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The "UFC" returns to Abu Dhabi with a "card" set to "thrill" the "fans." Celebrating Blobby Knuckles and peak male performance in our latest bonus episode: https://www.patreon.com/heavyhands/posts/bonus-bobby-164596715?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link Heavy Hands merch: https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/64577943?asc=u CONTENTS: 00:00 Intro 5:22 Du Plessis vs Usman 23:43 Ankalaev vs Guskov 37:21 Duncan vs Cannonier 43:14 McMillen vs Montes 51:55 Delgado vs Bashi 55:49 Kuniev vs Fortune
In the battle between former #UFC champs at UFC Oklahoma City, it was the past 185-pound champion Dricus du Plessis who got the lopsided victory over former welterweight titleholder Kamaru Usman. Following the Fight Night card, how can Usman bounce back, and where does du Plessis go after getting back in the win column? On an all-new edition of Between the Links, the panel discusses the fallout of UFC Oklahoma City, those suggesting Usman should call it a career following the loss to du Plessis, and how the middleweight division shifts with "DDP" getting his hand raised. Additionally, topics may include RAF 11 capped off by Colby Covington's win over Arman Tsarukyan, Belal Muhammad attacking Covington at the press conference and their announced matchup for RAF 12, Magomed Ankalaev's return at UFC Abu Dhabi, and much more. Join MMA Fighting's Mike Heck and José Youngs as they answer your questions all show long. Follow Mike Heck: @m_heckjr Follow José Youngs: @JoseYoungs Subscribe: http://goo.gl/dYpsgH Check out our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/u8VvLi Visit our playlists: http://goo.gl/eFhsvM Like MMAF on Facebook: http://goo.gl/uhdg7Z Follow on Twitter: http://goo.gl/nOATUI Read More: http://www.mmafighting.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
After Dricus du Plessis' dominant win over Kamaru Usman, join MMA Fighting's Mike Heck and Jed Meshew as they play matchmaker following Saturday's Fight Night event. Follow Mike Heck: @m_heckjr Follow Jed Meshew: @JedKMeshew Subscribe: http://goo.gl/dYpsgH Check out our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/u8VvLi Visit our playlists: http://goo.gl/eFhsvM Like MMAF on Facebook: http://goo.gl/uhdg7Z Follow on Twitter: http://goo.gl/nOATUI Read More: http://www.mmafighting.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
After Dricus du Plessis' dominant win over Kamaru Usman, join MMA Fighting's Mike Heck and Jed Meshew as they play matchmaker following Saturday's Fight Night event. Follow Mike Heck: @m_heckjr Follow Jed Meshew: @JedKMeshew Subscribe: http://goo.gl/dYpsgH Check out our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/u8VvLi Visit our playlists: http://goo.gl/eFhsvM Like MMAF on Facebook: http://goo.gl/uhdg7Z Follow on Twitter: http://goo.gl/nOATUI Read More: http://www.mmafighting.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
After Dricus du Plessis' dominant win over Kamaru Usman, join MMA Fighting's Mike Heck and Jed Meshew as they play matchmaker following Saturday's Fight Night event. Follow Mike Heck: @m_heckjr Follow Jed Meshew: @JedKMeshew Subscribe: http://goo.gl/dYpsgH Check out our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/u8VvLi Visit our playlists: http://goo.gl/eFhsvM Like MMAF on Facebook: http://goo.gl/uhdg7Z Follow on Twitter: http://goo.gl/nOATUI Read More: http://www.mmafighting.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In the latest edition of the MMAOB Daily Podcast, host Adam Martin and co-host Big Marcel recap UFC Oklahoma City: du Plessis vs. Usman. Subscribe and watch the LIVE podcast on YouTube.Topics of discussion in today's MMAOB Daily Podcast episode:UFC Oklahoma City RecapDricus du Plessis decisions Kamaru UsmanChristian Leroy Duncan decisions Jared CannonierDownload the audio version of the MMAOB Daily Podcast at the following links:Subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2BNSmSDFollow the show on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/559xahM8ASjTwpz7bzUOaUSubscribe to the podcast on Anchor: https://anchor.fm/adam-martin45
Well, I think we can probably call it: in the end, no one cared enough about the controversies at the Football World Cup. We all just had a really good time watching it. Anyone hoping, and there were definitely people hoping, that this would be the World Cup where the corruption would finally be too much, the controversies would finally be too much, and something would be done about it, will be horribly disappointed. Already, it sounds like UEFA is ignoring calls to deal with FIFA president Gianni Infantino after US President Donald Trump involved himself in getting the red card overturned. And already, more than 200 of FIFA's member associations have formally backed Infantino for re-election. I think those two things should tell you more than anything else that nothing is going to come from any of the politics or any of the controversies. Instead, what's going to happen is that Infantino will celebrate yet another successful tournament. The football was great. It wasn't diluted by the extra teams, which is what people were worried about. It wasn't predictable. You had surprise successes like Cape Verde. Nearly seven million fans passed through the gates. That is, by the way, enormous. That's double the previous record, which was set in the US 32 years ago. Ninety-nine-point-seven percent of tickets were sold. They think the final will be the most-watched football match on record. Now, sure, in years to come we're going to remember that Trump got a red card overturned, just as we're going to remember the rainbow armband drama in Qatar. But, we're also going to remember that the Argies got really heated up and had a fight after the final, that Lionel Messi got a hat-trick and that Eli Just scored a double for the All Whites, who actually turned out to be not half bad and gave us some hope that maybe quality football is finally improving in this country. In the end, the controversies are just part of the story but they didn't stop people going to the games or watching the games, which is so predictable because this is what happens every single time.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Et si Salahdine Parnasse négociait pour être le « main event » de l'UFC à Paris ? Cette rumeur agite les réseaux depuis plusieurs jours, car le double champion du KSW est agent libre et nous informe qu'il va prochainement choisir sa nouvelle organisation. Parmi elles se trouvent l'UFC ainsi que MVP, l'organisation de Jake Paul. On parle d'un adversaire situé dans le top des -70 kg et des profils comme Moicano ou Ruffy sont disponibles. Qui pourrait tenir le haut de l'affiche ?Nous reviendrons également sur la victoire de Dricus Du Plessis face à Kamaru Usman dans un combat qui n'a pas produit un grand spectacle. L'ancien champion sud-africain en profite pour demander publiquement à Sean Strickland d'affronter le Français Nassourdine Imavov.Nous terminerons avec un focus sur le nouveau combat d'Axel Sola, il affronte le Brésilien Ismael Bonfim pour se relancer après le revers face à Mason Jones.Ce podcast est hébergé par Podcastics, la plateforme pour créer et diffuser votre podcast facilement.
