Questions for the Pod

What are the weirdest synchronicitys in combat sports (ie silva weidman twin leg breaks/ aljimain and sharipovs 1st and 2nd ever sadulauev stretch back to back/ Tony's highest win streak and highest loss streak back to back) some of them are so on the nose I would cringe at the campiness if it was in a TV show

Any plans for more history podcasts? Ali? James toney etc.?

Hi jack. Possibly late to the party, but when did we move away from the nomenclature ‘cheeky nodder’? It is still very much a part of my lexicon - am I old now? All the best, Pat Phelan

It may be too late but, My question is why don't we talk about being outside the lead foot in a closed stance as much as we talk about it from open.

Rewatching Superlek's incredible KO of Haggerty, I got to wondering setups for counter elbows and how they differ from those for counter punches. Especially, Superlek's forward head position as he landed that elbow meant that he had plenty of power arc left at the point of contact. What are the reads to do that safely?

Not a question, but for the love of god cover OKTAGON. One of the only promotions legit doing good things these days. Also every RWS card is live for free on YouTube, no need to go back and watch after.

What makes a martial art popular in a country? For example, MMA in Brazil, boxing in Mexico etc. I live in the Netherlands, where kickboxing is pretty big but boxing and MMA are quite small, so I was wondering what factors could impact this.

Jack, where the hell is 4 oz boxing? Why does this sport not exist? For whatever reason neither kickboxing nor muay thai has caught on in NA, but boxing is still massive. How has no one thought to get rid of the oversized gloves?

Slacky J, off the back of your colab question do you think you'll do a YouTube collaboration?, as a fan of both you napoleon blown apart I feel like your content is similar sarcastic and very informative

Slaaacky, where can we get your old books about striking fundamentals? I asked you on Reddit too you swine, still love you though kid. Big love from Newport, South Wales 👍

One of the skills both GSP and BJ Penn were known for was extremely slick guard passing. Since that era, the wrestling aspect of the sport has become even more cage heavy in a way that seems to create less guard play than older matches. Meanwhile in jiujitsu guard passing has changed quite a bit since 2010. You've mentioned frequently the current preference for holding top half guard instead of passing to side or trying to get mount. In contemporary MMA, is there a place for guard passing? If so, do you think a particular style of pass is particularly advantageous/disadvantageous? Does something like a body lock pass make sense in an MMA context? Thanks!

Oi oi, it's ya boi, the Jacob Malkoun of wanting good fights soon. If you had to build a fight game for yourself in MMA according to your physical and mental attributes, training resources and personal 'feel', how would you solve the basic questions and problems that all fighters do? (E.g. whats your fight chain and why!) Yours,

Hi Jack. First time commenting What do you do with the Irish MMA scene? I’m an Irishman who’s been watching MMA since McGregor got his second cage warriors belt and followed him to the UFC. Since then I’ve become an avid MMA and BJJ fan and now would happily bring McGregor behind a . I find every MMA personality that Ireland now produces to be tinted with McGregors cringe persona (which I would view as almost more American in its nature than Irish) and it’s very difficult to watch. Ian Garry a prime example. I feel the scene is caught between a real surge in interest on an amateur level and a huge hang up on being the next McGregor or becoming an embarrassing proto-goblin-Dubliner. What’s the solution? How do we develop an Irish MMA culture that doesn’t necessitate being an faux-arrogant cunt? I laugh every time you mention Bellator and SBGI. It’s very on the money Love and bubbles, The Dana White of power-slapping your wife

Hey Jack, first day patreon subscriber here, first of all I miss your Wushu Watch from your fightland days. Second I've always wondered why body shot in ground and pound is so uncommon. I always fought that tripoding in a full guard and throw a right straight to a left hook would be cool. Why do you think we don't ground body work as much ? Jose Aldo didn't like it against Petr Yan so it seems to work. And last, why is it that when MMA fighter go for a guillotine they don't use it pramrily as a sweep ? Even starting standing with a front headlock you can sit and use butterly hooks to land in mount and then if the gilly doesn't work at leat you're not on bottom. Anyway love your stuff, greeting from France, Cyril Gane getting guillotined like a true frenchman bless.

