to try to fight in front of a crowd that doesn't understand what they're watching, that like just wants to watch a bare knuckle boxing match? Essentially, do you feel that? Do you hear that when you're in there at all? Or is it just not? Have you tuned it out?

Ben Peak: 12:25

You know, yeah, despite the length of my career, early on I would say I wouldn't have heard it, i wouldn't have paid attention to it, because you're so zoned into the task of hand. But even as my career progressed and I became completely calm, i was much more aware of my surroundings. I still didn't pay that much attention to the crowd. But to be honest, here I fucking threw bangers kid, so the crowd, like I, was getting knocked out or knocking somebody out.

Dave Clarke: 12:58

So you've never been knocked out. You've never been knocked in it.

Ben Peak: 13:01

So what? But you get the point Like I, you just, i went in there all the time and I was always down to fight, and I remember my one of my last fights in Malmown Minnesota. Yeah, yeah, Malmown Minnesota. The only thing I had to eat right when I was waiting in waves. I hated the threat. I was sitting in this fucking in this hotel in Malmown Minnesota eating a can of sardines and an avocado. That's all I had for the way in. It was awful, and I was sitting in the room by myself wondering what are you going to give it up, dude?

Matt Wilcox: 13:33

Like what a.

Ben Peak: 13:35

I haven't really had enough of that.

Dave Clarke: 13:37

Nobody's even here. It's just too bad that that was at the end of your movie, like at the start of Creed, when he's fighting in Mexico like fighting And it's just like all right. well, at least it's the first 15 minutes of the movie. It sucks when it's the first act and you're eating sardines in a hotel.

Ben Peak: 13:51

Dude sardines in a And I was like nobody you even know is gonna be here. What are you doing? And but the crowd really had no clue. But other fighters who were on that card had no fucking clue. They were talking about it. It was Oh man, i still have some of them on Snapchat. Shout out to them. I'm out in South Dakota. This one kid I don't mean to get sidetracked here This one pleasant kid came up to me after Wayans, me and my friend Brandal, who was also fighting on the card, and he was from South Dakota. This kid was probably 16 or 17 years old, looked like an absolute little boy and just talked with a lot of confidence. Whatever I was like all right, i'll give you the time today. And he's a rough neck, the 16 year old kid working on oil rigs and shit already. And he was fighting on this card. But for all his toughness, absolute total dipshit, dumbass, if you can imagine. And the whole card kind of had an air of that of people who have only watched it on TV. But man, i went out there and I fucking threw down. I said this is how you do it Mount Minnesota And the Pugand. Honestly, the crowd was losing. So I never had that problem, because I threw these bombs and you can quote me.

Dave Clarke: 15:02

I think there's something to be said for Ben's experiences in these great places. I feel like I want to sit down at the tape recorder one day and just figure out like a great script that I could put together of like these movies. I already have the character of the 16 year old in my head like talking to you about fucking his sister, being like why go down the down the road? when you go down the hall, buddy, like I can just see shit.

Ben Peak: 15:24

And I followed that kid on Snapchat for quite a while after that and just seeing his stories of meeting that kid, seeing him fight He was actually very tough And then and then seeing him on like out in the middle of nowhere on this oil rig fucking huffing it at such a young age, like it's a big world out there. I mean you get a lot of niggas and they all fight, they all fight.

Dave Clarke: 15:50

Matt, what are your feelings on the current current process of picking for oil in South Dakota? I mean sorry, what are your feelings on the judges from last week's event? Because I, honestly, i turned it off The fight ended. I watched the main event. It was an okay card. It wasn't anything spectacular but it was free. I watched it. I watched the card, i watched the main event and I was like, okay, kai Carfrans won that and I turned it off and I went to bed and I started getting ready for bed and the wife comes in and is, like he lost. That's like wait, what? Like? that's how sure I was that he'd won. So what like? can you just talk for a minute to me about, like, how it makes sense that we're still using boxing scoring? how, like, why, like this is this is somebody's fucking bag, dude, this is somebody's money. Like you're fucking with his career, his rankings, his he said this after the fact his, his rankings, his bank account. Like I would be fucking furious, you know.

Matt Wilcox: 16:41

I would need to call customer service. A hundred thousand dollars, that's how much Kai Car lost. Come on man. So I'm going to be honest. I want to be completely transparent here. I do have a bias thing going on here, because I kind of destroyed that card. I kind of bet every fight on it on a hunch and a whim and won almost every fight except for one. I took my winnings and put it on Kai Car because obviously France is going to win.

Dave Clarke: 17:10

And I it's the wait. Hold on a second. I need to know something here. Are we sure that his name is Kai Cara and his last name is France? I don't know. I thought it was his first name is and his last name was car in France. Yeah, I think he married somebody from France, and that's why he fined it.

Matt Wilcox: 17:25

I watched a few interviews and it kind of varies is. Not only Darryl can sense, but it's one thing that we have this like amorphous goal that judges are looking for. It's, it's. It seems almost like unattainable. You shouldn't be punished in a five round fight for going the distance Like that's. It's amazing that you made it that far. It shouldn't be like a well, we're just going to close our eyes and flip a fucking coin now, because every judge was looking for something different in the bout. This judge was more focused on damage. This judge more focused on control of the occupant. This judge I don't know what the fuck he was looking at, because the fourth round was Kykar, france, all day long.

Dave Clarke: 18:02

Yeah, I can't believe somebody gave him the fourth round. That's fucking crazy.

