UFC Sets Record Gate Without A Leg To Stand On | Pollock & Thurston
John Pollock and Brandon Thurston discuss UFC 329's record $26M+ gate despite Conor McGregor's injury-plagued comeback that ended in under a minute, analyze WWE and AEW's head-to-head September 26th Chicago programming strategy, review the Dark Side of the Ring TNA documentary, and unveil Brandon's third major challenge to unseal merger litigation documents including a controversial Vince McMahon-Brock Lesnar text exhibit.
Summary
The podcast opens with discussion of UFC 329, which set a record gate of $26+ million but was marred by Conor McGregor suffering a severe knee injury 69 seconds into his fight against Max Holloway. The hosts analyze Paramount+ viewership claims of 16 million viewers, noting the numbers use problematic metrics like counting multiple clicks per user as separate views and applying modeled data for international regions. They question whether advertisers are getting accurate impression data when buying against these inflated figures.
WWE's counter-programming strategy escalates as they book the Allstate Arena in Chicago for a September 26th event against AEW's All Out show at the NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates—both on the same day. The hosts discuss whether running back-to-back nights at stadiums like SummerSlam remains viable when tracking around 22,000 attendance per night, suggesting arenas might be more effective. They explore whether WWE's counter-programming actually helps AEW gain exposure through search results and media coverage.
The Ludwig Kaiser/Marcel Bartel case receives attention, with his legal filing presenting a self-defense narrative contradicting police reports. His team claims he was defending himself and his girlfriend from Richard Reap's aggressive advances, though police observed marks on Reap's head inconsistent with a simple push. Security footage has been requested by the defense and a pretrial conference is scheduled for August 27th.
AEW's lawsuit against Ring Productions LLC over Queen of the Ring sponsorship fees totaling $105,000 in unpaid obligations is discussed, with questions about whether this should have gone to arbitration per their contract. The film underperformed financially, grossing only $658,000 despite being distributed in 825 theaters.
Brandon Thurston completed Dark Side of the Ring's TNA documentary episodes and presents analysis that TNA squandered significant advantages—including a decade-long Spike TV deal, access to independent talent, and major investment from Panda Energy—yet failed to establish a distinct brand identity. The series portrays Jeff Jarrett favorably while depicting Dixie Carter unfavorably, though both bore responsibility for the company's struggles.
The podcast concludes with Brandon's third and most ambitious challenge to unseal merger litigation documents, citing nearly 250 exhibits referenced in pretrial briefs that remain undisclosed. A particularly controversial exhibit (JX 0278) contains a text message between Vince McMahon and Brock Lesnar from October 2, 2022, apparently related to materials described as 'salacious' that triggered the board's demand for Vince's resignation. Brandon clarifies he's not seeking access to any graphic images but to descriptions and communications surrounding them.
As a final segment, Brandon uses linear regression analysis across 12,000 historical matches to mathematically predict that the Mercedes Monet vs. Maya World match would receive approximately 4.5-4.75 stars from Dave Meltzer, solving an on-going wrestling discourse controversy about his missing rating.
About this episode
<p><a href="https://bsky.app/profile/iamjohnpollock.bsky.social" rel="nofollow"><strong>John Pollock</strong></a><span> and </span><a href="https://bsky.app/profile/brandonthurston.bsky.social" rel="nofollow"><strong>Brandon Thurston</strong></a><span> cover TNA’s chaotic history and the Dark Side series, Thurston’s latest challenge, and WWE goes head-to-head with AEW in Chicago.</span></p><p><span>Topics this week include:</span></p><ul><li><a href="https://www.patreon.com/POSTwrestling/posts/chaotic-history-163994384" rel="nofollow">The Chaotic History of TNA Wrestling</a></li><li><a href="https://wrestlenomics.com/articles/2026/third-challenge-notice-filed-in-wwe-merger-lawsuit/" rel="nofollow">Brandon Thurston’s new challenges in the merger lawsuit </a></li><li><a href="https://www.postwrestling.com/2026/07/16/wwe-announces-worlds-collide-in-chicago-head-to-head-with-aew-all-out/" rel="nofollow">WWE to run head-to-head in Chicago against AEW All Out</a><span> </span></li><li><a href="https://www.postwrestling.com/2026/07/14/aew-sues-queen-of-the-ring-production-company-over-unpaid-sponsorship-fees/" rel="nofollow">AEW sues Queen of the Ring production company</a></li><li><a href="https://www.postwrestling.com/2026/07/13/wwe-announces-survivor-series-war-games-for-houston-texas-on-november-28/" rel="nofollow">WWE announces Survivor Series in Houston, November 28</a></li><li><span>UFC Sets Record Gate Without A Leg To Stand On</span></li><li class="ql-indent-1"><a href="https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/story/sports/ufc/2026/07/12/ufc-329-post-event-facts-max-holloway-makes-three-division-history/90881814007/" rel="nofollow">$26.4 million</a></li><li><a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/wwe-microdramas-reelshort-collaboration-1236647005/" rel="nofollow">THR EXCLUSIVE: WWE Gets Into Microdramas With ReelShort Collaboration</a></li><li class="ql-indent-1"><a href="https://corporate.wwe.com/about/news/2026/07-14-2026" rel="nofollow">https://corporate.wwe.com/about/news/2026/07-14-2026</a></li></ul><p><em>Music courtesy: </em><a href="https://soundcloud.com/IAmBenTramer" rel="nofollow"><em>“Panic Beat” by Ben Tramer</em></a></p><p><strong>POST Wrestling</strong></p><p><strong>Subscribe: </strong><a href="https://postwrestling.com/subscribe" rel="nofollow"><strong>https://postwrestling.com/subscribe</strong></a></p><p><strong>Patreon: </strong><a href="http://postwrestlingcafe.com" rel="nofollow"><strong>http://postwrestlingcafe.com</strong></a></p><p><strong>Forum: </strong><a href="https://forum.postwrestling.com/" rel="nofollow"><strong>https://forum.postwrestling.com</strong></a></p><p><strong>Discord: </strong><a href="https://discord.com/invite/Q795HhR" rel="nofollow"><strong>https://discord.com/invite/Q795HhR</strong></a></p><p><a href="http://www.twitter.com/POSTwrestling" rel="nofollow"><strong>Twitter</strong></a><span>/</span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/POSTwrestling" rel="nofollow"><strong>Facebook</strong></a><span>/</span><a href="http://www.instagram.com/POSTwrestling" rel="nofollow"><strong>Instagram</strong></a><span>/</span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/POSTwrestling" rel="nofollow"><strong>YouTube</strong></a><strong>: @POSTwrestling</strong></p><p><strong>Bluesky: </strong><a href="https://bsky.app/profile/postwrestling.com" rel="nofollow"><strong>https://bsky.app/profile/postwrestling.com</strong></a></p><p><br /></p><p><strong>Wrestlenomics</strong></p><p><strong>Subscribe: </strong><a href="https://wrestlenomics.com/podcast/" rel="nofollow"><strong>https://wrestlenomics.com/podcast/</strong></a></p><p><strong>Patreon: </strong><a href="https://patreon.com/wrestlenomics" rel="nofollow"><strong>https://patreon.com/wrestlenomics</strong></a></p><p><strong>Substack: </strong><a href="https://wrestlenomics.substack.com/" rel="nofollow"><strong>https://wrestlenomics.substack.com/</strong></a></p><p><a href="http://www.twitter.com/wrestlenomics" rel="nofollow"><strong>Twitter</strong></a><span>/</span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/wrestlenomics" rel="nofollow"><strong>Facebook</strong></a><span>/</span><a href="http://www.instagram.com/wrestlenomics" rel="nofollow"><strong>Instagram</strong></a><span>/</span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/wrestlenomics" rel="nofollow"><strong>YouTube</strong></a><strong>: @Wrestlenomics</strong></p><p><strong>Bluesky: </strong><a href="https://bsky.app/profile/wrestlenomics.com" rel="nofollow"><strong>https://bsky.app/profile/wrestlenomics.com</strong></a></p><p><br /></p><br /><br />Advertising Inquiries: <a href="https://redcircle.com/brands">https://redcircle.com/brands</a><br /><br />Privacy & Opt-Out: <a href="https://redcircle.com/privacy">https://redcircle.com/privacy</a>
Key Insights
- Paramount+ counts multiple user clicks on segmented UFC fight videos as separate 'viewers,' inflating total viewership figures from 16 million, since subscribers must click individual fights rather than stream one unified broadcast.
- UFC 329's record gate was achieved despite Conor McGregor's comeback fight ending in 69 seconds with an injury rather than through compelling competitive action or dominant performance.
- WWE booked the Allstate Arena in Chicago on September 26 specifically to counter-program against AEW's All Out event in the same metropolitan area on the same date, representing an escalation from their typical counter-programming strategy.
- WWE's SummerSlam at stadiums is trending toward 22,000 attendance per night, which may be below optimal revenue thresholds compared to running back-to-back nights at fully-packed arenas instead.
- Counter-programming by WWE potentially increases AEW's brand awareness indirectly through search engine results and media coverage comparing the two events, similar to how UFC vs. Affliction coverage benefited both companies.
- AEW's lawsuit against Ring Productions for $105,000 in unpaid sponsorship fees may cost more in outside counsel fees than the disputed amount, making settlement more economical than litigation.
- TNA had a 10+ year Spike TV deal, preferential access to independent talent, and billions in investment from Panda Energy, yet failed because the company constantly changed creative direction and brand identity rather than committing to a distinct alternative positioning.
- AEW initially sealing wrestler talent contracts in litigation while publicly filing sponsorship contracts creates inconsistent precedent that may undermine their confidentiality arguments when challenging redactions.
- The McMahon-Lesnar text exhibit (JX 0278) from October 2, 2022 concerning 'salacious' material was significant enough to trigger board members demanding Vince McMahon's resignation as public company CEO.
- Janelle Grant claims she was never asked for consent regarding descriptions of explicit material from Vince McMahon's phone being shared with board investigators and members.
- Brandon Thurston's merger litigation challenge now cites nearly 250 exhibits referenced in pretrial briefs that remain sealed, requiring Python scripting to extract and organize all JX numbers from 60+ page filings.
- Linear regression analysis across 12,000 historical matches predicts the unsealed Mercedes Monet vs. Maya World match would receive 4.5-4.75 stars from Dave Meltzer based on cage match ratings correlation with observer ratings.
Topics
Transcript
Meet Keith, loving dad, board game champ, bus driving pro. I drive 65,000 miles in my bus each year. If people knew what I know, lives could be saved. Like how there are some things I simply can't see. On my route the other day, a car tried to sneak past me and ends up right in my blind spot. I turned slowly, so accident avoided. But no car should be in the blind spot for a 40,000 pound bus. It's our roads. It's our safety. Visit www.sharetheroadsafely.gov. Brandon Thurston from WrestleNomics is up next, and we're going to follow Brandon with John Pollock from Post Wrestling. Delivering on the returns, increasing our margins. Ladies, go down the toilet if…
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