Questions for the Boicast

Hi Slacky J, I am in Thailand and wondered if you think it is worth going to the upcoming One FC cards in Bangkok? i am here until mid August.

How do you think a fight between ilia and prime Tony ferg goes?

Why was Kai fighting almost from a crouched position during the pantoja fight?

Best wrestlers/grapplers to study in mma? Besides the obvious ones

What's the most annoying/worst in-fight coaching you've ever heard? We all know Pat Barry sucks, but every time I see Rose fight, I think, "holy shit. He never stops talking during the round. All it would do is distract me." It's a non-stop stream of instructions that can't even keep up with what she just did. He's awful between rounds too, but you've discussed that at length. Also, can I use you as a character witness when I tell the judge it was my doppelganger behind the wheel of my car when I got that DUI last week? Or maybe we should say I was Jon Jones in white-face?

Advice for people learning to fight in the opposite stance?

Since Ben Askren nearly died from a staph infection, what are some of your best and worst moments from your time on the mats?

Thoughts on Jean Silva vs Diego Lopes?

Ya wanna know what’s on my mind Jack? I’m a moth, living my most Kafkaesque life. I went into a podiatrist’s office, and the podiatrist’s office says, “What seems to be the problem, moth?” I say “What’s the problem? Where do I begin, man? I go to work for Gregory Illinivich, and all day long I work. Honestly doc, I don’t even know what I’m doing anymore. I don’t even know if Gregory Illinivich knows. He only knows that he has power over me, and that seems to bring him happiness. But I don’t know, I wake up in a malaise, and I walk here and there… at night I…I sometimes wake up and I turn to some old lady in my bed that’s on my arm. A lady that I once loved, doc. I don’t know where to turn to. My youngest, Alexendria, she fell in the cold of last year. The cold took her down, as it did many of us. And my other boy, and this is the hardest pill to swallow, doc. My other boy, Gregarro Ivinalititavitch Samsa… I no longer love him. As much as it pains me to say, when I look in his eyes, all I see is the same cowardice that I… that I catch when I take a glimpse of my own face in the mirror. If only I wasn’t such a coward, then perhaps…perhaps I could bring myself to end this hellish facade once and for all…Doc, sometimes I feel like a spider, even though I’m a moth, just barely hanging on to my web with an everlasting fire underneath me. I’m not feeling good.” And so the doctor says, “Moth, man, you’re troubled. But you should be seeing a psychiatrist. Why on earth did you come here?” And I tell him, “‘Cause the light was on.”

Is 145 to 155 the best weight class transition historically?

Hello, Jack! Who in MMA is a good example of kicking their opponents rear leg? I have been playing with it for a good while now in my spars and find it to be effective in damaging, surprising and changing behavior of partners. I notice it's far more present in kickboxing, but I'm hard pressed to recall ever seeing it applied in MMA. The Sean Strickland of getting gentle licks in, bless.

Dearest slack, what advice would you recommend for the aspiring switch hitter?

Heavyweight son or bantamweight daughter?

I had the realization recently that Max Holloway, despite being the man that can throw everything, has never really shown a chopping leg-kicking game, and I think that would have been a useful addition to his style over the years. What elite fighters do you think would benefit from adding a single skill like that, and what would it be?

Hey jack, do you know of any jnstructionals or have any advice on closing the distance for shots out in the open? I have a hard time getting deep into people's hips and usually end up getting popped in the head. My other question is how can I use my love of bjj to win more fights from top? Would you recckmend a Roger gracie style smash pass on the ground? Ive been having success with Sean bradys negative half guard system with a kimura grip to control and find finishes but its hard to use top playing bjj in a vacuum to hold someone down

What are some strategies that a good striker can use while fighting or being pressured near the fence line? Who are some good examples to watch?

How much more do you think Alex Pants would have to do to surpass DJ as the flyweight goat? Alternatively/additionally, what wild animal should be released into the cage during fights above 170 to make them more interesting?

