On To the Next One: Matches To Make After UFC Vegas 118

**Mike Heck** (0:01)
You're listening to the Vox Media Podcast Network. Well, hello there, everybody, and welcome to a brand new edition of On To The Next One. It's good to be back, ladies and gentlemen. The Matchmaking Crowns are back on following UFC Vegas 118, an event that truly happened on Saturday night at the world's most famous Meta Apex, and an event that will truly be forgotten by the time this show comes to an end because it is officially UFC White House week. This is what we've been talking about for over a year now, and finally, it's going to happen next Sunday night, Washington DC, South Lawn, all the hype, all the hubbub, it's all going to come into play, but we had one last quick stop at the world's most famous Apex, and we are here to discuss the matchmaking, the fallout from that event, I am Mike Heck, and joining me as always, the co-host, the co-matchmaker, the Prince of Positivity himself, my best friend in the whole wide world, Alexander K. Lee, AK, happy Sunday to you, my friend.

**Alexander K. Lee** (1:26)
Happy Sunday to you, my best friend. It is good to be back in general. You know who it wasn't good to be back for? It wasn't good for Belal Muhammad to be back in the UFC Apex.
The man was a UFC champion 13 months ago, lost to JDM, tough loss to Ian Machado-Garry, and then just like that, he's back in the world's most famous slash most dangerous warehouse, tough man, and didn't even get to see his hand raise. No, didn't even get to see his hand raise. So yeah, you write the cards a little bit forgettable. It's almost like, it almost feels like a joke because, you know, with all respect to Belal, people always kind of, when he was coming up, made, hell, that was kind of the joke, like, ah, his, remember the name, but his fights aren't that memorable, and da, da, da. And then he just happens to headline a card, which may go down as one of the most forgettable events of the year, and not a bad event.

**Mike Heck** (2:15)
Like, I think exactly, exactly.

**Alexander K. Lee** (2:16)
Not a bad event. Like, if you tuned in, it was fine. But this was also the quintessential sort of modern UFC card, where, like, you can try to sell it to someone who's like, oh, but look at all these finishes we got. And that, but it's really like, yes, but what were the stakes of these fights? Who are the names involved in these fights?
You know, how, how exciting were the finishes? And all the credit of the world have great 25 Gs to all the finishers, well-deserved. 100 Gs, the guys who got performance and night bonuses. But I mean, Mike, you're so right. It's just, you know, not every fight is created equal. And I think we have, I think we can all acknowledge that not all events are created equal. And this was fine. And congrats to all the winners, congrats to everyone who got paid.
But yeah, it's just felt like such a forgettable appetizer as opposed to the UFC White House corner. Some people call this a go home show, like pro wrestling style. It's not really that. It doesn't really serve that purpose of getting us hyped up for White House. It felt completely detached from everything else that's happening in the UFC.

**Mike Heck** (3:17)
What this event did, AK, and look, because I just want to kind of add on to what you're saying. I'm not saying, when I say it's forgettable, I'm not saying it was a bad watch. It was, it slowed down quite a bit for the last three fights. Like, no doubt about it, the action went to a screeching halt. But it was fine. The problem is, it just, if you put this event back like two months ago, we'd be talking about it in a much different point of view, right? From, through a much different lens. It's just, no one cared. Cause it's just like, all right, let's just get to the White House. Let's just get to it. And what, what this event did in terms of the White House, was it made me look more forward to June 15th. I'm just like, oh my God, like enough. Just get, fast forward me to the fight itself. Like I, I just want to see the fights now. I just want to see what this looks like. I'm done talking about it. I don't want to talk about the White House card anymore. It's been a year of this AK. This is, like if UFC 300 was a nightmare, this was like the nightmare's nightmare, is what this has been. Just the wait till you see what this is. Seven title fights, we're gonna blow your socks off.