Combat Sports Talk
By Ryan Smith
Combat Sports TalkNov 02, 2021
Episode 189 - UFC 267 RESULTS and UFC 268 PREVIEW
History was made at UFC 267: Blachowicz vs Teixeira when Glover Teixeira completed his amazing resurgence with a submission victory over Polish Powerhouse Jan Blachowicz. Get UFC 267 results and we cover the outcome of our very own George Stallworth's fight at Oklahoma Kickboxing Championships vs Aaron Diaz. Then we preview the long awaited rematch between Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington at UFC 268 and make our main card flash fight picks.
Episode 188 - UFC Vegas 41 RESULTS and UFC 267: Blachowicz vs Teixeira
After a controversial lead up to the main event of UFC Vegas 41, Marvin Vettori finally got his satisfaction against Paulo Costa in the octagon. Fedor Emelianenko returned to get his 40th finish at Bellator 269, and get the latest in Conor McGregor's alleged assault of an Italian DJ and then get our flash fight picks for UFC 267: Blachowicz vs Teixeira.
Episode 187 - Tough Love for Aspen Ladd and Jon Jones, Conor in Trouble and Costa faces Vettori
We are back from a lightning storm that knocked out our broadcast last week. Get the results from UFC Vegas 40: Ladd vs Dumont, get the latest on the domestic violence controversies plaguing UFC fighters, and hear our take on Conor McGregor's alleged assault on an Italian DJ. Then we highlight Fury vs. Wilder 3 and share some wacky news stories before making our flash fight picks for UFC Vegas 41: Costa vs. Vettori.
Episode 186 - UFC Vegas 38 Recap and Jon Jones Trouble
Get the all the results from UFC Vegas 38 where light heavyweight contenders Thiago Santos and Johnny Walker fought to solidify their claims on a future title shot. We talk about new details emerging from the alleged domestic assault between Jon Jones and his fiance at international fight week in Las Vegas. Then we discuss headlines in WMMA and finish up with our flash fight picks for UFC Vegas 39: Dern vs. Rodriguez.
Episode 185 - AND STILL: UFC 266 RECAP
International fight week drew to a close with UFC 266 featuring Valentina Shevchenko seeking to match Ronda Rousey and Amanda Nunes for the most title defenses by a female champion and Alexander Volkanovski faced the dangerous Brian Ortega for his second featherweight title defense. Get the results from UFC 266, discussion of the new UFC Hall of Fame inductees, key headlines and get our fight picks for UFC Vegas 38: Santos vs. Walker.
Episode 184 - World Fighting League, UFC Vegas 37 Results and UFC 266 Preview
This week news broke about a new fight league that's launching soon that will feature fight teams and have a payment structure similar to the NFL or the NBA and less like the UFC. Learn more about the World Fighting League and hear our take on whether or not this is going to be good for the sport of MMA. Then get the wrap of UFC Vegas 37, hear about some interesting fights that have been signed, fall out from the last Triller event, our thoughts on the latest scuffle between Conor McGregor and MGK at the VMAs, fighter retirements and then get our flash fight picks for UFC 266: Volkanovski vs. Ortega.
Episode 183 - The Spider, The Phenom, and Sports Entertainment
Saturday night, Triller Fight Club Legends II: Holyfield vs. Belfort featured bouts between combat sports greats. Anderson Silva faced Tito Ortiz and Evander Holyfield stepped in to replace Oscar De La Hoya to face Vitor Belfort. Neither fight lasted a round. We recap the co-main and the main event of this boxing match, cover the breaking news about Gold Medal Freestyle wrestler Gable Steveson, and discuss topics and headlines of import to the MMA world. Then we make our flash fight picks for UFC Vegas 37: Smith vs Spann.
