The Co-main Event Podcast

So this week the Co-Main Event Podcast put five rounds in the books in just shy of one hour, four minutes. Kind of makes you wonder why Ben and Chad can’t typically complete three rounds in under 1:15, huh? In any case, episode 24 sees your dudes take on the big issues, like whether or not there will be an actual “series” in the World Series of Fighting, the measure of Gina Carano’s true fighting spirit and if it’s possible to mobilize the CME voting bloc in order to win Ben the coveted “Best MMA Journalist” prize at this year’s World MMA Awards. Plus, Chad details the plot of a speculative novel he’d like to write about Tank Abbott while Ben opens up about his wish to chronicle the life of Wanderlei Silva. Did we mention the championship rounds? Oh yeah, this one is going five, brother. You know, just so there is no confusion in the future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Two things were conclusively proven while recording this week’s Co-Main Event Podcast. One, Chad can’t remember past episodes of the CME for shit. Two, don’t even try to talk to Ben about PEDs if you want to get the show done in an hour. Aside from revealing those little peccadilloes, during episode 23 the guys talk about Jon Jones entering into yet another “fun fight” against Chael Sonnen, break down a fairly drug-centric week of MMA news and wonder aloud how the sport will remember Matt Hughes now that he’s all but announced his retirement. All that, plus MasterTweet Theatre, AYFKM and Just Sayin’ Stuff. Oh, and be sure you listen to the full hour and 10 minutes, since Ben gets worried at one point that you’ll get confused and shut off the podcast when it’s only the end of round two. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Big news, people: This was probably the best single week for listener mail in Co-Main Event Podcast history, so Ben and Chad respond with a slightly expanded LM segment and by sprinkling some of your comments throughout the rest of the show. Somehow, you guys are forcing them to take your input seriously. The nerve of you people. In more traditional podcast news, your dudes also discuss Anderson Silva making mock of Stephan Bonnar in the UFC 153 main event, the chance (or lack thereof) we ever see Silva mix it up with Jon Jones and how the hell anyone can ever trust Strikeforce again. Oh, and the expression “guaranteed puss” gets used at some point. So that’s another first. All that, plus AYFKM and Just Sayin’ Stuff. We’re just sayin, you’ll be sorry if you miss it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Well, Ben and Chad were on pace to wrap up episode 21 of the Co-Main Event Podcast in near record time this week. Then, they started talking about Ben’s trip to Kansas City to take in the third installment of Invicta Fighting Championships and suddenly, 17-minutes later, it was time to start Just Sayin’ Stuff. Those, as they say, are the breaks. While Fowlkes was in KC, Dundas was in Minneapolis for UFC on FX 5 and you’ll find a full report from each locale in this episode. The guys talk about Jeremy Stephens and Dennis Hallman each getting bounced from their scheduled fights at the 11th hour and try to glean some meaning from Bigfoot Silva’s upset win over Travis Browne. Plus, MasterTweet Theatre, tips for a well-rounded fight fan and (again) Just Sayin’ Stuff. Oh, you’ll also find out the resolution to last week’s cliffhanger of whether Chad tuned in to Invicta. (Hint: He totally did.)   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Co-Main Event Podcast reaches another milestone this week, as episode No. 20 drops like Bob Sapp after a CroCop left hand. By which we mean, it gets hit, takes a second to think things over and then curls up on the mat in tears. With one heavyweight main event in the books (Stefan Struve vs. Stipe Miocic) and one on deck for this weekend (Travis Browne vs. Bigfoot Silva) Ben and Chad take a gander at the state of the 265-pound division at large, discuss the prospects of last Saturday’s big winners and attempt to parse out the future of the UFC’s international expansion plans. Not to mention, a good deal of talk about both Gunnars Nelson as well as the first ever cliffhanger ending in the history of the CME. All that, plus a supersized installment of listener mail, AYFKM and Just Sayin’ Stuff. Here comes the boom, you guys.     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Well, if this isn’t the longest CME Podcast yet, it’s got to be damned close. Ben and Chad kill 72-plus minutes discussing this week’s plethora of MMA-related news. Among the personalities your dudes put under their co-microscope this time around are Jon Jones, Vitor Belfort, Michael Bisping, Demetrious Johnson, those weirdoes who booed the flyweight title fight, Showtime executives, Kevin James, Josh Koscheck and “Ghetto Man” Joe Charles. In response to pitched public outcry – mostly, we assume, from members of the Longstock family -- Sir Nigel returns to MC the most competitive round of MasterTweet Theatre ever. Plus, listener mail, AYFKM and Just Sayin’ Stuff. So, you know, can see how things got out of hand.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

