What's Happening in MMA and the UFC Right Now?

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  • Опубликовано: 3 окт 2024
  • Luke Thomas is one of the most influential MMA analysts in the game and the host of The Morning Kombat Podcast. I was delighted to talk to him today about
    How the sport of MMA has changed
    The rise of Eastern European fighters
    Why is terrible behaviour of MMA fighters tolerated
    Can other MMA organisations ever rival the UFC
    Drug testing in the UFC
    Fighter unions and the Ali Expansion Act
    What Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson means for combat sports
    And more
    Check out Luke Thomas's RUclips channel here: / @lukethomas
    And subscribe to The Strenuous Life Podcast wherever you listen to your podcasts!

Комментарии • 108

  • @yakuza01
    @yakuza01 4 месяца назад +43

    Oh my god, my BJJ and MMA content youtube crossover that I didn't know I needed. This is awesome but yet so out of the blue. Thank you!

    • @StephanKesting
      @StephanKesting  4 месяца назад +8

      I am very glad to have met this inadvertent need of yours!

    • @KeilGries
      @KeilGries 4 месяца назад +4

      Same! Luke and Stephan are the main two channels I'm subbed to for BJJ and MMA content, I was so confused and it took me like 5 seconds of staring at the thumbnail thinking my youtube had glitched or something 😅

    • @yakuza01
      @yakuza01 4 месяца назад +1

      @@StephanKesting However, you being Canadian, I wish you would have asked about the pride of Canada, AND Luke's favorite rock band, Nickelback.

  • @jakogrim
    @jakogrim 4 месяца назад +19

    Unexpected and very appreciated collaboration! Been following you both for 10+ years. Thanks for all your contributions.

  • @jb1670
    @jb1670 4 месяца назад +51

    Mr Thomas, despite his father not loving him, is a great MMA source.

    • @adogg9782
      @adogg9782 4 месяца назад +8

      Having a daddy that dosnt love you is a prerequisite to be involved in mma😂

    • @zoom4368
      @zoom4368 4 месяца назад +1

      ​@adogg9782 As a fatherless mma fan, I can concure

    • @soultaliban
      @soultaliban 4 месяца назад +3

      It's not hard to understand why he got no love from Daddy.

  • @ParisLawLess
    @ParisLawLess 4 месяца назад +19

    Professor Luke Thomas is everywhere. Great interview 👍

  • @WilliamSung86
    @WilliamSung86 4 месяца назад +9

    My first RUclips coach was kesting (and chewie) and my first MMA journo was Thomas. What an incredible cross over

  • @paulbury8176
    @paulbury8176 4 месяца назад +11

    The crossover I didn’t know I needed haha, what a great meeting of the minds

  • @dmichaelpage
    @dmichaelpage 4 месяца назад +7

    Luke has great insights. I don't watch anywhere near as much MMA as I used to, so I don't usually follow his stuff, but it's great hearing two smart dudes talk about this stuff.

    • @brendanbate5440
      @brendanbate5440 4 месяца назад +3

      Same here. Morning Kombat is worth checking out and has a really cool community.

  • @prandz420
    @prandz420 4 месяца назад +10

    So great to see you two crossover!!

  • @BuildinWings
    @BuildinWings 4 месяца назад +19

    The line between sports and "sports entertainment" is blurrier than ever, and it's turned me off of combat sports for the time being. Don't gotta watch TV to roll.

    • @boneytony5041
      @boneytony5041 4 месяца назад

      The life of a prize fighter. Dammed if you do etc.

  • @TheReal_DeanD
    @TheReal_DeanD 4 месяца назад +2

    I’m happy you’re giving Luke some shine and time on your channel. Luke is really putting himself out there.

  • @KeilGries
    @KeilGries 4 месяца назад +7

    Holy hell this is a legendary crossover.

    • @StephanKesting
      @StephanKesting  4 месяца назад +2

      Thank you, ironic osssss!