Dricus du Plessis got back in the win column, but where he goes from here is anybody's guess. On Saturday night, the former middleweight champion added a rock-solid win to his resume, winning a wide unanimous decision over Kamaru Usman in the main event of UFC Oklahoma City. But though it was a good win for “DDP,” du Plessis failed to make a statement over the smaller fighter, raising the question of whether that was good enough for him to get another crack at the middleweight belt? Following the UFC Fight Night card, MMA Fighting's Jed Meshew reacts to du Plessis's win and where it puts him in the 185-pound pecking order. Additionally, Jed talks about where Usman goes from here, the rest of the UFC Oklahoma City Card, Johnny Eblen's big win at PFL Austin, the marquee RAF results, and more. Follow Jed Meshew: @JedKMeshew Subscribe: http://goo.gl/dYpsgH Check out our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/u8VvLi Visit our playlists: http://goo.gl/eFhsvM Like MMAF on Facebook: http://goo.gl/uhdg7Z Follow on Twitter: http://goo.gl/nOATUI Read More: http://www.mmafighting.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Dricus du Plessis got back in the win column, but where he goes from here is anybody's guess. On Saturday night, the former middleweight champion added a rock-solid win to his resume, winning a wide unanimous decision over Kamaru Usman in the main event of UFC Oklahoma City. But though it was a good win for “DDP,” du Plessis failed to make a statement over the smaller fighter, raising the question of whether that was good enough for him to get another crack at the middleweight belt? Following the UFC Fight Night card, MMA Fighting's Jed Meshew reacts to du Plessis's win and where it puts him in the 185-pound pecking order. Additionally, Jed talks about where Usman goes from here, the rest of the UFC Oklahoma City Card, Johnny Eblen's big win at PFL Austin, the marquee RAF results, and more. Follow Jed Meshew: @JedKMeshew Subscribe: http://goo.gl/dYpsgH Check out our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/u8VvLi Visit our playlists: http://goo.gl/eFhsvM Like MMAF on Facebook: http://goo.gl/uhdg7Z Follow on Twitter: http://goo.gl/nOATUI Read More: http://www.mmafighting.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Dricus du Plessis got back in the win column, but where he goes from here is anybody's guess. On Saturday night, the former middleweight champion added a rock-solid win to his resume, winning a wide unanimous decision over Kamaru Usman in the main event of UFC Oklahoma City. But though it was a good win for “DDP,” du Plessis failed to make a statement over the smaller fighter, raising the question of whether that was good enough for him to get another crack at the middleweight belt? Following the UFC Fight Night card, MMA Fighting's Jed Meshew reacts to du Plessis's win and where it puts him in the 185-pound pecking order. Additionally, Jed talks about where Usman goes from here, the rest of the UFC Oklahoma City Card, Johnny Eblen's big win at PFL Austin, the marquee RAF results, and more. Follow Jed Meshew: @JedKMeshew Subscribe: http://goo.gl/dYpsgH Check out our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/u8VvLi Visit our playlists: http://goo.gl/eFhsvM Like MMAF on Facebook: http://goo.gl/uhdg7Z Follow on Twitter: http://goo.gl/nOATUI Read More: http://www.mmafighting.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Dricus Du Plessis BEAT Kamaru Usman in his return to the octagon in DOMINANT FASHION at UFC Fight Night in Oklahoma City! Daniel Cormier IS BACK with his instant reaction from octagon side after DDP's unanimous decision victory over Usman. DC says that Nassourdine Imavov deserves to be next, but Dricus' win could get him a third fight with Sean Strickland sooner than later. And Cormier reveals the difference in DDP against Khamzat Chimaev and today's Dricus. Plus, DC breaks down what's next for Kamaru and if he needs to go back down to 170. #Volume All lines provided by Hard Rock BetSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In his episode of Bring the Pain, Dan and I are back to help you win money and slay the slates. We'll have free bets, parlays, and DFS lineups to help you build your bankroll while being safe in the process. That means the Soup Can of the Week and the Parlay of Pain are ready to crush the sportsbooks and send them running back to the fantasy gods. So buckle up because we're about to get rowdy. Have a great day, everyone, and may the fights be with you. Time Stamps: What's Cooking | Spiderman: Brand New Day (5:35) Fight 1: Chase Hooper vs. Mitch Ramirez (10:09) Co-Main Event: Jared Cannonier vs. Christian Leroy Duncan (19:11) Main Event: Dricus Du Plessis vs. Kamaru Usman (31:12) Fight Card Recap (47:08) The Sheriff's Corral | 3-Leg Parlay (50:05) Soup Can of the Week: Jared Cannonier (54:11) DFS Lineups and Rankings (56:11) The Parlay of Pain (1:03:31) Saddle up Cowboy: Ending Thoughts (1:07:31) Thank you for the support and contributions all of you make for my podcasts and articles each week. Y'all the real #Painbringers! Follow me at.... *Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/Bring... *Twitterhttps://twitter.com/HeatOverid... *Spreaker Podcastshttps://spreaker.page.link/VS5... *Dr Roto Sports Websitehttps://drroto.com/author/robe... *You Tubehttps://youtube.com/@Heat00veride05?si=cVb49FjQD-Y6fKjT *Apple Podcastshttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/... *Spotify Podcastshttps://open.spotify.com/show/... *Podchaser Podcastshttps://www.podchaser.com/podc... *Iheart Podcastshttps://www.iheart.com/podcast... #drroto #fightclubofpain #ufcsheriffs #ufc #ufcOKC #mma #sportsbetting #dfsBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/bring-the-pain--3659369/support.
UFC Fight Night 281: Du Plessis vs Usman Pick Prediction, Saturday 7/18/26 by Millz Young
Dricus Du Plessis vs Kamaru Usman: Full Breakdown & PredictionSubscribe for more UFC breakdowns! Comment your prediction below!YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyeqcxo3166YJ-JGQK2v3og/videosMusic: ‘Dark Dubstep' by Caramusic, ‘V.I.P.N' by Epic Cloud Trap BeatCopyright Disclaimer: Under Section 107, content used for criticism and commentary. All rights belong to their owners.
