Happy Friday Maniacs! I hope you had a good week and you’ve got some stellar plans for the weekend. In addition to closing the work week, Friday is also when we answer all those questions you put in our mailbag.
This week we’re answering questions about Gable, Arman and even Shavkat! Check it out.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 19: Sean Sharaf knocks out Gable Steveson in a heavyweight fight during the UFC 331 event at Crypto.com Arena on September 19, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC) Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC
Question: What was the biggest thing that cost Loophole the fight this weekend? (Igl00Man)
Anton Tabuena: Biggest thing is that he clearly never wanted to do MMA, until he failed at all his other options. Also, I don’t doubt Jon Jones’ value as a training partner, but I’m not sure if he and Greg Jackson are the best coaches for him right now. Because one, Gable doesn’t have Jones’ length or creativity, and two, it’s 2026.
Andrew Richardson: Inexperience. Trying to be Jon Jones on the feet while 5’11”.
Jesse Holland: Ego. Steveson is a 26-year-old Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling who convinced himself he was a striker after recycling a couple of cans on the local circuit.
Tim Edwards: Like Sharaf, and Nate Diaz before him, I wasn’t surprised by this at all. And there’s evidence for that in my betting column and the fight streak feed post. I also wrote, after Steveson beat Ellision, that he needs to figure out his striking defense because he would get stopped sooner rather than later if he didn’t. So I don’t think this was a shocking turn of events. What made this shocking, in my opinion, is the state of MMA oddsmaking. We’ve seen an unprecedented amount of big upsets this year (Song Yadong, Bella Mir, Justin Gaethje, Sean Strickland…). I think the reason these all feel so surprising is because of the odds that were put on these fighters. This isn’t a fully fleshed out theory yet, but I think it’s possible that Polymarket, Kalshi and other sites like that might be responsible for this. I think this system of buying shares in yes/no outcomes is somehow generating odds that are much farther apart than usual and that traditional betting sites are matching that in order to keep their customers.
So, in short, I think the biggest thing that cost Steveson the fight was that he’s not a great fighter. And the biggest reason we’re so surprised is because the betting industry was so wrong about that.
Jeff Bottari/ZUFFA Inc
Q: Is there any hope for the HW division? (MildoggyMan)
Anton Tabuena: Nope. It’s already paper thin, but UFC also completely failed to properly promote the two biggest heavyweight stars from this era in Ngannou and Aspinall. Also, I will forever die on this hill, but Flyweights >>> Heavyweights.
Andrew Richardson: It’ll keep chugging along in its current state (a few good contenders, a lot of trash) for quite a while. Maybe in the 2030s?
Jesse Holland: [punches ticket to board Anthony Wint hype train] “ALL ABOOOOAAAARRRRD!” 🚂💨
Alex Behunin: Without Tom Aspinall, no.
Tim Edwards: At this point, let’s just recognize chaos is a feature and not a buy when it comes to Heavyweight. Heavyweight MMA has been wild, unpredictable and infuriating since its inception. Guys who are this big usually have other outlets they can go into for pro sports. The ones who find us here and usually interesting characters. I don’t really get down about the title vacating, the interim belts, the matches that never come and just recognize that Heavyweight MMA will always be weird and we just need to go along for the ride.
Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Q: could Pantoja have beaten Van if he was less emotional? Or was Van just going to be better regardless? (cavemanoncomputer)
Andrew Richardson: I don’t think the emotions played a big role. Pantoja fought like he always does and found a good bit of success, but Van came prepared with the answers.
Jesse Holland: Pantoja was a great champion, but he’s older and slower than Van, who is just too dynamic for an old dog with a ton of mileage. That said, I would not be surprised to see a third meeting between these two, depending on how the division shakes out.
Alex Behunin: Father time is undefeated, so probably not
Tim Edwards: This looked a lot like Ilia Topuria’s loss to Justin Gaethje to me. I think Pantoja went out there to try and prove a point; that he could walk through Van’s offense and do what he does best. Pantoja ended up like Topuria, though. He took too much damage to be effective. Both those fights feel like some pretty devastating cases of hubris. The difference, though, is that — I think — if Topuria fought a risk adverse gameplan he would have beaten Gaethje. In Pantoja’s case, a perfect gameplan, where he sits back and gets reactive takedowns and spends minutes at a time on top, might have got the job done. But I think the gap between him and Van, due to age and Van’s improvement, means I think Van could have still won in that scenario.
