MMA Detective Mike Davis, Joey Venti
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MMA Det Mike Davis and Herb Dean’s Dog Sitter Joey Venti being you incredibly researched subjects that will give you information that will surprise the hardest of OG’s From the No Holds Barred to the Modern Era and everything in between: from choir boys to felon’s we interview everyone Please leave us a review on iTunes and a comment on Spotify
Based on 6 episodes we listened to · June 2026
MMA History Podcast turns early mixed martial arts into first-person sports history, with long interviews that keep careers, rules, and backstage context intact.
MMA History Podcast belongs in Sports as a plainspoken archive of mixed martial arts before it settled into its modern shape. The show is built around long interviews with people who were there, and the sampled episodes stay close to early UFC, No Holds Barred, King of the Cage,…
You want old UFC and early MMA lore argued like everyone still has hand wraps on.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A 2025 year-in-review MMA history hangout that stays grounded in the people and stories behind the sport.
Built as a 2025 year-in-review hangout, the episode settles into the show's strongest lane: history, memory, and the people who were actually around for it.
A clear inside look at EliteXC's rise and its role in pushing MMA onto network television.
EliteXC's rise is presented as a turbulent and important chapter in MMA history, with Jared Scholar Shaw giving a direct view from behind the scenes.
A candid look at Elite XC's rise, the CBS attention it drew, and the backlash around Kimbo Slice vs. James Thompson.
The episode frames Elite XC's rise through the stretch after Street Certified, with Jared Shaw revisiting the February 2008 show that drew over half a million viewers and brought CBS into the conversation. It also circles back to the Kimbo Slice vs.
A scrappy fight-history conversation that finds the real story in the details.
This episode treats early MMA history as a working fight culture rather than a museum piece. Pancrase and Shooto come across as real proving grounds, with a clear thread running through the way Japanese fighters kept taking the action down and forced Americans to sharpen their…
A lived in look at Tank Abbott's backstage business story, with enough detail to stick.
It reads like a backstage business story first. Eric Bischoff calls at home, the "up north" confusion lands, and the limo treatment makes clear how hard the pitch was being sold.
Ted Williams brings old-school MMA memory, promoter detail, and a few sharp detours into one lively history sit-down.
Ted Williams gives the episode a clean historical arc, moving from the no-holds-barred era into the point when mixed martial arts settled into its current name.
A blunt Tank Abbott episode that turns early UFC history into a live dispute.
Tank Abbott comes off as a retired early-UFC figure whose quiet desert routine gives the episode an unexpected edge, especially once the Oleg Taktarov fight and the backstage arguments enter the picture.
A hard-edged prison case about recordings, testimony, and how the story gets framed.
Andy Anderson's case comes across as a fight over what the record really shows. The discussion leans on recordings, testimony, and the deal around them, while Anderson's side keeps pressing the claim that there was no proof of drug buying or selling.
Part two of Tank Abbott's interview on the MMA History Podcast.
John Peretti, creator of Extreme Fighting and former UFC matchmaker, recounts the fall of Battlecade and early MMA event production during the 1990s.
MMA History Podcast follows Jesse Taylor through the pre-UFC path that started with Mark Coleman, Jake Shields, Gilbert Melendez, and basement training around San Francisco State.
Joey Venti and Mike Davis welcome Josh Haynes.
MMA pretty much saved my life—it kept me out of prison.
MMA History Podcast centers on Extreme Fighting 4, held March 28, 1997 in Des Moines, Iowa, and the collapse of Battlecade around John Perretti's promotion.
Ed Herman traces his path from Par Lumber and bouncer jobs to Team Quest, where Robert Follis pushed him to write goals, imagine a Dana White paycheck, and commit to the UFC.
Jared Scholar Shaw says he warned his boxing-promoter father in 2000 that MMA was 'blowing up,' while boxing executives stayed stuck in old habits.
MMA History Podcast’s “EliteXC - The Run - Jared Shaw” revisits EliteXC’s rise as a two-year UFC challenger and centers on Jared Scala Shaw, the company’s former vice president.
This episode explores the life and legacy of Marco Ruas, a pioneering Brazilian fighter considered the forgotten father of modern MMA.
MMA History Podcast speaks with UFC veteran Xavier Foupa-Pokam, one of the early French fighters and one of only 250 Fight Club members from France.
One fighter's path before the UFC takes center stage.
Jared Shaw is back for part three of the EliteXC series.
Joey Venti and Mike Davis host a 2025 year-in-review wrap-up with Brian McLaughlin, Julio from Ragdoll MMA, and James Hergott.
Joey Venti opens with a direct ask for shares and reviews.
Joey Venti opens the third installment of Mike Davis's prison interview series and treats Andy Anderson as one of the real early MMA originals.
The show opens with the usual plea for shares and reviews.
The guest lays out the federal prison case he says shaped a long stretch of his life.
Joey Venti and Mike Davis sit down with Paul Buentello, the King of the Cage heavyweight champion, UFC heavyweight title challenger, and 50-fight club member.
Ted Williams sits down with Joey Venti and Mike Davis.
Joey Venti and Mike Davis interview UFC veteran Xavier Foupa-Pokam, who describes being one of only 250 Fight Club members from France and part of the early French MMA foundation.
James Hergott discusses Supercar Saints, an Amazon Prime film that includes Daniel Cormier and John Cena and was described as having reached the Academy Award nomination stage without making the final list.
Tank Abbott, legendary early UFC fighter famous for knockout power, discusses his career with MMA History Podcast hosts Joey Venti and Mike Davis.
An interview with former MMA fighter Paul Herrera about his career and the early days of the sport.
A roundtable discussion with MMA pioneers about the press and administrative side of the Raphael Torre story.
An interview with former Pride and UFC fighter Ron Waterman about his MMA career and current life as a firefighter.
An interview panel discusses the rise and fall of MMA fighter Raphael Torre, featuring historians and veterans of the sport.
A podcast dedicated to preserving the history of mixed martial arts through interviews and research.
An interview with jiu-jitsu legend Roberto Traven about his career and contributions to MMA.
An interview with Brazilian jiu-jitsu legend and former UFC title challenger Wilson Reis about his journey in MMA.