Hey Slacky, 1. Wondering if you have watched much of 'Look At My Opinion.' He was a pretty big content creator back in 2021! He is a flyweight maxi. What can you learn from Mr LAMO to grow your platform? 2. Is CTE contagious?

Hey Jack. I’ve recently figured out on my own that GSP is pretty great. I didn’t understand things like the duck-delayed jab before but the more I learn about mma the more I dig his approach. With that in mind do you think a lot of pure strikers would have more success in mma if they adapted their striking to set up takedowns more like GSP. Like you say, a lot of the wrestling setups are lost in mma and replaced with striking.

Did you manage to catch the boxing on Saturday? If so, would be interested to hear your thoughts on Joshua vs Dubois, or any other fight on that card that piqued your interest.

Hi Jack, what would you suggest is the best literature for each of the 4 big boi martial arts? (Boxing, MT, BJJ, Wrestling).

Jack, why do you think that casual fans are perfectly willing to watch the undercard shite in a fight but arent open to watch the great fights of the past?

Jack, the dana white of telling us when a card is shite, after playing some mortal kombat I got a goofy one for ya. What would be the smallest change you could make to fighter's biology to enhance fighting performance. The best bang for your buck modification if you will. For example having four arms a'la Goro would be near unstoppable, but that's a whole extra set of limbs so not very "cost effective." Maybe something like

In recent years it feels like we've seen a few performances where fighters with wrestling bases convincingly outstruck fighters that on paper are more technical strikers. While this is of course something that goes back to MMA's beginnings, it still appears that having a wrestling advantage is a huge help in winning a Kickboxing match. The striker is so intimidated by the prospect of getting taken down that their striking game becomes more limited, even if they are largely able to stop the takedowns (Nurmagomedov vs Sandhagen seems like a good example of this). My coach is fully convinced that an increased focus on body punching would help combat this forced limitation, because you tire your opponent out while also having a potential underhook if your opponent goes for a takedown. How effective is body punching as a way to defeat wrestlers with solid striking games? And what are some other techniques that fighters with a striking base can use to dissuade or deter fighters from using their offensive grappling?

In Edwin haislet book 'Boxing' he gives strategies for beating types of boxers. Any recommendations for a how to beat types of fighters in kickboxing/muai thai rule sets? Like crowding the kicker

are there any unique fitness routines from any fighters that have stood out to you as being very affective?

Hey Jack, wanted to say thanks for your tips about offensive counter punching. That leads into my question, how do I apply an offensive counterpunching fighting game without giving the opponent free takedowns? Feels like it’s hard to open up and pressure when the opponent is a strong wrestler. Cheers.

You have spoken about the concept of mirroring in striking situations, one person throws a kick, the other person returns with their own immediately after etc but does an equivalent exist in grappling that I could use to exploit my opponent?

Could the light heavyweight division ever be as exciting again as it was 10-15 years ago? Or has the draw from other professional sports for athletes of that size/ weight cutting science prevented that from happening ever again?

Will we ever see the arm saddle (aka Choi bar) position used in MMA?

How good can Marcus McGhee actually be

Is it just me or is the talent pool in every division besides 135/145 getting worse? The best “prospect” at 155 besides arman is paddy pimblett and that division has carried the ufc for years, also is there any reversing this trend given ufc labor policy

What is the most based dirty performance by a fighter? For example, Keith Hackney vs Joe Son or Rousimar Palhares eye gouging Jake Shields?

Topuria vs Holloway coming up soon!! I’d love to hear your thoughts on the matchup. Also, who you’d like to see next for each man, win or lose and why. Cheers!

MFW I want to ask Jack technical questions to improve my sparring sessions and see I'm 115th on the list

Example of a good feinter in boxing?

