Former SEG Executive James Werme talks about the UFC Antitrust case from the perspective of the promotion and why a lot of the things ZUFFA did are common in the industry.

Miguel Iturrate and I discuss Conor McGregor being found guilty in Ireland Civel Court.

The UFC/WWE Merger has been complete since September 12th. However, if the midst of updating these episodes I wanted to share our coverage on the MMA Conspiracy Hour. In this episode Miguel Iturrate and I discuss the merger and what it could mean for UFC and Dana White going forward.

Follow Miguel at:

Instagram: @mmahistoryguy Please support Miguel’s projects: YouTube: ​⁠ @mmacollector74 Dog Rescue: The Wet Nose Project Contributions: https://gofund.me/b520ef89

Todd Atkins Show Merch Shop: https://toddatkinsshow-shop.fourthwall.com/

Todd Atkins Show Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChHEvxv_ZV9OTLyF4N--BYw

Michael Hanson is a rising ring announcer in combat sports. He currently works with Taura MMA, Warriors Cup, Friday Night Fights and Showtime FC. He also host the "And New MMA Show." In this episode we talk about his first exposure to MMA in 2008, as well as the small and very competitive world of ring announcing.

Din Thomas is a pioneer and legend of Mixed Martial Arts that fought in all the major organizations coming up. In this episode we talk about his experiences fighting around the world, his time as a fighter/trainer at American Top Team in Flordia, his feelings mental health issues with fighters and more.

Matt Lucas is a former professional Muay Thai fighter, commentator for Max Muay Thai, Social Media Manager for the Fairtex Training Center and host of the On Fighting in Thailand Podcast. In this episode we talk about his background in Muay Thai that led him to Thailand, the emergence of Thai fighters in ONE Championship and the various projects he is involved with that have allowed him to make a living in Thailand.

Fred Ettish is a Karate Black Belt who competed in UFC 2 which took place on March 11th 1994 at the Mammoth Gardens in Denver Colorado. Ettish mainly participated in point fighting tournaments and wanted to test himself so he decided to send a letter to UFC Founder Art Davie. Ettish was given a spot as an alternate and was brought into the tournament when Frank Hamaker broke his hand. Ettish would end up losing his fight against Johnny Rhodes and become a source of ridicule in both the MMA and Karate communities for his performance. In this episode we talk his experience at UFC 2. His approach to martial arts and struggles in life after UFC 2 as well as his thoughts on what we are seeing today in Combat Sports.

Mixed Martial Arts Pioneer Todd Medina talks about old school MMA, his huge new following and TikTok and more!

The crew breaks down the latest controversy with gambling in the UFC focusing this time on James Krause specifically. Krause has been suspended by the UFC and has already removed some of his gambling content from the internet. We discuss how serious this investigation could get and what might happen to Krause as a result. 

Veteran Matchmaker Miguel Iturrate started in the MMA business in the crazy early days of the mid-nineties. He has match-made more than 100 MMA events in Japan, Brazil, Russia and all over the United States, and played an integral role in MMA’s early modern history. Through Hook 'n' Shoot, Florida’s AFC, the Euphoria shows and BoDogFight, Iturrate has left an indelible mark on MMA history. He can also lay claim to a record that not even the UFC can by contracting 36 fights in three days.

“MMA Detective” Mike Davis talks about the civil component in the Colby Covington/Jorge Masvidal assault case in Miami and his background in the MMA world. 

Denis Kang is another guest from the early days of Mixed Martial Arts who started his fighting career in 1998. He fought in promotions such as the UFC, PRIDE, Superbrawl, Extreme Challenge, Pancrase, Spirit MC, M-1 and more. In this interview we talk about the experiences he took away from his career in Mixed Martial Arts, training at American Top Team, his memories of training and living with Georges St Pierre and more.

Andre Benkei is one of the original pioneers of MMA training in Brazil and has worked many of the legendary fighters. Guys like Alexandre "Pequeno" Noguiera, Milton Viera, Thiago Alves, Bigfoot Silva, Thiago Silva, Buscape Firmino and many others. In this interview we talk about his roots in Brazil, his time with American Top Team and the Blacklizians and his plans for the future in San Francisco.

Kelly Wiseman is the Promoter of the Elite Championship Fighting organization out of Wichita Falls Texas as well as a Black Belt from the famed Miletich Fighting Systems team out of Bettendorf Iowa. In this episode we got way back to his times with MFS training with the likes of Pat Miletich, Matt Hughes, Jeremy Horn, Jens Pulver, Robbie Lawler, Tim Sylvia etc. We also talk about the managing side and the controversy with fighters such as Sean O'Malley who have been making complaints about management percentages and more!

