This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit bloodyelbowpodcast.substack.comLet’s face it, combat sports need a lot of work, but for the purpose of this post, we’re specifically focused on MMA and boxing. It should be noted that the latter has an advantage over mixed martial arts thanks to the Ali Act. That said, there is still a plethora of problems that need addressing in boxing.As far as MMA is concerned, there is a long and…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit bloodyelbowpodcast.substack.comPull down the blinds, encrypt those communications, Bloody Elbow’s fearless leader, ‘Kid’ Nate Wilcox returns to Active Duty. He is on lockdown back in his bunker after being MIA from the podcast network for years. He recently returned with his debut episode of the Bunker, several MMA Tête-À-Tête interviews and now he is back with some new MMA rants for…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit bloodyelbowpodcast.substack.comJoin us after UFC Vegas 74: 'Kara-France vs. Albazi' wraps up...for our 6th Round Post-Fight Show, hosted by resident Bloody Elbow Fight Analysts, Zane Simon and his cohort, Eddie Mercado. The guys will recap all the action that just went down between UFC Flyweight top contenders, Kai Kara-France (No.4) and Amir Albazi (No.7), complete with hot takes, p…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit bloodyelbowpodcast.substack.comMuch like the main card, the prelims for UFC Vegas 74 are solid if not exactly laden with thrills for the causal fan. Will Abubakar Nurmagomedov live up to his namesake? Will Muin Gafurov make a big splashy debut? Will Andrei Arlovski keep squeaking out narrow decisions over mediocre mid-tier heavyweights? I have no idea. I think the fight between Luan …

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit bloodyelbowpodcast.substack.comAmir Albazi is HeadliningHe has that "sweet 16 in 16 deal". That is the money he is making as of his last disclosed pay 10 months ago. That just goes to show that we aren't the only ones shitting on the athletes by shitting on these cards. How could we be so cruel to the athletes? That's clearly what we have a problem with. We have explained this many t…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit bloodyelbowpodcast.substack.comUFC fight nights are a watered down messA couple days ago, UFC matchmaker Mick Maynard posted a tweet about this weekend's UFC fight night card that said:"Bet ya bloody elbow complained about the ufc card this weekend" And those 11 words told me that the UFC is paying attention to Bloody Elbow more than they'd like to admit and that they're feeling sens…

Welcome to the 6th Round Retro Post-Fight ShowThis is the show that digs into the archives and gives you a comprehensive review of classic MMA events that span as far back as UFC 1, PRIDE, K-1, and now DREAM!This episode: DREAM 1Join Eddie Mercado & Victor Rodriguez as they delve into the world of the DREAM (a popular MMA Promotion) based out of Japan. We conducted a retroactive post-fight show for the inaugural ‘DREAM 1: Lightweight Grand Prix 2008 1st Round’ event this week, straight out of the archives of yesteryear. So let’s take a trip back to Sat, Mar 15, 2008.The guys will explore the inaugural MMA Promotions event, which featured the first seven tournament bouts, fought at 154 lbs (70 kg), along with a trio of open-weight fights – complete with results, analysis, and of course a few laughs. The event was broadcast LIVE across Japan on the TBS Television network, from the Saitama Super Arena, in Saitama, Japan. The event remarkably attracted a sellout crowd for its debut, with 19,120 viewers.For those of you not in the know, the ‘DREAM Grand Prix Tournament Series’ required all bouts be fought under their own ‘DREAM Mixed Martial Arts Rules’, which amounted to a ten-minute first round and a five-minute second round, with the fights judged overall.Bloody Elbow Podcasts are now 100% listener-financed broadcasts. To receive new shows and support our Podcast Team, consider becoming a paid subscriber today.The evening’s main event showcased the 2007 ‘HERO’s Middleweight Champion’, J. Z. Calvancanti of Brazil throwing down with Japan’s own judoka, Shinya Aoki. “Hero’s” was another Japanese MMA Promotion at the time, affiliated with K-1. HERO’s was discontinued in order to create the new DREAM franchise in collaboration with former PRIDE FC executives. And if you aren’t familiar with PRIDE - well, I don’t know what to tell you… you had best go down a google-search-rabbit-hole this weekend and learn about one of the most innovative and legendary promotions in the history of the sport.Anyway, we had the exciting, fun, new, promising DREAM MMA Promotion debuting a tournament series with a card featuring a total of ten bouts; with half of them ending in finishes! Take away the four decisions and we