The Weekly Scraps Podcast

0:00 Intro: still furious at the Dan Mergliata stoppage 0:57 Was the stand-up a fight-ruining call? 2:15 Funk Papi on defending the back and Nolan's escape attempts 4:30 Should it have been a no contest? The UFC bonus debate 5:24 What Tom Nolan said post-fight about the stand-up 8:18 Why Moicano should have refused to let go 9:36 Who is really stalling in back control? 11:46 Devil's advocate: back control vs. cage stalls 16:40 Juicy J's fake glove touch and retirement talk 18:11 Jacoby Smith vs. Randy Brown reaction 24:02 Randy's short-notice fight and the risk of standing up 25:46 Jacoby's takedown, the Kevin Holland callout and Islam 28:43 Who Jacoby could fight at 170 29:07 Jacoby's contract and whether to fight ranked opponents 31:21 Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani's win 34:44 Rating the card 35:57 Ode loss to Cody Durden and the Scottish twister 37:20 Morales vs. Prates for the interim title 41:18 Do fans flip-flop? Prates vs. Morales debate 45:24 Fan poll and predictions for Prates vs. Morales 47:37 Van vs. Manel Kape and the chess story 49:09 Manel Kape and Mokaev beef 52:04 Next UFC Apex card preview 53:41 Van vs. Kape prediction 54:33 Outro Order your bottle of Funk Harbor rum today! https://funkharborspirits.com Support the channel by purchasing official merch here! https://www.AljamainSterling.com

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Farid Basharat joins us and give us his side of the story and after Aljo, Dom and Steve talk about UFC 333, Dana Whites contender series and UFC Edmontan Follow Farid on socials and check out his Youtube at @FerociousFaridBasharat Follow on: Instagram.com/weeklyscraps Instagram.com/domtomasello Instagram.com/tevenwee Weekly Scraps: Farid Basharat on UFC release, rankings, and what really gets fighters cut 00:00 - Opening banter and missed recording moment 00:23 - Farid’s UFC release and why it surprised people 00:56 - Farid says the writing had been on the wall for a year 01:55 - Faith, identity, and not being defined by one promotion 02:22 - Why the Gene Matsumoto fight changed everything 03:19 - UFC did not like the fight despite the war 04:26 - Why Farid never spoke directly to matchmakers 05:22 - Aljo on the value of being personable with the UFC 06:34 - Why managers can distort fighter-company communication 07:08 - Farid says post-fight chaos makes direct interaction difficult 08:12 - Why this is not a UFC “hit piece” 08:44 - The crew questions the logic behind the release 09:38 - Farid says they changed the goalposts on what they wanted 10:36 - Dana White comments and the “hard to deal with” narrative 11:35 - Farid clears up contract and money rumors 12:14 - How public comments shape fan narratives 13:03 - Farid on improving, going for it more, and still getting cut 14:17 - Why the promotion keeps changing expectations 15:40 - Farid admits the release left a sour taste 16:51 - Tevenwee argues too many valuable fighters are being cut 17:33 - Farid says he called out ranked names but kept getting rejected 18:21 - Quick pronunciation break: Farid Ahmad Basharat 19:00 - Would he return to the UFC if they called? 20:04 - Why Farid may prefer to build leverage elsewhere first 21:39 - Aljo compares it to his own one-sided negotiations 22:38 - Farid’s rankings and why they mattered 23:07 - Why ranked fighters still struggled to accept him 24:49 - Why decisions are not the same as boring fights 25:28 - Aljo jokes that Farid is too sensible for the UFC 26:23 - Farid on being avoided and overlooked in the division 27:35 - Farid answers yes-or-no questions on fights, money, and PI issues 29:21 - Farid is open to other promotions and best offer wins 31:31 - Farewell to Farid and a joke about his future weight class 34:09 - UFC Canada recap and the main event reaction 35:21 - Mike Malott’s knockout over Joaquin Buckley 36:28 - Steve Will Do It’s huge bet and the crew’s reaction 38:21 - Why Buckley’s pressure may have cost him 39:08 - Who Malott should fight next 41:37 - Comparing Malott with Belal Muhammad, Leon Edwards, and JDM 43:22 - Too many finish-heavy cards and what that means for the sport 44:21 - Jasmine Jasudavicius vs. Erin Blanchfield breakdown 45:31 - Are any current champions truly the best in the world right now? 46:45 - The bantamweight debate: Yan vs. Merab 47:41 - Featherweight hierarchy and Volkanovski vs. Topuria 49:08 - Lightweight, welterweight, and middleweight title picture debate 50:32 - Heavyweight and light heavyweight: who is really the champ? 53:09 - Steve Lee bails, joking about the contender series and pee break 54:26 - Excitement vs. quality in matchmaking 56:00 - Why forced entertainment fights create weird incentives 58:23 - Canada card recap: Timmy, Jasudavicius, Nate the Train, and more 60:56 - What the best performances actually taught the crew 62:14 - Marab’s Abu Dhabi arrival and card preview 63:00 - Pick discussion for the main event and co-main 64:38 - Volkov, Kavanagh, Pico, Reyes, and other card matchups 67:23 - Izzy Adesanya vs. Shara Bullet breakdown 70:38 - Can Izzy still compete at the top after recent losses? 71:55 - Training camp logistics in Abu Dhabi and closing remarks Order your bottle of Funk Harbor rum today! https://funkharborspirits.com Support the channel by purchasing official merch here! https://www.AljamainSterling.com