Matt Wilcox: 18:05

Unbelievable And you know, you hear it from these under like these smaller, you know fight leagues where they have open scoring, and it's like if Kykar France knew one of those judges fucked that up and he lost that fourth round with one judge, don't you think the fifth round looked a lot different? You went to bed, yeah, kind of. He won the fifth round, but he didn't push the pace, he didn't punch him Looks like he clearly could have because Abouzi had nothing left. He was all dead. It's just really upsetting that I feel like it keeps happening. Every other event we're seeing a fighter be punished for not closing a fight, and that's not how this works. It's not not every fight supposed to be a knockout, not every fight supposed to be a submission. Sometimes these guys are matched perfectly and they go the distance. Sometimes they're too light to knock each other. You know what I mean. It's fucking frustrating that we just can't get a clean. This is what judges are looking for. This is what you have to be doing, or, if we're not going to do that, show the fighters what the score is. Let them adjust their game.

Dave Clarke: 19:05

Yeah. I mean I don't know if it's an idea, Yeah yeah, yeah, sorry to interrupt there. Yeah, it's, it is Terry, it is crazy to me.

Matt Wilcox: 19:13

I want my 250 bucks back, sorry.

Ben Peak: 19:17

I think it's crazy how antiquated judging is and they're, they're holding on to this. I'm not sure what it is like that. Well, they got the best seat in the house, which they truly don't anymore. They don't like that. That is very much a thing of the past. What I think needs to happen is some form of automation where they have these like comp you, whatever box thing, where they tell you this is the amount of strike that, and they tell you that right after the round on television.

Dave Clarke: 19:42

They don't have access to that information. Like there's no, there's no access to. Like you get that the thing on the on the TV that's like significant strike numbers. Like they don't have that right.

Matt Wilcox: 19:52

Why? Why Because it's like the size of what a significant strike is like who. Who asked the fighter which one hurt more Are you getting me? Why? Because it looked bad.

Dave Clarke: 20:02

Well, again, i mean, i really think all this shit comes down and comes back to the fact that we were basing so much of this shit on boxing. Because in boxing you you're doing one thing. You're either you're either missing, hitting or getting blocked, essentially right, like there's some, there's some sort of like halfway ones where it's like it could go either way, whatever, but that's a significant strike. It's a strike that lands right Now in this sport. And the other thing, to go back to the boxing thing, the other thing is you got 1215, 10, 1215 rounds to judge on, right, so you're going, he got this. It makes sense to go round by round because you're going, he got this, he got this, he got this. In MMA, you got three or five fucking rounds, right, three rounds, but eliminate round scoring would be my first thing to do. Secondly, the 10 eight system got to go. Thirdly, put them in a room with a bunch of monitors and the like. One of the monitors has no coverage, like no, no commentary, no graphics, no, nothing, just the fight. One of the monitors has the graphics on it. One of them has this. Thirdly, fourthly, i don't know what I'm at now. I don't know what I'm at now 15 of them, not three. 15 fucking judges, right, and like then you can have majority wins and it's it doesn't matter, right, because it's like we need a consensus. We can't have one idiot ruin somebody's fucking career, right, so make it a jury. You know it's like no more judges, juries now, right.

Matt Wilcox: 21:23

And and how do I have?

Dave Clarke: 21:24

to know what the fuck they're doing. Like like some of these guys, you see, and it's like what, How did you get this job? Like and also we say this about other sports, when we talk about referees and stuff. It's like they're just got to be accountability, like some sort of stick, a microphone in their face afterwards and ask them why they did this shit. You know why they judged it the way that they that they judged it. Even if you want to block out their face or something and make them anonymous so they don't get like fucking assassinated, that's fine. But you got to explain. You got to explain Why did.

Matt Wilcox: 21:51

We all see this, But you said this like at least tell us.

Dave Clarke: 21:56

Right. There's nothing worse than then seeing somebody with a job where they're allowed to egregiously fuck up, Because if I egregiously fuck up my job like there's consequences.

Matt Wilcox: 22:05

So it's like I think the weatherman, before there was real meteorology. It's like, oh good, It's like the weatherman now What's meteorology?

Dave Clarke: 22:15

They fucking made that shit up. They're like it's not going to rain tomorrow Rain.

Matt Wilcox: 22:21

That's the strategy. It's the same.

Dave Clarke: 22:22

I don't. I don't trust allergies. That's why I never go to a doctor, all right.

Ben Peak: 22:26

I just want to take this one second to shout out USA Muay Thai here, because I last time I was cornering, i cornered USA Muay Thai in Arizona when I was living in LA, and they showed on the television right in front of everybody who won each round. And so then you're like, ok, fuck, we're behind, rather or not, you agree with it or disagree with it. Now you're like, ok, you can't get on your bike here. It's the case, it's time. It's time to go.

Dave Clarke: 22:53

Now, that is the fuck. I'm going to create a better product to like using that. It would. It would Nobody's coasting in the fifth round. You know what I mean Like. And then it creates that tension Like what, if you're doing what Ben's talking about? that open scoring system? it creates that tension of, like the other side of the coin, oh, i'm ahead, oh I'm ahead, i'm winning. Let me take my fucking foot off the gas. The other guy knows he's not, he's coming for you. The dynamic of the fight changes in the last round. Then you know Whatever.

Matt Wilcox: 23:20

Absolutely Fucking dingle.

Dave Clarke: 23:22

They're never going to.

Matt Wilcox: 23:22

they're never going to get it right And then Dana White talks to because it was a car of France. after the fight He's like yeah, I thought you had it too. Like hey, fuck, stick, It's your product. that they're like.

Ben Peak: 23:34

I know You're like nothing I can do about that. Sorry.

Matt Wilcox: 23:38

Maybe one less fucking Friday where you to waffle. And how are you going to fix the fucking?

Ben Peak: 23:42

make a universal commission or something like, yeah, i really cannot stand it. I can't wait for the guy to be gone.

Dave Clarke: 23:50

Guys, guys, if he hears this, the only person who's going to suffer is his wife. So like, let's be careful.

