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On the final episode of Gross Point Blank, Josh talks about the long-term health of the sport of mixed martial arts being grounded in the concept of becoming the best in the world and being tested against real contenders, rather than putting on fights just for fighting’s sake.
He also discusses his desire for cross-promotion bouts, how the “UFC-or-nothing” crowd is disruptive to MMA in a larger sense, and how the increasingly more commonplace matchmaking practice of putting together fights that don’t have clear stakes hurts the sport.
And, in that context, he takes a look at this weekend’s excellent UFC Norfolk Flyweight title fight between Joseph Benavidez and Deiveson Figueiredo.
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Josh talks about his interview with Diego Sanchez’s lone cornerman and trainer, Josh Fabia, that went up on The Athletic this week, and gives his thoughts on Diego’s decision to leave the friendly confines of Jackson-Wink, the flood of criticism Fabia has received post-UFC Rio Rancho, Pat Miletich calling Fabia a “snake oil salesman”, how he approached the interview, and much more.
Then, Josh gives his thoughts on the epic combat sports weekend ahead, including Bellator’s dual cards on Friday and Saturday, UFC Auckland, RIZIN 21, and the Wilder-Fury 2 real deal Heavyweight title fight.
To close the show, Josh lets his listeners know Gross Point Blank will publish its final episode next week.
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Josh recaps a memorable UFC 247 and talks about Jon Jones’s razor thin victory over Dominick Reyes, which Josh scored 48-27 in Reyes’s favor, whether there should be an immediate rematch or not, Jones’s defensive brilliance, and laments the fact that the conversation after the event is about judging and commissions and rulesets, rather than the great fight itself. Plus, thoughts on how problems with poor judging can be avoided in the future, including a national accreditation process and boycotting commissions with suspect histories.
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Josh previews the UFC 247 main event, Jon Jones vs. Dominick Reyes for the Light Heavyweight title, and takes a look at Jon Jones’s unparalleled career, the criticism he faced for his last two performances, the aspects of Dominick Reyes’s game that could result in an upset Saturday night, and more.
Plus, thoughts on Valentina Shevchenko’s Women’s Flyweight title defense against Katlyn Chookagian in the co-main event and a quick look at the rest of the main card.
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Josh takes a look back at an impactful first month of the new year in the world of mixed martial arts during the last eventless weekend for quite some time and gives his thoughts on Conor McGregor’s return to the Octagon, and the subsequent Stephen A. Smith-Joe Rogan situation, UFC Raleigh, Bellator 238, France legalizing MMA, the ramifications of Bellator falling under the purview of Showtime Sports, with Scott Coker reporting directly to Stephen Espinoza, and more.
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Josh talks with Raymond Daniels about getting moved onto the main card of Bellator 238, his more-than-a-decade break between MMA fights, his highlight reel 720 right hook KO of Wilker Barros, wanting to be the All-Sport champ, and more.
Then, Bellator Women’s Featherweight champion Julia Budd joins the show and discusses Cris Cyborg as an opponent, feeling like the pressure is on Cyborg going into the fight, embracing the media attention surrounding Bellator 238, Gina Carano’s support, and more.
Plus, Josh gives his take on Conor McGregor’s victorious return to the Octagon at UFC 246 and quickly previews Bellator 238 and UFC Raleigh to close the show.
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Josh gives his thoughts on the media environment surrounding Conor McGregor’s return to the Octagon, specifically the sexual assault allegations he’s facing back home in Ireland. Plus, Josh breaks down the UFC 246 main event bout between Conor and Cowboy, talks about what’s at stake for both guys, and highlights interesting undercard fights, as well.
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Josh kicks off the year with his list of 20 thoughts, ideas, and predictions for 2020 in the world of mixed martial arts. Can Conor McGregor rebound? Which fights should happen, but won’t? Is AJ McKee the real deal? Can the unbeaten UFC champions remain unbeaten? All that, and much more, on the first episode of the new year.