Episode 182 - Vegas 36 Results, Woodley Loses, COVID, and The 60
England was on display on Saturday night as fighters across the island nation tested their mettle against the UFC elite. Kicked off by Liverpool sensation Paddy Pimblett, English fighters were dominant throughout the night until American underdog submitted headliner Darren Till in the third round. Before we closed the book on the wrap up of Vegas 36, we discussed whether or not the Oblique Kick should be banned after Khalil Roundtree, Jr's win where he destroyed the knee of his opponent, Modestas Bukauskas. We also wrap up the results from Jake Paul vs Tyron Woodley where "The Problem Child eked out a split decision victory against the former UFC Welterweight champion. We also got some COVID-19 news, fighters getting cut from the UFC and other headlines that made for a fun discussion.
Episode 181 - Jake Paul vs Tyron Woodley PREVIEW and UFC Vegas 35 RESULTS
On Sunday Night, Jake Paul faces his most difficult opponent yet, former UFC Welterweight Champion Tyron Woodley, who is trying to gain redemption after a four fight losing streak saw him cut from the UFC. We'll cover some of the headlines leading up to the match and make our picks for the card. Then we'll transition to results for UFC Vegas 35 where two Ultimate Fighters were crowned, UFC Veterans faced up-and-comers, and Giga Chikadze finished one of the most electric strikers in the UFC, Edson Barboza. Get headlines and a preview of UFC Vegas 36: Derek Brunson vs. Darren Till.
Episode 180 - UFC Vegas 34 RESULTS and These Tears are Earned
This week on Combat Sports Talk, we welcome back George Stallworth after a week at a coaches c clinic and we cover the UFC Vegas 34 Cannonier vs Gastelum results. We also discuss comments Daniel Cormier made about crying after losses. We react to Miesha Tate sharing how she spent her 200K purse and we preview UFC Vegas 35: Barboza vs Chikadze.
Episode 179 - WHAT DID I MISS? UFC 265, BKFC, and More
After a 2-week layoff we're back with updates from the MMA world. We recap UFC 265 and talk about the Ciryl Gane's victory over Derrick Lewis, what's going on in BKFC starting with the fallout of Paige VanZant's loss to Rachel Ostovich. We also discuss other headlines in the MMA world and make flash fight picks for UFC Vegas 34: Cannonier vs. Gastelum
No show this week - August 1
Episode 178 - UFC Vegas 32 Results and Bad Judging
TJ Dillashaw returned to the octagon in a 5 round war war against Corey Sandhagen and walked away with the victory...even though many believed Sandhagen had won. We'll cover the judge-plagued results of UFC Vegas 32, BKFC results, disappointing news about our very own George Stallworth, MMA headlines and make our Flash Fight picks for UFC Vegas 33: Hall vs Strickland.
Episode 177 - UFC Vegas 31 Results, McGregor Pre-Fight Injury?
UFC Vegas 31: Makhachev vs. Moises is in the books and the Khabib Nurmagomedov protege' continues his ascent up the rankings with a mauling of Thiago Moises. We cover the main event and the return of Miesha Tate in her co-main event of Marion Reneau. Then we continue the analysis in the fallout of UFC 264 to discuss Conor McGregor's claims that he was previously injured coming into the fight against Dustin Poirier. Lastly, we cover headlines and fight cards featuring the BKFC 19 card headlined by Paige Van Zant and Rachel Ostovich, UFC Vegas 30: Sanhagen vs Dillashaw and Cannafist 1 coming live on Fite.TV featuring our very own George Stallworth.
Episode 176 - UFC 264: Poirier vs McGregor 3 [RECAP]
We recap the action from UFC 264 as Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor sought to prove once and for all who the better fighter is. Unfortunately, Conor broke his leg at the end of the first round, so Poirier was awarded the victory. Get our takes on the trilogy match, the rest of the card, and what we see in the future for both of these elite Lightweights. We discuss our very own George "G-Money" Stallworth's fight coming up in Oklahoma City, OK on July 24, and then we make our flash fight picks for UFC Vegas 31: Makhachev vs Moises.
Episode 175 - Father's Day Fight Talk
It's Father's day but we're still here talking about the latest action in the world of combat sports. We'll cover the results from UFC Vegas 29, Anderson Silva scoring a win for MMA in the squared Circle, Key headlines from the world of combat sports and we'll make our fight picks for UFC Vegas 30: Gane vs Volkov.