Could you break down the Craig vs Gabbi match (srs). Esp the utter disregard for Gabi's front headlock.

Hello Professor Slack, I have been doing tape study on TJ Dillashaw to add tools to my game and have fallen in love with the switch cross. I can’t help but notice it’s not getting any shine in MMA as most fighters, such as Dustin Poirier and Petr Yan, seem to favor its golden child brother, the shifting cross. Is this technique a hidden gem or are their significant risks that I am unaware of?

is it going to become impossible to just be a striker without a takedown threat, feels like pressure fighting and wrestling mostly made up of one lad slowly getting up is the true meta at moment.

Howdy! It’s grown rare to see scrappy high level inside battles in boxing nowadays. Many fighters often opt for a ref reset over jockeying for control, position, and fire superiority. Things like bicep control and head on chest are especially rare now. Have such tactics become obsolete due to vulnerabilities or due to “cultural” reasons? And how can/has boxing’s inside fighting advance and evolve around the modern ref’s phobia of ties and tactical head placement? Hope to hear your insights, thank you!

Which Golden Age Muay Thai fighter would have made the best MMA fighter?

A child is cursed by a demon to have a career in combat sports. Slacky is called in as fairy godfather, but he can't break the curse. What DOES he do?

What's the most unlikely martial art that MMA fighters could be stealing techniques from?

Mr slack, I’d be very curious of your thoughts for taller people training striking in a gym environment. Current consideration being if I generally sit with a significant reach advantage. How do I get good sparring rounds reflective if someone is significantly shorter. I frequently stop using long range weapons teep, jab. Due to keeping my training partners fully out of range and wanting them to get some work in also. Of course a breakdown of Barret Yoshida s setup to high ground would be an early Christmas also. Many thanks for the podcast

What do you think about weapon based melee martial arts and the science behind fighting when you have a weapon? Namely, filipino based sword and stick Or European / medieval with armor and sword.

Hi Slacky, Apologies if you've answered this elsewhere but I'm curious to hear your thoughts more generally on the ecological approach to BJJ training /learning/skill acquisition. Some proponents of the ecological approach argue that it has superseded the standard, drill centric training approach of yesteryear, do you believe this to be the case? Or do you feel that both styles can happily co-exist within any gym setting rather than simply being married to one or the other? As a follow up question, I'm also wondering if you think that striking based martial arts could benefit from incorporating some ecological principles in the way that they train? Some of the higher belts I train with have recently transitioned into kickboxing with the goal of competing in MMA, and they have found it especially hard to go from an ecological, constraints led setting to hitting pads for an hour. Have you encountered or heard of any ecological striking gyms? Do you have a sense as to what ecological striking training could look like? I've really enjoyed your content over the years! Thanks

Tactics / techniques used in Boxing, Kickboxing + Muay Thai you would like to see used more in MMA. Tactics/techniques used in MMA you think could be beneficial for Boxers, Kickboxers and Nak Muay to use.

Why are MMA fighters so bad at keeping their opposite hands in place to guard when throwing strikes and what can be done to help fix the issue?

I was listening to your history episode on Floyd Patterson the other day and caught a bit at the end where you discussed matchmaking, what goes into making a fighter look good, and how the UFC’s matchmaking has gone to shit with Joe Silva’s departure. I know this might be a bit of a “broken record” topic but I’d love to hear a more in depth discussion. What are your thoughts on UFC/MMA matchmaking today compared to the past? Are there any quirks you would like to see carried over to today, any Joe Silva underhanded tactics you were glad were discontinued? And should Mick Maynard be jettisoned into the sun?