Matt Wilcox: 23:56

Well, he's like a bitch.

Dave Clarke: 23:58

He owns the slap league. Did he give me some shit, dude? I cannot have a scary thing in that shit.

Ben Peak: 24:05

I can't. I can't stand how much he was like like don't Wear it, You just wear that. It's like this shitty gross product that you wanted to own because you're a sick fuck. Don't be like this lap, Please come up and it's going to be so much.

Matt Wilcox: 24:18

But he's like turned all of his attention to the slap, Like like dude, like like you're showing this video six billion times, It's like, yeah, we didn't ask for it.

Dave Clarke: 24:27

It's just because I think he owns the slap league, is my theory. He doesn't only go see anymore like when, the, when the whatever that's for the. Fertitta's fucking the Duffer Brothers or whatever fucking sold their steak. and to Zufa Zufa owns it now and he's just employed as the CEO.

Ben Peak: 24:42

So I don't think it's a lot anymore, or like whoever the fuck they sold, never Yeah And never me.

Dave Clarke: 24:48

Yeah, sure, but he's just an employee. is my point that you're?

Matt Wilcox: 24:51

fucking derailing. All right, moving on.

Dave Clarke: 24:55

Just like why don't you see the force through the fucking trees, man? All right, I'm not. I'm not their fucking corporate lawyer.

Matt Wilcox: 25:00

I just I don't know their fucking names.

Ben Peak: 25:03

And.

Dave Clarke: 25:04

Jesus Christ.

Matt Wilcox: 25:06

Well, who's fighting next? Miranda Maverick and.

Dave Clarke: 25:08

Jasmine Jazad the vicious, just fly weights. They're fly weights. I don't, i don't, I don't know the women's weight. You know, we've, we've watched, we've watched. No I know these women. I just know that I get confused because I know that there's like two weight classes in the women's divisions and there's one that's big girls and one that's not so big girls.

Matt Wilcox: 25:30

Well, I'm going to fly straw.

Dave Clarke: 25:33

Feather. Are you talking to your FBI agent right now? Sounds like you're a fly weight A straw weight, yeah, but which, which one is really heavy? of those two, though, right? No, there's featherweight to featherweights, there's one forty five and the women's division which, like I think, only Amanda Dunia's, fights that. I think she it's just her punching herself Just to do the debate. The vicious is is big and slow. I think that she, it like maybe, maybe Maverick can be elusive and follow that, but she's also like not super smart. From what I've looked at, she's got good takedown defense. You don't know what's going to happen here. I, i'm probably going to go with Vegas, i'd say Maverick, but I anything. I also just watch Top Gun Maverick for the second time on the plane on the way back from Hawaii, and that's how you're supposed to say, by the way, melbourne It's it was. It was just as good the second time, if not better, because I don't know, have you guys ever had an experience where, if you watch a movie on a plane, it's like more poignant for some reason? Is it the air? I don't know.

Matt Wilcox: 26:36

I think. I think it's the 15th gen In politics I have. Yeah, it's the.

Dave Clarke: 26:42

It's the booze and the fear of death. I don't know. What do you got for this, Matt? What do you got for these two?

Matt Wilcox: 26:50

I think the lines fucked on this. I don't like plus 250. It makes me want to go to just be this. She's home, She's from Vancouver, right I? that's a bad line. That's a really, really high line. My throat. If I lose the first couple of fights, this is one of those where, even though I think Maverick's a better fighter, I would probably throw a little bit of money and try and make some back on Jason Venus she's just making up names now. Let's be push. Just a view, just sure. Then, Way in here.

Dave Clarke: 27:21

And you know more Brazilian than we do.

Ben Peak: 27:23

Yeah, yeah, well, i don't know how to say the name, but but I think this is a pretty bad matchup for just a division.

Matt Wilcox: 27:31

And Our things.

Ben Peak: 27:34

Yeah, yeah, i just said to your point. I think she's too big and slow And I think she won't be able to keep up with Maverick on the feet. Well, you know, Maverick's bill for speed baby, sure And baby, and I think she's just completely outclassed with her wrestling ability. I think we see Maverick take this to a decision win.

Dave Clarke: 27:55

Oh, a decision win on a female fight, really, really, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. No, i don't know. I know I'm stepping out here, but I feel good about two female fighters go to a decision in an unprecedented turn of events. A turn up for the books, I would. I would go so far as to say there being total punches landed Fifty seven.

Matt Wilcox: 28:17

take the funded.

Dave Clarke: 28:18

This is what. This is the one where they they're going to go back into the archives, if we have any other At least one for the shitty card that they put on. Come on, we're just one.

Matt Wilcox: 28:27

And the two ninety folks. That's all I'm doing.

Dave Clarke: 28:29

But I will say I'm going to buy it and I would have bet on it And I'm going to watch it. But I'm excited to talk about Chris Curtis because I have some. I have some thoughts.

Matt Wilcox: 28:38

I want to hear the he's still crying, or the tissues of the eyes dry or funny man, because that was what I was going to say.

Dave Clarke: 28:44

Like I don't think I've ever had somebody who's like personality, matches or clashes so directly with their fighting style to make me like love and hate them at the same time. I really like how he fights, like I think he's a super crisp boxer. I think it's Fewer and farther between than you would imagine in the UFC for guys to be able to make reads across a fight at his level. Like he starts to figure shit out in like mid fight. That It's very impressive And I feel like there should be more guys that are able to do that. I mean, i'll let Ben speak on that after, but I think I think that, like now, i do think he's going to lose this fight to a mob of. I do because I think that he's able to sort of figure out volume guys because, like they throw a lot of punches and a mob of is like a very selective, like snipery type of striker.