Advice on improving my keylock as a small lanky guy? It's my favourite submission but I run into the obvious problem of people muscling out. Thanks!

Why is Du Plessis such an effective striker? He’s known for being awkward but what specifically is it that he does that confuses other fighters so much? + thoughts on DDP vs Khamzat?

How to correctly use pressure against wrestlers to force incorrect shots Andersway takedown's etc

If there was to be a completely bollock naked fighting organisation. Which base would prevail? Would having a ‘third leg’ inhibit kick heavy fighters, or would it be an additional weapon within a taekwondo fighters background as they spin for kicks? Would this be the best way to deal with “crotch sniffing” mma wrestling from potentially semi-homophobic mma fighters if people want to make the sport more striking focused (as they would have to literally dive their face onto someone’s crotch)? What will prevail, fathers plan or traditional conservative values towards homoerotic nudity. Changed my name on Patreon so my full name is not next to this comment. All the best 🫡

-In-fighting in mma. Do you think it’s an underutilized skillset or do you think it’s unlikely to be viable tactically in the sport because of the ability to clinch and grapple? Was Nick Diaz the best in-fighter in mma and why has it been 10+ years since his prime and no one else is building off that? -How do you feel about Cierra, Chelley, and Olandria getting in their mean girl game in the villa and causing drama in Love Island?

what do you think of ufc bjj and bo nickal taking a freestyle wrestling match promoted by hulk hogan?

Hey Jack, if you were in charge of the ufc what are the first changes you would make? Personally I’d legalize soccer kicks and make the time in between fights more entertaining

In rulesets like Pride where soccer kicks and grounded knees were allowed, did anyone utilize takedowns or throws as a means of setting up a head kick or knee while their opponent got back up? Would this be feasible?

Can you just spend a minute talking about Masaaki Noiri again?

Muay Thai promotions ! The good, the bad and the ugly, what’s your thoughts on the current ones at the top right now and how they’re impacting the sports ? RWS, ONE, Channel 7 etc Thanks as always for the great pods

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

Slacky, if you were to teach striking classes, how would you structure them? Let's say a one hour class, how would you structure a typical class? How would you structure the training week?

Hi Jack, For a bit of nostalgia, name your top five favourite K1 and K1 MAX stars! Hope you're not melting in the heat!

Hi Jack, What are some effective methods by ‘clinchers’ in boxing to initiate clinches relatively safely, ie. not extending out with ‘zombie arms’? Thanks, Tom

Hi Jack, in light of the recent win of Topuria and his many parallels with McGregor it made me think of the book you had wrote about the former fw/lw double champ. Have you considered writing another book about another fighter in recent years (Not necessarily Topuria) or is the amount of time investment required for writing a book not available at the moment ?

Hey jack currently crippled but itching to train fortunately i have a lil bro to practice on who used to train. With this info could you name a general bjj, general wrestling and general judo instructional iirc correctly u mentioned a maia one. thanks in advance and keep up the amazing work

Hi Jack, do you have some archetype fights that you particulary like ? For example tall on tall violence, where 2 long and skinny fighters discover that without the reach advantage their defense is shit and it devolves into mindless violence. And not a question but a more of a wish, I'd be dying for a youtube playlist of your favorite fights, or unknown and weird fights, or important fight. Thanks for all your work, cheers !

Why do you think we do not see many standing elbows in MMA?

what would topuria look like with a Matt brown offensive clinch game? would he no longer be Topuria or would it integrate with his game seamlessly?

Hi Jack. I'm a not particularly athletic or talented guy who's managed to find a lot of success in sparring and fights by being as awkward, tricky, and smart as possible. (And just stealing ideas from youtube) For example: cage cutting opponents who have never had to worry about ringcraft, feinting big shots like hooks and uppercuts to open up less impactful shots like jabs, tricking opponents into dashing into an elbow, and using the jab-dip. What other tricks do you recommend to level the playing field for someone who's outmatched physically?

What are the most important aspects of the changes Cory Sandhagen has made to his game to include more offensive takedowns and grappling?

Jack! Please put us out of our misery!… what do you look like? Me and my pals are torn, one thinks you might be a blonde, tall, Adonis of a man, another thinks you might be more like Shaggy from Scooby doo. Please settle the debate! 😆

Hey Jack, love the show! You've previously mentioned a fondness for fighters/competitors who do well in competition despite it not being their full-time occupation. Do you have a favourite in this category? Bonus question, favourite Balatro deck? Cheers! Jack

With this weather have you been forced to put biscuits in the fridge?

What do you think is the current "meta" and what is your prediction for how the future "meta" will look?

Two for you Slacky! Who are your biggest "what ifs" in MMA that are worth a rewatch? I recently went back over a lot of Ross Houston’s Cage Warriors run, as well as his fight with MVP, where I felt he gave a great account of himself and It got me thinking about all the ones that got away. Sincerely, the Nigel Benn of next Sifu video when?

Hi Jack, Any roguelike/roguelite game recs? I've played and enjoyed a lot of slay the spire and balatro, and I'm currently playing "The blue prince" (highly recommend if you like puzzles). What are some of your favorites in this genre? Maybe even a fighting-themed roguelike? Cheers, Lazar

A writing question. When you right about a fight, or technique, or fighter how do you know where to start? I've just started trying my hand at a MMA blog and I find myself wondering if in getting too deep in the weeds to describe a single fight

Best history book you’ve read?

Hi Jack considering strengths and weaknesses of both bladed and squared stances, do you think there’s a benefit of a fighter practicing and perhaps switching between both stance styles when appropriate in competition?

Pretty simple one really - With Topuria at the height of his powers, how does anyone beat him? Is it as simple as a great top control wrestler, striking from southpaw I guess? If you could custom-design a guy to beat Ilia Topuria, what does he look like?

You've mentioned a bunch of niche BJJ techniques that shouldn't work in MMA but some people do (Pantoja's crabride/heelhooks, Olivera's heelhooks/de la riva, Ben Saunder's rubber guard). Are there any even more extreme examples of a guy finding a perfect way to use an esoteric move, or just refusing to accept that it doesnt work to the point that it does

What are Joshua Van’s chances against Pantoja.

I saw recently on X that once MMA fighters start to study Henry Armstrongs, in particular his in-fighting, they’ll be knocking fools out. Why is this, and is it true?

I have realized that many of the most consistent kickboxers imo are southpaw (thinking of petrosyan, Petch, Tenshin, Nadaka…). I also think their style is much more easy to understand in a systematic way but also harder to beat. Why does fighting a closed stanced matchup seem so much more difficult? My guess is: cutting the angle in an open stance matchup seems very intuitive and strong (either pivot outside their leadfoot or hop back to the other side and Cross Counter).

Will you be uploading some of your older articles from other websites to fight primer ? Killing the king Renan Barao anymore for example doesn’t have any working links or at least that I can see.

Is Paddy with good kicks, bigger size and solid grappling actually bad match up for Topuria?

Hey Jack, what's the worst thing you've ever smelled?

What makes that Japanese kickboxers such as Tenshin and Takei transition so well into boxing?

Who do you think is the best example in either boxing or MMA of a fighter that never reached their full potential or fell off a cliff purely due to the conditions of their the gym/team they trained with? I wonder how many exceptionally talented fighters we have missed out on because they wasted years with camps of people who had no idea what they were doing.

How would you train Clinch fighting? I find it very difficult to get Volume in because all my trainingpartners dont want to Clinch. I assume Most Just wrestle and thats a part why we dont see more of it. Read your stuff since fightland, keep Up the good Work, greetings from Germany!

Who is the Slack Muay most likely to break through in MMA? (lie to me and say John Haggerty). Are fighters like Joshua Van, or more obviously Topuria, evidence that scientific boxing training is one’s most valuable use of time? Samart Payslackaroon drunkenly chain smoking cigarettes before he won a Lumpinee Stadium Title Bless.

You’ve mentioned the book “The Fence” as a good guideline for self defense, to the point where you mentioned having the intention to teaching it to your kids. Are there any other books or tutorials you’d recommend for keeping yourself safe when trying to disengage a tense situation? cheers and hope you and the family are doing well Slacky J

Hello Jack. It's me, Ryan. Do you have an exit strategy for when the UFC becomes wholly unwatchable? You're scaling back to banger shit only and writing more about the things you like instead of talking about apex slop but do you have a plan to move on to something else entirely when UFC truly becomes nothing but 'content'? Full time fight Historian? England's premier sumo correspondent? Back to being a high-priced gigolo? But seriously, do you have a post-UFC life in mind?

With Islam Makhachev vs Jack Della Maddalena being the next Welterweight title fight , how would you break that fight down?

Who are good people to look at / good techniques for bridging the gap in an open stance matchup? Also what do you see for the future of the lightweight division with ranks 2-15 basically taken up by the old guard? Cheers and thanks for the great work from Germany

Is there any potential application of the banned moves in other sports to MMA such as the clothesline or shoulder charge?

Morning big man, I’m never usually here when the pod questions go up so I’m going to take advantage of this opportunity to ask two questions. Firstly, now that we are in the OnlyBangers era of the Slacky podcast, can we get some star ratings back for the bangers? Or maybe a different general rating system? I know it’s a little extra prep work for you before the podcast and you’re getting a bit senile - but I’d love to hear how you’d score a Topuria vs Oliveira or a Belal vs JDM compared to a Rountree vs Hill for example. Second question, what is your opinion on the UFC BJJ project, and more importantly, what do you think this means for competitions like ADCC and CJI now that the UFC are involved and are locking athletes into exclusive contracts, which has stirred things up in the community like the recent “beef” (sorry) between Craig Jones and Ffion Davies? Been an avid listener for 5 years now, thank you for always giving me something to listen to when the mrs forces me to do the washing up, or I have to mow the grass. The Merky Joanna Jedrzejczyk of “It’s Thursday - have I been paid yet?” bless.

Hi Jack, have you ever read A Fighters Heart by Sam Sheridan? It's a strange mix of travelogue and early mma from a competent journalist. Do you have any book recommendations of that type? I've read a few fighters biographies but they have been a bit underwhelming! Cheers

Thoughts on Pimblett vs Gaethje match up? Is Gathje's wrestling a myth or is it real?

Why don't we see more elbows and elbow specialists in modern MMA? It can't just be a lack of information amongst coaches, right?

If you start learning MMA from scratch, would you train pure jiujitsu? Or does it give you bad habits for the modern MMA meta.

What are the best ways to land the hook off the jab? What do you see as the best and worst examples of strength and conditioning making a difference in a fighter's game? Are you psyched for the Sumo coming up (TWO YOKOZUNAS????) or are you over it? What's a piece of fight history you picked up that you need the world to know?

Hey Jack: It’s been a minute since you’ve checked in on the new JMMA prospects coming up (mainly Taira, Tsuruya, and Makoto Shinryu over in Rizin) have your thoughts changed on any them? And has their potential ceiling moved up or down?

Why the change from one shot fighters throwing ko power to counter strikers to volume boxers?

Any other good boxing documentaries? Loved Four Kings on Amazon and am eager to learn more about the other eras

who is the worst style matchup for ilia at 55

Weapons that you'd add to a fighter with no real knockout threat to give them something that can get opponents to respect them on the feet?

Is Islam the one to beat tuporia or if not who might be in your opinion?

who are the top 5 MMA fighters never to fight for the UFC? Let's exclude Fedor that's an easy one

Examples of a smaller fighter using the jab well against a taller/longer opponent please Slacky. I have my own ideas but would love to hear your thoughts. My head says Carl Frampton is a shout.