Episodes
Brian Campbell is back from vacation and is joined by Rashad Evans to recap UFC Fight Night Brunson-Shahbazyan and preview Bellator 243 and UFC Fight Night: Lewis-Oleinik. The boys open the show by talking about Mike Tyson since Rashad is out in LA and watched him train yesterday. Rashad was on commentary duty at UFC Fight Night: Brunson-Shahbazyan and we broke that card down in full. Who's next for Derek Brunson? Did Edmen Shahbazyan bite off more than he can chew with Brunson? Jennifer Maia...
Published 08/04/20
Rashad Evans is joined by Tyrone Spong to recap UFC Fight Night: Whittaker-Till, Break down the latest news, plus preview UFC Fight Night: Brunson-Shahbazyan. What's next for Robert Whittaker after his split decision win over Darren Till? Did Darren Till's stock rise in his loss to Whittaker? Shogun was able to improve to 3-0 over Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, who should be next up for him? Who impressed the guys the most throughout the rest of the card? Justin Gaethje vs Khabib Nurmagomedov is...
Published 07/28/20
Brian Campbell chats with legendary referee and Bellator commentator "Big" John McCarthy ahead of the promotion's first card in five months on Friday with Bellator 242. McCarthy looks at Aaron Pico's response to adversity and breaks down the bantamweight main event between Sergio Pettis and Ricky Bandejas. McCarthy also looks at the state of MMA scoring and breaks down why certain fights have created controversies and how it should be fixed. -------------------------------- 'State of Combat'...
Published 07/23/20
Brian Campbell and Rafe Bartholomew react to the nine PBC fight cards in five months that Showtime announced it will close 2020 with. The guys celebrate the return of big-time boxing and rate the group of fights, which includes pay-per-views headlined by Gervonta Davis-Leo Santa Cruz and the Charlo brothers. The guys also welcome unbeaten welterweight Vergil Ortiz Jr. to preview his return on Friday as DAZN and Golden Boy Promotions hold their first card since the quarantine. Plus, rumors of...
Published 07/22/20
Brian Campbell and UFC Hall of Famer Rashad Evans recap UFC Fight Night: Figueiredo-Benavidez, break down the latest news, and preview UFC Fight Night: Whittaker-Till. Deiveson Figeiredo put on a dominant performance against Joseph Benavidez on saturday night... What is next for him? Where does Joseph Benavidez go from here? Jack Hermansson defeats Kelvin Gastelum via first round submission. Where does this win put Jack Hermansson in the middleweight title picture? Kelvin Gastelum has now...
Published 07/21/20
Brian Campbell provides his instant reaction to the UFC Fight Night card from Saturday in Abu Dhabi where Devieson Figueiredo finished Joseph Benavidez in their rematch to capture the vacant flyweight title. BC looks at what's next for the division and reacps a key 125-pound bout which could produce the next title challenger as Askar Askarov held off Alexandre Pantoja. Plus, Jack Hermansson re-entered the middleweight title picture with a quick submission of Kelvin Gastelum just as the...
Published 07/19/20
Brian Campbell shares his love for the CBS staple "Survivor" after 20 years and 40 seasons of the reality and competition show with a special podcast. Three-time player Ethan Zohn talks strategy, beating cancer and how his Season 3 win catapulted him to instant celebrity. Former Miami Marlins president David Samson, the host of CBS Sports' "Nothing Personal," relives being voted off first in his lone "Survivor" appearance and breaks the fourth wall to talk hygiene and surviving on an island....
Published 07/17/20
Brian Campbell and UFC Hall of Famer Rashad Evans recap UFC Fight Night Kattar-Ige and Preview UFC Fight Night Figueiredo-Benavidez. Calvin Kattar takes another big step forward with his unanimous decision win over Dan Ige. What's next for Calvin Kattar in a stacked featherweight division (1:00)? Tim Elliott defeats Ryan Benoit in a close decision... Did the judges get the score right in the fight? Do we need to revisit the MMA scoring system (14:20)? Jimmie Rivera defeats Cody Stamann via...