Episode 174 - UFC 263 Results: Adesanya, Moreno, Edwards (and Shields)
It was a historic night Saturday night and UFC 263: Adesanya vs. Vettori 2 is in the books. We cover all the main card action, give our takes on the results and talk storylines coming out of the PPV event. We also look at the results from Clarissa Shields' debut and we close off on Floyd Mayweather and Logan Paul. Then we'll make our flash fight picks for UFC Vegas 29: Korean Zombie vs. Ige
Episode 173 - Mayweather vs Paul; Adesanya vs Vettori PREVIEW
Sunday night, Floyd Mayweather entered the ring in an exhibition match against YouTuber-turned-boxer Logan Paul. Hear our commentary and preview before the fight happened and see if our main event picks were accurate. We also review Saturday Night's UFC card, UFC Vegas 28: Rozenstruik vs. Sakai, we discuss MMA headlines and then make our Flash Fight Picks for UFC 263: “Adesanya vs. Vettori 2” to close out the show.
Episode 172 - Sanchez Leaves Fabia, Esparza Wins, Tribute to Dr. Tori Strong
The MMA world heaved a sigh of relief as Diego Sanchez announced that he was severing ties with Joshua Fabia, his guru that many in the MMA world believed had done more harm to Sanchez than good. We discuss the announcement and the implications, review results from Bellator 259 and UFC Vegas 27, and key headlines in the MMA world. Then, as a tribute to my friend, Dr. Tori Strong, who passed away on May 13, 2021, we replay my telling of our first meeting from Episode 11 of Combat Sports Talk.
Episode 171 - Charles Oliveira Makes History at UFC 262
History was made in Houston, Texas on Saturday night when Charles Oliveira finished Mike Chandler for the lightweight championship in the second round. Get a recap of UFC 262 and key headlines in the world of MMA, and listen as we make our flash fight picks for upcoming Bellator and UFC fights this weekend.
Episode 170 - The WWE Effect and UFC 262: Oliveira vs Chandler [PREVIEW]
For years, comparisons between MMA and WWE have been made regarding controversy between fighters in the ring, outside the ring and on social media. In a week where Floyd Mayweather gets into a brawl with his opponent's brother, training videos emerge from the fighter we all love and his manager we all love to hate, and a pinfall that wasn't, this is life imitating art at its finest. We talk headlines, fight results, and make our flash fight picks for UFC 262: Oliveira vs Chandler.
Episode 169 - The Tragedy of Diego Sanchez
Overshadowing the UFC Vegas 25 is the final chapter of Diego Sanchez's storied career. We dive deep in the tragic story that ended the career of the UFC's very first Ultimate Warrior. Then we discuss the action at UFC Vegas 25: Reyes vs. Prochazka, talk headlines from the week and preview Bellator 258: Archuleta vs. Pettis.
Episode 168 - UFC 261: Usman vs. Masvidal 2 [FIGHT RECAP]
What a historic night for the UFC as it returned to live action in front of 15,000 fans to see UFC 261: Usman vs Masvidal 2. All the fights ended in finishes, but not all finishes were what we wanted to see. We talk through the results, discuss headlines coming out of this weekend's action, and preview UFC Vegas 25: Reyes vs Prochazka. (Little did we know that our UFC 261 recap would be our Episode 168. Do a search for UFC 168 and have your mind blown.)
Episode 167 - Jake Paul is the new Conor McGregor, UFC 261: Usman vs. Masvidal
While the weekend was filled with exciting fights, the only thing people are talking about is Jake Paul's stunning KO of Ben Askren. We cover all the fights from the weekend, discuss the ramifications of Jake Paul's unexpected victory, other headlines in the MMA world, and then preview THREE MORE cards planned for this weekend including the rematch between Jorge Masvidal and The Nigerian Nightmare, Kamaru Usman.
Episode 166 - The God of War Smiles Again
Coming off of a weekend featuring fights from 3 different promotions, we slide into the end of the zodiac reign of Aries, the god of war, with another weekend filled with fights. First we recap the action from last Saturday Night, we look at the war of words brewing between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier, discuss a few interesting headlines, and then make our flash fight picks on key fights from 3 more promotions this weekend.