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EPISODE DESCRIPTION - Ready to publishAljamain Sterling and the Weekly Scraps crew turn a routine fight-card recap into a brutally honest debate about what actually makes a fighter - and a fan. If you care about MMA beyond the headlines, this one is packed with sharp takes on rankings, judging, and the gap between looking good and winning like a contender.The conversation starts with a simple question that quickly gets uncomfortably real: who counts as a "casual" in MMA? Aljamain Sterling, Tevenwee, Dominic, and the usuals each draw the line differently, sparring over whether training makes you a true student of the sport, why some fans mistake volume for quality, and how fighters can still be clueless about the game they compete in every week.From there, they break down Brendan Allen's statement win over Christian Leroy Duncan, including the eye-poke point deduction, the round scoring controversy, and why grapplers often have to do twice as much to get the same respect as strikers. You’ll hear why Allen’s pressure, wrestling, and veteran composure mattered more than the flashiest moments, and why the division still leaves him in a strange limbo at the top.They also unpack the nastiest finishes from the card - Andre Fili’s brutal head kick, the debate over whether he should have followed up, Malcom Wellmaker’s hard night against the dangerous and explosive Tofiq Musayev, and why some prospects simply run into the wrong style at the wrong time. Then the crew turns to the bigger business story underneath it all: who gets paid, who gets overlooked, and why fighters like Sean Strickland and Nassourdine Imavov are forcing uncomfortable conversations about UFC contracts, leverage, and what happens when the money doesn't match the star power.You’ll discover:

• How the crew defines a "casual" and why the answer is more complicated than it sounds
• Why one point deduction can completely change a fight, and why refs should be quicker on eye pokes
• What Brendan Allen did to shut down Christian Leroy Duncan's speed and size advantage
• Why grapplers must win bigger, cleaner, and more decisively to get title buzz
• How fighter pay, rankings, and matchmaking shape the sport far more than fans realize

They close by previewing UFC Edmonton, including Joaquin Buckley vs. Mike Mallott and Aaron Blanchfield vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius, with the same mix of analysis, chaos, and unapologetic opinions that make Weekly Scraps a must-listen for die-hard MMA fans. If you want real fight talk with no polished PR filter, this episode delivers.

