This is the Ringside Report MMA UFC 288 Preview broadcast live on May 4, 2023. Hosted by Dave Simon, Fred Garcia and AJ D’Alesio.
Dave, Fred and AJ previewed UFC 288 including Henry Cejudo v. Aljamain Sterling and Belal Muhammad v. Gilbert Burns.
The guys talked about Jon Jones’ potential retirement, Francis Ngannou’s contract negotiations and Conor McGregor appearing at BKFC.
All this and much more on this episode.
There’s a moment every longtime fan reaches when they look at the thing they love and ask if they still recognize it. After the UFC White House card, that moment has arrived. The fights delivered — Gaethje upset Topuria, Gane stopped Pereira — but the political pageantry, the post-fight comments from fighters like Josh Hokit, and the sense that the brand has swallowed the fighters left a taste that’s hard to wash out. We trace the lost era of respect embodied by Georges St-Pierre, Lyoto Machida, and Demian Maia, the Conor McGregor effect that rewired the culture, the risk of going “mainstream, mainstream,” and what the future of MMA coverage looks like on the Ringside Report Network as the weekly show retools.
Both King of the Ring and Queen of the Ring finals are locked for WWE Night of Champions 2026: Oba Femi vs. Jey Uso and Liv Morgan vs. Iyo Sky, plus a Cody-Gunther-Sami triple threat. But every meaningful thread keeps bending back toward Roman Reigns and the OTC. We break it all down.
The WWE King of the Ring 2026 semifinals are locked in, with Oba Femi, Je’Von Evans, Jey Uso, Iyo Sky and more left standing. But every meaningful thread keeps bending back toward Roman Reigns and the OTC. We break down the bracket, the Cody-Gunther title twist, CM Punk, and AEW’s war.
The UFC’s White House card is built backwards — the American headliner is a massive underdog on the most patriotic stage in sports. Our full UFC Freedom 250 predictions cover all seven fights: the chin question deciding Topuria vs Gaethje, the Pereira-Gane pick’em, and a Canadian dog at +320.
