UFC 329: Mac or Max?

What's up guys! This week we have a lot of great matchups that are bound to restructure not only certain divisions, but the entire energy of the UFC with the return of the Mac!

Transcript

UFC 329 And The Mental Game

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What's up, guys? Welcome back to the Clinch Podcast. If you don't already know, my name is Shay, and I am so excited that UFC 329 is finally here. I know that so many people are still doubting it. I'm sure that they will doubt it until it is time for Connor to walk to the octagon. And I get it. I just personally have had a different feeling about this fight than I've had about any other Connor fight before. And I will explain all of that in just a bit. But first, I cannot go through this podcast without talking about just a few fights that I am so excited for. The whole card is stacked. We've got Tracy coming back, which I'm super excited for. But a few that I wanted to get into are all fights that I think are going to be turning points for either fighter in those fights, whether it be to show that the fighter can keep their momentum or to see if a fighter is ready for a higher level of competition, which are factors that are kind of one in the same. But as I talk about these fights, I think you all will agree with where each fight is going based on those two things. But the most important aspect that I really want to focus on is of course, if you've been listening for a long time, you know that fight IQ and the psychology aspect of this sport is something that really intrigues me. And in my conversations with other fans, whether it be people that I know personally or online on Instagram, Twitter, whatever, a lot of people are starting to engage in conversations around the fighter's mental aspect, whoever it may be. And I think a lot of it is being highlighted with Connor's re-emergence. And I think that this fight will really show how exactly just changing your lifestyle, of course, that one's pretty much a given. You perform better when you have a healthier lifestyle, but when you change your mental game, it can absolutely restructure a fighter's entire career. Usually, when fighters are doing this consciously, of course, it affects their career for the better. But there's also a topic that's not as discussed, and that's how fighters can change their mental game without realizing it, and it affects them in adverse ways. So that's why I really love talking about everyone's fight IQ and their mental status, the psychological aspect of their game. And if you've been listening to the podcast for a long time, you know this. And it's just something that I think is such an underrated aspect of fight analysis, because of course it's talked about. You know, we know if fighters have something going on or if they are partiers and how that affects their game and this and that. But what I don't see a lot that I really like to focus on is how a fighter approaches things, even if they are putting on a character, you know, do they know that they are playing a character? Are they choosing to do this or are they blending in with their character? You know, are they able to separate themselves? Like that's just one topic in itself that I could just go on and on

Yanez Tests Garbrandt’s Durability

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about. But I do want to go ahead and get into these fights, and we will get into that with all of these fights, and we'll start with Adrian Giannis versus Cody Garbrandt. I think that that is such a good matchup. I think with the pressure that Adrian Giannis brings, it'll really put to the test if Cody Garbrant is able to show durability and to show consistency. It's been an up and down career for him. So I'm curious to see how much he has left in him. I think Giannis has a bit more durability in him. So what we'll see on Saturday, I think will be a turning point for Cody Garbrandt. I think he and Michael Chandler share a lot of similarities in that. And if you heard last week's episode, I said the same thing about Michael. I think that they both had a tendency to think that they were at the same level that they were at their peak, even throughout the rest of their career when things weren't going their way. They seem to look at things as isolated mistakes instead of a lack of evolution in their game. So I see a lot of that in Cody as well. And that's rough because he does have a bit of a soft chin at times. So it really could affect the longevity of his career if he doesn't improve on that. And he has, but then you know, this is just not a sport where you can take a long time to adjust where other people are adjusting at speeds much faster than yours. So it's just hard to see how he'll be able to turn his career around. But then again, I have faith for an Irishman who I used to never have faith for. So we'll get to that, of course, later. But I I hope the best for him in that fight. But we'll go ahead and move on.

