Paul Felder and Michael Chiesa react to Saturday’s much anticipated UFC 293: Adesanya vs Strickland fight card. Subscribe to …
foreign [Music] thank you [Music] oh Michael yes my very good Italian brother Michael Cassie you see he’s in Italy he’s having a vacation with his wife yeah at the ravioli today they had the drinks it’s after hours there in Italy it’s late night Michael Michael we have a lot to talk about buddy yeah oh my God Michael Michael hold on let me get the microphone nice and close for this one Sean Strickland is the middleweight champion of the world dude I like so obviously for people that don’t know I’m in Italy on my honeymoon I’m nine hours ahead of the West Coast I don’t even know how many hours ahead of New Zealand I am all I know is there’s no way in hell I’m staying up for the pay-per-view I’m like I’m gonna watch in the morning in me not being as sharp as I should have been I you should stay away from your phone if you’re trying to avoid results you can’t even open it I woke up and saw strong Sean Strickland actually beat Israel to Sanya I did not believe it and you know what he did it handedly um am I surprised yes but also on the other side of it I’m not because we also did say for the people that tuned into the last show Sean does possess the skills to make it a competitive fight I said competitive I didn’t say he has the skills necessary to win but he proved us all wrong I mean this is one of the biggest upsets of the year um and and he he did it he did a pretty dang good job of taking it to arguably the greatest middleweight of all time bro a lot has been talked about Izzy’s night right not being what it should have been not being what we anticipated fair point and I agree that maybe he didn’t have his best night but we did say on this very podcast that to win Sean would have to have his best night and let’s not forget that he did do that he had his best night him and his team even and the game plan wasn’t even executed the way they had anticipated at all realed takedowns religiously for that fight and he never even really got to use it because he found the openings he found the pressure one of the things that real quick I know we could talk about this one all day we got a lot I got stuff to say too so you know before we get all the rounds Morgan I’m sorry Paul and I got a lot to say yeah we’re going to talk about the dude the ability for him to block and neutralize the kicking game of arasanya was something to behold I even texted Eric that I was like dude the way he neutralized the kicking game because that’s where I thought that Izzy was really gonna be able to chew Sean up not at all block check move forward front kick he throws that front kick that front kick has nothing on it other than a prod to the gut so he can stay right in front of you and keep you Sean fights in fighting range 25 minutes without getting hit much yeah and the thing is too you know as well as I do Paul it is way more exhausting to be the guy on your back foot for 25 minutes trying to Counter-Strike as opposed to the guy on the front foot trying to bring the offense trying to lay on the pressure yeah and I’m not trying to make excuses as to why is he lost Sean was the better man fair and square there’s no way around it but I think that Sean or Izzy forgive me I think is he really anticipated wrestling so I think maybe in the back of his mind he was just waiting for that takedown I think maybe their game plan was kind of oriented around Sean wrestling and maybe that’s why Eugene bearman in the post fight press conference said if we made a few small adjustments we could win that fight next weekend but that doesn’t matter what does matter is we’ve had a huge just a Changing of the Guard this year so many different Champions long reigning dominant Champions have lost their titles and Sean Strickland would be the one I would have least expected so good on him uh you can always expect the unexpected from Sean strict and dude and just from this sport in general right like any time that you think about other sports and and how great they are it’s MMA will always have that value to it that you you can think you can be getting people were Garen effing teed I was talking I had it was my mom’s birthday I was over there before the fight started we had dinner with my brothers and everybody and even my brother Tommy you know I don’t want to throw him under the bus but he was like bro tonight like you forget this like dude this I don’t want to I don’t think he said it’s a joke but he might as well have just been like dude why are we even watch this and I was like dude because there’s nobody else and it has to be Sean he’s you know he’s next up trick is it didn’t work out injuries whatever it was the same I have the same managers and he was out yeah yeah he’s out so it’s like it’s it’s Sean and he steps up and he’s willing to do it and he did it I