Ben Peak: 29:31

I also think, chris.

Dave Clarke: 29:32

Curtis, what's that? Are they fighting a catch weight, middle weights? I thought they're both. they both weighed in at 185. I thought.

Matt Wilcox: 29:38

OK, ok sorry.

Dave Clarke: 29:40

But yeah, just like fucking ruin the podcast, man, I don't know Like what the fuck, just kidding. Everybody where we have fun here. No, my point is I think he's getting too good at losing. You know, i think he's on a little bit of like a like a snowball effect of losing. I thought he beat Kevin Gaslin. I was a little biased because I bet on him, but I really did think he beat Kevin Gaslin. I thought that it was clear that he won that fight And you know, we've done our conversation about judging already. But I think I'm not too too much for him. I don't think there's any value in underdog bet for Curtis. I think that he's going to. His strengths are going to be canceled out by a mob of strengths, like making those reads, like I said. But again, i do think he's a really crisp boxer. He's an asshole and he's like you know, his best friend is Sean Strickland, who is a fucking asshole. So it's like the fucking asshole brigade over there. It's it's like the fucking third Ghostbusters movie over there. But like the there. You know, i still do like Washington. So my point overall being that I do still think he's going to lose. Ben, your ability to make reads during a fight was always really good, i thought. I thought you're like adjustment ability was always one of the best things about your, your fight style, the. You got to be somewhat of a smart guy to be able to do that Right, like you're, not just like a face fighter or fighting on instinct to go in there. I'm not sure how smart of a guy Chris Curtis is He's not an idiot But is that, is that a quality that you like when you see it in other fighters, and do you agree with me about him?

Ben Peak: 31:13

I think it's one of the most important things that you can, that you can have as a fighter, is your ability to adapt. So many guys that you see end up coming in with a solid game plan They've got a coach down for a game, bansar and so forth. It doesn't work And then they're just with it, yeah, or they don't know. They don't know what else to do, which I think we saw happen with Ema Bob against Strickland. He really did run out of ideas against him And I think he ended up just kind of hunting for the knockout for the majority of that fight. I think your ability to read the fight, see what your opponent has brought, what new tricks, what new habits they picked up, and execute on that, i think that separates head and shoulders the best guys from the worst guys. Because of that, i think in a case like this, curtis would win here. I'd like to see him win. I think he had a start slow and that could probably that may be a problem for him against somebody like Ema Bob.

Dave Clarke: 32:14

But that's why he starts slow right. I think he has a reliance on his ability to sort of a knock it knocked out and stay in a fight and sort of make these reads right. And I just don't think, bob, i was going to give him that is my just take on it.

Ben Peak: 32:26

Yeah, i mean, i guess we'll see. I think you're wrong, so fuck you.

Dave Clarke: 32:34

Matt, any, any, any, any value in this plus 125, as as at the time of recording for Chris Curtis Action man. So here's a couple of things.

Matt Wilcox: 32:45

One I think that we saw him above literally ideas for Strickland after Strickland has just come off of like a really embarrassing loss And we all hate Strickland. So in turn, we don't love Curtis. I love watching Chris Chris fight. I do agree that he got robbed in the gas and fight like he took an illegal shot. that completely changed the whole thing. Yeah, but the clash of heads.

Dave Clarke: 33:08

That's what I was trying to remember. Something happened.

Matt Wilcox: 33:10

Yeah, that's right.

Dave Clarke: 33:11

And it didn't get called, which is such like that's just a failure by the fucking referee. Also, why can't we just just use instant replay, like somebody just sitting in a booth going like hang on a second. Just they clashed heads. Just fucking pause the fight for a second. What's the deal?

Matt Wilcox: 33:24

There's 600 fucking cameras. We all saw it. Why can't we just Yeah, it's fine, i'm fine.

Dave Clarke: 33:30

Here's my thing though.

Matt Wilcox: 33:32

Curtis really went on a tear. He he pretty much cried his little eyes out about that result, for a can does have weirdly little eyes. He does have very little eyes. I, if, if I'm Chris Curtis and I think he's an immensely talented fighter and I'm going to react like that to a, to a fight that I lost and I'm coming out, he better fucking win this fight. Yeah, you want to act like that and then come and get embarrassed, but I don't think he's that dude, you don't think he's that dude.

Dave Clarke: 34:03

I don't think he's that dude.

Matt Wilcox: 34:04

This is going to be one, But I mean we've been having.

Dave Clarke: 34:06

we've been having easy that dude conversations, obviously for the past few months because of the Celtics And like the obvious, the obvious answer that we got there. But I don't know, i will see. I do agree, though I think this is kind of a make or break for Curtis, maybe not so much for him above. I think that, like the way Curtis positions himself within the organization, if he gets beat here it's, it's bad. I think above can like hang around and be it. be a guy that fights decent up and coming little waits for a while. I don't see him ever getting a real title shot at this. Look who's at the top of it.

Matt Wilcox: 34:38

I don't see it, But yeah for the fans know this is one of those fights for me and Dave are on opposite ends of a close one, so Dave will be texting me constantly throughout the fight about how my guy is losing and how I'm not winning at life. He likes to throw jabs on top of the fact They go. That's awful. Plus, you know you're a fucking idiot.

Dave Clarke: 34:57

So I feel like I'm witty than that, sir.

Matt Wilcox: 35:00

Yeah, I don't respond because I'm not as good at it. I'm really in for Curtis here.

Dave Clarke: 35:07

Feel like Chris Currier is building a Walter way to. Did he ever fight a Walter way? I feel like he's built like one issue.

Matt Wilcox: 35:12

So I have, i have a mother of weighing in at one ninety four on my phone.

Dave Clarke: 35:17

Oh, they really fight a catch. Well, I'm not sure.

