Game On! Ilia Topuria + Female Heavyweights

Summary

The Adam Carolla Show: Episode Summary - "Game On! Ilia Topuria + Female Heavyweights"

Release Date: March 1, 2025

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1. Introduction to Combat Sports Dynamics

In this episode of The Adam Carolla Show, Adam Carolla engages in a lively discussion with his co-host, Mayhem, focusing on the latest developments in the world of combat sports. The primary highlight revolves around Ilia Topuria's recent decision to move up to the 155-pound weight class, bypassing a potential fight with Arman Sorukian.

Adam (00:33) initiates the conversation:

"Ilya Toporia is moving up to 155. He has already declined to fight with Arman Sorukian... he's looking to, like, fight for the title already. It's a very strange thing."

Mayhem (01:32) probes deeper into Topuria's motives:

"He's not saying he's not gonna go. I don't want to fight him because I'm scared or I think he might win the guy... you think mostly when guys don't want to fight other guys, it's because they don't. They see something that's not favorable to them."

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2. The Complexities of Weight Class Transitions

The hosts delve into the intricacies of weight class movements in combat sports, emphasizing the strategic implications for fighters like Topuria.

Adam (02:16) reflects on his own fighting career:

"I was the favorite sometimes. So I'll say that during my era, it was like, I don't know, I was batting .700."

He discusses the psychological and physical challenges fighters face when altering their weight classes, citing instances where unpredictability affected outcomes.

Mayhem (03:30) questions the consistency of fighters' confidence:

"Do you think you're gonna win every time? Really? Yeah."

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3. Depth of Talent in Middleweight Divisions

A significant portion of the episode examines why the middleweight divisions, particularly around the 155-pound mark, attract a deeper pool of talent compared to other weight classes.

Mayhem (05:24) explains the global talent distribution:

"If you just did by category, the average male on the planet, what category would that fall into? You wouldn't have a lot with the super heavyweights, very small. You wouldn't have a lot with the flyweights and the straw weights."

This discussion highlights Ilia Topuria's challenges in facing elite opponents like Islam Makhachev, one of the strongest grapplers in the UFC.

Adam (03:32) adds context to Topuria’s decision:

"Toporia is like a lighter guy who is going up. He's going up the 55. And the reason being... he's looking to build his name on."

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4. Female Heavyweights in Combat Sports

Shifting focus, Adam and Mayhem explore the presence and challenges of female heavyweights in the UFC, spotlighting Gabby Garcia as a standout competitor.

Adam (07:55) praises Garcia's prowess:

"She's a unit, an absolute unit of a woman... she fought other huge women and I'm talking 200 some pounds."

They also discuss the cultural and physiological considerations that limit the emergence of female heavyweights in the American UFC scene.

Mayhem (10:27) speculates on future developments:

"It'll expand into heavier weight, whatever. Because women fighting is something we didn't want to watch. Now we do want to watch it."

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5. The Harsh Realities of Weight Cutting

A poignant segment of the episode delves into the extreme measures fighters take to meet weight requirements, emphasizing both physical and mental tolls.

Adam (12:27) shares a personal anecdote:

"I did the 23 pounds in three days before a short notice fight... I was in training and realized my coach was trying to help me avoid a dangerous situation."

He recounts seeing Topuria visibly struggling while cutting weight:

"People were trolling him online because he was just hurting and I've been there."

Mayhem (14:00) contrasts this with everyday weight management:

"The difference between what I gotta do, drop a couple pounds before shooting my dry bar special and what cage fighters gotta do."

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6. Offbeat Discussions: Baseball and Salad Mishaps

Transitioning from combat sports, Adam introduces a humorous segment about Dodgers pitcher Dustin May, who experienced a life-threatening incident involving a salad.

Adam (16:21) narrates the incident:

"Dodgers pitcher Dustin May nearly died after eating a salad. A piece of lettuce became lodged in his throat, causing a severe tear in his esophagus."

The conversation takes a comedic turn as the hosts mock the triviality of the incident compared to the severe implications for fighters.

Mayhem (17:16) jokes about salad preparations:

"So crack open a nice cold Bud Light. Conquistador of the Calorie. You put the feast in Fiesta."

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7. Parody and Pop Culture References

The episode concludes with a playful parody of Budweiser's "Real Men of Genius" campaign, focusing on the fictional "Giant Taco Salad Inventor."

Adam (19:40) and Mayhem (19:05) engage in witty banter, mimicking the original advertisement's tone and structure, highlighting the absurdity of conflating traditional masculinity with unconventional culinary inventions.