Whitaker As Krylov’s Reality Check

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The next one I want to talk about is Bobby Knuckles versus Nikita Krylov. I love Robert Whitaker. All the OGs, no, my first card was UFC 168. So, like that whole era and beyond, those were some really good years of MMA. Like, there were some really good years, and Robert Whitaker was a huge part of that. So I'm so excited to see him fight again. I feel like, you know, he just fights less and less every year, which makes me sad. But I think that Robert Whitaker is a very good opponent for Nikita Krylov. Like I was saying earlier, a lot of these fights that I'm talking about today are fights where I see a fork in the road for one of the fighters or for both of them. And in this particular fight, it seems to me that uh Krylov is showing some momentum, showing some excitement. So, who better to legitimize your rise than someone like Robert Whitaker? I think that it will be an absolute challenge. Of course, duh. I don't think that Krylov beats him. I think that they've both been in the UFC about the same amount of time. And Robert has been able to do much more to punctuate his career, I guess. And Krylov has been more inconsistent. So we know that anything can happen in this sport, you know, Fountain of Youth, Lease On Live, whatever. But in this case, I can't really see a reason to go against Bobby. So we'll see. I think that as a fighter, you have to know when you are in fights that are forks in the road, when you are in matchups that lead to something or test you on something. I think those are really the only other than, you know, just like fun random matchups, but usually the formula goes, we are booking you for this fight to see you either go this way or this way, or we're seeing you book this or we're booking this fight to see if you can endure this, you know. So we'll we'll see what happens. I don't expect a lot other than I guess another really fun and cool Robert Whitaker knockout. So we'll see. He's also getting up there, I guess, but not really. I feel I feel like he's still got some good years left in him. Okay, we'll see. But next we have another Bobby.

Green Vs McKinney And Real Ambition

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We have Bobby King Green versus Terrence McKinney. And I I know that there's still discourse about Terrence McKinney and his brand, but you know, the kid is good. Like the kid's really good. And obviously, so is Bobby King Green. So with this matchup, I think this one is more of a matchup to s to also legitimize. I think that the UFC wants to see not only how durable either man is, but also to see if Bobby King Green really can make a legitimate run, or if Terrence McKinney can actually hang with these heavy hitters consistently.

Matchmaking Trends And Fighter Pay

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I think that with all this talk about how the new pound-for-pound rankings are gonna go, how fights are being matched and everything like that, this whole reframing of everything that the UFC's been talking about, these are things that the matchmakers are focusing on. They are spending less time making weird, bizarre matchups like they did last year. And this year they're really restructuring. So I'm really enjoying this. I'm happy that things are going more clean and cut. There is a lot of room for improvement, but it seems to be that there is a lot of reframing around how matchups are made. Now I hope that transcends into how they're paid. But that is a very sticky and nuanced topic that I think deserves its own episode. Once people actually sit down some more and talk like they have been, I think that there have been a lot of good conversations around it, but room for improvement. But we'll leave it there because, like I said, I can just talk about it forever. I think that this might may go Terrence McKinney. I am not sure why I feel that. I think that even though I love Bobby King Green, I think he's very entertaining, always such a fun time to watch, gets everyone real hyped up, which is great. But when it comes to bigger moments, he tends to have more difficulty. And don't get me wrong, I am not trying to say by any means that Terrence McKinney is this big, huge threat to Bobby King Green that he's gonna choke at. I'm not saying that. I'm just saying that this is one of those fights where there's a fork in the road. You guys are probably tired of hearing me say that already, but I just want to like add a new dimension to these fight analyses, right? Analyses, whatever. I just want to add another layer of fun when we're breaking down these fights because there is just so much that goes into this sport. Just so much. It's so good. And let me just say, hasn't it been a great summer of sports? I mean, can we we just gotta give these sports a round of applause? I mean, between these World Cup games and these fights, I really don't watch any other sports besides those two, but I'm sure sports have been great. I've been having the best time. World Cup has been so much fun, so much fun. But with these fights, we'll go back to those. So, fork in the road, all that. I'm just not quite sure that Bobby King Green is as serious about a title run as Terrence McKinney is. I think that King Green just looks very content with his, I don't know what is it, uh strip club and you know, him being like this gatekeeper of sorts in the UFC. I think he's really comfortable with that. That's what is making him his money right now. And I think that makes a big difference when you are looking at someone like Terrence McKinney. It's not like he's just some kid who knocked off everyone in his local circuit. I think that he really is locked in and that makes him a threat to King Green. So we will see exactly what happens, obviously, on Saturday. But I think if we're looking at the mental aspect of it, you have someone hungry for gold versus someone kind of already sitting and enjoying theirs. It's like a classic tortoise in the hair situation. So I think this goes Terrence McKinney. We will obviously see on Saturday, but let's move on to Brandon Roy Val versus Lonaire Kavanaugh.