Follow Kelly Wiseman at:

Instagram:

@kellywisemanmma

@elitechampionshipfighting

Todd Atkins Show Merch Shop: https://toddatkinsshow-shop.fourthwall.com/

Todd Atkins Show Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChHEvxv_ZV9OTLyF4N--BYw

Martijn De Jong is one of the pioneers of Mixed Martial Arts in Holland.  He started his early MMA training with Remco Pardoel in 1995 and in 1996  started fighting in his first competitions in Holland.  He went on to fight in Shooto in 1999 and later became the first representative of Shooto in Europe. In 2000 he went on to become a part of the Golden Glory Team which became the first professional management team in Europe.  As a trainer of Golden Glory he produced multiple world champions like Alistair Overeem, Semmy Schilt, Gilbert Yvel, Valentijn Overeem and Heath Herring. He would later go on to found Glory Kickboxing in 2006.  In this interview we cover all of those topics as well as his impression of new stars like Israel Adesanya.

Akihiro Gono is a pioneer of the Japanese Mixed Martial Arts scene who has competed in 68 MMA fights and 18 Kickboxing fights spanning a career of 26 years.  At age 46 he is still training and wanting to fight again before retirement. In this interview we talk about his experiences from fighting in Shooto, Pancrase, PRIDE and the UFC.

     Daniel Herbertson was a combats sports journalist who I first heard about soon after I left in Japan in 2005. He was responsible for the arrangement of an interview with Miro Mijatovic that produced a lot of information behind the demise of PRIDE due to their affiliation with organized crime families in Japan. In this interview we talk about Dan's background, the fallout he received from covering the bankruptcy of K1 and the interview that aired with Miro MIjatovic. We also talk about the gyms he has been running in Australia called Absolute MMA and his memories of the visits he took to the tsunami ravaged areas of Japan in 2011 with Enson Inoue.

Will Esparza from House of Dragons International challenges Mike Jackson in the UFC. Talks training in Thailand, representing Rodtang in U.S., the passing of Green Power Ranger Jason David Frank and more.

Tracy Reeder talks about his lifetime of wrestling, WWE, his friendship with “People’s Champion” Jared McLoughlin and more!

Harris Sarmiento talks about his long fight career, growing up on Oahu as a Filipino and much more!

Jamie Driver talks about Bare Knuckle training/fighting, domestic abuse, overcoming adversity and more!

"Lil Deezo" takes us into the secret world of streetbeefs. Deezo is one of the more popular competitors in the Streebeefs organization. These events take place on Youtube and have millions of views. I was able to reach out to him and find out more about this new world of fighting. 

Lupe Mateo talks about her training background, women’s MMA popularity, growing up in Homestead Florida and more.

MMA Graphic Designer Dave Fretz talks about his background in the music world, his entry into MMA art projects and how it has become his full-time job.

Kayla Sustaita is an Amateur fighter out of Edinburg Texas training out of Blackstar Kickboxing and MMA. In this episode we discuss her debut fight, how training has got her through personal trauma and her desire to help empower more women through her competition and perseverance.

Follow Kayla at:

Instagram: @kristen_kayla

Todd Atkins Show Merch Shop: https://toddatkinsshow-shop.fourthwall.com/

Todd Atkins Show Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChHEvxv_ZV9OTLyF4N--BYw

Jake Hunter creates Women's MMA content on Instagram under @thefightingnow. He interviews and sponsors a variety of female athletes across a number of fight promotions. When it comes to female competition he has the most comprehensive content coverage out there at the moment. In this episode we talk about the creation of The Fighting Now platform and what some of his plans are for the future.  

In this episode we discuss the recent controversies surrounding fighters who failed to disclose injuries and staph infections prior to fight. Fighters discussed are TJ Dillashaw, Darrick Minner and the recent suspension of Ilir Latifi.  

In this episode we discuss if the UFC is trying to use Dana White's "Power Slap" as a bridge to taking over bare knuckle sanctioning and competition in Las Vegas. Similar to what ZUFFA ultimately did to SEG before purchasing the UFC.

Cathryn Ivy and AJ Discianni are very active competitors in the jiujitsu scene and owners of Droogs MMA and Brazilian Jiu-jitsu in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. In this episode we talk about their backgrounds, training with John Danaher, Gordan Ryan's domination of jiu-jitsu competition and more.

NHB Pioneer Francisco Bueno joins me to talk about his beginnings in NHB from Brazil to Southern California.

Gregorio Calvillo is the owner of Southern California based meal prep company called The Knockout Bakery. He specializes in meals and also knockout jar cheesecakes. In this episode we talk about his background, introduction to Martial Arts and his Knockout Bakery concept. 

In this episode I talk with Sean Wheelock and Art Davie regarding Campbell's McLaren's claims that he started the UFC. Over the years I and others have seen Campbell make these claims and I had been meaning to do a show on this to refute those lies. I had talked to Sean about this in the past and I am glad we had the opportunity to do this show with Art Davie to set the record straight. Sean also helped Art write his memoir which is called "Is This Legal." You can purchase the book on isthislegalthebook.com and Art will personally sign it for you as well. 

Adam Guerra is the owner of Guerra's House of Warriors in Alvin Texas. He has been around since the early days of the internet MMA community of The Underground Form that was created by Kirik Jenness. Adam and I have known each other for a number of years and I was able to have him at my home in 2021 when I returned to the mainland United States from Hawaii. In this episode we talk with one of his students named Tayde Garcia who won her first professional fight recently. We talk about her training and overcoming mental health challenges. Adam talks about his feelings on longer training camps and I brought in Enson Inoue near the end as kind of a surprise. 

Brittany Carreno is the host of “Brawling Babes with Brittany” podcast. She also does some announcing and promotional work in the MMA space. In this episode we talk about her podcast and some of the projects she is working on.

Dania Cruz returns to talk about her title fight in Fury FC.

In this episode we discuss Sean Strickland's win over Israel Adesanya and PFL's complete miss at the Tyson Fury vs Francis Ngannou press conference.

In this episode the Mike Davis, Miguel Iturrate and I discuss the Darrick Minner and TJ Dillashaw controversies in the UFC and their connection to MMA gambling. 

In this episode Oklahoma State Wrestling Champion Shea Conley returns to discuss his win over Josh Anderson at Xtreme Fight Night in Tulsa and more.

Trap Gambino is a polarizing personality with assets in combat sports and entertainment industry. Gambino has been featured in numerous films, music videos and TV shows as well as made appearances on The Dr. Phil Show and Divorce Court. After his MMA debut in 2021, Trap Gambino plans on pursuing a career in combat sports as his main focus in 2022! In this interview we talked about what it was like moving from a small town to Las Vegas, appearing on shows like Dr. Phil and the American Made MMA reality show that is in the works.

Katie Perez is a 3-4 Professional Fighter in the Combate Global Promotion fighting out of North Carolina. In this episode we discusses her last two fights in Combate and the challenges of standards and consistency. Katie is always one of the more insightful people that I have interviewed. 

Making his amateur debut at LFA 1, Elijah Johns has become one of LFA’s most known featherweights. Now a 9-2 professional fighter, Johns says he’s ironed out nearly every aspect of the sport, even the fight before the fight. I first saw him compete in person at LFA 138 in Shawnee Oklahoma and he was easily the most impressive fighter on the card. Elijah fought 2017 Greco Roman World Champion World Champion Masuto Kawana of Japan and dominated the fight to a unanimous decision. Johns battered Kawana throughout the fight and came close to stopping him a couple of times. In this episode we talk about that fight, his background and plans for the future in LFA and beyond.

The Deadly Art of Survival Magazine focuses on Martial Arts Instructors who have gone unnoticed most of their careers.

Our goal is to be bring more awareness to our Martial Arts legends, instructors, and students. We strive to promote the culture of Martial Arts, as well as support the well-being of others.

A portion of our magazine sales goes towards Angelslive.org. Angelslive inc. is a Non-Profit organization, who’s sole purpose is to provide help to homeless military veterans & seniors. They also assist those who have been affected by natural disasters and pandemics.

We as martial artists have given our entire lives to our communities, but after these long years, there are still those in need. It’s our goal to help the unfortunate and those who have fought for our country.

With this partnership, we ask that you support our cause. Oss!

From,

Deadlyartofsurvival.com

This is part 3 of a 3 part series I did surrounding the Tenshin Nasukawa vs Takeru Segawa fight that took place at Tokyo Dome on June 19, 2022. Nobuyuki Sakakibara (RIZIN CEO), a general producer, has stated that it is a neutral event regardless of the organization such as RISE (Tenshin Nasukawa) or K-1 (Takeru). After the event, K-1 president Kazuyoshi Ishii revealed that over 500,000 PPV were sold alongside the 56,399 people in attendance.

