Fighters who were prepared to testify for the UFC are about to receive millions | Ep. 168

SUPPORT EXPANDING THE ALI ACT

This week’s episode features discussion about the steep decrease in MMA fights each year, and some interesting facts about the antitrust case payouts. We’re also taking a look at Ilia Topuria’s potential star power, as well as Jake Paul’s impact on boxing. We further examine whether UFC is under-utilizing Justin Gaethje, and how Paddy Pimblett fits in the title picture. There’s also a bit of conversation about the Canelo-Crawford fight. Follow along with our outline as you listen:

Ep. 168 Outline

• What did you think of the overall vibe of International Fight Week and UFC 317?

• It looks like Ilia Topuria may have the makings of a superstar. Do you think the UFC will put some of that marketing weight and heft behind him?

• Dana White said that Spain was “not an option now” at the post-fight presser. He then said that Spain was a goal and they hoped to get a deal done to go next year. Do you think that’s because of site fees?

• He was informed of how well the event performed in Spain which was compared to “a Real Madrid game, a Nadal tennis match or an F1 race” by a reporter, and responded, “Yeah we have a star on our hands.” What do you think that means to Dana?

• It was announced that Topuria-Pimblett will be next for the title. Do you think that’s a wise choice?

• White said that if Justin Gaethje is thinking about retiring, he should probably retire.He said that Gaethje has been an exciting, fun fighter to have in the UFC and that his ultimatum to fight for a title or retire is "wacky". Is Gaethje much of a draw and do you have thoughts on what Dana stated there?

• We got a press release from Berger-Montague, the primary firm representing the fighters in the UFC antitrust case, revealing that 97% of fighters filed their claim, representing around 99% of the compensation. What do you make of this?

• Is there any way to know which fighters did not collect their settlement claim?

• You have some data regarding the total number of pro MMA bouts. Where did you get the data and what does it say?

• What do you think the reasons are for the decrease in pro MMA fights?

• Every last bit of MMA and all but one boxing program has been axed from SiriusXM. Kevin Iole has also retired. What are your thoughts on that and the media space in general for combat sports?

• We saw the first press conference for Canelo-Crawford and it looked eerily similar to a UFC presser. We even got word that Anik would be doing the play-by-play in the booth. Why are they going out of their way to take every molecule of individuality out of their boxing events?

• Canelo made a comment at the presser saying that “I always liked Dana White and I respect all the UFC fighters… If we are together, we can do big things.” He sounds very much like a company man here. What do you make of that?

• After a sensational r10 knockout of Avious Griffin, Julian Rodriguez was announced as having signed with Dana and Turki. Considering his 24-1 record and star potential, do you think he made the right move?

• Jake Paul and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. also fought last night with Jake easily besting Chavez in a unanimous decision. I saw a lot of “this is killing boxing” comments. Do you think fights like this are killing boxing?

• Nakisa Bidarian told Lance Pugmire the gate for Paul-Chavez Jr. was $1.57M (held at the Honda Center). Is that a respectable number?

• Jake Paul spent $39 million to buy a 5,746 acre plantation in Georgia so he could hunt on it and build a race track. This is on top of the $20 million mansion he owns in Puerto Rico. How is he able to do all that? Is he really that wealthy?

Check out these graphs for data on the sport’s decrease in total MMA fights