Matt Wilcox: 35:20

I didn't say so, i didn't do the way in yet.

Dave Clarke: 35:22

It's fucking the way in, but he's talking about I don't see. You really aren't idiot. This is what. This is what I'm talking about.

Ben Peak: 35:27

Thank you, yeah yeah, oh Christ, he's got you down to a T bud. What verbal.

Dave Clarke: 35:33

See, I'm already being. What are you tired about that? he tweet about weighing on his bathroom scale today. What the fuck, Oh this man hasn't at one ninety four, he has him at one ninety four, like walking around. What? What does that have to do with anything? No, no, no, walking around, i don't know, He's going to like sweat a little and take a few shits away in 185 on Friday. Anyway, whatever, it doesn't matter. I'm now. I'm angry. Mark Andre Barrios, who sounds like he should be an F one driver. Oh, barrios, barrios, barrios, barrios, barrios, barrios, barrios. Eric Anders, i fucking hate this guy. Here's why. One of my early adopted fighters that made me lose a bunch of money, this motherfucker. I saw one thing about him and I would love it if you could guess one fact about this guy that made me want to bet on him every single fucking time. And then I forget that he like lost me money before and he would go into a fight, and there was always the same little factoid that they tell you about him. Can you guess what it is? Oh no, what is? he went to the University of Alabama and he played sports there. Right And I was like oh, he's like a fucking D one athlete, like whatever. If I didn't know the name of the guy he was fighting, i thought that that was going to edge it every single time. But here's the problem Mix martial arts guys And this is a lesson, and I'm going to have Ben speak on this too Our other friend, alex, we would always argue he would say the stupidest shit, you know. He'd be like oh, if Ray Lewis went in there just on athleticism, even if he didn't know what he was doing, just on athleticism he would win a fight with any of the best guys at his weight. It's completely fucking ludicrous, right, it's. It's absurd. We just saw this true Jordy guy, who's admittedly a big dude, talking about how he's got so much weight on Conor McGregor that he would just like pick him up and throw him. And it's like dude, i'm sorry, like you don't like Conor McGregor Cool, like lots of people don't like. He weighs a lot less than you. I agree, he will choke you unconscious, like there's no question about it. Right, there's, he's practiced at this. The problem is, i've noticed, if you're really athletic, you rely on that And if you rely on that, right, because it's your instinct, you've been doing it your whole life. You've been faster, stronger, bigger, whatever it is. You put yourself in a position where you're like I'll just explode out of this. Right, everybody's got a limited reserve of energy, first of all. Secondly, that's a really good way to hurt yourself. And thirdly, if you're doing it the wrong way, the guy on and the guy on W knows that he's just going to keep you there or fucking put you to sleep or whatever happens in the given situation. So, ben, you were athletic, right, you were an athletic fighter, you're explosive, but I don't know if that was ever really what you relied on, right, it's not like you came from a background of playing fucking football at like a really high level or something. It was like you had strength and speed and size and stuff. But I'm sure you came up against guys, at least in the gym, that were like I'm fucking strong, and I would just love to hear how that goes.

Ben Peak: 38:22

Yeah, you know it's funny, i never really I considered myself athletic, but I was always very skinny And I remember coming up when I, when I was in my early teens and training at always the smaller guy. I was always small And a great example of this was how I got my first job bouncing at Irish Times when I used to train with the head of security guys named Steve, head of security at Irish Times. He was everybody's everybody.

Dave Clarke: 38:48

that's a head of security, by the way. in Massachusetts Their name is Steve, Just so you got that.

Ben Peak: 38:53

Thing.

Dave Clarke: 38:54

Yeah, but sorry, go ahead Yeah.

Ben Peak: 38:56

No, no, and big, big, enormous guy, very strong bodybuilder, whatever trained you to do with him, but none of that, none of that stuff translates if. If skills aren't neat, it doesn't matter. It's funny because I've gone on and I've trained with lots of very, very athletic people who are coming in for the first time And what my, what training for in an elongated period does to me? it doesn't. I don't always necessarily have to rely on my like I'm super skilled because these athletic guys rush at you like a train. What it does for me is it makes me more durable in the right ways. So guys come in, they hit you like a free train. It doesn't matter, because I know how to fall, i know how to roll with it, i know that they've got about 30 seconds of this And it's fun, like, like what. Alex said this, and that I really don't want to dig too much into that because it's like you know, i think, i think. I think that you know you get a mixed bag of guys who, like, know that they're athletic but don't really make they're not assholes. But then you can even larger bag people who are athletic, bodybuilders, whatever, and they are assholes about it. But like there have been so many, so many times through it, like just throughout my career, where I've seen these huge guys come in, i remember every time I tell a story like this, i think about this guy who came in and literally said he was undefeated in street fights, like the. Like the stupid fucking thing that somebody says in a gym and you could just watch him move. All I have to do is watch you move for about 10 seconds when you first get on the mats And I'm like, oh, dude, you are about to get fucked, come on. And it's like it literally is just let me, let me watch the way your your feet move, let me see how you fall, let me see all these things. And and now being being athletic if the skill is equal, a big, strong athletic person, that that's going to be very important And it does then translate. But you have to be able to apply the skill with that strength. You can't just run it somebody with all your, all your side and strength and think that you're going to knock them, hold them down. because that's what you end up seeing with a lot of these guys is they bum, rush you, they try to push you up against the corner or something, because they don't know what they're doing. I don't know what they're doing. I'm like what the fuck are we doing? You know like where, where is this? Where does this go next? But nothing comes of it. I'm durable in that situation. I can. I can hold your weight here. I'm just going to wait for you to make a stupid fucking mistake. I'm going to trip you. It. None of that's ever, ever translate that there is no skill. Sorry, that's it.