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Key Takeaways and Insights

• Weight Class Strategy: Fighters like Ilia Topuria navigate complex decisions when moving between weight classes, balancing competitiveness with personal branding.

• Global Talent Pool: The middleweight divisions boast the deepest talent pools due to the average male's natural weight, making competition fiercer.

• Challenges for Female Heavyweights: Cultural norms and physiological factors limit the emergence of female heavyweights in combat sports, though exceptions like Gabby Garcia showcase potential.

• Risks of Weight Cutting: Extreme weight-cutting practices pose significant health risks, underscoring the need for safer weight management protocols in combat sports.

• Humor Amidst Serious Topics: The episode adeptly blends intense discussions with humor, providing entertainment while addressing critical aspects of combat sports and pop culture.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Adam (00:33):

  "Ilya Toporia is moving up to 155... he's looking to, like, fight for the title already."

• Mayhem (05:24):

  "If you just did by category, the average male on the planet, what category would that fall into?"

• Adam (07:55):

  "She's a unit, an absolute unit of a woman... she fought other huge women and I'm talking 200 some pounds."

• Adam (12:27):

  "I did the 23 pounds in three days before a short notice fight... I was in training and realized my coach was trying to help me avoid a dangerous situation."

• Mayhem (17:16):

  "So crack open a nice cold Bud Light. Conquistador of the Calorie. You put the feast in Fiesta."

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Conclusion

This episode of The Adam Carolla Show offers a comprehensive look into the strategic maneuvers within combat sports, the challenges of weight management, and the burgeoning presence of female heavyweights. Through a blend of insightful discussions and humorous interludes, Adam and Mayhem provide listeners with both entertainment and thoughtful analysis of the evolving landscape of combat athletics and related pop culture phenomena.

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Timestamps Reference

• 00:33
• 01:32
• 02:16
• 03:30
• 05:24
• 07:55
• 12:27
• 14:00
• 16:21
• 17:16
• 19:05
• 19:40

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Note: This summary intentionally excludes advertisements, intros, outros, and non-content sections as per the episode requirements.

Transcript

[A]

The road is calling. Embrace the thrill of the drive with the all new fully electric Audi Q6E Tron, featuring effortless power and advanced Audi tech. The next chapter of Audi starts now.

[B]

It's time for Corolla and Mayhem. Game on. All right, Mayhem, what's going on in the world of combat sports and beyond.

[A]

Sports with the BET online show today? Look, I think I told you last week that Ilya Toporia is moving up to 155. He has already declined to fight with Arman Sorukian. Now, look, I know there's like, some weird inside sports type thing where it's like, okay, so the guy goes up from 45 to 55. You'd think that they'll put whatever in front of him, but no, they're just suddenly saying he's got, like, the juice, you know, to be able to kind of pick his fights right now. And, yeah, people were asking him about fighting Armand Tsarukian, who's kind of a grapple dude and, like, would maybe give him some trouble taking him down, but, nah, he says he's looking to, like, fight for the title already. It's a very strange thing. I don't know what Dana's gonna say about this, but he's already, like, shut down the. The possibility of fighting with Armand.

[B]

Now he. He's not saying he's not gonna go. I don't want to fight him because I'm scared or I think he might win the guy. I'm not gonna find him because I don't think if fans want to see it, it's not gonna make an exciting strategy, whatever it is. But you think mostly when guys don't want to fight other guys, it's because they don't. They see something that's not favorable to them.

[A]

I think so. I think. Look, I don't know my era, I, like, never turned down a fight. You know, it was my. It was my managers, like, job to, like, come up with a reason why not, but this guy's just straight up saying, like, no, this guy's not famous enough. He's not, you know, a big enough contender for me to be able to, you know, for me to build my name on.

[B]

How high was your batting average when you thought, I can do this? I got this guy, or I don't got this guy going into the fight. Like, there were guys where you go, oh, no, I got this. Like, I got this. And maybe odds makers didn't see it, and maybe experts didn't see it, but you knew it.

[A]

Well, the thing where The. Sometimes I would be the favorite and would pull up, injured or pull up, like something bad would happen, you know, like it would just didn't work out. I would be the favorite sometimes. So I'll say that during my era, it was like, I don't know, I was batting.700.

[B]

But. But, I mean, how often were you surprised?

[A]

Rarely. Rarely. I knew that. I knew that, like, okay, the George Saint Beer, I knew this guy is really tough. So I gotta. But I figured, you know, if I can cut the weight, I can make the weight, I can do good against this guy. And I showed up, I did pretty good. But, yeah, the reality is when you're a fighter and you're in that mentality, do you think you're gonna win every time? Really? Yeah.

[B]

What'd you. What weight you fight? St. Pierre?

[A]

70. And it was super difficult, like, so hard to make weight for me. I was like, not light. I was like a heavier guy. And, you know, Toporia is like a lighter guy who is going up. He's going up the 55. And the reason being. And look, you guys can find that. The footage of Topuria, like, dying, cutting weight. Like, you just take a glance at this, this footage, and you'll see why he went up to 155. Now, remember, 155 is where Islam Makhachev is the. One of the strongest grapplers in the entire ufc. You know, he's one of those Dagistanis with a choke and can just sprawl. And he knows how to kickbox good enough, but is an excellent wrestler. I think it's going to be a tough road for Ilia. Ilia, like, showed off, you know, being such a badass at a lighter weight class. And we all got used to that. And I think a lot of the fans are hyped up because this guy. Oh, what, he's going to 55? They don't understand. The casual viewer doesn't understand how much of a difference that 10 pounds is. He's fast for 45, and he'll be fast for 55, but strong. I don't know. I don't know how strong he's going to be for one.

[B]

Well, look, as previously discussed in other episodes, if you just go. Look what part the world population of males. Because anybody in the world can fight in the UFC now. It's a world sport, okay? Because they're going to Dagestan or wherever, okay? So anyone can fight. So you go, all right, how many guys. Look, if you said, how many guys are over 6, 5, and over 265 in Dagestan, you'd go, I don't know, 1%, less than 1%. You know, it's not a big pool.

[A]

Yeah, yeah.

[B]

When you step into a pool where there's a huge pool of candidates because the Average dude is 5, 10 and a half and 165 and would fight the category. Here's an interesting thing. If you just did by category, the average male on the planet, what category would that fall into? You wouldn't have a lot with the super heavyweights, very small. You wouldn't have a lot with the flyweights and the straw weights. 118. I mean, how many guys, you know that are 125 pounds or 130 pounds each? Like, who. There's nobody in this building that even walks around at like, 132.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Not in the dude department. All right, so it stands to reason that the middleweight stuff, where most the world's populace lands in, is just going to have the most talent.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Because the pool's the deepest. Oh, I'm looking at.

[A]

Nate is a natural.

[B]

Walks around at 138. They're the kebab. Ways over 140 now, but yeah. All right, so that's the pool. And where the pool's the deepest.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

There's going to be the most competition.

[A]

You're right. Yeah. I think 55 is one of those mean weight classes where. Yeah, a lot of the, you know, look, a lot of the athletes walk around at 170 something. Yeah, they cut down to 55. It's just how it is. You know, there's like a lot of guys walking. Their natural weight is about 170. Some odds.

[B]

No, I'm. I am. Yeah. But I'm basically saying that it's not the most guys that walk around at 155. It's the most guys that walk around at 170 and would fight in the one who would fight in this category. And if the answer is half the world's population of males, then that's a pretty big group to compete against.

[A]

But also, though. Okay, now put this in your mind. Okay. They're at 155. Interesting thing about humanity is some guys are actually like 190, but cut all the way down like they're. You know what I mean? So as far as human frame, this guy has a human frame of somebody who will, when he retires, walk around at 190, 200 pounds. And then. But during his athletic career, he's just A freak of nature.

[B]

Where are the women heavyweights?

[A]

I. They don't do that. They don't. I know it's strange because look, what's her name? Gabby. Gabby Garcia, super heavyweight. She fought in Japan. They had her like fight other huge women and I'm talking 200 some pounds. This woman is just a big beast of a woman. They had that. But here in America. No, not really. There's some type of like hotness. There's Gabby right there. So she's a beastly woman. I trained with her a little bit in, in la.

[B]

She was she walking? I mean, what is her dimensions?

[A]

Yeah, she is six, I want to say two. She's really tall, really big for a woman. Like she's just. I mean, she's a unit, an absolute unit of a woman. And you know, I miss my shot, you know, to impregnate her. I really. You should have, should have gone for it. I should have gone for it.

[B]

Fighting machine 62209 and ripped man.

[A]

Yeah, well, that's her. Ripped like, you know, I guess I didn't take my shot because at the time she was not in fighting shape. She just in training, getting back to camp.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Oh my God.

[B]

So she fights in Japan?

[A]

Yeah. Or yeah, she did. Now she's like grappling contests all over the United States.

[B]

They put her in with dudes that were like 155 or something.

[A]

Recently there was like a funny thing they did. Craig Jones, great grappler, was gonna do a like intergender match with her. They did it. It was a big publicity stunt in the grappling world. It was really fun. It was really fun to watch. Craig. Craig.

[B]

Well, what's his dimension?

[A]

He's a. He's 185 pounder, I believe.

[B]

So it's like, you know, he's giving away £20 maybe.

[A]

Exactly. Yeah. But yeah, it was a good stunt.

[B]

Oh, but he won. Yeah, the dude's gonna win unless he's giving away £60.

[A]

But even so, the guy. The reality of biologics. That's why it's such a big hot topic. Political.

[B]

No, I get it, but. But I'm a dude, she's a gal, but when I see her, I go, I don't know if I have anything biologically on her. She looks like she's got the edge on me.

[A]

No, I, no, there's something about testosterone, but it's like, makes you like, she doesn't. I mean, hell, she might have the testosterone levels of a teenage boy. Who knows?

[B]

So where do they stop with women's fighting in the UFC. 45, I was going to say, because no one ever gets over 45.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And they don't want to broaden it up. Like if somebody I know.

[A]

You think so, huh?

[B]

Well, again, the pool, you know how many women really are walking around who can fight, you know, and with just sort of natural one. So whatever.

[A]

Nowadays that it's not even an option. So if you're 170 pound woman, you won't even try. Why would you.

[B]

You wouldn't even begin, right? Yeah, but I, I will go out on a limb and say it'll, it'll expand into, into heavier weight, whatever. Because I would, I'd watch. I'd watch too. Because women fighting is something we didn't want to watch. Now we do want to watch it. But heavier weights are always more interesting or more provocative or something in the ufc. And I don't know why, I don't know. But it is that way with boxing. It's like you're just not going to beat a heavyweight.

[A]

Well. Oh yeah. I'll circle back to a point I was making when the 55 pounder who can. I didn't get to it, but he can, he's big framed and he's 155. He can absorb a lot of damage. But once you get into 70, 85. 85 is really to me the most vicious kind of. I fought in that weight class. We're fast enough and strong enough to knock each other out, but like can absorb damage as you get heavier than that. You 205 and super heavyweight. These guys like knock. It's a coin flip about punching, right? Yeah. It's very dangerous weight class because a human body can only handle so much damage.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And otherwise the lights shut off.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, I know exactly what you're saying. It becomes a physio. Physiological thing.

[A]

Yeah. And so like was so. It's so fast at 45 and so strong, you know, like I said, he died to cut weight. He like was killing himself to cut the weight. Crying, like crying. People were trolling him online because he was just hurting and I've been there.

[B]

I lost he doing. What's the video of him crying while he's cutting weight?

[A]

Yeah, he, it's like him, his coach like, like soothing him. You know, I, I did the 23 pounds in three days before in a short notice fight. And I was like, just like kind of disassociated and I didn't realize that my coach like don't worry Mayhem. You're not going to die. And I was like. I was feeling all right, but now I must look like I'm going to die. And I'm like, oh, man, this is bad. Like, I was like, oh, I must look. And then I thought about, oh, I'm taking years off my life right now to make this weight and toboria that, you know, he did that many times and became the champion. Now he did, like, the respectful thing and rescinded his championship. He gave up the belt to go get glory in the £155.

[B]

Yeah, yeah. I think we got a tape of him being miserable cutting weight. Okay, listen, it's physical torture that turns into mental torture. Yes, right. I know. I tried to cut a few pounds before shooting my dry bar special.

[A]

You did?

[B]

Well, let me check. Okay, I'll pause it for a second. He's unhappy. He's unhappy. Okay, Let me tell you something. The difference between what I gotta do, drop a couple. Couple pounds before shooting a comedy special and what you cage fighters gotta do. You go to a gym, you got a guy, he's telling you, he's putting the Abilene on you. He's putting the bag on you. There's another guy in the sauna with you who's cutting weight to everyone around you. It's called shared misery. Everyone's misery. I gotta take my goddamn daughter out for sushi in Santa Barbara. And I just sit there, stare at her while she's Dunkin Sauce on everything. Go ahead. Side of rice. Go in there. We have some noodles. What kind of noodles do you guys have? And I just sit there and I stare at her, and I got my, you know, three pieces of raw fish and a couple edename beans. And I'm just staring on my plate, and I'm just watching her. She's eating right in front of me. I'm saying, you're not being tortured. I'm sitting there eating a donut in front of you. You're being tortured.

[A]

This is in Japan. These motherfuckers eating green tea ice cream right in my face.

[B]

What?

[A]

Yes. Yes.

