Mania Mailbag: Would you rather be Din Thomas or Dustin Poirier right now?

Happy Friday folks! It’s the end of another week filled with interesting MMA stories. This week was especially interesting with all the fallout from UFC 330. As expected, when I put out the call for questions on Monday a number of those qs were focused on the fights from the weekend.

But we didn’t just get asked about Islam Makhachev vs. Ian Machado Garry (or Din Thomas). We were queried on some undercard fighters, too, and a few things which were totally off-topic! Check all those out below.

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And, if you don’t see your question here, don’t worry — it’s on my big list and I’ll try and get it answered next week.

Din or Diamond?

Question: If you personally had to experience one of these recent high-profile falls from grace, which would you choose, Dustin Poirier’s or Din Thomas’s? (Adam Wagner)

Jesse Holland: Probably Poirier’s because he didn’t really hurt anyone but himself. Getting drunk and belligerent is a national pastime for celebrities and sports stars and I think the embarrassment of getting pinched will actually help him get things turned around. Thomas on the other hand was just being a selfish douche and he dragged someone else down with him. If you’re giving me a choice, I don’t want to be the direct cause of anyone else’s pain.

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Ryan Harkness: It’s easy to pick Poirier now because he somehow managed to navigate his way out of that incident with his life (if not his Bud Light contract) intact. Thomas is still in the thick of things. He gave a pretty whole-hearted apology that seemed to have appeased everyone other than Gillian Robertson and her team. While he’s still riding the two week media cycle of shame, I doubt anyone will even be speaking about this in six months. That being said, I’d still pick Poirier because I’d rather be seen as a bad drunk than a backstabbing friend.

Tim Edwards: Based on the fan reception for both controversies, it would certainly be easier to be Poirier right now. His offense was worse than Thomas’, but the good favor he has from the community really outweighed whatever negative blowback there was from that. The positive reaction Poirier received after that was so great that it might actually contribute to his ability to recover from whatever he was going through that day. It would be pretty amazing to screw up and then have so many people root for you to turn things around. You don’t just get that for nothing, though. He earned it with his fights and all the public behaviour we saw leading up to that one notable misstep. All this being said, I don’t think the reaction Thomas is getting is on par with what he did.

Rating Mak’s Record

Q: I’m just beating a dead horse but . . . Why do many people take issue with Islam Makhachev’s schedule? (VeeDrawStuff)

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Jesse Holland: Islam has six fights dating back to 2022. That’s one more than Ilia Topuria, one less than Max Holloway, and exactly the same as Alex Volkanovski. People just look for stuff to complain about when it comes to Makhachev. 

Ryan Harkness: MMA is a ‘What have you done for me lately’ sport, and all Islam Makhachev has done lately is fight Jack Della Maddalena in November 2025 and then Ian Machado Garry nine months later. He’s our pound-for-pound number one guy, is it so strange that people are disappointed by this level of output? It may not be Islam’s fault, but it’s still kinda meh.

Dan Hiergesell: While Islam Makhachev is comparable to some other champions and top-tier fighters in UFC when it comes to activity I think for select fans they expect more fights if you’re considered the pound-for-pound best. Being the “best fighter in the world” comes with some expectations and fighting 2-3 times per year at the minimum is certainly one of them. Makhachev has fallen just short of this overall.

Tim Edwards: There are very few fighters out there who have careers where they fought the best of the best. The nature of MMA is such that you often fight guys in the middle of a losing streak, random short notice opponents or fighters who are on the downswings of their careers. That’s why guys like Georges St-Pierre, Jon Jones and Anderson Silva are so special; that they got their win streaks while fighting guys who were extremely tough challengers. I don’t think Makhachev’s schedule is very strong. But I’m also not mad at it. You can only beat those who are in front of you. So, yeah, GSP, Jones and Silva’s schedules were way beyond what Makhachev (or Khabib Nurmagomedov) have/had, but that’s outside of the fighters’ control. I think we need to just celebrate the win totals and win streaks of champs and not penalize them for how good or bad anyone else is.

Bad Gameplan

Q: Does Fluffy still have it and does he do fluffy things to a guy who’s known to have cardio issues? (LoneCowboy)

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Jesse Holland: Fluffy still has it and will fluff and stuff Slowbocop. The issue for Hernandez is that he got out-Fluffied by Sean Strickland, who does that to the best wrestlers in the division (see Chimaev, Khamzat). Expect a return to form in Sacramento.

Ryan Harkness: One loss is not enough to write a loss off, especially not one who has shown as much growth as “Fluffy.” Sean Strickland has WTF’d some great fighters over the years, and he WTF’d Hernandez by actually turning on the offense. Who saw that coming? They say you win or learn. Hernandez hasn’t lost in six years, an extremely impressive feat. Hopefully this was just the lesson he needed to hit his final form.

Dan Hiergesell: Luckily for Fluffy he has a skill set that can be applied to each and every fight and early on, too. RoboCop will not be difficult to catch or grab on to, which is all Fluffy needs to do in order to get back to his winning ways. RoboCop has some good moves on the ground, but nothing that is going to put Fluffy in danger from top control (especially late in the fight).