Published 07/16/20
Brian Campbell and Rafe Bartholomew look back on the last 10 years in boxing and debate which victory was the most impressive and important from Guillermo Rigondeaux outboxing Nonito Donaire to Tyson Fury's upset of Wladimir Klistchko and Floyd Mayweather topping both Canelo Alvarez and Manny Pacquiao. The guys also react to recent trash talk spinning off of the August 26 announcement of Jeff Horn-Tim Tszyu in Australia and decide if David Lemieux is the perfect pandemic opponent for Canelo...
Published 07/15/20
Brian Campbell and UFC Hall of Famer Rashad Evans give you a full recap of UFC 251: Usman vs. Masvidal. Is Kamaru Usman severely underrated? Will Kamaru Usman continue to train with Trevor Whitman? Who should the fans blame for what they consider a "boring" fight? Is the UFC pay structure to blame? Who deserves the next shot at Kamaru Usman's welterweight title (1:30)? Alexander Volkanovski retains his title in a controversial decision over Max Holloway. Does MMA scoring need to change?...
Published 07/14/20
Brian Campbell provides instant reaction to a trio of title bouts atop UFC 251 on Saturday from Fight Island in Abu Dhabi. Welterweight champion Kamaru Usman ruined Jorge Masvidal’s attempt at a storybook ending by using his grappling and improved striking to defend his title. Plus, did the judges get it right in Alexander Volkanovski’s close rematch with Max Holloway? And who should be next for new bantamweight king Petr Yan? ---------------------------- 'State of Combat' is available on...
Published 07/12/20
Brian Campbell welcomes Brandon Wise to look at Saturday's UFC 251 card from a betting standpoint ahead of Jorge Masvidal's return. BC also sits down with former featherweight champion Max Holloway to chat about his unusual training camp before his rematch with Alexander Volkanovski. In addition, Rose Namajunas shares her mental journey from losing her strawweight title to Jessica Andrade and nearly retiring to accepting their rematch this...
Published 07/08/20
Brian Campbell and UFC Hall of Famer Rashad Evans give you a full preview of UFC 251: Usman vs. Masvidal. How excited are the guys to get the fight that they originally wanted in Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal. Did Jorge Masvidal get the payday that he was originally holding out for? How will the short notice weight cut impact Masvidal? How does the last minute opponent change impact Kamaru Usman (3:10)? Onto the Co-main event... Alexander Volkanovski vs Max Holloway for the UFC...
Published 07/06/20
Brian Campbell welcomes junior welterweight contender Jose Zepeda to preview Tuesday's return in the Top Rank bubble and look back at his disputed loss to unified 140-pound champion Jose Ramirez. Zepeda talks sparring with Floyd Mayweather, working with Freddie Roach and which fighters he's targeting. Plus, Rafe Bartholomew talks Canelo Alvarez's 2020 plans, reacts to yet another failed drug test for Jarrell "Big Baby" Miller and helps BC give their review on Adrien Broner's new rap...
Published 07/02/20
Brian Campbell and UFC Hall of Famer Rashad Evans break down the latest news in the MMA world. The guys break down Dustin Poirier's unanimous decision win over Dan Hooker. Where does this rank in the fight of the year talk? How much of a toll on your career does a fight like this take? What does this win do for Poirier's career (7:52)? Where does Conor McGregor fit into this entire situation (29:50)? The guys break down Mike Perry's win over Mickey Gall and all the craziness leading up to...
Published 06/30/20
Brian Campbell sits down for a trio of interviews ahead of Saturday's UFC Fight Night card in Las Vegas including a combative moment where welterweight Mike Perry storms off following a select choice of words. Top lightweights Dustin Poirier and Dan Hooker set the stage for their main event this weekend and settle the trash talk between them. Plus, UFC Hall of Famer Rashad Evans drops in to help preview the card. --------------------  'State of Combat' is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify,...
Published 06/25/20
Brian Campbell and Rafe Bartholomew reconvene after a lengthy break to look at the latest news in boxing, including 47-year-old Oscar De La Hoya's claim that he's close to announcing a comeback and wants to face the very best in the sport. Also, a recap of recent action from the Top Rank "bubble" in Las Vegas which featured a title upset at bantamweight when Josh Franco defeated Andrew Moloney. From Joe Calzaghe claiming he would've beaten Andre Ward to Chris Eubank Jr. claiming he would stop...
