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Speaker 1: Breaking news overnight in the sport of mixed martial arts

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Speaker 1: involving UFC three hundred and the women's bantamweight division. Hey,

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Speaker 1: I'm Brian Campbell. Welcome on end of CBS Sports and

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Speaker 1: of course, along with Luke Thomas, I'm one half of

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Speaker 1: the award winning Morning Combat. And when we're talking about

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Speaker 1: UFC three hundred, the card April thirteenth in Las Vegas

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Speaker 1: is starting to come together with the big names and

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Speaker 1: the title bots expected. And how about this featured attraction

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Speaker 1: Announced late Tuesday night by UFC CEO Dana White that

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Speaker 1: Kayla Harrison, two time PFL champion and two time Olympic

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Speaker 1: gold medalists for the US, not gonna come back for

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Speaker 1: PFL in their new year and their ambitious plans and

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Speaker 1: their merger with Bellator. Instead, Kayla Harrison will make our

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Speaker 1: UFC debut at UFC three hundred against two how about

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Speaker 1: Holly Holme. Wow. Wow, this is Kayla Harrison essentially dropping

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Speaker 1: down two weight classes as this fight came April thirteenth

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Speaker 1: has been officially announced as a women's bandam Way fight.

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Speaker 1: So so much to get in here and break down

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Speaker 1: from the standpoint of the gravity of this news and

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Speaker 1: really why this news matter, specifically Kayla Harrison at age

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Speaker 1: thirty three becoming a UFC fighter. Now. First of all,

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Speaker 1: hey Daniel White, These eleven pm Eastern time, weeknight breaking

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Speaker 1: news launches on social media get a little rough for

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Speaker 1: US East Coasters in their middle aged like myself. But

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Speaker 1: that notwithstanding, I have to say I was met very

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Speaker 1: much with the idea that this news was huge. But

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Speaker 1: my first third of point of topic as to why

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Speaker 1: this matters is my surprise that I don't get the

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Speaker 1: outrage overnight. I don't know if it's everyone's timeline or

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Speaker 1: just the mentions on my own Twitter slash x feed,

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Speaker 1: but the news of this announcement and the collective star

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Speaker 1: power of matching two of the most accomplished female combat

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Speaker 1: sports athletes in history, and a fight that really none

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Speaker 1: of us saw coming. And oh, by the way, parachuting

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Speaker 1: into UFC three hundred, which is because you know, the

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Speaker 1: must see event event slowly that's finally living up to

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Speaker 1: the sort of the round number and historic nature of

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Speaker 1: it did get a lot of people coming back with

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Speaker 1: the attitude of this. Well, Hey, Holly Holmes forty two

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Speaker 1: and over the Hill, which which I certainly think you

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Speaker 1: can push back against to a large degree due to

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Speaker 1: her incredible longevity and consistency and the fact that hey,

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Speaker 1: Harrison's thirty three and she's one dimensional. I don't know,

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Speaker 1: ultimately if it comes down to the fact that so

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Speaker 1: many UFC fans might not be familiar with not just

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Speaker 1: Kayla Harrison's accomplishments outside of the MMA cage, but certainly

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Speaker 1: what she's done in recent years in PFL, you know,

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Speaker 1: really creating a brand name for herself, even if you

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Speaker 1: can argue how far that that star power does stretch to. Well,

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Speaker 1: now she's gonna have a chance to essentially double and

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Speaker 1: triple down on that by finally signing with the UFC.

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Speaker 1: So I don't get the outrage of people, whether it's

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Speaker 1: just tied under those who may not like women's fighting,

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Speaker 1: or may point to the overall lack of depth in

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Speaker 1: this women's band and weight division, which is something we've

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Speaker 1: certainly talked about, including up until you have two ninety

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Speaker 1: seven when we saw that vacant title bout between Rocky

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Speaker 1: Pennington and of course my era Bueno Silva replacing the

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Speaker 1: hole that's been lost with the Great Amanda Newness retiring

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Speaker 1: and laying down both her one thirty five and one

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Speaker 1: forty five title. But there's a lot to like with

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Speaker 1: this announcement. So right off the start, you're adding an

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Speaker 1: interesting fight to an already stack card, and this whole

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Speaker 1: idea that Holly is pasted it you know, I want

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Speaker 1: to fight back against that. Yeah, she's forty two years

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Speaker 1: old yet. But yes, there is a split decision loss

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Speaker 1: recently to Kaitlyn Vietna in her last fight, but that's

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Speaker 1: a fight she meaning Holly, has disputed. I think, you know,

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Speaker 1: most people on Twitter thought that Holly deserved the nod. Sure,

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Speaker 1: we can't just ignore the fact that she was submitted

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Speaker 1: by my Era Bueno Silva in a fight that was

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Speaker 1: later turned to a no contest. When Bueno Silva had

