Episode 669: The UFC & combat sports enter ‘Plato’s Cave’

Episode 669: The UFC & combat sports enter ‘Plato’s Cave’

Author: Chad Dundas and Ben Fowlkes November 5, 2025 Duration: 1:02:26
What’s even real anymore? That’s the question we ended up asking ourselves after last weekend’s slate of combat sports chaos. For starters, Isaac Dulgarian’s first-round submission loss to Yadier del Valle at Saturday’s UFC Fight Night sparked yet another fight-fixing scandal. At this point, you couldn’t blame a casual viewer for wondering: Is this whole shit rigged? Also, there was referee Mark Smith’s bizarre stoppage in the heavyweight bout between Ante Delija and Waldo Cortes-Acosta — a mix-up that led Delija to believe he’d won, only for the fight to be restarted and Cortes-Acosta to immediately score a knockout victory. Whoops! And that’s not even touching the boxing world’s latest drama: Gervonta “Tank” Davis getting booted from his fight with Jake Paul after new domestic violence charges, followed by Paul acting like he was just now discovering that Davis might be a terrible guy. Oh, and Andrew Tate is apparently the new CEO of Misfits Boxing, a move that might be real, might be trolling, or might just be setting up a future fight with KSI. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There’s no shortage of opinions in mixed martial arts, but there’s a distinct difference between hot takes and informed conversation built on years of watching fights from press row. That’s what you’ll find each week on The Co-Main Event MMA Podcast. Hosts Chad Dundas and Ben Fowlkes, both veteran journalists who have covered the sport for more than a decade, break down the latest news without the filter of corporate hype or predictable fanboy reactions. Their discussions feel like the post-event analysis you’d have with the most knowledgeable person you know-if that person also had a sharp sense of humor and a healthy skepticism for the industry’s usual narratives. This isn’t a scripted recap show; it’s an irreverent, meandering, and deeply insightful dialogue that covers everything from the UFC and Bellator to the broader landscape of combat sports. You’ll hear them debate fight outcomes, analyze promotional politics, and question the week’s biggest stories with a perspective that only comes from having seen it all before. The chemistry between Dundas and Fowlkes turns each episode into a compelling conversation, making this podcast a staple for fans who prefer substance over shouting. It’s the kind of listen that doesn’t just tell you what happened, but makes you think about why it matters.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

The Co-Main Event MMA Podcast
Podcast Episodes
Episode 630: Islam + Umar big favorites at UFC 311 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06:48
Oddsmakers really like Islam Makhachev and Umar Nurmagomedov to win their respective title fights this weekend at UFC 311. Maybe that’s understandable since, along with ya bois Khabib and Usman, the former students of Ab…
Episode 629: UFC 2025 predictions [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06:32
Does Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall happen? Can Alex Peieria continue his run? What will the new UFC broadcast deal look like? Does Conor McGregor do anything MMA related, and do we care? These are the questions we wrestle w…
It's the 2024 CMEeeeees! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:53
It's the show where we honor the most notable achievements in combat sports -- for better and for worse. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
CME Patreon Live Chat for 12/18/24 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:12:25
Friends, our apologies for leaving you hanging without an episode of the Proper yesterday. Circumstances beyond our control and all that. We hope that you will accept this free episode of the Patreon Live Chat as a peace…
Episode 628: Did Shavkat Rakhmonov get less scary at UFC 310? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06:10
So, maybe Shavkat Rakhmonov fought Ian (Machado) Garry with an injury on Saturday at UFC 310. Maybe that’s why THAT BOY GOOD didn’t look quite as GOOD as we expected, even as he emerged with the unanimous decision win. M…
Episode 627: UFC 310 is worth watching, actually [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:26
Yeah, we know what you’re thinking. First of all: Men’s flyweight pay per view main event? Second of all: Who the hell is Kai Asakura? We get it. From 15,000 feet, maybe UFC 310 doesn’t look like the greatest PPV of the…
Episode 626: Is it curtains for Conor McGregor? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:29
It has been a long time since Conor McGregor was a relevant fighter in the UFC. Now, his worth as a human being seems to be rapidly diminishing, as well. This week, after being found guilty of rape in a civil trial in Ir…
Episode 625: Jake Paul & Jon Jones out here committing elder abuse [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:15:50
The fights themselves were not necessarily the story for either Jake Paul or Jon Jones, during what has to be considered one of the biggest combat sports weekends in recent memory. For Jake Paul, it wasn’t really that in…
Episode 624: Jones. Stipe. Tyson. Paul. One weekend? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:11:13
Albeit for very different reasons, we’ve been looking forward to both Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic and Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul for a while now. Both fights have experienced lengthy delays (one owing to Jones’ torn pectora…