UFC is taking the first half of 2026 off. Give me your questions for the pod

Hi Jack, slightly odd philosophy-of-sports question, but as an observer of the sport, how do you account for the role of luck? It's always felt like (in some sports more than others) there is this huge element of luck that determines outcomes. Sure - in MMA the better fighter out of a pair will win a majority of fights, but we typically only get one or two. A friend swears that tennis is the game with the lowest element of luck in it. I'm curious how you think of MMA/combat sports in these terms. How big a proportion do you allow luck to account for in the result of a fight, or for the sake of your sanity as a commentator do you have to set that aside to some extent?

Hey Jack, A big thing I have been curious about is how you tell if a fighter is starting to lose a step? I remember watching Kyoji Horiguchi in his last fight and thinking he looks great. However when I listen to your podcast after the card, it seemed like you thought he had lost a step. Granted, I have not followed his career as closely, so it may be more obvious to others. What are some subtle signs that a fighter is not quite the same?

Would having a BBL provide advantage in the grappling

What are some fights that didn’t happen, which should have or almost happened, that you wish you could have seen? There’s the obvious khabib vs Ferguson but there are some other cool ones like rickson vs sakuraba, maybe mayweather vs pacquiao earlier in their careers, etc.

Whatever happened to Savvas Michael?

You’ve said before that it’s not always the second best fighter who will give the champ the hardest fight, but sometimes the fifth or even 20th best fighter (a quote I love and annoy my friends with, btw). Do you have any title matches that you wish you could have seen due to the style matchup, but we never got because the hypothetical challenger never did enough to break into clear contender status (or was outright kinda mid)? You’ve talked before about how Dariush would have been an intriguing matchup for Islam, and I’m curious if there are any other such matchups that haunt you. Did CM Punk secretly have the exact toolkit needed to beat Tyron Woodley? Yours truly, the Tony Ferguson of being a bony, worthless son, TragicMike

What’s the least amount of Francis Ngannous you’d pick to confidently beat a gorilla? And what about a polar bear

Is there any place I can dig up your old Fightland articles?

Why do you mock us by saying you will give us your thoughts on Rizin events, but never do? :_(

How come checking both hands isn’t more common in MMA? It seems like an easy way to neutralize/annoy better boxers.

I’ve been enjoying training in the gi more recently. Who would you recommend to watch and study? Using the lapels to pass and choke people is a lot of fun. I’m a big boi 100kg+ so any heavy lads worth watching. Also, what regional European fighters have you seen recently that look good? I’m enjoying Solomon Simon but might be Irish bias. He does post a lot of tips online so it seems he actually studies the game

Bought the Rizin NYE card for the first time and had an absolute blast. Are you going to break down the fights at all?

Hi Jack, interested to hear your thoughts on Jack Dempsey’s championship fighting book

Hi Jack, curious what you think of Craig Jones’ Octopus 2.0 if you’ve had a chance to take a look at it?

Hi jack long time listener first time questioner, How do you know what to look for when you’re studying fights and particular fighters? Is most of it obvious on the 2nd time round?

Hi Jack, love your work since fightland (I still miss Wushu Watch). I struggle more and more to be interested in the UFC in this bloated era. What are the fighters (known and less known) who are must be followed in 2026 in your eyes ? Side question : do you have recommendations on how to watch a fight ? To understanding what’s going on better ? And lastly, not a question but I would be a sucker for Jack Slack playlist of must see fights on youtube. Be it Boxing, muay thaï, mma or grappling. Thanks for everything and greeting from the southwest of France.

Can you think of many fights where a fighter has blown through their gas tank early on but still gone the distance and had a good fight? Eg. Hunt vs Silva

Whats the craic Jack I fucking hate hyperthetical match making but that being said, who wins in either a ring, bowl, pit, alley or cage Old man strength java cake catch wrestler Dad Jack vs young bobby knuckles karate boxing Boi Jack? Also just started the Wire, little micheal B chinless bless

Hi Jack, could you talk more about on getting into range against an opponent who teeps a lot? Particular how Yoza got past Superlek’s teep? I know you touched on it a bit in your recent breakdown by stating how Yoza would cut kick under Superlek’s front kicks sometimes. But could you go into the other ways he responded to the teep? Personally I’ve had success pulling out of range to let the teep fall short while double jabbing in as they retract their teeping leg. I’ve also had success checking the teep. But I still get stuck outside of range against taller teepers. Any advice would be appreciated!