    • @KeilGries
      @KeilGries 4 месяца назад

      @@StephanKesting Oss 🙏

  • @greatestthe5959
    @greatestthe5959 4 месяца назад +1

    This was just overall a great interview. Kudos to this guy for knowing what he wanted to ask, and knowing his guest. Allowing Luke to speak. These two could really create and open up a lot of conversations between each other if they continue to collaborate with this approach. (Each of them could take turns in the driver seat and almost have an open discussion rather than debate and give rebuttals)

  • @hectoribarra1245
    @hectoribarra1245 4 месяца назад +1

    I'm glad to hear an intelligent, informative conversation & sane politics out of the MMA world.
    👍🏼

  • @jawadkazmi5327
    @jawadkazmi5327 4 месяца назад +2

    This was such a good listen. I been following MMA/UFC for a good number of years and just in the past few months felt like I had finally outgrown it, all the reactionary macho bravado of absolute psycho fighters and fans and trolls gets to one I guess.
    Good to see some decent guys like you and Luke in the business.

    • @StephanKesting
      @StephanKesting  4 месяца назад +1

      It sounds like we have very similar opinions about the whole circus

  • @greatestthe5959
    @greatestthe5959 4 месяца назад

    Luke’s take at the end as a combat sports fan at the end of- so hard to articulate to someone who’s more of a passive fan without coming off as an elitist. I’m glad friends and family are excited about combat sports and ask me about it but so hard to respond as far as interest level and my thoughts which they genuinely are asking knowing that’s my passion

  • @rms1754
    @rms1754 4 месяца назад +3

    Awesome discussion! More please

  • @phoenix1473
    @phoenix1473 4 месяца назад

    Thank you both. Great listen ✌🏼❤️

  • @tombates576
    @tombates576 3 месяца назад

    Great conversation, gentlemen. Really enjoyed it.

  • @justinthao848
    @justinthao848 4 месяца назад +4

    I got Godzilla and Kong teaming up last month. I think this might have topped that!

    • @StephanKesting
      @StephanKesting  4 месяца назад

      Well now THAT is a pretty high bar to clear!

  • @andrewflanagan3658
    @andrewflanagan3658 4 месяца назад

    Two of the best in their fields, combining for our benefit

  • @philmaio2335
    @philmaio2335 4 месяца назад

    This show was awesome! I loved the similarities And differences of opinion. I would love to see it again

  • @thisopinionwillexpire
    @thisopinionwillexpire 4 месяца назад +1

    Love seeing Luke on other channels

  • @merkins87
    @merkins87 4 месяца назад +1

    15:00 bang on: There is no "left" or "right" in the Anglosphere and many TNCs are deliberately working hard against unionisation as it affects their bottom dollar.

    • @herondope5675
      @herondope5675 4 месяца назад

      That was the most ridiculous point I heard this whole interview... there's literal self described marxists and communists at the helm of political commentary on the internet ex. Hasan Pike and college campuses where there's safe spaces for "LGBTQ+" and "POC" to hide from oppressive white supremacy but because there's no chauvistas organizing a communist revolt there's no left wing in the west lmaoo

  • @DJO_Kosick
    @DJO_Kosick 4 месяца назад

    Great interview! Thanks for having LT on the show, I'm new found fan on your channel.

  • @heysmilebomb
    @heysmilebomb 4 месяца назад

    Thank you for having Luke on! Hope y’all collab again soon ❤

  • @WhoIsCalli
    @WhoIsCalli 4 месяца назад

    Great convo, thanks

  • @jasonpeprose
    @jasonpeprose 4 месяца назад +2

    What a across over, you guys went together like Han Solo and Chewbacca. 😂 Love it.

  • @arranwalker4292
    @arranwalker4292 4 месяца назад +1

    Great conversation

  • @cianelliott2947
    @cianelliott2947 4 месяца назад

    Excited to listen to this!

  • @dariusrana8487
    @dariusrana8487 4 месяца назад +1

    I like the old school nhb, vale tudo fights. Modern MMA is small gloves, kickboxing and a liitle grappling, submissiin thrown in. Pride may have been the peak of MMA.

