On the most recent episode of Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger, Ben and his co-hosts, Spencer T’eo and Jerrad Lopes, discussed UFC 306, the timing of UFC cards, and how medical suspensions post-knockout differ between the UFC and NFL. Disappointingly, Ben’s multiple appearances on the UFC 304 broadcast went unmentioned.
A discussion about Tua Tagovailoa’s recent concussion sparked the brief detour into the world of MMA, with Jerrad Lopes’ mention of medical suspensions in the UFC, “if they [UFC fighters] get knocked out… they can’t even train for 45 days,” citing the ISCF 45 day minimum post-knockout medical suspension. While each athletic commission issues its own medical suspensions, 45 days seems somewhat average for combat sports, with the Association of Boxing Commissions specifying a minimum suspension period of 60 days for knock outs and 30 days for technical knockouts. The guys stopped short of developing a normative framework for injury response in the NFL, so we’ll ask our readers: Who do you think should determine when a player or fighter is able to return from an injury? What standards, if any, need to be in place to protect an athlete from returning to action too soon?
As we’re sure many MMA fans understand, the podcast hosts had trouble limiting their UFC discussion to injury protocol, with Jerrad raving over the visuals facilitated by the Sphere. “From a visual perspective, it was insane!” He likened the viewing experience to wearing Apple Vision Pro, something with which we’re unfamiliar. Nonetheless, we wonder if a foray into augmented reality could differentiate the UFC viewing experience from home, thus expanding the organization’s reach.
Despite their obvious interest in the UFC and excitement around UFC 306, none of the hosts seem to have watched the main event of UFC 306 live, a fact attributable (at least in part) to the east coast viewing experience. Ben aired his grievances about the 10:00 pm start time, “you’re not watching the main until 1:00 am… it’s miserable,” and Spencer described the challenges associated with watch parties on the east coast, “we would do fight nights here… and then we’d look at each other like ‘it’s 1:30 am man… who’s fighting in the main event again?’” As fellow east coast viewers, we completely agree with Channel Seven’s assessment here – the 10:00 pm start time is just too late! While we’re sure that the UFC knows how to maximize viewership, it would be nice if the main card could be bumped up a little… even an hour.
