Episode 675: Smell ya later, 2025!

Episode 675: Smell ya later, 2025!

Author: Chad Dundas and Ben Fowlkes December 17, 2025 Duration: 1:12:01
The Year of Our Lord 2025 was a weird one in MMA. Complete dogshit for the heavyweight division, obviously. You started the year with Dana White swearing up and down that he was going to get Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall done, only to have Jones quit the sport to monetize this amazing brand he’d built — then come crawling back as soon as he found out about the White House fight card. When they finally did set up a heavyweight title fight for Gas Hands Tommy, Ciryl Gane went two knuckles deep in Aspinall’s eye … which obviously seems to have negatively affected Aspinall’s career more than Gane’s. But it wasn’t all bad. In the spring, fighters started to get that sweet, sweet class-action settlement money. By the end, Merab and Islam were the consensus fighters of the year. The UFC wrapped up the ESPN era and is now on to murkier waters with Paramount. Oh, and what’s this shit with Ilia Topuria? Not great! 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 669: The UFC & combat sports enter ‘Plato’s Cave’ [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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…
Episode 668: UFC 321: It doesn’t get any more heavyweight than that! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:38
How does Tom Aspinall still have an eyeball right now? Dude, Ciryl Gane went two-knuckles deep in Aspinall’s left eye (while pulling off the rare double-eye poke!) during their heavyweight championship fight at UFC 321 o…
Episode 667: UFC 321 is a must-win for Aspinall, the UFC & the world [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06:20
Let’s be honest, if the current version of the UFC heavyweight title is going to maintain any shred of credibility, Tom Aspinall pretty much has to win this weekend at UFC 321. Even if that happens, we’ll still only real…
Episode 666: Charles Oliveira is the new king of Rio! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:07:21
Chucky Olives pretty much wore Mateusz Gamrot around like a button during their main event fight at last weekend’s UFC Fight Night in Rio de Janeiro. It didn’t feel like there was a single second where Gamrot was winning…
Episode 665: Chama lives! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:09:30
Well, that was just disrespectful. Alex Pereira went out there at UFC 320 on Saturday with absolutely no regard whatsoever for Magomed Ankalaev. Bullied him. Dropped him. Pounded him out. Then did the “look at you now” h…
Episode 664: UFC 320 preview + Wanderlei gets KTFOed [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:17
The PPV era is (maybe!) winding down, and on Saturday, we’ll all celebrate by (maybe!) shelling out our hard-earned dollars to watch UFC 320, where Magomed Ankalaev will defend his light heavyweight title in a rematch ag…
Episode 662: Is boxing Dana White’s idea of a cushy retirement gig? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:52
You know how, after they retire, some older guys go out and get, like, part-time jobs at the United Way or Ace Hardware or some shit? Not necessarily because they need the money — they just need to keep themselves busy,…
Episode 661: Remember UFC: Noche? Neither does the UFC, apparently [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:07:59
Remember last year, when for about six months the UFC tried to pretend like UFC: Noche was a big deal — mostly because Dana White had to prove to the (almost entirely nonexistent) haters that he could pull off a fighting…
Episode 660: Who the Hell Is Nassourdine Imavov? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:53
Honestly, Nassourdine Imavov is pretty legit. He’s 16-4 (1) overall, riding a three-fight win streak and heads into Saturday’s UFC Fight Night main event against Caio Borralho fresh off a February victory over Israel Ade…