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First, Josh is joined by AJ McKee to discuss his Bellator Featherweight World Grand Prix Quarterfinal bout against Derek Campos, going through a relaxing fight week in Hawaii, fighting on the same card with his dad at The Forum, growing as a person outside the gym, looking for big time sponsorships as his career progresses, Floyd Mayweather, and much more. Then, TJ Thompson, the Godfather of Hawaiian Mixed Martial Arts, joins the show and talks about the business of MMA in Hawaii, helping put together the undercards for Bellator events in Hawaii, being in love with the early days of the sport during its “punk rock” era, and much more. Plus, Josh gives his thoughts on UFC 245’s three title fights, and previews Bellator 235, headlined by Josh Barnett vs. Ronny Markes, and Bellator 236, featuring Ilima-Lei Macfarlane defending her Women’s Flyweight title against Kate Jackson in the main event and the AJ McKee vs. Derek Campos co-main event in a Featherweight World Grand Prix Quarterfinal matchup.
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Josh sits down with Quinton “Rampage” Jackson at the Ultimate Training Center in Huntington Beach to discuss his December 28 clash with Fedor Emelianenko, how it feels to be returning to Japan, and the Saitama Super Arena, for the fight, working with Sam Calavitta at The Treigning Lab, and feeling like fans should have more respect for him and Fedor, still pursuing the sport they love after all these years. Plus, Josh dives into the UFC 245 card and gives his thoughts on how the three title fights will play out.
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Kayla Harrison joins the show and discusses her upcoming PFL Lightweight championship fight against Larissa Pacheco with $1 million on the line, getting more and more comfortable in her evolution from judoka to mixed martial artist, being bummed, but not surprised, that Cris Cyborg signed with Bellator, overcoming her past sexual abuse, her book, “Fighting Back”, and much more. Plus, Josh discusses recently announced fights including Conor McGregor vs. Cowboy Cerrone, Khabib vs. Tony Ferguson fights, and Paul Felder vs. Dan Hooker, and highlights some of the biggest bouts coming up during a jam-packed month of December.
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Josh takes a look back at the third decade of modern mixed martial arts and explores how this past ten years stacks up against the previous twenty, including the most significant events, fights, and fighters that have shaped the current era of the sport. Plus, Josh gives his thoughts on The Athletic MMA’s collective all-decade team selections.
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Dominick Reyes joins the show and talks about his UFC 247 headlining fight against Jon Jones for the UFC Light Heavyweight title, being the best version of himself on fight night, this being the plan since 2013, handling the pressure of the moment, Jon as the ultimate test, and much more.
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King Mo Lawal joins the show and talks about his life after fighting, having the chance to live the American dream throughout his career, getting a chance to explore many cultures, including meeting Khabib Nurmagomedov in Dagestan, and much more. Plus, Josh looks back at Ben Askren’s career and talks about the former champ’s legacy in the wake of his retirement from MMA.
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Josh is joined by “The California Kid” Urijah Faber to discuss how challenging it was to resume his MMA career after he stepped away in 2016, his storybook return to the Octagon against Ricky Simon in July, his upcoming UFC 245 fight vs. rising contender Petr Yan, Cody Garbrandt’s status with Team Alpha Male, and much more. Then, undefeated Bellator prospect Patrick Mix calls in and talks about his eleven straight wins to start his career, including his most recent victory against Isaiah Chapman, representing Bellator in his next fight against Yuki Motoya at Rizin 20 in Japan on New Year’s Eve, feeling like he would’ve won Season 27 of The Ultimate Fighter had he been on the show, and a lot more. First, Josh gives his thoughts on the main event of UFC Sao Paulo between Jan Błachowicz and Jacare Souza, making his Light Heavyweight debut.
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Josh sits down with UFC Hall of Famer, Randy “The Natural” Couture exactly two weeks after he suffered a heart attack to discuss how he’s feeling now, thoughts on the BMF title fight between Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz, USADA’s role in the UFC, The Rock, Trump, and much more. Plus, Josh’s thoughts on UFC 244, including the doctor who stopped the fight getting death threats, President Trump’s attendance at the event, and putting his involvement in the early days of the sport into proper context, and The Rock’s “Smashing Machine” film. Finally, Josh details the thought process behind his BMF tournament piece for The Athletic.
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Josh is joined by MMA legend and original BMF, Tank Abbott, to discuss the idea of a BMF title, whether Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal would fit into the old school tournament-style events or not, discovering the UFC in a Playboy Magazine ad, the toughest guy he fought in his career, and much more. Plus, Josh gives some interesting details about the changes USADA is making to its anti-doping policy, and why Nate Diaz might not have had as much to do with them as people think. And, Josh gives his thoughts on the entirety of the stacked UFC 244 card.
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Gross Point Blank with The Athletic's Josh Gross is coming your way every Thursday, starting October 31st!
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