  • @greatestthe5959
    @greatestthe5959 4 месяца назад

    lol ok LAST COMMENT. Never have been exposed to this other broadcaster with Luke. Really liked his personality and stewardship of this. lol in Luke’s voice: “that watch is a Sundial player” lol all love. Totally enjoyed this

  • @romerosneck
    @romerosneck 4 месяца назад +1

    If you want to fall back in love with MMA, talking to Luke ain't gonna do it 😂

  • @thedonofthsht76-58
    @thedonofthsht76-58 4 месяца назад

    Nvr been on this channel but got my view!

  • @LoganNashFilms
    @LoganNashFilms 4 месяца назад +1

    This is the video form of the Spiderman meme

  • @zephyrleapold6796
    @zephyrleapold6796 4 месяца назад

    Most of the best MMA practitioners are still in and wanting to get to the UFC. As a fan of the art, that's why I watch, for them. The antics won't stop anytime soon, and they only help to sell events, so that is where individuals need to decide if it's too far or not. The best BJJ, wrestlers, and boxers don't often go into MMA due to what a high level the actual art has become, just being great at one discipline, isn't enough any longer, not at the top anyway. That's a big reason why I watch the actual fights still.

  • @nerdSlayerstudioss
    @nerdSlayerstudioss 4 месяца назад +1

    sick crossover Stephan

  • @wheelsup3263
    @wheelsup3263 4 месяца назад +1

    LUKE!!!

  • @TheOriginalEGod
    @TheOriginalEGod 4 месяца назад

    LT is the man!

  • @ajaniwinston8117
    @ajaniwinston8117 4 месяца назад

    Haha the squeamishness hit me hard as a dad, but it also made me recommit to training, and staying in shape

  • @Onlybadtakes2589
    @Onlybadtakes2589 4 месяца назад

    Last fine i think was against Nate Diaz

  • @jonathanmoore7582
    @jonathanmoore7582 4 месяца назад

    Conor throws a "trolley" through the bus window. Schaubisms

  • @evanchen5360
    @evanchen5360 4 месяца назад +3

    "...the mainstream no longer even cares about any bad acts, or malfeasance."
    sorry, this is ridiculous. if conor, jon jones or anyone else breaks the law, they should be charged and punished just like anyone else. and this is exactly what's happened. should fighters be canceled if they say something one political party views as offensive? i don't see why the UFC needs to start canceling fighters who -- as you say -- probably lean to the right. i personally think dana is a tool, but he definitely leans right and doesn't put up with woke nonsense. i suspect most of his fighters agree. if you're offended that's on you.

  • @charliec2966
    @charliec2966 4 месяца назад +1

    THE SPORT IS BIGGER THAN EVER. EVERYONE WATCHING MORE UFC THAN EVER. THESE GUYS SEEM BITTER.

  • @William-Morey-Baker
    @William-Morey-Baker 4 месяца назад +1

    so kids can make better decisions as adults? Luke.. i think you might be a bit confused...

  • @cdcaleo
    @cdcaleo 4 месяца назад +6

    One Championship has appeared to transcend the low brow thuglife nonsense that the UFC has fallen into, and I increasingly spend my time watching One, as well as other combat sports like Boxing, Olympic/NCAA Wrestling, and ADCC jiu jitsu.
    The UFC's other main problem is that their stable of fighters is so huge, more than 500 fighters last time I checked, that they have to put together increasingly boring cards, with stacked cards becoming ever more rare.

    • @StephanKesting
      @StephanKesting  4 месяца назад

      I agree on both points

    • @cdcaleo
      @cdcaleo 4 месяца назад

      @@StephanKesting By the way, I'm giving you a hard time in the comments section, but I appreciate your content and the effort you put into your channel. Thanks!

    • @TheNEOverse
      @TheNEOverse 4 месяца назад

      Eh, One has its own weirdness, like not giving their MMA fighters matches as of late and the bizarre shit talking from Chatri. His comments after the Takeru vs Superlek fight were not respectful.

  • @davidbankston672
    @davidbankston672 4 месяца назад

    “Folk wrestling” for millennia in Middle East and Russian countries.