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Speaker 1: that usada whatever, that was right, the sort of hiccup

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Speaker 1: that that is forgivable, but understanding why they changed the

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Speaker 1: nature of that outcome. But still, if you separate that

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Speaker 1: Buenosilva fight Holly Holm four and one in her last five,

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Speaker 1: you can't argue with the longevity. Is she the same

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Speaker 1: fighter she was when she had kicked Ronda Roussei. No,

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Speaker 1: But that's sort of the essence of what makes this

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Speaker 1: fight unique. I'm gonna get to Kayla Harrison an unquote

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Speaker 1: in a moment, and there's plenty of questions about Kayla

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Speaker 1: Harrison and this weight class, but I really like the

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Speaker 1: matchup against Holly because it's not just the combined star

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Speaker 1: power and the whole, you know, historic nature of not

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Speaker 1: just a three hundred card, but taking these two very accomplished,

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Speaker 1: all time great female combat sports icons and putting them together.

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Speaker 1: That matters to me as a fan. But I think

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Speaker 1: it's the right fight at the right time to find

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Speaker 1: out is Kayla separate from this weight which we'll get to.

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Speaker 1: Is she truly UFC worthy in terms of her her skills.

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Speaker 1: We've seen her dominate for so long in the PFL,

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Speaker 1: short of course, of that one loss to Larisa Pacheco

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Speaker 1: in the championship a couple of years back that you know,

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Speaker 1: came after. Of course, Kayla already scoring two defeats over

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Speaker 1: at Pacheco. But can one loss disprove it? Think she's accomplished, No,

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Speaker 1: but she's gonna have to step into that octagon improve

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Speaker 1: it on the UFC level, and the same way that

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Speaker 1: Eddie Alvarez did when he came in and fought a

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Speaker 1: still game. Donald Cerronian came, you know, just short and

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Speaker 1: a very interesting and competitive fight, and the same thing

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Speaker 1: really about you know, Michael ven im Page coming over

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Speaker 1: from Belatore, which he will on this year to take

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Speaker 1: on Kevin Holland. And the idea of some of these

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Speaker 1: former Belatore champis Michael Chandler and other when they make

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Speaker 1: the splash sort of later in their career in their

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Speaker 1: mid thirties, when the tail end of the physical prime

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Speaker 1: is still there, but you know mentally they're at the

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Speaker 1: top of their game. You want to see them tested

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Speaker 1: right away against a big name and a tough out.

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Speaker 1: And I still think at forty two Holly Holm provides that,

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Speaker 1: especially when you throw in the weight consideration. So I

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Speaker 1: just don't get the outrage, even if it's not your

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Speaker 1: favorite fighter, even if you don't believe in the stock

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Speaker 1: of both fighters. This is unique. This adds perfectly to

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Speaker 1: an already stacked card as sort of an interesting attraction

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Speaker 1: and you know you can't hate on that star power.

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Speaker 1: But topic number two on I think why this move

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Speaker 1: in this news matters is look, Kyla Harrison's going all in.

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Speaker 1: We got to talk about this weight. She is a

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Speaker 1: one hundred and fifty five pound two time PFL champion.

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Speaker 1: She cut down to one hundred and forty five pounds

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Speaker 1: one time in that fight a few years back during

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Speaker 1: the pandemic when PFL was off and she was allowed

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Speaker 1: outside of her contract. This is November of twenty twenty

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Speaker 1: to fight at Invicta FC forty three, where she scored

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Speaker 1: a dominant second round stoppage over Courtney King that was

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Speaker 1: at featherweight one forty five. There had been talks for

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Speaker 1: a long time that it's physically impossible for her to

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Speaker 1: cut down to one thirty five. I think that's a

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Speaker 1: big part of what made this feel like this announcement

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Speaker 1: wasn't going to happen unless Kayla was coming in announced

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Speaker 1: as a new face for the one forty five division,

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Speaker 1: or my long term idea that's never come to fruition

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Speaker 1: of just combining vantamweight featherweight and then extending another maybe

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Speaker 1: five or ten pounds after that and having sort of

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Speaker 1: an open women's heavyweight division. That's not gonna happen here.

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Speaker 1: So for Kayla to come to the UFC, it appears

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Speaker 1: all indications, including some reporting from Mariel Hawani show that

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Speaker 1: it had to be at one thirty five. Only we've

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Speaker 1: heard her over the last year. I think a lot

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Speaker 1: of people remember the interview she gave Mark ray Mundy

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Speaker 1: of ESPN where she really went in detail and talked about, yes,

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Speaker 1: how hard the idea of this cut is. But also

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Speaker 1: look at where she's at in her career. Two times

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Speaker 1: she's won the PFL Championship, which brings a million dollar

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Speaker 1: prize each time, and she has created her own sort

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Speaker 1: of identity within this space of the best fighters that

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Speaker 1: aren't in the UFC. But she also realizes at thirty

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Speaker 1: three that this is the top of the mountain. This

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Speaker 1: is the peak of her mental and physical powers coming together.

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Speaker 1: So it is kind of now or never, even though

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Speaker 1: you can argue that she would have had big business

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Speaker 1: opportunities had she resigned with the PFL, had she been

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Speaker 1: there for this merger with Bellator and the super fights

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Speaker 1: that they're trying to make, and of course, of course

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Speaker 1: that long awaited fight with Chris Cyborg that has yet

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Speaker 1: to come to fruition and now really certainly is under

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Speaker 1: question whether it ever would. But Kayla going to ban

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Speaker 1: them weight, Kayla cutting down two divisions here. This is

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Speaker 1: all in shit, and it's not the kind of stuff

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Speaker 1: that doesn't come with questions, doesn't come with concerns, doesn't

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Speaker 1: come with fears. Who are people who can certainly bring

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Speaker 1: up the fact Luke Thomas one of them on social

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Speaker 1: media about how high in weight Kayla competed in judo

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Speaker 1: at the past and how much weight she carries and

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Speaker 1: just her regular walk around because of so much of

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Speaker 1: that added muscle. But her manager to the Stars, meaning

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Speaker 1: Kayla Harrison, Ali abdel Aziz, he told the ESPNS Red

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Speaker 1: Okamoto ahead of this news that Kayla Harrison has tested

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Speaker 1: a weightcut in anticipation of a deal with the UFC

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Speaker 1: to one thirty five and all parties were pleased with

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Speaker 1: the result of this weightcut. So yes, there's that old

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Speaker 1: adage that we always remember about the dangers of cutting

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Speaker 1: down in weight, especially when you're more advanced into your

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Speaker 1: fighting career, and we're always always going to bring up

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Speaker 1: what happened to Roy Jones junior in boxing was dominated

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Speaker 1: right the divisions of one sixty one, sixty eight, one

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Speaker 1: seventy five had beaten Antonio Tarvar in a close fight,

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Speaker 1: didn't really I'm sorry, this was before the first Tarboro fight,

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Speaker 1: didn't really know what direction to go next, wanted to

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Speaker 1: do something historically great. Did that by moving up to

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Speaker 1: heavyweight fighting and beating John Ruiz for one of the

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Speaker 1: one of the recognized titles at the time. It was

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Speaker 1: a hand pick opponent, and you did see a Roy

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Speaker 1: Jones that came in just shy of two hundred pounds

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Speaker 1: but put on the correct way the heavyweight mass with muscle.

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Speaker 1: When he came off of that challenge, and when he

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Speaker 1: realized he didn't want to defend that title and be

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Speaker 1: an active heavyweight, that it was a one off to

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Speaker 1: show his greatness, right, just the second former middleweight champion

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Speaker 1: along with Bob Fitzimmons, to go on to claim a

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Speaker 1: piece of the heavyweight crown. And then you also added

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Speaker 1: that Roy Jones turn pro at one fifty four, so

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Speaker 1: it was pretty ridiculous. But when he came back down

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Speaker 1: to light heavyweight one seventy five in boxing and fought

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Speaker 1: Tarvor that first time, even though Roy Jones gutted it

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Speaker 1: out and won it, you saw the physical toll of

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Speaker 1: cutting down in weight when you're s shedding muscle as

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Speaker 1: opposed to shedding mass or fat or what have you.

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Speaker 1: So it left him weak. He was barely able to

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Speaker 1: hold off Tarvor in that first fight, and then you

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Speaker 1: can certainly argue he had nowhere really to go afterwards,

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Speaker 1: ended up getting talked into doing the rematch, got knocked out,

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Speaker 1: got knocked out in a subsequent fight by Glenn Johnson,

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Speaker 1: and even though he hung on for another couple decades

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Speaker 1: largely ill advised, it was such a key turning point

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Speaker 1: in his career, right around the same age as Kayla,

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Speaker 1: that there can be a legitimate, major danger in cutting

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Speaker 1: down that much muscle. But here's the thing. I'm very

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Speaker 1: impressed with Kayla Harrison as a human, and I always

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Speaker 1: have been her advocacy for certain things like child sexual

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Speaker 1: abuse and her reveal of the trauma she's endured, her

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Speaker 1: taking on her niece and nephew and becoming their mother

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Speaker 1: because one of her siblings was unable to unable to

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Speaker 1: fulfill that role currently while going through some trouble, and

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Speaker 1: her commitment to excellence along the way. If you followed

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Speaker 1: her story, she's about as mentally and physically tough as anyone.

