I’ve never encountered a news cycle like this in my 30 years of combat sports coverage.
Which is why this week’s edition of The MMA Draw podcast is a must-listen 60 minute summary of world affairs.
On the week of Wrestlemania 42 with over 80,000 fans paying extraordinary ticket prices in Las Vegas, we are still talking about the fallout from the UFC 327 event in Miami.
It was crazy enough that US President Donald Trump & Secretary of State Marco Rubio were cage side while Vice President JD Vance was in Islamabad for failed negotiations with Iranian leadership to stop a war. Things got even crazier after the event.
Carlos Ulberg, brand new UFC Light Heavyweight champion, blew out his ACL and now claims he lost his title belt while partying.
The fallout from the respectable, but muted reaction for President Trump by the Miami crowd continues to draw intrigue. For better and for worse, it was history in the making.
Fans are tired. Too much is happening. That is the overarching theme of this week’s podcast show.
TKO is too busy overwhelming your nervous system with a bombardment of advertising, promises, campaigns, and politics. UFC & WWE fans know something isn’t quite right but they can’t put their finger on why.
Look at how UFC is marketing the Josh Hokit vs. Curtis Blaydes fight from UFC 327:
This is embarrassing. The question is whether or not TKO’s public relations is working.
The world really did change right after UFC 327 and now it’s a race to see if TKO can keep up with a news cycle that’s totally out of control.
Dana White is doubling down on his relationship with President Trump and the upcoming UFC White House card. More people are talking about the use of AI for the White House ad than the actual fights booked.
Ari Emanuel is full-steam ahead with his campaign to control manipulate influence ESPN. A recent three-panel shot on ESPN told the story:
Pat McAfee, Governor Josh Shapiro, and Dana White made an announcement about an upcoming UFC event in Philadelphia.
Pat McAfee is Ari Emanuel’s newest celebrity sports client, inserted into the main event picture of Wrestlemania 42.
Dana White is Ari’s controlled asset for Boomer Republicans, spouting off Sean Hannity-isms and proclaiming that “if you love America” then you will love UFC White House.
Governor Josh Shapiro is Ari Emanuel’s other favorite political candidate (sorry, Rahm) for the US 2028 Democrat Primary. Ari’s other favorite Shapiro (sorry, Mark). Governor Shapiro made sure that Mr. Emanuel and TKO are warmly embraced for doing business in Pennsylvania.
This is the kind of control that Ari Emanuel has right now in American politics and culture. He’s taken Hollywood politics and infused it into every aspect of combat sports.
That’s the focus of this week’s free portion of The MMA Draw podcast.
TKO’s Race Against The Clock
For our paid subscribers, we address the breaking news about Saudi’s change of financing big sporting ventures.
Wednesday’s American news cycle was flooded with report after report claiming that the Saudi PIF would be backing away from ventures like LIV Golf and Tom Brady’s flag football games. Here’s the Wednesday night headline from The New York Times:
The CEO of LIV Golf claims that everything will go as scheduled for players in Mexico City.
Tom Brady’s flag football deal involves Fanatics and Turki Alalshikh’s General Entertainment Authority. Front Office Sports claims the GEA is cutting the cord after the initial NFL flag football event was relocated to Los Angeles after the war started between the US, Israel, and Iran.
What does this re-calibrating of funding from both the Saudi PIF & General Entertainment Authority mean for SELA’s support of the Joint Venture with Zuffa Boxing? What does it mean for Wrestlemania 43 in Riyadh?
It’s a race against the clock for TKO to get the Ali Revival Act passed. Next week, Nick Khan and Oscar De La Hoya will be in attendance in Washington DC for a Senate hearing on the legislation.
TKO needs to get the Ali Revival Act bill passed to establish their Unified Boxing Organization. Can they get a UBO established with UFC-style contracts before Turki Alalshikh has to scale back his investments in boxing? Or will business continue as usual?
Buckle up and become a paid subscriber to The MMA Draw podcast. It’s worth your investment in this impossible to understand world.
Nate Wilcox is Editor-in-Chief of The MMA Draw. He founded BloodyElbow.com in 2007 and sold it in 2024.
Zach Arnold is a lead opinion writer for The MMA Draw on Substack. His archives can be read at FightOpinion.com.