Matt Wilcox: 41:45

I can't remember who. I think it's Rashad Evans who they were. This was a topic conversation when Greg Hardy made his infamous debut in the UFC, where people were saying just got knocked out again, really embarrassingly, in a boxing match.

Dave Clarke: 42:01

He loved to see Greg Hardy. He was the guy who, like, beat the shit out of his wife.

Matt Wilcox: 42:06

Oh one of the best defensive ends, probably three years in the.

Dave Clarke: 42:09

He was an all for not make the transfer tie to evasive embarrassed him.

Matt Wilcox: 42:15

That was like that was brutal. But I think it was Rashad Evans, i'm not sure it was, but what he said is there's different types of being in shape. There's basketball, there's NBA level in shape, there's NFL level in shape, and then there's wrestling shape. And those two guys have no fucking idea what it's like to be in wrestling shape. And if you've ever wrestled with somebody that knows what they're doing, like Ben, when we have no idea what we're doing, it is scary. First of all, it's suffocating because you can't breathe, and it is exhausting because the pressure is constant. Yeah, you get tired immediately And you know. It's like when this runs 10 yards. It's a buddy, so he knows he'd be great. Like you're an idiot. Like you have no context. Why don't you tell me there's three Cantonese and Mandarin too? Like you have no idea what you're talking about.

Dave Clarke: 43:00

Okay, well, don't ask me.

Matt Wilcox: 43:02

The UFC are creamier athletes. It's not like it used to be, where guys are coming off the street and getting their ass kicked. They're premier athletes. They're in a different society.

Dave Clarke: 43:11

I saw someone say something. I forget who said this, but it was some clip I watched or something. That is some. Apologies if I'm not giving the right credit, but it was essentially like if you want to learn how to win like 90% of street fights, if that's all you really want to do, like you don't need to, like you know compete or you know do it every day or whatever. If you want to just learn, that is, if you learn how to defend people throwing punches and you get in decent cardio shape, you can win like 90% of street fights because you can just wait for most people to just gas themselves out, like they just start throwing punches and you just wait and you just block for a little bit and like you, and you just keep calm and then you go like OK, and then you can beat the fuck out of them. And I feel like that's pretty salient, to be honest, because I feel like the amount of street fights I've seen of untrained people probably rivals the amount of trained fights that I've seen in my life. And I think they get tired. That's what happens like most of the time. They fall on the ground and then it's like all right, guys break it up. But yeah, i mean that's not to say as much as Eric Anders did. Spark this conversation. Spark it a conversation. I think that he is not from, not this. I think he's a trained fighter, like he fights the OC level, but I do think Barry is going to beat him. I think he's more complete. I like his resume more. I think this is a no brainer, but I don't think Eric Anders has a chance in this fight. I hate the fact that he's only minus, that he's minus 150 or plus 125 or whatever it is. I think it would be great if we had a little bit more value on this. But yeah, unless anybody thinks differently, i'm going to move on to Danny.

Matt Wilcox: 44:40

He got in eight land where maybe even go with him to finish it before it ends.

Dave Clarke: 44:44

Maybe, man, you're going to give me a fucking method of victory bet to lose immediately. Danny, he's a weird guy, you know. He lost three straight. Then he fucking knocked Damon Jackson unconscious. I think he's got a hell of a punch in him. I think he's a good fighter, but he's maybe a good fighter from a bygone era. I like him. I think he's probably going to win this fight, but if there's any value in any underdog bet so far, i think it's land where Matt.

Matt Wilcox: 45:14

I completely agree. Nate Landler anyway. it's ever watched him fight and her speak. He's one of the dumbest fighters in the UFC, but man, oh man, he's an excellent, excellent wrestler. He's really, really good to get to. So if, if, if he doesn't take him down or, i'm sorry, if if Landler takes him down it's going to be a real problem.

Dave Clarke: 45:35

Ben.

Ben Peak: 45:36

Yeah, i'm going with Danny again This one, just because he's been around for a long time, like I mean, he's been some wars, i think. I think to your point, maybe he's just not not going to be here for much longer part, part of a, an older class of fighters, but I think it'll be exciting regardless. So I wish you the best.

Dave Clarke: 45:57

There you go. That's nice, we'll say, we'll send that. it will send that his way. But I do. I do think there's some value in this bet, but it's not. It's a hard one to kind of analyze, to be honest, but we'll see, oh Landler.

Ben Peak: 46:09

Oh my God, the next guy's name is Mike Mallett.

Dave Clarke: 46:11

Dude, i was going to bring it up. I was going to bring it up, i was going to bring it up.

Matt Wilcox: 46:16

Stop, stop, stop. Pretend like we didn't just cut this part because I got a whole thing.

Dave Clarke: 46:22

I'm not going to cut this. Go ahead, do your whole thing. I thought of this too. I have a whole thing too. You go first. It's just you know we're on home court.

Matt Wilcox: 46:32

You know, it's like where he went to high school, right? I just, i really have this strong feeling that Mike Mallett is going to get some serious, serious redemption here. I think he's going to write a wrong. I think he's going to survive. I think he's going to thrive here. I think he's going to live. I'm going to put a massive, massive bet on Mike Mallett to not get knocked out here.

Dave Clarke: 47:00

Okay, you know what. I'm just going to tell the story.

Ben Peak: 47:02

So we're in high school.

Dave Clarke: 47:04

We're in high school.

Matt Wilcox: 47:05

I was here training. I'd say no, there's a jump, please don't.

