The Level Change Podcast · Combat Sports news variety show usually previewing or reviewing the latest UFC event while covering the latest news in combat sports.

Recapping Conor McGregor's holidays + Ed Zitron interview

·1 hr 14 min·4 clips

McGregor says he is fighting Michael Chandler at International Fight Week, not UFC 300, and names 185 pounds.

1. The Level Change Podcast episode 275 centers on Conor McGregor's holidays and Victor Rodriguez's interview with Ed Zitron. 2. Steffi Haines and Victor Rodriguez host the episode, and Victor also interviews Ed Zitron of Easy PR, a writer and PR professional who covers tech and crypto. 3. The episode asks what McGregor's latest public appearances and contract talk say about the UFC, then pivots to how crypto money and sponsorships touch combat sports. 4. McGregor appears at the December 23 card in Saudi Arabia for Deontay Wilder vs. Joseph Parker and Anthony Joshua vs. Otto Wallin, and Cristiano Ronaldo sits next to him. 5. Steffi describes McGregor leaning over Ronaldo, pointing in the face of his royal host, and creating a meme overnight. 6. Gareth Davies interviews McGregor, and McGregor says the UFC is mistreating him, that Manny Pacquiao wants a fight, and that UFC 300 still has no main event. 7. Dana White responds that the UFC is talking and will work something out, while Victor argues that McGregor still benefits from repeated UFC exceptions. 8. Victor says the UFC has made concessions around USADA, promotional handling, and McGregor's legal trouble while still using him as a major draw. 9. Steffi asks Victor whether McGregor is really the most mistreated fighter in UFC history, and Victor compares him with Kong Lee, John Fitch, and other underpaid fighters. 10. McGregor later posts a selfie video saying he will reveal his next fight and then names Michael Chandler for International Fight Week rather than UFC 300. 11. Steffi notes that John Kavanagh had already mentioned Chandler in October, so the announcement sounds less like a surprise and more like a repeat. 12. McGregor says the bout is happening at 185 pounds, and the hosts spend time asking why he would need that weight class. 13. Victor points out that the UFC has not confirmed McGregor's claim, so the announcement should be treated cautiously. 14. The conversation also returns to McGregor's black belt photos, his Dolce & Gabbana-style vacation clips, and Angel that Steffi and Victor read as another round of public performance. 15. Steffi and Victor then turn to Colby Covington's Happy Dad beer ad, which they discover is tied to a Canadian brand despite its U.S. imagery. 16. Victor uses that example to compare American political branding, Canadian knock-on effects, and the way combat sports personalities sell products they do not seem to match. 17. Victor's interview with Ed Zitron opens with Zitron explaining that he started writing during COVID in late 2020 after getting sick and isolated at home. 18. Zitron says he has grown his newsletter from about 300 readers to about 22,000, and he describes his style as learning in real time while he writes. 19. The interview is loose, conversational, and technical, with Victor pushing for direct explanations of crypto.com's reserves, Binance, FTX, and UFC fighter-kit money. 20. Listeners who follow MMA business, crypto sponsorships, or fighter pay will get the most out of this episode, while listeners wanting only fight results may skip the long crypto section.

As heard by us

Fight talk, interviewing, and the UFC fighter-kit deal share the spotlight.

Level Change Podcast spends most of its time on fight news and MMA headlines, but the conversations about interviewing and newsletter writing give the episode more shape than a standard roundup.

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Why you'd press play

When you want a combat-sports variety show to turn UFC fighter-kit money into a better labor-rights argument.

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