Podcast
The Co-Main Event MMA Podcast
Hosted by Chad Dundas and Ben Fowlkes · EN
An irreverent and unscripted look at the week's mixed martial arts news from longtime MMA journalists Ben Fowlkes and Chad Dundas. Topics include the latest happenings in the UFC, Bellator and other promotions.
28episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Episode 692: Is Sean Strickland UFC’s best worst fighter?
5d ago01:07:52Tap to summarizeHe did it again, brother. This crazy MFer Sean Strickland once again went out there in a championship fight he had no business winning and walked away with the belt. This time, he took the UFC middleweight strap off the previously undefeated Khamzat Chimaev. Strickland needed a little help from Chimaev himself to pull it off, as the now former champ fought one of the weirdest title fights we’ve seen in a long time, following up an absolutely dominant first round with a disastrous second round before bouncing back to spend the rest of the fight failing to utilize his best skills. Anyway, Strickland is now a two-time, two-time UFC champion, which leaves us all at a bit of a loss about how to even think about the guy. Now, Joshua Van and Tatsuro Taira? That was a fight. That was a fight right there. Plus, Ronda Rousey is gonna fight Gina Carano at MVP this weekend on Netflix. We’re gonna watch. Are you? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →
Episode 691: Sean Strickland stays strapped at UFC 328
2w ago01:05:58Tap to summarizeWe’re not totally sure how, but Sean Strickland plans to bring a gun to New Jersey for UFC 328. I mean, is he driving? Does he know a guy he can call when he lands in Newark who will meet him on a darkened street corner and hand him a suspiciously heavy-looking brown paper bag? Anyway, if he does manage to keep that thang on him in Brick City, he says he'll use it to shoot UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev if Chimaev should try any shady shit outside the cage. For Strickland, it’s probably either that (commit cold-blooded, premeditated murder) or attempt to jab his way to a professional but underwhelming unanimous decision victory while trying not to let Chimaev crush his fucking face like he did Bobby Knuckles. Look, we’re not saying Strickland is the UFC’s answer to Travis Bickle from “Taxi Driver,” but we’re not NOT saying that either. Plus, Carlos Prates did terrible things to Jack Della Maddalena. Were they terrible enough to cut the line for a welterweight title shot? And could we be witnessing the emergence of the THIRD kind of UFC heavyweight division? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →
Episode 690: Can JDM recapture … whatever he had?
3w ago01:05:57Tap to summarizeA little less than a year ago, Jack Della Maddalena was riding high, fresh off scoring the UFC welterweight title from Belal Muhammad at UFC 315. Unfortunately, like they used to say in VH1’s Behind the Music: it was all about to come crashing down. After getting summarily handled by Islam Makhachev in his first title defense at UFC 322, Della Maddalena heads home to the Land of Oz this weekend for a Fight Night main event in what promises to be a good-ass scrap with Carlos Prates. If you’re Jackie Flat Nose here, this seems like one you want to win in order to preserve … your status as an elite welterweight? Your good name? Any chance of ever working your way back into a title fight? Something or other. Plus, Aljamain Sterling refuses to give the UFC what it wants. And Tai Tuivasa is *rubs eyes in disbelief* a FAVORITE this weekend?!?! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →
Episode 689: TKO loves money, hates fun
4w ago01:08:26Tap to summarizeThey put on WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas over the weekend, and the reaction from at least some wrestling fans has been: “Fuck TKO.” As in, we mean they were actually, literally chanting “Fuck TKO” in the arena during the post-show. Yeah, it seems like the parent company of WWE and the UFC isn’t super popular with either fan base. And maybe they deserve that. Maybe they’re sucking all the life out of both these products on some soulless cash-grab shit, without any thought for the future, and where the only barometer for how things are going is how much money the already super-rich ownership group can shove in their pockets. But, you know, who are we to judge? We’re just the people whose money that is. Plus, Brock Lesnar left his gloves in the ring at WM42. That could be a wrap for The Beast. And does Mike Malott need the help of CME Consulting Services? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →
Episode 688: UFC 327 was wild (some might say wooly)