got three knockouts and two submissions… then throw in one no contest thanks to an injury via illegal elbows (which btw, spoiler alert, happened to be the result of the main event) and you had one helluva event.Watch with usIf you would like to watch the bouts, Victor says he found the event on YouTube in its entirety. I had no such luck, but was able to locate most of the individual bouts and some highlight reels, they are all linked into this post. As of the time of this writing, a message has gone out to Victor to try to obtain this elusive link; if located, the post will be updated with it as soon as possible. If a bout was split into two clips, I have them one after the other in the timestamp segment of the post.Join us to rediscover all the action and discuss as we go along! Let’s check it out!TIMESTAMPS:0:00 INTRO to the show / Segue into the event…8:50 Opener: Ikusha ‘Minowa-Man’ Minowa (40-27-8) vs. the debuting Korean Baseball Pitcher, Lee Kwan Bum (0-1), who never fought again after the one minute and 25 second bout, ending in a killer kneebar.12:25 Bout 2: Hayato Sakurai (32-7-2) vs. Hidetaka Monma (14-8-3), knocked out (punches) in 4:12 of Round 16:55 Bout 3: Joachim Hansen (17-6-1) defeated Kotetsu Boku (5-7) via UD in the first tourney match on the card20:18 Bout 4: Luiz Firmino (12-3) submits Kazuyuki Miyata (5-7) vía Rear Naked Choke at 7:37 of Round 128:00 Bout 5: Katsuhiko Nagata (4-2) wins via UD over Artur Umakhanov (9-4)30:16 Bout 6: Mitsuhiro Ishida (16-3-1) wins via UD over Bu Kyung Jung (0-2)32:38 Bout 7: Mirko ‘Cro Cop’ Filipović (23-6-2) knocks out (punches) Tatsuya Mizuno (3-3) in a mere 56 seconds35:26 Bout 8: Eddie Alvarez (13-1) knocks out (punches) Andre Amade (6-2-1) at 6:47 of the first round40:00 Bout 9 Co-Main Event: Tatsuya Kawajiri wins via UD over Kultar Gill (7-7)42:02 Bout 10 Main Event: Shinya Aoki (14-2) fights to a no contest ending with Gesias Cavalcante (14-1-1) injured by illegal elbows only three minutes and 46 seconds into the first round49:36 Event Recap51:50 Wrap Up52:17 OUTROThank you for listening to this Bloody Elbow Podcast Production. This post is public so feel free to share it.Have you loved this show? We always have. Sadly, this is the final round for the RETRO…Due to our Podcast Network now being 100% listener-financed, we have been forced to make some changes to our Broadcast Schedule recently. We crunched the numbers, looked at the ratings, listened to feedback and just had no choice but to let some shows go, at least for now. In addition to letting some shows go, we also made the decision to cease production of “non-UFC-event week podcast content”…. the RETRO falls into that category, and we are all sad to see it retired. We would like to sincerely thank you all for listening to Vic and Eddie here on the Bloody Elbow Podcast Network over the years, though. And thanks for joining us here today, as well.If you want to keep our new broadcast schedule going and hopefully help us bring you new content in the future, please consider pledging your support to our podcast team and becoming a paid Substack subscriber by giving us your email and five bucks (one less Happy Meal, you guys.) Do it now, the button is right here↘︎Follow UsFollow Eddie at @TheEddieMercado and Vic at @VicMRodriguez us as @BloodyElbow on twitter, facebook, instagram, and at BloodyElbow.Substack.com & BloodyElbowPodcast.Substack.com. Thanks for Listening!Our Podcasts Have a New HomeBloody Elbow Podcasts on Substack is your place for all the BE shows you love, like 'The 6th Round Post-Fight Show', 'The MMA Vivisections', 'The MMA Depressed-Us', 'The MMA Bunker', 'MMA Tête-À-Tête', 'The Level Change Podcast', 'The Hey Not The Face! Podcast', and more.Our BE Podcast Network is 100% listener-supported, meaning paid subscriptions help make sure these shows continue to run. So, please support our team by joining us for bonus content and bonus podcasts on Substack today.Other Places to Find Our ShowsCatch the entirety of the last RETRO for FREE, anywhere! In addition to our Substack, you can still find our shows on the following platforms: AMAZON MUSIC, AntennaPod, Apple Podcasts, audible, Castaway/Castaway2, Castbox, Chartable, DownCast, Google Podcasts, iCatcher!, iHeartRadio, iVoox, Listen Notes, Luminary Podcasts, MOON.FM, MMApodcast, Muck Rack, Overcast, Pandora, PlayerFM, PlayPodcast.net, Pocket Casts, PodbayFM, PodBean, Podcast Addict, Podcast App, Podcast Republic, Podchaser, Podkicker Pro, Podtail, Podvine, RSS Radio, Simplecast, SoundCloud, Spotify, Stitcher, Substack, ThisMMALife, & TuneIn! This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bloodyelbowpodcast.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit bloodyelbowpodcast.substack.comThe MMA Depressed-us returns for Ep. 76Are you ready for some torturously bad fights, fellow MMA masochists?We have made some changes to the Bloody Elbow Podcast Network Production Schedule, and have decided for now, this will be our last 'non-event week' of podcast coverage.But don't panic... The MMA Depressed-us gang are safe. Because we plan to event…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit bloodyelbowpodcast.substack.comTête-à-tête (French “head-to-head”): noun – a private conversation between two people, usually in an intimate setting. | adjective – involving or happening between two people in private. | adverb – between two people in private'Kid Nate' is BACK!The MMA Tête-à-tête/MMA Bunker/MMA Bathrobe review is back after a nine-year hiatus, ‘Kid’ Nate Wilcox is rev…