Published 06/24/20
Brian Campbell and UFC Hall of Famer Rashad Evans recap UFC Fight Night Blaydes-Volkov and break down the latest news in the MMA world. How should Max Rohskopf's corner situation have been handled? Should fighters/corners be more okay with throwing in the towel? Does the UFC pay structure play into the Rohskopf-Drysdale situation (4:10)? Is Dana White right in his callout of Curtis Blaydes following his win over Alexander Volkov (22:15)? The guys break down Josh Emmett's win over Shane Burgos...
Published 06/23/20
Brian Campbell welcomes UFC heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes ahead of Saturday's Fight Night main event in Las Vegas against Alexander Volkov. Blaydes calls out UFC brass over the disparity in fighter pay and explains why he believes he's closer to a heavyweight title shot and a trilogy against Francis Ngannou than most realize (13:00). Plus, Hall of Famer Rashad Evans stops by to preview the card in full, including a featherweight co-main event pairing Josh Emmett and Shane Burgos...
Published 06/18/20
Brian Campbell and UFC Hall of Famer Rashad Evans look at the latest news in MMA including Jorge Masvidal's continued issues with fighter pay and criticism from ex-fighter/broadcasters. The guys also make sense of Amanda Nunes' recent retirement tease and explain why that's both good and bad for UFC's future. In addition, a full recap of UFC Fight Night from Las Vegas as women's flyweights Cynthia Calvillo and Mariya Agapova stole the show to help add depth to a weak...
Published 06/16/20
Brian Campbell welcomes top-ranked women's flyweight Jessica Eye to preview Saturday's UFC Fight Night main event against Cynthia Calvillo. Eye talks about her journey overcoming injuries and personal setbacks along with why she should never be counted out. Plus, Hall of Famer Rashad Evans slides in to preview this weekend's card and react to news of a third Stipe Miocic-Daniel Cormier fight. BC also brings the heat on whether Dana White pulled a bait and switch about the realities of Fight...
Published 06/11/20
Brian Campbell and Rafe Bartholomew provide a sobering look at boxing's televised return amid the coronavirus pandemic following Tuesday's Top Rank card in Las Vegas headlined by Shakur Stevenson. The guys compare boxing's handling of things with that of UFC and Dana White. They also react to breaking news of Eddie Hearn announcing a two-fight deal with Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury for 2021 that comes with multiple hurdles that first need to be cleared. How legit is Ryan Garcia's beef with...
Published 06/10/20
Brian Campbell and UFC Hall of Famer Rashad Evans recap UFC 250 and break down the latest news around the MMA world. Are people doubting how good Amanda Nunes is? Should people be respecting Felicia Spencer's heart and toughness more or should we upset with her coaches for not throwing in the towel? How much longer should Amanda Nunes continue to fight and who should be next (3:35)? Which Bantamweight impressed Rashad Evans the most at UFC 250? Is Cody Garbrandt in title contention now?...
Published 06/09/20
Brian Campbell talks with the man behind The Undertaker, Mark Calaway, on his new WWE Network docuseries "Undertaker: The Last Ride," and why he chose to open up after 30-plus years in pro wrestling. Calaway relives how the ending of The Undertaker's WrestleMania streak came to be, how his character survived the ever-changing landscape of the business and how his relationship with Vince McMahon evolved. Plus, Taker shares the story of the best rib VKM ever played on him and what he has in...
Published 06/04/20
Brian Campbell is joined by UFC Hall of Famer Rashad Evans to break down the war of words between Jon Jones and UFC president Dana White, including Jones' future at light heavyweight and whether the time is right to push for more money. The guys also recap Gilbert Burns' breakout win at UFC Vegas and set the stage for Saturday's UFC 250 card featuring Amanda Nunes and a trio of must-see bantamweight bouts. Plus, two-division Bellator champion Ryan Bader talks about his career resurgence of...
Published 06/03/20