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Speaker 1: If any every one can be mentally tough enough to

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Speaker 1: pull off this challenge, it might be her and as

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Speaker 1: much as it is a danger, and I certainly you

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Speaker 1: would want her to do it as healthy and safe

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Speaker 1: safely as possible and not risk further health complications because

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Speaker 1: of a draft dramatic move like that. Do think at

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Speaker 1: this age it's worth that Shot could have stayed with

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Speaker 1: the PFL and been paid handsomely and was part of

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Speaker 1: super Fights. Maybe they would do another season around her.

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Speaker 1: For all we know, you could have continued not just

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Speaker 1: the idea of her getting a super fight with Cyborg,

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Speaker 1: but the idea of continuing this rivalry with Pacheco after

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Speaker 1: that upset loss, giving Kayla her only MMA loss. But

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Speaker 1: at thirty three, the window is closing in terms of

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Speaker 1: when she could do this, when it would make sense,

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Speaker 1: when she could have this impact. It's very understandable from

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Speaker 1: the UFC standpoint in terms of her signing this contract,

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Speaker 1: and that's what all reports seem to indicate, including from Heljani,

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Speaker 1: that she had to accept one thirty five or she

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Speaker 1: wasn't going to be able to come to the UFC

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Speaker 1: in this case. But she's going all in, and in

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Speaker 1: a lot of ways, that's what we ask of great

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Speaker 1: fighters who are trying to become all time great. Why

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Speaker 1: did Roy Jones move up to heavyweight when he didn't

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Speaker 1: need to write he wanted to find out how great

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Speaker 1: he can be. So I'm not against Kayla doing taking

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Speaker 1: this chance, and I think taking that chance is what

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Speaker 1: makes this so intriguing, along with the added star power

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Speaker 1: of facing Hole in the first time. So we do

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Speaker 1: get sort of a feel out exactly where Kayla is at.

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Speaker 1: She gets to do it at UFC three hundred where

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Speaker 1: if this is going to work, if this is a success,

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Speaker 1: could you have asked for any better platform to make

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Speaker 1: your UFC debut and make that moment happen. But no,

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Speaker 1: there's no guarantee that she can make this cut once

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Speaker 1: and look great or make this cut consistently, especially when

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Speaker 1: you hear her talk in the past. After that one

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Speaker 1: hundred and forty five pound cut down for that invictive

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Speaker 1: fight in twenty twenty, Kayla had said, like, I can

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Speaker 1: make that fight if I have to for a big fight,

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Speaker 1: I can make that weight. Excuse me. But she didn't

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Speaker 1: think it was sustainable then, maybe maybe because she knew

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Speaker 1: this was eventually one of her goals. Maybe if she

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Speaker 1: started early enough, it can be done in a healthy way.

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Speaker 1: But if anybody could pull it off, it's probably her,

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Speaker 1: but number three here, this is such a shot in

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Speaker 1: the harm to the UFC's women's divisions at the moment,

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Speaker 1: and in some ways they need that. Look strawwaite Is

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Speaker 1: has a very historically relevant champion in Jong Wailey who's

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Speaker 1: on her second title reign, and that division is always

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Speaker 1: from its kickoff start in twenty fourteen been in a

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Speaker 1: lot of ways the consistent class of the female divisions

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Speaker 1: within UFC. We have no issues with that division. One

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Speaker 1: twenty five went from being empty with the great Valentina

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Speaker 1: Chefchenko on top to being the deepest women's division in

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Speaker 1: the sport. But one thirty five and five I've been

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Speaker 1: a lot of blah, I've been a lot of I mean, look,

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Speaker 1: the great man in Nunas has kept these two divisions

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Speaker 1: afloat by defending both titles regularly, by proving her dominance

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Speaker 1: against everyone. But you can argue there was never depth

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Speaker 1: that one hundred and forty five pounds, that that division

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Speaker 1: was only created to try to bring in Chris Cyborg

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Speaker 1: and it worked. UFC originally gave her a chance to

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Speaker 1: try to cut down to one in the hopes that

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Speaker 1: she could eventually make the same one thirty five cut

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Speaker 1: that Kayla's gonna ambitiously try, and she couldn't. But they

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Speaker 1: opened up that division for her, even though she didn't

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Speaker 1: get to fight for the inaugural crown because she wasn't

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Speaker 1: quite ready. I've been critical of the UFC from the

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Speaker 1: standpoint of the decisions they make about some of these

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Speaker 1: big women's fights, including that home GDR inaugural title fight

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Speaker 1: at one forty five, which was kind of forced right

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Speaker 1: at that time, Holly Holm was coming off two straight

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Speaker 1: losses at Bandon Winch shoved right into a title fight,

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Speaker 1: and then really how the one hundred and twenty five

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Speaker 1: pound division started considering the ultimate fighter house. Nico Montagno

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Speaker 1: not her fault. She upset her way to the finals,

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Speaker 1: took on a replacement in Roxanne Matafari, won the title,

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Speaker 1: and of course got it stripped in disastrous fashion on

