Blunt MMA talk after the bell.
WEIGHING IN treats MMA as both sport and business, moving quickly from card reactions to promotion incentives and fighter choices. The tone is loose and familiar, with live-chat energy, banter, and sharp opinions around UFC, PFL, Bellator, and CFFC storylines.
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WEIGHING IN is an MMA show that treats every fight card as evidence in a bigger argument about the sport. It is quick on reaction. A UFC main event can become a discussion about round scoring, inactivity, point deductions, star-making performances, and whether the matchmaking made sense in the first place. The show’s rhythm is casual and crowded, with live energy, side comments, sponsor reads, name checks, and occasional detours that feel closer to a fight-night table conversation than a scripted recap. It is still analysis-first. Recent episodes spend time on UFC main events, rising fighters, Bellator fighters, and the way fans judge cards before the fighters get a chance to deliver. The show is especially interested in the pressure around contenders. It asks why two rising fighters would be matched when a title shot may be nearby, why teammates end up across from each other, and why inactivity can make a close fight feel worse than the scorecards suggest. Promotion strategy is another recurring thread. UFC, PFL, Bellator, CFFC, the Apex, media coverage, and the pull of familiar names all become part of the same conversation. The perspective is lived-in rather than detached. Stories about opening a gym before major fights, dealing with media, working CFFC, and watching generations of fighters come through a regional scene give the commentary texture. Guests add media memory or fighter-specific stakes, but the dominant feel remains host-led and argument-driven. WEIGHING IN can be warm, funny, impatient, and blunt within the same stretch. It does not slow down to explain every reference, so casual sports listeners may need to keep up. For MMA fans who enjoy card grading, promotional criticism, old fight lore, and immediate post-fight emotion, it offers a familiar but sharply opinionated corner of the combat-sports conversation.
Made for: For MMA fans who already follow UFC, PFL, Bellator, and the wider fight scene. It fits listeners who want card reactions, matchmaking arguments, and fighter-perspective context without a polished broadcast filter.
What sets it apart: The show blends technical fight talk with firsthand career perspective and loose live-show texture. Its strength is turning one bout into a larger argument about contenders, promotion strategy, media narratives, and the choices fighters face.
Tap into the expertise of former MMA world champion Josh "The Punk" Thomson as he brings you PURE MMA.
Based on 6 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Technical fight analysis meets candid debate about matchmaking, promotion, media, and MMA's shifting business.
WEIGHING IN treats MMA as a continuing argument about what happens inside the cage and what gets decided around it. Josh "The Punk" Thomson moves from card recaps and matchup predictions to matchmaking, promotion, media coverage, and the business choices shaping UFC and PFL…
A takedown can win rounds and still lose the room; Josh Thomson lets you hear the argument.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A fight-week debate about McGregor, Jones, and whether the UFC needs bigger changes.
The episode spends much of its time on a weekend fight slate, moving from the PFL on Friday night to UFC Fight Night 271 on Saturday, March 28, with Israel Adesanya vs. Joe Pfeiffer and Alexa Grosso vs. Macy Barber at the center of the discussion.
A grounded reaction to a debated deduction and a main event slowed by inactivity.
This PlayNext review turns a disputed main event into a measured argument about inactivity and judging. The host treats the point deduction as the reason the result feels harsh, while still making room for the quieter truth: neither fighter gave the judges much to reward.
A grounded UFC England recap that turns card skepticism into a broader discussion of matchmaking, roster limits, and fan expectations.
This single-episode review treats UFC England as a useful case study in how a card can look thin in advance and still work once the fights happen.
A White House card debate that becomes a blunt look at MMA media, titles, and matchmaking.
This episode starts with the White House card and quickly settles into a sharp talk about MMA media. The host gives Brett Accomando credit for interviews that stay light on opinion, and the conversation works best when it narrows in on the details: why the card's location…
A conversational MMA review built around control time, bottom work, and the threat of one clean striking moment.
WEIGHING IN frames the announced fight as a clean style problem: wrestling control on one side, a striker's late opening on the other. Its strongest thread is the debate around Evloy's takedowns, Lerone's work from the bottom, the cost of long control time, and the risk that one…
A White House matchmaking debate sharpens as promotional value runs into recent fight evidence and wrestling realities.
A proposed Gina fight gives WEIGHING IN an immediate spark, then widens into a useful argument about how MMA decides which bouts deserve the brightest stages.
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…
Former UFC fighter Josh Thomson opens the show reacting to praise from Dustin Poirier and Joe Rogan.
Former Strikeforce matchmaker Rich Chou joins Josh Thomson to discuss the history of MMA on network TV, from EliteXC's CBS debut to the upcoming UFC event at the White House.
Host Wayne M interviews Joshua Silveira about his upcoming fight against undefeated opponent Jordan Newman, discussing preparation strategies and the psychological edge of facing an unbeaten fighter.
The host reacts to the UFC fight night main event between Moicano and Chris Duncan, discussing his prediction, the fighters' careers, and the dynamics of teammates fighting in the UFC.
A passionate reaction to the UFC Izzy vs Pyfer fight card, praising the fighters' performances and discussing standout moments and fighters like Alexa Grosso and Michael Kiesa.
The hosts enthusiastically recap UFC Vegas 114, praising it as the best card of the year with exciting fights and finishes.
This episode features an interview with journalist John Morgan discussing MMA topics including Nate Diaz rejecting a Conor McGregor fight and Dana White's reaction, while reflecting on their past interactions in the sport.
Friday and Saturday both matter here.
WEIGHING IN's Murphy vs Evloev Reaction centers on Lerone Murphy and Mosvar Evloev, with the host arguing the main event looked like a draw after a point deduction.
The conversation opens with the host praising Brett Accomando for keeping his own opinion out of interviews.
The show gets past a shaky YouTube start and rolls into a UFC England recap.
The host opens in high spirits after Dustin Poi and Joe Rogan brought him up on a podcast.
The host argues that UFC champion Ilia Topuria should vacate his title if he'll be absent through summer, suggesting an interim title fight between Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett while giving Topuria time to handle personal issues.
A casual Christmas Eve interview with former UFC champion Daniel Cormier, discussing his recent travels and busy schedule.
The hosts discuss the end of the UFC's ESPN era, reacting to the Kape vs Royval fight and debating whether the finale felt anti-climactic.
This episode features an interview with Rich Chou discussing the future of MMA after the Paramount deal, potential Rousey vs Carano matchups, and his experiences in promotions like Elite XC, Strikeforce, and Bellator.
This episode features an interview with Rich Chou discussing his career in MMA, including his roles in Elite XC, Strikeforce, and Bellator, and touches on topics like Ronda Rousey vs.