I do think Pantoja fought that way because he was emotional. It felt like he hated see Van parade with the belt and got into his head that this kid had usurped him and he was going to teach him a lesson. If he’d stayed cool and viewed Van as just another opponent, he might have done better.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 19: Arman Tsarukyan of Georgia reacts after a knockout victory against Mauricio Ruffy of Brazil in a lightweight fight during the UFC 331 event at Crypto.com Arena on September 19, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Q: What is Arman’s ceiling at LW? He’s widely favored to wreck Gaethje, but even if he does, how long could he conceivably hold the strap? (Casual_Monk)
Andrew Richardson: I don’t think Tsarukyan has a crazy long reign. The top-tier of Lightweight is too elite, and he gets hit a little too often on the feet for my liking. But, he certainly has a reasonable-to-excellent chance against anyone in the division.
Jesse Holland: I think it’s still too early to tell because Arman, for all his success (and all his hype), does not have a strong resume. His biggest win since losing to Mateusz Gamrot is a split decision nod over Charles Oliveira. Tsarukyan’s victory over Mauricio Ruffy was impressive, but Arman went 1-for-10 in takedowns and the Brazilian was not in title contention. Jury is still out for me.
Alex Behunin: His ceiling is UFC champion, but with how stacked Lightweight is and has always been, he’ll probably get one or two defenses and then lose.
Tim Edwards: I favor him to beat Gaethje and that’s because of his wrestling advantage. A badly hurt Topuria was able to take Gaethje down and pass guard like it was nothing. I think Tsarukyan, with his size and even better wrestling, will have an even easier time of getting Gaethje down and securing a dominant position. If Tsarukyan does get the title I can see him moving up to Welterweight soon after, to chase Islam Makhachev (if he’s still around). Also, Lightweight isn’t the shark tank it once was. The more established names are aging out and, outside of Quillan Salkilld and Salahdine Parnasse, there’s not a ton of guys in the top fifteen who super exciting.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – SEPTEMBER 22: A general view of the Octagon during Dana White’s Contender Series Season 10, Week 7 at Meta APEX on September 22, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Q: DWCS is becoming my favorite UFC product. The fights deliver and they genuinely create excitement for me. Far more than any ufc show. Am I alone or is that simply the effect the show is supposed to have? (Chucs)
Anton Tabuena: You’re allowed to enjoy what you want, but DWCS is really not for me. Low level and/or uneven matchups will typically have more finishes, and the show is more about signing hundreds of cheap talent than actually finding the best prospects. It’s really not my thing, and if we’re just looking for excitement and higher stakes, Road to UFC tournaments actually do it better.
Andrew Richardson: I definitely don’t think you’re alone. The matchmaking can be a little one-sided, but Contender Series events are consistently fun and don’t overstay their welcome.
Jesse Holland: I don’t understand how fans can rave about DWCS when it features fighters they never heard of, but then groan when UFC cards don’t have any “stars” in the lineup. Especially in the era of Paramount+ when it all falls under the same subscription price. That said, DWCS has amazing battles because that’s how you get into UFC – and every fighter still fights when they don’t have a ranking or million-dollar sponsorship to protect.
Alex Behunin: It is by far the most exciting fight show because they all know that if they go out and fight like maniacs, there is a chance of getting signed, win or lose.
However, I absolutely hate the matchmaking nowadays for the most part, and I feel like it has lost its specialness.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – DECEMBER 06: Shavkat Rakhmonov of Uzbekistan poses on the scale during the UFC 310 ceremonial weigh-in at MGM Grand Garden Arena on December 06, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Q: I know what I’ve read but how much in jeopardy is Shavkats career? If he never wins a title is taking the Garry fight injured to blame, is it the 2+ years he lost to injury in his prime where he wasn’t able to fight let alone progress or develop? And if he never comes back, how high on the list of could have beens is he? (Chucs)
Andrew Richardson: Shavkat in his prime — the man who destroyed Geoff Neal on the feet and ground alike — was an obvious future champion, an athlete who I believe was perfectly built to torch Islam at 170. It’s still not impossible that he returns to that level, but it’s unlikely. Doing big weight cuts and maintaining a very physical style is a serious ask on the body (as somebody like Dominick Cruz discovered).
