Tag: Luke Thomas

Exclusive – Morning Kombat’s Luke Thomas mourns the loss of Bloody Elbow: ‘This is a real bad day for MMA’

Bloody ElbowAs we approach one of the biggest UFC pay-per-view cards of the year, fight fans are flooding social media…

Bloody Elbow

As we approach one of the biggest UFC pay-per-view cards of the year, fight fans are flooding social media with thoughts over the recent buyout of Bloody Elbow, an MMA media website that for more than a decade, delivered combat sports news and analysis with a unique voice unlike any other in the industry.

On Tuesday, March 5, it was announced that Bloody Elbow had been purchased by GRV Media, a UK-based company that touts itself as “one of the world’s largest independent networks with a portfolio of over 50 sites focused mainly on sport, gaming, and entertainment.”

Over the years, Bloody Elbow and its tribe of writers have sought to hold the MMA industry accountable for its actions. They tackled issues of fighter pay head-on and since August, have provided by far the most comprehensive coverage of the ongoing antitrust lawsuit against the UFC. Unfortunately, if you want to go back and read any of those stories, you’re out of luck as Bloody Elbow’s new business daddy has seemingly erased every report associated with the suit.

Speaking on the demise of Bloody Elbow, Luke Thomas of Morning Kombat shared his thoughts with Mike Owens in a LowKick MMA exclusive interview.

“This is a real bad day for MMA,” Thomas said. “I know that there are folks who don’t see it that way. I would submit that they don’t understand what is happening around them. The biggest complaint that I typically see about Bloody Elbow comes from people who didn’t like their political sort of editorial slant, which is fine. You don’t have to like that, but show me the site or the media outlet that does what they do in the sense of trying to police the industry. Trying to hold commissions [accountable]. Trying to bring fighter pay to public scrutiny. What other media outlet does that? There isn’t one.”

Thomas Warns that MMA media will become ‘more unreliable’ following bloody elbow buyout

If you’ve read a story about fighter pay or the ongoing antitrust lawsuit, chances are some of the information included was sourced from Bloody Elbow. They were the only site actively working to hold Dana White and Co. accountable for its highly questionable business practices that kept the executive pockets lined in cash while fighters threw hands for their share of a meager 15% of the revenue.

“This is categorically a disaster for the industry,” Thomas continued. “There are going to be people in the industry happy about this because they’re going to benefit from the situation and they didn’t like that Bloody Elbow had political coverage, but it just goes to show you that the amount of bad faith actors in the industry is so endemic in management, in how fighters get paid, in commission structures…

“These things are so endemic that it’s basically how the sport works and that’s why you see sometimes these really angry reactions to what [Bloody Elbow] did because they were the only ones who had the courage to hold a mirror up and let everyone see what was going on. This is a very bad thing for the industry unless you’re a dirtbag, in which case congratulations. Things just got a lot easier for you.”

Bloody Elbow is still running and producing content daily under the GRV Media banner, but the unique voice that the site once held has been silenced in favor of your run-of-the-mill AI-generated news site.

One of the new regime’s featured writers, Tom Llewellyn, is said to have had “over 48 million views while working on other projects at GRV Media before joining Bloody Elbow full-time.” Interestingly, Llewellyn has no online presence aside from an account on X that was opened in January 2023 with only seven followers and zero posts.

“I know what everyone says,” Thomas added. “They’re gonna say, ‘A certain writer I didn’t like is losing their job and I’m not going to miss their coverage.’ Let me give you as clear as f*ck warning as I possibly can. However little you like the current system, trust me when I tell you that you’re going to hate the next one a lot more because it’s going to be significantly more unreliable.”

Watch the full exclusive interview below:

Exclusive – Luke Thomas insists ‘It’s Not Possible’ for PFL to compete with the UFC: ‘It Cannot Be Done’

Luke Thomas on PFL vs. UFCLuke Thomas doesn’t see any possible way for the PFL to compete with the UFC. 2023 was a fairly…

Luke Thomas on PFL vs. UFC

Luke Thomas doesn’t see any possible way for the PFL to compete with the UFC.

