Best Nicolau Podcasts (2024)

1
E293 - Adios Amigos ... UFC Vegas 92; Bellator: Paris 1:31:23

7M ago1:31:23

1:31:23

The Couchside Judges MMA Podcast has reached its end. But between UFC Vegas 91 and Bellator Paris, the fights send the show out with a whole bunch to break down from a wild championship alternative decision to a disqualification. This being the final episode, Dan and Scott have some farewell thoughts and sentiments to express to their loyal listene…

1
E292 - UFC St. Louis: Derrick Lewis vs. Rodrigo Nascimento 1:05:54

7M ago1:05:54

1:05:54

In the penultimate episode of the Couchside Judges, Scott and Dan have their hands full with all sorts of Contested Rounds and Adventures in Officiating from the UFC's return to Missouri. That includes a unanimous 10-8 that the hosts ponder as a potential 10-7. linktr.ee/couchsidejudgesBy Scott Fontana and Dan Urban

1
E291 - UFC 301: Alexandre Pantoja vs. Steve Erceg 49:32

8M ago49:32

49:32

It almost happened. The Couchside Judges nearly had a full UFC event without a single Contested Round. And one of the hosts has to accept some (all?) of the blame, as you'll soon find out. Nonetheless, Scott and Dan soldier on and break down the lone round — early in the UFC 301 main event. Plus, Scott and Dan have a major announcement to make. Don…

1
E290 - UFC Vegas 91: Matheus Nicolau vs. Alex Perez 29:22

8M ago29:22

29:22

More fights were delivered from the UFC warehouse because, hey, ESPN demands it. Most weren't consequential, but they did provide Scott and Dan with three helpings of 10-8/10-9 splits to evaluate. Those, plus a split decision in the curtain jerker, make for the bulk of this week's episode ahead of a more meaty PPV event next week. linktr.ee/couchsi…

1
E289 - PFL 3: Welterweights & Featherweights 39:16

8M ago39:16

39:16

PFL had the weekend to itself amid a post-UFC 300 break. The fights were solid and — blessedly — without major judging controversy. Scott and Dan have six Contested Rounds to break down, and for whatever reason the co-hosts were not on the same page as frequently as usual. But the biggest officiating outcry came in the form of a perceived early sto…

1
E288 - UFC 300: Alex Pereira vs. Jamahal Hill 1:22:27

8M ago1:22:27

1:22:27

Sorry, fellow judging nerds: Scott and Dan have a whole lot of thoughts about the massive UFC 300 before they even get to the scoring breakdown. Just have a good time looking back on the historic card with the hosts until they get to Contested Rounds to examine a pair of split decisions, some 10-8/10-9 splits and two of the most lopsided, potential…

1
E287 - UFC Vegas 90; PFL 1: 2024 55:03

9M ago55:03

55:03

Three straight split decisions to end the night at UFC Apex dominates this week's scoring recap, including from a potential fight of the year contender in the Brendan Allen vs. Chris Curtis headlining rematch. Less needed to say about PFL's regular season opener in Texas which, against all odds, was practically a beacon of judging normality. Go fig…

1
E286 - UFC Atlantic City: Erin Blanchfield vs. Manon Fiorot 1:04:15

9M ago1:04:15

1:04:15

Two days late and two dollars short, but the CSJ are finally back to report on UFC Atlantic City, where Scott was the fellow in the blue shirt and glasses seated behind the blue corner. ("Hello, friends!") Dan and his cohort have a split decision to break down in addition to a handful of other Contested Rounds, but the big officiating subject matte…

1
E285 - UFC Vegas 89: Rose Namajunas vs. Amanda Ribas 45:09

9M ago45:09

45:09

You know, the CSJ had every intention of speaking about the Contested Rounds across both UFC Vegas 89 and PFLator. Why will there be no breakdown of the three rounds from two Bellator title fights? Ask ya boi Max! At any rate, Dan and Scott have some thoughts on the five rounds from that Las Vegas warehouse in which the judges weren't on the same p…

1
E284 - UFC Vegas 88: Marcin Tybura vs. Tai Tuivasa 1:05:02

9M ago1:05:02

1:05:02

UFC Vegas 88, arguably the most pivotal MMA event in 2024, has come and gone, and — alright, so it was Apex filler of the lowest order. But some fascinating scorecards emerged from the Vegas warehouse over the weekend including a split decision that featured *two* unanimous 10-8s, one for each fighter. You just don't see 28-27s both ways every day,…

