The Co-Main Event MMA Podcast

Alex Pereira announced last week that he is vacating the UFC light heavyweight title. Why? Well, nobody has said for sure but … we’ve got some ideas. Ya boi Poatan isn’t just going to give up the strap for no reason. He must be chasing something and, honestly, the only thing for Pereira to chase outside of 205 is a heavyweight title fight (probably at the White House) against one of three men: Jon Jones, Cyril Gane or Tom Aspinall. We know Aspinall is still out trying to get his eyes put back in his head, so that leaves Jones and Gane — Jones obviously being the more palatable choice.

So, the questions are: Would Poatan have a chance in that fight now that we know Jones’ hip is “covered with arthritis” or whatever? Will the UFC make Jones’ White House dreams come true after all? And, if not, would the UFC really stoop to giving us Pereira vs. Gane? Probably. They probably would.

Plus, UFC 326 is this weekend! Yay!
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As is so typical in this sport, they’re going to give us the superfight. They’re just going to give it to us about 10 years too late. Such is the case with Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano, which will go down May 16 (yes, May 16, 2026) at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif. Perhaps the biggest surprise of all is that the people giving it to us aren’t the UFC, but Most Valuable Promotions — and the fight will air on Netflix.

Let’s be clear: This seems inadvisable. It likely won’t be competitive. But it’s probably going to be a big, big deal. Guess you can’t say Jake Paul and Nikisa Bidarian don’t swing for the fences.

Plus, Zuffa Boxing signed Conor Benn for $15 million for one fight. Hey, UFC fighters, are you paying attention NOW?
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On the heels of last week’s stinker between Tallison Teixeira and Tai Tuivasa at UFC 325, this weekend brought us Rizvan Kuniev vs. Jailton Almeida and, wow, holy shit did it absolutely suck. Not to beat a dead horse here but: Heavyweight. Still shitty after all these years, huh? In fact, we have to ask the question: Is the heavyweight division shittier now than it has ever been? That’s a scary thought, but one that deserves some of our attention.

Plus, the weekend’s Fight Night might have been dogshit, but Mario Bautista looked great in the main event. Plus, lo, there was despair across the land, as the Dark Lord Ben Rothwell lost his BKFC heavyweight title to Andrei Arlovski.
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They did it again, brother, but when it was over it sort of seemed like they probably didn’t need to go to the trouble. Once again, Alexander Volkanovski defeated Diego Lopes by hard-fought but clear-cut unanimous decision, retaining his men's featherweight title at UFC 325. Somehow, the 37-year-old Volk is aging as gracefully as an MMA fighter can, looking damn near unbeatable with a remarkably versatile attack — the striking, the grappling, the feints, the stance switches, etc. , etc. It all gives you a lot to think about out there, and it was too much for Lopes, who came into this fight looking like he hadn’t made a TON of adjustments from the first fight.

Plus, is the UFC’s new deal on Paramount+ a home run so far? And why is heavyweight so ass?
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Apologies for missing the Proper yesterday, friends. We’re back today with an episode of the Co-Main Event Podcast Patreon Live Chat, which we’re releasing for free to everybody. Seemed like a bad week to miss an episode, what with it being on the heels of the first PLE of the Paramount+ Era and the week before UFC 325. So, here ya go!
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