2023 was a fairly big year for the Professional Fighters League. The promotion made headlines when they announced their blockbuster signing of former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou. In addition, the PFL inked a deal with social media star Jake Paul and Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund acquired a minority stake in the promotion.

Of course, the biggest bit of PFL news came when founder Donn Davis revealed that they had acquired Bellator MMA and all the talent signed to the Scott Coker-led fight company.

Speaking with Mike Owens in a LowKick MMA exclusive interview, Morning Kombat’s Luke Thomas suggested that all of these big-money moves could translate to success in the new year, but believes the PFL’s biggest obstacle will be getting eyes on their product and fans in the arena, particularly stateside.

“I think there’s a lot of potential. We don’t really know if Francis is gonna fight in MMA in 2024,” Thomas said. “I tend to think he probably doesn’t, but even if he ends up fighting a nobody, that’s still better than what the PFL has. Obviously, it’d be better if they had a second name. It takes two names to promote a pay-per-view and they don’t have that right now, but something that could potentially be great for them is Jake Paul fighting on that card against somebody that people care about like Dillon Danis. That could be potentially big for them.

“Putting together some kind of event where they could pull 10,000 or 20,000 people. They pulled 20,000 when they went to France. They’ve pulled good cards when they went to the 3Arena [in Dublin], but in the United States, I went to one in my hometown, Washington D.C. and they had less than 3,000. And they were pretty happy with that. It’s tough to draw here.

“If they can solve that problem, that would be great. If they can get their numbers solidly above 400,000 viewers… They typically hover at 300,000 or below and sometimes below 200,000. That has to categorically change.”

Luke Thomas Believes ‘Pure Luck’ is the only thing that will help the PFL

Following the announcement of PFL’s purchase of Bellator, Donn Davis suggested that his promotion will eventually be a co-leader in the world of MMA, sharing the throne that the UFC currently occupies all by its lonesome.

Aside from a few extenuating circumstances, Thomas doesn’t see any future where the PFL can stand side-by-side with the UFC, let alone compete with the Las Vegas-based juggernaut.

“It is not possible for the PFL to compete with the UFC,” Thomas continued. “It is actually in the real world, not possible. It cannot be done. There is nothing that they can do to bridge that gap. So when we’re talking about a successful 2024 for them, I think getting a little bit of luck. Somebody defecting inside the ranks of the UFC. That would be just pure luck. That would be good.

“The court case, the antitrust case [against the UFC], if that ends up having an effect, and of course, there could be challenges to any kind of verdict that goes against the UFC, but nevertheless, opening up that possibility of what that could mean. There’s just a lot of ways that… Here’s the reality, folks. Unless the United States Congress gets involved by passing the Muhammad Ali Act to MMA, or this antitrust case really railroads the UFC, or there is some kind of internal scandal that just makes the UFC collapse overnight, there is nothing that PFL, Bellator, ONE, or any other competitor out there can do to actually compete with the UFC.”

Thomas hopes that the PFL can continue to grow and show signs of further success in 2024, even it if means only being a distant second to the empire that Dana White has helped build.

“I hope PFL has a great 2024. They could have a much better 2024 than 2023 and 2023 was a good year for them, all things being what they were, but ultimately, I am telling you how this movie ends,” he concluded.

Watch the full exclusive interview with Luke Thomas:

Exclusive – Luke Thomas Believes Jiri Prochazka’s ‘Reckless’ style may catch up to him at UFC 295

Jiri ProchazkaRenowned MMA journalist Luke Thomas believes Jiri Prochazka’s signature recklessness could lead to his defeat inside Madison Square Garden….

Jiri Prochazka

Renowned MMA journalist Luke Thomas believes Jiri Prochazka’s signature recklessness could lead to his defeat inside Madison Square Garden.

‘Denisa’ returns to the Octagon nearly 18 months removed from his Fight of the Year contender with Glover Teixeira. That was the last time fans had the chance to see Prochazka in action after the heavy hitter suffered a devastating shoulder injury, forcing him to relinquish the light heavyweight title.

UFC 295 will see Prochazka come back to reclaim the title he never lost, but his toughest test to date will be standing in his way.