Dave Clarke: 47:09

No, i'm telling it. This is the computer. The listeners are very confused. I got to give them content. We're in high school and somebody with a very similar name to this I won't say what it is, but it's very similar to this is transferred to our school And Ben and I Ben for good reason and me, through popular brain thinking manipulation had developed something of a reputation in the high school And for whatever reason, i don't really know why we got mixed up with this kid, but this was back in the day that you got most of your information through like instant messenger. Everybody still had AIM Right. So I think this is where we learn that, for whatever reason, maybe we were fucking with them. Ben, i have no idea. Matt went to the fancy private school down the street. If you guys can't tell by how we all talk, i'm talking to the fancy private school down the street. Me and Ben were in the public school jungle and we got a message from someone. We got a message from someone that said Mike Mallett Oh, i mean someone with a very similar name to Mike Mallett. Right, is going to come into school tomorrow and shoot you and Ben, or Ben and you, depending on who they were talking to. And we were like now, as adults, i feel like it'd be like, oh, that's a very serious allegation. We should really address this with, like you know, some. We should really, you know, think about this seriously. But at the time we were like, let's fucking see. So Ben and I go and find this kid like early in the day, and we go, hey, mike, what I mean? hey, hey, sir, with a very similar name to the spider. We're like hey, buddy, what's what gives? I heard you're going to fucking shoot us And I, shit, you guys, not. He reaches into his pocket. Ben and I look at each other like we have miscalculated. Well, fuck, and I know, this is true story. This is exactly how it happened. He pulls his hand out of his pocket and he has made his fingers into a shooting gun shape And he goes to us And honestly, that was so fucking weird that we just sort of left.

Ben Peak: 49:25

We were like, ok, we kind of never fucked with him again.

Matt Wilcox: 49:30

Honestly, we well, ok, well, no, oh yeah, actually, now that I'm remembering it, I was going to say, I was going to say We're not going to tell that story.

Ben Peak: 49:39

Yeah, I was going to say we didn't, But yeah, we OK. Yeah, I guess we did.

Matt Wilcox: 49:42

All right, man, i don't know I don't know shit about these two. Doing carry work and taking care of homeless puppies. What are you guys doing, Mike, Mike?

Dave Clarke: 49:51

Mike.

Ben Peak: 49:52

I think he's fighting a guy named Adam.

Dave Clarke: 49:53

Fuck it, fuck it. Yes, and I'm honestly cheering for Mike because I own one, so that what do you got?

Matt Wilcox: 50:00

You know a serious level, mike. Now it's an excellent fighter. I think he's. I think he's the number one contender. He's. He's fighting on his home in his native land of Canada. Just an interview with him today. He's a real weird guy. He's got some of the best coaches in Canada all on his side, but he also has a mentalist coach that like keeps his mind clear, who also works like top CEO of those top professional athletes and HL players obviously because it's Canada.

Dave Clarke: 50:27

I really do. Men's list. Yeah, yeah, I've seen the show, That's you know.

Matt Wilcox: 50:31

I have, but I really do, my mouth can really take this one home.

Dave Clarke: 50:38

Ben, who you got, I feel like it's fucked up if you don't, if you don't like.

Ben Peak: 50:41

Yeah, yeah, you got it, mike. You got my support. Hunter is sent, but Can we?

Matt Wilcox: 50:46

move on. I bet I'm inside the distance.

Dave Clarke: 50:48

Honestly, i think he's going to. I agree, i agree. All right, the most is the most interesting fight on the car. You know you do a podcast with guys, you know, in a long time. Like I don't think we were the best people in the world when we were fucking seven. All right, who was? It's just too bad that you guys didn't get better And I did the you know just as a person. But here's the thing This is the most exciting fight in the car. The next fight, benial Daryou against Charlie Charles, do Bronx, olyvera. Olyvera has a rabid fan base at this point. I think his, his rise, his streak, the kind of guys that he fought, in the ways that he put them away, like all these kind of Babe Ruth let him throw two strikes before I crack one out of the fucking park moves that he was doing where you just couldn't like he had that dog in him, you know. And it's like then you start reading about like how they, how they train down there and like you see the video of what does favela look like when he was a kid and all this shit, and it's like what's not to like? what's not to like about him? Right, i think the performance against Islam was like so disappointing though that it really did kill a stock in a way that like it was surprising to me considering how high the stock was. It's weird He didn't get the immediate rematch, but it was a pretty definitive loss. I think that's probably why I think that is pretty usually why the UFC does this. But I think this is a chance of redemption because he does fight killers and Darius is a fucking killer like he is a certified fucking killer. He's really good. His last fight was a really good knockout. I do forget he exists a lot because he kind of reminds me of like a history teacher or something And I do something about him as a person that is like incredibly unmemorable and not really sure why. It is not fair, but he really does look like he just parked his like Ford Focus in the you know the faculty parking lot and he's walking in and he's going to teach you about biology and I just like I don't know. I know he's a dangerous man, but I got a better Rivera on this one. I I'm riding with Charlie and guess what More money comes in on Darius every day that I look The fucking odds are going in Charlie's favor every day. I mean our favorite. We bet him and win, i should say, because he's becoming more of a, more of an underdog as we go. Man, charlie again, do Bronx, he's coming back right.

Matt Wilcox: 53:11

Dude, I have to 100% agree with you. I think so. Relief, Because Darius is such a good fighter but he just gets overlooked so easily. And Charles Oliveira was just asked about his last fight and he says I mean, he said he didn't even rewatch it because that wasn't him in the ring.

Dave Clarke: 53:28

And we said after no, no, it was, it was him We should tell us.

Matt Wilcox: 53:32

There's video and lost translation thing.

Dave Clarke: 53:35

He's like I wasn't in there, I never lost. I never lost Was even me.

Matt Wilcox: 53:41

It was the old Vera that like lost nine. It was like the old Charles Oliveira before he figured out his game. It was really awful.

Ben Peak: 53:48

Yeah.