  • @jonathanbecerra6416
    @jonathanbecerra6416 4 месяца назад

    Hey that’s not Brian….

  • @jasonpatterson4830
    @jasonpatterson4830 4 месяца назад

    Awnsome

  • @inpugnaveritaas
    @inpugnaveritaas 4 месяца назад

    Jake Paul is t going to win that fight. No chance.

  • @Gibbs316
    @Gibbs316 4 месяца назад

    Gonna be a lot of complaining in this one😂

  • @michaelb.6007
    @michaelb.6007 4 месяца назад +1

    Glad to see that Stephen pressed Luke on the pressure a 17 yr old might feel to take PEDs when on the cusp of a career in sports, and his answer was about as weak as I expected since Luke has continually failed to address it every time he talks about PED use.
    He tries to hedge a bit, but his all for it mentality of normalizing this stuff in sport has obvious repurcuasions on young athletes that he is unwilling to meaningfully address.

    • @Day-ZDuke
      @Day-ZDuke 4 месяца назад +1

      Man, I don’t agree with many of Luke’s opinions, but he is intelligent and knowledgeable. His position on PEDs isn’t about “normalizing” this stuff in sports; it’s already been normalized for all intents and purposes. It’s pervasive throughout all sports, particularly at the professional level where the motivations to use are increased massively
      Luke’s position on this matter is just being practical / realistic. Much in the same way the War on Drugs doesn’t work, neither does the outright banning and demonizing of PEDs. People are going to use regardless. It’s much better for everyone / the system in many different facets, such as health concerns and monetary costs, for PEDs to be legal, monitored, and reasonably controlled.

    • @michaelb.6007
      @michaelb.6007 4 месяца назад

      @@Day-ZDuke PEDs are already legal and I agree that they should be for a variety of reason, but regulating competitive sport is a different matter. Just because something is widespread or difficult to regulate doesn't mean it should be encouraged. I find that to be a weak argument. I could say the same about grabbing the fence, eye poking, or any other widespread disregard for the rules of sport. The culture around sport and the judgment of your peers is a strong motivator.
      If PEDs are considered acceptable, they WILL be encouraged. MORE kids will feel MORE pressure than they already do to use MORE steroids.
      And I don't think he's all that practical here either. He wants multiple leagues where one is clean and one isn't... Okay, so how do you stop the clean leagues from not cheating? How do you stop junior leagues from doping? You regulate like we're already doing. It solves nothing. This is Luke's biggest tell here. IMO, what he ACTUALLY just wants is to see steroid junkies bang into one another regardless of the collateral damage on young athletes. The problem with anti doping is the corruption and implementation, NOT the concept.

    • @ufc4debunking245
      @ufc4debunking245 4 месяца назад +1

      What was weak about his statement?

    • @michaelb.6007
      @michaelb.6007 4 месяца назад

      @@ufc4debunking245 Read everything I wrote after "I find that to be a weak argument."

    • @ufc4debunking245
      @ufc4debunking245 4 месяца назад +1

      @michaelb.6007 would you say the same about fast food and alcohol? LUke is not arguing to normalize PED use in children or in adults he saying their are real medical and aging benefits to some PEDS that can be used responsibly for athletes to have longer and healthy careers and could even help prevent some injury and the more educated we are about it the better we can control the use . Every sports organization in the world promotes fast food and alcohol to children non stop and when they get injured get them addict to painkillers when there's probably a form of, for lack of better words PED therapy that could help heal that injury most successfully.

  • @cdcaleo
    @cdcaleo 4 месяца назад +6

    Combat sports have always been aligned with working class culture and sensibilities, so I find it strange that Stephan wants them to reflect the wooden priggishness of post modern liberalism.
    Stephan, you can get your fill of post modern progressivism on NPR. Leave MMA out of it.

    • @evanchen5360
      @evanchen5360 4 месяца назад +1

      💯times this. i'm a big fan of stephan, but IDK why he expects pro fighters to act like biden/trudeau voters.