Oklahoma, where the winds come sweeping down the plain! That's right, the UFC is headed to OKC for a Fight Night event, headlined by Dricus du Plessis taking on Kamaru Usman in a middleweight fight nobody saw coming. But which former champion will get to stop and smell the waivin' wheat? Ahead of Saturday's event, MMA Fighting's Jed Meshew flies solo to preview UFC Oklahoma City and this bizarre-yet-compelling marquee matchup. Additionally, Jed will dive into the co-main event between Jared Cannonier and Christian Leroy Duncan, break down which undercard prospects he's most interested in watching, give a few betting suggestions, chat with the viewers, and more. Tune in for the UFC Oklahoma City Preview Show. Follow Jed Meshew: @JedKMeshew Subscribe: http://goo.gl/dYpsgH Check out our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/u8VvLi Visit our playlists: http://goo.gl/eFhsvM Like MMAF on Facebook: http://goo.gl/uhdg7Z Follow on Twitter: http://goo.gl/nOATUI Read More: http://www.mmafighting.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Oklahoma, where the winds come sweeping down the plain! That's right, the UFC is headed to OKC for a Fight Night event, headlined by Dricus du Plessis taking on Kamaru Usman in a middleweight fight nobody saw coming. But which former champion will get to stop and smell the waivin' wheat? Ahead of Saturday's event, MMA Fighting's Jed Meshew flies solo to preview UFC Oklahoma City and this bizarre-yet-compelling marquee matchup. Additionally, Jed will dive into the co-main event between Jared Cannonier and Christian Leroy Duncan, break down which undercard prospects he's most interested in watching, give a few betting suggestions, chat with the viewers, and more. Tune in for the UFC Oklahoma City Preview Show. Follow Jed Meshew: @JedKMeshew Subscribe: http://goo.gl/dYpsgH Check out our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/u8VvLi Visit our playlists: http://goo.gl/eFhsvM Like MMAF on Facebook: http://goo.gl/uhdg7Z Follow on Twitter: http://goo.gl/nOATUI Read More: http://www.mmafighting.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Oklahoma, where the winds come sweeping down the plain! That's right, the UFC is headed to OKC for a Fight Night event, headlined by Dricus du Plessis taking on Kamaru Usman in a middleweight fight nobody saw coming. But which former champion will get to stop and smell the waivin' wheat? Ahead of Saturday's event, MMA Fighting's Jed Meshew flies solo to preview UFC Oklahoma City and this bizarre-yet-compelling marquee matchup. Additionally, Jed will dive into the co-main event between Jared Cannonier and Christian Leroy Duncan, break down which undercard prospects he's most interested in watching, give a few betting suggestions, chat with the viewers, and more. Tune in for the UFC Oklahoma City Preview Show. Follow Jed Meshew: @JedKMeshew Subscribe: http://goo.gl/dYpsgH Check out our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/u8VvLi Visit our playlists: http://goo.gl/eFhsvM Like MMAF on Facebook: http://goo.gl/uhdg7Z Follow on Twitter: http://goo.gl/nOATUI Read More: http://www.mmafighting.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
This is the main card rundown and discussion for ufc Oklahoma with the main event being Kamaru Usman one of the greatest welterweights of all time against the South African former middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis. Who ya got?Enjoy. Kru LuckGym - www.LuckysMT.com
Question for you: was Donald Trump's speech to the American people a classic case of muddying the waters? For Trump, it was a relatively short speech, about 40 minutes, in which he claimed there had been Chinese interference in the 2020 presidential election, that there were extreme vulnerabilities in the election system that need to be closed and that China obtained more than 200 million American voter registration records. He then released a trove of documents that he claims back up these allegations. Now, the allegation that China interferes in the elections of Western liberal democracies is not new and, frankly, isn't even controversial. We know the Chinese do this. They've been doing it for years across multiple countries: the United States, Canada, Australia and even here in New Zealand. We've been subjected to interference as well. The claim that China somehow involved itself in the 2020 presidential election is also neither new nor controversial. That allegation has been made before. The question then is: if none of this is new or controversial, why give a speech? Why set aside time to address the American people and revisit it all over again? Whichever way you look at it, I think it's probably safe to assume it's because he's concerned about the midterm elections coming up later this year. He is either trying to rally support for the Save America Act, which would effectively return the United States to in-person voting with voter ID requirements, a system that would likely favour Republicans, or he's laying the groundwork for an excuse in the event Republicans perform poorly in the elections anyway. Or it could be both. And, given it's Trump, you can't rule out the possibility that he's going through this whole exercise so that, a few months from now, he can blame someone else, perhaps the Chinese, if Republicans underperform at the ballot box.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
With UFC Oklahoma City just days away, Jim Norton and Matt Serra preview Saturday's card and lock in their picks before catching up with two fighters competing at the event.First, former middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis joins ahead of his main event clash with Kamaru Usman. Du Plessis discusses his first fight since losing the title to Khamzat Chimaev, what makes Usman dangerous, and why a statement win should put him right back in the thick of the middleweight title picture against Sean Strickland — a champion he has already beaten twice.Then, Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani stops by ahead of his welterweight prelim matchup with Seokhyeon Ko. Looking to continue his upward trajectory after a successful UFC debut against Phil Rowe, the Hermosa Beach native reflects on how life has changed since moving to Las Vegas — from sharing an apartment with teammates to living in a house — all while explaining how teaching jiu-jitsu classes at 10 years old helped shape the student-of-the-game mentality he now brings to “The Q” fight team.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
UFC Fight Night: du Plessis vs. UsmanFollow us on Xhttps://x.com/dontleaveitpodUse code judges for 10 percenthttps://www.dubby.gg/
If anyone on a council at the moment can't understand why so many of us ratepayers are so hostile towards them, sometimes bordering on hatred, can I just suggest they take a look at what's going on with these agreements with iwi? That might actually give them a bit of an idea. If you haven't followed this, Chris Bishop is planning to replace the Resource Management Act shortly and his replacement law will not allow councils to sign any more of these agreements. These agreements are called Mana Whakahono a Rohe agreements. In some cases, and certainly in the more extreme examples, they effectively cede significant decision-making power to iwi. The new law will not allow any further agreements to be signed but it will allow existing agreements to continue. So, of course, what's happening is that councils are rushing to sign as many of these things as they can before the law changes. The Far North District Council is trying to sign five of them, apparently without involving elected councillors in the process. They're reportedly not even allowed to see the detail. I've had a letter today from the Mayor of Carterton drawing my attention to the fact that Greater Wellington Regional Council, which covers Carterton, is doing exactly the same thing, despite objections from two of its constituent councils: Carterton and Kāpiti. Environment Canterbury tried to rush one through this week, then got busted and pulled it from the agenda. The fact that councils are being cynical like this will come as no surprise to anyone because they did exactly the same thing with Māori wards when they knew that, in many cases, their own ratepayers did not support them. But this gets much more difficult for the Government because it, particularly the National Party and ACT, said this co-governance stuff would end. Yet they are allowing it to continue under their new RMA laws by permitting these agreements to carry over. They need to change that law. They need to change it before it becomes law if they really meant what they said. Importantly, if they want to retain the faith of the voters who backed them to end this stuff, then they need to act when they have the chance next week, when the select committee report on the RMA reforms comes back. They need to say that these agreements will be rendered void under the new law and that whatever has been signed in a last-minute rush will count for nothing. This is the Government's big test. It's the chance to prove that what it said about co-governance wasn't just hot air. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The We Want Picks crew break down the entire UFC Oklahoma City: Du Plessis vs. Usma fight card giving you their Picks, Predictions, Bets and DraftKings Plays!Be sure to check out https://www.WeWantPicks.com for our Matches, Promos and Giveaways! Instantly receive up to $2,500 in FREE deposit matches!------------------- FOLLOW US ON -------------------Instagram -https://www.instagram.com/wewantpicksTwitter -https://twitter.com/wewantpicks Discord -https://discord.gg/xeFdnkUYdf Twitch -https://twitch.tv/wewantpicksAudio Only Podcast -https://anchor.fm/wewantpicks Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/wewantpicks
L'UFC Paris est l'un des rendez-vous incontournables de l'année pour la France. Pourtant, à quelques semaines de cette 5ème édition, une question revient avec insistance : l'UFC Paris 5 est-elle la carte la plus faible depuis les débuts de l'événement à l'Accor Arena ? Entre l'absence de véritables têtes d'affiche (Gane, Fiorot, Imavov...), une carte princpale encore incomplètes et une flopée de nouvelles signatures, certains ingrédients semblent manquer pour les fans les plus exigeants... Pour en parler, Mandale reçoit le nouveau combattant UFC Michael Aljarouj, qui reviendra sur sa signature dans la plus grande organisation de MMA au monde et son avenir chez les flyweight. Ce podcast est hébergé par Podcastics, la plateforme pour créer et diffuser votre podcast facilement.
