Welcome to the latest installment of the Fistic Arts Podcast, hosted by Jeff Wall (@JeffaustinWall) and Fansided’s Nick Ward (@NickWardMMA). On this episode, they preview UFC 242.
UFC 242 has one of the best match-ups in MMA history, as lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov attempts to unify the title against interim champion Dustin Poirier. However, the rest of the card leaves a lot to be desired for a UFC pay-per-view event.
The event is the UFC’s third trip to Abu Dhabi, and, for the most part, it looks like the organization is trying to tap into the Eastern European and, specifically, Russian markets on this one. There are, however, some notable, talented fighters in the lineup, including Islam Makhachev and Curtis Blaydes. However, it’s likely they roll over their respective opponents on Sept. 7. In addition, the co-main event is a match-up of two fighters that haven’t seen more than one win since 2018.
The guys also discuss Ariel Helwani’s interview with Conor McGregor, B.J. Penn’s bar fight, and the first-ever Chinese UFC champion, Weili Zhang.
As always, feel free to comment below or send feedback about the show to @FisticArtsPod or @CombatPress on Twitter.