How important is “athleticism” (i.e., reach, power, reaction speed, and all those other attributes that cannot be taught) as opposed to good old fashioned game planning and strategy? Are more athletic fighters always going to be at an advantage against a less athletic fighter that might have a better game plan? As an example, the community at large was shocked when DDP beat the brakes off Robert Whittaker. Whittaker is an incredibly skilled and athletic fighter in his own right, whereas Dricus is a hulk that moves like a baby deer that just learned to walk. Before that fight, I could not see a path to victory for DDP, but now that the fight has happened, I feel like DDP is just too much for any version of Whittaker to handle. Similarly, Petyr Yan vs. Merab (I’m not going to try and spell his surname, but you know which Merab I’m talking about) is another example of a skilled fighter being met by a freak of nature and coming up short. Old school martial arts would have you believe that skill trumps all, but my own experience in BJJ has taught me that skill can get you far, but it cannot always overcome large athletic disparities. Is this inherent to all combat sports?

I've been trying to use the cross arm block (Like Archie Moore and the Old man costume of Foreman). I find it works great when boxing but when kickboxing or mma sparring I'm having trouble blocking body kicks. Any tips here? Also any tips for dealing with really tall fuckers who use teeps a lot lol Thanks slacky

I’ve been watching a lot of pancrase and old K1 including a lot of bas rutten and Jérôme Le Banner and was just wondering what, if anything, could used in today’s fighting.

Could the reintroduction of a simple no strings attached ‘sunset clause’ be the most realistic and beneficial win the fighters could get out of the class action lawsuit? This was the single thing that enabled big Francis to leave the UFC easily, to earn better money elsewhere. Even a 5 year sunset clause might not be a long time to fighter in his early to mid twenties who is building up skills and experience while under a shitty UFC contract. I’d be interested to know how many of the top 15 fighters in each division signed their initial UFC contract 5 years ago. They would all be free to leave the UFC, other promotions would have access to top fighters, and the UFC would have to offer money to compete, while at the same time still signing lots of cheap ‘talent’ through the contender series so they can keep churning out content. I don’t know shit about this sort of thing so what does Jack think?

What in your opinion is the most valuable martial art to get kids started in as their first grounding in the martial arts?

Do you see any mainstream future for Lethwei? I think Dave Leduc started a fight promotion but not much seems to have come of it.

Also, is there a way back for Jiri, the last Samurai :) and if so what is it?

What are your thoughts on virtual reality fight games? Are they of any value as a training tool or just entertainment? I haven't actually played any (not since Mortal Kombat in the 90's) but I've been recently contemplating buying a VR headset. Most reviews seem to say that Thrill of the Fight and True Boxing VR are the most realistic boxing games out there. Some fighters (eg Wonderboy) have made videos of them playing and said they're fun and they got a good sweat on. Do you think they could actually help to develop shadow boxing skills / proper fighting reactions or are they more likely engender bad habits? Loving the content. cheers

You inspired me to watch more old school boxing and I've used a lot of it in sparring. I appreciate your work a lot! What techniques from early eras of boxing (when gloves were smaller)are under-utilized now?

What are your favorite instances of MMA influencing other martial arts? E.g. Lachlan using K Guard

I’d love to read or hear an article on the long frame. You mentioned that good ones have some contact on opponent’s shoulder or bicep. I’d love to see some examples of people doing it in fights, it’s down sides and upsides, which attributes would lead to its success etc.

I enjoy when there is discussion about a specific technique. Who does it well, what makes it good, what weaknesses it has, when to look at using it, etc. Maybe if there's a lukewarm Apex fight night instead spend your time talking about someone with a good back-step uppercut or inside parry.

How can people think Aldo is the best fighter ever if he has lost so much, particularly against other all time great? Do the Volk and Holloway losses mean nothing compared to Aldo's resume?

We have seen the calf kick emerge over the last few years, do you see Alex pereira’s no tell calf kick becoming the meta?

I love the film breakdowns, especially of lesser known fighters and styles. As a relatively new Must Thai fan, I'd love to see a breakdown of a classic fighter like Samart Payakaroon.

In a world where striking evolves much faster than grappling, what innovations or strategies in grappling could balance the scales and lead to the next big revolution in MMA?