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00:00 UFC 332 Main Event Reaction 03:45 UFC Matchmaking & First-Round Finishes 08:29 Anthony Wentz vs. Gable Steveson 12:14 King Green Stoppage Debate 19:40 Roberto Soldić vs. Chaos Williams 22:18 Payton Talbott vs. Deiveson Figueiredo 31:30 Roman Kopylov vs. Atiba Gautier 35:11 Damien Pinas’ Knockout Power 40:27 Marcus McGhee & Bantamweight Matchmaking 42:38 Johnny Walker’s Heavyweight Debut 48:04 Jacoby Smith’s Next Fight 51:28 Fight of the Night Debate 55:10 Rating UFC 332 59:20 Marvin Vettori & Rafael dos Anjos 63:35 Upcoming Fights: Oliveira vs. Lopes 70:03 Alex Pereira vs. Sergei Pavlovich 76:59 Ilia Topuria vs. Paddy Pimblett on TUF? 79:37 Aljo Breaks Down Kevin Vallejos

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We break down the action packed UFC 331 event. Joshua van beats pantoja, arman beats ruffy and gable stevenson loses by devistating KO

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0:00 UFC Noche recap
1:03 Sean King’s debut
5:15 Rong Zhu vs. Rafa Garcia
6:21 Tim Elliott’s performance
8:00 Tommy Gantt debate
14:36 Alexa Grasso controversy
16:11 Tommy McMillan vs. Marwan Rahiki
23:04 Dan Ige at bantamweight
25:15 Moreno vs. Morales
27:22 Gene Silva vs. Delgado
31:09 Aljo vs. Gene Silva?
35:00 UFC 331 preview
36:30 Tsarukyan vs. Ruffy
41:34 Joshua Van vs. Pantoja
44:15 Ryan Garcia vs. Conor Benn
50:16 Garcia vs. Teofimo
53:39 Outro

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We discuss UFC Paris and the NEW CONTENDERS, break down UFC NOCHE and finish with some MMA news

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We go over umar nurmagomedov vs song yadong INSANE upset and talk about the rest of UFC Shanghai along with this weeks top MMA news! Order your bottle of Funk Harbor rum today! https://funkharborspirits.com Support the channel by purchasing official merch here! https://www.AljamainSterling.com

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Aljo and Dominic break down the biggest storylines from UFC 330, from underdog betting chaos to title-level implications across multiple divisions. The conversation also covers fighter careers, retirement decisions, and what the main event means for Islam Makhachev’s legacy. In this episode, they cover every major fight on the card, including Jeremiah Wells, Dustin Poirier, Jalen Turner, Charles Johnson, Mackenzie Dern, Gillian Robertson, and the main event between Islam Makhachev and Ian Garry. They also dig into what could be next for women’s strawweight, flyweight, and the lightweight and welterweight title picture. Aljo opens from Syracuse, talks about watching the fights on a rooftop, and jokes about the city trying to become a bigger destination with Micron coming to town. The betting discussion starts with Jeremiah Wells as a huge underdog, and both hosts react to how wild the early-card upsets were. They praise Stofos for proving how far work, patience, and improved fight IQ can take a fighter after a rocky UFC start. Jeremiah Wells gets major respect for pulling off the submission win at age 39 and still pushing for a top 15 opportunity instead of walking away. Edson Barbosa’s performance leads to a retirement conversation, with both hosts recognizing his long career, elite opposition, and the reality of accumulated damage. Jalen Turner’s knockout win is framed as a breakout moment, with the hosts saying he looks more focused, more purposeful, and capable of climbing into the top five. Charles Johnson’s short-notice win gets credit for toughness, activity, and the kind of chaos that makes flyweight so fun and unpredictable. Mackenzie Dern vs. Gillian Robertson is broken down as a stylistic jiu-jitsu battle, with Dern’s physicality and top game giving her the edge. They look ahead to Zhang Weili vs. Mackenzie Dern and agree that the matchup becomes much more dangerous if Dern can get it to the mat. The main event is analyzed as a control-heavy fight where Islam Makhachev’s wrestling, composure, and timing were enough to beat Ian Garry’s defense. The discussion turns to whether Islam has passed Khabib in legacy, with the hosts making the case that Islam’s activity, risk-taking, and success at a higher weight class strengthen his argument. They also touch on the rumored White House card and the money dynamics around a possible Islam vs. Ilia fight. Timestamps 00:00 - Syracuse trip, rooftop fight night, and the UFC 330 setup 01:58 - Early betting chaos and Jeremiah Wells as a massive underdog 04:19 - Why Stofos’ UFC turnaround deserves respect 06:53 - Jeremiah Wells’ age, odds, and why the submission mattered 11:24 - Edson Barbosa’s punishment and retirement talk 15:23 - Jalen Turner’s rise and the power of fighting with purpose 18:33 - Charles Johnson’s wild flyweight run and short-notice win 23:08 - Mackenzie Dern vs. Gillian Robertson and the jiu-jitsu chess match 28:25 - Why Zhang Weili vs. Mackenzie Dern is such a dangerous matchup 35:30 - Islam Makhachev vs. Ian Garry: control, defense, and missed chances 42:19 - Who should fight Islam next? 45:23 - Does this win make Islam the GOAT? 47:14 - Islam vs. Khabib in the all-time lightweight conversation 52:21 - The rumored White House card and Ilia’s reported money issue 55:14 - Why turning down a bad matchup can be the right career move 60:15 - Fighting for legacy, not just a paycheck Notable quotes Copy “The sport is so crazy because anything can fucking happen.” Copy “What is your purpose? What is your why?” Copy “I’m not just fighting for a paycheck. I’m fighting for legacy. I’m fighting for history.” Order your bottle of Funk Harbor rum today! https://funkharborspirits.com Support the channel by purchasing official merch here! https://www.AljamainSterling.com