Episode 165 - Fight Kits, Fight Bits, and Fight Hits!
The Venum era has started in the UFC as the fight kits we'll see competitors using will change from the 2014 Reebok styles. We talk the new Venum sponsorship payments as well. Then we discuss MMA headlines before previewing a War Weekend that begins Wednesday night with the return of Mighty Mouse, Demetrious Johnson, at One FC on TNT, Friday is Bellator 256 with a Bader vs. Machida rematch and then UFC on ESPN closes out the week with a huge Middleweight fight between Marvin Vettori and our hometown hero, Kevin Holland.
Episode 164 - UFC 260: Miocic vs Ngannou [RECAP]
Get ready for a comprehensive Recap of UFC 260. We talk the featured prelim fight, the main card action and the fall out after the main event that saw Francis Ngannou claim the UFC Heavyweight title in devastating fashion against Champion Stipe Miocic. We'll cover some interesting headlines and preview Bellator 255: Pitbull vs. Sanchez 2.
Episode 163 - UFC Vegas 22 Recap and UFC 260 Preview
Saturday Night at UFC Vegas 22, Kevin Holland's mouth finally wrote a check that his ass couldn't cash. Derek Brunson stopped his ascent up the Middleweight ladder with a unanimous decision victory over "The Trailblazer." We talk about the entire card, the official, official retirement of Khabib Nurmagomedov, Tyson vs. Holyfield 3 and we preview UFC 260: Miocic vs. Ngannou 2. The rematch is scheduled for this Saturday Night.
Episode 162 - A Triple Dose of UFC Madness
UFC 259 came and went and we never got a chance to discuss the results that laid waste to the UFC landscape. So not only did we cover the controversy of UFC Vegas 21: Edwards vs Muhammad, but we recap UFC 259: Blachowicz vs Adesanya, we discuss breaking news about UFC 261, talk other headlines across the MMA landscape and pay our respects to the late great Marvelous Marvin Hagler. Finally we made our fight pick for UFC Vegas 22: Brunson vs. Holland. SPOILER: No one chose Derek Brunson.
Episode 161 - UFC 259: Blachowicz vs. Adesanya Preview
Get a recap of UFC Vegas 20 where Ciryl Gane defeated Jairzinho Rozenstruik via unanimous decision. Khamzat Chimaev declares he's done with the UFC. Jon Jones threatens the heavyweight division and women's strawweight get two dynamic fights scheduled for 2021. Paulo Costa declares he fought Israel Adesanya with a hangover. We also make our flash fight picks for UFC 259: Blachowicz vs Adesanya.
Episode 160 - Thawed Out in Dallas, UFC Vegas 19 and 20
We are finally back with lights on and in warm homes! We recap UFC Vegas 19 and Derrick Lewis' super necessary finish of Curtis Blaydes, give our takes on UFC 258, discuss headlines and make our fight picks for UFC Vegas 20 as the parade of heavyweights continue with Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs Ciryl Gane this weekend.
Episode 159 - Vegas 18 Recap and UFC 258: Usman vs Burns Preview
Episode 158 - Megan Anderson, Lightweight Logjam and UFC Vegas 18: Overeem vs Volkov
Megan Anderson was the topic of discussion this week when two of her fellow UFC fighters discussed having intercourse with her on a podcast. This episode we discuss this incident, react to whether any of it was appropriate and discuss whether the apology was sufficient. We discuss the logjam at the top of the Lightweight division, the attractiveness of a scarred face and we preview UFC Vegas 18: Overeem vs. Volkov.
Episode 157 - UFC 257: Poirier vs McGregor 2 EVENT RECAP
All eyes were on Fight Island, Abu Dhabi Saturday Night for UFC 257: Poirier vs McGregor 2, a rematch of their 2014 meeting where McGregor finished Poirier in the first round. The question on everyone's lips were would Poirier get his revenge, or would Conor McGregor stroll into the octagon after another lengthy absence to outclass another opponent like he did Cowboy Cerrone in 2020? Dustin Poirier delivered Conor McGregor his first KO loss. We recap the entire the event, the fallout from the action, and share our takes on what should happen next.
Episode 156 - Blessed Impresses, Fury Kickboxing & UFC 257: Poirier vs McGregor
Episode 155 - The return of the show and UFC Fight Island 7: Holloway vs Kattar
We're back after a restful break. What did we miss? This week we're talking about the UFC's donation to brain health, Paige VanZant's headlining Knucklemania, Dan Hooker playing McGregor Roulette, the hopelessness of the UFC ladder, and some other headlines we missed while out on vacation. We'll end the show with a preview of UFC Fight Island 7: Holloway vs Kattar debuting on ABC.
Episode 154 - UFC Vegas 17: The Last Show of 2020
In our final show of 2020, we are going to recap UFC Vegas 17: Thompson vs. Neal from last Saturday Night. We'll talk about Canelo Alvarez's unification of the Super Middleweight Belt, Jake Paul's harassment of Conor McGregor, and Dana White's victory over a naysaying media.
Combat Sports Talk will return January 11, 2021.
Episode 153 - UFC 256 Recap: Card of the Year? Absolutely.
We recap UFC 256: Figueiredo vs Moreno, arguably the fight of the year. Hell, the entire card may have been the card of the year. From surprising knockouts, unbreakable spirits, and a back-and-forth war for the ages, UFC 256 had everything a fight fan could ask for. Hear our UFC 256 discussion, top headlines, and fight picks for the last UFC event of 2020, UFC Vegas 17: Thompson vs Neal.
Episode 152 - UFC Suffers COVID-19 While Boxing Goes Insane
Saturday night, Errol Spence Jr. returned from a car accident 14 months ago to defend his IBF and WBC titles, and late fight replacement Marvin Vettori took advantage of opportunity to catapult into the top 5 with his defeat of Jack Hermansson. On the heels of the final PPV of the year, the UFC loses 3 fighters to COVID-19. Dana White tells the press 60 fighters will be cut from the promotion by the end of the year. Floyd Mayweather returns to fight an exhibition against YouTuber Logan Paul, and Snoop starts a celebrity boxing league. Get more headlines, and hear our picks for Bellator 254 and UFC 256.
Episode 151 - Tyson's Return and the Rise of Uncle Khabib
On Saturday Night, the long-awaited return of "Iron" Mike Tyson delivered a performance that left people asking what could have been in the 8 round exhibition match with Roy Jones Jr. The card also featured two entertaining matchups and a brutal knockout performance delivered by YouTube sensation Jake Paul. On the same night, Anthony "Lionheart" Smith defeated Devin Clark via triangle choke to save a card that lost its main event to COVID-19. Khabib Nurmagomedov buys Gorilla Fighting Championship to become a fight promoter and questions have arised whether his upcoming meeting with Dana White in Abu Dhabi is about going for 30-0 OR signing an agreement to promote his new promotion. Get this discussion, more headlines and fight picks for UFC Vegas 16: Hermansson vs. Vettori.
Episode 150 - Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr., UFC 255 Recap and Anderson Released
With so much to discuss, we jump in with a spirited recap of UFC 255: Figueiredo vs. Perez where we discuss the results for key up and coming fighters from the prelims, the implosion of Mike Perry, Valentina's dominance and Deiveson Figueiredo's sweep of Alex Perez. We talk Tyson vs. Jones storylines, headlines and then make our picks for the fights this weekend, including UFC Vegas 15: Blaydes vs Lewis.
Episode 149 - UFC Vegas 14, UFC 255, and a Big Argument
Put your debate hats on folks, the Combat Sports Talk team won't see eye-to-eye when it comes to the renewed beef between Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones. Hear their points, and make your own decision about who is right. Besides the debate, we recap the "Khaos" that was UFC Vegas 14, discuss headlines and make our picks for the main card of UFC 255.