Royval Vs Kavanaugh On Consistency

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Now, this one I think is going to be one of the closer fights, of course. The tests are, of course, there, but I think they are different for both Kavanaugh and Roy Val. I think with Brandon, his test here is endurance and consistency to see if he is able to shut down any incoming bulldozers, you know, in the division. And with Kavanaugh, it's almost like a contrasting test with him needing to show he really can hang and he really can swim against the current on these rankings because it really does just get the harder, the higher you climb, obviously. So it's just a classic test. Happens to everyone who's trying to break in that title run. So good fight. I think both men are super hungry, and it looks like Royval is the underdog, which I think is is fair. I I would say Kavanaugh wins this one as well. I haven't obviously seen as much of him as I've seen of Roival. I just think that here, his ability, it kind of trumps consistency, and that can be super rare. So I'm really excited about that fight. And next we have Corey the Sandman versus Mario Bautista.

Sandhagen’s Post-Marab Reset Fight

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And this one, you know, we just are seeing a little bit of a test to see how Corey's doing after Marab. You know, this is like a wellness check fight. I think that it's still competition. Like he definitely is not in for an easy fight against Mario Bautista. But I do think the threat level is down a little bit. This is a little bit of white sandy beaches after what he's gone through. So I think that he he gets back. I think that he beats Mario, and that's not me, you know, shading Mario or anything. I do respect his ability. But I think that with them both having a mutual loss in Nurmaga Madoff, the way those fights went, coupled with how each of them won their fights after, just makes me feel like Sandman's got it. Corey is super unassuming for some reason to his opponents, but we also know that Mario Bautista is still gonna bring some of the heat and fire because he's at a different kind of fork. I think that he's just been kind of boring, and I'm not sure how he's really gonna bring the excitement against someone like San Hagen, who has such a pop and fly kind of style to his fighting. So we'll see. I'm pretty sure I know how that one will turn out, but usually when we say that, it's never usually a good thing, but we'll see. I I think it's a pretty safe bet, in my opinion. But next we have Benoit Sondini versus Patty Pimblet.

Saint-Denis Vs Pimblett And Ring Rust

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So this fight is really hard for me because obviously we know kind of the same with San Hagen. We need to see how Patty Pimblet's doing, right? We need to see if he's got ringshock or if he is still able to jump right back in where he was before. And with Saint-Denis, I mean Patty is well, but his is a bit more polished. But Saint-Denis has such a wild style of fighting. He has very wild footwork, he has very wild placement, he's very unpredictable, and I do enjoy that. I just for some reason am not sold by it. Whereas with Patty, I've seen how exactly his wild style connects with Benoit Saint-Denis. It's like you are mashing the buttons on a controller and winning somehow. Like that's how I win Mortal Kombat when I play anyone. Like I I'll clear the street, I will clear the entire block just by mashing buttons. So, you know, I get it, it's cool. But just to see a person do that in person is so weird and crazy to me that it works. I mean, he he's had some really fun finishes, and I think that either way this fight goes on Saturday night, it will be an insane finish. For some reason, as I'm thinking about it, I'm really thinking that Benwal Sandini has it. But I'm really hoping that Patty Pimlet shows up because I don't want someone who is as talented and as fun to watch as Patty really get lost in in ring shock and not be able to come back like they did before. And I don't think that's the case. I think that he is very strong mentally. Back to what I was saying earlier, where sometimes fighters can build a character and lose themselves in it, you know, or assume themselves inside of it. And others tend to be able to separate themselves. I think that Patty Pimblett is able to separate himself. I think that it probably has taken time. And at the beginning of his career, it started to meld with him a little bit. But in the grand scheme of things, it seems now that he is able to separate and he can take the mask on and off. And I think that is the most important part of even being a character within the UFC, is you're going to have a lot of energy thrown at you, and you have to be able to build something that absorbs it. That's not something you take home, if that makes sense. So I think that Patty Pimblett has been able to do that. So I'm really just not sure. I'm not sure in this fight. I will say that I hope Patty wins, but I wouldn't be surprised if the overwhelming pressure that something he brings will give him a hard time. We'll just say that. But I'm gonna say Patty Pimblett, I'm gonna go against the odds. I think that you guys can stand and make some money here. Let me know if you do, because I don't do that. And of course, our main event of the evening: Connor McGregor versus Maximilian Holloway. I

McGregor Vs Holloway Main Event Hype

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am so excited. This is such a good fight. We love Max Holloway over here. We love him, his family, his career. I love Nisa Max. He is one of the best things to happen to this sport, I I would say ever, but definitely since I have been a fan, because he has brought consistent energy over the years. It's very hard to get this man out of pocket, get him out of character, you know, unless he is in character himself. So I I respect that. I will always be loyal to people with that kind of personality, especially in this sport, because you know, it's it's an MMA podcast. I I respect people in general when they are like this, but for this sport, it's especially important because look at the longevity of the career Max Holloway is having. There's no clear end in sight. I believe it's almost completely attributed to the fact that he's had his head on straight for most of his career, if not all of it. You know, that is so important. And you have to be able to be strong against certain energy and be able to exude a certain kind of energy out to not only be able to have longevity in this game, but to be able to have your name have longevity in this game. So that's why I really love just being a Max fan. We all love it. And with Connor, the surprising thing about this fight is if you've listened to my podcast before, I implore you to count how many times I've ever said something nice about Connor McGregor. It's not a lot. I have been a Connor hater for pretty much since he joined the UFC. I liked him for a little bit. He was super fun to watch. I thought it was a character. And then things just really started to sour. And I have a two-part series on Connor McGregor from a couple years ago, if you want to go and listen, you know, to compare how I feel about him now to how I felt about him then. You know, it's very, very, very, very, very different. And I will say I think that Connor McGregor is going to win. My neighbors are moving furniture upstairs. So aggravating. Don't they know what I'm trying to do? But, anyways, Connor McGregor wins Saturday night. I feel it in my bones. And I will tell you why.

Why McGregor Feels Different Now

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I think that he has mastered the art that before nearly cost him not just his career, but his livelihood, his family, everything. Yes, I absolutely. Know that he is on a spiritual journey. And if you have listened to other episodes, you know that I am spiritual as well. And people may assume that is why I think he's gonna win. Oh, he gave his life to Jesus. Like, yes, he's gonna win now because, yay, go, Jesus. Like, that's let me tell you, I'm not naive. Okay. I I'm not one of these like Bible belt Christians, you know, these something like me and God go deep, okay? There is so much in my relationship with God that there's no room for me to have then there's no room for anyone else. Like, there's no room for me to judge anyone else. There's no room for me to, you know, I can show you the love that I have received from the God that I worship, you know, but that's the only thing that I think is necessary. And I see that in Connor. I see grace and I see the understanding of that grace and the work that's been done with it. And that's what we're here to talk about, right? We are here to talk about the work that Connor has done for this fight camp. So the number one thing that I notice is that he genuinely seems clear in videos of him interacting with different people, whether it be media or fighters or in actual interviews or you know, whatever the case may be. I mean, his commercials are a little funny, but you know, that's his character, right? When he takes the mask off, I I'm obsessed with psychology. I'm a psychology student. So I notice these things. I I tend to have a good idea of when someone is turning it on and off. He does it very quickly. And so when he does turn it off, you can see how clear he is. You can tell that he really is just putting on a mask when he says certain things or does certain things. It's it he wants us to know, right? It that's what it seems like. He wants us to know that it's a character now, like the monster is dead, hopefully. And this reborn person is Connor now. That's Connor today. It's a reintroduction, right? I think the energy around the fight is so good, even with interviews with Max, and like you can tell it's such a show, and it's a good one, and Max is in on it, and it's just good stuff. Like the energy is is amazing going into this fight. Now that I'm like thinking about it, we haven't really seen this version of Connor in the UFC. I haven't. I have seen a young and hungry Connor, I have seen a oh, I'm pretty good at this. Like, I'm gonna show everyone how big my balls are, Connor. And then I've had money fanged to the head, Jordan Belfort, Connor. And now this is something very new to all of us. Because just doing my research for this episode and just thinking back on his entire career, this is not something that we are familiar with because he's approaching this like he's very cognizant, and he knows that this fight is going to legitimize everything that he has been trying to sell. And I truly think that it is genuine. I think it's authentic. I think that it's very hard for people like me to be fooled by people like that. And, you know, I do admire the change, and I think that it's going to greatly impact his game plan because, like I said, we have not seen a Connor like this before.

Hidden Training And Surprise Factor

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You know, he is healthy mentally and physically, he is bigger, he looks great, he looks nourish, he looks, he hasn't really put out a lot of him training, which he said was intentional. And I think it's good. I I wish I could see, you know, because I want to see how he is what he's practicing. But he doesn't want to let on that information, which totally get it. But I think that there's some danger happening behind the curtain for sure. I think I've seen some grappling videos, of course, a little bit of striking, but nothing that I'm sure he doesn't want us to see. And as an intentional aspect of his game plan, I think it's very smart because it gives us an element of surprise. You know, we are not seeing any special moves someone's gonna pull out, we're not seeing cardio, we're not seeing anything like that. And, you know, Max isn't really doing it either, you know, but we've seen Max more recently. So we kind of have a better idea of what level he's performing at.

