EP. 456 — Check out our Anik & Florian Merch on jonanik.com
Anik and Florian look back at a memorable 2023 in MMA with their 9th Annual AFPA (Anik & Florian Podcast) Awards. PLUS, featured regular Ray Longo joins the show.
What was your fight of the year for 2023?
RATE AND REVIEW THE SHOW ON iTUNES & AUDIO PLATFORMS!
ON TODAY’S SHOW
(00:00:00) – OPENING – #AnikFlorianPodcast
(00:02:21) – HEADLINES with @Jon_Anik, @KennyFlorian
(00:59:15) – RAY LONGO MINUTE: @RAYLONGOMMA
(01:47:29) – OUTRO (Closing Thoughts)
OFFICIAL APPAREL WEBSITE: JONANIK.COM
🎧 Audio: https://bit.ly/AnikFlorianPod
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Anik and Florian 2023 UFC Recap – Year-End Review Show with Ray Longo – 9th Annual AFPA’s – A&F.456
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Welcome to the 2023 Anakin Florian podcast Awards and now your host John anic and Kenny floran so how your New Year’s resolutions going kflow good to be back with all of you folks after the byee for us Merry Christmas Happy K Quanza happy Hanukkah happy new year it is Tuesday
January 2nd 2024 and we are back with our first episode of the Anakin floran podcast for the new year presented by DraftKings kenl a little under the weather to begin 2024 how we feeling yeah it got a little cold you know like my my daughter gets sick my son gets
Sick my wife gets sick and then you know I thought I was I was in the clear but uh no I always tend to get it last though so that’s kind of a win but yeah I’m a little stuffed up man how are you doing I’m doing okay I was pretty nasly
Myself over the weekend my wife asked for Christmas the only thing she wanted was one night in Miami and of course I was uh sick as a dog so uh we had a good time at the Mandarin Oriental Miami they’re G to demolish actually the whole goddamn thing and create something
Absolutely incredible right there on the water in Miami Florida but it was nice to have a little UFC respit of course next week on Monday we’re back with you getting you ready for the UFC’s first live event of the new year January 13th but today ladies and gentlemen
Is the Ninth Annual apas the Anakin Florian podcast Awards now we could do 15 20 25 categories we have 10 categories for you today Ray Longo is going to join us for the back half of the episode he has winners for some of our high-profile categories such as
Knockout of the year I think he’ll give you a male fighter of the year and also a personality of the year we used to do a hottest male fighter of the year and I gave that award to Tyron Woodley once and T wood was in the news actually on
Uh on New Year’s Day almost pulled out my Tyron Woodley UFC welterweight champion t-shirt to wear today you didn’t think I was going there kflow I did not think you’re going there all I will say I had buckets of respect for t-wood before what some of you might
Have seen and now I have even more respect for my man all right so we have 10 Awards to hand out today but there have been some mixed martial arts headlines Kenny since we last convened so I’d like to talk about a few of those things and then we
Will rifle into the awards all right unless you have been living under a rock or you became a mixed martial arts fan today and somehow stumbled upon this podcast you know that Conor McGregor posted on Instagram that he will return International fight week 2024 June 29th Las Vegas Nevada T-Mobile Arena against
Michael Chandler and he suggested this fight would be at 185 pounds now there’s only one man in UFC history who has one a fight in four different UFC weight classes and God damn it if I’m not looking at him right now so Kenny f one
Fights in the UFC at 145 PBS 155b 170 lbs and 185 lbs now I know you and our esteemed producer Cody Merl were talking in our pre-show meeting that you guys don’t necessarily take Connor at his word here at least when it comes to the weight class so before we get into 185
Versus 170 versus 155 do you take Conor McGregor at his word that it will be Michael Chandler and it will be June 29th International fight week 2024 gosh very interesting um I I will say this if we can get a poll question going uh Kenny floran the most
Versatile fighter in UFC history or the dumbest fighter in UFC history to compete in four different weight classes um yeah listen I think it’s going to happen right I think the fight is going to happen I think he also has a tendency of messing with his opponents right
Always messing with their minds first he was saying hey the fight’s off I’m gonna fight somebody else he’s been playing with weight classes all those things regardless I think the fight is going to happen whether whether it happens at 155 pounds or not I’m not so sure I wouldn’t
Be surprised maybe if we see something in the middle maybe 160 pound weight uh like catch weight or something like that but I do think it’s going to happen um I think it’s a fantastic fight I think it’s the right fight for both men at this point of their careers it’s a fight
That I think must happen especially you know given their history with the ultimate fighter and all the you know going back and forth between those guys but yeah I don’t think it’s going to happen at 185 pounds I think it is you know the Mind Games of Conor McGregor
Messing with his opponents yet again um trying to win uh you know the battle before he wins the War I do think that there are a lot of layers to this I do take Conor McGregor at his word that it is going to be Michael Chandler promotionally I think
They want to preserve that fight they did built an Ultimate Fighter season around the matchup it does make sense I would agree with you now Jorge gamebr midal did post on X yesterday that he has unretired and certainly there have long been legs for a fight between Conor
McGregor and Jorge game BR midal but I think Michael Chandler deserves this fight he’s sort of been idling and biing his time I hope Michael Chandler gets this fight in terms of the weight class though Kenny and by the way yeah I think kenlow equal parts talented and dumb
Right for C 145 pounds but also going in there with 185 pound Fighters like Chris leben but I digress as far as the weight class is concerned Kenny I have long been frustrated that Conor McGregor has not competed in what I believe is his optimal weight class 155 lbs in the UFC
He has One Singular win at lightweight in his UFC career it was for the title against Eddie Alvarez he never defended the lightweight championship and I don’t believe for a second that this fight with Michael Chandler is going to take place at 155 pounds even though that would make the
Fight in my mind exponentially more relevant as far as one of the belts is concern let’s hope they don’t do Leon Edwards and Conor McGregor for the UFC’s Undisputed welterweight Championship right I mean Conor McGregor certainly does not deserve that opportunity but as the biggest name in mixed martial arts
History I wouldn’t put it past him to get a championship fight upon this return I don’t think it’s gonna be that I don’t think it’s gonna be 155 pounds I just hope it’s not 85 Kenny like what what are we doing if this fight is at middleweight what are we doing and who
Would you give the advantage to if neither party had to really cut with oh gosh you know yeah I I don’t think it makes a whole lot of sense obviously to be on her 85 pounds um I I I think it it’s going to favor the heavier guy who
I believe is Conor McGregor at this St Point um and you know he he’s going to be taller I believe he’s taller already but as far as size you know I think it’s a much tougher weight cut for him um to fight at 155 pounds so I don’t know
Maybe it’s at 170 pounds or something like that but still even that doesn’t necessarily make sense you know I I don’t think defeating Mike Chandler at 170 pounds warrant a a title shot against Edwards after that if I’m Leon Edwards I’m trying to make the case go yeah absolutely yes Conor McGregor
Deserves it you know that’s the that’s the money fight it’s the money fight for a reason but again this is tough for me as a former fighter because you want to reward Merit and you want these guys who are participating in the organization to understand that there is a ladder that
Is a straight path or or somewhat of a straight path to the title um and I think it would piss off a lot of Fighters if Conor was able to skip the line however what cannot be denied is Conor McGregor is the biggest name in mixed martial arts history at this T
Point he’s just he’s one of the biggest sports figures in the world that that is something we really didn’t see from MMA before that um so you know you have to factor that in at standpoint and and I think also that’s why he should be fighting at 155 pounds because because
It’s a much stronger case if the fight takes place at 155 pounds for him to potentially get that next title shot and of course you have the history with the dogani fighters you know to go in there against Islam masas yeah no I agree with
All of that and we will get to Leon Edwards and his assertion that he is going to defend his belt at UFC 300 presumably I think it would be UFC 303 on June 29th Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler would be your headliner but you’re right a win for Conor McGregor over Michael Chandler
Let’s say at 170 lbs right beating a lightweight Contender at 70 doesn’t make you the number one welterweight Contender Dana White doesn’t like catch weights I would be very surprised if this thing happens at 60 or 65 I’d be most surprised if Conor McGregor actually cut down to 56 or 55 my
Expectation is that it is going to be a welterweight fight but I’m not as dismissive of 85 as you and Cody I hope that you guys are right here but you know if Conor McGregor wants to return in June and not cut any weight or maybe
Cut from 92 to 85 uh certainly he’s well within his right to ask for that but it does seem as though Dana White and Conor McGregor got together in United Arab Emirates and it does appear as though Connor will be back June 29th against Michael Chandler and that is good news
For everybody in the MMA space Leon Edwards Kenny suggests that his next title defense will take place at UFC 300 rumored to be against Bal remember the name Muhammad obviously Bal close friend of the program we don’t have information on that front Ariel helwani reported that shavkat rock manov was also
Considered but that report suggested that rock manov was past tense now again a lot of layers to this Kenny I sort of outlined the dates on Ramadan and how if Leon Edwards really wanted to be strategic get all the pay-per-view points that come with UFC 300 and also
Make balam Muhammad have his entire training camp during Ramadan which ends on April 9th which would be during fight week for UFC 300 so your thoughts on Edwards having defended his belt in December making a relatively quick turn here and uh speculating I know but do
You think it’ll be B and do you think it’s going to be UFC 300 here I think it will be Bal and and I think it’s a fight that makes a lot of sense obviously Bow’s been waiting in the wings he is uh more than deserving of the opportunity
And I also think Leon Edwards needs to capture this attention at this standpoint I I think in a lot of ways as an athlete as as a businessman to go and and have this quick turnaround um and people for people to remember uh his
Name right and and to see how good he is potentially against someone like Bal and I’m also really curious to see what kind of adjustments and what balal has learned from the first time they went against each other of course didn’t last long but um obviously some controversy
With that first one um I I think it’s going to be a very technical strategic fight both these men fight in that manner um Bal more of a grinder but I I think that’s a fight that makes a lot of sense man and uh can’t wait to see it so
Balah Muhammad and Leon Edwards fought in 2021 and don’t forget it was a short notice opportunity for Muhammad that was to be Leon Edwards versus khamzat shimay I think it was actually the third time they tried to put that fight together now Leon Edwards will be favored over
Balal in this rematch and perhaps prohibitively so just based upon the success that he was realizing in that second round against Bala Muhammad before the inadvertent eye poke led to the no contest but let us be clear not only is there no Muhammad bias here both
Of these guys are much better than they were in 2021 I would argue that Leon Edwards has improved exponentially since that first fight all the championship experience that he’s acred and for Bala Muhammad he’s just a completely different guy than he was in 2021 I’m not suggesting he’s now some other
Worldly Striker but he has improved so much in that Realm of the game and I just think it’s a more competitive fight than perhaps the short sample size we saw uh back in 2021 either way I think the overriding sentiment is a good thing and to your point about Leon Edwards
Riding the wave he took nine months off after that first title defense against Kamar Usman last March this would be taken just three months off and I think it makes a lot of sense even if that’s not your headliner maybe that’s your co-headliner and you have another title
Fight at the top of the bill but uh looks as though Leon Edwards is gonna fight at UFC 300 and we’ll see if the opportunity indeed goes to the deserving balow remember the name Muhammad all right Ninth Annual Anakin Floren podcast Awards we call them the apas we got 10 Awards
To hand out for you here today but it’s actually 11 because when we got to knock out of the Year Kenny and Ray Longo is GNA hand out a few Awards as well I had a list of 28 Knockouts that could have been our knockout of the year it was the
Hardest category by far so we’re each going to give you two Knockouts of the year as part of the Anakin floran podcast Awards just wanted to thank our executive producer Cody merrow and our audio engineer will Berger off the top these guys have been working through the
Holiday to bring you some of the these special moments from 2023 with all of that and without further delay we get you our 2023 Anakin floran podcast Awards and we begin with Ken flow’s UFC Rookie of the Year Kenny Florian’s 2023 Rookie of the Year b nickel got the
Neck Jamie’s talking to yeah he’s grimacing too there it is yeah yeah he he wants to maintain control of the body DC there a n submission in round one just the way he drew it up in the debut and I feel at home uh you know
I’ve been trained my whole life for this I feel like I was born bred and uh I train every day so I can come out here and dominate and that’s what I Did w b you got the cut you got to be kidding me ni with a knock out wow stay here I got I got no wrestling needed necessarily tonight wow 5 and0 for b nickel who turns the tide and puts the power on Woodburn man yeah I listen for me this was a pretty easy one John uh you of course have had the opportunity of of witnessing the bow nickel phenomenon right in front of you and this is a guy that is just special you look at his wrestling career multiple time NCAA
Division One National Champion out of Penn State uh one of the best wrestling programs in the last couple decades um under kale Sanderson and he has taken all that success all that hard work that he’s been doing since he was a kid his dad was a wrestling coach he considers
His dad a leader for a lot of guys who are interested in hearing more about Bo nickel there’s a great podcast with him on Joo willing and it gives a great insight into his mentality and how he trained and how he’s been preparing for these big moments in the UFC now he’s
5-0 John all finishes three Knockouts two submissions seeing what he did uh in his last flight in particular with this striking in his footwork you know if you were to take that like little maybe five 10 seconds of striking you’d think this guy was a striker I mean that’s how
Special he is phenomenal Grappler uh God bless anyone who just considers him a blue belt in Brazilian he’s a problem man he’ll submit anybody of course his takedown game this is a guy that I truly think can not only be a champion but one of those Champions that people remember
For a very very long time I’m putting a lot of pressure on Bo nickel but yeah that was an easy an easy one for me Bo nickel is my Rookie of the Year great family athletes on both sides of his family and I think for a lot of people
In no doubter as the 2023 rookie of the year it is interesting when you talk to him he’s so thoughtful outside the octagon and then short sample size inside the Octagon he has been phenomenal but CH sunnon did wonder aloud recently about this matchup with Cody Brundage at UFC 300 and ch’s thesis
Statement was sort of what are we doing here trotting him out there as a minus 1400 favorite again now jilon Almeida is an example of another guy who sort of burst out of the scene but Kenny he had a lot more experience than Bo nickl and
I think part of the reason UFC is slow playing this is because the Dude showed up on the contender series he was like one and0 or two and 0 but as much as I like Cody Brundage as an athlete I just don’t quite understand exactly why this is the fight that they are
Putting together I’m not suggesting that they need to give b nickel somebody in the top 10 but I know you’re not prepared to answer this question necessarily but at what point are we going to give this guy somebody in the top 15 or the top 20 and not have these
At least what looked like on paper showcase fights where he’s a near minus 2000 betting favorite like when are they going to rip the Band-Aid off and put on paper a fight that gets the fans intrigued that b nickel might actually lose yeah now I I’ve probably sounded
Like a broken record when talking about guys and having this opportunity the Hamza Chim mayam the guys that are coming into the UFC with not a whole lot of experience and I always air on the side of caution in that I would like to see them acrew way more experience are
We looking at this from a short-term perspective or are we looking this at this from a long-term perspective now I’m also looking at this from Bo nickel and his team’s perspective and if I want my guy to be in there for as long as possible and when he gets that
Opportunity to face that top 15 guy that top 10 guy that top five guy and that Championship opportunity I don’t want that to be a learning experience for him I want him to go out there and win that damn thing every single time and I think because of that um you need experience
Talent is one thing skills are another thing and experience is quite another what someone can do in the gym or what we think they could do is very different than than how it plays out on Fight Night in the UFC it’s just a whole different level and why I why you know
While I would agree with you guys that skill-wise and what we’ve seen and the dominance that he’s um shown in the UFC uh Warren’s a much higher level Fighter um I I would say experience-wise I think it’s just about right it is only five fights at this stage of the game and I
Would like to see him get a little bit more experience especially if the UFC is seeing him as a potential Cash Cow a dominant champion of the future hey let’s slow it down a little bit let him build up gain that experience make those mistakes so by the time he is in there
Against Elite competition he’s able to adjust and win when he needs to and we’ll see what Cody brunic can do I know he’s excited for the opportunity and I’m curious what he in Factory x as Mark Montoya can come up with in terms of a game plan what a career opportunity for
Cody Brundage I guess I’m just a little bit surprised as chill was at the nature of that particular fight booking but we congratulate Ken flow’s 2023 UFC Rookie of the Year Bo nickel all right my Rookie of the Year there was just no way we were going to get through this show
Without getting some hardware for this man my 2023 rookie of the year goes to John Annex 2023 Rookie of the Year Diego Lopez man has he rushed through the door in 2023 beautiful job by he look at Diego look it again nothing hyper ball back the real deal he went hey that
Dude sick Lopez is sick he’s a predator man I feel incredible it’s been a dream of my life to be here in Madison Square Garden and thank you for all of you to support me uh this is the fruit of all the work that I put in 23rd Pro win DC
21st finish 14th in the first round we talk of course about the grappling the BJJ black belt ninth career win by knockout or TKO for the oncoming Force the budding mix martial arts Superstar Diego Lopez only man or woman a bonus in three UFC fights in 2023 Diego Lopez UFC Fight
Pass for the audio credit throughout the show and unlike Bo nickel there is no knocking nor disputing the strength of schedule for Diego Lopez steps up to face mobar e oflo on a week’s notice at UFC 288 when Bryce Mitchell suffered a shoulder injury and then nearly submits
A guy who is now 16-0 and the number nine ranked featherweight in the world then he followed that quote unquote loss up with finishes of Gavin Tucker in 98 seconds by triangle armar and then he tko’ed Pat sabbatini as you heard in 90 seconds in November at UFC
295 Diego Lopez Kenny I don’t know what the ceiling is right I do believe that this is a guy who is going to contend in 2024 could have been my breakout star of the year for 2023 he’ll have to settle for uh for Rookie of the Year and I
Can’t wait to see what he brings to the Octagon next year would have been an easy winner for her of the year as well but no he’s super talented man I I I just love his attitude as well just seems like one of the real good guys in
The sport and he’s a gamer man when those lights are shining uh he is as well so I’m excited to see what he brings in 2024 definitely a big game player congratulations to Diego Lopez my 2023 UFC Rookie of the year all right that brings us to breakout star of the
Year and there were many of course not just in the UFC but across all the Mixed Martial Arts impa kasang I could certainly get the hardware here for me though there was one guy I sort of HED in on for this award and safe to say few middleweight contenders had a bigger
2023 than the guy who deserves the purple shorts John Annex 2023 breakout star of the Year Brenan alen he’s trying to fight the best guys the highest ranked guys he can get his hands on Allen a very threatening Talent on the ground he’s got the there it is number 10
There’s the tap five in a row for Brendan Allen there is no denying him now and immediately Allen comes over to the booth he’s been trying to get ahead of this Daniel Cormier post fight interview all week his fellow Louisiana what a moment for Brendan Allen four of
His five on this winning streak have come like this make it five of six another Tapout Victory everything Brandon Allen said he was going to do in this match he did and followed through and did it exactly the way he said he was going to do it I’m getting more and
More comfortable I’m not even in my Prime yet I’m coming I’m I don’t want to talk about it I’m about it come see me if you want it who won the fight wo this looks to me like one of the best middleweights in the world right now
Just waiting now for his shot against a top five guy we got money Cody nicely job on the edit there so Brendan Allen 28 years years of age as of December 28th so he had 28 Pro MMA fights before his 28th birthday 23 and five overall
He’s won six in a row Kenny five of his last six wins have come by rear naked choke which I believe to be very telling that included all three of his wins this year over Andre Muniz Bruno Silva and Paul Craig masterfully handling a lot of different stylistic challenges along his
Way I think he poses as I’ve said here on the Anakin floran podcast an entirely different threat to guys that the top like Shan Strickland draus dupi Israel adna Shan Strickland’s only submission win in the UFC came in 2014 against buba McDaniel at UFC 171 he did beat Brendan
Allen head-to-head in 2020 there were some extenuating circumstances before that fight maybe we see a rematch for the title this year but Kenny I’m all in on Brendan Allen the way he is putting these Elite middleweights Away suggests to me that he could have a big 2024 he’s
My breakout star of the year for 23 your thoughts no question about it I think that he’s been one of those guys I’ve always been impressed with skill-wise um and I was kind of always waiting for him to put it all together when is he G
To get the mind uh up to up to par with the skills and the experience all that stuff well that happened in 2023 so I love the pick he’s well on his way to a potential title shot I think in 2024 maybe one more fight two more fights
Potentially um but he matches up with a lot of the guys extremely well up the top five so uh congratulations absolutely all right congrats to Brendan Allen my 2023 breakout star of the year can flow of course as he is contractually required to do went in a different direction Kenny Florian’s 2023
Breakout star of the Year Shan Strickland a huge for Sean [Applause] Strickland Anna back to his feet to fly water P oh on AIA circles out a major moment only the underdog you know what’s crazy as Sean Strickland outside of those push kicks hasn’t thrown one kick oh I know he’s
Boxing the entire time he a jab and a two and he’s winning a championship fight with him that right hand got the Champs attention and it doesn’t look like he’s doing us but look at how beat up Izzy is Izzy’s face is battered man oh my goodness likelihood Sean
Strickland oh my has produced one of the biggest upsets in UFC championship history Sean Strickland just came to Australian one and no on disputed UFC middleweight champion of the world Sean car trick what is this what is this ladies and gentlemen I am with the new middleweight champion of the world Sean
Strickland Sean Strickland how good does that feel man am I dreaming am I going to wake up somebody hit me oh my God you Guys Ah that’s so great man Bruce Buffer announcing Fighters still gives me the chills to this day um you know listen Sean Strickland uh for me was a pretty easy pick now you’re like well you’re picking a champion as breakout star of the Year well yeah I am I I think this
Was an amazing year for him undefeated in 2023 uh beating highlevel competition of course you know it culminating with um the win over Israel aisna in enemy territory and when you look at what he was able to do in that fight against one of the most intelligent Fighters out there indicates that Shan
Strickland is a far smarter fighter than people give him credit for you know I think he leads with that toughness and and he is certainly tough there’s no question about that but his ability to pick guys apart figure out a way to beat them I think was maybe the most shocking
You know part about that it would be I think you know less shocking if you went out there and and did finish israad asagna in round one it be like Hey listen anybody can get hit with a shot but to masterfully outpos Israel out of Sonia to find out those weaknesses and
Vulnerabilities and then expose them and execute on that when it counts to me just gave me so much more respect for Sean Strickland you may not like what he says but you have to respect the man what he accomplished last year was just nothing short of amazing absolutely
Deserves it got that opportunity uh made the most out of it and I’m excited to see what he does in 2024 so to go from a guy that maybe was you know certainly top 15 no question about that but a guy I don’t think a lot of people thought
Hey I I don’t know if he’s Championship mat material though well he absolutely is and he did it against one of the greatest to ever do it in osag nicely done and I think in terms of the true definition of the award breakout star he became a star this year right
Maybe brandan Allen a breakthrough fighter breakout fighter right hasn’t sort of crossed that threshold to become a star that’s why they haven’t let him wear the purple shorts yet but hopefully 2024 is the year for Brandon Allen but congratulations to Shan Strickland probably not done receiving awards today
Ken flow’s 2023 breakout star of the Year all right that brings us to our 2023 Robert fallis coach cornerman orom of the year and for some of our newer viewers and listeners Kenny they may not know who Robert Flawless was so if you’ll just allow me 40 seconds or so we
Have named several of our Awards after prominent members of the MMA Community who have passed away I will never forget getting a text from my colleague Megan Olivia I’m sitting on a plane flying back from Winnipeg after a fox event late 2017 and I found out that Robert
Fallis had committed suicide he was one of the founding members of both Team Quest and extreme cotour he grew up a Jehovah’s Witness and if you don’t know about that religion there is obviously a lot to it they don’t celebrate birthdays and there’s a lot of of layers
I I suggest that you read about Jehovah’s Witnesses if you don’t know about it but ultimately that background those formative years laid the foundation for this decision to end his life and sort of not overcome the mental challenges that had plagued him um I was close with Robert at the time of his
Passing you know two weeks after he died I had breakfast with his brother and his girlfriend Myra and just talked about how wonderful a man he was this really hit a lot of people hard and uh every year we take a minute to acknowledge this individual and for my money maybe
The sweetest man in all of MMA and one of the best mix martial arts Minds Kenny of all time so Robert fallis is the guy who we memorialize with our coach or Corner Man of the Year and uh to that end let us get you Ken flow’s 2023
Recipient for Robert FIS Coach of the Year Kenny Florian’s 20123 Robert FIS Coach of the Year Marcos Puma deata it’s it’s important it’s important that you understand that inside the half car he has no he has no attacks I couldn’t take her down I know coacha will be very mad
At me won his final mixed martial arts fight at a ripe 45 years old the great poopa Marcos deat it’s a team effort that we’ve been putting together with Alexandra panta for the last five years you know Steve M Dan Lambert you know um uh everybody all the training partners
That we have over there it’s amazing it’s a American top team winning oh man I it’s my pleasure to uh announce that Pena Marcus deata is my cornman of the Year listen you you heard a little Snippets of of what he’s able to add uh to to his Corner in between fights
Giving him the right advice at the right time uh whether it’s technical advice whether it’s you know uh lifting their Spirit those are all things that cornerman need to do they need to be a brother a dad uh you know whatever it is to get it done through training through
The fight and for me uh poopa has been that guy one of the busiest guys in the world John I can’t tell you how many weekends I saw him at pfl events only to see him the next day on television in the UFC he’s one of the hardest working
Guys in the sport he works with guys that are up and coming from frinov uh to mamed mamed kov a champion of the pfl this year Arman cukan a guy who could be a champion in the future and of course panta who he mentioned who is a Champion
Uh in the UFC so you know he works with so many different Fighters he had so much and to see a guy who comes from that Jiu-Jitsu background and who has given back on the level that he has given back to American top team American
Top team is so lucky to have him he always makes fun of me for my crutch word phenomenal but P Paha you deserve it buddy great job and it gives me chills just to hear you give the award to Puma you heard Cody repurpose some of
The audio from way back in the day on the Anakin fling podcast when we talked to our good friend Pahoa he was my Jiu-Jitsu coach for a time I have since quit the gentle art incidentally but we’re supremely close with him I’m so glad that he got your award long overdue
His connection with Alexandre Pantoja is unbelievable and to see those two men realize a world championship together this year just absolutely incredible we congratulate Ken flow’s 2023 Robert fall is cornerman of the Year PPA all right so for me so many directions in which I
Could go you know Eric nixi is a dear friend he’s been acknowledged by many of these websites as their coach of the year easily could have gotten my award for his work not just with Sean Strickland but with Francis enanu and so many other extreme cotour athletes my
Coach of the year award though essentially was wrapped up in March I told this man to his face in April that he was my coach of the year Francisco grao the uncle of Alexa grao he has coached her entire career cornered her to the world title back in March but
More than that if you look at the body of work for this man he has methodically built so many of these Fighters into highlevel boxers and then from there into high level mixed martial arts athletes Oren alonna fought for the belt this year then came back strong closed
Out the year in a fight of the Year Contender against CAD HOSA Diego Lopez is the team’s goddamn Jiu-Jitsu coach have you seen him [ __ ] box who deserves the credit Francisco grao right look what he’s done with Diego Lopez is striking I mean it’s unbelievable and Alexa grao of course the female fighter
Of the year for most people I’m not sure why her head coach isn’t getting the accompanying acknowledgement he gets it here Francisco grao my Robert fallis Memorial coach of the year for 2023 all right that brings us to the live underdogs although some of these underdogs weren’t necessarily live going
Into those fights we transition to our 2023 UFC upset of the year we start with Kenny’s upset of the Year dat line Sydney Kenny Florian’s 2023 upset of the Year Shan Strickland versus Israel out of sun he put his number four ranking on the line against an unranked Alex P when
No top five middleweight Contender was willing to do that Izzy’s going to have to let it get a little dirty now yeah seems like Izzy understands the urgency of the moment just over two minutes to go Iz he’s going to have to stand on the coin man he’s going to have to stop
Moving and Nar a taked down attempt from Sean Strickland who lands another jab and partially connects with a right hand that right hand got the Champ’s attention and trickin doesn’t even look like he’s breathing hard is he’s bloody and he’s swollen The champ is goingon to
Have to sit and throw man he’s gonna have to fire Strickland flapping gums late final 10 seconds adna lands a kick to the body but Sean Strickland in all likelihood is heading back to the United States of America as the Undisputed middleweight champion of the world all three judges score this contest
4946 for the winner by un ofous decision Sean car trick just hearing that it it’s amazing to hear and the fact that he did this against Israel AIA as I mentioned and in the manner in which he did it this was a dominant performance and John you called
It beautifully at the end of that fight fight you and everybody watching knew that he was going to win that fight based on that performance that’s dominance my friend okay and to do that as a major major Underdog against one of the greatest Champions that we have seen
One of one of the greatest Strikers that we have seen in the UFC a guy who was known uh to be excellent with his defense and the fact that he went and did this kind of in a different manner than Alex Pereira right there weren’t a
Whole lot of leg kicks where he slowed him down but he got into a certain range where he took away adna’s leg kicks and he did that largely by being at a closer range being in that boxing range shutting down the kicking game of Osan himself by backing him up and then
Landing a lot of J Jabs picking him apart going to the body you know adjusting and uh annoying osna throughout that fight so for me that was easy man I mean what a performance what an upset Sean Strickland gets another reward from me man I’m just so curious and I don’t want you
To answer this but how you would handicap a potential rematch between Shan Strickland and Israel aagna because I don’t know man like I I think Izzy would be excited to sort of write that wrong so to speak but gosh man Strickland got so much done in that
Fight I feel like that would be a real challenging match up maybe the most challenging match up for Izzy in that division right now so I agree dude all right my upset of the year and again we can’t land on the same one it’s hard to argue with Shan Strickland here in 2023
But mind goes to a guy who has experienced just a tremendous career Resurgence came up large back in November on the road against an undefeated Prospect who was all the R John Annex 2023 upset of the Year Nicholas Doby versus Gabriel Bon fiend fighting at a Copenhagen Denmark Nicholas Danish Dynamite
Doby Doby’s game plan is we going to make this a race and I’m going to make you race and race and race and when you get tired I’m still going to be there Punching how about Nicholas be turning the tables here he’s doing a great job in the pocket here on the fence land straight shots my goodness Nicholas Doby turning it on oh he’s just does not stop attacking Doby has not stopped he h crumbles first is he going to give him
His first loss 30 seconds knock out got it done Nicholas silencing the crowd his biggest career Victory a plus 425 Underdog cash the ticket well and he closed as high as plus 460 in some spots thanks to UFC Fight Pass for the audio how about my guy cruzy getting emotional there after
The big win for Nicholas Doby what a story his career has been Kenny you and I called a lot of his early UFC fights he got to the UFC May of 2015 beat Elio zeleski dos Santos then he fought Darren till to a majority draw his second UFC
Fight two fights later finds himself out of the UFC comes back three years later and Nicholas Doby has lost just once in eight fights since coming back to the UFC what a performance Gabrielle Bon obviously a lot of hype a lot of learning lessons acred in this loss to
Nicholas Dolby but uh this was the first name I thought of actually not even Sean Strickland Nicholas Dolby gets my award for 2023 upset of the year and by the way I think the cornrows look good on him now my twin brother is of you know
At Boston antic right he’s got hair down to his rear end and his wife has told him you’re white you’re not wearing cornrow now his wife is black which perhaps is neither here nor there right now I think Nicholas Doby looks pretty good I don’t think my brother would be
Able to pull off the cornrow what do you think about Jay and cornrow C I don’t I love it dude we gota do those things would be uh impressive at some point like imagine how much he could get for his hair though like that that is like
Serious money maker right there but yeah um yeah dude listen I I I I love the pick um that is one of those things that it doesn’t matter what a Doby does after this fight he can lose his next 30 fights in a row this is the fight that
You can not only build a movie around but this is something that he could be proud of for the rest of his life the way that he came back against a guy with that kind of offense and that kind of build and that kind of hype and to
Defeat him in the manner that he did was just astounding man I love the pick yeah I mean what do they do with Nicholas Dolby in 2024 I don’t know the answer I don’t know how high his ceiling is could he realize a ranking this year perhaps
But in terms of a singular moment you’re right Nicholas Dolby is going to look back upon what happened in November in sou Paulo fondly for life all right next UFC live event is coming up in about 10 days but college football fans the national championship game is set it is
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Podcast Awards as we get to what in my view was the hardest category knockout of the Year our award is named in honor of the late gentle giant Anthony Rumble Johnson who passed away in November of 2022 he was arguably the biggest power puncher in UFC history with respect to
Francis andano and anybody else who want to throw in there he was also a good friend to so many of us on the UFC staff I mean gentle giant doesn’t even begin to describe it especially close with our longtime listener and friend Heidi Dean who I know feels his passing just as
Profoundly 13 months later as she did last year so we shout out the late great Anthony Rumble Johnson as we get to our Knockouts of the year so we had a list of 28 [ __ ] Knockouts Kenny 28 Knockouts we paired it down to four Longo’s gonna come on in a few minutes
And give us one as well but we have four Knockouts for you this was a really hard exercise for me in no particular order let me get to my first recipient for the 2023 Anthony Rumble Johnson knockout of the Year John Annex 2023 co- knockout of the Year Justin gaii versus Dustin
Porier UFC 291 gatei fans being heard from now about a minute gone by round two oh Justin Casi head kicks justtin into the stratosphere and wins the BMF belt Justin gatei has done it in Salt Lake that head kick was nasty it was perfect look at this again Hey Joe cuz
When it’s perfect you don’t have to get all the [ __ ] the foot can get him yep and that’s exactly what happened there and he did it behind the punch he stuck the punch out there and he threw the kick it’s Remis Utah does something for head kicks
Boy do I mean two years in row two main events it did like that that’s great but what a way for Justin gatei to even this series herd with the slide you know what I want to do next I want to fight for the world championship these guys are
Fighting in October and I want to prove I’m the best in the world win loser draw Max effort is what you’re going to get out of me well I don’t know if it was kenlow or Cody who said in our pre-show meeting or even on this episode like what a huge
Year for Justin gatei right beating Rafael FIV and then winning the BMF belt in this manner to make himself largely undeniable as the number one Contender for Islam mv’s UFC lightweight Championship I know we have Charles Oliva who was injured waiting in the wings seems like momentum is moving
Towards giving gatei that Championship opportunity but given the way the first fight between Justin gatei and Dustin porier played out sort of felt like you were hunkering down for a 25 minute war and for gatei to win that fight in that dramatic fashion it’s got to be the
Number one knockout of the Year for me with respect to so many others I want to get to my second knockout of the year and this one really I think had more to do with the stakes than the style points but nonetheless we got a new UFC interim heavyweight
Champion John Annex 2023 Co knockout of the Year Tom Aspen versus Sergey pavlovich UFC 295 what what was it honey badger the animal yeah honey badgers are the league leaders in fear so they’re pretty dangerous in combat that’s me I’m the Honeybadger moving forward so I’m happy with that that’s cool well he
Looks so much bigger in person right but it’s because he’s a little taller long in lean for the heavyweight division that’s not what you used to see oh oh he hurt him get taged him early yeah how took a do that’s father Andy in his Corner he’s been at essentially every training
Session since Tom was 8 years old those leg Ki will pay [Applause] dividend do it has done the UFC interim heavyweight champion of the world the UK has a heavyweight champion Tommy asol what that was Sensational that was Sensational he’s the real deal been a
Crazy 2 and a half weeks he’s a big scary guy you know he’s a really really big I’ve never been a scared in my life as fighting this guy but you know what I got a lot of power too and I believe in myself I really believe in myself I’ve
Worked so hard over the years and this man right here my father has worked harder than anybody so this belt is dedicated to my father what a champion what a kinship between Father and Son and what a nation to be a mixed martial arts Champion Kenny right I mean it’s hard to believe
That any English British mixed martial arts athlete would realize the star power of Michael Bisping who was the first to break through Leon Edwards II but Tom aspo is the first to do it at heavyweight you heard DC talking about his size and he did mention the words
Long and lean I guess Aspen’s pretty long I wouldn’t describe him as lean K every time I see Aspen he is [ __ ] enormous in person and I don’t know what I’m even looking to extract when I throw that your way but dude he is an absolute
Giant and all the talk all week was about Aspen all speed and and Sergey pavlovic’s power and uh what a moment for Tom Aspen wasn’t even training a few weeks before that title fight unbelievable result for him and York City 100% man love both of those picks
Really uh so many so many different Knockouts that you could have gone with those are those are lovely though um yeah Aspen’s just a problem I was kind of scratching my head when DC was saying lean maybe lean compared to DC maybe that that’s what he was talking about
But no this dude is absolutely massive and it’s almost like I forget about it every single time it’s like when I see Yer and and the speed just jumped out at me every time I see Aspen I go my goodness this dude is a giant uh amongst
Giants right so yeah and then you combine that with his athleticism he’s just like a big cat you know he’s like a lion or tiger the dude is a major major problem um can’t wait to see what uh what he brings us in 2024 yeah a lot of
Intriguing matchups on the horizon for Tom Aspen he has intimated that he would like to defend the interim title if he has to uh against the winner of Curtis blades and jilon Almeida but man if we see Tom Aspen against either Jon Jones or Stipe in 2024 that’s a huge win for
For God for country and for mixed martial arts fans around the world congrats to Justin gatei and Tom Aspen all my winners for knockout of the year now we get to the first of Ken flows two selections for his 2023 knockout of the Year Kenny Florian’s 2023 knockout of the
Year Shan Ali versus Al Jermaine Sterling UFC 292 that shot late in round one was to get a feel for what it might be like early round two Sterling un [Applause] St in Wild [Applause] trouble oh mie trying to close it out here the
Su and new B Che sh valy wow wow sugar sha valy wow it’s the angles guys the way that he moves the pivot he sets you up wow wow sha Ali is the UFC bantamweight champion the staring rain Ends Tonight Boston wow what’s up Boston it feels right baby you feel right
Let’s [ __ ] go baby Sean I want you to enjoy this you work so hard for it you are the new bantamweight champion of the world sugar Sean Ali ladies and gentlemen oh mie rules um yeah listen H just just an amazing amazing knockout against one of the best Grapplers in
That division of all time and you know I had picked Alain surle I said this is a tough matchup form however if you were to imagine a scenario where om Ali would knock out someone to win that belt it would be with that very nasty pole
Counter um and you know it’s coming can you stop it it’s going to be very difficult thing and Ali with that length with that speed with that amazing timing was able to land it and he did so which you know and I believe him uh with an
Injury and he did it against an excellent Grappler in Sterling he baited him and you could argue that perhaps um maybe that win was attributed to a lot of the Trash Talk leading up to that fight because you know he kept saying how boring Sterling is and Y Yad yada
And it seemed like Sterling started to buy into that narrative and goes Hey listen I need to do something exciting I just need to just go for it and take him out got a little ansy and uh and paid for it uh W with that beautiful pole
Counter from Ali so just a spectacular uh knockout and um you know doing it when it counts uh Al is special there’s no question about it when we did our 2023 UFC year in review show and by the way you can access that now on ESPN’s MMA YouTube channel and also the UFC’s
YouTube channel our lead story in 2023 was the breakout of sha Ali and when you look strategically at the pay-per-view calendar right they got him competing at UFC 299 he’ll carry that pay-per-view in Miami that leads into 300 matters not who headlines that show and then then a
Few pay-per-views later you got Conor McGregor so lot of thought went into the way they lined up those cards but we congratulate Shan Ali one of two winners from kenlow for 2023 knockout of the year but the consensus top knockout of the Year took place in Miami Florida
Back in April and kenlow settled on this one for his second selection there is no question that Israel is a great fighter and a great champion and greatness is often defined not just by victories but how one overcomes adversity and adaga has an opportunity to beat this man who appears
To be unbeatable here we go boys the intensity of this rivalry is so palatable and palpable and felt by everybody in this mixed martial arts Arena chapter 2/ chapter 4 begins now you’re right John just I mean so much confidence I he tries a question mark
Kick front kick up the middle oh hit with a head Kick this is a scary P but he closes the distance oh jab to the body and the right hand up top oh oh my goodness is he got to be careful oh L on the left beautiful left hook there by if he took it well though again so D good oh he
Got got can finally to win over Alex P who’s out cold wow he oh my goodness he got a B oh my goodness oh my goodness wow oh my goodness Al did not respect the power coming back in his way and he paid for it oh my
Goodness it seemed when you got some inside information from the aagna folks that they were going to try to turn that aggression around on P mission accomplished for the last style Bender that might be one of the greatest K I’ve ever seen in my life well he looked like
His leg was hurt he was fading P saw it and just started to let everything go and Izzy put him out wow woo what a knockout what a way to regain your championship and finally break through in a series where you were way behind people I hope every one of you can feel
This level of Happiness just one time in your life you never feel this level of Happiness if you don’t go for something when they knock you down when they talk about you if you stay down you will never ever get that result fortify your mind and feel this level of Happiness as
You rise one time in your life but I’m blessed to be able to feel this again and again and again and again and again back on top of the middleweight World ad mission accomplished for the last style Bender they say revenge is sweet
And if you know me I got a sweet too you already know this is [Applause] sweet I mean I I got chills just listening to that isra aagna man against Pereira let let me give you another background uh I’m sure a lot of you guys
Know the story but right like you had to go out and slay a dragon slay the guy that had gotten the better of you that had been a thorn in your side from your kickboxing career finally you get that chance to kind of write down wrong and
Mixed martial arts you’re ready to go you have all the experience you have the Bel and the guy comes in and actually knocks you out in round five after you were winning the whole fight so now it just builds that much more and now he
Has to go in there in a rematch against Pereira and try to get it done once again his leg was kind a little bit compromised it wasn’t looking so great but he remembered round one from their first fight and he allowed Pereira to fall onto his sword when he led him into
That dangerous spot landed a gorgeous shot and knocked him out in one of the more inspirational performances that I have seen this at the end of the day similar to how we talked about Doby but at a completely different level because you’re talking about a championship
Fight a guy who regained his belt in this manner um will go down as one of the greatest performances of his career people will remember him uh by this performance um and you saw what Pereira did at 205 pounds after that so uh he is
A terror but he was able to defeat that Terror in fantastic fashion and you could also argue that perhaps it was also that high that win that maybe said ah this Strickland guy I’m I’m good let me just take him out I may not be feeling great I’ve been having a busy
Last few years but I’ll just go in there and do it again because I do things like that against Pereira and maybe that actually came back to Biden but either way what a what a knockout it was very difficult I asked John for top five John
Said no no I’ll give you two and that’s it yeah but uh man there were so many great knockouts but that that had to make my list no and I’m glad that we were able to sort of give the appropriate shine to that as an MMA moment in 2023 because you’re right
Shortly thereafter osanna committed to that September date perhaps to force the hand of either drus dupi or Robert Whitaker and then that night did not go exceedingly well for aagna in Sydney ju toos against what Alex P was able to do right moves up to 205 finishes well he he he beat yam
Bovich and then he beats Yuri prohaska to become the Undisputed UFC light heavyweight champion right so obviously in April Osan is on cloud9ine in a perfect world the rest of the year would not have played out for Izzy the way it did but dude why is my appetite so
Strong for a fifth meeting between Israel Lanna and Alex P right there I mean they’re 1-1 in mixed martial arts like I feel like I need to see this again either at 85 or 20 five I’m not sure p is going to have an appetite for
Cutting back down to 85 but I don’t know I mean why do I want to S time they fought it’s been absolutely riveting and insane so yeah that’s why yeah yeah 205 185 send it yeah yeah all right couple of honorable mentions from me for knockout of the Year Diego FAA against
Michael Johnson and then Derrick Lewis against peso in a fight that a lot of people were not giving him a chance to win PESA had as much momentum as he had ever had at heavyweights so congratulations to the blackbeast derck Lewis as well all right the third member
Of this team on the Anakin floran podcast the star of the show is Ray Longo he wanted in on the Anakin flan podcast Awards he actually has a winner for knockout of the year so let us get to uh the venerable the estimable the esteemed Raymond Peter Longo it’s now
Time for the ray Longo minutes punch a hole in this [ __ ] chest that’s what I want the ray Longo minute starring Ray Longo the John anic and Kenny Florian podcast hey happy New Year Ray Happy New Year I tell you the sounds a little off
I’m going to try to uh reload this thing you got one minute all right that’s fine I mean it sounds good to me but uh I’m hearing a lot of Echoes man all right he’s hearing some Echoes so we will get to Ray Longo who has a knockout of the
Year for us hold on I’m gonna I’m just gonna reload this hold on one second oh you reload I mean it’s not like we’re doing a live show here so you could reload that and do whatever you got to do and hopefully we’ll get Longo back as we do
That we’re going to transition to our submission of the year we’ll Circle back for Longo’s knockout of the Year hope I’m not messing with Cody too bad here but submission of the year for 20123 and as I was breaking down Brendan Allen It’s amazing to see a guy be able to get
To that back and get to that rear naked choke so consistently at the elite levels of a division but I’m going to start here with submission of the Year there weren’t obviously as many choices as there were for knockout of the year I’m going all the way back to Perth
Western Australia it was UFC 284 February of 2023 arguably the most memorable live event that I have ever covered just given that crazy crowd in Perth and one of the big reasons why it was as memorable a live event as I’ve had the chance to call was uh El
Panta John Annex 2023 submission of the Year Yer Rodriguez versus Josh EMT all of a sudden Josh EMT wearing it upstairs about three minutes here to go in round two nice job by Yer to just touch him up and not get too aggressive and get taken down watch that
Triangle can pull that right leg out he’s thinking about a triangle there’s the triangle he’s going to pull it down he’s going 45 seconds to R That’s champion he commits Jos to win the tle Kier Rodriguez is the interim UFC featherweight Champion incredible perfect performance he fought perfect his style he didn’t new it’s from USC featherweight champion of the world y here ELO rrig Yaya Rodriguez my winner for the 2023
Submission of the year he did it to win a world title and even though some of us were surprised that he turned around as quickly as he did to challenge Alexander volkanovski for the Undisputed belt that summer you can never take this belt away from yayer Rodriguez you can never take
The pretty Mexican inspired themed colored belt they made for him as well and yayer Rodriguez will always have a UFC interim championship belt at home and he got it done against a guy in Josh EMT who just turned in arguably the knockout of the year against Bryce Mitchell so congratulations to Yer
Rodriguez my winner for 2023 submission of the year and I guess there was a good chance Kenny and I might have landed on the same sub this year but we can’t pick the same winnner so with that we will reveal what was a no doubter for Ken flow’s 2023 submission of the
Year Kenny Florian’s 2023 submission of the Year Alexa grao versus Valentina shevchenko oh made an attempt sting back this got to back take it oh Sensational job by Alexa Gro she’s got behind the neck that’s still tight this is so tight tight it’s the S tight tight and then she got it
Alexa Champion for the winner by submission due to a reared choke and now USC on shoed flyweight champion of the world Alexa Ro Alexa Gro how good does that feel please punch me because I feel like I’m dreaming I I dream it with these moments for so long and thank you
Everyone that’s here thank you thank you so much yeah went with Alexa Gro her submission win over uh Valentina chevchenko and you know it could have been upset of the year I I I thought that the path to victory was a little bit more clear for her than it was for say Strickland
Against osna just because I respect the Striking so much her finishing ability and on the ground as she demonstrated here against chevchenko uh was right there with her of course that rematch so close um but yeah Alexa Grasso for me uh just a phenomenal fighter who capitalize
At the perfect moment you don’t have to get it around the neck to get the Finish guys you can absolutely break a jaw if you’re able to get that hold in the right spot at the right time um and uh she was able to get it done with that
Face crank man over one of the most dominant champions in UFC history so yeah that’s my submission of the year my strength and conditioning coach JC Santana is always up in arms when people refer to rear naked chokes incorrectly right it’s a face crank and obviously chevchenko face told the story with the
Discoloration and everything else and I agree with you Ken Flo in terms of it not being the upset of the year I felt like Alexa grao was live going into that fight at UFC 285 I felt like her career as I’ve said methodically built to that moment so I didn’t see that necessarily
As the upset that some others did all right we welcome back Raymond Peter Longo how you doing oh man guys it’s good to see you I feel like I don’t know I feel like I haven’t seen you in a while merry Christmas happy New Year
John you as well to you as well we have sent you a Christmas bonus it has not arrived yet but it comes with the anic family holiday card so you don’t need to keep the holiday card but maybe you cash the check but no it is interesting like
We all spend so much time together and talking off the air that when we do take one of the two or three by weeks that we take during the year we do miss each other so yeah it’s good to see your sh and and I did get a Christmas card from
Your kids of everybody was beautiful I mean it was a great card his kids are so you get a card was there no there was no check but I mean was beautiful no no I’m just saying all right so all right so you’re gonna get a second card yeah you don’t you don’t
Need Christmas Christmas baby I love the C don’t worry about it unbeknownst to me my wife must have sent you a [ __ ] Christmas card when I got home from UFC 296 I sent you one but I put a little something in there put little canidates
In there no I put a little check there but Ray so what does a guy like you do on New Year’s Eve I mean I was in bed at 9:30 p.m. Eastern but what what I was close to you but uh you know we ordered out we watched the movie uh that’s it
You know what I mean the kids were here the whole week and then they went back into the city for uh New Year so uh I actually had the flu so I missed Christmas Christmas Eve yeah I got it pretty bad the whole gym just got taken
Down as usual like once one guy gets something is but everybody’s symptoms were different this was a weird one this year uh some people had covid some had the flu uh RSV is going it’s it’s wacky out here really whack wacky I don’t know if you guys had the same problem but and
White white white been sick as a dog in South Carolina so I don’t know what happened to him but it is it is what it is but that’s what I did like I’m I’m not a New Year’s Eve guy since I’m like 28 years old that stopped I think 29 if
You’re Pro dog you’re usually anti firework so I am very much Pro dog and anti-f Firework thankfully my my puppy was able to make it through the night so a lot of things I want to get into with you today obviously you have a knockout of the year you’re G to give us
A male fighter of the year a personality of the year as we continue with our Ninth Annual Anakin flent podcast Awards but you are five months removed from this hip surgery so you got to give us an update as to how you’re feeling I tell you everything’s uh everything’s going good
Sorry I got these new buttons you know so how’s the hip tell us truth the hip the hip is good there’s a couple of positions that really don’t affect me but when I go to stretch I feel a little bit but besides that not like intercourse positions just stretching I
Understand no intercourse I don’t what is that I don’t even know what that is can you explain that to me I’m asky a friend I’ll tell you one thing with a bad hip it was about one position that was okay all right that’s good well we’re glad to hear that
So your knockout of the year we had like 28 knockouts on this initial list what was your knockout of the Year Ray for 2023 I’m gonna tell you something I you know I I you know obviously you know you get on your phone you see some things
And I think ad aagna against Pereira was uh a lot of people’s choice but I’ll tell you what I’m going different I’m for the little guy I think Josh emt’s knockout of Bryce Mitchell was just [ __ ] crazy I never seen a guy contort like that on the floor and he’s are two
These ain’t two prelim Fighters these are two guys up in the top five and uh that’s my knock out of the year I never saw anything that devastating in the long time yeah it’s hard for me Kenny to assess that fight without thinking about the totally Wayward career decision by
Bryce Mitchell with respect to accept that fight while building a pole barn and not training at all I know he’s in shape but I think that cooler head should have prevailed managerially or otherwise to say look dude like you’re on the cusp of contention here you just
Beat Dan eay I don’t know why you’re rushing into this fight even if the oddsmakers have you as the betting favorite but let us get you some sound on what was a knock out of the year for a lot of people Ray Longos 2023 knockout of the Year
Josh and you see Mitchell took [Applause] the look at he’s shaking he’s shaking Jo that’s what we were saying about Josh emit oh my God look at his feet shaking he’s shaking bad oh my goodness oh my goodness he’s in convulsions right now oh my goodness so happy with Josh emit because
Uh right after he knocked me out he could have followed up with the hammer Fist and it probably would have killed me and uh he didn’t even follow up with anything you know he he was just happy with his knockout and he walked away and I’m so gracious for that I will forever
Remember that yeah it’s it’s what we train for what we hope for that I did my job you know I I went in there and I I know I got criticized from some people uh for for celebrating and that’s what I’m supposed to do that’s why people buy
The pay-per-views that’s why people buy the tickets they they want to see that type of violence and I deliver that every single time it’s like if you’ve ever play baseball or or you golf you know when you just swing perfect it’s effortless and you just connect you know
The the golf ball or the bats going out or I mean the baseball’s going out of the park and that’s exactly what happened I hit him so hard and flush and clean I could just feel it in my hand and then I I just saw him you know kind of falling face
Down man soay yeah no go ahead I said I love the analogy I I he’s spot on with that man it’s like getting a good crack on the bads like when you hit somebody perfect I mean they’re uh it’s a it’s a pretty crazy feel so uh yeah that that’s
That and and listen emic came off I think what he have two pretty bad losses and to come back and do that again uh I’m glad Bryce Mitchell’s all right obviously he’s he’s a great sport uh but like you said when you say cooler heads
Uh you H that cooler heads could have uh interjected it just it doesn’t work like that these guys are really thickheaded they do what they want to do and I think right now I and I like Bryce he’s been at the G has nothing to do but I think
Bryce is His Own Worst Enemy at this point somebody should get in it because he is a talented kid but you’re starting to see some wackiness seep into the Octagon performance I think anyway I agree no I agree I love Bryce Mitch like a quick fire thing recently
And I think I might have even mentioned him as my favorite fighter but if you are trying to win a world championship you don’t accept a fight against the most powerful striker in the division with no training camp now Kenny we have never had a serious injury nor death in the
Octagon unless you consider leg break certainly I think it stands to reason that a lot of athletes are going to have CTE when they come out of these careers but to raise Point like this is as fearful as I’ve ever been in that seat condition as I saw Bryce Mitchell
Twitching there on the canvas and I think what’s more shocking about it is the fact that this was 145 pounder who landed that shot right this this isn’t a heavyweight knockout you know and and to have that you know of course we always kind of have these short-term memories
But I think a lot of people would would argue that that is one of the most devastating Knockouts in UFC history and to have that knockout from a featherweight amongst all the great heavyweight Knockouts um says a lot about the power of Josh Emon and to hear
You know the The Classy response post fight um you know from Bryce Mitchell says a lot says a lot about him as well he’s a true professional through and through he was very grateful and and to hear that I I think uh was very impressive and EMT as well emt’s always
A Class Act ultim yeah but after right the losses to Yer Rodriguez and ilot toodia right loses to toodia 30 to 24 to come back and close out the year go into your vacation with a knockout like that congratulations to Josh EMT Ray Longo’s selection for 2023 knockout of the Year
All right that brings us to the Stephan Bonner American Psycho fight of the year for 2023 so last December about a week before our 2022 award show we lost Stephen boner Kenny I know you competed alongside him on season one of The Ultimate Fighter you and I became exceedingly close with him
Working at ESPN on MMA live from 2008 to 2011 just a hugely sad loss for the MMA community and the Bonner family so we continue to honor him here on the show with our Stefan Bonner American Psycho fight of the year and for me in 2023
Recency bias aside a late entry at UFC 296 was just impossible to deny John Annex 2023 fight of the Year aren aldana versus Carol HOSA UFC 296 this fight is crazy F crazy might have to work for This Crowd Oh she tagged her with the right hand with the kicks another low kick
Oh oh oh my my goodness this is M oh huge shot from Al what a fight oh my goodness Jee what a fight what what a fight standing overation at T-Mobile Arena AR aldana that was one of the best fights I have ever seen in my life toet
To toe from the opening bell Carl is a dough dough fighter you you can’t get any even tougher girl let me tell you something that is about as tough as human beings get what just what an incredible performance and rainy aldana ladies and gentlemen a r aldana with a tremendous effort over the
Final 10 minutes to get the decision over a game as hell C HOSA wow I was so moved by that fight sometimes you see a fight where you know they put out every fiber of they’re being inside that octagon and that was one of those performances for both of those yeah
Nicely put by Joe Rogan and as I’ve often said on a UFC microphone their lives are forever linked there to for after a fight like that AR aldana and kados a ray 658 combined strikes attempted over those 15 minutes just absurd and I found myself sitting there thinking like man
Like you are so not tough John anic like you’re such a [ __ ] like you would have one of those could hose a leg kicks and you be in a wheelchair you know I just have so much respect for these two athletes gave him my fight of the year
Yeah look the the ability to absorb pain and keep moving forward with a poker face is not easy to do like Kenny we were watching some Tai fights the other the other day dude it’s the the amount of pain you have to endure on your shins
Your legs we’re not even getting to the head yet you know what I mean like it is crazy and just she ate those inside leg kicks after a while man they just add up and a normal person’s just going to break you know but these are highlevel
Athletes that uh that were able to move through that pain barrier and just keep trying to get what they wanted and there was there to me there was no winner or loser in that fight and that by far is nobody could argue with that at all that
That was a hell of a fight that’s one that people are going to remember and I and I don’t have a good memory so if I remember it I think it was really really good Kenny in terms of the pain barrier that Ray just referenced and a perfect
Way to put it Ray do you remember the most pain you were ever in in the Octagon during a fight I I know you were dulling out the pain most of the time but I just feel like at some point in a fight like this whether it’s a Ry
Alana trying to put pressure on a leg that has been kicked 95 times or Kad HOSA trying to sort of fight through all the damage upstairs like do you ever remember being in the on and just like being in a lot of physical pain or does
Adrenaline sort of take over uh yeah I do actually the the last fight of my career against Jose Aldo him kicking the inside of my leg um that was really honestly the first time where I’m like this hurts uh you know in a fight well in a fight you kind of the adrenaline
Kind of takes over and and you’re so focused on the task at hand you kind of don’t feel the pain until like maybe in your back when you’re backstage after the fight but that was really the first time during a fight was like well first of all being like taken back by the
Speed of him because obviously this was something I had prepared for like that inside leg kick of Alo or the kick of Aldo and to see it right in front of you was another thing and then to feel the pain the power that he uh that he dolls
Out was uh was was not fun let me interject one thing too John I tell you women I believe and we I think just even with childbirth can endure so much more pain that we can and I think that fight was an example of like child birth going bad without an
Epidural like you’re just G to they they get through it you know what I mean and uh I used to I used to teach a class of women every Monday and Saturday morning dude I would torture these women and they would just look at me like more
More you know what I mean like it was crazy so man I I don’t know I you allow transgender women in that class or no you allow men formerly men in that women’s class or no you don’t have to answer that question let me ask you this
Instead right I’m pretty uh they could be they could be TR gender people in I wouldn’t even know you wouldn’t even know all right so we all have multiple children so I feel like I can ask this of you guys and perhaps Ken flow Archer too young so
Maybe you don’t have an answer right like my son I I don’t want to call him a wimp necessarily right his pain threshold is higher than both of my daughters combined right like my dog can thrash his face and he’ll be like yeah I want more right yeah but overall like
He’s sort of soft and wimpy as a kid you know and I hope he’s not right outside right now like can you guys differentiate between your kids like oh my son is actually the toughest in terms of pain threshold of the three but he might be the softest actually when it
Comes to actually being an athlete like Ray with your two daughters like is one of them tougher than the other uh one of them is definitely mentally tougher I believe but uh physically tougher I don’t know about that my daughters were like they were about as feminine and as girly as you
Could get and I think I made a mistake with that I should have pushed them more they started out with uh you know like karate at the gym we had a kid teaching but um it just wasn’t for them so you know we we went we went the education
Route you know my wife was big into education and they both have great jobs and they’re doing well so they’re paid off but I think they could have used a little more of that uh toughening up for sure so I think I made a mistake with
That klow is one of your kids tougher than the other yeah you know I think my daughter’s pretty tough but my son kind of takes it to another level like especially if he hits his head on something he doesn’t even blink there was one time I went out to take out the
Trash and he follows me around the house you know so he was waiting by the door he thought he was going to go outside so he’s waiting by the door so I opened the door and I heard the loudest thump like I I hit his head and I oh my gosh uh
Like uh that was not good that was definitely him and I see him he’s flat on his back and he and I look I kind of like I didn’t make a sound I kind of look around the door like oh gosh and I look at him and he’s smiling he’s going
Like this like hey D good so yeah he’s he’s a tough little [ __ ] I tell you that but uh man yeah they’re just so different like my daughter’s so feminine and he’s like into trucks and dirt and grappling and he’s only two like it it doesn’t make
Sense yeah they so no I tell you I seen a kid my friend son I I don’t know if I could explain this but he’s on the outside of the ring and he’s holding the top rope he’s got he’s he’s a baby he’s holding the top rope and his feet are on
The bottom rope and he’s jumping like this and there’s no mat behind him and Kenny he jumps I don’t know if I can explain this he goes up inverts head down onto the floor I’m having a heart attack and the kid got up like nothing
Happen and then they they did take up to how he had a separated shoulder like he was he was hurt didn’t make a peep didn’t make a peep so I I don’t even know if they you know I don’t I don’t know man they they could they the young
Kids can endure some pain man but I used to have a friend that you know when we were younger he some we say we run you know we do something but he gets hurt and then we we’re running and he falls he scrapes his knee whatever we get back
Up we’re running the kid was all right as soon as I would say to him are you okay if I didn’t say it he we just keep running like it would I’m tell you this was multiple times like you couldn’t ask him how he was because that’s what would
Set him off yeah you know so I don’t know that’s actually something I’ve tried hard to not say to my kids all the time it’s such a verbal crutch right are you okay if you act like nothing’s going on with Kenny they’re gonna they’re going to deal with it they they’re going
Off of sometimes they’re going off of your energy it crazy though for anyone who is procreated right that you could have like two daughters born 19 months apart you know one of them wants to run with you and go on the SAA Works super hard the other one leads the league in
Excuses it’s crazy all right just a few more Awards to go fight of the year for Ken he went with an unbelievably compelling co-main event it took place in London at UFC 286 and it more than lived up to the appreciable hype going in Kenny Florian’s 2023 fight of the
Year Justin gatei versus versus Raphael physie gaii is in black phive is in white here we go how did gaii take that and another well cuz that’s what he does that was nasty he has got one of the best chins in the UFC not seen many jobs from either men
Does not like that kick boy look at him he’s barely putting weight down on that right that left leg now yeah a lot of different welts starting to emerge operating Southpaw here down the stretch around two that fzy body kick is nasty but he just
Took a big left hand for and that opened up a new cut on the right eyebrow of rafhael pH good body shot by G lands up top and the power in that shot I mean you could hear that echoed around the arena [Applause] theii phiv somehow continues to press
Forward under 30 seconds now to go oh my goodness what a fight Ki doing out the damage l i mean this is I mean you hear the chaps of K and the play take down for the allamerican for good measure a live Underdog to be sure Justin gatei coming
Up large late against rafhael phiz wow what a fight bang just nasty punch by Justin gagei these guys are warriors they don’t care about the way they look they just want to fight what a fantastic performance by both of these men all your pun [ __ ] I’m taking one more one more run
At the title but I ain’t going to be around much longer so I’m so glad you guys got to enjoy this with me thank you guys man yeah you know for me this was one of those ones unlike Alana and Rosa where you thought it was going to be or
It had the potential to be fighter of the year uh aldana and Rosa came out of nowhere to be a fight of the year but this one I think a lot of people said hey if both these guys show up this could absolutely be one of the best
Fights of the year um this in particular was kind of special to me because I had picked gatei and also I was racing literally racing from the airport I had many delayed fights out of Florida to make it back home I I got there just in
Time to watch this fight and man did it deliver it was just insane Max Energy Max technique Max Power Max Intrigue Max drama Max importance this was such a cool fight and I truly believe coming off of that loss against Charles Oliva which was an absolute disaster for gaii
This was so pivotal pivotal uh in his career um and I think it’s what led him to get that win against porier he was able to build off of this disciplined win and allow him to beat someone like porier so man uh this was a tremendous knockout uh you know not knockout but
Fight uh of the Year for me that was back and forth it was close but I did did have gatei edging him out he got the win and uh yeah man what a fight yeah Ray I agree with what Kenny said the challenge in preparing for somebody as technically proficient and
Fast as rapael FIV is such that you get through that challenge and I think it just really booed him going into the Dustin porier fight that happened three months later but uh I feel like we almost need to do these award shows like twice a year because that one held up
For kful all the way back in March Rafael phive Justin gate I barely can remember what happened you know yeah that that’s great I I agree with I think we should do once every three months to be honest six six months is pushing it for me but yeah look the gatei is a
Gunslinger man I mean that that’s a kid you could tell the guys that love to fight you know you know what I mean and when you love to fight like that they could get past a a a loss you know what I mean like uh like you said with old
Because they love to fight and you know technically could have zigged when he should have zagged and you know that’s what happens and but to come back like that he made ad adjustments in that fight too which I think is more important that you know it looked like
At one point it was going for Z’s way and then he came out of nowhere and just not out of nowhere but you know he just did what he had to do so he’s Gate’s just like again he’s he’s a gunslinger man you know you don’t want to you don’t
Want to be pacing with hit that guy for sure one of the fighters of the year right often times those go to the Champions but look at 2023 for Justin gatei beats Rafael FIV and Dustin porier both with style points congratulations to those guys phib and gatei getting Ken
Flo’s fight of the year for 2023 all right three Awards to go you will also get a male fighter of the year and a personality of the Year from Ray Longo before we let him go but let us get to female fighter of the year
And I’ll be quick on this as much as I would have liked to acknowledge my dear friend Amanda Nunes who came over and kissed me on the forehead after her finalight 2023 was the year of Alexa grao she is my female year not just the way she beat Valentina shevchenko the
First time around but the way she handled the ensuing rematch which obviously was a closer fight that ended without a finish Alexa grao is my female fighter of the year for 2023 and just to see the grace with which she has accepted all of these Awards absolutely
Love her couldn’t be happier for her and her success all right Ken Flo went to the pfl rank for his female fighter of the year for 2023 Kenny Florian 2023 female fighter of the Year Lissa Pacho PCO is hammering away at ever light rock unrelenting pressure
From the fist of Lisa Peko yeah this is f Lisa Peko the referee is seated up Lisa peso with a quick six that’s why she’s one of the best fighters in the world right hand there from peso and another lands and another big right hando less than a minute she called it
Lisa pko to the championship just so much power so much speed I’m going to leave you to go and enjoy this Victory and enjoy that second belt that you added to your collection ladies and gentlemen Lissa [Applause] pko shout out to our audio engineer Will berer plucking that sound for us on ESPN
Plus Lisa Paso is that how we’re pronouncing a Kemp flow either way what a career and what a year for uh for the pfl champ you nailed you nail the pronunciation per usual my man um yeah listen last year he was the she was the 155 pound champion this year and and and
Just to give you a background she had trouble making 155 pounds you know she really had built up her body uh for that weight class and then making 145 was kind of a big question mark now she was able to do that in April um got the win
Didn’t look so hot uh in that fight you know you could see energy wise she was a little bit down on that even though she she had a tough opponent still like a champion got it done and then just looked better and better as the year
Went on and guys as a reminder this is four fights this is four fights between April and November you know Israel sign was talking about how he was kind of um you know just overwhelmed you know with with all the fights and the preparation she had eight fights in two years eight
Fights in two years just insane to be able to do that and and to do that in two separate weight classes um you know to watch her Land one of those devastating shots live in person is is something special she just has uh ungodly power and uh she was able to get
It done and real sweet human being as well I really do believe Ray if there is any fighter that is going to get Amanda Nunes out of retirement this is the only one that has a shot right if she can continue this dominance in a couple of
Divisions for another two years or so I don’t know I think that might PE Amanda nunes’s interest more than fighting her former teammate Kayla Harrison or something like that I don’t know yeah maybe I just think she’s embracing the family thing I don’t I don’t I don’t
Think we’re gonna see her again but yeah well I certain think there’s better chance we see Amanda Nunes again than khabib Nago meta but you never know all right So Adam snack Geller was one of my best friends longtime member of the UFC crew he passed away in 2017 after a
Two-year battle with col cancer battle that I didn’t even know he was fighting and Kenny obviously you and snack were very close as well and this one still hits supremely hard five years later in large part because when my boss Zach candido texted me that he had passed I
Didn’t even know he was sick and this was a guy who was at my wedding and one of my dearest friends so it’s our Adam SX Geller male fighter of the year a lot of different directions you could go in 2023 let us lead with Ken Flo’s selection Kenny Florian 2023 Adam snack
Geller male fighter of the Year Islam makev a super fight for the ages the number one versus number two pound-for-pound fighters in the world this is one of those sporting events that you will likely remember acutely where you were exactly when it went down still the Undisputed UFC lightweight champion of the world
Islam mahash is Charles Olivera out of his fight with Islam and is Alex volovski in yes all of that is true well I suppose if any fighter could weaponize pace and cardio without a training camp it would be volkanovski but that does figure to be a tough proposition oh kick
From huge moment in one one that’ll do it and still and with style points Islam maash is the man thank you to this guy he’s a real Champion I told you you have to turn on the light to the beat this guy he going to fight all five round he never give up
He is a real champion thank you Alex you are starting to put together an unbelievable resume as a great Champion Islam would you like to see Justin gaii next would you like to see Charles Olivera who would you like to fight the next time you step in the Octagon I
Never choose Dana you have some job give me someone ladies and gentlemen give it up for the champ Islam mahash klow Islam aash your 2023 Adam snack Geller male fighter of the year and as the professional athlete on this program Kenny does get to make these picks first this probably would have
Been consensus that we both landed on Islam mhev as the fighter of the year before we get to raay pit Kenny why was Islam the man for you well for me you know if we go back to their first fight in 2023 against volkanovski um you know that was the
Fight in many people’s minds between who was going to be the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet and Islam was able to win that fight it was certainly close I think Bowski won a lot of fans with that perform performance though because he was the smaller man he was able to
Survive some very difficult spots um however you know I I think in that rematch despite banovski taking it on short notice Islam left no doubt in that rematch that’s what Champions do they come back they adjust a a and they make the performance even better and you know
Winning in that dominant fashion that early against a true champion one of the most technical one of the smartest fighters in the world in banovski was a big statement man that was a major statement and he solidified himself as the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet two wins over volkanovski yeah
That’s good enough for me as fighter of the Year all right congratulations to Islam makev Ray Longo Charlie Campbell your fighter of the year what who’ you have for us in 2023 first of all I love Islam he’s a great Fighter the fact that you know you were basing this on the 45
Pound champ it just takes away a little something for me you know what I mean like and the kid comes in Vulcan nowski takes that fight last minute obviously it’s a disaster so I I don’t know I mean I but there’s absolutely no question about the guy’s a excellent you know
He’s fantastic he’s a no but I think that’s a fair point by you to bring into the conversation because a lot of people Paul Felder among them are up in arms at the notion that Islam aasha might cut the welterweight line and cut balal Muhammad and fight Leon Edwards for the
Title like with respect to Islam I know he’s already beat Charles but I think most of us would at least like to to see him defend the belt against a true 55 before being afforded the opportunity I think that’s pretty fair I don’t know I think that’s a fair criticism uh you
Know my guy is I’m going with Strickland man I I think the way he he was able to shut down a guy that nobody’s ever done that to Israel ad aagna and uh I I just think that was the upset of the year that was I I got to give him the fighter
Of the year I think you you knock off a couple of categories uh with that because it’s just the weight he did it it was a dominant performance against a guy that even though he lost that Pereira that time he was winning that fight so he was even winning against a
Monster like that and for Strickland to go in there and shut him down like that hats off to him man he’s he’s he’s my guy looks like you know you know he’s that blue collar grinding guy you got to be happy for him uh his backstory is
Insane he’s been able to overcome so many hurdles in his life I think he speaks well uh I think this kid came at not that he came out of nowhere but when he got his chance man he sees that opportunity and that’s what I like all
Right Ray long Go’s 2023 male fighter of the year is Sean Strickland and I likely would have gone in that direction but when Kenny submitted his award selections to me three of the 10 Awards he had given to [ __ ] Sean strickman so I went with another UFC champion who had a massive
2023 John Annex 2023 Adam snack Geller male fighter of the Year Leon Edwards right now this goes out to well who wants it more who’s willing to press forward they’re both tired the ls are burning there’s the uppercut again now on Edwards Usman attacks to the body elbow over the top
From Edwards happy low kick by Leon what a fantastic fight Leon Edwards did a ton of great work with the body kicks he landed a nasty knee early in the fight that rockar Usman and still head shot left head shot head [Applause] shot we always say there’s nothing like
A UFC title fight especially when there’s a little heat and friction upon it it’s about as much heat or friction as I could ever imagine I’m with you but that answers the question we wondered if Leon would be emotional look at him right now he looks the same very measur
He’s putting the pressure on him but he’s being very technical he’s not doing anything rash not taking any unnecessary chances and still the Undisputed UFC wter w champion of the world Leon [Applause] lucky audio courtesy of UFC Fight Pass and with respect to kamat Chimay and his
Rise in two divisions Kamar Usman and Kobe Covington have been ubiquitously regarded as the best two welterweights in the world for the better part of five years and within a calendar year Leon Edwards is able to beat both of them and Outlast both of them over 25 minutes and
I just felt like the way he dealt with the emotions of everything that Kobe Covington said and was able to channel it in the right way into that performance the training camps that he put in in 2023 in advance of the Usman rematch and in advance of this Covington
Fight that was another tough stylistic challenge it’s a hard category but Leon Edwards my 2023 UFC male fighter of the Year all right we have one more category to go Raymond last but certainly not least personality of the year and by the way we appreciate all of you out there
At anic Florian pot who sent in votes for Laura Seno Nina drama but this award is reserved for a UFC fighter so with that I present to you my UFC personality of the year for 2023 John Annex 2023 personality of the Year Kevin Holland I’m here with the man Kevin Holland
Kevin a sensational performance tonight you beat him at his own game you beat him standing up you you were on fire tonight yeah uh I got a full-blown wrestling coach now I’ve always had a great Corner I’ve always had a great crew I just had to be a little bit more
Patient in here I’m 30 years old now guys I’m grown I’m mature I miss kids being born I go through all kind of be here for you guys and I absolutely love it yeah I’m going to be real with you guys that KNE didn’t land when Mike
Doesn’t when Mike feels like he’s in danger he does bad things and uh I was able to take advantage of that had Neil magmi been a better fighter when they fought smarter he would have took advantage of it too so bro you are [ __ ] with the pros right now do not
Be nervous it was actually the other day at practice he had my foot in the air and I was just going like this with my hand like get the [ __ ] back get the [ __ ] back get the [ __ ] back get the [ __ ] back get the [ __ ] back and I mean in the
Fight get the [ __ ] back actually works look guys if you’re on the fight card and they say be down here at 2 o’cl be down here at 2 o’clock we’re going to start docking your pace okay that’s what’s going to start happening here we’re going to start docking your pays
Cuz you’re not down here on time if I’m down here on time you need to be down here on time so we’re going to take about 3,000 out of every person’s Venom check so that means some of you guys are going to be in the negative 500 on your
Actual check I need you to get your [ __ ] together two days ago stri beat out of you what’s your take on that and and is that a big surprise no no surprise one person’s elevating one person’s kind of staying the same you know it’s like uh it happens you know and sometimes people
Accomplish goals and they they tend to you know stagnate a little bit and then you have other people over there trying to accomplish goals and they continue to grow you know Strickland was trying to grow and then show dream blunt rotation me uh Willie Nelson Snoop Dog uh Bob
Marley uh old boy from Sublime and then Uncle Pat and to be honest with you we’re not rotating I got my own blood they got their own is getting hot in here so hot take off all your clothes I am I want to [ __ ] my black back to 85 I
Like the East stakes and have make weight congratulations sir can’t wait to see you again Kevin Holland ladies and gentlemen Kevin Trailblazer Holland my 2023 UFC personality of the Year actually the best cannabis I’ve ever gotten in my life came from Kevin Holland if you care about that no CH UFC
In September I feel like Kevin Holland sold more tickets than any Mexican on that fight card the loudest Elations all week were reserved for Kevin Holland even though that fight against Jack Dela Melena did not go his way this was a year where I think Kevin Holland sort of
Crossed that threshold into potential Superstar territory and even just the way he handled everything in Salt Lake City right didn’t want anyone to know that he had just had another baby and then he goes out and submits Michael Kessa treats our staff like gold you heard him just talk about other Fighters
Being late I just have a lot of respect for this man the way he has handled the microphone the Octagon he’s competing at 170 pounds at the UFC’s request even though he would like to probably be competing at 85 Kevin Holland’s my personality of the year and uh I just
Always like the energy the infectious smile I just like being around this dude and uh rest assured Ray if I had a dream blunt rotation Kevin Holland my immediate left he’s in my blunt rotation and uh Kevin Holland Raymond is my 2023 personality of the year he lights up the room yeah I
Mean you sold me but I have to go with again I’m going to go with Strickland you know listen if this guy’s not a personality you know what’s even crazy I find myself agreeing with him like 95% of the stuff he puts I think he he he
Delivers a message in layman’s terms you know what I mean he’s not one of those uh you know intellectual guys where you can’t understand what he’s saying I think he speaks from the heart I think he like again his back story he has experience I think he I I think he’s a
Guy that you know it comes across as as wacky as can be but uh he’s gonna give you good advice at the end of the day or honest advice what he honestly believes like even when he goes into you want to be a UFC fighter he’s dead on man he’s
He’s really dead on and you know he’s look I like those guys that are a little rough around the edges right so I think he’s he’s good I think he’s got a I think he’s got a positive message and uh that’s my personality yeah I don’t think
They get funnier than him or you know entertaining than him and uh he had a great 23 and I know you know you mentioned Kenny had him in a couple of things but I think when you have a good year like that you’re all going to cover
Multiple categories and uh he’s by far my he’s by far my personality yeah no it’s a great selection comedic value is very high and it’s nice too Ray to not have to like sift through the misinformation right when a lot of these guys talk you don’t know if it’s
Actually how they truly feel so it is nice with Sean Even in our fighter meetings that are a little bit more technical than the average Strickland conversation it’s like the guy and and I always tell my daughters the truth will set you free right but it’s like the guy
Doesn’t have any lying meter at all so you ask him a question and he just gives you the truthful answer right out of the shoot so right which I which I literally I really appreciate and like like again like it’s better than you know you know even dealing in like Corporate America
You know you got ni backstabbing you [ __ ] you this these some of these guys are just refreshing because like you say they don’t know how to lie you know that’s that’s the best part I don’t think like he’s not the guy you go on
Set with and say look I want I know what you think but can you say this no not happening you know’s he’s not gonna you know bow down to that so I think he stands for something and I think uh he’s got his platform and I think he’s using
It in in in a great way I think so too all right Raymond we’re going to let you go to take care of your dog but I just wanted to say this show would be nothing without your contributions and I say that with complete seriousness um we thank you eternally for everything you
Have brought to this show over the last nine years I promise you the checks in the mail we hope it’s a great 2024 for you and uh we’re back to a little normaly next Monday with a more traditional Anakin floran podcast but thanks for indulging us today momy momy
Listen I appreciate you guys I really consider you good friends I love doing the show obviously how many years do we do it you know for for nothing and it it doesn’t who cares you know what I mean it’s just great time getting like-minded people you know I like watching you guys
I it just sounds weird but even grow up with your families you know because I’ve already been there so it’s all good man it’s just I I feel positive I feel better when I leave this podcast and I owe it to you guys love you guys you’re
The man right let’s kill it in 2024 thank you buddy it is funny when we started the show my daughters were like two and three years old crazy now they’re uh thinking about guys yeah how bad how bad is the dog John you could hear that your dog or my dog no my
Dog oh it’s bad Cody yeah that’s right no we’re all good we’re all good hey have a great day and a better evening and talk to you next M love you guys thank you there he is Ray Longo minutes every week here on the Anakin floran podcast and
His dog Lucky in the background if you like that too uh there’s that as well so Kenny a lot of big personalities across the UFC roster uh but one man stood out to our former three-time UFC title Challenger Kenny floran as the top personality of the Year Kenny Florian’s 2023 personality of the
Year who else but Sean Strickland David Goggins I I heard you’re in Vegas I want to spoil you for 15 minutes you’re a tough [ __ ] BR I want to see if I can physically and mentally break you with far should come do for so I’m a
Homie right and I sent you Gary a message and I’m like BR hey here’s the thing man Dix me4 chicks dude I know you’re going through some [ __ ] right now I know that you got prayed upon I know all this [ __ ] bro and I’m here for you
Just give me a call if you need me and this [ __ ] he says I’m going to sue you if you don’t [ __ ] delete that you’re going to sue me [ __ ] I always call is the Chinese Champion but Izzy is not the Chinese Champion Izzy is
The Moder day man Izzy is a Chinese [ __ ] he sold himself for a dollar and you guys we’re going to bring that belt back to America let’s [ __ ] go it wasn’t UFC I’d probably be cooking meth in a trailer in prison so I couldn’t say [ __ ] cuz Dana White would
Be like hey go [ __ ] that white trash [ __ ] get him out of here but now since I’m getting a little bit more like you know fan based people watching fight I could say a lot more offensive [ __ ] so it’s nice now I’m just could be the white trash [ __ ] that I am my
Mom group in a [ __ ] box car in Death Valley bro like like how do you you know how do you fix that generation of [ __ ] you know like the neighborhood there’s always that one white trash [ __ ] house everybody avoids like there’s always cop cars in the front windows
[ __ ] broken like that was us but I wasn’t necessarily poor no man I want to [ __ ] you know try to kill a man and get paid you were training with him so does that make you his oh this [ __ ] I I’ve never smacked a woman but you’re about to call me would
You like to learn some Chinese meow was that wait what am I saying what am I saying hello meow I think fat shaming is always okay Andrew Tate is a con artist brand new Champion putting his belt on the floor it really doesn’t matter too it means absolutely nothing
I’ll I’ll win I’ll lose you win you’ll lose man as long as you guys are happy in your own life and you realize that in in 5 years you when I’m an old man 10 years 15 years I’m an old man this means absolutely nothing but I think also too
That’s why people like me because most people up mhm they see me and they’re like oh yeah man like I thanks to Nina drama Helen ye ESPN Plus for the audio there can flow Sean Strickland your personality of the year for 2023 I just find myself gravitating to any piece of Strickland content
That’s out there I understand why he was uh a breakout personality for you here in 23 yeah no question about it listen you know he’s always been outspoken in his interviews he’s been a bit of a lightning rod over the years um but I I think it’s his authenticity that has
Brought in a lot of fans to watch him fight whether you hate him or not a lot of people want to see Strickland fight um and it’s not just because of the way that he fights he certainly has an entertaining style likes to get in your
Face um but a lot of things just went right for him in 2023 and um you know it doesn’t mean you’re going to agree with everything he says but to have that level of Fu in your interviews and to say what you truly mean in a time where
Everyone is Faking it to make it and everyone is afraid uh to get cancelled everyone’s afraid to say certain things and we’ve been able to censor um with with the threat of fear and cancelling that does not affect someone like Sean Strickland and because of that um he he
Could have won it just that alone but he is entertaining he’s funny um and that that’s why uh for me you know not only him being undefeated um and winning some other Awards but he is you know one of the guys who a lot of people want to
Hear from and he he’s just very real man he’s very very real similar to you know Nate Diaz and all those guys like he’s as real as a gets and um yeah he’s he was an easy pick for me he’s just relatable right I understand that Israel
Osna is not the favorite son in Sydney Australia especially given what he did to Robert Whitaker in Melbourne in 2019 so I did expect Strickland to have some of the crowd but certainly didn’t expect him to have the crowd largely in totality against Israel ananna congrats to Shan Strickland taking three of Ken
Flow’s 10 Awards here in 2023 congrats to all the winners some thank yous to go out our DraftKings family our executive producer Cody Meo our audio engineer will Berger this episode is one of the more intensive ones we do all year thanks to those two individuals for making it seamless
Thanks to Ray Longo for his contribution even given the technical issues in the dog we still thank Ray Longo Jason anak for all of his help on the business side for anak and FL and LLC in 2023 and Beyond and of course big Ron pelo for just continuing to support this show
From afar we appreciate big Ron as always all right that is going to do it for us this week we are back next Monday we will preview the first UFC live event of 2024 coming up January 13th from the UFC Apex with that for kful I’m John an
Thank you all for watching for listening tell your friends John an.com for all of our merchandise we’ll talk to you next Monday until then yo [ __ ] now every time I start a verse I break at least three Commandments kind of like Pluto because I never plan it I’m at landish in the way that make a patches look like they own ranches it’s the UT War your blood’s the only color
On the canvas and I don’t mean it like a thug into how you can get God [ __ ] being Gangsta I’m hip hop you got it every time you walk in the label the a I like not it immune to your [ __ ] cuz I cirle cirle do dotted body heat is a toxically
Got it beat I don’t got it copy start to think psychic make the speaker speak lead to sleep off the high hor make a ass they use your DJ must not know the alphabet for getting this C my favorite DJ got those in six extra L to abuse
Esoteric John P and I’m the Nu school I’m ra Ellis me short bust of my Styles egocentric ego tripping with fre fly smes DJ want got the bird he gets us the bird and bird thanks the sh got on
33 Comments
Met Kevin Holland in person, he’s okay.
Love you guys!
Honorable mention knockout of the year:
Tom Aspinal. Went for the title on 2 weeks notice with basically no training camp because of a back injury. Against the scariest dude of the division, who finished his last 1000 opponents.
Great show great year. How many takes on the category intros Cody? Good voice overs.
Anthony Pettis has quit from pain in more fights then the whole women’s ufc roster
Low key fizeiv coulda won 2-1
Leon did just beat usman twice and Colby so I guess it could be him
I think Shavkat had the sub of the year
Conor is done with title fights everyone so fixated with Conor fighting for a title. People are quick to forget the fact that Conor lost to Dustin twice once by knockout and the other by terrible broken leg. If Conor gets leg kicked one time it’s gonna compromise his movement and he will get kod again. Ufc needs to push the new stars now we need new blood at the top of the Peking order. Once jones and Conor retires then what?
Ray's dog the MVP of the show lol
This episode is torture to watch. I think they should have been able to show the highlights for each category. Maybe next year
UFC gonna make a new division at 165 lbs and the belt will be on the line for Connor Vs Chandler
Jon love you, but absolutely embarrassing to describe Rumble as a gentle giant. The man had multiple DV cases and was notorious for putting his hands on women
The award show was legit well well put together then most other MMA award show/podcasts! Started listening to the pod in 2023 and now on to 2024 lets goooo 🤙🥋
STOP TALKING ABOUT CONOR.
NOONE CARES ABIUT THAT LOSER
The audio clips suck to have to listen to.
Why u don't how the videos.i can't see who your talking about ?
Great show boys
So nice to have awards in honour of some of those who have passed but were very important in the MMA world. Great show! 😊 Happy New Year!
I agree with Jon with the Rookie of the Year!! Diego
Jason can definitely pull off corn rolls
Miss you AJ
Can someone shut these god damn dogs up !!!
Ray Longo
We’re back!!! Let’s go!! Anik twins are in my dream blunt rotation.
Both you, JA, and Kevin Holland would be in my blunt rotation🐐
To Kenny’s point about the UFC needing to “take it slow” with their prospects. The UFC has the best talent of any of the promotions. Why is he in the UFC if he is not ready to fight UFC fighters.
Jon I've to ask and not sure if you would be able to reply. But here it goes.
I just listened to an interview that you had with MMA junkie. They asked what's the biggest change you see coming in the next 10 years to the ufc.
Your reply was nothing much will change. And I say you could not be more wrong.
With this two part lawsuit and part one going to trial in April. Second part in 5 years. I see huge changes coming to the sport we all love.
Part one will be decided over 4 billion dollars. Part two of this lawsuit will decide if the ufx can hold a contract for longer than 2 years. Including champions. Championship clauses will be no more.
1:19:20 what an insane question by Jon Anik 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Love the dog.wonder who's it is…lol
Dog of the year!
Oh,,rays dog….lol. Get it lucky!
👏🏻 another hit show
I'm assuming that is Ray's dog in the background.. will there be a Ray Longo Minute T-Shirt with the dog's face on it?