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Speaker 1: being unable to make weight for a first title defense

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Speaker 1: against Chevchenko, which on paper at the time had Montano

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Speaker 1: the champion as the biggest underdog in UFC history. So

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Speaker 1: I've been questionable about these divisions, these decisions, and I

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Speaker 1: was I questioned, of course, the decision to match Bueno

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Speaker 1: Silva and Pennington together, knowing some of the other star

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Speaker 1: power or even higher caliber fighters that are in this

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Speaker 1: division still names like Irene Aldona, who happened to be

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Speaker 1: the one who lost to Amanda Nunas which led to

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Speaker 1: that abrupt retirement that kind of shocked us and came

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Speaker 1: out of nowhere. But she has rebounded with a win.

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Speaker 1: You still got the star power of Julieta Pania in

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Speaker 1: this division, who's probably going to be fighting Rocky Pennington

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Speaker 1: next for the belt when she's healthy. But adding Kayla

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Speaker 1: in under any circumstance is a shot in the arm.

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Speaker 1: If she can make one thirty five consistently, she's an

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Speaker 1: instant threat to the title and could become the face

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Speaker 1: of this division in a big way. No shortage of opponents,

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Speaker 1: even though that division is not stacked at all. But

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Speaker 1: you do have aging home and derandom lingering, you do

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Speaker 1: have al Donna, like I mentioned, You've got Paynya, You've

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Speaker 1: got Pennington, You've got Buano Silva, who's going to be back.

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Speaker 1: You've got something to deal with. But I also want

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Speaker 1: to say this because there is the what if of

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Speaker 1: what if Kayla can't make this weight. Although all signs

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Speaker 1: do seem to appear to be that the UFC is

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Speaker 1: going to fold the women's featherweight division, they really have

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Speaker 1: not made a public statement about this yet. You go

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Speaker 1: to ufc dot com slash rankings, well you're not going

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Speaker 1: to find featherweight rankings because they've never been there since

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Speaker 1: the division started. They've never put out of top ten

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Speaker 1: in rankings. But the headline, the header is still there

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Speaker 1: that this division is still alive. I know after aman

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Speaker 1: in nwnis laid down the title last year, Dana was

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Speaker 1: quoted in a postfight press conference of basically alluding to

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Speaker 1: the idea that the division does not have life in

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Speaker 1: the long way, that it'll probably come to an end.

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Speaker 1: I saw some tweets Samira Hawani and his reporting that

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Speaker 1: lead you to believe that could be true. But until

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Speaker 1: that official decision is made, we have been asking for

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Speaker 1: a while, what's going to happen with one forty five?

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Speaker 1: Why is nobody asking about it? Do we all just

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Speaker 1: assume it's going to fade away? What if Cayla Harrison

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Speaker 1: comes in at one thirty five and looks good whether

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Speaker 1: she wins or loses against Holme, but makes a statement.

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Speaker 1: With her presence at UFC three hundred, is there a

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Speaker 1: chance as long as she's willing to go through the

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Speaker 1: effort of cutting to one thirty five that if it

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Speaker 1: doesn't work out, but she goes you know what, through

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Speaker 1: this process, I've learned I can make one forty five

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Speaker 1: any day of the week because I'm doing it the

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Speaker 1: right way now. And this is what Kayla has admitted

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Speaker 1: in recent interviews, saying when she's tried to cut down

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Speaker 1: in the past four years ago, she wasn't doing it

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Speaker 1: the quote unquote right way. Now she's doing it all in.

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Speaker 1: So let's just say it doesn't work out, Could you

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Speaker 1: suddenly put up a vacant title bout at one forty

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Speaker 1: five and make her the face? I think it's something

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Speaker 1: you can do right there. And could this lead to

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Speaker 1: the idea of recruiting the other top women's featherweights in

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Speaker 1: the world if this goes this way. It's just something

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Speaker 1: to offer because it has been sort of assumed and

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Speaker 1: Don Davis of PFL has sort of announced it that

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Speaker 1: they believe they have the best one to forty five

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Speaker 1: division in the planet, and especially when you combine Bellator

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Speaker 1: with PFL and you've got Chris Cieper, You've got Pacheco,

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Speaker 1: You've got Julia, but you've got a couple you know,

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Speaker 1: certainly some other names that can matter in that space.

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Speaker 1: I think you can argue that, especially considering the UFC

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Speaker 1: has seemingly no one at women's featherweight right now. But

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Speaker 1: the PFL contracts aren't as restrictive as UFC is in

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Speaker 1: terms of the idea of free agency and making the jump.