Uses for the lead leg in open-stance match-up? how can you set up kicks and how can you use them to set ups for further offense, including other kicks? Personally, a thing that worked well has been taking the inside position(lead shoulder/side lined up with the opponents center line) and running guys on side kicks. Have also been trying to make the rear hip faint work as a set up for the outside low kick with a switch or step/skip up to add some power

With what looks like the downfall of XBox hardware and silly Sony releasing an even more expensive PS5 while the Steam Deck and Switch maintain popularity, what do you think the future of console gaming looks like? Also what game are you most looking forward to this year?

I notice there are fewer elbows in clinch in mma than there are in Muay Thai. Why do you think this is? Are there major strategic/technical differences between Muay Thai and mma clinch that make elbows less practical? If so what are they? Thanks!

Also, have you played, Thank goodness you're here?

What happened to this becoming a Sumo podcast? What do you think about the September Basho? Onosato on the path to Yokozuna? Will Takerufuji sweep his return to Makuuchi?

Emailed this, but I’d love to hear tactics you can use to beat a better/more skilled fighter. Hand fighting, distance control, stepping on their feet, etc. Realize this is very match up dependent and we might be in the same principles as killing the king (doing your best at Taking away someone’s A game instead of trying to enforce your own)

Wtf is going on with the heavyweight division and why is Jon jones so scared?

Can you rank defensive styles for me? At my gym we talk about 4 types of boxing defense, pillars (forearm blocks and covers) parries, head movement and footwork. For mma what reigns supreme and what’s the worst, how do you like to blend these together and what’s your favorite?

Are there any instructionals that would get you better at striking amd shoukder rolling like Jersey Joe Walcott ir explains how that style evolved but has seldom been seen since Walcott ? Ideally an instructional that would give you footwork or padwork drills that could make you emulate the Arnold Cream of the crop?

Was watching your Wangchannoi film room (great fun btw would love more of those) and the madman loves to throw the lead uppercut — why is this strike so seldom used by other fighters and why is he able to use it so successfully?

Hey jack, you are constantly raving about roberto duran and his jab, but how do you think roberto durans handfighting-heavy inside game could pair into mma? With your hands constantly handfighting while punching it would be easier to pummel for underhooks and could make a lot of wrestlers have a bad day. Thanks!

Why do so little people effectively use the stomp to the lead knee? The few people we see implement it heavy into their gane like jones or holloway vs gaethje have had great success. Love from canada, keep up the work

Has anyone ever recognised you by voice alone? Given your delicious mysteriousness and anonymity

What's the difference between heavy bag technique and fight technique? How does it transfer over? I'm asking because even in my local gym, I see people with supposedly better textbook technique than UFC fighters, but it doesn't mean they could hang out in the cage with them.

What's your favorite hypothetical match up in combat sports history? I remember really enjoying your take on Tyson vs Ali, any other stylistic match ups that make you go "would have love to have seen that"?

Hello Mr Slack, My question would be if you know any orthodox strikers that had great success with their right attacks other than superlek. Most technical strikers I‘ve studied have a leftside based game. Either orthodox kicking and jabbing the open side and using the hook to counter/ circle out, or southpaws that use their left side because of the obvious benefits. Superlek always stood out for me because he mainly uses his right kick which I thought is interesting because it‘s easier to guard against and easier to catch for his opponents. But he is dominating regardless. Love the poddy thank you for your work!

How do you get good at Tekken? I can never figure out when it’s my turn or how to punish people. I play Paul too, so it’s not like I’ve got a hard character to learn.

Who is the worst / funniest current UFC fighter who could feasibly get a title shot and win?

I was always intrigued by the use of lead leg kicks after throwing the rear hand and bahamondes' fight against torres reminded me of that. What are your thoughts on that as a technique/strategy and what are some examples of fighters that use it alot effectively? Also do you ever shadow box at the missus? Keep up the great work, much love from the netherlands.

On a scale of 1 to 10 power slaps how many did Dana white wish he’d have done a bare knuckle show first and this is his second best thing he could come up with

Who fights first: Jon Jones or Conor McGregor?

Did you see any of Dima Murovanni’s sessions with BTeam leading up to CJI? If so, any thoughts on his approach or his arrival as a potential top tier coach?

What's the craic Jack? Whats some of your biggest BJJ fan moments? Also what has been your biggest takeaways from Neil Melanson with his grappling for MMA style of practice. Thank you for the content good sir. Couple random ass book recommendations too please

Two questions: 1) this may be really simple. you talk a lot about an educated jab. How does a jab become educated or how do you recognize one? 2) I really enjoy the art style in your striking breakdowns. Any chance you talk about your process for drawing figures?

Since everybody and their mom calls Dricus a bad fighter, what good is a definition of "being good" that is not really connected to actually winning? I'm not a huge fan of his but it's not like his wins were him being lucky or like he doesn't obviously have a good understanding of how fighting works.

What is one piece of “tough love” that you think the mma/jiu jitsu community needs to hear?

Hi Slacky, I've been thinking a lot about padwork recently, in my own training and with social media. With criticisms about Floyd's padwork as well as people who look god like on the pads like Liam Harrison. I've come to think what are we actually doing with these things? You enter a class and do a 10 hit combination you'll likely forget ad nauseum, but in fighting unless you have that one move repped out it'll be shit. I personally always struggled with padwork focused classes as I hate the feeling of recital in a game as organic and chaotic as fighting. Cheers.

Dear Jack slack, in a world were headbutting, dick kicking and punting dude while they were down is legal in MMA what do you think would be the biggest changes? The clinch sounds awful to be in but fun to watch but I imagine we would go back to the days of wrestlers holding closed guard head butting once a minute.

If your goal is to be primarily a grappler, do you think it is better to be a pressure striker or an out fighter, kicking at distance and pulling people into takedowns? What are the pros and cons of each if your goal is to grapple?

Hi Slacky, I have a handful of questions you can use for the pod. Why do we see so little taekwondo practitioners in MMA? What traditional martial arts techniques you wish more people would use in MMA? And finally what are some examples of boxers with point karate background or if there aren't what would be your advise to someone with a point karate looking to go to boxing.

Onosato Basho review please

What's the best way to digest and work through an instructional

Hey Jack, it's ya Boi. The Daniel Dumile of querying Slacky J. I am curious if you are familiar with ecological dynamics and it's application to training combat sports. Coaches like Greg Souders have been making it popular on the BJJ scene, Emil Fitoussy on the striking scene, and Scott Sievewright on the MMA scene. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it. Do you believe this is the future of skill development and adaptation, just another training fad, or simply another tool in the coaching arsenal?

1) Can we get a psychoanalysis of the Shevchenko/Holm super sumo who fans out at boring grindy fights and praises it to high heaven before getting upset at someone like Merab doing the same thing but more fun? 2) On pivoting (but really any basics of striking), how much of the lack of this is due to most mma camps just relying on weird kickboxing coaches (Winkeljon, Mendez etc) who equip these fighters with a lack of fundamental understanding of footwork or basic techniques?

As of today who has produced the most comprehensive MMA instructional in your opinion with great advice throughout in your opinion?

Have you ever played, or considered playing a boxing game on a vr headset? Specifically "The thrill of the fight". It's so good.

Hi Jack, how much, if any, difference do you think it makes when a team gets multiple cracks at an opponent? Recent high profile examples include O'Malley v Dvalishvili, and Strickland v Adesanya. It's a recognized phenomenon that the longer a fighter is at the top, the more tape there is and the more time people have to figure them out, especially if they are the champion. It seems to me that having several camps in your gym focused on the same opponent would only amplify that advantage, but I haven't really heard anyone give this more than a passing mention in the build up to big fights. I'd love to hear your take.

Years ago you said in your books that Lyoto Machida was the perfect fighter in terms of delivering maximum damage whilst recieving very little in return. In today's age who would you update your list with?

I've understood you to appreciate anonymity, but would you ever participate in direct coaching, live broadcasting, or any other related field that would technically require you to reveal more of yourself to the public?

A topic that fascinates me as a fan is what could a new MMA organisation to actually improve the sport? We have seen however many organisations come and go over the years with various different approaches but what could an organisations do to improve the sport for its consumers?

Also, not one for the podcast but would you ever consider making a list of classic boxing fights (in order) to help us newbies catch-up. I’d love to go through the phase of Jersey Joe -> Rocky -> Joe Louis -> Ali -> Tyson eras But I don’t know how to go about it without spoiling the results of the most famous fights. Any chance you could post a little revision list of the key fights (in order) from 1920s to 2000, that we need to check out?

If you were to make changes to the UFC ruleset to shift the balance of the meta away from cage wrestling towards either striking or more exciting/BJJ style grappling, how would you do it? Or is cage wrestling just the ultimate MMA base? It's kind of mad to me that the UFC still disallows stuff that would make fights more fan friendly, like 12-6 elbows. It's surely not like they give a shit about fighter safety. Wondering if there are other more subtle things they could change to neuter the wrestlefuckers.

Thoughts on Dany Bill, and will you ever wright an article about him ?

Is it just me or was AJ using the ol’ reliable Sean Strickland tall-man defence. Add in the fact that he came out in the 1st, leading with a rear uppercut (the same shot that got him KO’d in 5). And it seems like the blame should be out on his coach. Which I hate to do because I actually love Ben’s approach to boxing.

I've always been really curious about what you thought about olympic martial arts. I seem to recall lots of snideness towards taekwondo, olympic boxing and judo but I'd love to hear why they're shit and how you could make them better. Also what ruleset would you want for olympic kickboxing?

Do you have any thoughts on the ecological/constraints-led approach? Chimes with how I've learned in the past and seems to work for Standard, and, to a lesser extent, B-Team. Interested in your thoughts on how it could impact MMA/BJJ. Cheers!

Could you talk for a while about Prince Naseem and mull over the wonderment of his skills and end with a good chuckle about his late life self indulgent debacles?

Now that Jones Aspinall is slipping away into the depths of the what-if, how would you break it down and make a prediction if it were on next week?

Have you seen the trailer for the new Willie Pep movie? Looks really good.

How do you think Topuria does against a prime Aldo?

Hey Jack - it's not a question but I thought it'd be worth pointing out a few historic moments this month - Norifumi Yamamoto died 6 years ago and Mirko Filipovic was 50. I suspect there are fight fans who haven't heard of these two legends at their peaks. Please could you show them some love? Yer boi - Tom

If the UFC didn’t cut Mokaev and gave him a title shot, how would Mokaev do against Pantoja?

Since we are constantly being told by baldy and the UFC that Jones and Stipe are the GOATs, who is on your heavyweight UFC mount Rushmore? Do either of them make the cut? If you have time, also be good to know what your all time heavyweight MMA Rushmore looks like if it is any different

Hey Jack, it's ya boi. The Sergio Pettis of tomato and lettuce. Sorry moving on: What do you think the lack of interest in kickboxing and muay thai in the west as spectator sports is about? Is it failed marketing? The history of the sports? Most casual fight fans seemingly hate watching wrestling and grappling exchanges and only care about the standup game/ground and pound. There are sports that exist with super cool fighters that concentrate on these things. Why have neither caught on in the same way MMA has?

how do I watch jkick, also why

Does a south-paw vs south-paw fight look any different to an orthodox vs orthodox fight? Southpaws spar/fight in an open stance for the majority of the time (against orthodox fighters) so does this mean that they are usually less effective in a closed stance match up compared to orthodox fighters? Southpaws have significantly less reps in closed stance than orthodox fighters do. Have you noticed any patterns/habits regarding this kind of thing?

Will you watch Misfits MMA?, if you don’t you will loose my subscription.

What’s your approach to tape study? How do you go about identifying things you want to focus on during a particular fight, and how do you choose which bouts in a fighter’s career that you prioritize over others when trying to gauge how they’ll perform in a certain matchup or are trying to get a sense of their skill set?

Are you watching the sumo

Would more people be interested in watching BJJ gi tournaments if they allowed heel hooks? 😂

Can you cover armored mma. Also do you think theyll try to make zuffa boxing a thing.

what happened to the rest of the Sakuraba series? and is there a chance of an advanced striking 2.0 for Andy Hug, Henry Armstrong or a look at Joachim Hansen

Who has the best get-ups in MMA? Pre Belal Leon? I actually think both GSP and Chael were phenomenal we just really see them there. Which is probably the case with many of the best.

Dear Jack, scattered throughout different episodes you've made references to old catch wrestling moves seldom used much as there are practically no more practitioners of the sport. That said, there are increasingly more tournaments in your part of the world (the UK). I'm wondering what you make of this revival of sorts. What do they know? do they know things? Let's find out.

Do you ever make guest appearances on other podcasts? I can tell you and the heavy hands Bois have a mutual respect. Seems like a natural pairing but I can't recall ever seeing you collab with other podcasters.

Thoughts on Bas Rutten in terms of legacy and overall talent? Much love from the It's Not Cagefighting Family.

If you had eight weeks to train a complete amateur for a boxing match against another complete amateur ( Rough and Rowdy, etc.), what would you have them work on?

Hi Jack long time fan, your work has helped me analyse my own game in mixed martial arts and how I analyse others, I just wanted to ask Do you feel there is ever any hope in this current era of LHW/HW. In the past when we had legends like shogun, big nog, fedor, rampage, prime jones and to extent even Gustafson there seems to be a severe lack of the same talent that these weight classes used to have. What do you think these weight classes need in order to get more on track?

Jack you've said before there are few instructionals discussing the wall/cage and how to use it, have you seen Craig Jones's work and are there others you've seen or liked?

The so called ecological approach to training has been a buzzword in bjj-circles for a while. What's your take on it as a way to structure training? To me it seems a bit like a crutch for instructors who lack knowledge.

Do you have any British prospects on the regional scene that we should be keeping our eyes on?

Who are some of your current favourite meme fighters or fighters who aren’t particularly good but do one thing really well?

If you were to create a meta for a striking centric and grappling centric fighter who would you take as examples of current or past fighters that would be closest to what you believe the meta to be? Any UK fighters on the regional scene you believe are on a top 25 in the world trajectory that we won’t know about?

Bit general but if you have any opinions on who has the best bottom wrestling in mma, and if theres any particular coaches/wrestlers you think mma fighters should be watching and learning from

Are there any prominent MMA fighters you reckon you'd absolutely starch in a fight? If not now, perhaps back when you were younger

You’ve mentioned pro wrestling a few times the last couple of weeks, it’s something I’ve just gotten into recently as well. Would love to hear you dive deeper on your relationship with pro wrestling, the history relating with MMA/Inokism or differences of mma vs pro wrestling techniques, etc. Just wanna hear you talk about pro wrestling tbh

If Dubois beat AJ, AJ beat Francis, and Francis arguably beat Fury, just how bad is Deontay Wilder?

Hi Jack, big fan from NZ. I was the national youth fencing champion before transitioning to mixed martial arts as a hobby, and wanted to ask you this: what do you think of the application of fencing tactics and techniques to the hand fight, feint game, and application of jab?

Is the era of Fury, Joshua and Wilder at the top of the boxing world finally over?

Jkick son or muay thai elitist daughter?

Have you been following RWS lately, particularly the tournaments that are on right now?

Joshua vs Dubois quick Breakdown to get boxing back im town