So here it is in all its glory. Episode 18 of the Co-Main Event Podcast may hit the airwaves 24 hours (or so) later than usual because Ben had to go party in California all weekend, but here it is nonetheless. On this week’s installment, your co-hosts puzzle over Anderson Silva’s UFC 153 main event fight against Stephan Bonnar, break down the a couple of the forgotten fights coming our way this weekend at UFC 152 and discuss the politics behind the UFC buying Jon Jones a Bentley. Among other things, Ben and Chad talk about what it means to be a dairy commodities trader and how only 947,000 people could tune in to a show – any show, really – that at least in theory airs on nationwide TV. All that plus Just Sayin’ Stuff and AYFKM. Hey, better late than never, right?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ben and Chad feel pretty confident that the Co-Main Event is the first podcast in history to name check Scott Coker, Paul McCartney and Marcus Aurelius in a single episode. Not to brag, but that gives you at least some idea as to the breadth of topics taken on during week 17. Thanks in large part to Chad’s daughter making a very timely first appearance on planet earth last week, the dudes were able to crank this episode out as scheduled and the results are scintillating. Amid a discussion of whether Brock Lesnar belongs in the UFC (or any) hall of fame, if a win for Vitor Belfort would be the best thing to happen to UFC 152 and if anything can save “The Ultimate Fighter” at this point, everybody learned some valuable lessons. Well, except Sir Nigel Longstock, but theatricalists are known for their mulishness.  Listen to it. You might enjoy it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Co-Main Event Podcast had to strike while the iron was hot this week, and by that terrible cliché we mean “hot” as in before Chad’s wife up and started giving birth. As a result, episode 16 comes to you a day early, bringing with it an hour and 10 minutes of talk about the odds and ends of MMA news that broke during a week that should’ve culminated in UFC 151. In that event's stead, Ben and Chad break down the “controversy” surrounding Tim Sylvia and Andrei Arlovski fighting to a no contest at OneFC, Georges St. Pierre announcing his comeback from a knee injury and Frankie Edgar finally decamping for the featherweight division. Along the way, your dudes discuss their ideal MMA broadcast teams, hem and haw about the legacy of Chuck Liddell and try to remember Lorenz Larkin’s name. It comes to them. Eventually. If you stick around long enough you might even get to hear about where everybody lost his virginity. God, we wish we were kidding about that last part. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megap

We know what you’re thinking: If only you could find a couple dudes willing to spend another hour of everyone’s lives talking about a UFC 151 card that will never happen, right? Good news, wishful thinker, this week the Co-Main Event Podcast devotes damn near an entire episode to – English nerd buzzword alert! – deconstructing this very topic. Along the way Ben and Chad analyze Jon Jones’ inexplicable decision to refuse a short notice bout with Chael P. Sonnen, expound on why Bones still isn’t to blame for the cancelation of the entire fight card and wonder aloud how/why in the wake of this madness matchmakers could just keep hitting the middleweight piñata until Vitor Belfort dropped out like so much candy. Plus, the return of Sir Nigel Longstock and Master Tweet Theatre as well as Just Sayin’ Stuff. Not going to lie, episode 15 is a blockbuster.    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a week of buildup and anticipation the CME presents its first ever listener controlled episode. You asked the questions, so Ben and Chad endeavor to answer them. Well, some of them. As many of them as possible. Turns out, the tagline “All Questions Answered” doesn’t really fit after all, since the dudes received way, way too many questions this week to give voice to all of them. A better moniker would have been “Some Questions Answered” or more specifically “Approximately 40 Percent of Questions Answered.” Anyhoo, it’s the podcast’s fastest-paced and most lively episode yet as the guys jump from topic to topic like Ric Flair when he’s had one too many vodka cranberry at the Holiday Inn bar after the show. Next week, the CME returns to normal to preview UFC 151. This week, we put ourselves in your hands, dear listener ... and this is what happened. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 13 of the Co-Main Event Podcast starts like a house of fire and slowly devolves into finger-pointing, as Chad calls Ben on his latent sexism and Ben responds by accusing Chad of subtle xenophobia. In the baseless and childish nature of both, these claims do not necessarily differentiate this rendition of the CME from any other, except that it could be more fun. In addition to the mudslinging, Ben discusses his decision this week to leave one job for another and the guys recap UFC 150 while looking forward to the coming weekend’s Strikeforce show. Amid all the confusion, they also found time to make another exciting announcement about a groundbreaking innovation for next week’s show. Seriously, listen to it; you’ll be glad you did. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Important things to know about this week’s CME Podcast: First, Chad busts out his Don Frye impression. Second, Ben wonders what it would take to get Lyoto Machida and Shogun Rua to show up to a bench press competition at the Missoula YMCA. Third, one of your humble co-hosts – and he shall remain nameless for now – totally goes after the teenage girl who represented Saudi Arabia in Olympic judo this week. Oh yeah, your dudes also break down UFC on Fox 4, discuss the utter weirdness of the UFC’s four-man race for the next 205-pound title shot and look ahead to Saturday’s UFC 150. Plus, Tips for the well-rounded fight fan, AYKFM and Just Sayin’ Stuff. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It would frankly be difficult to imagine a more comprehensive hour – fine, hour and 10 minutes – of mixed martial arts talk than this week’s Co-Main Event Podcast. During the time allotted for episode 11, Ben and Chad discuss Frank Mir journeying across the aisle to fight Daniel Cormier in Strikeforce, Nick Diaz coming out of “retirement” to “respectfully” request a fight with Anderson Silva and whether or not the UFC is just messing with us about the winner of Shogun Rua vs. Brandon Vera getting the next light heavyweight title shot. On top of that, the results of the first ever CME White Elephant Essay Contest are announced, Sir Nigel Longstock returns for MasterTweet Theatre and by the end the guys end up Just Saying Stuff. What are you waiting for? Jump on it. [Ed. Note: What’s that you say? You detect some irregularities in sound quality, especially during round two? Yeah, look, at least one of the CME’s microphones appears to be going the way of the dodo bird and it caused no end of problems this week.

With Sir Nigel Longstock still missing – and last heard from somewhere in the wilds of Iowa – Ben and Chad go it alone this week as the Co-Main Event Podcast officially hits doubled digits. Without the crutch of MasterTweet Theatre to fall back on, the guys have no choice but to “unpack” (to use a particularly galling word common in academia) and discuss the many stinging disappointments of UFC 149. From Renan Barao celebrating like he won the Super Bowl when he captured the interim bantamweight title to Urijah Faber dropping his fifth straight championship fight to a convoluted analogy about the UFC running a car lot where all the cars cost the same – it’s all in here. Plus, the origin story of the CME White Elephant Essay Contest grand prize, tips for a well-rounded fight fan and just saying stuff. Seriously, you’ll be kicking yourself if you miss this one. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sandwiched as it is between last week’s UFC and Strikeforce events and this weekend’s UFC 149, there is no shortage of topics for the Co-Main co-hosts to break down during episode nine. This week, Ben and Chad seek the truth about Chris Weidman’s fitness as Anderson Silva’s next opponent, what Nate Marquardt’s Strikeforce welterweight championship victory means for his career and whether or not the makeshift UFC 149 card is the most underwhelming pay-per-view since … well, since UFC 147. With one week left to submit your entry to the CME’s White Elephant Essay Contest, the boys also talk up some late additions to the prize pack, one of which may be the greatest piece of MMA-related memorabilia of all time. Pics of that coming soon. Plus, the return of MasterTweet Theatre, Just Sayin’ Stuff and AYFKM. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the first time in its illustrious history the Co-Main Event Podcast goes to the championship rounds this week. No, it is not just some crazy dream, Ben and Chad really did need five full periods to hash out the results of last weekend’s UFC 148 and look ahead to this week’s UFC on FuelTV and Strikeforce offerings. Did Anderson Silva cheat? Will Chael Sonnen retire? Have we truly seen the last of Tito Ortiz? Find out all that, plus hear their musings on Mark Munoz vs. Chris Weidman and Luke Rockhold vs. Tim Kennedy. As if that wasn’t enough, the homies also divulge some more information about the CME’s first ever White Elephant Essay Contest, which you will be able to read about in great detail on this website later today. So, yeah, buckle up. What? Oh, the different logo? Why, that’s the fine work of podcast listener Erik Ebeling, who sent along a number of alternate looks for the CME this week. Episode eight was already so big, we couldn’t help but break one out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visi

With UFC 148 looming on Saturday and the CME podcast’s first ever listener contest set to debut next week, Ben and Chad put one hour, 10 minutes in the books for episode seven. Go ahead, complain all you want about the violation of one of their solemn vows, but you know what? Totally worth it for a week this big. During a supersized Ep7 your dudes discuss the world according to Chael Sonnen, whether or not it’s BS that Tito Ortiz is about to be enshrined in the UFC’s BS Hall of Fame and what to make of the idea that professional fighters ought to “go out on their shields” (as well the promoters who subtly imply they like it that way). Plus, listener mail, tips for the well rounded fight fan and MasterTweet Theatre. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In episode six, Ben and Chad discuss the true failings of Clay Guida’s game plan against Gray Maynard at UFC on FX 4, break down how the recently retired Fedor Emelianenko will be remembered in MMA history (to the extent “MMA history” even exists) and debate the meaning of Saturday night’s UFC 147 main event. Plus, Sir Nigel Longstock and another installment of MasterTweet Theater, which seeks to answer that age old question: Is there a wombat at the Portland zoo? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At least one host of the Co-Main Event podcast thinks this Friday's UFC on FX 4 card is like a bowl of cheese balls left on the bar at a Hell's Kicthen tavern. The other suggests video of a tiger fighting a chimpanzee could outsell UFC 147 on pay-per-view. Which is which? Who said what? Does it really matter any more? Listen to episode five to try to sort out all that, plus which UFC fighter is like the girl you call late at night when you feel like you need some company. Plus, listener mail, tips for a well-rounded fight fan and another installment of MasterTweet Theatre.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices