Top Turtle MMA Podcast (Episode 248)

The champions last week were dominant and of course, so is Top Turtle MMA!

Anthony Smith may be on a little bit of a down tick, having lost 3 of his last 4 fights, but it was still a surprise to a lot of people when the UFC announced he would be fighting Devin Clark as part of this weekend’s UFC Vegas 15. It isn’t that Clark isn’t on a nice run himself, he’s riding a 2-fight winning streak, but Smith was coming off a run that had him fighting for the title. He’s still ranked #8 in the UFC’s light heavyweight rankings. 

April 13th, 2019 - that was the last time we saw Alan Jouban step into the famed octagon. 

Tom DeBlass last competed in grappling in August of 2019 with a submission win in Atlantic City. The ADCC vet is known as one of the most influential figures in the grappling community and he makes his return to action in a title match at Fight to Win 157 on Nov 14. 

Fight to Win is back in Philadelphia this weekend for Fight To Win 157. In this edition, Tom DeBlass will step out of retirement to challenge for the no-gi masters belt against a masters wrecking ball, Chad "Kodiak" Fields. In the co-main event, Gabriel Almeida will take on Vagner Rocha.

Well, Paul Felder stepped up, so we figured we’d better step up too. Top Turtle is back at it again this week with all the good stuff. 

The story has been told time and time again of the fighter who had things lined up, who was ready to cash in on that opportunity, to turn a corner - but the COVID lockdown and gyms closing got in the way. 

After an emotion last week that saw the end (maybe?) of one of the greatest career’s we’ve ever seen, we try to move on with our lives. Luckily, there’s always another UFC event right around the corner. 

A career as a professional fighter is not all glitz and glamour (if it is at all), but it’s especially hard when close decisions aren’t going your way.