I mean it was epic I mean yeah here we go and Drake man listen if I do come back to everyone you don’t know who I am you don’t know who I am you don’t care about me keep it that way I do not want to keep it that way it was like deer please do not ever bet on anybody from our camp signed American top team also known as Dan Lambert so yeah I mean don’t ever bet on me and Paul don’t even watch Roundup I don’t I’ll listen to your music don’t even watch Roundup get out no no no anyone else you’re free to watch because here’s the thing if he if he promoted Roundup we’d probably go under quick I mean it would be a wrap you know what I mean All Odds would be stacked against us we’d be awesome off YouTube pencil um yeah I mean that’s that’s the main talking point right and we will have questions about we’ll have questions about some of the other Fighters too yeah um I guess there’s really not too much that we need to get into other than get into these five rounds we’ll have a lot of discussion points off of that co-main event I know we have questions about it from the fans um which was pretty awesome performance as well so let’s Morgan let’s just get right into the five rounds let’s let’s get after it today who’s next for dos Santos um Felder Paul what is showing oh for a short notice scrap against a Savage like cop I agree wholeheartedly I was losing my dang mind here in my basement watching it with a buddy Bill good that fight was so so good that kid is toughest now the shoot the Box kids they all have this Charles Oliveira they all have this Just Energy and this commitment to bring violence in a fight and dude they’re tough you know these guys are beating this out of each other to be able to perform like that against somebody like hop who’s having a good night and he couldn’t get him out of there and the kid kept coming back yeah I mean you got to give some you got to give your flowers to Diego Lima Diego Lima is a tremendous coach OG of the shoot box lineage yeah uh in that dos Santos kid I mean way to step into a huge opportunity DC said it best in the broadcast that he just doesn’t underestimate any of these up and comers fighting their first fight against these rings these guys that you don’t know about there’s they are hungry there’s a new Garden a lot of times Paul you know as well as I do these guys that have the number next to their name are not the youngest fighters in the game the 23 year old Prospect that’s got nothing to lose and everything to gain a good old Manel cop to expect a tough fight and to get to what MMA aliens said with this question um I would like to see him fight stream with darji sumidarji is a ranked guy but I think for dos Santos let’s give him a little break let’s give him a fun fight with someone outside the rankings try to bolster him a little bit let’s give him Victor all tomorrow I think that’d be a great fight I think I like Victor a lot and I think that’d be fun and let’s give him a break he already jumped in there with Manila yeah yeah let’s show him a little less not the body heal man let’s build him he’s 23. there’s no one wanted him dude he’s another he’s that kid has a styling he’s he’s you know the lighter version of Charles Oliveira where you like you talked about if you give that kid the right fights and listen we talked about this before we started the podcast there’s no gimme fights in MMA as we now for sure know right these Champions becoming new Champions beating guys that they have no supposedly no chance against that’s the beauty of our sport versus a lot of other sports you can gamble on certain certain professional sports way easier than MMA you know when Friends Ask advice I don’t even give it anymore I’m like dude like I wouldn’t have told you Sean was going to win a five round four to one unanimous decision all three judges scorecards no way in the world but I agree give him somebody that’s fun that’s a challenge because the kid is good enough but yeah like let’s let’s let the rest rest him up a little bit and let him go and put on a performance you know not on short notice because God damn do I want to see that kid fight again and and the crazy thing is he made weight on just like two or three weeks he may wait twice yeah which means he’s disciplined outside of having a fight like that scheduled man yeah and that’s what you want to see that’s Santos yeah it’s like I know they got fight of the night but that’s like outside of Sean that would be my the fighter that shined the most over the years oh bro I I was raving about that kid’s skills and his toughness and durability and pressure and and promise yeah yes there’s a lot of Promise in that kid for sure yeah but again you don’t want to feed him to the Sharks again because he just got the top of the division right away yeah and held his own fantastically but it’s like all right you had a great night let’s give you somebody else that’s let’s