Jesse Holland: Shavkat will never see a UFC title because that type of knee injury is a career-killer. I’m sure he’ll eventually come back and steamroll someone in the bottom half of the rankings, but the killer we used to know is dead and buried. That makes me sad. He’s gotta be in the Top 5 all-time of “What coulda been.”
American actor James Gandolfini, as Tony Soprano, smokes a cigar while he stands in pool, in publicity still for the HBO cable TV series ‘The Sopranos,’ 1999. (Photo by Anthony Neste/Getty Images) Getty Images
Q: I just finished season one of the Wire – of the two HBO prestige series of that time, do you prefer the Wire or the Sopranos? (cavemanoncomputer)
Alex Behunin: I think The Wire is the overall better series, but Sopranos is the more iconic series. Also, The Sopranos is much more rewatchable.
Jesse Holland: The Wire was superior in terms of writing. The Sopranos was like WWE of dramatic television. A helluva lotta fun to watch but too many cartoony characters and overly silly circumstances.
Tim Edwards: This is really tough. I love both shows and have watched them, in entirety, roughly the same amount of times. I watched The Sopranos, again, more recently. So my knee jerk reaction is to pick that show. The Sopranos also has magical realism elements and I really like that. The Wire is still incredible, though, and the realism there is almost as enjoyable, to me, as the more magical things we see with Tony and his crew.
While we are talking HBO, though, please go check out Six Feet Under and The Leftovers. Both are criminally underrated.
The Sopranos or The Wire?
This was in our mailbag, so why not give you folks a chance to answer this awful awful question.
Closes in 4 days • 50 total votesView results
The SopranosThe WireRec 2CommentsThin Stroke Comment Icon BubbleReplyRead 12 replies
GLENDALE, CA – October 17: UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey works on the speed bag as coach Edmond Tarverdyan watches at the Glendale Fighting Club in Glendale,CA, Friday, October 17, 2015. Rousey will face Holly Holm during UFC 193, November 15, 2015 at Etihad Stadium in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images) MediaNews Group via Getty Images
Q: How quickly and against whom could we and should we see Abdulaev fight? (Chucs)
Jesse Holland: Ordinarily I would say a fighter with his experience should be fast-tracked to Top 10 competition, but the way we’ve been seeing all these crazy upsets lately, maybe we let him crack open a few cans to keep the party going. After all, it worked for Gable Steve– oh shit, nevermind. Ludovit Klein feels like a good jumping off point.
Alex Behunin: I would like to see Akbar Abdullaev fight someone in the Top 20, like Manuel Torrest, and then get launched into the top 10 – but if they were to throw him in there against a Rafael Fiziev, I would be super down
Q: who’s the next undefeated FW they should match Ethyn Ewing against? (Casual_Monk)
Andrew Richardson: I’m ready to move beyond the meme and get Ewing fights that move him up the ladder in a significant way. Or at least offer that opportunity!
Alex Behunin: Just rebook the Farid Basharat fight.
Tim Edwards: I want to see him against someone who has done a lot at this level. Let’s see if he can get past Josh Emmett.
Q: Has anyone else improved at such a rapid rate as Joshua Van? (LoneCowboy)
Andrew Richardson: I’m reminded of Max Holloway’s surge from almost losing to Leonard Garcia to ripping off an insane win streak that saw him dominantly capture gold and defend the belt more than once.
Jesse Holland: He’s definitely improving but I also think his style is what’s giving everyone problems. He reminds me of a young Demetrious Johnson and at this rate, could follow in those “Mighty” footsteps.
Tim Edwards: Sometimes we see the titles really make fighters. And I feel Van has blossomed since he got that belt. Flyweight is so stacked, though, that I’m not totally confident he keeps it for a long time. I think we see a lot of Flyweights look so good, so young, because many of them are amazing athletes who are coming straight to MMA (since there’s not many other pro sports out there looking for their body types).
Q: Why aren’t others rushing to (Van’s) gym? (LoneCowboy)
Andrew Richardson: There probably are more fighters there than a year ago, it just takes time to see those results in the UFC.
Jesse Holland: It’s not the restaurant, it’s the chef.