1
E283 - UFC 299: Sean O'Malley vs. Marlon Vera 2 49:49

9M ago49:49

49:49

One of the deepest cards in UFC history came and went a full five weeks before the milestone UFC 300 threatens to top it. Fortunately for everyone, UFC 299 came and went without much in the way of judging uproar ... but just enough Contested Rounds for Scott and Dan to sink their teeth into. The officials were mostly on the money, but a split decis…

1
E282 - UFC Vegas 87: Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. Shamil Gaziev 57:15

10M ago57:15

57:15

Heavyweights .... why did it have to be heavyweights? Scott and Dan ask themselves versions of this question every time there's a non-title heavyweight headliner. Happened both before and after the latest obligatory UFC Apex-staged event, when Jairzinho Rozenstruik fought blandly for four rounds before a merciful stoppage after the fourth — but not…

1
E281 - PFL vs. Bellator / UFC Mexico: Brandon Moreno vs. Brandon Royval 50:29

10M ago50:29

50:29

No time for Scott and Dan's shenanigans this week with 16 — SIXTEEN! — Contested Rounds coming from the first two-event weekend of the major MMA calendar for 2024. Most of that came from Mexico City, where just about every fight from the night's UFC event had something to revisit on CSJ. Buckle in for five split decisions across two continents, inc…

1
E280 - UFC 298: Alexander Volkanovski vs. Ilia Topuria 1:03:36

10M ago1:03:36

1:03:36

linktr.ee/couchsidejudges The UFC champions list officially had turned over in full in just 18 months, now that Ilia Topuria usurped Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298. A smattering of Contested Rounds preceded the main event, and Scott and Dan have some debate about a few particularly intriguing rounds, as well as a disparate split decision from Ian…

1
E279 - UFC Vegas 86: Jack Hermansson vs. Joe Pyfer 46:34

10M ago46:34

46:34

Another week of warehouse fights with UFC branding on them means, yep, Scott and Dan will sift through those Contested Rounds they can't get enough of. Two split decisions and a deceptive, unanimous 29-28 make up the bulk of this week's judging analysis. Much more intriguing is a very unique development for Dan: A Couchside Judge served as real, in…

1
E278 - UFC Vegas 85: Roman Dolidze vs. Nassourdine Imavov 48:49

11M ago48:49

48:49

A big week outside the cage — and a smaller one inside it — dominate the discussion this week. Scott and Dan break down what the two rules passed this week in committee would mean if enacted at the ABC conference this summer. One of those directly leads into the latest generic UFC Vegas main event, which incidentally gave us three of this weekend's…

1
E277 - Past Judgment Appeal: Tyron Woodley vs. Stephen Thompson I 33:19

11M ago33:19

33:19

A quiet week for the Couchside Judges stuffed between UFC 297 and the next never-ending string of UFC events opened the door for the hosts to give an old Past Judgment a second chance. For this week's Appeal Edition, Scott and Dan went back to the first fight between Tyron Woodley vs. Stephen Thompson — the good one, not the stinker of a rematch. W…

1
E276 - UFC 297: Sean Strickland vs. Dricus du Plessis 57:13

11M ago57:13

57:13

UFC 297 featured a treasure trove of fascinating judging situations. You got a 10-7(!), an alternative decision, the rare unanimous 29-28 that's not exactly unanimous, a fight in which the judges were split on every round, and even some adventures in refereeing. Scott and Dan have a whole heck of a lot to sift through from the UFC's return to Toron…

1
E275 - UFC Vegas 84: Magomed Ankalaev vs. Johnny Walker 2 44:01

11M ago44:01

44:01

Thanks in part to a high concentration of the most high-volume judges, the UFC's 2024 debut got off to a smooth start in terms of scoring. Even the many stoppages were clean from the referees. But no perfect night at UFC Apex gave Scott and Dan a couple Contested Rounds to wade into the new year. Plus, word of a 10-8 training session with the Nevad…

1
E274 - 2023 MMA Judging Data Special 1:37:11

12M ago1:37:11

1:37:11

The One With All The Data is back! For the fourth time, Scott (mostly) and Dan dig into some real MMA math and explore judging trends from 2023. And with an expanded (near-complete) database of UFC round scores dating all the way back to the start of 2017, the hosts discuss what thousands upon thousands of rounds tell us about the scoring of fights…