Matt Wilcox: 53:49

I am pretty positive here that if Charles doesn't just try and stand and bang with Darius, if he does what he knows we all know he can do, which is get the rear naked, choking, that Charles gonna be right back in the spot where he deserves, which is a number one contender spot. I mean, look look at his resume. I mean it's unbelievable. Dustin Boris like that was. That was the best night. We had so much fun watching that fight. That was amazing. Yeah, i really really loved Charles Oliveira. It's a. I hope he fixes it here.

Dave Clarke: 54:20

Ben, you got that shootbox theory, though right, like you can't take that many punches, but they hit each other too hard in training and like you know. That's why I like I think not to guess what you're going to say, but I was thinking, i was hearing your voice in my head when I was thinking about this fight today where it's like, yeah, maybe, like, maybe that wasn't him, maybe that was a one off, or maybe that chin finally, just like fully gave way, you know, finally, just like. It's just that one fight where it's like it clicks and it's bad timing, but it is what it is, is that?

Ben Peak: 54:48

fair. Yeah, i think you're spot on with that one, and in this this is kind of in line with the theory that Max personal hero, donald Trump, once brought up that you, you know.

Dave Clarke: 55:03

no, no, matt, matt, it's just the outfit. That's why we thought that. I'm sorry, it's. we know that you don't think that.

Ben Peak: 55:08

Yeah, But again Matt's personal. You posted a lot of stuff about golf today. You posted a lot of stuff about golf today.

Dave Clarke: 55:16

I like a lot of golf related. Yeah, there's a lot of golf news Saudi Arabia is ruining the world. Well, if you're talking a lot about golf and a lot about Saudi Arabia, like you probably are a manga guy, like that's you, julie.

Matt Wilcox: 55:26

Just by the way, trump's a huge fan of what happened, and here I am fucking post I see as not a Donald Trump supporter.

Ben Peak: 55:32

I wouldn't know what his feelings are on either way, but I'm glad that we have you here to weigh in Well yes, so I don't mean I again, i didn't mean to start a whole thing there, but, as Matt's personal hero, donald Trump, once said, i was.

Matt Wilcox: 55:45

I was. This is what you.

Ben Peak: 55:48

You, you only have like a certain amount of energy in your body or something like that. Once you expended it's gone, or something. I think that lines up here What Matt's personal hero, donald Trump, has once said, that that if you are, you are a shoebox Academy. You, you're your chin. You can't heal your chin. I mean, maybe if you're knocked out once you really do need to take off a lot of time and come back. But if you're in there in the hard wars all the time man that drains you And your longevity is, it is certainly short And I don't know I I remember back when we used to do some real, real hard rounds at at CGR, coming up in the box in the amateur. You would, i would leave there feeling like I was drooling some days and it affects you later on, man, and there there's certain there's no way around it, i think I think Darius is, is is a tough guy. I think he's great, a great fighter. I don't think he's ever fought anybody like Yeah it's weird.

Dave Clarke: 56:55

right, like you like he's gotten some really good wins, but if you look at his resume, it's like it's not Charles's resume. I think that's what matters. It's like Charles's resume is crazy.

Matt Wilcox: 57:04

Yeah, yeah.

Dave Clarke: 57:05

Chandler, yeah, all right Well what's nice? about what's hard. I hate Donald Trump. Yeah, yeah, no, we know that was why. Yeah that's what comedy is man Yeah?

Matt Wilcox: 57:17

Yeah.

Dave Clarke: 57:19

If you liked Donald Trump, we wouldn't have been laughing.

Matt Wilcox: 57:21

I just know that when we put these podcasts out, Tiktok loves to make fun of me. Let's just not open me up. It was just like that one video about Charles Olavera.

Dave Clarke: 57:28

This is completely different.

Matt Wilcox: 57:30

This is a video about Charles Olavera. What's about Charles Olavera?

Dave Clarke: 57:35

But the really nice thing about this card is and the fact that we're running a little long on time is that Amanda Nunez is going to wipe the floor with the lady that she's fighting. And you don't think so, Matt? You don't think so? Well, no, team Lobo.

Matt Wilcox: 57:51

You mean somebody?

Dave Clarke: 57:51

learned her name. It's great. It's going to be this power cleanser after the real main event. I will I will really appreciate it coming up as one more of the bonus fight, but I don't have any say about it. I think it'd be really dumb to bet it. bet against Amanda in this fight. I'm going to bet against.

Matt Wilcox: 58:05

Amanda. I don't think Amanda is hard to say anymore. I think she's all done. I think she wants to move on from the sport. She's completely wiped the state slate game with her boxing coach, with coaches. She's got boxing coach. she's a wrestling coach. She's completely away from top team now And I'll die from this. I think she's still on the top team, Matt.

Dave Clarke: 58:22

OK, so pretty sure she's still on the top team, she's just none of their coaches, none of their coaches anymore.

Matt Wilcox: 58:28

OK, you missed what I was trying to say.

Dave Clarke: 58:31

Oh, i guess that's Dave, nice, nice, i'll tell us coming from.

Matt Wilcox: 58:37

Did anyone think Brasov was going to take Shepshankov? No same gym, same trainers. I really think you can see something here, I think to the end of of you just Did you just say?

Dave Clarke: 58:49

did anyone think Grasov was going to beat Shepshankov? Would? I fucking texted you guys and I was like I have a hunch, i should put all my winnings on Grasov and you talk me out of it. And then you fucking won. Yeah, i fucking did. All right, i think she would Well. Well, in that case, all right, gentlemen. Well, this has been a lot of fun. We laughed, we cried, we've reminisced about our time together as young pubescent stallions rollicking through the fields of our youth, and I really appreciate you guys taking the time to talk about USC 289. This has been, and always will be, my bike is really in my.