give him the Alex potato treatment let’s give him let’s give him down or Alexa all right round two Morgan let’s do it what matchup is next for volkov that makes the most sense after a performance like that Paul fell as long that is a piece of your lung oh my God is it weird that I recognize that I didn’t even notice that you know why I it’s been a while since I talked to that part of my lung but um do you still have it by chance I did you get a key did you get to keep it is it like in a container that’s in some biodegradable container that’s been disposed of many many moons ago who would have been if you would have kept it in like a container on a chain ride it out put it on a chain that’s a piece of my lung I remember talking to the doctors about that I was like so what’s my point get it they’re like you’re gonna be the same as you wear minus like point zero zero zero zero zero one percent you’ll be all right tell me you want it back it’s yours you you reserve the right to own that chunk of your lung I think Triathlon grew that part of my lung back basically so you’re not human you’re not human um back to the question what’s next for volca well Alexander volkov finds himself in a position where he obviously he’s Elite this is a top five this is a perennial contender in the heavyweight division it’s it’s time for him to start lapping the division fight guys that he’s already fought doesn’t matter if he’s beat him or if he’s lost to him it’s just time for him to start having rematches yeah and there’s one that stands out to me um him fighting the winner of Curtis blades and jealous while he hasn’t filed gelatin Almeida that might be the next guy but whoever wins that fight I think that’s the next fight for Alexander volkov um and it just sounds good to me that’s just that’s that’s my two cents yeah yeah I mean dude he’s number seven he’s fought everybody everybody dude he looked good man he’s yeah he’s getting great too like he’s doing great interviews now he’s definitely trying to step up his promotional game for himself the only embedded and I was watching the countdown and stuff like I I like this dude I think he’s got a sense of humor and a funniness about him that we can’t quite get through in Translation and now that he’s starting to like show himself a little more I mean the dude’s been around forever but really we didn’t get to know him too well right he’s just a scary Russian guy and now it’s like this dude’s kind of a goofball that can freaking fight and I feel like for how old he is I feel like he’s really coming into his element like that how old is volkov now I think he’s like 34 he’s a little he’s like a year or two younger than me but in fight years he’s got a ton of pro fights and I just feel like that’s the bet when volkov’s on he looks like a guy that could be heavyweight champion but when he’s off he just looks like better words if he’s having a who am I to say when I lose I get dark choked by anybody and their mother but when I’m on I look like you could beat anybody in the world Michael he’s only 34. oh wow but in fight years he’s got a lot of pro fights that’s true and that is something to be noted that uh yeah there is a difference yeah for sure yeah I don’t know who he’s going to win but I mean you go and win again against against Tai who really brought it too right he tried dude he tried to stay in there with every shout out to Thai to ivassa man you could tell being in his home country he was like I’m not going out without swinging to the death and he had to be submitted because of it I mean he fought as hard as he possibly could but he was definitely outmatched and then to get Ezekiel choked crazy well he had the right game plan too Paul and you know because striking is your specialty and you know that if you are shorter than your opponent if you’re significantly shorter than your opponent the first line of offense is you have to attack the legs that’s the longest strike you have when you’re fighting a taller opponent is you have to use your legs and Tide did a really good job of that and I mean a couple more of those kicks who knows how that fight would have would have panned out because he really really butchered the legs of volkov um he didn’t fight a bad game plan he fought smart he fought as smart as you can given the physical discrepancies yeah yeah yeah uh yeah it’s just one of those guys you hate to see lose right he’s he’s a fun guy and I wanted to shoot you in Sydney I wanted the Sydney shoes yeah you know I think you should my hoodie have a beer but nearby you have an old Italian leather shoe that you can possibly there’s one somewhere around here this place is from 1947. what was uh was that the biggest title upset since covet and then underneath of that they also say Sean Strickland fighter of the year um man since covid like what does that mean exactly though like sounds like since 2020. you should have just said biggest upset ever but yeah um I’ll jump out because there’s I have a bias Pena Pena Nunez the first fight I mean yeah I don’t even have to go into detail you know I can rant for days about that so for me that’s just gonna tell it how she finished it as well right it’s not it wasn’t just like this was there’s there’s some controversy here even though there really shouldn’t be that much it’s like uh there there was an off night yeah you know that people are saying for Izzy and a decision and Sean looked fantastic and but in your case like you’re talking about for Pena maybe underestimated but got the finish I mean that’s the best of all time yeah you know like like an all-time great like first ballot Hall of Famer which Izzy is as well Izzy is as well for sure but yeah no doubt no doubt that’s up there Leon Edwards versus Camaro was a big one yeah Alexa Grosso Valentina was huge Jamal Hill I don’t know if Jamal Hill and Glover that wasn’t like nah by the odds by like the numbers that wasn’t a big upset but for like the fans I feel like it was I feel like a lot of people really thought Glover was going to pull away with that one yeah especially since he got takedowns in that fire right I think everybody was kind of like oh if he gets him down it’s going to be a wrap and Jamal fought through all that stuff so yeah and fighting yourself any father in Brazil in Clover’s backyard and for fight of the year I mean we have to remember I know we don’t we not very much on the show but Sean did lose at some point in this run to get to the title I think fighter of the year if I was to have a candidate it wouldn’t be Sean Strickland his performance will be one that stands out when we when we go go back and look back on 2023 but he’s not fighter of the year what if his fight’s been thus far in fighter I mean excuse me in in 2023 so far Morgan was Canon there was that in 2023 NASA but that was a 205 and he beat him yeah and then he beat um Abu the the most perplexing a boss a boss I said it wrong I said a boo like the monkey from Aladdin round four Morgan get me out of here get me out of here get me out of here round four hours yeah next round oh Paul he addressed you so you have to leave the dance all right Paul so you think Izzy should get another rematch straight away question mark what’s your thoughts perhaps let’s do trick is for Strickland and Izzy versus Cannon here um I you know I’ve thought about this this is what I’ve been thinking about since Saturday night and and I’ve listened to other pundits and other people’s opinions on the matter and obviously our own DC Laura and Annex opinions on it after after the fact and I’m kind of with DC on this one in that I man I don’t I don’t and I know Dana thinks differently talking about an immediate rematch and I know obviously Eugene bearman once once an immediate rematch and I’m kind of okay if that doesn’t happen I mean you know this was wild this was crazy and it was decisive and just because your guy has an off night that doesn’t necessarily warrant um an immediate rematch can you prove why I mean if something comes out why I didn’t but I mean the division could really benefit for some from fresh title fights let Izzy rest let him go chill let him go have fun for a little bit and not have a fight on the horizon because the dude’s been busy the dude fights all the time and I think he would I think he would really do well with some rest and just some chill time and maybe just wait like you you know we talked about it a little bit go chill even if you if you really want to stay busy fight somebody else but let the division kind of shake out a little bit whenever you decide to come back you’re the guy I mean there’s no question uh uh here’s what I think um first and foremost like if you are a professional fighter there is no off season basketball football baseball like there’s an off season those are hard sports like we don’t have an off season and when you talk about Israel adasani this is a guy that from UFC 243 to UFC 293 that’s 50 pay-per-views he’s headlined 10 of those and I think that he even headlined a tough finale against Brad Tavares I could be wrong yeah no sorry I had a little wine today but I did but his strength is scheduled it’s much like vulcanovsky’s where they want to fight as often as possible and at some point that can’t catch up to you and I think for Izzy I think it’s just time to take a break not like take a rest let these fights play out I think the best thing that they could do from a business standpoint and for Izzy because you still even though he lost the title he has done so much and stepped up in so many ways that you still have to reward him when he comes back so this is what you do you put drinking Simplicity you put Drake’s duplicity in there with Sean Strickland and then let Izzy fight whoever loses that fight and either one of those is a marketable big matchup if drinkist loses to Sean you get the heated rivalry between dracus and Izzy five round title Eliminator if Sean loses to drikis you get a rematch a big rematch that a lot of people would tune in for so I think that that’s the best movement I feel bad for Cannon here with me saying that because if they’re going to reward Colby Covington for weighing in as the backup when Leon fought Camaro in England then you think you would think that they’re going to do the same for Canon here and I don’t know if they’re going to do that Falls I know is I think that that’s that’s the right way to play out the next fight for Sean Strickland and that will dictate the next match up for Israel you got to throw Drake into in the title fight yeah and I think he brings some interest right I mean he’s been vocal he’s been and he’s just beat Robert Whittaker I mean I mean he’s one of the best I mean I still say Robert Whitaker is one of the best in the top ten maybe top five one of the best middleweights of all time probably top five for sure so to do that and and the way he did it yeah I mean there’s lots middleweight got real interesting on Saturday night it got real interesting um and chemayev is still floating out there buddy that’s another I I totally spaced that survive and Costa are fighting yeah she might have could screw this whole thing up bro might throw a wrench in all the gears well now they both can though because there was beef between Sean and Costa and Costa beats Jamaya bro they can easily just be like oh there it is there it is right there I’m telling you middleweight got real interesting on Saturday it’s funny because middleweight was like that during covet I remember us doing a show and I said that like it’s like a tournament like the way they had the matchups yeah that was almost like we had like this middleweight tournament going on and while that doesn’t feel the same as it did at that point in time man right now everything just feels like in the middleweight division it just got turned upside down Sean strictly be Israel dasania Drake’s duplicity beat Robert Whitaker like you want to talk about a Changing of the Guard that is the definition of it yeah right there we’re in like the upside down from this is stranger things yeah stranger things for sure I kind of felt that way on Saturday I’m like people are saying things on the mic they shouldn’t be saying people are beating people we can’t even address that that was terrible we won’t we won’t we already know yeah you’re you’re an idiot you’re both idiots round five stupid potty mouth yeah house cat here I lay stunned and inspired after that incredible upset that Sean pulled off question for both of you what is the time in your lives where you pulled off a daunting task by sticking to the basics this could be in broadcasting fighting auditioning wrestling hashtag UFC Roundup house cat it’s a no-brainer for me I’m sure I could dig deeper and find something else within my life outside of mixed martial arts that that would be a better example but for me it will always be the tough finale like daunting task stick to the basics get out there take this guys back hit him with your bread and butter get over your naked choke and get out of there like that will always be like that’s the basics for me everybody’s Basics is different for Sean Strickland is working behind the Jazz for for certain people everybody’s basics in terms of mixed martial arts are different everybody’s basics in life are different but for me that’s the moment that stands out to me I stuck to the basics get to the clinch get to the back get the choke get out of there get done I mean one that really jumps off for me is um when I fought Danny Castillo and it was the first real big moment in my career where I was fighting on a big pay-per-view was Jones Cormier number one um I was the last fight on the prelims uh and I was injured going into it I had a really bad collarbone injury and couldn’t Spar much couldn’t do much and I remember just working behind the simplest things if you watch that fight back I threw like one twos and and I just kept pump faking the knee because I knew Danny wanted to shoot I never even had to really land the knee I just every now and then if you look like he was even thinking about a level change I would pump fake the knee jab him like kick them jab em kick them jab one two and then eventually found the craziness that was the spinning back fist but it was all set up with complete basics for the first two rounds oh you know around and a half of that fight and then it was the biggest moment it was like a Button Mash like that wasn’t basic that was a highlight I didn’t mean to do that right it’s just he like me I spun through it and I countered but I was whip I mean all respect to Danny I’m always on the road now but all respect I mean I was whipping his ass in that fight before that spinning back fist um and as far as broadcasting I do have one for broadcasting that when I auditioned for um Dana White’s Contender series to get that job same thing man you know you just be comfortable have fun be yourself and uh you know pick out the things I was talking about Holly Holm versus my audition that I had to go and do I think I auditioned for the same one that was the same event was that the same event when I could be totally wrong but was that the same event when Amanda Nunes fought Raquel Pennington or was that a different event no no it was the uh yeah yeah yeah yeah you’re correct yeah and card was I think it was in Singapore it was in Singapore I was thinking of a card in Brazil when I auditioned I had never even done a desk show so they stuck me in front of a camera yeah me either the terminology when they’re like hey rap I’m like rap what again yeah what are you talking about you what does that mean stop talking yeah like I said right now like yeah yeah they should let us know those things before we get thrown to the Wolves as somebody that’s becoming more of a veteran at the desk I try to tell the rookies hey these are a few little words you need help with uh before we rap because obviously I want to do a little just off the cuff round six and I want to give a big shout out to Laura senko because we in in in mixed martial arts we’ve had Pioneers like Amanda Nunes we’ve had Pioneers like Juliana Pena who was the first female to win The Ultimate Fighter Laura sanco is the first female to commentated pay-per-view and not only did she make history but she is exceptional to what she does she narrates the fights very well and I want to give her flowers and say round six is just a shout out to Laura senko congrats on your your debut on a pay-per-view you shine bright it was music to my ears and I feel like I pull like she’s got so many good little one-liners that I almost want to pull my phone out and like jot him down and take them from her she does have some good one-liners yeah you really shine bright you were one of the stars at UFC 293. so I’m bright like a diamond sound bright like a job man like a diamond it really was good man I you know a lot of um people were probably like oh we’re gonna you know oh man it’s a big step up I I don’t think she was nervous I think she handled it well I didn’t and I was listening and watching as if it was just another pay-per-view and you know she worked really well with DC and John it sounded like a vet it sounded like a vet yeah and it’s great man because you know that was a that was that’s a big Journey too to like that’s a long trip it’s weird hours to call those kind of fights loud crowd it’s a crazy crowd it’s a big jump from like you you work Contender you worked some smaller fight nights and then you get you get the Big Show but you’re not getting the Big Show you’re getting the you’re getting the Big Show Down Under that you got to go and travel to so nice nicely said There Michael thank you I had to do it I just I kind of kept that Ace on my sleeve I wanted to surprise you guys but yeah good on Laura saying I’m glad we talked about it ahead of time and I could have been more prepared for it but hey what can I say I’ve been drinking wine today so you know I’m a little erratic you know I’m a little yeah well I mean I just finished I just finished my beer right now it’s this is USC Roundup after hours because the after dark and uh Paul Felder that’s Michael yes sir what are the midnight hours yeah we have Alexa Grosso and uh Mediterranean chefchenko coming at you this Saturday and the co-made event is the last guy to beat me versus uh Kevin Holland versus Kevin Holland versus uh that other guy Jack Della madalina I just wanted to say his initials who you got there we got there Michael before we go who you got recency biased I mean you always root for the guys you fight whether they beat you or you beat them I’m pulling for Kevin Holland um Trailblazer all the way to the top all right and in the main event Grasso and that’s a paper that’s a pay-per-view worthy title fight so I might as well give you guys my predictions Main and call me the ticket Holland I’m taking Valentine’s chip shenko and I’m going to bed I’m getting the hell out of here yeah I’m not going to go to bed I’m gonna have dinner with my family it’s not that late here but uh I’m gonna have one more beer and then I’m gonna wake up and train tomorrow because guess what I might be coming back I might not be coming back we’re gonna find out we’re gonna find out in like six months I’ll be anxiously waiting Paul if my hip holds up all right and guys UFC Roundup as always we’ll be back for UFC 294 that’s going down in Abu Dhabi I’ll be there and you’ll be there I’ll be here maybe I’ll be there there’s a potential grapple over there let’s say too much but make sure you tune into UFC Roundup [Music] all right [Music] foreign [Music]