Introduction: Rogan Snubs Montreal, UFC’s Star Power Problem?
This week, the Ringside Report MMA crew—Dave Simon, Fred Garcia, and AJ D’Alesio—dove into the latest happenings in the world of mixed martial arts. Big topics included the fallout from UFC London, the perplexing state of several UFC divisions and the promotion’s struggle to build new stars, Joe Rogan’s controversial comments about not wanting to come to Canada for UFC 315 in Montreal, and, of course, predictions for the upcoming UFC Fight Night in Mexico City. The hosts didn’t hold back, offering sharp commentary on whether the UFC, under the TKO Group umbrella alongside WWE, is losing its edge.
Boring UFC Under TKO Table of Contents
UFC London Recap: Brady Dominates, but Was the Card a Dud?
Brady Submits Edwards, Holland Gets a Win, but Was the Card Impressive?
The UFC’s return to the O2 Arena in London featured a main event where Sean Brady faced former champion Leon Edwards. AJ D’Alesio, fresh off a successful parlay win, was high on Brady’s performance. “He just manhandled Leon. Leon was having a rough night, man,” AJ commented, adding, “But it just goes and shows you the power of Sean Brady. This guy, man, is grappling, his wrestling is elite, and he’s dangerous”. He felt Brady put on a “grappling and wrestling clinic”. Fred Garcia agreed, seeing Brady as a potential major player in the division: “Sean Brady might be a player in that division, man. That was a very impressive win, and his only loss is to the champ. So like at some point, man, if he keeps on winning, he’ll get a rematch”. Fred found the performance “impressive” and noted Brady was “dominating”.
Dave Simon, however, wasn’t sold on the excitement factor. “Is there anything exciting about Sean Brady though? Like he’s good, but I just go, are you excited to watch him fight?”. While AJ insisted the fight was exciting, Dave remained unconvinced, finding Leon “Barely there” and generally wasn’t “super impressed”, even jokingly asking for a sound button of Georges St-Pierre saying, “I’m not impressed by your performance”.
The card also saw Kevin Holland defeat Gunnar Nelson. AJ noted, “Kevin Holland impressed me. He came out, he’s a hit or miss, but he came out and he performed well”. Dave pointed out Holland was the “lone underdog” on AJ’s winning parlay but also mentioned Nelson was “a 36-year-old guy who hadn’t fought in two years” and was “like semi-retired”.
Despite these individual results, the overall feeling about the London event was lukewarm, even drawing criticism from UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion Tom Aspinall. Dave quoted Aspinall saying, “To be honest with you, it was just flat as hell in the O2 on Saturday night. I was quite disappointed because, I don’t know, we needed something”. AJ countered, suggesting Aspinall might feel that way “because his local guy’s lost” and insisted “I thought it was an exciting card, man”.
Fred and Dave elaborated on the potential reasons for the flatness. Fred acknowledged that while the top had names like Leon, Jan Blachowicz, and Kevin Holland, “this card is three, four fights deep. After that, it falls off the hill completely”. He pointed to the lack of recognizable names further down and the string of decisions impacting the crowd atmosphere. Dave highlighted the lack of knockouts and stressed the difference between an Apex Fight Night and a major event in London’s O2 Arena, suggesting the UFC delivered a “middle of the road, fight night, Omaha, Nebraska” level card for a premium market and price.
The State of the UFC: Where Have All the Stars Gone?
TKO Era Concerns, Fighter Inactivity, and Division Depth Discussed
The discussion about the London card spiraled into a broader critique of the UFC’s current state. Dave argued the promotion has “spread themselves too thin,” lacks stars, and the “product is suffering”. He suggested the decline “kind of coincided with the merger with TKO and the WWE” and stated, “The UFC has no bankable stars right now”, with Conor McGregor occupied elsewhere and Jon Jones “halfway retired”. He feels the UFC isn’t “great at making a new star” or promoting effectively.
Fred Garcia zeroed in on fighter inactivity as a major issue. “A lot of the big stars are not active enough, it feels, right now”. He pointed to Jon Jones having “two fights in the last five years” and drew parallels to boxing, warning, “You don’t want the UFC to get to that with your stars… You could be the next boxing where people don’t care that much about your sport because most of your big stars don’t fight enough”. He emphasized that fighters like Conor McGregor rose to stardom by being active. AJ added that even promising prospects aren’t fighting enough to build their names. The consensus was clear: champions and contenders need to fight more often, perhaps three times a year, to build recognition and keep fans engaged.
The hosts dissected several weight classes, finding many lacking depth or excitement:
- Welterweight: Dave dismissed the upcoming title fight between Jack Della Maddalena and Belal Muhammad, calling the division “not exciting at all”.
- Middleweight: Seen as thin after the top contenders, with many matchups already happening.
- Lightweight: Generally considered “always kind of popping”.
- Featherweight: Dominated by the confusing Ilia Topuria situation. After becoming Fighter of the Year in 2024 by beating Max Holloway and Alex Volkanovski, Topuria vacated his title to move to lightweight. The hosts criticized the UFC for not immediately booking him against lightweight champ Islam Makhachev. Instead, Topuria is sidelined from a title fight, and the upcoming UFC 314 features Volkanovski fighting Diego Lopes for the now-vacant belt—a main event Dave called a “consolation prize”. Fred argued Topuria should have earned an automatic title shot at 155 by dominating at 145.
- Heavyweight: Besides interim champ Tom Aspinall and the aging Jon Jones, the division lacks depth.
- Flyweight: Dave declared he hasn’t “given a shit about flyweight since DJ left” and felt the UFC didn’t appreciate Demetrious Johnson when he reigned. Current champ Alexander Pantoja’s inactivity and lack of recognition were highlighted. Dave even suggested the UFC “should have axed” the division when they considered it previously. AJ acknowledged the division’s weakness but felt building prospects was key.
Dave explicitly linked the perceived dip in quality across both UFC and WWE to the TKO Group ownership and “the evil Aria Manuel,” suggesting a trend of delivering “very mid shows” focusing on brand names over quality entertainment.
Joe Rogan Snubs Canada for UFC 315?
Hosts Discuss Rogan’s Comments and the Upcoming Montreal Card
News about UFC commentator Joe Rogan, who recently said, “Joe Rogan says he’d rather go to Russia than Canada because he doesn’t like the Canadian government,“ added fuel to the fire of discontent. Dave pointed out the irony, noting that Canada has an election coming up and that the political landscape Rogan disliked might change by the time UFC 315 hits Montreal in May.
AJ recalled meeting Rogan in Montreal years ago, saying “the guy loved Montreal” and “used to come up to Montreal quite often”. While acknowledging Rogan might be protesting, AJ also felt the announced Montreal card wasn’t particularly strong, perhaps not compelling enough for Rogan to travel for. Dave agreed, stating bluntly about the card, “It’s not worth the trip. I’m not going”, even though he lives in Montreal. Despite Dave’s lack of enthusiasm for the event, AJ maintained that “we’ve got to be there… We’ve got to be present. We’ve got to have fun. And you’ve got to enjoy it”.
UFC Mexico Fight Night: Moreno vs Erceg Predictions
Dave, Fred, and AJ Make Their Picks for the Weekend
Despite the criticisms, the crew turned their attention to the upcoming UFC Fight Night card in Mexico City, headlined by former flyweight champion Brandon Moreno taking on Steve Erceg. Here are their parlay picks, placed via Bet99.com:
AJ D’Alesio’s Parlay ($20 to win $83.88):
- Brandon Moreno (vs. Steve Erceg)
- Manuel Torres (vs. Drew Dober)
- Joe Pyfer (vs. Kelvin Gastelum)
- Raul Rosas Jr. (vs. Vince Morales) – picked to win by submission
- AJ is banking on Mexico’s fighters performing well at home.
Fred Garcia’s Parlay ($20 to win $67):
- Brandon Moreno (vs. Steve Erceg)
- Drew Dober (vs. Manuel Torres)
- Joe Pyfer (vs. Kelvin Gastelum)
- Fred differs from AJ only on the Dober/Torres fight.
Dave Simon’s Parlay ($20 to win $45):
- Brandon Moreno (vs. Steve Erceg)
- Loopy Godinez (vs. Julia Polastri)
- Raul Rosas Jr. (vs. Vince Morales)
- Dave is going “all Mexico in Mexico”, picking three favorites for a smaller payout.
The discussion also briefly discussed the sentencing of former UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez. AJ expressed support for Cain, while Dave questioned the decision to use a gun rather than rely on his fighting skills. Both agreed Cain was arguably the greatest UFC heavyweight champ.
Conclusion: Mid-Card Malaise?
The Ringside Report MMA team pulled no punches this week. A clear sense of concern permeated the conversation while acknowledging individual successes like Sean Brady’s win in London and looking ahead to Brandon Moreno’s return in Mexico City. The hosts questioned the depth of UFC cards, the apparent lack of star-building focus, the troubling trend of fighter inactivity, and the overall direction of the promotion under the TKO Group. The Joe Rogan situation only added another layer to the questions surrounding the UFC’s current appeal. Whether this is a temporary dip or a sign of more significant issues remains to be seen, but the crew will be watching closely.
Key Takeaways:
- Sean Brady impressed AJ and Fred with his dominant win over Leon Edwards in London, but Dave found the fight and the overall card lacking excitement.
- Hosts expressed significant concern about the UFC’s lack of bankable stars, champions, and contenders’ inactivity, drawing parallels to boxing’s decline in mainstream appeal.
- The handling of Ilia Topuria’s move to lightweight after vacating the featherweight title was heavily criticized.
- Joe Rogan’s comments about avoiding Canada for UFC 315 in Montreal sparked discussion about his motives and the quality of the upcoming card.
- Predictions were made for UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs Erceg, with Moreno and Rosas Jr. being popular picks among the hosts.
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