Hey Slacky Have you been paying attention to Real American Freestyle at all? They've had some banger matches and a great combination of UFC vets and high level wrestlers. Nice to see elite wrestlers outside of Worlds & the Olympics, and nice to see some fighters show off one aspect of their skillset

Is Half Guard dead? Firas Zahabi doesnt like half guard at all, he says there's only a handful of people in the world who's half guard he would avoid (One of them being his student Mansour Barnoui), has top half advanced to the point where looking for half guard from bottom is a unfavourable option? JDM's coach said inbetween rounds 'Whole camp we said no half guard, you're just sitting in half guard'

what should we do with our lives now that mma is dead?

what are your thoughts on a fighter's main guard being the single leg? and what would be the best things to pair it with? yes i'm absolutely asking for myself. costello van penis bless

Read any good books lately? Im beginning to learn how to read

Hey slack big Fan. We all know that larger fighters tend to prefer more slow paced controlled fights in most combat sports. With lighter weights tending to prefer mobility and activity just due to the physics of weight. Who are you're choice fighters who fight in ways counter to their physique and or size(successfully, no need to shit on struve more). Signed, a heavy weight who can easily invert but is deathly afraid of it due to being stacked one time.

Hey Jack, tips for improving analytical skills with regard to combat sports? From a hopeful next Jack Slack

With the bar for talent being lower or the ufc wanting talent they can get thru the dwcs on low contracts. That a fighter who started fighting later in life had a better chance at getting in the ufc? Given they are type of fighter ufc likes exciting/entertaining and have a good record ?

Hi Jack, I'm looking to return to BJJ after taking a while off due to a wrist ligament reconstruction. I swear I remember you saying long ago that you go for guillotines in a particular way because of your wrist or hand - do you happen to have any other busted appendage tips or tactics? I'm especially worried about breakfalls and posting on that hand. Best, the Gunnar Nelson of raising a Fail Son

Secondary question, do you see any possible avenue for a return to proper one night tournaments in the modern MMA landscape? I feel like the short answer is pay the fighters accordingly for the immense risk involved, but you'll say it prettier. The Mickey Ward of driving a shitty Ford. Bless.

Hello Jack, Matchmaking thought experiment; you must book three fights with fighters from any era. One has to end in a KO, one has to be competitive banger, and the third must be an absolute squash match that looks like contracted murder. What fights do you book? For me, guaranteed KO is Anthony Smith vs Johnny Walker (fetal guard vs glass chin), banger fight would be Dom Cruz vs Frankie Edgar (before they got long in the tooth), and the squash match would be middleweight Alex Pereira vs another Anthony Smith.

Hello Jack, now that the three big men from the 70s have left this corporeal hellscape will we be getting a new heavyweight history episode? Also, when are we getting a Julio Cesar Chavez article?

In mma rule sets that allow knees to grounded opponents heads like ONE or Pride is North South position the best control position you can have and are there any fighters who used North South position often.

Hi Jack can you explain why some fighters struggle to put pressure on a fighter when that is the most obvious solution to deliver effective offense?

What techniques/strategies have helped middling fighters overperform the most?

Hi Jack, Since not every jab doesn't need to be a stiff blast to the face with 100% power, and when feinting, we want our feints to look the same as real punches, that implies you should ideally you use a mix of feints 'strengths'. Is there anything important to know about varying the style of feints in this manner? either in the context of the jab or other strikes? Thanks, your boi Padraic

Your recent video and article on Yuki Yoza was very interesting. I am curious about adapting some of these techniques for a southpaw in an open stance matchup. The most obvious seems to be a cut kick to the opponent’s lead leg as their rear leg kicks or checks, but are there more “attacking the check” types of tactics that may work here? Thanks!

I'm a small and lanky white belt (just got my first stripe today). I want to work on my butterfly guard because I find it's good for sweeps against stronger people but I struggle keeping it and getting to it. Apart from tightening my hooks/building strength, are there any general principles about butterfly guard that I should know?

I was watching some kyokushin videos and noticed that their check looks different than traditional Muay thai. Almost as if they were trying to kick a hacky sack in between their legs rather than their toes pointing away from the centerline. I was wondering if you've noticed any fighters using this and some pros and cons compared to the normal check. I tried it in muay thai and felt off balance but maybe I'm missing something. Here's a video of someone showing it for reference https://youtube.com/shorts/AjmFn8SBLG4?si=6aIWpE4_-l_s37px

What will we get first, a good heavyweight division or GTA 6.

It feels like these days there are basically no fighters who excel at ground and pound. Is this just a case of MMA fighters forgetting to train it or have adaptations been made in scrambling/bottom games that make it less feasible? What do you think are the principles for good and effective ground and pound?

Do you think in years to come it will be as easy for UK fighters to get into the UFC as it is USA fighters ?

At this point, we know the IBJJF ruleset has largely not produced the best MMA grapplers. Gordon Ryan has said that ADCC is the best ruleset for MMA-transferable grappling. Do you agree with this? If so, do you think with the increasing popularity of ADCC events we will see an increase in grapplers successfully crossing over from that ruleset?

When do you think a fighters toughness and longevity starts to work against them ? I love Do Bronxs, Poirier and the likes, even the greats in boxing like Ali, Tyson and Foreman, all phenomenal fighters and dogs through and through, but when is the best time to tell them enough is enough ?

What are your favorite resources for strength and conditioning? Namely for consistently increasing stamina.

Oi oi oi, Slacky boy! You know? I was watching your video about Yuki Yoza and I noticed that most of his kicks seem to be used in combination. So, what are the most useful/easiest kick combinations? And what are your thoughts on sweeping the lead leg like the "coup de pied bas" in savate? Is it possible to perform that without the shoes?

Opinion on the applicability of the BJJ position 'high ground' in MMA?

Going into 2026, who are a few UFC prospects that you think will have a breakout year this year?

Fuck, marry, kill: Shamil Gaziev, Valentina Shevchenko, Bryce Mitchell

Give us your thoughts on Shamil 'The Meal Deal' Gaviev and how soon you think the title walk will restart

Asked this before on a question thread - What are your thoughts on Joe Lewis instructionals?, almost all of them are free on youtube. Joe Lewis the kickboxer not "The Brown Bomber" Joe Louis. In one of the videos he talks about the principle of attacking and weakening the opponent's position. The bois 9h6st21 and also Ryan Wagner have talked about and written about various ways to do this. Ghost for example has talked about attacking the opponent in the middle of a weight transition (timing the step forward with a counter or timing the backwards step with a filler jab). While Ryan Wagner has talked about laying the ground work for a clean entry by drawing the opponent out of position with feints. What do you think about creating weaknesses in the opponent's current position or movement?

Yoo whats up Jack, have you competed much in grappling or striking?do you compete now?

What adjustments could Merab make to beat Yan in a potential rematch. The body shots looked they nerfed his whole gameplan

Hi Jack, could you explain the best modern solutions to heavy top pressure from guys like Islam. It seemed like octopus guard was a valid solution for a while, but we saw that it really shut down with the darce threat. Has the Craig Jones code been cracked? Maybe leg entanglement are the solution?

First of please help a fellow Brit out and let me know how you watch fights and if u pay at all? Currently watching via discovery+ but not staying up all night and watching the full thing next morning sounds better. Secondly out of the main events for ufc 324,325 and 326 which fight are you most confident about predicting. And any chance you could do a write up on the boxing of GGG or Shawn Porters dirty boxing ? Don’t ask for too much do I.

G'day jack, have you ever read any of William Fairbairns books? I imagine you would, if so what do you think? I was initially disappointed when I got it 8 years ago but read it again recently and was more impressed with it second time around. I still wouldn't recommend the purchase though.

How essential is hard sparring for people wanting to compete?

Hey slackman, hope the new years treating you well, was curious what resources, wether they be books, YouTube channels, social media pages etc you'd recommend for somebody wanting to learn more about Karate mechanics and general methodology. Mostly learned striking thrue a boxing and muay thai lense but love me some gooch,machida (his victory belt book is fire emoji) and yoza

Bonsoir Jack How can/should a fighter who relies a lot on movement and footwork adapt their styles as they get older and their feet deteriorate? Stephen Thompson sits down on his strikes and relies on pull counters more but he really struggles with the ring craft nowadays , what else could he do?

Hey Slacky! The quality of good ol’ ground n pound seems to being downhill. Will 2026 see the return of the “lay and pray” game plan?

What kind of striker are you? Are you more of an infighter who likes clinching and dirty boxing? Or do you like fighting at kick distance using long range weapons like jabs and lead leg kicks?

What would you say are the key differences between how Jose Napoles snuck his back foot up to push off it, vs how Karate Blitz guys do it? Are they incompatible with eachother or can they be merged together?

Hi Jack, I've been thinking about the concept of intelligence lately, and wondered whether there is any correlation between 'fight IQ' (generally defined as a fighter's ability to make clever choices during a fight) and raw cognitive IQ. There are examples of fighters who seem actually too dumb to tie their own shoelaces, but are seen as having high fight IQ (e.g. Gervonta Davis). Please give me your thoughts on this.

2026* lol

Will Dim Mak-ing Dana save the ufc? Do you think after Dana is gone we will see theatrics and cool walkouts or any care put in to events? I've been watching a lot of old Pride and caught the nye rizin event and have been wondering if we would ever see something like that in the UFC if Dana diddn't despise big walkouts and shows for some reason.

Big hello from Australia Jack! Do you plan to do any writing on Naoya Inoue at any point? I've you heard you talk briefly about him, but his run in the last year has been so excellent, that I would love to hear your thoughts on him in longer form. Cheers!

What Sports did you compete in yourself and how was the experience?

Early thoughts on Hernandez vs. Strickland? Standing bolt upright with your feet together isn’t the best base for takedown defense

What got you into writing, what makes a good writer in your opinion?

How would a 5'9 boxer (71 inch reach) go about beating someone the size of Fundora (6'6, 80inch)?

Who are your least liked fighters? Besides Valentina and Merab obviously. Always happy to hear Merab slander

Who are the biggest “unknown quantity” champions in history? e.g. Tom aspinall.

I saw a stat recently that the little dingdong of a ting Topturo has never thrown a body or head kick in the UFC. What do you think of this? Is it a hole in his game or a smart choice for his skillset and physique? Cheers mate

Nobody mentioned Charles Oliveira for the "but why" award. He did what he always does to be fair (Stand in the fire, and take one to give one) But doing it with Ilia is a guaranteed bad time. Some additional gameplanning beyond the usual tactics would've been prudent. Ok I've said my peace.

I’m sure you covered this before but the future of leg locks in MMA. The prevailing wisdom is that they’re not possible because of the chance of getting punched but the thing is a good leg lock requires hip control and that inherently means the other person’s posture is gonna be such that they can’t punch at you. If you watch a compilation of UFC leg locks- in the successful attempts the guy has no chance to strike back. I have a feeling opportunistic leg locks will increasingly be prevalent because knowledge from sport bjj is going to slowly seep into MMA. What do you think Jacky? Are the masses right or wrong about the unviability of leg locks?

We would also appreciate if the podcast on YouTube could be posted to patron directly so we can listen to it while having our phone off or not being in the app

Rewatching Kron Gracie prime in bjj. I noticed his guard could be categorized a rudimentary. (Not taking away how elite it was) but when compared to the Mendes bros, Miyaos, Lachlan is there a reason he was able to get away with having guard retention that looked otherwise basic in an era that had so many elite guard passers?

Can you give me the 12 key fights to watch (preferably in chronological order) to help me understand the four kings era. Not necessarily the best fights, but the ones which’ll help me understand their styles and the wider period in general. Thanks,

Is there any realm of advantage for a short fighter who has a taller opponent assuming both are equally skilled?

Your thoughts on using leglocks in amateur mma(no heel hooks allowed) also striking positions off your back or in scrambles(outside funk looks like a good position to strike from

What's up slacky? What's your favorite fight that never happened? I still have dreams about Rumble Jones and Aldo -Pettis.

Opinions on empty half guard and sumi gaeshi as positions to butt scoot to begin wall walking from? Thoughts on Octopus Guard 2.0?

Oi oi Jack, who are some good examples of body jabbers in any combat sport?

Please consider and share your thoughts on the invention of a combat sport with a rule stucture and culture that encourages eye pokes and groin strikes to replace Sanda, or possibly to exist alongside sanda as a separate league, similar to the combat sambo/sport sambo dynamic. What would that sport look like? Would we see animal styles and moves from old martial arts manuals? Imagine a competent MMA competitor who is also a champion of this hypothetical sport goes to vale tudo. How dangerous would that guy be?

If jiu jitsu's not gay, then why do I get turned on when cute boys triangle-choke me??

Damn they’re retroactively taking off the first part of last year

It’s 2026 but it seems like UFC took the entire 2025 off.