Minute Details That Swing Elite Fights

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And with Max, I I see a difference between how he's approaching this fight mentally and how Connor's approaching this fight mentally. I think that Connor is self-assured in a way that I'm sure he has backed up with how he's performing in camp. And Max, of course, is going to be training as if he's training for Connor McGregor. And it's not bad to think about the future, but I think he is focusing on the future a little more than Connor is. And when it when it comes to athletes that are as talented as both these men are, sometimes it really does just come down to minute details that fighters are focusing on that could cost them the fight, right? So I think that Connor is always looking at his game plan with the full scope of the lens, but now that like his mind is clear, you know, he's able to actually do that at a whole new level. So he's always done that, he's always looked at the grand scheme of things, I guess you could say. But now, when he has a new mindset, it's like he has new eyes. So I'm curious to see how he's able to do that now that he is so much sharper, because I think that it'll just make him smarter and more capable of running those probabilities. Because that's something that he has said a few times in interviews, that you know, he is thinking of, of course, of course, any possible scenario and forming answers to those. And I think that now he can kind of retain all of that information and carry it over to his fight, which he was able to do before, but with brand new eyes and a mind that you haven't performed with yet, it's absolutely an advantage because if you look at how he speaks about preparing for fights, it is usually consistent. He thinks of every little thing. He is a freak, like he is an absolute maniac about details. So now that he's able to do that without all that negativity inside of him, I think it'll actually serve him well. He seems like he understands that he's gonna have to play chess with Max. This is not gonna be an easy payday for him, and he does have to think of everything and formulate a game plan that answers all potential situations he can be put in. And I think it's smart for him to think that way. You know, he had a quite a bit of time where he wasn't giving any credit to his opponents, and it showed, and it cost him fights and it cost him ego and pride and all of that stuff. You know, it really hit him hard. So I'm glad that he understands he has to play chess with Max. This is not gonna be a situation where he can just walk in there, once you punch in dip, like Mac is back, but I want to see Mac 2.0. This is going to be a longer fight. There's gonna be a lot of time, I hope, spent thinking and and really playing against one another. Like, I want to see some cat and mouse, I want to see back and forth, like I want to see a clinic. And Urton, not that I really want a clinic, I just want some good back and forth. I want a good, violent game of chess right in my face. You guys know I love that stuff, I love it so much, but he really does seem to be embodying whatever is necessary to fill the shoes that his past like words and even like his victories created, but he's actually able to fill them. So, and he's gonna need to, right? I mean, since they last fought, Max has evolved immensely, and not only has he evolved, he's in he's evolved with the competition, which I think is one of the most glaring advantages that he has against Connor. And it seems like Connor has recognized that, like he knows that he has been out of the game for a while. And yes, Max, you know, has had some losses, but he's still here, he's still active, you know. So being in the game at this level still in his career, of course, is gonna be a huge thing that Connor's gonna have to prepare for, you know, and it looks like he is he's eating, breathing it. He

Doubting McGregor And Betting Caution

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looks like he's sleeping in the gym. And, you know, Max also, he really seems to understand that Connor isn't a wash and he is actually a threat. And I think fans are leaning more towards doubting Connor from just what I've seen. And it a lot of people think it's just even asinine to think that Connor's even gonna win. But I think the fact that Max even still considers Connor a threat said something or should say something. But I also understand why everyone is really doubting him. I just don't see that. I see a clear, sharp version of Connor that we haven't really seen in the octagon yet. We've seen drunk prideful Connor, we've seen Young Hungry Connor, like I've said, but we haven't seen this version. So Max recognizes that. So I think people should be a little more careful with how they bet in this fight, because it's not, I don't think it's gonna be one-sided at all. And even Max, in the most recent press conference, he has to assume the best version of Connor to the point where he's even entertaining the possibility of a trilogy. And obviously, we know how this fight would have to go in order for that to happen. But even aside from that, the fact that he's even entertaining that shows that he is taking Connor seriously and sees that Connor is approaching this fight much seriously than he did in the Chandler fight. This is just a completely different person than we saw. And we don't know how this person performs. All we can really put together is that Connor McGregor used to tap people on the chin and put their lights out, even when he was running around as a lump. And now I think he still has that power, even on deep waters. Jorge Mazvidal was like, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And Justin was like, Well, wait on a second, we can't forget about that power. You know, so if opponents that have hated his guts are still admitting to something that is a very real threat. As fans, who are we to discount that? So I think it'll be an incredible night. We will see something huge happen, either which way. Y'all know how I think it's gonna go. I love Max so much. I'm still gonna celebrate if he wins, you know. But the whole card is gonna be amazing. I'm really excited. I want to hear what you guys think about what's gonna happen. I know a lot of people disagree with me, but it's fine. You know what? That's what this sport is for. This is what it's here for. It's here for us to disagree and agree and party. So happy fights to you guys. Can't wait to talk about how they went last week. But for now, I'm gonna end this here.

Final Thoughts And Where To Follow

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Let me know what you guys think. Again, I am on Instagram at Shaymyname M M A. That's C-H-E-Y-M-Y-N-A-M-E-M-M-A. And my merch site is almost done. I am so excited. These designs, I'm loving them. I cannot wait for them to be here and to see you guys in them. And it's gonna be great. It's gonna be a good old time. I can't wait for next week, but until then, happy fight.