The MMA Vivisection Shows: 'Main Card Preview' & 'Prelims Card Preview'

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC St. Louis is here and unsurprisingly, it’s a decent enough card. Why did I say ‘unsurprisingly’? Well, that’s because it’s not being held in the Apex Center. Of course it’s going to be better. Are we getting a fairly meaningless heavyweight main event? You bet your caboose we are. Derrick Lewis will be sharing center stage with Rodrigo Nascimento an…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC 301 is here, and while it’s not a terrible card, it’s certainly not worthy of the PPV moniker, nor the hefty price tag associated with the promotion’s numbered events. There is a title fight resting atop the main card, but it’s not the type of scrap that’s going to encourage new eyeballs to settle on televisions across the world. If anyone but the h…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC Vegas 91 is almost here and with it, we return to the doldrums that are associated with Apex cards. This one at least has a solid enough main event between Matheus Nicolau and Alex Perez. Nicolau had looked pretty, pretty, pretty good over six fights and then Brandon Royval decided to put a stop to that run with a gnarly knockout. Perez couldn’t get…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com It’s here! It’s finally here! After what seems like an eternity of terrible cards (we’re looking directly at the Apex), we’ve finally arrived at a worthwhile event. Is it “00” quality? For the most part, yes. The main event could’ve been a little juicier, but we’re here and we’re excited. With 2.5 title fights, and a card rife with intriguing bouts, who…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC Vegas 90 just wrapped and Brendon Allen has taken his revenge. Chris Curtis, in true Chris Curtis fashion, ended up writhing in pain at the end of the fight and will no doubt have a detailed dissertation on why he lost. Allen somehow received a 49-46 score, completely undeserved, but the fight was by no means a robbery. It was that close, as the spl…

UFC Atlantic City’s main card is a pretty good offfering even if that portion only has a single ranked fight on it. The same can be said for the prelims, as they carry the only other ranked fight on the card, and it is also a women’s bout, this time between Virna Jandiroba and Lupita Godinez. Both women have been enjoying successful runs over their last few fights, so it gets no complaints from us. MMA Draw Podcast is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. In the featured prelim spot, Jamall Emmers will be taking on the uber-tough Nate Landwehr. Emmers has begun to take on the Andre Fili “win-one-lose-one” vibe, having alternated wins and losses over his last seven fights. Landwehr is coming off a loss to Dan Ige last June. It will be interesting to see who comes out on top here, as both men are insanely tough and durable. UFC Atlantic City Prelims * Nate Landwehr vs. Jamall Emmers 145 lbs * Virna Jandiroba vs. Lupita Godinez 115 lbs * Julio Arce vs. Herbert Burns 145 lbs * Connor Matthews vs. Dennis Buzukja 145 lbs * Ibo Aslan vs. Anton Turkalj 205 lbs * Melissa Gatto vs. Viktoria Dudakova 125 lbs * Andre Petroski vs. Jacob Malkoun 185 lbs * Angel Pacheco vs. Caolán Loughran 135 lbs UFC Atlantic City Fun Factoids * Ranked fights: 2 * Ranked fighters: 5 * Fighters coming off losses: 14 * Contender Series alumni: 10 * Fighters coming direct from Contender Series: 2 * TUF alumni: 2 * Debuting fighters: 2 Thank you for reading this article and listening to the podcast. Please consider subscribing to The MMA Draw Substack to enjoy our daily premium content. Your paid subscriptions are helping build our new site and keeping hope alive that our staff will remain intact. If you haven’t already, please pledge with a paid subscription today. If you have, please share this post far and wide. Thank you for reading MMA Draw Podcast. This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC Atlantic City is a pretty good looking card, even if the stats don’t back it up much. The headliner alone is worth the price of admission and will undoubtedly set up the next contender for the women’s flyweight belt. Both Erin Blanchfield and Manon Fiorot are powerhouses in their own right, both incredibly durable and both with a style custom-made t…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com Are you thirsty for another watered down, subpar Apex card? Well good, because the UFC has got one for you. If you thought last week’s show looked abysmal, you may want to reset your excitement barometer because UFC Vegas 89 is even more paltry, with a pretty lackluster headliner supported by a very forgettable supporting bout lineup. To its credit, the…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC 299 is a hard act to follow but the matchmaking brass seems to have put in the bare minimum effort with their 88th Vegas-themed card. As always, the event is set to go down at the Apex, so you already know it’s going to be threadbare. If you thought the main card was shallow, the prelims certainly do their best to give it competition. It’s downright…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com The UFC is back with another Apex card and it isn’t very good. Once again, a dearth of ranked fighters, fights (where both opponents in a fight carry a Top 15 ranking) and name value permeate this event. There are a couple contests that have our interest, but overall, this card is a dud, and feels like they pulled out all their “filler” athletes—the one…