[B]

Who did that?

[A]

Yeah, the Sickening Bastards on my team. Yeah, they did that. Oh, really? Yeah, they did. And the other thing was like, I, like, was getting close, and I was like, oh, I gotta pee. And King Mo, big black dude was like, oh, my teammate. And he's like, oh, you gotta pee. And that's serious, because if you gotta pee, you could lose, like, a pound. And I was getting close, and I was like, oh. And I. And he goes, come out. Come out of stone. And he's like, here, just. Just piss in the shower, you know, with my shorts on. And I'm like, I can't, I can't. He, like, took the. They took the shower head down, and I put it on my junk and was like, just go. And I. And I. I peed. I was like, ah. And I looked him in the eye and I said, we're never gonna tell anyone about this. As soon as I hydrated, I was like, king Mo put the thing on my dick. Ah. Oh.

[B]

You didn't have to cut. You didn't have to live with kids when you're cutting either. Because living with kids is you open the fridge and there's two pizzas just sitting right there in a big pot, big thing of pasta. And you're just staring at it the whole day. All right, but it's tough. All right, so Topori is never going to have to do that again.

[A]

No, it doesn't look like it. Yeah. Moving on into the world of baseball, Dodgers pitcher Dustin May nearly died after eating a salad. Look, this story happened. Piece of lettuce became lodged in his throat, causing a severe tear in his esophagus. Cutting some weight with some salad and injury required emergency surgery. And I'm laughing at him, but, you know, respect for the man eating a salad, he got a large scar from his chest to his abdomen.

[B]

This is like, open him up.

[A]

Lettuce slice. I have no idea how that happened. It doesn't say there was anything in the salad. It was just a piece of lettuce. Lots of little danger out there, kids. Be careful. Chew your salad.

[B]

Listen, you know, you gotta go with the shredded stuff. There's nothing better than when salad gets shredded. Chopped salad. Yeah, chopped salad's the pre chewed. Pre chopped. Pre chewed. You get the salami in there, you get the cheese in there, you get garbanzo bean in there, and you get it all chopped up. And at a certain point, it's almost the least likely salad ever because it gets all chopped up. And they put enough cheese and salami in there, and it's like you're eating a chopped up pizza at a certain point. So I don't know what he was going with over there, but sounds like a, you know, could have been fennel, could have been an iceberg. I like a wedge.

[A]

You like a wedge, but I'm into it. I like a Cobb salad.

[B]

You like a Cobb salad.

[A]

You're not even. It's like a 10,000 calorie salad.

[B]

Yeah. So we got egg, we Got ham, we got avocado, we got cheese, we got croutons. You know what the greatest commercial is? Is find real men of genius with the taco salad. You ever hear that one? Yeah.

[A]

It's not even Budweiser's salad.

[B]

Bud Rottweiser's Real Men. A genius taco. Mr. Taco salad inventor is the greatest because it really highlights exactly what we're talking about.

[A]

True American inventor.

[B]

Yeah. Real men of genius. Mr. Taco salad inventor. This will sum it up. And they went from this to he. She's sad.

[A]

Yeah. But they came back around.

[B]

That's true.

[A]

They really bought off the human. Yeah. They really, like, got the broest bro that they could get. Yep. They're back. We're back, baby.

[B]

But this is what they used to do back in the salad days.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Bud Light presents Real Men of Genius.

[A]

Real Men of genius.

[C]

Today we salute you, Mr. Giant Taco Salad Inventor.

[A]

Mr.

[B]

Giant Taco Salad Inventor.

[C]

Ground beef, refried beans, guacamole, cheese, sour cream, and if there's any room left, a few shreds of lettuce.

[B]

I don't see no lettuce.

[C]

A culinary creation that baffles us, the human mind. A 12,000 calorie salad.

[A]

I said the same.

[C]

Some may ask, is your taco salad healthy? Of course it is. It's a salad, isn't it?

[B]

You can eat that.

[A]

Deep fried, Crunchy bow.

[C]

So crack open a nice cold Bud Light. Conquistador of the Calorie. You put the feast in Fiesta.

[A]

Mr.

[B]

Giant Taco Salady.

[A]

Be a simpler time. Man, it really was so good.

[B]

All right, you said it all. Once again, Mayhem.

[A]

All right, Ace, get the Angel REEF special at McDonald's. Now, let's break it down. My favorite, barbecue sauce, American cheese, crispy bacon, pickles, onions. And a sesame seed bun, of course. And don't forget the fries and a drink. Sound good?

[B]

I participate in restaurants for a limited time.