Chris Leben Interview (2:20)
Kicking off this edition of TTP is our interview with former UFC middleweight turned referee and judge, Chris Leben. Leben discusses his decision to start refereeing and judging after closing the book on his fighting career. He talks about the early days of travelling around to do it for the love of the sport and also what it’s like for him now. He also gets into the details about judge collaboration and discussion of scoring. It’s a great insight into a sometimes murky topic for people heading into UFC 294.
Fights, Dogs, and Parlays: UFC 294 (18:51)
After an exciting UFC Vegas 81, we roll into one of the biggest pay-per-views of the year. UFC 294 was a stacked card to begin with, but has undergone some 12th hour changes. However, the card came out on the other side even more stacked than before. Instead of the second edition of Makhachev vs Oliveira, we’re now getting featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski’s second go at the 155lbs belt. Kamaru Usman also makes his middleweight debut in place of Paulo Costa as he looks to take some of the shine off Khamzat Chimaev. We’ll break down some of these bangers and give you an underdog and a parlay to make your wallet fat this weekend. For this segment, all odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.
Muhammad Naimov Interview (34:54)
Closing out this edition of TTP is our interview with UFC featherweight, Muhammad Naimov. He discusses how excited he is to fight on a card in Abu Dhabi with so many other fighters from the Middle East. In addition, he’ll share a card with one of his Tajikistani countrymen for the second time. Plus, he talks about the origin of his nickname “Hillman” and gives us a breakdown of his fight at UFC 294. He’ll face Nathaniel Wood as part of the ESPN+ prelims.
