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The UFC is back after a long winter’s nap and what do they give their loyal fans? More Apex slop. One might think they’d want to kick off the new year with a firecracker of an event but instead, we get one that even if it does go off like a house afire, who’s gonna care? And more importantly, who’s gonna give that crowd pop that great fights deserve? The 12 people inside the Apex that aren’t part of the production crew?
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Hey UFC, can we please get out of the Apex?!
The UFC should make their New Year’s resolution be to stop using that venue so much. The last of the pandemic lockdowns were over more than two years ago. There is no excuse to keep holding them there. And before you say, ‘But Stephie, they’ve got to cut corners to keep their overhead down or they won’t be able to clear the full 87% of the revenue’, just keep it to yourself. I don’t want to have to see Bruce Buffer waste another tux or suit on the Apex. Just let him show up in board shorts if it’s going to be there.
We did manage to find four fights from UFC Vegas 84 that we cared about enough to make picks for and those are as follows:
- Magomed Ankalaev vs. Johnny Walker 205 lbs
- Matheus Nicolau vs. Manel Kape 125 lbs
- Jim Miller vs. Gabriel Benítez 155 lbs
- Ricky Simón vs. Mario Bautista 135 lbs
Was there anything else?
We also discussed Sean Strickland’s bad behavior and if he should get a pass because of the abuse he went through as a child at the hands of his father. We managed to get some conversation in about Francis Ngannou’s latest fight and in our bonus section, we got back to Sumo Stompin’ with Tim Bissell. There’s a brand new tournament to kick off the new year and new characters to follow along with. Here’s the list of the wrestlers and stables you’ll want to know more about:
- Peach Prince / Pink Boy (Ura)
- Cocaine Bear (Takayasu)
- Double Boob (Kotonowaka)
- Kirishima
- Onosato
- Miyagino Stable
Tim takes us through all the key figures, who we need to keep an eye on, if we could see a new Yokozuna crowned and the list of Ozeki hopefuls. You’ll want to check out Ura Kazuki’s (Peach Prince / Pink Boy) incredible footwork in the video I’ve posted. It’s the very first match so you’ll see it right away. And, just like last time, we’ll have Tim back in two weeks with the latest update. This is a prime opportunity to start your Sumo fandom journey! Check out the full episode on our Podcast Substack.
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