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This episode is also packed with that signature inside-the-sport perspective, from Apex production changes and the difference a real crowd makes to a wild tangent on stem-cell recovery, peptide rules, and how pro athletes are navigating injury treatment in a sport that still makes no sense to a lot of fighters.If you like MMA talk that’s blunt, funny, and actually thinks about where the sport is headed, this one is for you. Especially if you care about who the UFC should be building next, and who’s about to get exposed.

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The UFC controversy, the chaos of fight week, and the future of MMA unfold in this electrifying episode with Funk Papi, Teven Wee, and Dominic.
In the chaos of a volatile fight week, Funk Papi reveals how national tensions and unexpected refereeing decisions could shift the MMA landscape forever. From the Serbian-Montenegrin rivalry spilling into the arena to contentious stoppages, this episode dives deep into how politics, passion, and in-the-moment decisions shape fighters’ careers—and legacies. Discover the behind-the-scenes truth about the recent controversial fight and what it means for fighters' futures and fans' trust.We explore:

• The turbulent politics fueling violent fan reactions and fighters' safety
• The referee’s split decision controversy explained—why many believe it changed the course of a pivotal fight
• The strategic mastery behind Dennis's loss, and whether MMA judges and referees are evolving fast enough
• The future of the fight game: Can MMA rival other sports in excitement, or is it spiraling into chaos?
• How the rise of smaller promotions like PFL could threaten UFC’s dominance and revolutionize fight financing
• The impact of surging fighters like Navajo Sterling and Mark Vlogden on the sport's future and fan engagement

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Most MMA fights are decided by technique—until style lengths prove they can dominate unexpectedly. When the legendary Usman faces DDP, the fight reveals a brutal truth: in MMA, heart and adaptation are sometimes more decisive than skill. If you're a fan of high-stakes battles, strategic upsets, and the unpredictable nature of combat, this episode is your next must-listen.In this week’s in-studio edition, Funk Papi breaks down the electrifying UFC clash that had fans on the edge of their seats. Usman, at 39, still pushes beyond limits, demonstrating grit in a fight filled with wild exchanges, tactical shifts, and jaw-dropping resilience. We explore how DDP’s unorthodox style kept him composed against the boxing and wrestling heavyweights, showcasing why style and heart often trump pure technique in MMA.You'll discover: the fascinating technical adjustments made during the fight, including DDP’s use of length and timing to land precise strikes; the pivotal moments that showcased Usman’s fight intelligence—rushing at the last second and how exhaustion cakes the strategists; and the broader implications for both fighters' careers moving forward. Plus, insights into the division’s next contenders, potential rivalries, and what this bout means for the future of welterweight and middleweight matchups.This episode also features expert commentary on the fight’s controversial moments, referee decisions, and what it takes to stay at the top amid age and wear. Whether you're a hardcore MMA fanatic or a casual fan wanting the inside scoop on the latest epic battles, you’ll leave with a deeper understanding of what makes a fighter legendary—and hungry for more action.Perfect for fight strategists, MMA aficionados, and anyone craving adrenaline-fueled entertainment. Don't miss Funk Papi’s breakdown of one of the most exciting fights of the year—where heart, style, and grit collide. Hit play now and catch all the fight-night real talk that keeps you ahead of the game.Why this works:

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We break down ufc 329, Conor's injury, and the rest of the card. Paddy being the potentinal face of the UFC and whats next for some of these fights.

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Most fighters talk about passion — but few actually get in the ring with two days' notice against a UFC legend. In this electrifying episode, UFC contender Aljamain Sterling shares the behind-the-scenes truth about matching up against Benson Henderson at RAF on just hours' prep. Discover how top athletes seize unexpected opportunities and turn them into defining moments. You’ll learn how Sterling’s spontaneous challenge with Benson Henderson came together, what it takes to step into the cage on short notice, and the mindset that separates legends from the rest. We break down: The real story behind fighters finagling last-minute bouts — and why it matters for your own goals The unspoken rules of capitalizing on unpredictable moments in combat sports Inside intel on upcoming UFC and RAF matchups, including rated fighters like Yair Rodriguez, Henry Cejudo, and Brandon Moreno How high-level athletes train differently and what you can learn from their mindset — even if you're not in the octagon The broader opportunity for wrestling and MMA to grow through innovative, fan-focused platforms like RAF This episode isn’t just a story about one fighter’s journey — it’s a masterclass in resilience, adaptability, and seizing the moment when opportunity knocks. Whether you're an aspiring fighter, a die-hard fan, or an entrepreneur chasing chances, you’ll leave inspired to act on your next big move before the window closes. Ready to unlock your own potential? Tune in now. Guest Credibility: Aljamain Sterling is UFC Bantamweight Champion known for his high-level wrestling and electrifying performances. His candid takes on last-minute fights and crafting moments under pressure make this a can't-miss episode for fighters and fans alike. Why this works: This episode hooks listeners with a high-stakes, real-world story of agility and guts, teasing behind-the-scenes insights and future matchups that fans crave. The detailed breakdown and relatable lessons on opportunity make it engaging and shareable — ensuring browsers hit play.Order your bottle of Funk Harbor rum today! https://funkharborspirits.com Support the channel by purchasing official merch here! https://www.AljamainSterling.com

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Paddy Pimblett is fighting Justin Gaethje for the Interim Lightweight Title. How do you think this will go? We break this fight down as well as the other fights on this stacked card. Enjoy!

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In this episode we discussed Jake Pauls recent loss to Anthony Joshua. We also discussed the cheating coming out of the Dagestani camp, and much more. Enjoy!

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Today we have the one and only Daniel Cormier joining us to discuss his legendary UFC Career, olympic wrestling career, Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall, and more. Enjoy!

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In this episode, the boys and I discuss if DDP can get it done against the man with the most aura in the UFC, Khamzat Chimaev. What do you guys think? Enjoy! Order your bottle of Funk Harbor rum today! https://funkharborspirits.com Support the channel by purchasing official merch here! https://www.AljamainSterling.com

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