In the time that Prochazka has been shelved, Alex Pereira has been on an absolute tear, earning knockouts against Sean Strickland and Israel Adesanya in back-to-back fights and claiming the middleweight title. He has since made the move from 185 to 205, scoring a win over former titleholder Jan Blachowicz. His split-decision victory against the Polish powerhouse earned him the opportunity to capture his second UFC title in less than a year.

Speaking with LowKick MMA in an exclusive interview, Luke Thomas of Morning Kombat believes that Prochazka could leave NYC with the gold once again wrapped around his waist, but admits that ‘Denisa’ will have a lot of things working against him come fight night.

“You’ve got a guy coming off a devastating injury, a terrible long layoff, and he fights reckless as sh*t,” Thomas said. “It’s gonna be hard to have him as a huge favorite. I mean, if people think he’s going to win, I don’t think that’s in any way crazy. That’s not. It’s not some absurd notion or anything because obviously, he became champion and not by accident.

“There are two parts to that story, but Pereira has been active. He has been a champion. I think that he has changed to a much more appropriate weight class which I think is going to help his chin. He is accurate. He is heavy-handed. He is much more judicious with his offense in general.“

Currently, Alex Pereira is listed as a slight favorite roughly 24 hours before UFC 295 kicks off. ‘Poatan’ is a -125 favorite, meaning you have to put $125 on the line to win $100. Prochazka is sitting at +105. A $100 bet on him could bring you a return of $105.

“I can understand why the oddsmakers see it as close, but you would not be surprised if Prochazka goes in there and does something absurd and wins,” Thomas added. “That’s what this guy does, even after a long layoff, but how many times can he get away with being insanely reckless?”

Exclusive – Luke Thomas Details The fallout from Francis Ngannou vs. Tyson Fury: ‘It Has been incredible’

Francis NgannouFans, fighters, and members of the media are all still marveling over Francis Ngannou’s incredible performance against WBC heavyweight…

Francis Ngannou

Fans, fighters, and members of the media are all still marveling over Francis Ngannou’s incredible performance against WBC heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury.

Returning to combat sports for the first time in nearly two years, ‘The Predator’ faced an almost insurmountable uphill battle, strapping on the eight-ounce gloves for the very first time to take on perhaps the greatest boxer walking the planet. What ensued was a nail-biting affair that saw Francis Ngannou not only hold his own but at times dominate ‘The Gypsy King’ during their 10-round affair.

Things took an especially dramatic turn in the third round with Ngannou landing a counter-left that sent Fury crashing to the canvas.

Though Ngannou came up short on the scorecards, losing the bout via a razor-thin split decision, ‘The Predator’ made his statement loud and clear.

Speaking with Mike Owens in a LowKick MMA exclusive interview, renowned MMA journalist Luke Thomas of Morning Kombat shared his take on the contest and the fallout that ensued.

“Dude, how little did we understand about Francis? How little did we understand about what these crossovers can do? How little did Tyson Fury understand what this could be? No one really predicted it except maybe Francis and his team,” Thomas said. “It was one of those moments when everybody was wrong. When MMA experts are wrong. Boxing experts are wrong. Fans are wrong. The media is wrong.

“It’s one of those moments where you should really look around and think about why. It’s more than just, ‘Well one guy was the champ and the other guy never boxed before.’ That’s the obvious answer, but there’s more to the story than that. It was a combat sports earthquake. It was shattering to a lot of prevailing ideas and talking points. The fallout has been incredible.”

Even after the loss, Francis ngannou’s stock has risen to incredible heights

Despite taking a loss, Francis Ngannou’s stock has skyrocketed with both the boxing and MMA worlds desperate to book his next fight.

“I don’t think a fighter’s stock has increased this much after a loss. Brock Lesnar also got a lot of credibility when he fought Frank Mir,” Thomas added. He got knee-barred the first time he fought Frank Mir, but there were a lot of folks who were like, ‘Wow, he can do a little bit here.’ But even that is not quite like this.

“This was much bigger in scale. This was much bigger in celebrity. In pomp and circumstance and cost, and everything. It was much bigger.”

