Show Money 41: UFC Antitrust Update, Endeavor, Jake Paul & Fighter Pay

June M. Williams

The Show Money crew is back to spew their sometimes educated, sometimes random theories on the only show exclusively dedicated to the business of MMA. The Show Money crew is Paul the economist, Jason the…


Show Money, MMA Business, UFC Business, UFC Financials, MMA Financials, MMA Economics, UFC Economics, UFC Fighter Pay, Moodys Reports, ONE Championship
June M. Williams

The Show Money crew is back to spew their sometimes educated, sometimes random theories on the only show exclusively dedicated to the business of MMA.

The Show Money crew is Paul the economist, Jason the lawyer, and John Nash, Bloody Elbow’s Financials Columnist, who also happens to be the man who knows everyone and everything in MMA. They bring you the business side of MMA, in depth, in a way you won’t find anywhere else!

CHECK OUT THE VIDEO PODCAST OF THE SHOW ON BLOODY ELBOW PRESENTS YOUTUBE CHANNELRIGHT HERE!

In our latest episode, the crew discusses:

1. UFC Antitrust Lawsuit Update

2. Endeavor’s Second Quarter: “The best first half the UFC has ever had”

3. Endeavor Stock Options Controversy

4. Jake Paul on Fighter Pay, Fighter Pay Issues in General

5. What Might Be the Best Way to Address Fighter Pay?

Be sure and follow Paul at @MMAanalytics, John at @heynottheface, and Jason at @dilletaunt for all of their twitter musings.

FOR THE AUDIO BROADCAST OF THIS EPISODE PLEASE VISIT OUR SOUNDCLOUD CHANNEL

If you enjoyed our show, give us a shout out in the comments here on Bloody Elbow, or give us a “like”, share & subscribe over on whichever BE Presents Podcast Channel happens to be your listening platform of choice: SoundCloud, YouTube, iTunes & Apple TV, iHeartRadio, Stitcher, Spotify, TuneIn, OverCast, or Player FM, & NOW AMAZON MUSIC! – While you’re there, don’t forget to subscribe to Bloody Elbow Presents; that way you’ll always be the first to get all of BE’s daily MMA offerings. For previous episodes of the show, check out our playlists on all of our BE Presents channels.

UFC Vegas 36 odds: Brunson underdog to Till

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Check out the betting odds for UFC Vegas 36, where Darren Till is favored over Derek Brunson, and Paddy Pimblett is slightly favored in his promotional debut over Luigi Vendramini. It’s f…


UFC Fight Night: Derek Brunson v Darren Till Weigh-in
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Check out the betting odds for UFC Vegas 36, where Darren Till is favored over Derek Brunson, and Paddy Pimblett is slightly favored in his promotional debut over Luigi Vendramini.

It’s fight day for an early UFC Vegas 36 event, which is going down from the company’s APEX facility in Las Vegas, Nevada. The top of the billing has the UFC’s #7 ranked middleweight, Darren Till, squaring off with the #5 ranked, Derek Brunson. Also on the main card, UFC newcomer Paddy Pimblett is slightly favored over Luigi Vendramini. Bloody Elbow is here to hook you up with the betting lines for these two high profile contests, as well as for the rest of the UFC Vegas 36 lineup.

Despite Brunson riding a four-fight winning wave, and Till only winning one of his last four fights, the oddsmakers are still siding with the Liverpool native to get the dub here. Darren is on deck with a favored line of -174, with a winning $100 wager returning you a total of $157.47. As for Derek, he can be found with a +146 underdog value, with a successful $100 gamble bringing you back $246 altogether.

The bookies do not believe that the UFC Vegas 36 main event will go the distance. The prop bet ‘Fight doesn’t go to decision’ possesses a strongly favored line of -205, with a +152 comeback on ‘Fight goes to decision.’ The striking aficionado in Till has been labeled more likely than the willing wrestler in Brunson to produce a finish. Both inside the distance props hold plus lines here, but Darren’s finishing prop is much closer to even money than Derek’s. The exotic bet ‘Till wins inside distance’ can be had for a value of +120, while ‘Brunson wins inside distance’ is floating around at a much loftier altitude of +275.