Tim Edwards: I think Hernandez still has it, but I also think Rodrigues is a bad match-up for him. I think Fluffy might struggle to take Rodrigues down and then get forced into a fire-fight on the streak. And I think RoboCop has the power advantage there.

Free Hugs

Q: I know DW didn’t like it but what do you guys think about Ian’s hugging and high fiving? (Chucs)

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Anton Tabuena: Meh. I don’t mind it, and Garry had other, bigger reasons for losing outside of that or killer instinct. Dana White said so much, but I personally don’t put too much weight on people judging fighters’ “mentality.” It’s all baseless assumptions, and there’s just too much going on in fights that people who have never competed wouldn’t understand. Emotions and mindset can show in a million different ways, and there’s also a lot of gamesmanship too. Interestingly enough, Makhachev’s coaches said that threw them off and made it seem like Garry was supremely confident in winning.

Tim Edwards: I thought Machado Garry was both trying to throw Makhachev off his game and was also being a little performative with all that stuff. I think he was trying to project how happy he was with the situation (being beat) to show the world that, “hey, I’m so mentally strong and pleased with myself that this doesn’t matter.” I don’t mean this as a diss. I just think that’s the way the guy operates. I think he projects how he wants to feel in order to help himself feel that way. I think this can lead to him feeling quite contrived and, frankly, cringe at times. But he’s still an amazing fighter and seems to be a decent person. I think this approach to mind games (targeted at both his opponent and himself) makes him stand out a lot among the guys who are more single-minded and authentic, for better and worse.

Nightmare Opponent

Q: Given that Carlos Prates seems to have stepped up after losing to Ian, do you think he has a better or worse chance against Islam if he fights like he should? (cavemanoncomputer)

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Jesse Holland: Prates is more aggressive and has knockout power, but Garry is much better defensively (and statistically, takes about half the damage that Prates does in each fight). I actually think Islam performs better against Prates because the Brazilian will be looking to move forward and pressure, creating easier takedown opportunities.

Andrew Richardson: I think Prates’ grappling defense is underrated, and he has the potential to make Islam look very bad/unconscious if given just a couple minutes of time to work standing. Makhachev will need a quick submission or perfect performance to win that fight.

Tim Edwards: That’s a tough fight to call. If Prates can hit Makhachev as much as Machado Garry did, then Makhachev might be in trouble. But Prates also doesn’t have the takedown defense that Machado Garry has, so there is less chance he’s able to tee off on him. Prates also does his best striking while moving forwards and that feels like it plays into Makhachev’s wrestling strength. I’m not sure which way that one goes, but I think it’s a fascinating match-up and very worthy of being a title fight.

Mansur Mentally Broken?

Q: Has Mansur Abdul-Malik been mentally broken? He looked not great and by the end Dustin (who is not nearly the athlete Malik is) was really in charge and looking like a world beater. (LoneCowboy)

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Alex Behunin: I have a little insight into Mansur just because I’ve covered him for so long and have a pretty good relationship with him. First of all, he is a fucking freak of an athlete – we all kind of know that but he’s extremely raw, and while he’s at Xtreme Couture under Nicksick, he’s not developing. I’ve heard that he’s been very lazy lately, doing the bare minimum (I haven’t been in the gym as much as I once was to witness it myself)
Also, he just got out dogged by Dustin – Mansur might have shown his toughness in his knockout loss but being tough and a dog are two different things. Nevertheless, he should have beaten Dustin so that loss is very concerning – sure he’s been a pro for only five years but it was a bad loss. SO! To answer your question, no, he’s not mentally broken – but he needs to fix something.

Andrew Richardson: I am more concerned about the physical than the mental currently. He got absolutely taken apart by Yousri, who I consider to be a possible contender based on his recent performances, as well as a difficult stylistic matchup. In that loss, Abdul-Malik took literally dozens of strikes that would’ve knocked out a less durable fighter. It was brutal, and returning less than six months later was a bad idea. Stoltzfus isn’t great, but he’s underrated and tough enough to take advantage of a green, battered fighter. I would hope we don’t see Abdul-Malik back for at least nine months — he needs more gym time to develop his game and heal his body.

What happened to Joel?

Q: What has happened to Joel Alvarez? For the 2nd fight in a row he just stood there and got beat up in a sparring match, zero takedowns, zero even attempts at getting it to the ground, nothing going forward, just terrible. (LoneCowboy)

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Jesse Holland: Maybe he was hiding an injury? When a guy who has 22 finishes in 23 wins suddenly goes flat, it’s definitely cause for concern. Hopefully it’s just a mental slump and he can get back on track. He’s only 33 so I’m pretty optimistic about his future..

Andrew Richardson: Alvarez doesn’t wrestle offensively. He never has. He hits people and then chokes them when they are hurt. Now that he’s up at Welterweight, he’s not such an overwhelming powerhouse and is unable to just bully everyone easily.

Ryan Harkness: Alvarez stepped in on ten days notice to fight Chidi Njokuani, so there’s a last minute weight cut to factor in. He was also a part of Islam Makhachev’s camp where he mimicked Ian Machado Garry, and I bet that Dagestani training camp was a level of grindage Alvarez wasn’t accustomed to. Injury? Burnout? Bad weight cut? Take your pick or pick ’em all.

Lesnar vs. Mir, Again?

Q: Recognizing that Mya Lesnar doesn’t have a fighting background–but also recognizing the paycheck that could be had for both athletes–do you realistically think we’ll ever see Bella Mir vs Mya Lesnar in the UFC? (Adam Wagner)

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Jesse Holland: Mya Lesnar is 200 pounds. Bella Mir is a bantamweight. We can forget about that fight ever happening. That said, I would not be surprised to see them face off under the UFC BJJ banner somewhere down the road where the weight disparity is not an automatic roadblock to high-profile showdowns.

Ryan Harkness: I hear they call the NFL the No Fun League but I’d suggest the UFC gives the NFL a run for their money in that department. They have almost never gone out of their way to do anything weird. See how they booked CM Punk. See how they booked Kimbo Slice. They wouldn’t even book Ronda Rousey one weight class up against Cris Cyborg. If you want Bella Mir vs. Mya Lesnar, you better play Bella ditches UFC and goes to fight for RIZIN in Japan, where they respect a good old fashioned Super Hulk Open Weight Tournament. 

Andrew Richardson: Maybe they’ll have a boxing match for Jake Paul’s promotion in 25 years. Otherwise, I wouldn’t bet on it.

Tim Edwards: This has MVP written all over it. And I don’t think the UFC is threatened enough by that outfit to start stealing potential freak show fights (yet!).

Who Likes Short Shorts?

Q: What colour and style of shorts are you wearing in the octagon? (gadgetsCA)

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Jesse Holland: Electric blue bicycle shorts. Consider it a “thank you” to my female fans for all their support.

Anton Tabuena: Instead of a boxing robe, I walked out to the arena in a Zenitsu Demon Slayer kimono for my Muay Thai fight in Thailand. If I was magically good enough to fight in the UFC, I’d surely wear generic black Venum shorts because… I wouldn’t have a choice lol.

Tim Edwards: I do like a good pair of slutty little shorts. I just wish I had the thigh tattoo to show off while I wore them. For fight shorts, I’d go with short-shorts and all black. The classic Mark Coleman look (or Goldberg for wrasslin’ folks). You can’t get cooler than all black. My favorite guys in sumo rock the evil all-black look, too.

Quick hits

Q: How the heck did Tresean Gore get out of that choke???? It was locked up (“it’s deep”), by a front choke expert and somehow he survived and got out. (LoneCowboy)

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Andrew Richardson: I think Luque tried to force the d’arce. His grip was a little shallow, and he tried to squeeze without breaking Gore’s posture or fully establishing the position. 

Q: Where did Weili Zhang go? (LoneCowboy)

Andrew Richardson: Instagram?

Alex Behunin: I guess that championship pay did her well so she’s chillin

Also: https://x.com/mmamania/status/2087680550400299373?s=20

Jesse Holland: She did not take the Shevchenko loss well, from what I hear, and is trying to forget about MMA until the hunger comes back.

Q: UFC seems to be out of the WMMA business. With Cyborg wrapping up her contract and talking possible retirement, and Nunes trying to find a place to come back, could you see MVPFL booking a Nunes v Cyborg rematch? Or, in some other way, starting to capitalize more on WMMA? I mean, they’ve shown they could beat a UFC card with a women’s headliner. (Fighting_From_The_Couch)

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Jesse Holland: MVPFL will definitely pursue Women’s MMA but Nunes is not going anywhere. She has a lot of fights left on her UFC contract and at age 38, there’s no way she finishes them all.

Tim Edwards: I know it’s fashionable to be down on WMMA, but Nunes vs. Harrison is a great fight. And there are some interesting fighters coming through. I’m very high on Michelle Montague, for example. There’s also plenty of fighters who put on good fights; Alexia Thainara, Denise Gomes, Bia Mesquita and also Carli Judice and Shanelle Dyer who fight this weekend.

Q: What’s your favorite guilty-pleasure conspiracy theory? (Adam Wagner)

Jesse Holland: I’m still not sold on the moon landing. I know, I know … but some of those arguments against it are very convincing. I also grew up with the technology of that era, as well as the lies of that era, so I’m probably never going to be more than 50/50 on the moon landing.

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Ryan Harkness: As a Canadian, I’m all in on the theory that our first lady of pop-punk Avril Lavigne died and was replaced in 2003 by a lookalike named Melissa Vandella. Look it up, choom.

Andrew Richardson: I will forever be convinced that Anderson Silva hammed it up versus Chael Sonnen in the first fight. Either that or he was catastrophically injured to the point of incompetence or he was having some kind of mental breakdown. 

Tim Edwards: I think Matt and Talison were in on killing Mollymauk together to set up the big twist at the end of the season.

For more MMA Mania Mailbag fun go here … RIGHT NOW!