WEIGHING IN

What's the Biggest Fight Announced in 2026?

·1 hr 31 min·5 clips
Former UFC champion Josh Thomson reacts to Dustin Poirier and Joe Rogan shouting him out on the biggest podcast.
Host Josh 'The Punk' Thomson begins by thanking Dustin Poirier and Joe Rogan for mentioning him on their podcast. He previews the weekend's PFL card, highlighting the Fabian Edwards vs. Costello van Steenis middleweight title fight and AJ McKee vs. Adam Borics. Thomson argues that PFL has top talent that could succeed in the UFC. He then shifts to UFC fight analysis, discussing bouts like Jailton Almeida vs. Alexander Volkov and Belal Muhammad vs. Benoit Saint-Denis. Thomson shares a personal story about a 2005 fight with Yves Edwards that should have been for the UFC lightweight title, but the division was cut. The conversation turns to fighter retirement, and Thomson plays a clip from Dustin Poirier's Joe Rogan interview where Poirier describes feeling depressed and lost after retiring. Thomson relates this to his own experiences and mentions Jay Glazer's Merging Vets & Players program. Guest Ben 'The Bane' joins, and they debate the Lerone Murphy vs. Movsar Evloev featherweight fight, with Ben predicting a Murphy knockout. They then analyze the business landscape, comparing the upcoming UFC 'White House' card to the MVP promotion's debut on Netflix featuring Nate Diaz, Mike Perry, Ronda Rousey, and Gina Carano. Thomson argues MVP should not try to copy the UFC's model but instead host fewer, bigger fights monthly on Netflix. He speculates about fighters like Sean O'Malley testing free agency and criticizes the UFC for signing 38-year-old Alex Pereira to an eight-fight deal. The discussion concludes with predictions that the MVP card will far outdraw the UFC event and that MVP could sign top prospects like Gable Steveson.

As heard by us

A grappler-versus-striker debate turns on the late opening Murphy might create.

WEIGHING IN frames Lerone Murphy's matchup as a live grappler-versus-striker problem, not a tidy style equation. The episode follows how three rounds of wrestling control could drain Murphy's stamina, then turns to the danger that timing, pocket exchanges, and one loose takedown…

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Why you'd press play

Want Lerone Murphy's late-round striking chance weighed against early wrestling control?

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