    • @StephanKesting
      @StephanKesting  4 месяца назад +7

      “Post modern liberalism”. my my, somebody has been listening to too much Jordan Peterson. I’m just surprised you didn’t call me a Marxist, but I suppose that’s your next insult…

    • @StephanKesting
      @StephanKesting  4 месяца назад +6

      @@evanchen5360 in what way is asking for fighters heavily promoted by the UFC not to be criminal thugs a political thing? I complained about Conor McGregor hurling a dolly through a bus window and Jon Jones, rap sheet; I do not believe that Trudeau or Biden have commented on either issue.

    • @evanchen5360
      @evanchen5360 4 месяца назад +1

      @@StephanKesting maybe you've already seen, but above i said "if conor, jon jones or anyone else breaks the law, they should be charged and punished just like anyone else." the conor bus incident happened 6 years ago. i think it's one data point, not a trend.

    • @cdcaleo
      @cdcaleo 4 месяца назад

      @@StephanKesting I fully believe Conor and Jon are miserable role models, and should have been fined/fired for their horrible behavior. No argument from me there.

  • @JohnFrancisByrne
    @JohnFrancisByrne 4 месяца назад

    Its for Luke.. God bless Israel 🎉

  • @81ghale
    @81ghale 4 месяца назад

    You want cage fighters to be role models? 😂
    Weren’t unions ran by the mafia when they were popular? Sounds like yet another way to open the door for corruption to me and always has. Granted, I’ve only been in the workforce for 28 years, but having the option to accept or decline a job based on what they offer hasn’t been a huge problem for me. I’m just a factory bum tho, which used to be middle class, but now that the middle class is gone I’m relegated to “no voice” status.

    • @StephanKesting
      @StephanKesting  4 месяца назад +2

      I think you might have missed my point. Fighters are going to be fighters, and some of them are going to be terrible human beings. What I object to is the MMA organizations sanctifying, minimizing and glorifying the shitty behavior when it happens.

    • @81ghale
      @81ghale 4 месяца назад

      @@StephanKesting yeah I did misunderstand you then. I don’t think the promoter should, or needs, to use the behavior of the fighters outside of the cage for anything. Especially if they’re going to keep them as independent contractors. I heard it as a judgement on the morality of the fighter, like they have an obligation to carry themselves a certain way, my fault.

    • @ufc4debunking245
      @ufc4debunking245 4 месяца назад

      ​@81ghale are they "professional athletes " or "cage fighters" it seems the UFC likes to use each term when it benefits them kinda like calling them independent contractors but making it impossible to get out of their contracts and not allowing them to have sponsors inside the cage or on any UFC broadcast or affiliated events

    • @81ghale
      @81ghale 4 месяца назад

      @@ufc4debunking245 that’s the morals of the business UFC (Endeavor, or whoever tf owns it now) not the fighters, different subject.

    • @ufc4debunking245
      @ufc4debunking245 4 месяца назад

      @@81ghale All other Major sports leagues require their athletes to uphold a code of conduct, which is why you don't see MLB,NFL,NBA,NHL players going on podcast saying outlandish things or doing reckless things without repercussions, they might police their speech to an extent but they aren't telling their athletes what to believe in. With the UFC being the world recognized MMA promoter who for years has fought to be recognized alongside the MLB,NFL,NBA,NHL they should take it upon themselves to hold their athletes to a higher standard instead of hiding behind "free speech" and claiming they are independent contractors who can do and say what they please without letting them be real independent contractors.

  • @sjtdxitditsitdurzirxur5926
    @sjtdxitditsitdurzirxur5926 4 месяца назад

    Battle of the beards. Luke wins by 1st round 7 second KO

  • @rednecktruthspouter3485
    @rednecktruthspouter3485 4 месяца назад +3

    You cant nor should you try to police speach people say mean things gtfo it

  • @rednecktruthspouter3485
    @rednecktruthspouter3485 4 месяца назад +3

    Dont be a loster librard

    • @Ybby999
      @Ybby999 4 месяца назад

      Are you dyslexic