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Speaker 1: Once you get into the UFC, they become restrictive. But

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Speaker 1: I wonder if that could lead to recruitment to that division,

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Speaker 1: having life again, or some form of women's heavyweight. It's

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Speaker 1: something to think about. Even though Kayla is committed to

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Speaker 1: the one thirty five cut. Reminder, Cyborg was committed to

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Speaker 1: that cut too, and she tried one forty and she

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Speaker 1: want to fight there right. She showed she can do it,

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Speaker 1: as I mentioned earlier, So something to think about. My

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Speaker 1: final point on why this Kala's signing sort of matters is, Look,

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Speaker 1: it's not lost on UFC that Don Davis and PFL

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Speaker 1: has made some both statements that them buying belatour and

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Speaker 1: bring E, merging the rosters and ambitiously trying to create

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Speaker 1: not just an even better Bellator or sorry, even better

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Speaker 1: PFL season format, a pay per view division, and a

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Speaker 1: third revenue stream with the Bellator International Championship Series, and

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Speaker 1: of course all the ideas of growth they want to

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Speaker 1: do with PFL Africa and all those things. We got

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Speaker 1: to see if that can work right, if there's if

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Speaker 1: there's money to be made there. But at the very

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Speaker 1: least here it's PFL putting their flag down and saying, hey, UFC,

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Speaker 1: we just resigned on the same network as you. We're here,

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Speaker 1: We've got Anghano and Jake Paul. We're going to be

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Speaker 1: aggressive and free agency, and we're looking to compete. They're

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Speaker 1: not trying to be number two, They're trying to be

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Speaker 1: number one. Whether that's ill advised, whether that's whatever. This is.

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Speaker 1: This signing is a bit of a power move from

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Speaker 1: the UFC and in this war, if it is a war,

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Speaker 1: just to kind of jab back at PFL and remind

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Speaker 1: them where they are in this space, where they are

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Speaker 1: in the power hierarchy on their own network of ESPN.

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Speaker 1: Because I thought it was a shrewd signing from UFC

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Speaker 1: to get Michael ven and Page at the time they

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Speaker 1: did when he's sort of attempting to make his own

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Speaker 1: Michael Chandler end of career move to find out how

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Speaker 1: great he can be. And now you're going to add

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Speaker 1: in Kayla Harrison. Those are two very large assets that

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Speaker 1: could have been two of the most important fighters in

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Speaker 1: the PFL slash belitor stable and now you got them

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Speaker 1: here in UFC. And it is interesting the way that

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Speaker 1: this went down. And remember when Kyla Harrison was a

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Speaker 1: free agent last time I believe that was twenty twenty one,

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Speaker 1: she was a restricted free agent, so there were, you know,

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Speaker 1: the idea out there that UFC wasn't willing to back

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Speaker 1: up the truck to her. They gave her an offer,

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Speaker 1: a UFC offer, and ultimately PFL was able to match

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Speaker 1: it and she had to stay. But now that the

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Speaker 1: contract's over, it is interesting. There was a tweet from

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Speaker 1: Mariel Hawane as he broke the story, and he said,

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Speaker 1: I asked Don Davis of the PFL how the difference

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Speaker 1: of opinion on the end of Kayla Harrison's contract was

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Speaker 1: ultimately resolved, and what that difference of opinion is the

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Speaker 1: idea that Davis was under the belief that Harrison had

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Speaker 1: one more fight on her deal, Harrison and her team

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Speaker 1: was under the belief they didn't. But how they ultimately

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Speaker 1: resolved this, according to Ariel, in leading to her signing

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Speaker 1: was Don Davis saying, we chose not to stand in

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Speaker 1: her way of leaving for UFC. I support that this

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Speaker 1: is the kind of stuff that we're I mean, this

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Speaker 1: is why there's a class action lawsuit against the UFC

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Speaker 1: from fighters who felt that not only were they underpaid

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Speaker 1: for their duty in the job performed, but that they

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Speaker 1: were underrepresented. That essentially the you know, mon mono synopsistic nature.

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Speaker 1: If I just created a word that even John S.

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Speaker 1: Nash isn't aware of, you know, they've got a monopoly

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00:21:11,880 --> 00:21:14,600
Speaker 1: there has it been on all the up and up. No,

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00:21:14,800 --> 00:21:17,159
Speaker 1: the reason why this court, this trial is going to

435
00:21:17,200 --> 00:21:20,600
Speaker 1: happen is because they that side believes they can prove

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00:21:20,600 --> 00:21:24,600
Speaker 1: that the UFC has boxed people out in ways that

437
00:21:24,720 --> 00:21:29,520
Speaker 1: isn't fully legal in this system. It's very interesting here

438
00:21:30,200 --> 00:21:33,880
Speaker 1: because Harrison could have could have gotten I mean, say

439
00:21:34,000 --> 00:21:36,159
Speaker 1: Davis could have gotten that way and blocked Harrison, But

440
00:21:36,200 --> 00:21:38,400
Speaker 1: in reality, what would if he had done He would