The prelims for UFC 299 stand in stark contrast to the main card in that it gives all the appearance of a fight night event rather than the high-priced PPV offering that it is. The good news is that most of those fights would undoubtedly be outside the Apex, proper “on the road” fights. We even have ranked fights and fighters on this portion of the show. The featured prelim, a heavyweight showdown between Curtis Blaydes and Jailton Almeida, is a ranked, high-value bout, and one that looks intriguing. Wrestling vs. BJJ on display at the 265-pound limit. Mix in the old adage that the big boys carry a lot of heat in their mitts and we have the ingredients for a great fight. There are a couple other ranked bouts left on this section of the event, too. Katlyn Cerminara (formerly Chookagian) vs. Maycee Barber and Mateusz Gamrot vs. Rafael dos Anjos. Aside from those, there is a ranked fighter here and there, but all told, the undercard reads like a really good fight night. Considering the depth of the main [ortion, we’re absolutely fine with it. Let’s take a look at what we’re working with, as well as some fun factoids. UFC 299 Prelims * Curtis Blaydes vs. Jailton Almeida 265 lbs * Katlyn Cerminara vs. Maycee Barber 125 lbs * Mateusz Gamrot vs. Rafael dos Anjos 155 lbs * Pedro Munhoz vs. Kyler Phillips 135 lbs * Michel Pereira vs. M. Oleksiejczuk 185 lbs * Philipe Lins vs. Ion Cutelaba 205 lbs * Robelis Despaigne vs. Josh Parisian 265 lbs * CJ Vergara vs. Asu Almabaev 125 lbs * Joanne Wood vs. Maryna Moroz 125 lbs UFC 299 Fun Factoids * Ranked fights: 7 * Ranked fighters: 16 * Fighters coming off a loss: 10 * Contender Series alumni: 8 * TUF alumni: 3 * Debuting fighters: 1 Don’t forget to check out the bonus section for a great review of the UFC Vegas 87 preliminary card. Make sure to tune in immediately after this weekend’s fights for breakdowns and analysis on our 6th Round Post-Fight Show. Thank you for reading this article and listening to the podcast. Please consider subscribing to The MMA Draw Substack to enjoy our daily premium content. Your paid subscriptions are helping build our network and keeping hope alive that our staff will remain intact. If you haven’t already, please pledge with a paid subscription today. If you have, please share this post far and wide. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC 299 is a really good looking card when weighed and measured as a whole. The main event is a rematch that’s been nearly four years in the making, and as the event draws closer to fight night, the smack talk between the two has ramped up. They’re even direct messaging each other with insults. It will be interesting to see if the same Marlon Vera shows…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC Vegas 87 prelims aren’t the worst fights, by any means. They’re not the best either, but what are you going to do? It doesn’t look like change will be on the horizon any time soon, especially with the UFC experiencing yet another banner year for revenue. As long as they can put the bare minimum effort into these Apex cards, the more warehouse-style …

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC Vegas 87 is the antithesis of last week’s Fight Night card. There are reasons to celebrate (albeit few), and there are reasons to be annoyed, of which there are plenty. Jairzinho Rozenstruik, a ranked heavyweight with an extensive UFC resume, is taking on Shamil Gaziev, an athlete signed to the largest promotion in the world who doesn’t even have a …

UFC Mexico City is a solid card overall, even if the prelims are a hodgepodge of who’s-whos hoping to separate themselves from the pack. The opening fight aka the curtain-jerker, would be more fitting in the featured prelim spot as Naimov is looking like a real deal prospect with a fairly high ceiling. Alas, we get Cristian Quiñonez vs. Raoni Barcelos, which is fine, I guess, but Barcelos has been looking pretty shopworn lately, so we’re giving this one a partial side eye. Bloody Elbow is fighting for the sport, the fighters and the fans. If you share our mission, please consider becoming a paid subscriber today. There are a couple themes going on with this event. First, it is a night of rematches. Both the main and co-main events are rematches. Buried inside those rematches are others dotting the resumes of all four men featuring in the top two bouts. This card has three rematches on it, which seems like a lot. I’m making a mental note to go back and find out what the record is for rematches on a single UFC card. I’m willing to bet that this event is pretty far up the list. Edgar Cháirez vs. Daniel Lacerda is the third contest featured in that aforementioned trio of rematches. Their first bout ended in a no contest after the referee in their bout jumped the gun and stopped the fight prematurely. This was back in September. The two were scheduled to run it back in October, but Lacerda pulled out prior to the card citing a medical issue. They will finally get their opportunity at a full fight tomorrow. There is one more contest on this undercard that looks interesting, though. Claudio Puelles vs. Fares Ziam Pits the well rounded skillset of Ziam against the explosive grappling of Puelles. Claudio was made to look like a one-trick pony against Dan Hooker, but perhaps he took some lessons from that one. Either way, that one definitely has our attention. Let’s take a look at the undercard as well as some fun factoids. UFC Mexico City Prelims * Cristian Quiñonez vs. Raoni Barcelos 135 lbs * Jesus Aguilar vs. Mateus Mendonça 125 lbs * Edgar Cháirez vs. Daniel Lacerda 125 lbs * Claudio Puelles vs. Fares Ziam 155 lbs * Luis Rodríguez vs. Denys Bondar 125 lbs * Victor Altamirano vs. Felipe dos Santos 125 lbs * Muhammad Naimov vs. Erik Silva 145 lbs UFC Mexico City Fun Factoids * Ranked fights: 2 * Ranked fighters: 4 * Fighters coming off a loss: 15 * Contender Series alumni: 12 * TUF alumni: 3 * Debuting fighters: 1 * Combate alumni: 6 Don’t forget to check out the bonus section for a great review of the UFC 298 preliminary card. Make sure to tune in immediately after this weekend’s fights for breakdowns and analysis on our 6th Round Post-Fight Show. Thank you for reading this article and listening to the podcast. Please consider subscribing to the Bloody Elbow Substack to enjoy our daily premium content. Your paid subscriptions are helping build our new site and keeping hope alive that our staff will remain intact. If you haven’t already, please pledge with a paid subscription today. If you have, please share this post far and wide. Follow us as @BloodyElbow on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, and at BloodyElbow.Substack.com & BloodyElbowPodcast.Substack.com. Thank you for reading and listening to the MMA Vivisection. This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC Mexico City is almost here! Just a couple more days until the Battle of the Brandons as the promotion heads back to Mexico City for the first time since 2019 when Yair Rodriguez and Jeremy Stephens headlined UFC Fight Night 159. The bout would end in a no contest just 15 seconds in due to an accidental eye poke. They would run it back less than a mo…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC 298 is just a couple days away and with it comes a very stiff test for our featherweight champion. Alexander Volkanovski is coming off another loss to Islam Makhachev, a rushed bout where Volk let the UFC pressure him into replacing an injured Charles Oliveira on short notice. Now, Ilia Topuria looms ahead of him, a stout fireplug of a man with exce…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC Vegas 86 is the most Apex card that ever was…until the next one. They’re all starting to look the same to us. This week’s card is packed with 185-pounders, as if we needed yet another middleweight-led show. And just in case you missed our main card episode, here’s a few facts for you to get started: UFC Vegas 86 Factoids * Ranked fights (meaning both at…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com Did you know that since 2020, more than 50% of all UFC cards have been held at the Apex? And we all know that every time an event is held there, an angel loses its wings. UFC Vegas 86 is no different, as many already know, simply by looking at the name of the event. These days, having “Vegas” in the title is a signal that the matchmakers did their level…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.com UFC Vegas 85 is kind of a mixed bag. The main card is solid—not great, but solid. However, the prelims are a whole other story. From the ultra softball match the promotion is giving Molly McCann to the lack of any name value aside from Molly’s, this undercard is a stinker. Bloody Elbow is fighting for the sport, the fighters and the fans. If you share ou…