Louder with Crowder - January 20, 2022


UFC 270 Ngannou vs Gane back-up Fighter...


Episode Stats

Length

6 minutes

Words per Minute

197.78394

Word Count

1,190

Sentence Count

76


Summary

What would you do if you were the UFC's backup fighter? What role would you play in the build-up to Jon Jones vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov on Saturday night in Las Vegas? And what would the UFC do if they had a backup fighter in the ring with them?


Transcript

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00:00:57.000 Head to geology.com Somebody is the backup fighter.
00:01:10.000 We will not know who that is until Friday morning between 9 and 11 a.m.
00:01:13.000 when some heavyweight walks through the curtain and gets on the scale.
00:01:17.000 It is the opposite of blowing it up.
00:01:21.000 Not only do we not put media on there, not only do we not put a spotlight on there, we don't even tell people.
00:01:25.000 I mean, I'll give you an example, but I was at the weigh-ins at MSG.
00:01:29.000 Kamar Uzman gonna take on Colby Covington.
00:01:33.000 Luque comes out and gets on the scale.
00:01:35.000 We were not even told as an audience that he was in town.
00:01:38.000 Luque ended up missing weight, but that's when we found out that they at least had a body.
00:01:41.000 The show will go on.
00:01:44.000 The main event will be preserved.
00:01:47.000 Now that is obviously a calculated effort of the marketing department that says, don't take anyone's eyes or focus off of what we're promising.
00:01:57.000 I understand that.
00:01:58.000 And if it happened one time, I might have to revisit and go, guys, I was wrong.
00:02:01.000 We never should have said anything.
00:02:03.000 It created a huge distraction.
00:02:06.000 The audience didn't know.
00:02:07.000 The fans were confused.
00:02:09.000 This backup guy started getting more run and more attention.
00:02:11.000 It was a big mistake.
00:02:12.000 Maybe!
00:02:13.000 I would still like to see that tested out.
00:02:17.000 Because I don't think that's the case.
00:02:20.000 I think if Jon Jones were the backup fighter, by example, you've got Surreal, you've got Engano, who quite frankly you would have had more fun in my bathroom this morning watching me brush my teeth.
00:02:34.000 You would have found that more interesting than any buildup that the Undisputed Champ or the Interim Champ have done leading into this contest.
00:02:44.000 I actually thought of doing that, by the way.
00:02:47.000 I thought about coming here, sitting in front of this lens, and telling you guys, I'm gonna give you something more interesting than Francis Orr Surreal has done.
00:02:54.000 I really thought of doing that.
00:02:55.000 I didn't have time to run home and grab the props.
00:02:57.000 And then I was gonna take out a toothbrush and toothpaste and I was gonna have you watch me brush my teeth.
00:03:02.000 And you would have liked it more and I would have done more views than any interview that either one of them have done.
00:03:08.000 Which is why I offer for you, if you inserted, if you dangled the carrot of Jon Jones, Whether we get him or not.
00:03:16.000 Whether Jon ever got in there or not.
00:03:19.000 If you dangled that carrot, you put Jon Jones into the front row, you do a cameo, possibly an in-ring face-off, we'll see how that goes, that's gotta be done organically, you cannot force it, I've seen him forced, it looks terrible.
00:03:31.000 But I've also seen guys in the front row never leave their seat.
00:03:34.000 They flant a camera to him, he's standing on his feet, he's pointing the ring, you're next, that type thing, whatever it is, it's a treat though, it's a real treat for the audience.
00:03:42.000 I think more focus should be put on the backup fighter.
00:03:44.000 I think the history of backup fighters, which I already laid out for you with two examples off the top of my head, of Chandler and of Kamara Usman, I think it shows you what a sweet spot that is, and guys were starting to embrace it.
00:03:57.000 Everybody knew what an opportunity this backup business was.
00:04:00.000 You get some level of participation, I think they give you 10 grand just to get on the scale.
00:04:07.000 So now all of a sudden you got a great seat, you got a trip, you got a training camp under your belt, and you got a few bucks to take the boys that helped get you out to a beautiful dinner.
00:04:14.000 I mean, it's a really neat thing to do.
00:04:16.000 Conor McGregor got asked to do it for UFC 246, what ended up being Gaethje vs. Ferguson, and Conor publicly said, I'm not a backup fighter, as though it was uncool.
00:04:28.000 So the whole world had to go copy Conor, and all of a sudden they don't want to be backup fighters.
00:04:33.000 Well, what part of the backup fighter did you not like?
00:04:35.000 Did you not like that you were going to have to train, that you were going to have to prepare, that you were going to have to be in the USADA pool, that you were going to have to have a team around you?
00:04:41.000 Did you not like the first-class tickets, staying in a beautiful suite out to whatever city this fight was in?
00:04:46.000 Did you not like being handed $10,000 to do absolutely nothing except get down to your skivvies one day before the fight?
00:04:52.000 What part of that didn't you like?
00:04:55.000 What part of that are you above?
00:05:00.000 It's a very coveted position.
00:05:03.000 Somebody is the backup fighter this weekend.
00:05:05.000 I don't know who it is.
00:05:07.000 My guess, you're going to see Derek Lewis come through.
00:05:12.000 You could also go to a Curtis Blades.
00:05:15.000 You could.
00:05:15.000 In all fairness, you could.
00:05:18.000 Probably going to be Derek.
00:05:20.000 But the fact that we haven't been told means somebody doesn't agree with me.
00:05:23.000 Somebody thinks that that could take attention off the ball.
00:05:27.000 But the great reveal when they come out for the weigh-in and now we know for 24 hours anything could happen.
00:05:32.000 We know anyway!
00:05:33.000 What's the difference if I knew a month ago or I find out 24 hours before?
00:05:36.000 What's the difference?
00:05:37.000 Other than I have no ability to be excited about it.
00:05:39.000 I have no ability to speculate on it.
00:05:42.000 I have no ability to go into camp to make some phone calls, to see how training's going, to see what the weight's like, see how fast he's sprinting up the hill, see what his time in a mile is, time in two miles.
00:05:51.000 We find these things out.
00:05:53.000 We find these things out.
00:05:54.000 I have no ability to do that now.
00:05:57.000 But I have all of the same thoughts.
00:05:59.000 I just have them for 24 hours instead of 30 days.