441
00:21:38,400 --> 00:21:41,800
Speaker 1: have continued to make things worse for the fighters when

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00:21:41,840 --> 00:21:43,879
Speaker 1: he knew Kayla didn't want to be there anymore and

443
00:21:43,960 --> 00:21:47,119
Speaker 1: knew she wanted the challenge of the UFC, so I

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00:21:47,200 --> 00:21:52,040
Speaker 1: applaud him not keeping her an unnecessary additional fight, even

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00:21:52,080 --> 00:21:54,439
Speaker 1: if that additional fight could have been a pay per

446
00:21:54,560 --> 00:21:57,480
Speaker 1: view against Chris Iborg that could have kicked off thee

447
00:21:57,760 --> 00:22:01,040
Speaker 1: the PFL pay per view series, because let's remember they

448
00:22:01,160 --> 00:22:03,920
Speaker 1: had wanted Francis and Ghana to do that in MMA

449
00:22:04,119 --> 00:22:06,280
Speaker 1: or in a mixed rules fight with Deontay Wilder to

450
00:22:06,359 --> 00:22:09,120
Speaker 1: kick off the year. But he's getting too many opportunities

451
00:22:09,119 --> 00:22:11,600
Speaker 1: in real boxing, including of course his March fight with

452
00:22:11,720 --> 00:22:15,520
Speaker 1: Anthony Joshua. That shouldn't god to pull the upset to

453
00:22:15,560 --> 00:22:17,800
Speaker 1: be fighting for the young to speed a championship. I mean,

454
00:22:17,800 --> 00:22:20,560
Speaker 1: it's that simple. It's that's the Saudi Arabian plan in

455
00:22:20,640 --> 00:22:23,280
Speaker 1: terms of their investment in the heavyweights. I like that

456
00:22:23,359 --> 00:22:26,040
Speaker 1: Don Davis didn't get in the way because whether the

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00:22:26,040 --> 00:22:29,399
Speaker 1: PFL succeeds or not, and they're being very ambitious, including

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00:22:29,440 --> 00:22:31,760
Speaker 1: the signing of Francis and sort of giving him the

459
00:22:31,840 --> 00:22:36,000
Speaker 1: keys to the kingdom, letting him redefine the layout of fighters' rights,

460
00:22:36,080 --> 00:22:39,119
Speaker 1: letting him sit on the board right representing the fighters,

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00:22:39,160 --> 00:22:42,280
Speaker 1: letting him be the chairman of PFL Africa, letting him

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00:22:42,320 --> 00:22:46,520
Speaker 1: sort of basically change basically say I'm coming to you

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00:22:46,880 --> 00:22:48,800
Speaker 1: as a free agent because I don't like the way

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00:22:48,840 --> 00:22:51,920
Speaker 1: that things were stret up in the past. Davis could

465
00:22:51,920 --> 00:22:54,040
Speaker 1: have could have continued to make that problem worse, but

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00:22:54,359 --> 00:22:56,720
Speaker 1: it's the company image right now in the message that

467
00:22:56,760 --> 00:22:59,960
Speaker 1: they're trying to be almost a safe place in free agency.

468
00:23:00,119 --> 00:23:02,520
Speaker 1: If you're unhappy in the UFC, come find out what

469
00:23:02,560 --> 00:23:04,040
Speaker 1: we can do. We'll give you the split of the

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00:23:04,040 --> 00:23:06,159
Speaker 1: revenue on pay per view, all of that. Again, I

471
00:23:06,160 --> 00:23:07,639
Speaker 1: don't know if this is going to work for PFL,

472
00:23:07,680 --> 00:23:10,680
Speaker 1: but I do applaud Don Davis for not getting in

473
00:23:10,720 --> 00:23:14,200
Speaker 1: the way of something. Caleb did great business for PFL.

474
00:23:14,359 --> 00:23:17,720
Speaker 1: She she won the twenty nineteen PFL Championship. Of course

475
00:23:17,760 --> 00:23:19,560
Speaker 1: they didn't go during the pandemic. She came back in

476
00:23:19,560 --> 00:23:22,240
Speaker 1: twenty one and won it again, and she was dominant

477
00:23:22,240 --> 00:23:24,120
Speaker 1: all the way into the finals of twenty two until

478
00:23:24,160 --> 00:23:28,399
Speaker 1: she lost to Pacheco. This big news, this big news,

479
00:23:28,560 --> 00:23:31,159
Speaker 1: so definitely want to see where it goes. Definitely want

480
00:23:31,200 --> 00:23:33,720
Speaker 1: to see what this means for the future of the

481
00:23:33,840 --> 00:23:37,120
Speaker 1: UFC's women's band weight and maybe even women's featherweight division.

482
00:23:37,320 --> 00:23:38,760
Speaker 1: And I have to say, when you look at this

483
00:23:38,880 --> 00:23:41,920
Speaker 1: UFC three hundred card as it stands right now January

484
00:23:41,960 --> 00:23:45,119
Speaker 1: twenty fourth, you know, less than three months out, it

485
00:23:45,200 --> 00:23:47,639
Speaker 1: is coming together nicely. I still believe it needs one

486
00:23:47,680 --> 00:23:50,120
Speaker 1: more and needs a title fight. It needs something huge.

487
00:23:50,200 --> 00:23:52,600
Speaker 1: You're gonna have Jean Wai le versus Yan Shannan as

488
00:23:52,600 --> 00:23:56,240
Speaker 1: a colemane, or you know, first of three title fights,

489
00:23:56,280 --> 00:23:59,119
Speaker 1: you're going to have the BMF fight between Justin Gage

490
00:23:59,119 --> 00:24:02,200
Speaker 1: and Max Holloway, which is business, it's blockbuster, it's all action.

491
00:24:02,840 --> 00:24:04,920
Speaker 1: I think you've got to have a third title fight,

492
00:24:05,240 --> 00:24:07,480
Speaker 1: and personally, I think that title fight needs two main events.

493
00:24:07,520 --> 00:24:09,880
Speaker 1: So I don't think it should be Leon Edwards Blah Mohammed.

494
00:24:10,240 --> 00:24:13,000
Speaker 1: And despite some comments from Tom Aspinall lately, it doesn't

495
00:24:13,000 --> 00:24:15,520
Speaker 1: seem like Stepe is willing to fight him at three hundred.

496
00:24:15,600 --> 00:24:18,680
Speaker 1: He only wants John Jones. So could it be Aspinall

497
00:24:18,720 --> 00:24:21,560
Speaker 1: against somebody, Could it be Poeton, who knows? Could it

498
00:24:21,560 --> 00:24:24,040
Speaker 1: be out of Sonia coming back against DDP and a

499
00:24:24,080 --> 00:24:26,879
Speaker 1: quick turnaround. There's certainly options out there, although they're getting

500
00:24:26,880 --> 00:24:29,920
Speaker 1: fewer and fewer with how busy the spring and late

501
00:24:29,960 --> 00:24:32,640
Speaker 1: winter schedule is starting for the UFC in twenty twenty four,

502
00:24:33,359 --> 00:24:36,240
Speaker 1: but three hundred is coming together. From a depth standpoint,

503
00:24:36,520 --> 00:24:40,240
Speaker 1: Don't forget about Charles olivera Armantsaruki and Yuri Prohotska versus

504
00:24:40,280 --> 00:24:43,160
Speaker 1: Alexander Rakich, Calvin cater Al, Jamain Sterling, which no one's

505
00:24:43,200 --> 00:24:46,040
Speaker 1: talking about in al Jo's feather debut. I even like

506
00:24:46,080 --> 00:24:48,800
Speaker 1: Devison Fagarao versus Cody Garbrandon. Of course you got the

507
00:24:48,840 --> 00:24:52,080
Speaker 1: recently added Jim Miller versus Bobby Green. So three hundreds

508
00:24:52,080 --> 00:24:56,639
Speaker 1: coming together. And for Kayla Harrison, the first American to

509
00:24:56,680 --> 00:24:59,120
Speaker 1: win gold at the Olympics in judo, a two time

510
00:24:59,160 --> 00:25:02,280
Speaker 1: gold medalist and a two division champion at PFL, this

511
00:25:02,359 --> 00:25:04,200
Speaker 1: is her all in moment where we find out how

512
00:25:04,280 --> 00:25:07,199
Speaker 1: great she can be. So thank you for tuning in.

513
00:25:07,240 --> 00:25:10,760
Speaker 1: Brian Campbell. Here reminder Morning Combat will be once a

514
00:25:10,800 --> 00:25:14,080
Speaker 1: week on Mondays for the remainder of January. Going to

515
00:25:14,160 --> 00:25:17,120
Speaker 1: be taking some time off in February as we move

516
00:25:17,160 --> 00:25:19,240
Speaker 1: some things around, cleaning some things up and get ready

517
00:25:19,280 --> 00:25:21,840
Speaker 1: for our March rebrand. But we'll be here ahead of

518
00:25:21,840 --> 00:25:24,920
Speaker 1: the biggest events and after them previewing and reviewing, and

519
00:25:24,960 --> 00:25:26,800
Speaker 1: we'll be jumping in and out of course for the

520
00:25:26,840 --> 00:25:30,040
Speaker 1: biggest latest news that drops in. Luke Thomas and myself,

521
00:25:30,080 --> 00:25:33,560
Speaker 1: your boy BC, thank you for watching April thirteenth, UFC

522
00:25:33,680 --> 00:25:36,600
Speaker 1: three hundred. Boy it's getting excited. Can't wait to see

523
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Speaker 1: you