We’ve got another Liverpool lad being favored on the UFC Vegas 36 main card. when promotional newcomer, and fan favorite, Paddy “The Baddy” Pimblett will be taking on three-fight UFC veteran, Luigi Vendramini. Paddy is listed as a small betting favorite here, clocking in with a slightly juiced moneyline of -154. That means a $100 bet on “The Baddy” could potentially win you $64.94, plus your initial hundred bucks back. As for Luigi, he is posted up with a little underdog tag of +130. So, dropping a hundo on him could possibly win you a total payout of $230.

According to the betting odds, this UFC Vegas 36 lightweight matchup will not make it to the scorecards. Gablers can lay the price on the bet ‘Fight doesn’t go to decision’ at a cost of -190, or take the price on the ‘Fight goes to decision’ wager at a value of +140. The man hitting flying triangles (plural) in professional MMA competition is the fighter seen as the one most likely to end the match early. Prop bet ‘Pimblett wins inside distance’ is available at a tiny plus line of +140, while ‘Vendramini wins inside distance’ is listed at a much higher value of +300.

Check out the UFC Vegas 36 betting odds, courtesy of BestFightOdds.com:


For an in-depth breakdown of each UFC Vegas 36 scrap, check out The MMA Vivisection Podcasts with Bloody Elbow’s own Zane Simon and Connor Ruebusch. Be sure to subscribe to our SoundCloud Channel or YouTube channel to stay up to date with all of our live video content. Stay glued to Bloody Elbow for all of your event coverage including play-by-play, results, highlights, and more! Happy hunting!

UFC Vegas 36 Start Time, Who Is Fighting Today!

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is headed back inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, TODAY (Sat., Sept. 4, 2021) to stage UFC Vegas 36 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Headlining the event will …


UFC Fight Night: Brunson v Till Weigh-in
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is headed back inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, TODAY (Sat., Sept. 4, 2021) to stage UFC Vegas 36 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Headlining the event will be a Middleweight bout between Derek Brunson and Darren Till. In the co-main event, Tom Aspinall will take on Sergey Spivac in Heavyweight action.

What’s Hot:

For as much as many in the fight game expected big things from Till, he hasn’t quite delivered on those lofty expectations. Sure, he started off his UFC career winning five of his first six bouts, with the other being a draw, and having victories over long-time veterans such as Donald Cerrone and Stephen Thompson isn’t a bad thing to have on your resume. However, since then, “The Gorilla” hasn’t exactly been lighting it up inside the Octagon. He did score a title fight against Tyron Woodley, but wound up going to sleep after “The Chosen One” — who is loving life right about now — sunk in a fight-ending d’arce choke. In his follow up fight, Till was knocked out by Jorge Masvidal (see it). He then bounced back with a win over Kelvin Gastelum, which many felt should have gone the other way, in a Middleweight scrap. After that, Till came up short against Robert Whittaker, leaving him at 1-3 in his last four fights. Despite his slump, Till is still sitting pretty at No. 7 at 185 pounds and is still getting headlining duties.

His next challenge comes in the form of Brunson, the hard-hitting Middleweight who is seemingly on the cusp of finally breaking through to a title shot. Brunson has long been one of the most consistent fighters in the division, but oddly enough, seems to be the forgotten man when it comes to talking about the cream of the crop. Currently on a four-fight win streak, Brunson’s lone defeats in the last seven years have come against former Welterweight champion, Robert Whittaker, ex-Middleweight king Anderson Silva, Ronaldo Souza and current 185-pound lord, Israel Adesanya. Now, Brunson is eying his first shot at the a UFC title with a win over Till, and since he is ranked No. 5, there really is no reason to deny him the shot against the winner of Adesanya vs. Whittaker 2. He’s put in the work and one more win should be enough to get him to the big dance.