This is part 2 of a 3 part series I did surrounding the Tenshin Nasukawa vs Takeru Segawa fight that took place at Tokyo Dome on June 19, 2022. Nobuyuki Sakakibara (RIZIN CEO), a general producer, has stated that it is a neutral event regardless of the organization such as RISE (Tenshin Nasukawa) or K-1 (Takeru). After the event, K-1 president Kazuyoshi Ishii revealed that over 500,000 PPV were sold alongside the 56,399 people in attendance.

The We Are Rizin podcast is hosted by two dedicated MMA fans(Focus Fights' J. Christian Gary and MMASucka's Andrew Benjamin). This podcast focus mainly on the great MMA promotion RIZIN based out of Tokyo, Japan. There is also coverage of other JMMA and MMA in the Asian continent. The main goal of this podcast is get RIZIN more international recognition that the western MMA media refuses to give.

This is part 1 of a 3 part series I did surrounding the Tenshin Nasukawa vs Takeru Segawa fight that took place at Tokyo Dome on June 19, 2022. Nobuyuki Sakakibara (RIZIN CEO), a general producer, has stated that it is a neutral event regardless of the organization such as RISE (Tenshin Nasukawa) or K-1 (Takeru). After the event, K-1 president Kazuyoshi Ishii revealed that over 500,000 PPV were sold alongside the 56,399 people in attendance.

Bobby Southworth was born in Madison, Wisconsin and was adopted when he was six weeks old. Southworth has three sisters. He grew up in Santa Cruz, California playing football and basketball, surfing and doing track. After graduating from Soquel High School, Bobby continued to Cabrillo College and yet UC Davis, playing basketball in all of them.

His initial interest towards martial arts sparked after seeing Royce Gracie at UFC 1 and UFC 2. While Bobby was looking for a sport to stay fit, his friend invited him to a jiu-jitsu class in a nearby gym. Instantly hooked to the discipline, Bobby soon joined Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu academy before moving on to Gracie Systems which was formed after Cesar's cousin Ralph Gracie moved stateside. Subsequently, Ralph opened his own academy in Mountain View, California where Bobby continued teaching and training jiu-jitsu. Bobby grew interested to take a no holds barred bout which was disapproved by Ralph, leading to Bobby's departure from the academy. Subsequently Bobby joined American Kickboxing Academy which at the time had no proper Brazilian jiu-jitsu program, so he took the responsibility of teaching the discipline.

In this episode Miguel Iturrate and I discuss the latest shots back and forth between the UFC's Dana White and the PFL's Donn Davis and what it might mean in the messaging coming from the UFC Boss.

Johnny Walls was a behind the scenes guy in the MMA community who was responsible for the first ever live streamed MMA event. He also spent a number of years working with controversial MMA figure Jamie Levine. In this episode we talk about his expertise in internet engineering that impacted MMA history and his times with Jamie Levine. We also discuss the time that he took down the UFC's website during the TUF 1 Finale. A legendary story!

Alexandre Franca "Pequeno" Nogueira is a Brazilian Luta Livre fighter and the former Shooto Lightweight Champion. I first saw him compete against Noburu Asahi in 1998 at the age of 20. He won the Shooto Lightweight Championship one year later by choking out Asahi again. He would go 12-2 in Shooto before leaving the organization to compete in K-1 Heroes. Nogueira is legendary for his ten finger guillotine technique. In this episode we talk about his career, the BJJ vs Luta Livre rivalry and much more. Translation is done by Thamires Veiria.

Ivan "Mighty" Robinson (born February 27, 1971 in Philadelphia) is a boxer who has compiled a record of 36-12-2 (12 KOs) since becoming a professional in 1992. He challenged once for the IBF lightweight title in 1996.  Born and raised in Philadelphia, Robinson began boxing from an early age. Robinson had a stellar amateur career and was a National Amateur Champion.  Robinson had been a Lightweight and Junior Welterweight contender. He has been in several notable bouts, particularly his first victory over Arturo Gatti, a fight that was voted Fight of the Year by Ring Magazine. Other notable bouts include his second bout with Gatti, (which he also won), and his 12 round whirlwind bout with then lightweight champion Phillip Holliday. Robinson fought on May 28, 2005, when he lost a 10-round unanimous decision to Julio Cesar Chavez. In 2013, Ivan Robinson was inducted into the Pennsylvania Boxing Hall of Fame. He was one of 10 inductees in the 10-member class of 2013.