Apr 1501:04:51Tap to summarizeSomehow, Carlos Ulberg won the UFC light heavyweight title on one goddamn leg. Not sure we’ve ever seen anything quite like that. It was an all-time great championship finish. Now, however, at least some of the public discourse has pivoted to whether Jiri Prochazka basically let him off the hook, taking it easier than he should have right up until he very generously walked face-first into a left hook. That doesn’t totally feel fair to Ulberg (winning the belt on one bum wheel should probably earn you more credit) but also, yeah, he’s clearly hurt and even as we speak Dana White is almost certainly sticking the “Interim Title Fight” magnet to that big whiteboard on the wall of his war room. Plus, Cub Swanson got the rare storybook ending and, sigh, seems like Josh Hokit is totally a thing now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →
Episode 687: LHW tries to reinvent itself yet again at UFC 327
Apr 701:01:18Tap to summarizeSix different dudes have held the UFC light heavyweight title since Jon Jones vacated it for the last time (well, the last time so far) back in August 2020. Friendly-ass Jan Blachowicz, old-ass Glover Teixeira, weird-ass Jiri Prochazka, off-putting-ass Jamahal Hill, boring-ass Magomed Ankalaev, and legendary-ass Alex Pereira. Yes, that’s a lot of ass, which is mostly what 205 has been since Jones’ recidivist-ass messed around and left the sport. And now, this weekend, Jiri P. and Carlos Ulberg are gonna go out there at UFC 327 and see if we can’t reinvent this division one more time. Are either of them up for it? Time will tell. Oh, and speaking of Jones, what’s he up to these days … oh, right, getting involved in petty road rage incidents in ABQ. Perfect. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →
Episode 686: Breaking News: UFC puts on good event
Mar 3101:02:56Tap to summarizeThe UFC went to Seattle and put on an event many are calling the best of the year so far, where Joe Oliver Pyfer defeated Israel Adesanya in a main event bout that might make ya boi BODYBAGZZZZZZZZZZ somebody in the middleweight division. In other action, Michael Chiesa got his soft-filter retirement celebration (while Niko Price most certainly did not), and Alexa Grasso did some absolutely horrific stuff to Maycee Barber — which, of course, was awesome. Plus, Dana White came to the postfight press conference and answered several pertinent questions about the UFC product by telling us, “Who gives a fuck … just watch the fights.” Who gives a fuck, sir? Clearly not you… Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →
Episode 685: MVP fills out the card + UFC heads to Seattle
Mar 2401:03:35Tap to summarizeMost Valuable Promotions announced eight more bouts on Tuesday to fully flesh out its undercard for Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano on May 16 and … well, hello there, Junior dos Santos. Long time no see. Yeah, a couple of these newly revealed fights actually are of some interest, including JDS vs. Robelis Despaigne and Muhammad Mokaev re-entering the chat against Adriano Moraes. Plus, no sooner does Movsar Evloev defeat Lerone Murphy (“Did he thoooough?”) in a “title eliminator” bout than the UFC seems poised to give the next shot at Alexander Volkanovski to Jean Silva. And the Octagon is off to Seattle and the friendly confines of Climate Pledge Arena this weekend for Israel Adesanya vs. Joe Pyfer. BODYBAGZZZZZZZZZZ. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →
Episode 684: MVP’s Netflix card is the best story in MMA
Mar 1701:03:42Tap to summarizeThose little rascals at Most Valuable Promotions added another spectacle fight to their big, loud MMA show coming up on Netflix on May 16. Nate Diaz and Mike Perry are set to do the damn thing at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, rounding out a lineup of three featured fights that also includes Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano and Francis Ngannou vs. Philipe Lins. And that, kids, puts us in an unexpected position. Who would’ve thought that by the middle of March, with the UFC fresh off announcing the fight card for its gala event at the White House, the biggest story in the sport would be Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian making their first foray into MMA? Crazy days. This week we ask: Is this a problem for the UFC? If so, how big? And what exactly does MVP want to be in the MMA space? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →
Episode 683: White House card is UFC’s Gobbledy Gooker
Mar 1001:04:17Tap to summarizeMonths and months. The UFC spent months hyping the release of its White House event fight card. Back in July of last year, Dana White said it would be the “Sphere on steroids.” In December, the President of the United States promised “eight or nine championship fights.” Basically every UFC fighter begged to be involved. Imagine our surprise, then, when the promotion finally released the full list of fights last Saturday and it looked like … just another event? Not BAD by any stretch, but also not the super-mega-MAGA jerkfest we were promised. Now fans are upset, and Jon Jones is having an existential crisis. So we ask: Is this the biggest whiff in UFC history? Did the UFC keep the White House card sealed in a giant egg only to watch it fall flat when it finally hatched at Survivor Series 1990? Also, Charles Oliveira and Max Holloway kinda underwhelmed and Francis Ngannou is fighting on Netflix … against Philipe Lins??? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →