<![CDATA[Level Change Podcast]]>https://levelchangepodcast.substack.comhttps://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!QWU-!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb6eb71f3-5b60-4246-af28-869b8c8970d2_1280x1280.pngLevel Change Podcasthttps://levelchangepodcast.substack.comSubstackFri, 04 Sep 2026 10:39:30 GMT<![CDATA[UFC Sacramento - Just the picks, Jack!]]>https://levelchangepodcast.substack.com/p/ufc-sacramento-just-the-picks-jackhttps://levelchangepodcast.substack.com/p/ufc-sacramento-just-the-picks-jackSat, 22 Aug 2026 03:17:20 GMTUFC Sacramento is an ugly card. With just a single ranked fight and three ranked fighters in total, it bears all hallmarks of an event built for fans that the UFC hates. Thirteen fighters hailing from the Contender Series and a quartet of debuts for an on-the-road fight night is pretty much throwing the bird to the fine folks in California that will attend this show.

Now we all know that cards like these tend to deliver action, but is it quality action? That’s the question that always makes me feel like my fandom is waning. In any event, I’ll watch, I’ll complain, and I’ll do it again next week. For now, I’ll wish you well in your picks and hope you all have a great weekend!

This is our shameless plea for you to consider becoming a paid subscriber. It really does help us keep the show going in these financially difficult times.

UFC Sacramento Bouts

  • Anthony Hernandez vs. Gregory Rodrigues 185 lbs

  • Serghei Spivac vs. Vitor Petrino 265 lbs

  • Reinier de Ridder vs. Roman Dolidze 205 lbs

  • MarQuel Mederos vs. Mason Jones 155 lbs

  • Carli Judice vs. Jeisla Chaves 125 lbs

  • Anthony Wint vs. Terrance Chatman 265 lbs

  • Jamall Emmers vs. Lerryan Douglas 145 lbs

  • Shamil Gaziev vs. Kennedy Nzechukwu 265 lbs

  • Nasrat Haqparast vs. Chris Padilla 155 lbs

  • Márcio Barbosa vs. Ryan Kuse 145 lbs

  • Gauge Young vs. Stan Dorsainvil 155 lbs

  • Jackson McVey vs. Wes Schultz 185 lbs

  • Shanelle Dyer vs. Elise Reed 115 lbs

Stephie’s Picks

  • Hernandez

  • Spivac

  • De Ridder

  • Jones

  • Judice

  • Wint

  • Douglas

  • Gaziev

  • Haqparast

  • Barbosa

  • Young

  • McVey

  • Dyer

Victor’s Picks

  • Rodrigues

  • Spivac

  • De Ridder

  • Jones

  • Judice

  • Wint

  • Emmers

  • Nzechukwu

  • Haqparast

  • Kuse

  • Dorsainvil

  • Schultz

  • Dyer

UFC Sacramento Fun Factoids

  • Ranked Fights: 1

  • Ranked Fighters: 3

  • Fighters coming off losses: 6

  • Contender Series Alumni: 13

  • TUF Alumni: 0

  • Road to UFC Alumni: 0

  • Debut: 4

We sincerely hope you enjoy listening and that you’ll give us your patronage with a subscription. If you have questions, comments or suggestions, please feel free to reach out. Thank you all so very much. We appreciate every one of you.

]]><![CDATA[UFC 330 - Just the picks, Jack!]]>https://levelchangepodcast.substack.com/p/ufc-330-just-the-picks-jackhttps://levelchangepodcast.substack.com/p/ufc-330-just-the-picks-jackSat, 15 Aug 2026 11:55:01 GMTUFC 330 has a few interesting fights, two of them being the main and co-main events—which are also title bouts—but by and large, it’s not a particularly good looking card. The matchmaking is wackadoodle and the stats are pretty underwhelming. I’ll watch, but with open contempt for the promotion that has a death grip on the sport but refuses to show that they’re a $40B company capable of so much more.

Victor is on vacation in the lovely Dominican Republic, so in the interest of him enjoying that precious time with his family, we’re just making picks today. We will very likely throw out an extra show when he gets back. For now, I’ll wish you well in your picks and hope you all have a great weekend!

This is our shameless plea for you to consider becoming a paid subscriber. It really does help us keep the show going in these financially difficult times.

UFC 330 Bouts

  • Islam Makhachev vs. Ian Machado Garry 170 lbs

  • Mackenzie Dern vs. Gillian Robertson 115 lbs

  • Jalin Turner vs. Kauê Fernandes 155 lbs

  • Mansur Abdul-Malik vs. Dustin Stoltzfus 185 lbs

  • Edson Barboza vs. Esteban Ribovics 155 lbs

  • Chidi Njokuani vs. Joel Alvarez 170 lbs

  • Charles Johnson vs. Eduardo Chapolin 125 lbs

  • Donte Johnson vs. Eric McConico 185 lbs

  • Vicente Luque vs. Tresean Gore 185 lbs

  • Rafael Tobias vs. Lucas Fernando 205 lbs

  • Neil Magny vs. Ramiz Brahimaj 170 lbs

  • Jeremiah Wells vs. Myktybek Orolbai 170 lbs

Stephie’s Picks

  • Makhachev

  • Dern

  • Fernandes

  • Abdul-Malik

  • Ribovics

  • Alvarez

  • C. Johnson

  • D. Johnson

  • Gore

  • Tobias

  • Magny

  • Orolbai

Victor’s Picks

  • Makhachev

  • Dern

  • Fernandes

  • Abdul-Malik

  • Barboza

  • Alvarez

  • C. Johnson

  • D. Johnson

  • Luque

  • Fernando

  • Magny

  • Orolbai

UFC Vegas 330 Fun Factoids

  • Ranked Fights: 2

  • Ranked Fighters: 4

  • Fighters coming off losses: 10

  • Contender Series Alumni: 9

  • TUF Alumni: 5

  • Road to UFC Alumni: 0

  • Debut: 1

We sincerely hope you enjoy listening and that you’ll give us your patronage with a subscription. If you have questions, comments or suggestions, please feel free to reach out. Thank you all so very much. We appreciate every one of you.

]]><![CDATA[UFC Vegas 120 - Just the picks, Jack!]]>https://levelchangepodcast.substack.com/p/ufc-vegas-120-just-the-picks-jackhttps://levelchangepodcast.substack.com/p/ufc-vegas-120-just-the-picks-jackSat, 08 Aug 2026 05:12:29 GMTUFC Vegas 120 is kind of a dismal card. We have some oldsters in there hoping to chalk up a win, but they’re paired off with certified killers (looking at you Darren Elkins). Then we have the assembly line approach to matchmaking, where they just throw together any two names from a division’s lowest tier and toss them together.

The stats are pretty awful, as well. Twelve fighters hailing from the Contender Series—and not all of them won their fights over there. Twelve fighters coming off losses, and 5 debuts. At least they’ve stuffed all this mediocrity where it belongs, at the Apex.

Now that I’ve thoroughly depressed you about the state of the UFC, I’ll wish you well in your picks and we hope you all have a great weekend!

This is our shameless plea for you to consider becoming a paid subscriber. It really does help us keep the show going in these financially difficult times.

UFC Vegas 120 Bouts

  • Mateusz Gamrot vs. Quillan Salkilld 155 lbs
    Stephie: Salkilld Victor: Gamrot

  • Billy Quarantillo vs. Diego Ferreira 155 lbs
    Stephie: Ferreira Victor: Quarantillo

  • Amanda Lemos vs. Alexia Thainara 115 lbs
    Stephie: Thainara Victor: Thainara

  • Ty Miller vs. Billy Ray Goff 170 lbs
    Stephie: Miller Victor: Goff

  • Darren Elkins vs. Yadier del Valle 145 lbs
    Stephie: Del Valle Victor: Elkins

  • Steven Asplund vs. Guilherme Pat 265 lbs
    Stephie: Asplund Victor: Pat

  • Juliana Miller vs. Ravena Oliveira 125 lbs
    Stephie: Miller Victor: Miller

  • José Montanha vs. Louie Sutherland 265 lbs
    Stephie: Montanha Victor: Montanha

  • Diyar Nurgozhay vs. Bruno Lopes 205 lbs
    Stephie: Nurgozhay Victor: Nurgozhay

  • Miles Johns vs. Gianni Vasquez 135 lbs
    Stephie: Johns Victor: Johns

  • Manoel Sousa vs. Richie Miranda 155 lbs
    Stephie: Sousa Victor: Sousa

  • Gigi Canuto vs. Carol Foro 115 lbs
    Stephie: Canuto Victor: Foro

UFC Vegas 120 Fun Factoids

  • Ranked Fights: 2

  • Ranked Fighters: 4

  • Fighters coming off losses: 12

  • Contender Series Alumni: 12

  • TUF Alumni: 1

  • Road to UFC Alumni: 0

  • Debut: 5

We sincerely hope you enjoy listening and that you’ll give us your patronage with a subscription. If you have questions, comments or suggestions, please feel free to reach out. Thank you all so very much. We appreciate every one of you.

]]><![CDATA[UFC Belgrade - Just the picks, Jack!]]>https://levelchangepodcast.substack.com/p/ufc-belgrade-just-the-picks-jackhttps://levelchangepodcast.substack.com/p/ufc-belgrade-just-the-picks-jackSat, 01 Aug 2026 05:58:50 GMTUFC Belgrade is not a good card, but the hope is that with all the fresh talent, we’ll get a look at some up-and-comers that might be worth paying attention to. And with EIGHT debuting fighters, there’s no shortage of new faces.

There are only two ranked fights and five ranked fighters on this 14-bout card, so the bar is pretty low, once again. The interest for most is seeing how D-Rod will do after his nearly-year-long stint in a Mexican jail. Hearing him discuss what the food was like and how much he wasted away makes me wonder how his return will be.

Only one way to find out, WATCH! Hope you all have a great weekend!

This is our shameless plea for you to consider becoming a paid subscriber. It really does help us keep the show going in these financially difficult times.

UFC Belgrade Bouts

  • Uros Medic vs. Daniel Rodriguez 170 lbs
    Stephie: Medic Victor: Medic

  • Jan Błachowicz vs. Navajo Stirling 205 lbs
    Stephie: Stirling Victor: Stirling

  • Marcin Tybura vs. Aleksandar Rakić 265 lbs
    Stephie: Rakić Victor: Rakić

  • Dusko Todorović vs. Robert Valentin 185 lbs
    Stephie: Valentin Victor: Todorović

  • Vlasto Čepo vs. Gilbert Urbina 185 lbs
    Stephie: Čepo Victor: Čepo

  • Miloš Janičić vs. Noah Gugnon 155 lbs
    Stephie: Gugnon Victor: Gugnon

  • Ľudovít Klein vs. Tofiq Musayev 155 lbs
    Stephie: Musayev Victor: Musayev

  • Michael Oliveira vs. Oban Elliott 170 lbs
    Stephie: Oliveira Victor: (missed pick)

  • Mark Vologdin vs. Borislav Nikolić 135 lbs
    Stephie: Nikolić Victor: Nikolić

  • Bogdan Grad vs. Dennis Buzukja 145 lbs
    Stephie: Grad Victor: Buzukja

  • Mateusz Rębecki vs. Kyle Prepolec 155 lbs
    Stephie: Rębecki Victor: Rębecki

  • Nina Milošević vs. Hailey Cowan 135 lbs
    Stephie: Mikosević Victor: Mikosević

  • Jovan Leka vs. Alexander Poppeck 265 lbs
    Stephie: Poppeck Victor: Poppeck

  • Marina Spasić vs. Stephanie Luciano 115 lbs
    Stephie: Luciano Victor: Spasić

UFC Belgrade Fun Factoids

  • Ranked Fights: 2

  • Ranked Fighters: 5

  • Fighters coming off losses: 8

  • Contender Series Alumni: 12

  • TUF Alumni: 2

  • Road to UFC Alumni: 0

  • Debut: 8

We sincerely hope you enjoy listening and that you’ll give us your patronage with a subscription. If you have questions, comments or suggestions, please feel free to reach out. Thank you all so very much. We appreciate every one of you.

]]><![CDATA[Hawaiian Sunset: UFC 329 preview | Ep. 410]]>https://levelchangepodcast.substack.com/p/hawaiian-sunset-ufc-329-preview-ephttps://levelchangepodcast.substack.com/p/hawaiian-sunset-ufc-329-preview-epSat, 11 Jul 2026 00:31:13 GMTAh, yes. A little eating of crow is in order here. We were wrong (maybe) about Conor McGregor never fighting again in the UFC. But is this the type of fight he has any true hope of winning and looking good in?

Also, Gable Steveson is on this card making his UFC debut in a disgusting squash match. So that’s two guys with weird assault cases on one card. At least the action is solid for so much of the other fights. We’re eating good on this one, kids. Especially at 155 and under with some true bangers strewn about.

UFC 329 Main Card

  • Conor McGregor vs. Max Holloway 170 lbs

  • Benoit Saint Denis vs. Paddy Pimblett 155 lbs

  • Cory Sandhagen vs. Mario Bautista 135 lbs

  • Brandon Royval vs. Lone’er Kavanagh 125 lbs

  • King Green vs. Terrance McKinney 155 lbs

  • Robert Whittaker vs. Nikita Krylov 205 lbs

  • Gable Steveson vs. Elisha Ellison 265 lbs

  • Cody Garbrandt vs. Adrian Yanez 135 lbs

  • Kai Kamaka III vs. Luke Riley 145 lbs

  • Tracy Cortez vs. Cong Wang 125 lbs

  • Damian Pinas vs. César Almeida 185 lbs

  • Farid Basharat vs. John Garza 135 lbs

  • Ryan Gandra vs. Zach Reese 185 lbs

  • Cody Durden vs. Alessandro Costa 125 lbs

UFC 329 Fun Factoids

  • Ranked Fights: 4

  • Ranked Fighters: 10

  • Fighters coming off losses: 10

  • Contender Series Alumni: 9

  • TUF Alumni: 2

  • Road to UFC Alumni: 1

  • Debut: 2

    We would love it if you would become a paid subscriber to our show. This helps us keep the lights on!

]]><![CDATA[Breaking Backs in Baku, Baby: Fiziev vs Torres preview | Ep. 409]]>https://levelchangepodcast.substack.com/p/breaking-backs-in-baku-baby-fizievhttps://levelchangepodcast.substack.com/p/breaking-backs-in-baku-baby-fizievFri, 26 Jun 2026 19:49:30 GMTThe UFC makes its way to Azerbaijan to have a bunch of fun fights, including some squashes. And even the squashes have potential for fun! Dip in as we break down what to expect and who should be triumphant for this one, it’s got some promise.

UFC Baku Main Card

  • Rafael Fiziev vs. Manuel Torres 155 lbs

  • Michel Pereira vs. Shara Magomedov 185 lbs

  • Nazim Sadykhov vs. Matheus Camilo 155 lbs

  • Asu Almabayev vs. Charles Johnson 125 lbs

  • Brunno Ferreira vs. Ikram Aliskerov 185 lbs

  • Abus Magomedov vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk 185 lbs

  • Farman Hasanov vs. Eric Nolan 170 lbs

  • Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev vs. Julius Walker 205 lbs

  • Nursulton Ruziboev vs. Andrey Pulyaev 185 lbs

  • Kaan Ofli vs. Javier Reyes 145 lbs

  • Daniil Donchenko vs. Theodor Berggren 170 lbs

  • Bekzat Almakhan vs. Jean Matsumoto 135 lbs

  • Tahir Abdullayev vs. Jefferson Nascimento 170 lbs

UFC Baku Fun Factoids

  • Ranked Fights: 2

  • Ranked Fighters: 4

  • Fighters coming off losses: 9

  • Contender Series Alumni: 8

  • TUF Alumni: 2

  • Road to UFC Alumni: 0

  • Debut: 4

    We would love it if you would become a paid subscriber to our show. This helps us keep the lights on!

]]><![CDATA[UFC Vegas 119 - Just the picks, Jack!]]>https://levelchangepodcast.substack.com/p/ufc-vegas-119-just-the-picks-jackhttps://levelchangepodcast.substack.com/p/ufc-vegas-119-just-the-picks-jackFri, 19 Jun 2026 20:21:15 GMTUFC Vegas 119 isn’t terrible. That’s the best I can do. The main event is a banger. The featured prelim is also a good one. Then you get a whole lot of lateral movement with very little impact as far as rankings go. There’s not a lot of meat to pick from this carcass.

There are two ranked fights and five ranked fighters. There isn’t a lopsided percentage of fighters coming off losses, either. I guess I’m just marveling at some of the weird matchmaking. Like, what is Michael Aswell Jr. vs. Gaston Bolaños going to achieve? Navajo Stirling has been fighting Ion Cutelaba-caliber fighters literally his entire UFC run. Why not give this amazingly talented young man a slightly bigger step up?

We sincerely apologize for having to beg off this week’s episode, but we’ve made our picks for those who keep up. We’ll be back to normal next week. Hope you all have a great weekend!

This is our shameless plea for you to consider becoming a paid subscriber. It really does help us keep the show going in these financially difficult times.

UFC Vegas 119 Bouts

  • Manel Kape vs. Kyoji Horiguchi 125 lbs
    Stephie: Horiguchi Victor: Horiguchi

  • Ion Cutelaba vs. Navajo Stirling 205 lbs
    Stephie: Stirling Victor: Stirling

  • Christian Rodriguez vs. Hyder Amil 145 lbs
    Stephie: Amil Victor: Rodriguez

  • André Lima vs. Kevin Borjas 125 lbs
    Stephie: Lima Victor: Lima

  • Melsik Baghdasaryan vs. Murtazali Magomedov 145 lbs
    Stephie: Magomedov Victor: Magomedov

  • Vinicius Oliveira vs. Andre Fili 145 lbs
    Stephie: Oliveira Victor: Oliveira

  • Bia Mesquita vs. Melissa Mullins 135 lbs
    Stephie: Mesquita Victor: Mesquita

  • Mitch Raposo vs. Allan Nascimento 125 lbs
    Stephie: Nascimento Victor: Nascimento

  • Michael Aswell Jr. vs. Gaston Bolaños 145 lbs
    Stephie: Aswell Jr. Victor: Bolaños

  • Karol Rosa vs. Luana Santos 135 lbs
    Stephie: Santos Victor: Rosa

  • Leon Shahbazyan vs. Levan Chokheli 170 lbs
    Stephie: Chokheli Victor: Chokheli

  • Shane Collins vs. Otari Tanzilovi 145 lbs
    Stephie: Collins Victor: Otari

UFC Vegas 119 Fun Factoids

  • Ranked Fights: 2

  • Ranked Fighters: 5

  • Fighters coming off losses: 9

  • Contender Series Alumni: 12

  • TUF Alumni: 0

  • Road to UFC Alumni: 0

  • Debut: 3

We sincerely hope you enjoy listening and that you’ll give us your patronage with a subscription. If you have questions, comments or suggestions, please feel free to reach out. Thank you all so very much. We appreciate every one of you.

]]><![CDATA[Naked Corruption: UFC Freedom 250 preview | Ep. 408]]>https://levelchangepodcast.substack.com/p/naked-corruption-ufc-freedom-250https://levelchangepodcast.substack.com/p/naked-corruption-ufc-freedom-250Fri, 12 Jun 2026 17:45:59 GMTShout out to the troops, unless they’re short, fat or injured. We’ve got the skinny on what kinds of corruption is surrounding this event, despite the quality of some of the bouts on it. For even more context, you can check out Stephie’s breakdown with dastardly scoundrel John Nash over at Hey Not The Face.

Be sure to check out Luke Thomas’ conversation with Karim Zidan right here, as well as Luke’s talk with Pablo Torre over here.

UFC Freedom 250 Card

  • Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje 155 lbs

  • Alex Pereira vs. Ciryl Gane 265 lbs

  • Sean O’Malley vs. Aiemann Zahabi 135 lbs

  • Derrick Lewis vs. Josh Hokit 265 lbs

  • Mauricio Ruffy vs. Michael Chandler 155 lbs

  • Bo Nickal vs. Kyle Daukaus 185 lbs

  • Diego Lopes vs. Steve Garcia 145 lbs

UFC Freedom 250 Fun Factoids

  • Ranked Fights: 5

  • Ranked Fighters: 11

  • Fighters coming off losses: 3 + 1 NC

  • Contender Series Alumni: 7

  • TUF Alumni: 0

  • Road to UFC Alumni: 0

  • Debut: 0

    We would love it if you would become a paid subscriber to our show. This helps us keep the lights on!

]]><![CDATA[When In Doubt, Pick The Korean Dude: UFC Song vs Figuereido preview | Ep. 407]]>https://levelchangepodcast.substack.com/p/when-in-doubt-pick-the-korean-dudehttps://levelchangepodcast.substack.com/p/when-in-doubt-pick-the-korean-dudeSat, 30 May 2026 00:08:39 GMTThis week, we get deep into the weeds of television and film before diving into what appears to be a very good card on its face… until you realize there’s actually quite a few gimmies and squash matches in the mix.

That’s not to say there isn’t any potential for action. There’s plenty of that, and there’s some really strange business going on with the odds. Not sure what that’s about, but we did have an unexpected amount of fun breaking this down for all of you.

UFC Macao Main Card

  • Yadong Song vs. Deiveson Figueiredo 135 lbs

  • Mingyang Zhang vs. Alonzo Menifield 205 lbs

  • Sergei Pavlovich vs. Tallison Teixeira 265 lbs

  • Kai Asakura vs. Cameron Smotherman 135 lbs

  • Jake Matthews vs. Carlston Harris 170 lbs

  • Alex Perez vs. Sumudaerji 125 lbs

  • Luis Felipe Dias vs. Yi Sak Lee 185 lbs

  • Meng Ding vs. José Henrique 170 lbs

  • Aoriqileng vs. Cody Haddon 135 lbs

  • Rei Tsuruya vs. Luis Gurule 135 lbs

  • Angela Hill vs. Jingnan Xiong 115 lbs

  • Kangjie Zhu vs. Rodrigo Vera 145 lbs

  • Loma Lookboonmee vs. Jacqueline Amorim 115 lbs

UFC Macao Fun Factoids

  • Ranked Fights: 2

  • Ranked Fighters: 7

  • Fighters coming off losses: 12

  • Contender Series Alumni: 8

  • TUF Alumni: 2

  • Road to UFC Alumni: 3

  • Debut: 6

We would love it if you would become a paid subscriber to our show. This helps us keep the lights on!

]]><![CDATA[Sumo Stompin' with Tim Edwards: 12 days of Natsu Basho | Ep. 406]]>https://levelchangepodcast.substack.com/p/sumo-stompin-with-tim-edwards-12https://levelchangepodcast.substack.com/p/sumo-stompin-with-tim-edwards-12Fri, 22 May 2026 12:03:15 GMTToday’s episode is a return to the world of Sumo and Tim Edwards is back to take us through the first 12 days of the Natsu Basho. He goes through all the highlights and the low points from the tournament, and gives excellent critical analysis of how the leaders are faring. He also takes us through the low points, especially the many injuries that have occurred. Make sure to visit Tim’s website, Sumo Stomp, where you can find daily updates of the 15-day event that include results, videos, GIFs, and analysis of all the matches. We hope you enjoy the show!

We would love it if you would become a paid subscriber to our show. This helps us keep the lights on!

]]><![CDATA[Daniel Santos... Secret North Korean? | MVP MMA and Allen vs Costa Preview | Ep. 405]]>https://levelchangepodcast.substack.com/p/daniel-santos-secret-north-koreanhttps://levelchangepodcast.substack.com/p/daniel-santos-secret-north-koreanFri, 15 May 2026 22:06:55 GMTThe UFC has some solid prospect bouts in the Apex this week, all mixed up in the same bowl as some stinkers. But at least the quality bouts outweigh the bad ones. Featherweight ranks will be sorted out in the main event while other talents look to stand out from the pack in this one.

But that’s not all! MVP MMA is on Netflix with Rousey vs Carano, Nate Diaz vs Mike Perry, and Francis Ngannou vs Philippe Lins. Salahdine Parnasse will also be shining on this card as the MVP MMA maiden voyage takes off from Inglewood, CA.

UFC Vegas 117 Main Card

  • Arnold Allen vs. Melquizael Costa 145 lbs

  • Doo Ho Choi vs. Daniel Santos 145 lbs

  • Malcolm Wellmaker vs. Juan Díaz 135 lbs

  • Modestas Bukauskas vs. Christian Edwards 215 lbs

  • Timmy Cuamba vs. Benardo Sopaj 135 lbs

  • Nikolay Veretennikov vs. Khaos Williams 170 lbs

  • Tuco Tokkos vs. Ivan Erslan 205 lbs

  • Tommy Gantt vs. Artur Minev 155 lbs

  • Ketlen Vieira vs. Jacqueline Cavalcanti 135 lbs

  • Andre Petroski vs. Cody Brundage 185 lbs

  • Alice Ardelean vs. Polyana Viana 115 lbs

  • Daniel Barez vs. Luis Gurule 125 lbs

  • Shauna Bannon vs. Nicolle Caliari 115 lbs

UFC Vegas Fun Factoids

  • Ranked Fights: 2

  • Ranked Fighters: 4

  • Fighters coming off losses: 13

  • Contender Series Alumni: 7

  • TUF Alumni: 1

  • Road to UFC Alumni: 1

  • Debut: 4

We would love it if you would become a paid subscriber to our show. This helps us keep the lights on!

]]><![CDATA[Sumo Stompin' with Tim Edwards + UFC 328 predictions | Ep. 404]]>https://levelchangepodcast.substack.com/p/sumo-stompin-with-tim-edwards-ufchttps://levelchangepodcast.substack.com/p/sumo-stompin-with-tim-edwards-ufcFri, 08 May 2026 19:29:37 GMTToday’s episode is a return to the world of Sumo and Tim Edwards is back to give us a review of the last tournament. He goes through all the highlights and the low points from the basho, and gives excellent critical analysis of how the winner did. Then, he gives us a preview of the upcoming Natsu Basho, including some predictions for the summer tourney. Make sure to visit Tim’s website, Sumo Stomp, where you can find daily updates of the 15-day event that include results, videos, GIFs, and analysis of all the matches.

Victor & I didn’t record today, but we did make our picks for UFC 328, which you can see below. If you, for some insane reason, use our picks to guide you, we haven’t let you down. Make sure to tune in next week, as Tim will be back to give us a mid-basho update. We hope you enjoy the show!

UFC Perth Main Card

  • Khamzat Chimaev vs. Sean Strickland 185 lbs
    Stephie: Chimaev Victor: Chimaev

  • Joshua Van vs. Tatsuro Taira 125 lbs
    Stephie: Taira Victor: Van

  • Alexander Volkov vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta 265 lbs
    Stephie: Cortes-Acosta Victor: Volkov

  • Sean Brady vs. Joaquin Buckley 170 lbs
    Stephie: Brady Victor: Brady

  • King Green vs. Jeremy Stephens 155 lbs
    Stephie: Green Victor: Green

  • Ateba Gautier vs. Ozzy Diaz 185 lbs
    Stephie: Gautier Victor: Diaz

  • Joel Alvarez vs. Yaroslav Amosov 170 lbs
    Stephie: Alvarez Victor: Alvarez

  • Grant Dawson vs. Mateusz Rębecki 155 lbs
    Stephie: Dawson Victor: Rebecki

  • Jim Miller vs. Jared Gordon 155 lbs
    Stephie: Gordon Victor: Gordon

  • Roman Kopylov vs. Marco Tulio 185 lbs
    Stephie: Tulio Victor: Kopylov

  • Pat Sabatini vs. William Gomis 145 lbs
    Stephie: Sabatini Victor: Sabatini

  • Baisangur Susurkaev vs. Djorden Santos 185 lbs
    Stephie: Susurkaev Victor: Susurkaev

  • Clayton Carpenter vs. Jose Ochoa 125 lbs
    Stephie: Ochoa Victor: Ochoa

UFC Perth Fun Factoids

  • Ranked Fights: 4

  • Ranked Fighters: 9

  • Fighters coming off losses: 11

  • Contender Series Alumni: 9

  • TUF Alumni: 0

  • Road to UFC Alumni: 0

  • Debut: 0

We would love it if you would become a paid subscriber to our show. This helps us keep the lights on!

]]><![CDATA[All Apexes Are Bastards - UFC Perth Preview | Ep. 403]]>https://levelchangepodcast.substack.com/p/all-apexes-are-bastards-ufc-perthhttps://levelchangepodcast.substack.com/p/all-apexes-are-bastards-ufc-perthFri, 01 May 2026 16:37:15 GMTAustralia gets some scraps, but it feels like they’re getting the scraps. Not to say there isn’t some talent to keep an eye on, but it’s a little dismal. At least we’ve got a banging main event, along with some cool prospects. This truly feels like a card where the sausage is made, with some solid younger cats getting an opportunity to build as they get moved along, which is rather rare these days. Just don’t expect it to be pretty.

We’ve also got some entertainment talk, along with Stephie’s frustration with Charlize Theron’s Netflix mess of a movie. That fiasco is Apex, and it sounds awful despite the talent involved.

UFC Perth Main Card

  • Jack Della Maddalena vs. Carlos Prates 170 lbs

  • Beneil Dariush vs. Quillan Salkilld 155 lbs

  • Tim Elliott vs. Steve Erceg 125 lbs

  • Marwan Rahiki vs. Ollie Schmid 145 lbs

  • Shamil Gaziev vs. Brando Peričić 265 lbs

  • Tai Tuivasa vs. Louie Sutherland 265 lbs

  • Cam Rowston vs. Robert Bryczek 185 lbs

  • Junior Tafa vs. Kevin Christian 205 lbs

  • Jacob Malkoun vs. Gerald Meerschaert 185 lbs

  • Colby Thicknesse vs. Vince Morales 135 lbs

  • Wes Schultz vs. Ben Johnston 185 lbs

  • Jonathan Micallef vs. Themba Gorimbo 170 lbs

  • Kody Steele vs. Dom Mar Fan 155 lbs

UFC Perth Fun Factoids

  • Ranked Fights: 2

  • Ranked Fighters: 6

  • Fighters coming off losses: 12

  • Contender Series Alumni: 9

  • TUF Alumni: 2

  • Road to UFC Alumni: 1

  • Debut: 2

We would love it if you would become a paid subscriber to our show. This helps us keep the lights on!

]]><![CDATA[UFC Vegas 116 - Just the picks, Jack!]]>https://levelchangepodcast.substack.com/p/ufc-vegas-116-just-the-picks-jackhttps://levelchangepodcast.substack.com/p/ufc-vegas-116-just-the-picks-jackSat, 25 Apr 2026 05:58:20 GMTUFC Vegas 116 isn’t the worst card we’ve seen at the Apex, but it isn’t the best either, not by a country mile. The stats are decent enough and we do get a couple ranked fights, it just feels very ho-hum. In the main event, we’ve got a genuinely good bout between two Top Ten contenders in Aljamain Sterling vs. Youssef Zalal, and the co-main features Norma Dumont vs. Joselyne Edwards, our other ranked bout.

After that, we experience a bit of a dropoff, but again, this isn’t as bad as we’ve seen in the past. The card is very top heavy with the majority of the good contests on the main card. However, there are a couple fights that caught our eye, namely Jafel Filho vs. Cody Durden and Francis Marshall vs. Lucas Brennan.

*Note: Victor somehow missed the last four fights. I’ll update his picks if he gets them in to me on time.

**Note #2: Victor got his picks in! (Time: 12:35pm CST)

We sincerely apologize for having to beg off this week’s episode, but we’ve made our picks for those who keep up. We’ll be back to normal next week. Hope you all have a great weekend!

This is our shameless plea for you to consider becoming a paid subscriber. It really does help us keep the show going in these financially difficult times.

UFC Vegas 116 Bouts

  • Aljamain Sterling vs. Youssef Zalal 145 lbs
    Stephie: Zalal Victor: Sterling

  • Norma Dumont vs. Joselyne Edwards 135 lbs
    Stephie: Dumont Victor: Dumont

  • Rafa García vs. Alexander Hernandez 155 lbs
    Stephie: Hernandez Victor: Hernandez

  • Davey Grant vs. Adrian Luna Martinetti 135 lbs
    Stephie: Grant Victor: Grant

  • Montel Jackson vs. Raoni Barcelos 135 lbs
    Stephie: Barcelos Victor: Jackson

  • Marcus Buchecha vs. Ryan Spann 265 lbs
    Stephie: Buchecha Victor: Buchecha

  • Rodolfo Vieira vs. Eric McConico 185 lbs
    Stephie: Vieira Victor: Vieira

  • Sedriques Dumas vs. Jackson McVey 185 lbs
    Stephie: McVey Victor: McVey

  • Mayra Bueno Silva vs. Michelle Montague 135 lbs
    Stephie: Montague Victor: Montague

  • Jafel Filho vs. Cody Durden 135 lbs
    Stephie: Filho Victor: Filho

  • Francis Marshall vs. Lucas Brennan 155 lbs
    Stephie: Marshall Victor: Marshall

  • Max Griffin vs. Victor Valenzuela 170 lbs
    Stephie: Valenzuela Victor: Griffin

  • Talita Alencar vs. Julia Polastri 115 lbs
    Stephie: Polastri Victor: Alencar

UFC Vegas 116 Fun Factoids

  • Ranked Fights: 2

  • Ranked Fighters: 6

  • Fighters coming off losses: 9 (+ 1 draw)

  • Contender Series Alumni: 10

  • TUF Alumni: 1

  • Road to UFC Alumni: 0

  • Debut: 3

We sincerely hope you enjoy listening and that you’ll give us your patronage with a subscription. If you have questions, comments or suggestions, please feel free to reach out. Thank you all so very much. We appreciate every one of you.

]]><![CDATA[No New Hollywood Stars? - UFC Winnipeg Preview | Ep. 402]]>https://levelchangepodcast.substack.com/p/no-new-hollywood-stars-ufc-winnipeghttps://levelchangepodcast.substack.com/p/no-new-hollywood-stars-ufc-winnipegFri, 17 Apr 2026 20:14:56 GMTWinnipeg once again is subjected to the UFC curse of underwhelming events, as Western Canada fails to lift the spell put upon it centuries ago by sorceress Kim Winslow.

Somehow we get an uneven ranking main event and only one actual ranked fight. The action potential is kind of there, but it’s otherwise slim pickings. Still some nice fighters to watch on this, even if it’s the least consequential card in a while.

And yes, The Miniature Wife still sounds like a 30 Rock sketch to me.

UFC Winnipeg Full Card

  • Gilbert Burns vs. Mike Malott 170 lbs

  • Kyler Phillips vs. Charles Jourdain 135 lbs

  • Mandel Nallo vs. Jai Herbert 155 lbs

  • Jasmine Jasudavicius vs. Karine Silva 125 lbs

  • Thiago Moisés vs. Gauge Young 155 lbs

  • Dennis Buzukja vs. Márcio Barbosa 145 lbs

  • Robert Valentin vs. Julien Leblanc 185 lbs

  • Tanner Boser vs. Gokhan Saricam 265 lbs

  • Melissa Croden vs. Darya Zheleznyakova 135 lbs

  • JJ Aldrich vs. Jamey-Lyn Horth 125 lbs

  • Mitch Raposo vs. Allan Nascimento 125 lbs

  • John Castañeda vs. Mark Vologdin 135 lbs

  • Jamie Siraj vs. John Yannis 135 lbs

UFC Winnipeg Fun Factoids

  • Ranked Fights: 1

  • Ranked Fighters: 4

  • Fighters coming off losses: 12

  • Contender Series Alumni: 10

  • TUF Alumni: 3

  • Road to UFC Alumni: 0

  • Debut: 7

We would love it if you would become a paid subscriber to our show. This helps us keep the lights on!

]]><![CDATA[Splashing Down To A Great Event - UFC 327 Preview | Ep. 401]]>https://levelchangepodcast.substack.com/p/splashing-down-to-a-great-event-ufchttps://levelchangepodcast.substack.com/p/splashing-down-to-a-great-event-ufcSat, 11 Apr 2026 01:53:39 GMTMiami, a city that does not deserve good things, gets an honest-to-goodness amazing UFC event this weekend. The dumbest, laziest, and most evil president of all time will be there, so that will be their penance for it. Except the hogs in attendance will sop it up, because they love the piss they are served.

Not us, though! We continue to celebrate the Artemis mission and heap praise upon a marvelous event (on paper) that should totally deliver in practice. Also, Stephie really enjoyed Paradise, which I really need to watch.

UFC 327 Main Card

  • Jiří Procházka vs. Carlos Ulberg 205 lbs

  • Azamat Murzakanov vs. Paulo Costa 205 lbs

  • Curtis Blaydes vs. Josh Hokit 265 lbs

  • Dominick Reyes vs. Johnny Walker 205 lbs

  • Cub Swanson vs. Nate Landwehr 145 lbs

  • Patricio Pitbull vs. Aaron Pico 145 lbs

  • Kevin Holland vs. Randy Brown 170 lbs

  • Mateusz Gamrot vs. Esteban Ribovics 155 lbs

  • Tatiana Suarez vs. Lupita Godinez 115 lbs

  • MarQuel Mederos vs. Chris Padilla 155 lbs

  • Kelvin Gastelum vs. Vicente Luque 185 lbs

  • Charles Radtke vs. Francisco Prado 170 lbs

UFC 327 Fun Factoids

  • Ranked Fights: 4

  • Ranked Fighters: 11

  • Fighters coming off losses: 8

  • Contender Series Alumni: 7

  • TUF Alumni: 3

  • Road to UFC Alumni: 0

  • Debut: 0

We would love it if you would become a paid subscriber to our show. This helps us keep the lights on!

]]><![CDATA[Surpassing The Nut Quota: UFC Vegas 115 preview | Ep. 400]]>https://levelchangepodcast.substack.com/p/surpassing-the-nut-quota-ufc-vegashttps://levelchangepodcast.substack.com/p/surpassing-the-nut-quota-ufc-vegasFri, 03 Apr 2026 19:24:00 GMTHello, children! Today we rejoice at the return of the splendors of space travel! We also get to talk a bit about amazing TV like Sugar and Your Friends and Neighbors (Apple TV), Paradise and Daredevil (Hulu/Disney) and how soba noodles are made.

Plus, what the hell happened in that unhinged Deontay Wilder interview with Piers Morgan? Should you care about this weekend’s card? Sorta, in bits and places.

Also, go see the Mario Galaxy Movie. It was stupid fun all around.

UFC Vegas 115 Main Card

  • Renato Moicano vs. Chris Duncan 155 lbs

  • Virna Jandiroba vs. Tabatha Ricci 115 lbs

  • Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev vs. Brendson Ribeiro 205 lbs

  • Rafael Estevam vs. Ethyn Ewing 135 lbs

  • Tommy McMillen vs. Manolo Zecchini 145 lbs

  • Robert Ruchała vs. José Delano 145 lbs

  • Thomas Petersen vs. Guilherme Pat 265 lbs

  • Alessandro Costa vs. Stewart Nicoll 125 lbs

  • Lando Vannata vs. Darius Flowers 155 lbs

  • Hailey Cowan vs. Alice Pereira 135 lbs

  • Azamat Bekoev vs. Tresean Gore 185 lbs

  • Dione Barbosa vs. Melissa Gatto 125 lbs

  • Dakota Hope vs. Kai Kamaka III 145 lbs

UFC Vegas 115 Fun Factoids

  • Ranked Fights: 1

  • Ranked Fighters: 3

  • Fighters coming off losses: 15

  • Contender Series Alumni: 11

  • TUF Alumni: 2

  • Road to UFC Alumni: 0

  • Debut: 3

We would love it if you would become a paid subscriber to our show. This helps us keep the lights on!

]]><![CDATA[What Does Izzy Stand To Lose? UFC Fight Night: Adesanya vs Pyfer preview| Ep. 399]]>https://levelchangepodcast.substack.com/p/what-does-izzy-stand-to-lose-ufchttps://levelchangepodcast.substack.com/p/what-does-izzy-stand-to-lose-ufcSat, 28 Mar 2026 01:13:49 GMTAnother honest-to-goodness Fight Night event featuring a surging contender and a maaaaaaaaaybe fading former champ? Sign us up. Not the prettiest card on paper, but certainly some major action potential with some familiar names, and we’re hyped for it.

Also, Stephie remains bullish on Project: Hail Mary to the point where I’m sold and want to see it myself. Also, go check out Sisu: Road to Revenge on Netflix. It’s a sensational followup to the original.

UFC Seattle Main Card

  • Israel Adesanya vs. Joe Pyfer 185 lbs

  • Alexa Grasso vs. Maycee Barber 125 lbs

  • Michael Chiesa vs. Niko Price 170 lbs

  • Julian Erosa vs. Lerryan Douglas 145 lbs

  • Mansur Abdul-Malik vs. Yousri Belgaroui 185 lbs

  • Terrence McKinney vs. Kyle Nelson 155 lbs

  • Ignacio Bahamondes vs. Tofiq Musayev 155 lbs

  • Chase Hooper vs. Lance Gibson Jr. 155 lbs

  • Marcin Tybura vs. Tyrell Fortune 265 lbs

  • Casey O’Neill vs. Gabriella Fernandes 125 lbs

  • Navajo Stirling vs. Bruno Lopes 205 lbs

  • Ricky Simón vs. Adrian Yanez 135 lbs

  • Alexia Thainara vs. Bruna Brasil 115 lbs

UFC Seattle Fun Factoids

  • Ranked Fights: 3

  • Ranked Fighters: 8

  • Fighters coming off losses: 15

  • Contender Series Alumni: 12

  • TUF Alumni: 2

  • Road to UFC Alumni: 0

  • Debut: 2

We would love it if you would become a paid subscriber to our show. This helps us keep the lights on!

]]><![CDATA[Dang, We Covered A Lot Of Stuff: UFC Evloev vs. Murphy and NCAA weekend Preview | Ep. 398]]>https://levelchangepodcast.substack.com/p/dang-we-covered-a-lot-of-stuff-ufchttps://levelchangepodcast.substack.com/p/dang-we-covered-a-lot-of-stuff-ufcFri, 20 Mar 2026 18:24:22 GMTYou know how you can make a cat dart around a room with a laser pointer? That’s what this episode is. We cover movies, TV, the Afroman trial, and the best things to pick apart for this frankly lackluster London event.

I mean, really. The UFC really used to bring the heat to the rabid London crowds. Now we get a few bangers and a fair amount of chaff. But that’s OK, we get to discuss the fights that are actually great and trust us, you want to see those bouts.

ALSO! Charles Star joins us to give us an in-depth preview of this weekend’s NCAA men’s wrestling tournament. We discuss how he got into wrestling, the politics of it, the way the ecosystem plays into MMA and much more. It’s packed to the gills this week for your enjoyment.

UFC London Full Card

  • Movsar Evloev vs. Lerone Murphy 145 lbs

  • Luke Riley vs. Michael Aswell Jr. 145 lbs

  • Michael Page vs. Sam Patterson 170 lbs

  • Iwo Baraniewski vs. Austen Lane 205 lbs

  • Roman Dolidze vs. Christian Leroy Duncan 185 lbs

  • Kurtis Campbell vs. Danny Silva 145 lbs

  • Mason Jones vs. Axel Sola 155 lbs

  • Nathaniel Wood vs. Losene Keita 145 lbs

  • Mario Pinto vs. Felipe Franco 265 lbs

  • Antonio Trócoli vs. Mantas Kondratavičius 185 lbs

  • Louie Sutherland vs. Brando Peričić 265 lbs

  • Shem Rock vs. Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady 155 lbs

  • Shanelle Dyer vs. Ravena Oliveira 115 lbs

  • Melissa Mullins vs. Luana Carolina 135 lbs (cancelled bout)

UFC London Fun Factoids

  • Ranked Fights: 1

  • Ranked Fighters: 5

  • Fighters coming off losses: 11

  • Contender Series Alumni: 12

  • TUF Alumni: 0

  • Road to UFC Alumni: 0

  • Debut: 5

We would love it if you would become a paid subscriber to our show. This helps us keep the lights on!

]]><![CDATA[The Odds Keep Telling The Story Here: UFC Vegas 114 Preview | Ep. 397]]>https://levelchangepodcast.substack.com/p/the-odds-keep-telling-the-story-herehttps://levelchangepodcast.substack.com/p/the-odds-keep-telling-the-story-hereSat, 14 Mar 2026 01:10:59 GMTMookie is back! He has returned for the first time in months to regale us of what life is like outside of MMA. Frankly, it sounds rather grand. We cover the UFC/FBI crossover that becomes more absurd and grotesque the more we know about it, as well as the much-anticipated announcement of the White House card.

But not all of this is fascism watch. We cover some upcoming and underwhelming announcements and break down this weekend’s event and what we can expect from it. Have fun!

UFC Vegas 114 Full Card

  • Josh Emmett vs. Kevin Vallejos 145 lbs

  • Amanda Lemos vs. Gillian Robertson 115 lbs

  • Oumar Sy vs. Ion Cutelaba 205 lbs

  • Andre Fili vs. Jose Delgado 145 lbs

  • Marwan Rahiki vs. Harry Hardwick 145 lbs

  • Vitor Petrino vs. Steven Asplund 265 lbs

  • Bruno Silva vs. Charles Johnson 125 lbs

  • Brad Tavares vs. Eryk Anders 185 lbs

  • Chris Curtis vs. Myktybek Orolbai 170 lbs

  • Bolaji Oki vs. Manoel Sousa 155 lbs

  • Luan Lacerda vs. Hecher Sosa 135 lbs

  • Bia Mesquita vs. Montse Rendon 135 lbs

  • Elijah Smith vs. Su Young You 135 lbs

  • Piera Rodriguez vs. Sam Hughes 115 lbs

UFC Vegas 114 Fun Factoids

  • Ranked Fights: 3

  • Ranked Fighters: 7

  • Fighters coming off losses: 9

  • Contender Series Alumni: 10

  • TUF Alumni: 2

  • Road to UFC Alumni: 1

  • Debut: 3 (all 3 are straight from the Contender Series)

We would love it if you would become a paid subscriber to our show. This will give you access to our bonus content and it also helps us keep the lights on!

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