A bit of a different pod this week -- had my friend and colleague-in-data Jason Lieb of MMAI Fight Analytics, or the early Driveline (data-driven disruptor) of MMA on. Jason's been leading the drive on investigative journaling in the seedy world of the fight business as well as deep data dives in strike by strike analysis -> we've collaborated in the past on some MMA data analysis, but we spent a good chunk of this wide ranging podcast talking about the UFC's gambling problem, modern day loopholes in MMA regulation, an in depth look at Jon Jones's career and this weekend's return against past UFC Heavyweight Interim Champ Cyril Gane, as well as a lightning fast breakdown of the rest of UFC 285. Meant to talk more baseball but had too much fun chopping it up on the UFC side and ran out of time -- let me know what you guys think of this episode and if you're interested in more cross-sports pods!
Timestamps:
0:00 Intros
1:27 Jason starting MMAI + MVP Machine Inspiration
4:00 The UFC's Gambling Problem
14:00 UFC Wild West
20:13 UFC Turning 30 + Back to Gambling Problem and USADA Legitimacy
26:50 Conor McGregor Transformation + Chandler Fight Prediction
36:05 Jiri record breaking USADA tests
37:32 Jon Jones's Return
41:35 Jason's breakdown of Jones's style and progression
57:53 Jones/Gane Prediction
1:01:20 Future of UFC Heavyweight Division
1:04:20 UFC 285 Picks
Twitters:
Alex Caravan -- https://twitter.com/Alex_Caravan
Jason Leib -- https://twitter.com/mmai_analytics