Welcome to all of our loyal and devoted Bloody Elbow Podcast Network supporters! We have some announcements we are eager and excited to share with you today about some changes coming to the Podcast Network.First of all, if you’ve been missing us on Apple Podcasts, spotify, Amazon Music, audible, iHeartRadio, stitcher, Pandora or on apps like Downcast, Podcrucher, the Podcast App, or any of our other amazingly popular podcasting platforms and apps - we have great news for you…Our primary RSS Feed hosting all of our podcasts has finally been untangled and your favorite hosts and shows are right back where you like them the most, on your favorite podcast platforms!Bloody Elbow Podcasts are now 100% listener-supported broadcasts. To receive new shows and support our Podcast Team, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Now that you’re hearing our shows again, we also want to share with you our brand new Bloody Elbow Podcast Network Schedule, as well as some information about why you should consider becoming a paid subscriber…One of the best reasons to follow us on the new Bloody Elbow Podcast Substack page is that now you can follow your favorite hosts and shows and ONLY your faves… we know you ONLY want to get emails for the shows you really care about, so our Bloody Elbow Podcast Substack page now has “Podcast Sections”, which you can subscribe to independently. Once you land on our home page you simply scroll the tabs at the top of the page, side-to-side, and select whichever shows you love the most. These are basically just Substack’s version of Playlists.If you only want to follow or receive show notices on a specific show, or your favorite hosts, you can do that now! More details on how to subscribe/unsubscribe to sections here.Now, on to the good stuff… Our podcast crew has been working diligently behind the scenes to tweak our show schedule in order to give you the shows you want the most; we have listened to your feedback, and crunched all of the numbers, and are ready to unveil our new production schedule — it is as follows:Unless otherwise stated, all of our shows will be airing mornings at 8am Eastern, 5am Pacific time. Mondays Now your Monday mornings will feature either ‘The MMA Bunker’ or ‘The MMA Tête-À-Tête’ shows, with our owner, ‘Kid Nate’ Wilcox, sharing his personal perspective on the state of the sport, as he rants in his bunker every other week. Then on the other side of the coin, alternating Mondays, Nate will invite some of the sharpest minds in MMA journalism into the bunker for a candid one-on-one interview. Free subscribers will be given a glimpse into each episode to determine if they are ready to sign up and hear the rest! Paid subscribers - these are your exclusive shows, the remainder of them will be behind the paywall — and let’s face it, that’s where Nate belongs!TuesdaysEvery other week on Tuesdays, you can look forward to getting your John Nash fix with his popular ‘Hey Not the Face! Podcast’, moderated by our own Podcast Manager and Producer, Stephie Haynes. They are an entertaining duo for sure. The show brings you the business side of combat sports in a way anyone can grasp. Topics covered will include, contract review, financial analysis, fighter pay and more! Our free listeners will again get a brief glimpse of the show, and the remainder of the podcast will be behind the paywall.WednesdaysNext, for hump day, every single solitary Wednesday, our dynamic duo of Stephie Haynes and Victor Rodriguez, with an occasional guest appearance from our former managing editor, Mookie Alexander, (or other well-known industry fight analysts), will bring you ‘The Level Change Podcast’! This is our popular combat sports news and variety show, which usually reviews the latest combat sports events, covers the latest hot topics in industry news, as well as previews upcoming combat sports events with a fun picks and stats segment. This show is geared towards are free subscribers, but will also provide our paid subs a healthy BONUS CONTENT SEGMENT at the end of the show every single week!ThursdaysOn Thursdays and Fridays we are changing things up a little… every Thursday morning we will air the ‘MMA Vivisection Main Card