Learn more about Polymarket: https://app.polymarket.us/S8ac/BRADY(Polymarket Partner)Watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewjMaMtZdxIFollow The BradyBagz Show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebradybagzshow/Learn More About SteadyPicks: https://www.steadypicks.com/
All right - given the level of hostility we have at the moment towards local body councillors and councils, I suspect there'll be plenty of support for the idea I'm about to tell you about. But I would caution against getting too excited because it's a terrible idea. If you've been following councils around the country lately, you'll be aware of Benedict Ong from the Dunedin City Council and Ray Chung from the Wellington City Council. Both are making nuisances of themselves, which is why they're in the news. Benedict, for repeatedly receiving council emails and then immediately forwarding them to multiple journalists and leaking the information; and Ray Chung, for getting himself to the scene of a missing person during a flooding event in Wellington when he shouldn't have been there, and then telling porkies, or what looked a lot like porkies afterwards, about why he was there. Now, Ben McNulty, the Wellington Deputy Mayor, is so frustrated by this nonsense that he's proposing tougher sanctions for councillors like this to deal with what he calls "almost existential threats to democracy" caused by councillors leaking sensitive information. Ben hasn't said specifically what powers he wants but whatever it is he's proposing, I don't like it. Because while I have no love for the antics of Benedict Ong, Ray Chung or anybody like that, I respect the fact that both of them were democratically elected. They are just as entitled to council information and council access as the most well-behaved councillors. And if we start dreaming up ways to punish wayward councillors we don't like, we may find those very same rules being used against good councillors we do like if the wayward ones gain a majority. Whatever punishment we concoct is a punishment that can be weaponised against enemies. There is already a perfectly good punishment for councillors who misbehave and push things too far. It is the loss of office at the next election. Democracy already has a built-in punishment. We do not need another one. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Welcome to The Shadowsphere Podcast, where the conversations hit as hard as a light tube and every episode opens the door to the world of Canadian Death Match wrestling.
BIG FIGHT WEEK!!! We are BACK fight fans! UFC 329 is here and all eyes are on Conor McGregor. The break week is over and we have a massive card with insane fights. Join us LIVE to break it all down!Guest: Timothy TroianoTwitter (X): @timothy_troiano Follow me!Twitter (x): @DieHardMMAPodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/diehardufc/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DieHardMMAPodcastBlueSky: @diehardmmapod.bsky.social ► Spectation Sports https://spectationlink.com/DIEHARDPromo Code: DIEHARD for 20% off► Die Hard MMA Merch: https://die-hard-mma-podcast-merch.myspreadshop.com/all0:00 Intro & UFC Vegas 329 Recap22:29 Dione Barbosa vs Anna Melisano28:23 Alvin Hines vs RJ Harris34:53 Alden Coria vs Stewart Nicoll38:39 Felipe Franco vs Levi Rodrigues Jr.45:33 Seok Hyeon Ko vs Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani55:09 Jose Delgado vs Austin Bashi1:06:56 Tommy McMillen vs Alberto Montes1:17:55 Tabatha Ricci vs Fatima Kline1:26:59 Chase Hooper vs Mitch Ramirez1:39:46 Jared Cannonier vs Christian Leroy Duncan1:49:43 Dricus Du Plessis vs Kamaru Usman
MMA Lock of the Night is back to give you breakdowns and predictions for UFC Oklahoma City: Du Plessis vs Usman. Also on the main card card, Cannonier vs Duncan, Hooper vs Ramirez, Ricci vs Kline, and McMillen vs Montes.
Welcome back to another episode of Closed Course! This week's special guest is former undisputed UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman, who owns a 21-4 MMA record. With nine wins by knockout, one by submission, and 11 by decision, he's earned the nickname "The Nigerian Nightmare." He's stepping into the Octagon in Oklahoma City this weekend, but before then, we've got him in studio for an action-packed interview that you won't want to miss. With a fight coming up this weekend against Dricus Du Plessis, Usman discusses the emotions that come with fight week and the thoughts that race through his mind as he prepares to step into the Octagon. He also shares his broader mindset as a fighter and explains how training differs from the actual fight. For Usman, training places a heavy emphasis on the physical aspects of fighting, but once fight night arrives, it becomes almost entirely mental. He takes a deep dive into how he's developed that mindset over time and fine-tuned both his physical and mental preparation throughout his career. Usman also dives into some other intriguing topics, including how he controls fear, his biggest rivalries, the role of trash talk in the UFC, his personal and family life, and his journey into the game of golf. Check out Kamaru Usman's podcast, "Pound 4 Pound" co-hosted with Henry Cejudo, talking everything combat sports Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pound-4-pound-with-kamaru-usman-henry-cejudo/id1732378558 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3PUBKGV8KFbbYfvS5W1IR8?si=c198790cb7804759 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pound4pound?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw== YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Pound4PoundwithKamaruHenry You can find Kamaru on Instagram and X @usman84kg and on TikTok @kamaruusmanmma Make sure to like, subscribe, and leave a review for the Closed Course Podcast! Powered by Pins and Aces. Produced by Guerilla Sports
How good is that Paul Henry announcement, eh? How good is that? ACT sent out a little media advisory last night about 7:30pm, saying there would be a major announcement. It would not be a policy announcement, no exclusive would be offered and there would be no embargoed material. I looked at it and immediately the texts started coming in. Is David Seymour resigning? Has somebody died? Is somebody pregnant? What's going on? I looked at it and thought, that's a lot of hype right there in that little media advisory. This better be good or the chat is going to be about damp squibs. But no, Paul Henry is absolutely worth all that hype. Paul Henry, I think, is the candidate get of the election so far. Don't forget, he was the highest-rated host of breakfast television in this country. He is immensely popular. He probably, I think, will single-handedly lift ACT's vote; at the very least, he will hold it up. Paul brings two things to ACT. The first is his absolute belief in New Zealand. That is authentic. He's been raving about New Zealand being paradise for years now. He's even done a TV show about it. When he says he wants to be in Parliament to sort out New Zealand's prosperity for the sake of his grandkids, I absolutely believe that to be true. The second thing he brings is entertainment. ACT has been struggling to break through on the right. The headlines have largely been hogged by New Zealand First. Paul Henry, I think, can get cut-through with his wit alone. Go and have a look at that press conference. He was very, very funny. Now, this is not to say that Paul Henry is going to go down well with everyone. There is a small group of people out there who absolutely hate his guts, but that is no loss to ACT because those people were most probably going to vote left anyway. My only hope for Paul is that he doesn't come to regret this decision because going into Parliament very rarely ends well for people who already have public profiles and successful careers. Somehow, though, I think if that is how it goes for Paul Henry, he's not going to give a damn anyway, so it probably doesn't matter. Ten out of ten. This announcement is brilliant for ACT's campaign. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In the latest edition of the MMAOB Daily Podcast, host Adam Martin and co-host Big Marcel preview UFC Oklahoma City: du Plessis vs. Usman. Subscribe and watch the LIVE podcast on YouTube.Topics of discussion in today's MMAOB Daily Podcast episode:UFC Oklahoma City PreviewWho wins between Dricus du Plessis and Kamaru Usman?Who wins between Christian Leroy Duncan and Jared Cannonier?Download the audio version of the MMAOB Daily Podcast at the following links:Subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2BNSmSDFollow the show on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/559xahM8ASjTwpz7bzUOaUSubscribe to the podcast on Anchor: https://anchor.fm/adam-martin45
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Angelo from We Want Picks breaks down the entire UFC Oklahoma City: Du Plessis vs. Usman fight card, giving you his Picks, Predictions and Bets!Be sure to check out https://www.WeWantPicks.com for our Matches, Promos and Giveaways! Instantly receive up to $2,500 in FREE deposit matches!------------------- FOLLOW US ON -------------------Instagram -https://www.instagram.com/wewantpicksTwitter -https://twitter.com/wewantpicks Discord -https://discord.gg/xeFdnkUYdf Twitch -https://twitch.tv/wewantpicksAudio Only Podcast -https://anchor.fm/wewantpicks Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/wewantpicks
Let's not pretend that this roading announcement is not a massive letdown for anyone who voted for the National Party believing it would deliver the roads it promised. It is a huge letdown. Of the 15 Roads of National Significance promised following the last election, only six have construction dates: Takitimu North Link Stage 1 in Tauranga, Ōtaki to north of Levin, the Hawke's Bay Expressway, Warkworth to Te Hana, Cambridge to Piarere and the Ōmanawa Bridge. I don't even know where that is. The rest of them? Well, good luck to you. The second Mount Victoria Tunnel, which is one of my personal obsessions because of how badly Wellington needs it, has no construction date. In fact, the pre-construction work could take us all the way through to 2037. That is incredibly disappointing. I've heard rumours for months that this was the case. I've kept asking Chris Bishop about it on this show and he has assured me the project was all go. But it's not really, is it? And remember what National said at the last election: spades in the ground in the first term. That is now a broken promise. Now, I have to give credit where credit is due and that is to Chris Bishop because he fronted up and got honest with the public about this. That can't have been easy for him to do - for his own reputation and for the political fallout facing the National Party ahead of the next election. I know he's been anxious about this day coming and it has come. I think he's handled it as well as he could.But this is a mistake that Chris Bishop and the Nats cannot blame on anyone but themselves. They cannot blame Trump. They cannot blame tariffs. They cannot blame the conflict with Iran. They cannot blame inflation. They cannot blame the Labour Party. It was obvious in 2023 that they were being too ambitious in promising all these roads. They were warned they were being too ambitious and the warnings were correct. Now there will be significant numbers of disappointed voters who will have to wait so long for the roads they were promised that - given how changes of Government work - they may never actually get them. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Official Cash Rate has gone up by 25 basis points. This is the first rise we've seen in three years. It was unanimous around the committee table that it needed to happen because of inflation. Even though petrol and diesel prices have fallen sharply since the Iran war ceasefire deal was struck, they're not back to pre-war levels yet and they won't be for some time. That, of course, is inflationary. You know what struck me, though? Even though this is the first hike in the Official Cash Rate in three years and even though there wasn't consensus among high-profile economists that this should happen - I mean, plenty of them were calling very strongly for it to be held for the sake of the economy - there isn't nearly as much angst around this as there was around any of the decisions Adrian Orr made. Even when they were decisions we wanted, we still got angsty because they were either too late, too early or whatever. Instead, the news conference was boring. So boring, in fact, that it was refreshing. Anna Breman slowly talked us through the decision with a slideshow. She let Paul, on one side of her, pipe up occasionally. Karen, on the other side, was also allowed to chip in. She took questions from journalists on video link. She explained really basic economic concepts to them. The impression you got the whole way through was that Anna Breman is in control. Because we knew this. This was not a surprise. We knew it was coming. It was very well signalled. Seventy percent of economists were expecting it. The market had priced it in. The NZIER Shadow Board was picking it. There was, as I say, consensus around the committee table. It gives the impression that she's not the victim of a knee-jerk reaction but is instead being quite deliberate in the path she's taken. You could argue that her job right now is every bit as hard as Adrian Orr's was, at least towards the end of his tenure. Because this Iran stuff is really mucking around with forecasts, isn't it? That news conference was so boring - and so angst-free - that it gives me some hope. The further we get away from COVID, and from the characters who were around during COVID, the more things might return to their boring averages. Maybe we'll get on with each other and get on with the jobs we're supposed to do a lot better. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Let's talk about the Chinese test of that nuclear-capable missile. More specifically, let's talk about New Zealand's response to it, which was quite full-throated in its criticism of China. I find myself unable to get as worked up about this as Winston Peters because, please correct me if I'm wrong, I can't see that China has actually broken any rules here. Before firing the missile, China alerted New Zealand, Australia and Japan, as required under international regulations governing tests of this nature. And even though there's been a lot of noise about China firing a nuclear-capable missile into a nuclear-free zone, it was only nuclear-capable; it was not actually carrying a nuclear warhead. It was a dummy. Sure, I'd admit they were pushing hard up against what people would be comfortable with. But then again, missiles are generally not things people are comfortable with. As far as I can see, the New Zealand Government's angry response is largely posturing because we're required to posture. The reason I'm not quite as worked up is that this doesn't actually surprise me. Anyone who's followed what China has been up to lately knows that it's building up its military and not just so it can put on impressive displays. I do wonder, though, whether China has made a bit of a mistake here, just as it may have done last year when it conducted live-fire exercises in the Tasman Sea. This kind of activity from China could freak people out a bit, or, if not freak them out, at least wake them up to the fact that China is not simply a benign trading partner. It is a military superpower with clear strategic ambitions, probably involving Taiwan. So I wouldn't be surprised if this creates greater support in New Zealand for increased defence spending, which is actually something we need to do. Nor would I be surprised if it unsettles some of our Pacific neighbours and drives them closer to New Zealand and Australia, which is arguably what we want. In a way, I don't actually mind that China did this, if only because it might help us collectively wake up a little to what is really happening in our region. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How good was that All Blacks test? I want to say I'm a little surprised by the number of commentators moaning about it and saying they're not impressed - but if I'm completely honest with you, I'm not that surprised. Some of the criticism is fair. There were fumbles, there were discipline issues, the French scored first, they threatened throughout the game and it was a very close scoreline in the end. But some of the criticism feels like it's still stuck in 2011, 2013 or 2015, back when the All Blacks were at their peak. The norm has changed. The Northern Hemisphere has caught up since then. The French are not a side to be underestimated. We do it every time. We say, "Oh, they're not sending a full-strength team." It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter whether they send an A team, a B team or a C team. They have so much depth in that competition now. They're good, whoever comes here. So I think we probably underestimated who we were playing and thought there should have been - what was it Piney said? - 12 or 13 points on the French. Plus, don't forget, this was the first test of the season and it is always a shaky start, especially lately, for the All Blacks. It's also the first test for a new coach and this was a team that had only been in camp together for, what, 10 days? Something like that. When you consider all of that, it was actually impressive. It was a confident start. It was fast-paced. It was full of opportunity. There was a hunger for possession. I loved it. I loved watching a team that wanted to win and seemed to have some idea of how it was going to do it. Yes, of course, the critics make some fair points and you have to acknowledge them. But the All Blacks showed some spark and, most importantly, they won. If it wasn't good, it was good enough, wasn't it? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
If there's any good that comes from this awful case of the man dying while waiting for help in Waikato Hospital's emergency department, it's that at least it's getting a lot of media attention. I don't know if you recall but basically the same thing happened in 2021 at Middlemore Hospital. It was strange to me how little attention it received at the time, especially given everything else that was going wrong. There were people waiting for ambulances and dying in their doorways. That was happening a lot. There were reports of overcrowded EDs, understaffed hospitals and all sorts of other problems. Yet, for some reason, it barely attracted any attention and I could never really explain why. Perhaps, in retrospect, it was simply that it didn't fit the narrative. It was a Labour government at the time, Jacinda Ardern was Prime Minister and the government was pouring large amounts of money into a range of areas, including hospitals. So there was no easy explanation for why these things were happening. Now, of course, it's much easier to explain: National government, austerity, therefore not enough money. There's a logical connection there, whether you agree with it or not. While I'm horrified that this has happened, at least it is getting the attention it deserves because it was predictable — and it was predicted. The problem is simple: we do not have enough nurses and doctors in our hospitals. Go into a hospital and tell me that's not true. Don't worry about the numbers that get trotted out every time we talk about this. We hear, "Oh, we've hired heaps of doctors, we've hired heaps of nurses," and so on. Numbers can be misleading. You can say you've hired two new nurses but are those nurses fulltime or part-time? If they're fulltime, then you've gained two nurses. If they're part-time, you've effectively gained one fulltime equivalent nurse. This is the kind of thing I'm told is happening at the moment. Ignore the numbers and look at what's actually happening. Waikato ED wait times are so long that the waiting room is overcrowded and people are queueing out the door. Does that look like a fully staffed department to you? No, because it isn't. And the reason I want this to get attention is that an ED is one place none of us can avoid. Rich or poor, we're all likely to end up there at some point if we need emergency medical help. It has to work. If it doesn't work, then people's lives are at risk. And the more attention that's focused on the fact that it isn't working, the greater the chance that something is actually done to fix it. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
If you haven't yet caught up on the drama involving the former Lotto presenter and the gold-bar smuggling operation, you need to hear this because it basically involves your taxpayer money. The chap's name is Russell Harrison. You might remember him from the Lotto draws. He went on to a job at the Ministry of Justice as a Kaiārahi, a Family Court navigator. He took the job in June 2021 and later that same month he was charged with money laundering after meeting a man in an Auckland cemetery, where the man handed him $420,000 in cash. We now know that money was the proceeds of drug offending, although frankly, you could probably have guessed that at the time. He then went to New Zealand Gold Merchants and bought six gold bullion bars. Ten days later, he flew to Turkey to deliver them to the head of the Comancheros. When he was charged — bearing in mind he'd been in the job for less than a month — had he even turned up to work 20 times? I don't know. But when he was charged, the Ministry of Justice stood him down from his job and kept paying him his full salary for five years, right up until two weeks ago when he pleaded guilty. If you look at the salary range for that role, he may have received as much as $564,000 of taxpayers' money while sitting at home and drawing out the court process, all the while collecting an income. Everybody I've spoken to, including an employment lawyer, says this guy should have lost his job within months. The employer could reasonably have given him a few weeks but by the two- or three-month mark they should have sat down and sorted this out. An employer does not have to wait for the courts to find somebody like this guilty. They can conduct their own independent investigation and determine for themselves whether dismissal is justified based on the available evidence and, for example, the likelihood that the employee has committed the alleged offences. We don't know why the Ministry of Justice didn't do this because they're not talking about it. Instead, all we know is that they took an approach we are beginning to see repeatedly across the public sector: not really having much regard for the fact that this is absolutely taking the mickey out of the taxpayer. They simply kept spending the money on him for five long years. Now, hands up: which employer in the real world would keep you on full pay for five years after you're charged with helping the Comancheros? Answer: no one. Actually, disclaimer: the public service. But that's not the real world. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Let me hit you with absolutely the weirdest political news of the day. Michael Laws, it's being reported, is going to announce he's running for New Zealand First. The '90s called and want their man back. It's not a good move for New Zealand First, it's a bad move. Michael Laws is trouble. He was trouble in the National Party when he was an MP. He was trouble in New Zealand First when he was an MP. He was trouble at Radio Live. He was trouble when he was Mayor of Whanganui. He is trouble right now in his role on the Otago Regional Council. He's a really, really smart guy, don't get me wrong, but he is not the guy New Zealand First should be trying to bring on board if they want to convince voters they are capable of running this country. Michael Laws is not their guy. He is fringe. He's been running a show on a media outlet - no disrespect to it - that has a very small audience of loyal followers and to everybody else it looks a bit weird and fringe. New Zealand First's biggest challenge right now is to appear credible because they really, really want to be supersized in this coalition. And if you believe the rumours going around, Winston Peters wants to finally, after all these years, have a crack at being Prime Minister. A few weeks and months ago, that kind of seemed possible because they'd captured the zeitgeist. They were promising bold policies that were cutting through to a large group of voters who had become incredibly frustrated by the normal run of things - run-of-the-mill politicians, policies, parties and so on. But in the past few weeks, that momentum seems to have evaporated and things have got a little bit weird, haven't they? Winston might have pushed it a bit far with the infighting involving his colleagues and the anti-Indian document, which seems to have given him what he wanted, yet now he's complaining about it and narking on us to the Indians. Then you've got the Michael Laws announcement which, if it happens, is going to double down on that weirdness. Taine Randell was a great get for New Zealand First. Stuart Nash was a good get for New Zealand First. But Michael Laws is a bad get because he brings the whole party down by association. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
I totally run the risk of being way too much of a fangirl about the Michelin stars handed out, but I am so excited about this. Mainly, I'm excited for the people who run those restaurants because I realise what this means for them. It means full bookings. It means international recognition. It means the ability to walk into a kitchen anywhere in the world and say, "I worked in a Michelin-starred restaurant," and have people know exactly what that means - and know that you're good. I am also stoked for the people who love eating out. All of a sudden, there's a list to tick off, isn't there? How is it, for example, that I've eaten at Arataki Restaurant in Queenstown but never at Paris Butter in Auckland, even though it's just down the road from me? I now intend to rectify that quickly. But there's also a part of me that is really pleased because this has righted a wrong - the local punishment that has been going on for Amisfield. I don't dispute that the alleged behaviour of the former head chef wasn't good and I don't dispute that the owners of the restaurant should not have allegedly turned a blind eye to it for so long. But I did not like the fact that the establishment continued to be punished even after Vaughan Mabee, who was at the centre of the controversy, had left the building. Especially by Cuisine magazine, which then refused to recommend Amisfield as a restaurant. Amisfield was the best restaurant in the country until, all of a sudden, it was no longer the best restaurant in the country according to Cuisine because one man had left. Michelin has now righted that wrong by giving it a star. That decision was controversial. I've already read one take on it that wasn't entirely complimentary. But I don't care. Because what I want to know is this: is Amisfield a good place to eat? Now that the legendary - and problematic -chef has gone, is it still good? Apparently, the answer is yes. But we had to get foreigners to tell us that because we all went a bit weird and a bit cancel-culture on the place. For the record, I ate at Amisfield when the chef at the centre of the controversy was still there. It was one of the best meals I've ever had and I'm pleased it remains excellent - at least according to Michelin. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
We need to talk about Brian Tamaki having his guns taken off him. Let me say right at the start: I'm not a fan of Brian Tamaki. He's a troublemaker who doesn't seem intelligent enough to understand what he's doing. But I still feel uncomfortable about the police taking his guns off him. If you listen to the podcast that appears to be the one the police are reacting to, I don't think he sounds at all like he's actually going to use his guns on anyone. A couple of times, he refers to the fact that if he lived in India and had a daughter under the age of 10 who was being forced into a child marriage, he would go to the man's house and shoot him. That's not a credible threat. He does not live in India, he does not have a daughter under 10 and his daughter is not being forced into a child marriage. What actually alarmed me more was that he repeatedly referenced burning down temples and mosques. I think that's a more credible threat because there are temples and mosques in this country, where he lives. So if that's the case, why did the police take his guns? Why not charge him over the actual thing that many of us would have listened to and thought, "Whoa, that's a bit much. What's he doing there?" To me, that looked like a case for at least considering a charge of inciting violence. That genuinely seemed the more serious issue in the podcast. I'm not quibbling with the police's right to do this. If they want to take his guns, they can because, as far as I can tell, he has breached the good character test, which includes not inciting hate. So they've got him fair and square. Although I will point out that it's a test many of us would probably fail if the police chose to apply it strictly to everyone because you're not supposed to misuse drugs or alcohol either. What it feels like is happening here is that they're simply looking for something to do to Brian because everyone hates Brian right now. So they're taking his guns, which doesn't address what appears to be the main issue in the podcast: the repeated suggestion that people burn down mosques and temples. It also feels political. Last week, ACT wrote to the police asking them to do something about this. I'm not defending Brian Tamaki. I don't actually care whether he has guns or not. What I don't like is seeing what looks, to me, like the police being pressured by politicians and then trying to find something - anything - to do to someone we don't like at the moment. So they've found the guns and they're taking the guns away, even though the guns are not actually the problem here. On principle, I'm very uncomfortable with all of that. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
It seems to me you can look at the All Whites' performance at the Football World Cup one of two ways. You can either be gloomy about the whipping they took from Belgium - and it was quite the whipping - or you can be impressed by some of what they did in those three games and what that says about the growth of football in New Zealand. Now, let's be honest: the drubbing that Belgium handed out to us was a harsh reminder of where we actually sit, ability-wise, in the world of football - which is not at the top. But there were moments in that tournament that were just brilliant, eh? Eli Just's three goals, holding Iran to a draw, coming out fighting with exciting, fast-paced football in the first half of both of the first two games and then scoring twice as many goals in this tournament as they did in 1982 and again in 2010. Now, you take that and add to it the Phoenix Women making their Grand Final this year for the first time ever. You add Auckland FC winning their Grand Final this year and the Premier's Plate last year. You add Chris Wood, who is a properly excellent player in the Premier League, along with a bunch of others in various top leagues as well. Then you think about the kids around Auckland wearing AFC kits all the time, the primary school I visited last week where three boys in just one class were wearing football outfits - and where that school only offers two sports, and football is one of them. You add all of that together and I don't think it's overstating it to say we may be at an inflection point for football in this country. We are getting better at it, we are getting far more interested in it and once that trend is underway - and it already is - and kids are growing up wanting to be All Whites, that team will only improve in the years to come. I feel heartened by this because, yeah, absolutely, some of that last game really sucked - but it didn't all suck, did it? The whole tournament didn't suck. Some of it was genuinely impressive, and I'd be happy to bet that next time it might be even better. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
So an email landed in my inbox - Spark Arena named among the world's top 20 arenas. Now, this is a big deal. This isn't a list that's put together by some random Instagram account in Norway with 100 followers. This is a list put together by IQ Magazine. And if you're into music in a big way - like, really into it, more than a Rolling Stone kind of way - you'll know IQ Magazine is a big deal. So for Spark Arena to be named in the top 20 arenas in the world is a big deal. Since moving back to Auckland three years ago, I've been to Spark Arena more times than I can remember. I've seen everything there. I've seen The Wiggles, Suzy Cato, big noisy rock like The War on Drugs, Mumford & Sons, Lenny Kravitz - he was the best, wasn't he? I've seen big stars like Lizzo and Lorde and shows like Hamilton. I've been there in previous years, obviously, for things like Oprah Winfrey and Celine Dion. And every single time - honestly, without fail - I've had a great experience. Now, we can have a debate about the acoustics because, frankly, yeah, they do suck sometimes. I mean, you know, it's not the best. If you've experienced the best acoustics, you'll know this place is far from it. But otherwise, it's a great experience. It never feels empty in there, even with smaller crowds, because it's versatile enough to adjust for them. It's in the central city so it's easy to get to and from the great bars and restaurants around it. It's easy to walk out and grab an Uber, easy to find a car park nearby, easy to get to the train station or catch a bus. Staff are always helpful in getting you to your seat or pointing you in the right direction. The drinks are served fast. It's really easy to get in. I think we've become so consumed in Auckland in recent years with the debate that flares up every now and again about how we don't have a decent new stadium, that we forget what we actually do have - which is a really good arena right in the centre of town that does its job brilliantly. Well done them. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Right, hands up — who felt sorry for the doctor arrested at the border for not paying back his student loan? So the details are: this chap owes almost $180,000. Yes, he admits he should have responded to IRD on the multiple occasions they tried to contact him — but he didn't. And he says he didn't realise how much money he owed until just recently. Now he's in a terrible situation because he's stuck in New Zealand. The authorities have taken his passport and he can't leave unless he ponies up some money. He's also got no income while he's here so he's had to cancel some eye surgeries and shoulder surgeries. Yes, it sounds like he's a surgeon — which means, no, he's not exactly on the bones of his arse, is he? Feel sorry for him? Nah. Of course you don't — me neither. In fact, I'm going to admit something to you, which is not very nice of me: I take a perverse pleasure in hearing about people like this getting caught at the border and forced to pay up. And yes, even though it's “only” $180,000 — small beer in terms of what the country deals with — every one of those dollars feels like a win to me because of what it represents. People like this doctor are the epitome of taking this country for a ride. He knew he should pay his student loan back. I knew I should have paid mine back. We all knew it. Most of us did. But some went overseas and thought they could come and go from New Zealand whenever they liked, with no repercussions and never have to pay the money back. Well, this is a come-to-Jesus moment for people like that. It's changed in New Zealand. We're not gentle parenting anymore — we're practising FAFO. You know what that is? F around and find out. And it's working. There's one lawyer in this country who reckons he's doing so much work on student loan cases alone that he's had to stop taking on other work. That's how many people he's helping clean up this kind of mess. He says he's dealt with more than 300 cases, accounting for around $25 million owed to New Zealand — and he's already managed to recover $7 million of it. Good. Am I sorry for the doctor — and everyone else in the same situation? Absolutely not. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
National probably has the right intention with underused conservation land but they completely botched the communication of the plan and its implications. There's a little bit of green in every New Zealander - and I could not agree with that more. I reckon this backdown is a slam-dunk case of one person, Tama Potaka, stuffing up the comms. This concern about 60 percent of the conservation estate being up for sale has been building for weeks but last week it really hit a high point. Sam, the producer, said to me, “Listen, we've got to do something about this. We're going to have to do something about the conservation estate being sold. It's all over my Instagram and people are flipping out.” So we spoke to Forest & Bird and at the time I was talking to them and thinking there is a very good possibility they were catastrophising. Monday morning, I go to the kindy drop-off, and one of the mums says to me, “Oi, have you seen what the Government's doing with the conservation estate?” Let me tell you how often politics comes up at the kindy drop-off: never. So that was quite something. That day, Tama Potaka fronted for an interview. When I heard it, I knew immediately Forest & Bird were not catastrophising. Tama Potaka was toast on this because his strategy in that interview was not to try to explain what he was doing but to get angry and try to deflect. That's a really bad strategy. I heard that and thought, “Oh, everything they were worried about turns out to be true.” So one week after it hit Sam's Instagram, it's gone - because the minister could not adequately explain what he was trying to do. There is a good case to mount here and he actually did a more adequate job with me. The conservation estate is messy. It's full of bits and bobs cobbled together - stewardship land, conservation land, gravel pits, even the MetService building. Some of it is great; some of it is not. It needs a proper reclassification. Some of it could be sold off - we don't need to own it all and we could make money from it. But Tama Potaka did not explain that. And here's another thing: neither did Shane Jones. I think this has shown us the limits of his appeal. He was very good at making bombastic statements about mining, drilling and threatening to restructure DOC - but when it came to convincing Ponsonby mums and Auckland Gen Zers, he could not, and the two of them have lost the argument. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST — Where do magazine designers go after all the magazines are gone? That's a question we've often pondered in recent years. Well, if you've been paying close attention, you'd probably guess, as it turns out, a lot of them go to Cupertino. And much of this migration can be traced to 2014, when today's guest, AIGA Medalist and Emmy award-winning creative director Arem Duplessis, left his storied job at The New York Times Magazine to go to work at Apple. You might be asking yourself, "Why would one of America's most high-profile magazine designers leave a coveted job at an iconic publication—one that brought him global recognition, countless awards, and deep creative satisfaction—for a famously secretive company known, well, for locking away its talent in a vault of non-disclosure agreements?" But the better question might be, "Why wouldn't he?" Duplessis is arguably one of the most influential creative directors of his time. His ten years of covers for The New York Times Magazine shaped its vision and identity. As creative director at GQ, he helped create the now-ubiquitous Gotham family of fonts. And he's blazed the trail for print designers in search of digital futures. While the departure of big-name magazine designers like Rem to Silicon Valley may strike fear in some, it reaffirms what many of us have long known: Despite years of slumping newsstand sales and magazine closures, the all-purpose skills of elite creative directors are still very much in demand. As former ESPN creative director Neil Jamieson says, “Why wouldn't Apple be hiring magazine designers? No category of designer is more multifaceted. Beyond the fundamentals, they do branding, packaging, identity, storytelling. They have experience on set, with video, social, and short-form storytelling.” There's no question there's a dire need in the corporate field for these kinds of skills. The question that remains unanswered, so far, is: Can that kind of digital work ever deliver the same creative fulfillment that magazines do? We talked to Duplessis about learning to scuba dive in his Dad's Virginia quarry, the modeling career that wasn't, cutting his teeth at the controversial hip-hop magazine, Blaze, adapting to life on the West Coast, and what he's planning for life after work. — THIS EPISODE IS MADE POSSIBLE BY OUR FRIENDS AT COMMERCIAL TYPE AND FREEPORT PRESS. A production of Magazeum LLC ©2021–2025
Send us Fan MailEver notice how the thing that helped you survive can quietly become the thing that keeps you disconnected?The armor. The independence. The belief that you have to carry it all yourself.In this conversation, Carol sits down with Lady Jen Du Plessis to explore what happens when high achievers stop proving, protecting, and performing... and start allowing themselves to be seen.Together, they unpack the hidden cost of self-reliance, why vulnerability feels so uncomfortable for successful people, and how our brains often confuse safety with staying hidden.Because what if the breakthrough isn't working harder?What if it's letting a little more light in?If you've ever struggled to receive support, trust others, or share the parts of your story you've worked hard to protect, this episode will speak directly to you.Where are you still wearing armor?And what might become possible if you simply started poking a few holes in it?The path from hustle to harmony doesn't begin with doing more.It begins with being seen.
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