Episode 148 - A New LHW Contender Emerges and Paul Felder Saves the Day
As John celebrated his 100th episode on Combat Sports Talk, he and Ryan discussed the results from UFC Vegas 13 where Glover Teixeira defeated Thiago Santos via submission to stake his claim on the light heavyweight title held by newly crowned champion Jan Blachowicz. Paul Felder steps in with 5 days notice to fight Rafael Dos Anjos who was left without an opponent as a COVID-19 positive test threatened the main event of UFC Vegas 14. Get headlines, and our fight picks all on this hilarious episode.
Episode 147 - Anderson Silva's Last Fight? Adesanya's Next Challenge.
In what could have been Anderson Silva's last fight, Uriah "Primetime" Hall played spoiler, finishing The Spider in the fourth round. Bryce Mitchell stayed undefeated in the UFC and Greg Hardy added another victim to his list of finishes. Dana White announced Israel Adesanya's contendership for the Light Heavyweight Title, and Gervonta Davis put the boxing world on notice with a shocking KO of Leo Santa Cruz
Episode 146 - Khabib Nurmagomedov Retires, Anderson Silva's Last Fight
UFC 254 is in the books and Khabib Nurmagomedov defeated Justin Gaethje in the second round to elevate to 29-0 before retiring from the UFC. We highlight Khabib's fight, his career and engage in a lively debate about where he ranks P4P and among the greatest of all time. We'll cover headlines, and make our fight picks for UFC Vegas 12: Silva vs. Hall.
Episode 145 - Fight Island Frenzy and Khabib vs. Gaethje
The month of fights at Fight Island is coming to an end and this week we are celebrating UFC Fight Island 6: Ortega vs Zombie. Brian Ortega looked like a new fighter against The Korean Zombie, Chan Sung Jung and Jessica Andrade put the Women's Flyweight division on notice with her first round defeat of Katlyn Chookagian. We discuss Conor vs. Poirier 2, what's next for Khamzat Chimaev and we preview UFC 254: Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Justin Gaethje.
Episode 144 - Fight Island 5: Moraes vs. Sandhagen (Recap)
UFC Fight Island 5 is in the books. In this episode, we recap Joaquin Buckley's Wakanda-style finish, Edson Barboza's domination of Amirkani and Corey Sandhagen's finish of Marlon Moraes to stake his claim for the Bantamweight Title. We've got headlines and we make our picks for UFC Fight Island 6: Ortega vs. Chan Sung Jung.
Episode 143 - Fight Island 4: Holm vs. Aldana (RECAP)
UFC Fight Island 4 is in the books. Holly Holm dominated Irene Aldana on a fantastic yet underrated card form Abu Dhabi. Germaine De Randemie submitted Julianna Peña and the Natural Born Killer, Carlos Condit returned in a battle with battle hardened Court McGee. Jon Jones and Israel Adesanya escalate their beef and Leon Edwards, balks at challenges from Stephen Wonderboy Thompson and Khamzat Chimaev. Get more headlines and our picks for UFC Fight Island 5: Moraes vs. Sandhagen.
Episode 142 - UFC 253: Adesanya vs Costa (RECAP)
What a wild weekend it was at Fight Island for the UFC where Israel Adesanya defeated Paulo Costa via TKO in Round 2 of their 5 round championship Fight. The Light Heavyweight division also crowned a new champion in Jan Blachowicz who called his shot and defeated Dominick Reyes via TKO in R2. Get a recap of the card, the latest on the beef between Dana White and Conor McGregor and more! Finally hear our picks for UFC Fight Island 4: Holm vs. Aldana.
Episode 141 - UFC 253: Adesanya vs. Costa (PREVIEW)
After years of posturing, Colby Covington and Tyron Woodley finally settled their conflict in the cage at UFC Vegas 11. Cowboy Cerrone was back in action and some of our DFW hometown heros in Kevin Holland and Ryan Spann fought on one of the deepest fight night cards of the year. We also talk about a referee controversy, the signing of Michael Chandler and other headlines getting attention in the MMA world. Then we make our Flash Fight Picks for UFC 253: Adesanya vs. Costa.