1
E273 - Judgment Day 2023 1:26:07

12M ago1:26:07

1:26:07

What's Judgment Day (other than a fantastic film sequel)? In a first for the CSJ. Scott and Dan run down the list of the real, actual worst-scored rounds from the year — not the ones the bettors are always whinging about. The full list from 2023 wasn't very big since the state of MMA judging is quite solid, but there's enough for the hosts to rank …

1
E272 - 2023 Judgies 1:08:35

12M ago1:08:35

1:08:35

The Judgies are back! Scott and Dan look back on the year that was in MMA officiating to hand out the annual awards for top judge and referee, plus plenty more. Join the CSJ for the 2023-capping festivities. linktr.ee/couchsidejudgesBy Scott Fontana and Dan Urban

1
E271 - UFC 296: Leon Edwards vs. Colby Covington 51:51

1y ago51:51

51:51

In the final UFC event of 2023, the cageside judges nearly sent The Couchside Judges into major MMA's winter hiatus with nothing to talk about. Lo and behold: a pre-Christmas miracle arrived in the form of a somewhat surprising Contested Round in the Alexandre Pantoja vs. Brando Moreno flyweight title fight. Scott and Dan break that one down while …

1
E270 - UFC Vegas 83: Song Yadong vs. Chris Gutierrez 48:29

1y ago48:29

48:29

The final Fight Night at the UFC Apex has come and gone, leaving Scott and Dan with all manner of rounds to discuss. We had an alternative decision, a more suspect Contested Round, some 8/9 splits and several Couchside Overrides. Listen and learn which rounds were which.By Scott Fontana and Dan Urban

1
E269 - UFC Austin: Beneil Dariush vs. Arman Tsarukyan 56:13

1y ago56:13

56:13

For a change, judging wasn't what came most under fire after a UFC event in Texas. And while Scott and Dan have some strong thoughts on the few rounds the judges' diverged on, the biggest issue came in the form of a late stoppage in "The Fight for Fontana" between Jalin Turner and Bobby Green. The hosts sift through the judging and officiating from…

1
E268 - PFL World Championship 2023 1:10:58

1y ago1:10:58

1:10:58

Don't know how to put this, but the last week for PFL was kind of a big deal. Scott and Dan have a long to unpack, from both its purchase of Bellator announced last Monday and its season championship night on Friday. The judging itself was largely sharp, even with a heavy workload. But overshadowing the weekly CSJ breakdown of Contested Rounds is a…

1
E267 - UFC Vegas 82: Brendan Allen vs. Paul Craig; Bellator 301 1:09:49

1y ago1:09:49

1:09:49

Bellator (on Showtime) came to an end with an exclamation point ... and a tremendous display of on-the-same-page judging. Out of nearly 40 rounds, the officials were unanimous nearly 90 percent of the time, leaving little for Scott and Dan to parse through in Contested Rounds. Well, for Bellator 301, anyway. UFC Vegas 82 offered enough in the way o…

1
E266 - UFC 295: Jiri Prochazka vs. Alex Pereira 53:46

1y ago53:46

53:46

Scott reports back to Dan on the happenings at Madison Square Garden, which was heavy on finishes and lighter on Contested Rounds. But with a pair of fights with split scorecards — including an alternative decision — there's plenty on offer for the MMA scoring nerd within you. linktr.ee/couchsidejudges…

1
E265 - UFC Sao Paulo: Jailton Almeida vs. Derrick Lewis 45:48

1y ago45:48

45:48

So...a little late this week. Like, 3 days late. But Scott and Dan are finally here to break down the scoring from UFC Sao Paulo. And, boy, it kept us busy, Eleven rounds, with five 8/9 splits, get the Contested Rounds treatment as the hosts again lament the current state of language for scoring a 10-8. linktr.ee/couchsidejudges…

1
E264 - Past Judgment: Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos II 30:40

1y ago30:40

30:40

A break from major MMA coupled with Francis Ngannou's near-upset of unbeaten champion Tyson Fury in his crossover to boxing had Scott and Dan thinking heavyweights. That's why, in the return of Past Judgment, CSJ turned back the clock 11 years to Cain Velasquez's epic beatdown of Junior dos Santos in their UFC championship rematch. Did the fight, u…

1
E263 - UFC 294: Islam Makhachev vs. Alexander Volkanovski 1:04:03

1y ago1:04:03

1:04:03

Welcome back to the Couchside Doctors ... er, Judges. Yeah, Scott and Dan had to address the shenanigans from UFC 294 that led to two no contests, as well as another fight that featured plenty of field, about as many warnings to various degrees, and no punitive measures. Oh, and we find time to go over the two Contested Rounds in Khamzat Chimaev's …

1
E262 - UFC Vegas 81: Sodiq Yusuff vs. Edson Barboza 51:36

1y ago51:36

51:36

A day late and a dollar short, but the CSJ are back, and this time, Scott doesn't sound like death. Edson Barboza picked up a thrilling, comeback victory over Sodiq Yusuff, one the featured a 10-8/9 split and another one Scott thought was worth considering as such. He and Dan break down those rounds and more from the UFC Apex card. linktr.ee/couchs…

1
E261 - UFC Vegas 80: Grant Dawson vs. Bobby Green; Bellator 300 32:36

1y ago32:36

32:36

Just one Contested Round each from a Saturday doubleheader of UFC and Bellator (main card), but those weren't even what set off the social media scoring discussion. That being the case, Scott (with a balky voice bouncing back from a cold) and Dan put that Uncontested Round from Vanessa Demopoulos' win over Kanako Murata under the microscope as well…

1
E260 - How to Fix the MMA Scoring Criteria 1:13:09

1y ago1:13:09

1:13:09

Want to improve MMA judging? It starts with improving the scoring criteria. Scott and Dan are quick to point out the issues with the document judges work from to score fights, but on a week without major North American MMA shows, the CSJ devoted a full episode to the topic of how to upgrade the criteria. Special guest and fellow MMA judging aficion…

1
E259 - UFC Vegas 79: Mateusz Gamrot vs. Rafael Fiziev; Bellator 299 59:37

1y ago59:37

59:37

Welcome to the Nevada judging pool, Judge Crippler. Chris Leben made his Las Vegas debut as a judge at UFC Vegas 79, and he wasted no time finding his way into a split decision. But not all splits are the same, so Scott and Dan put that fight — Montserrat Rendon vs. Tamires Vidal — under the Contested Rounds microscope alongside seven others from U…

1
E258 - Noche UFC: Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko 2 1:10:11

1+ y ago1:10:11

1:10:11

Are you a fan of 10-8 discussions? Are you a MMA judging geek? The answers to those questions go hand in hand, and all who say yes are in for a treat after a Noche UFC card that gifted us nerds five (5!) 10-8/10-9 splits. Three of them came in the prelim opener, but the final one of the night in Las Vegas was perhaps the most pivotal 8/9 split in U…

1
E257 - UFC 293: Israel Adesanya vs. Sean Strickland 43:35

1+ y ago43:35

43:35

Have Sean Strickland winning a clear unanimous decision against Israel Adesanya on your bingo card? Liar! Not even the judges disagreed on any of the five rounds of the middleweight title fight. And a casual glance at the results from the 12-bout lineup indicates very little scoring disagreement. But a look at the scorecards reveals a pair of fight…

1
E256 - UFC Paris: Ciryl Gane vs. Serghei Spivac 51:48

1+ y ago51:48

51:48

France hasn't hosted a heckuva lot of events from major promotions since it opened its (cage) doors to professional MMA, but we're getting a feel for what to expect from the judging for such shows: Trustworthy scores from the veteran UK/European officials and the odd nonsensical headscratcher from the locals. That's certainly how the UFC's return t…

1
E255 - UFC Singapore: Max Holloway vs. The Korean Zombie 55:32

1+ y ago55:32

55:32

Chan Sung Jung's career ended as it existed: violently and entertaining as heck. Scott and Dan look to place The Korean Zombie among the most entertaining fighters in UFC history. He and Max Holloway even left a few presents for the CSJ with a pair of Contested Rounds — one close, one lopsided. Plus, one reviewed rounds not only receives a Couchsid…

1
E254 - UFC 292: Aljamain Sterling vs. Sean O’Malley; PFL 8 1:28:40

1+ y ago1:28:40

1:28:40

Sean O'Malley is on top after dethroning Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292. And just before that, Zhang Weili and Ian Machado Garry put on 10-8 level beatings for their respective opponents. Scott, back from vacation, and Dan, who is evidently more committed to CSJ than Scott, have a lot of thoughts on the 8/9 debate in those fights, plus some strong th…

1
E253 - UFC Vegas 78: Vicente Luque vs. Rafael dos Anjos 43:44

1+ y ago43:44

43:44

With Scott away on vacation, Spencer Kyte fills in to co-host this episode. With the prelims making this one seem like a light work load, the main card got us to 10 contested rounds, including 2 from Swanson/Dawodu that had twitter screaming robbery...again, what else is new? linktr.ee/couchsidejudges…

1
E252 - UFC Nashville: Cory Sandhagen vs. Rob Font; PFL 7 1:05:54

1+ y ago1:05:54

1:05:54

Dogs, boxing and baseball dominate this week's episode. ... OK, so they just make cameos. At any rate, a high-unanimity rate for UFC Nashville coupled with a ton of finishes at PFL in San Antonio meant not a ton of Contested Rounds across two major events. Nonetheless, the CSJ had dueling 30-27s fall into their lap in Texas, so let your hosts break…

1
E251 - UFC 291: Justin Gaethje vs. Dustin Poirier 42:46

1+ y ago42:46

42:46

Plenty of finishes was a mercy to a lighter crew of judges in Salt Lake City on Saturday, but one split decision in the co-main event left Jan Blachowicz feeling robbed in his loss to Alex Pereira. Was he on to something? Did the judges do him wrong? Scott and Dan will take a look at that and more. linktr.ee/couchsidejudges…

1
E250 - UFC London: Tom Aspinall vs. Marcin Tybura 1:00:08

1+ y ago1:00:08

1:00:08

A whole lot of fights and a whole lot of fights going the distance at UFC London, but only one split decision for Scott and Dan to dissect: Daniel Marcos vs. Davey Grant. But with so many scored rounds, CSJ still have some more Contested Rounds to talk about, including two in a unanimous decision victory by Bruna Brasil over Shauna Bannon. linktr.e…

1
E249 - UFC Vegas 77: Holly Holm vs. Mayra Bueno Silva 53:35

1+ y ago53:35

53:35

You get an 8! And you get an 8! No, it wasn't Oprah handing out 10-8s at the UFC Apex on July 15. But with four 8/9 splits and a unanimous 10-8, Scott and Dan are gonna be looking at the degree of victory a whole heck of a lot in this week's episode. Got a pair of split decisions to discuss as well: Jack Della Maddalena vs. Bassil Hafez Azat Maksum…

1
E248 - UFC 290: Alexander Volkanovski vs. Yair Rodriguez 1:00:57

1+ y ago1:00:57

1:00:57

It was Alexander Volkanovski's night in Las Vegas at UFC 290, but judging conversation gripped the MMA world well into the next day. Scott and Dan have only three Contested Rounds to break down — about as few as we get from a UFC card — but they're all in the minds of fight fans. Let the CSJ dig into each one from both Alexandre Pantoja vs. Brandon…

1
E247 - UFC Vegas 76: Sean Strickland vs Abus Magomedov 54:18

1+ y ago54:18

54:18

Miss us? We're back for a special (read: late) edition of CSJ to catch up on the fights in Vegas while Dan was ... in Vegas. And really, this shouldn't have been a controversial card. It was to one particular member of the MMA betting community, so Scott and Dan spend a lot more time than expected with the Ariane Lipski vs. Melissa Gatto split deci…

1
E246 - UFC on ABC: Josh Emmett vs. Ilia Topuria 59:44

1+ y ago59:44

59:44

Can it be? A 10-7! It's true. The UFC's latest Jacksonville event yielded the promotion's first 10-7 from a judge in nearly 3 years. But was it deserved? Let Scott and Dan explain why or why not. That round was just one of 12 on a busy, decision-heavy card, so check those out. And while there wasn't time to get into the Contested Rounds from PFL, S…

1
E245 - UFC Vegas 75 | Bellator 297 1:22:19

1+ y ago1:22:19

1:22:19

A few days later than we'd like, but the CSJ are back. And It's happy accident, the extra time gave Scott the chance to sit in on the latest CSAC MMA Officials meeting and report back on some of the proceedings. But there was so, so much more from the weekend to discuss, from Contested Rounds that Dan and Scott couldn't get behind to several Advent…

1
E244 - UFC 289: Amanda Nunes vs. Irene Aldana 1:14:00

1+ y ago1:14:00

1:14:00

After a week of judging hand-wringing, UFC 289 in Vancouver went down without a hitch — mostly. PFL's resumed regular season was another matter, even in a finish-heavy and entertaining event. Scott and Dan examine the scoring from both events and discuss the career of Amanda Nunes in the wake of her retirement. Linktr.ee/couchsidejudges…

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