Preview’ show starring expert fight analysts, Zane Simon and Connor Ruebusch. The guys will go in-depth in a way no other podcast network is providing you with: you will get detailed fight analysis, fight picks and their reasoning behind their picks, as well as an odds segment for you degenerate gamblers we love so much.They will tackle every single bout from top to bottom on the main card for every fight night and PPV UFC event offered. This show will be free, but we will be adding a bonus segment to the end of every show where Zane and Connor will review where they went wrong in the picks they made for the last card. To hear this segment you will have to become a paid subscriber.FridaysEvery Friday morning you will get the exact same things Thursdays, but for the upcoming PRELIMS card, with our ‘MMA VIVI Prelims Shows’. The Prelims show will also offer that bonus segment for our paid subscribers.Don’t think we stop there just because it’s the end of the typical work week, Saturday night is fight night folks! We have got you covered. Saturdays / FIGHT NIGHT!Every single fight night or pay-per-view event on the UFC calendar will be covered after the events wrap up. Our fight experts Zane Simon and his cohort Eddie Mercado will be bringing you hot takes, possible next fights and reactions to the overall events. If one of the guys can’t make it, you get bonus insights from occasional stand-in hosts like Dayne Fox, Dan Tom or other industry fight analysts that are up for this task. Although we do offer the post fight show to our free subscribers, we have special plans for your paid subscribers…Every single 6th Round Post Fight Show will feature a bonus segment at the end of the show showcasing the guys all new ‘Star Rating System’ for every single bout on the card top to bottom. If you haven’t caught it yet, you gotta sign up because this stuff is a riot! Zane has a stringent 0-5 star system and Eddie has given a ‘pi chart star’, a ‘constellation star’ and several negative stars, much to Zane’s chagrin! But- you have to be a paid subscriber to check to out.SUNDAYS AFTER PPVsFor all of you listeners who have already pledged their support, we have an extra treat for the 6th Round now. For every single pay-per-view event we will be live streaming the show to VIDEO and recording the ‘Star Ratings Segments’ via Skype… so that way every single Sunday, after your pay per view event, you can login to the Substack and get a professionally enhanced video format of the show, with the star ratings bonus segment attached to the end, all in one listen - featuring a premium motion graphics package — so now you can get all of your 6th Round PPV Bonus content in one click! These video packages will be exclusively for our paid subscribers only, so be sure to sign up right now!Thank you for following Bloody Elbow Podcasts. This post is public so feel free to share it.Not enough? Wait! We’ve got more!BONUS SHOWSDates and times may vary, but in addition to the long-awaited return of ‘The MMA Bunker’, we are bringing ‘The MMA Depressed-us’ back from PATREON you guys! That’s right! We have no set schedule just yet, but we are aiming for once a month that these treats will come your way! Not sure when the first one will hit yet, but they are coming! So be sure to pledge your support with a paid subscription so you can follow along with Zane Simon, Connor Ruebusch and of course Phil Mackenzie, too. The guys will be watching TORTUROUS MMA together online, right by your side! Don’t go yet, we have one more trick up our sleeve… Starting this week, we are bringing you an all new episode of the wildly popular and fascinating ‘SHOW MONEY PODCAST’ featuring the Show Money crew, which consists of Paul Gift, the Economist, Jason Cruz, the Lawyer, and John Nash, our own Chief Financials Columnist and “the man who knows everyone and everything in MMA”. This is the ONLY podcast covering the business side of combat sports in-depth in a way you cannot find anywhere else. Plus, this previously 100% paywalled show will now offer a decent portion of content to our free subscribers - this week you can get an entire 45 minutes from the guys! But the entire show goes much longer and you will only be available to you paid subscribers.If you love our Bloody Elbow Podcasts and Hosts, please subscribe today and don’t forget to tell your friends they need to sign up and pledge their support to us today too, so they don’t miss a single episode you are rearing to talk with them about!— This has been your Bloody Elbow Production Manager, June M. Williams. On behalf of the entire podcast team, I would like to sincerely thank you all for your tremendous support so far and for being our loyal listeners and fans spanning over a decade of broadcasts! Thanks for listening! This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bloodyelbowpodcast.substack.com/subscribe