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.

Suga's star power, Sumo Stompin' and the end of an era

·34 min·2 clips

Aljamain Sterling said UFC 292 numbers were under 250,000 pay-per-views.

1. The Level Change Podcast centers on UFC 299, with Steffi Haynes and Victor Rodriguez arguing that Sean O'Malley was only one part of a much larger card. 2. Steffi hosts alongside Victor, her brother and co-host, and they frame the episode around headlines, fight breakdowns, and reaction to upcoming UFC cards. 3. The episode asks whether UFC 299 was really a Sean O'Malley event or a stacked pay-per-view built by multiple names. 4. They cite seven ranked fights, 16 ranked fighters, two debuts, and the Florida setting as reasons the card felt loaded before the main event. 5. Victor brings up Aljamain Sterling’s comments after UFC 292, including the claim that pay-per-view numbers had not even broken 250,000. 6. The discussion also mentions Eric Albarracin, Donald Trump’s frequent attendance at UFC events in Florida, and the UFC’s presentation of Trump during the broadcast. 7. Steffi and Victor return to Sean O'Malley’s win over Marlon Vera and focus on footwork, entries, exits, and bodywork. 8. They describe Vera as tough, slow to get going, and unable to build enough offense before the final stretch of the fight. 9. The conversation revisits the Petr Yan fight as another data point for O'Malley’s durability and long-term development. 10. Victor argues that O'Malley has earned a durable reputation after taking hard shots without folding. 11. The episode also includes a Dustin Poirier segment built around repeated pleas for him to stop jumping guillotines. 12. Steffi says she picks Poirier against anyone, even “Godzilla,” but asks him to rely on right hooks before chasing submissions. 13. Michael Venom Page versus Kevin Holland is treated as a flat fight, with criticism of Holland’s decision-making and Page’s cage-wide movement. 14. They note that Page’s style may be smart, but it did not produce much action against Holland. 15. Jack Della Maddalena’s win over Gilbert Burns draws praise, especially because Della Maddalena called out Shavkat Rakhmonov afterward. 16. Other UFC 299 results mentioned include Piotr Jan versus Song Yadong, Curtis Blaydes versus Jailton Almeida, Macy Barber’s win, Mateus Gamrot versus Rafael dos Anjos, and Michelle Pereira’s submission of Mikhail Oleksiychuk. 17. The tone stays conversational and opinionated, with overlapping crosstalk, jokes, and quick pivots between analysis and side remarks. 18. Steffi and Victor also use the show format to preview UFC Vegas 88 and compare its lower profile to the previous pay-per-view. 19. Listeners who want UFC card breakdowns and sharp opinions will get the most from this episode. 20. Listeners wanting tightly edited, neutral fight recaps may skip it.

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