As for the fight itself, expect an all-out stand up war. Till loves to bang and Brunson is more than happy to oblige. The problem for Brunson is that he tends to get a bit overzealous at times, so when he connects on a good shot he will, more often than not, throw caution to the wind and go in a bit reckless. While it’s good to be aggressive, Brunson’s over-eagerness and sometimes careless attacks have gotten him in trouble in the past. That’s a dangerous game to play against Till — especially in a smaller cage — who has shown to have power in his hands. Both men need a win here for two drastically different reasons. Till is simply trying to hang on and prevent slipping further down the ladder, while Brunson is eyeing his fifth straight win for a shot at the title. There’s a lot at stake her for both men so it should be one entertaining main event.

What’s Not:

Aside from the main event, the rest of the card is pretty lacking since there isn’t a lot of depth here. But, by now we have come to get accustomed to cards like this during the pandemic. Gone are the days where “Fight Night” events were pretty solid all the way around. Whether or not that changes in the future remains to be seen. But, when you’re putting on events every weekend, cards like this are going to become the norm. To be fair to the promotion, the event was looking solid before it lost two big fights, which we will discuss below.

Original Card Vs. Actual Card:

Alexander Gustafsson was originally booked to co-headline the event against Paul Craig, but was forced out of the fight with an injury. As a result, Craig was removed from the event altogether. Also, Said Nurmagomedov was forced out of his fight against Jack Shore because of visa issues. Then his replacement, Zviad Lazishvili, was forced out with an injury and replaced by Liudvik Sholinian.

Volkan Oezdemir was in line to face off against Magomed Ankalaev in what promised to be a hard-hitting Light Heavyweight scrap. However, the fight was postponed and it will now take place at the upcoming 267 pay-per-view (PPV) event on Oct. 20, 2021, on “Fight Island.” Plus, Sergei Pavlovich was forced out of his Heavyweight fight against Tom Aspinall, who will now face off against Sergey Spivak.

Former Combate Americas star Marcelo Rojo was looking to attempt to pick up his first win inside the Octagon after coming up short in his promotional debut earlier this year, losing to Charles Jourdain via technical knockout in a very entertaining scrap. He was set to take on Jonathan Martinez — another Combate Americas alum — but Martinez was forced out of the fight after suffering from complications due to his weight cut.

Injuries:

Aside from the previously mentioned injury to Gustaffson and Lazishvili, Nathaniel Wood suffered a broken hand and was forced out of his fight against Jonathan Martinez. Wood was eventually replaced by Rojo.

New Blood:

Paddy Pimblett will finally get to make his much-anticipated UFC debut when he takes on Luigi Vendramini. Pimblett is coming in with a lot of hype as the former Cage Warriors Featherweight champion and one of the biggest names from the promotion. That said, he is just 3-2 in his last five fights, so it’s not like he is coming in with a great win streak so let’s not make him out to be the next Conor McGregor just yet … he has to prove himself inside the Octagon. The thing is, if Pimblett can score an impressive win in his debut, like McGregor did, then the UFC hype machine will undoubtedly gravitate toward him (too late). He is already talking a good game, now it’s time to put up or shut up. He will be taking on Luigi Vendramini, who is just 1-2 inside the Octagon and is coming off majority decision loss to Fares Ziam. It’s not exactly a big UFC name, but the promotion obviously wants to ease Pimblett in before throwing him in with the sharks. That said, Vendramini isn’t about to roll over and simply be a stepping stone, he intends to upset Pimblett to get his own momentum going.

UFC newcomer Liudvik Sholinian is riding a four-fight win streak going into his debut for the promotion. He will be in for a tough first fight because he will be facing Jack Shore, one of the best rising Bantamweight contenders UFC has in what is arguably the best weight class in the promotion. Undefeated at 14-0, Shore has won all three of his fights inside the eight-walled cage and has finished 12 of his first 15 opponents.

How The ‘Prelims’ Look:

Marc-Andre Barriault is in search of his first back-to-back wins inside the Octagon in three years when he goes toe-to-toe against Dalcha Lungiambula, winner of seven of his last eight fights in what is sure to be a hard-hitting Middleweight bout. Both men are looking for consecutive wins in order to crack the Top 15.

Julian Erosa saw his three-fight win streak go up in smoke against Seung Woo Choi earlier this summer, stopping the momentum he had going on his quest to getting bigger and better fights. Now, Erosa is on the hunt to begin a new win streak, but his first test will be a tough one because he will be taking on the aforementioned Charles Jourdain. He is 2-2-1 under the UFC banner and is coming off a big knockout win over the aforementioned Rojo.

Molly McCann started her UFC career off promising, winning three of her first four bouts. Since then, however, “Meatball” has dropped two in a row and losing three straight wouldn’t be ideal for her future prospects as a UFC employee. She will face Ji Yeon Kim, who is coming off a tough loss to Alexa Grasso.

For more on all of the “Prelims” action click here and here.

Who Needs A Win Badly:

Till needs a win in the worst way here. He won’t be in danger of getting cut because he is still marketable for the European market despite his losing woes. But, losing his second straight will put him at 1-4 over his last five fights and likely drop him out of the Top 10. Till — like Sam Alvey — will seemingly always have a spot on UFC’s roster and get to collect his paychecks. But, “The Gorilla” wants more than that. He is adamant he has what it takes to one day be a UFC champion and that is still his goal. A win will help him get closer, but a loss separates him that much further from his endgame.

Interest Level:5/10

The card took several hits and there really isn’t much the promotion can do about that. In the co-main event, Aspinall will look to extend his impressive win streak to seven when he battles another streaking contender, Sergey Spivak, winner of three in a row. The Heavyweight division is wide open at the moment and the winner of this fight has a good chance at cracking the Top 10.

Coming off a knockout win over Donald Cerrone, Alex Morono hopes to collect his first back-to-back wins in two years when he battles David Zawada, who is just 1-3 in his last four fights in the Welterweight division.

After wowing the UFC fan base in his debut with a first round knockout win over Andreas Michailidis, Modestas Bukauskas has dropped two in a row, putting him on the chopping block. He will try to avoid his third-straight loss and a possible release from the promotion when he battles Khalil Rountree, who has also lost two straight. After knocking out Gokhan Saki in 2018, some expected Rountree to turn that corner and elevate himself into the Top 10. Instead, he has gone 1-3, so he needs a big win here to stop the bleeding.

Enjoy the fights!

UFC Vegas 36 Full Fight Card:

UFC Vegas 36 Main Event On ESPN+:

185 lbs.: Derek Brunson vs. Darren Till

UFC Vegas 36 Main Card On ESPN+ (4 p.m. ET):

265 lbs.: Tom Aspinall vs. Sergei Spivac
170 lbs.: Alex Morono vs. David Zawada
205 lbs.: Modestas Bukauskas vs. Khalil Rountree
155 lbs.: Paddy Pimblett vs. Luigi Vendramini

UFC Vegas 36 Prelims Card On ESPN+ (2 p.m. ET):

125 lbs.: Molly McCann vs. Ji Yeon Kim
135 lbs.: Jack Shore vs. Liudvik Sholinian
145 lbs.: Charles Jourdain vs. Julian Erosa
185 lbs.: Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Dalcha Lungiambula
135 lbs.: Jonathan Martinez vs. Marcelo Rojo — CANCELED (details here)

*Fight card, bout order and number of fights remain subject to change due to COVID-19.*


Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 36 fight card right here, starting with the ESPN+ “Prelims” matches, which are scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. ET, then the remaining main card balance on ESPN+ at 4 p.m. ET.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC Vegas 36: “Brunson vs. Till” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.

Kris Moutinho On O’Malley Fight: “I Can’t Even Watch It Anymore”

UFC bantamweight Kris Moutinho has opened up about his UFC debut loss against Sean O’Malley, saying he struggled to watch footage of the fight. In July, Moutinho was plucked from obscurity and, on ten days’ notice, thrust onto the limelight of UFC 264—…

UFC bantamweight Kris Moutinho has opened up about his UFC debut loss against Sean O’Malley, saying he struggled to watch footage of the fight. In July, Moutinho was plucked from obscurity and, on ten days’ notice, thrust onto the limelight of UFC 264—the second-most watched PPV in the promotion’s history—to face one of its biggest […]

Continue Reading Kris Moutinho On O’Malley Fight: “I Can’t Even Watch It Anymore” at MMA News.

McGregor responds to Silva’s advice

Conor McGregor in on Rodeo Drive, Los Angles on August 9. | Photo by APEX/MEGA/GC Images

McGregor bemoaned the lack of support he’s received from the MMA community. Conor McGregor continues to heal and rehab from the tr…


Conor McGregor - Celebrity Sightings In Beverly Hills - August 09, 2021
Conor McGregor in on Rodeo Drive, Los Angles on August 9. | Photo by APEX/MEGA/GC Images

McGregor bemoaned the lack of support he’s received from the MMA community.

Conor McGregor continues to heal and rehab from the traumatic leg break he suffered at UFC 264 in July. At that event, he sustained a total fracture of the tibia when one of his kicks collided with the elbow of Dustin Poirier. The fight was ruled a TKO win for Poirier, giving ‘The Diamond’ two TKO wins over ‘Notorious’ and a record of 2-1 in their trilogy of fights.

In the immediate aftermath of the injury McGregor seethed at Poirier and threatened to kill him and his family. Those threats persisted in the weeks following the event. McGregor has continued to cut a malicious and agitated figure on social media, spewing insults at some of his favourite targets (and a few new ones, too).

Thanks to the toxic environment he has created, McGregor has received very few supportive messages from his fellow fighters. However, he did receive some words of encouragement from a man who knows the Irishman’s situation all too well.

UFC legend Anderson Silva, who famously suffered the same injury against Chris Weidman, publicly advised McGregor to focus on his mind during this year long recovery period so he can come back to competition a stronger and better fighter.

This isn’t the first time Silva has offered encouragement to someone who suffered this injury. Earlier this year he shared a heartwarming moment with Weidman, who suffered a broken leg in a fight with Uriah Hall.

Just as Weidman did, McGregor clearly appreciated hearing from one of MMA’s GOATs. McGregor took to Instagram to thank ‘The Spider’, while also using the moment to bash some of his foes.

I appreciate this message greatly Anderson, thank you.

You know, since this freak injury happened to me, I’ve had very little support from my fellow colleagues. In fact quite the exact opposite. The claws came out. But no worries! I love a little scratch from a bitch. See yous when I get ya’s you’s little nobodies!

McGregor’s timetable for a recovery has been estimated at around a year. McGregor has expressed his intention to return to fighting once his leg is healed. He has also expressed his desire to fight two men he’s faced multiple times before: Dustin Poirier and Nate Diaz.

UFC Vegas 36 Results: Derek Brunson vs. Darren Till

UFC Vegas 36 goes down today (Sat. September 4, 2021) from Las Vegas, Nevada at the UFC Apex facility and we have the results. The world’s leading mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion compiled an excellent card for fight fans to enjoy.  Derek Brunso…

UFC Vegas 36 goes down today (Sat. September 4, 2021) from Las Vegas, Nevada at the UFC Apex facility and we have the results. The world’s leading mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion compiled an excellent card for fight fans to enjoy.  Derek Brunson vs. Darren Till in a middleweight bout will headline the show.  Brunson […]

Continue Reading UFC Vegas 36 Results: Derek Brunson vs. Darren Till at MMA News.