In the days since his scrap with Tyson Fury, Francis Ngannou revealed that a fight with heavyweight knockout artist Deontay Wilder is in the works. Other names in the mix include division standouts Anthony Joshua and Joe Joyce. ‘The Predator’ is also expected to compete inside the PFL Smart Cage in 2024 after signing a blockbuster deal with the promotion earlier this year.

“Francis did what we thought was genuinely impossible and he brought it to real life,” Thomas said. “I don’t know what you call that, but it’s rare.”

Watch the full interview with Luke Thomas below:

Quote: Bryce Mitchell’s Radical Views Are Common In MMA Community

UFC featherweight Bryce Mitchell’s recent interview with Ariel Helwani has blown up the internet, but his views may not be that surprising. In what was expected to be a routine pre-fight interview, Mitchell used it to interview the interviewer Helwani. He discussed his thoughts on mass shootings in America, his opposition to the COVID-19 vaccine…

Continue Reading Quote: Bryce Mitchell’s Radical Views Are Common In MMA Community at MMA News.

UFC featherweight Bryce Mitchell’s recent interview with Ariel Helwani has blown up the internet, but his views may not be that surprising.

In what was expected to be a routine pre-fight interview, Mitchell used it to interview the interviewer Helwani. He discussed his thoughts on mass shootings in America, his opposition to the COVID-19 vaccine mandates, and other oft-kilter topics.

While the conversation was largely cordial, Helwani challenged Mitchell when the featherweight questioned the legitimacy of mass shootings and if the US government is responsible for them, along with claiming the 2020 US Presidential Election was rigged.

MMA journalist Luke Thomas, who is an award-winning journalist and a former host of The MMA Hour, touched on Mitchell’s viral interview with Helwani. During a recent segment on his Morning Kombat podcast, Thomas addressed the shockwave that Mitchell caused around the MMA community.

“So what I would say is in this day and age when we’re asked for our views and you’re doing it in a public way and you have a person who is young, very online, on social media, probably doesn’t have views anyway that are even in lockstep with the wider state to some degree, then you’re going to get these kinds of moments when people espouse views that are impossible to otherwise justify,” Thomas said of Mitchell.

Thomas went on to explain why he feels Mitchell’s controversial views may not be as uncommon in the MMA community as some are led to believe.

“I gotta tell you, people were like, ‘This is a shock to my conscience! I can’t believe that someone in the community would hold views such as these!’ I’m like, are you motherfuckers on Twitter for like five seconds? My mentions every day are, fuckin’, ‘Obama drinks the blood of young babies!’ And ‘COVID is a lie! It’s just the flu with a skirt on!’ Or whatever the fuck they say. I don’t even know what they say anymore.

Luke Thomas mma journalist wife, wiki, age, mma, net worth 2018
Luke Thomas

“But my mentions—and not even that, just what I see on different places is filled to the brim with these very online radicalized views. Like, I would argue Bryce Mitchell’s views on this are far closer to what the average person in this community believes than mine. I guarantee that.”

Mitchell is slated to face Edson Barboza at UFC 272 on March 5. He’ll likely be questioned by media members about his views leading up to the fight, and this controversy may be far from over.

What was your reaction to the Bryce Mitchell/Ariel Helwani interview?

Continue Reading Quote: Bryce Mitchell’s Radical Views Are Common In MMA Community at MMA News.

Brendan Schaub Sounds Off On Lobov vs. Malignaggi

Much of the focus in the combat sports world last weekend was on the Artem Lobov vs. Paulie Malignaggi main event at Saturday’s (June 22, 2019) BKFC 6. Fan-favorite Lobov was able to outlast Malignaggi by unanimous decision (watch highlights here…

Much of the focus in the combat sports world last weekend was on the Artem Lobov vs. Paulie Malignaggi main event at Saturday’s (June 22, 2019) BKFC 6. Fan-favorite Lobov was able to outlast Malignaggi by unanimous decision (watch highlights here) from the Florida State Fairgrounds Expo Hall in Tampa. The fight was largely deemed […]

The post Brendan Schaub Sounds Off On Lobov vs. Malignaggi appeared first on MMA News.