Well, Actually... A show about MMA and Other Stuff

As forgotten poet Taylor Dayne once sang, saying goodbye is never an easy thing. Unfortunately, the time has come for us to do just that. In the final episode of Well, Actually… we acknowledge and thank those who made this short-lived, but well-meaning show happen. Including all of you. Keep up with Fernanda’s work at The Athletic, and save 40% on an annual subscription, when you visit http://theathletic.com/wellactually Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fernanda is joined by friend and colleague, The Athletic’s Ben Fowlkes, to talk about how he got involved in MMA journalism, covering the early days of the sport, dealing with public criticism and feedback, his piece in The Athletic, “The night they got their ass kicked — and the long days that followed”, being able to “put on the white belt” in order to become a more well-rounded person, the inner conflict of covering a sport like mixed martial arts, click-baity content, The Tostines Dilemma, and much more. Subscribe to The Athletic now and save yourself 40% on an annual subscription by going to http://theathletic.com/wellactually Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fernanda is joined by Invicta FC commentator, former fighter, and writer, Julie Kedzie to discuss writing her first book, words, and not just physical actions, as violence, the sport of MMA providing a path towards redemption every day, internalized misogyny, her time as Invicta FC’s matchmaker, The Joe Rogan Experience, and much more. Save 40% on an annual subscription to The Athletic when you visit http://theathletic.com/wellactually Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a heavy couple of days in the sports world, Fernanda decided to step out of her comfort zone and try something new: Positivity. From incredible athletes to a surprisingly welcoming online community, there are plenty of things to be appreciated in MMA. Today, we celebrate them. Save 40% on an annual subscription to The Athletic when you visit http://theathletic.com/wellactually Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fernanda is joined by professional combat sports storyteller, co-author of the bestselling book “Quitters Never Win”, and former UFC Fight Pass content chief, Ant Evans, to discuss the process of writing Quitters Never Win, combat sports as a showcase of human physical courage, overcoming early narratives about MMA in the UK, impersonating Michael Bisping on the radio once upon a time, and much more. Get 40% off an annual subscription to The Athletic when you go to http://theathletic.com/wellactually Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“How do you reconcile your own personal and moral beliefs with the realities of covering MMA?” Fernanda has heard this question a few times. She’s still not quite sure how to answer it, but, after watching a troubling conversation between Cowboy Cerrone and Brendan Schaub from a few years ago, she decided to give it a shot. Save yourself 40% on an annual subscription to The Athletic when you visit http://theathletic.com/wellactually Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fernanda is joined by The Athletic MMA’s Managing Editor Dann Stupp to discuss co-founding MMAJunkie, what has kept him involved in mixed martial arts this long, whether the general criticism of MMA media is fair or not, which MMA term he’d get rid of if he could. Plus, questions from listeners about the challenges of writing behind a paywall, covering Conor McGregor’s sexual assault allegations responsibly, tips on becoming a better writer when you’re starting out, and more. Save 40% on an annual subscription to The Athletic when you go to http://theathletic.com/wellactually Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It was inevitable, 2020 is here… might as well make it cooler than 2019. From learning what “clickbait” means to perhaps not using women as decoration items, Fernanda has some ideas on how we can help make that happen. Start the new year right with an annual subscription to The Athletic, at 40% off, when you visit http://theathletic.com/wellactually Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fernanda is joined by MMAFighting’s resident photographer Esther Lin to discuss how she got her start photographing MMA events, her favorite moments she’s captured over the year, dealing with negative internet commenters as a woman in a male-dominated world, visibility as the cure for fear, the opinion gap, and a lot more. You can get 40% off your annual subscription to The Athletic when you go to http://theathletic.com/wellactually Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Fernanda takes questions from listeners and talks about Liz Carmouche being unceremoniously released by the UFC, the proper etiquette when it comes to fighters missing weight, what Amanda Nunes’s UFC 245 title defense against Germaine de Randamie means for her legacy, Ketlen Vieira’s mindset going into her fight against Irene Aldana after being out of action since 2018, Colby Covington’s revelation to Candace Owens that he’s only playing a character, one he created after almost getting cut by the UFC, and quick thoughts on Jose Aldo’s Bantamweight debut. Save yourself 40% on an annual subscription to The Athletic when you go to theathletic.com/wellactually Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Societal beauty standards follow women everywhere, even into the cage. What does it mean when, for some of them, their images end up becoming lucrative, as well? Fernanda tries to make sense of these complicated intersections in this week’s episode. For more great content from The Athletic, and 40% off an annual subscription, visit http://theathletic.com/wellactually Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fernanda hates making lists, especially ones that include the word “best” in the title. So, instead of making her picks for the best fighters of the past ten years, she chose her five favorites, using her own totally subjective and biased reasoning. Save 40% on your annual subscription to The Athletic when you go to http://theathletic.com/wellactually Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fernanda is joined by Rodrigo Del Campo, the founder of Indiscutido.com and commentator for MARCA Claro, to discuss a variety of topics including what drew him to the sport of mixed martial arts in the first place, the trajectory for Mexican MMA now as compared to during the Cain Velasquez Era, the backlash against the fans in Mexico City after the Jeremy Stephens-Yair Rodriguez fight, Colby Covington’s MAGA gimmick taking on a different meaning for people from different cultures, how to cover Greg Hardy, mental health, and much more. Save yourself 40% on an annual subscription to The Athletic by visiting http://theathletic.com/wellactually Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After Saturday’s UFC event in Sao Paulo, Fernanda sat down with on-camera talent/total nerd Laura Sanko for a chat about… pretty much everything, really. From postpartum depression and imposter syndrome, to online creeps and dealing with nerves and public scrutiny, no stone was left unturned. Oh, yeah, and there was some MMA, too. Subscribe to The Athletic now and save 40% off when you visit http://theathletic.com/wellactually Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You asked, and Fernanda answered. She does have some thoughts about THAT Nick Diaz interview. Instead of answers, though, this week she comes to you with some questions of her own. You can save 40% on an annual subscription to The Athletic by going to http://theathletic.com/wellactually Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Being tough is cool. But you know what else is cool? Being open. And honest. And human. Thankfully, we have fighters like Darren Till and Ronaldo Souza reminding us that, even in a largely male-dominated sport, all these things can coexist. Subscribe to The Athletic and get 40% off by visiting http://theathletic.com/wellactually Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Leslie Smith joins the show ahead of her Bellator 233 fight against Arlene Blencowe to chat with Fernanda about a variety of topics including fighters' rights, the future of Project Spearhead, her experience being cut from the UFC and facing a backlash online, getting involved with the Wimps 2 Warriors program, USADA as an unregulated governing body and how Nate Diaz has seemingly helped change things overnight, how the conversation about women in MMA has evolved over the years because of people like Shannon Knapp and Invicta FC, the way gender stereotypes can negatively impact both men and women, and much more. Get 40% off your yearly subscription to The Athletic by going to http://theathletic.com/wellactually Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From snitch-tagging to reaction-policing, Fernanda explains why online behavior patterns that don’t necessarily come from a bad place can still get under people’s skin. And by “people”, she means “her”. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A hard-to-watch fight at UFC Tampa. An interesting interview with a fighter… or was it with his manager? Another type of manager-related drama. And a disheartening pattern of headlines that show a darker side of fighting. Fernanda didn’t want to get caught up in the news cycle, but sometimes the news cycle just won’t allow that to happen. On the bright side, there’s a little bit for everyone in this week’s episode of Well, Actually… Subscribe to The Athletic now for 40% off your annual subscription at http://theathletic.com/wellactually Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From the minute “Well, Actually…” was conceived, Fernanda knew she would have to talk about one of the UFC’s most controversial fighters: Greg Hardy. And this week, she ripped the band-aid off, with a little help from her friends on Twitter. Subscribe to The Athletic now for 40% off your annual subscription at http://theathletic.com/wellactually Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices