The MMA History Podcast welcomes Ant Evans for his third appearance in episode 352. The former head of UFC media relations for the UK and continental Europe revisits 2010 as Zuffa’s international expansion accelerated. Evans covers the UK fighter wave led by Michael Bisping and Dan Hardy, the “cursed” UFC 108 card with multiple major pullouts including Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort, and the office culture of the early Las Vegas years.

He details Chael Sonnen’s Ric Flair-inspired belt stunt, press access battles of the era, and landmark shows such as the sold-out UFC 110 Australian debut with Cain Velasquez, Jon Jones’ first main event against Brandon Vera, Georges St-Pierre vs. Dan Hardy at UFC 111 (including Hardy’s storage-unit training camp), UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi with Anderson Silva vs. Demian Maia and Frankie Edgar’s upset of B.J. Penn, Randy Couture’s submission of James Toney at UFC 118, and Brock Lesnar’s comeback win over Shane Carwin at UFC 116.

The conversation contrasts the lean, record-breaking Zuffa period with the later corporate era while teasing a Cro Cop Canada story for the next instalment.

0:00 start

0:37 MMA History Podcast Intro

1:08 Joey Venti’s guest introduction

1:21 interview start

1:24 head of PR in the UK for the UFC

3:48 UFC 108 disaster

6:43 Joe Silva issues with Gerald Harris

7:27 UFC 109 helping Chael Sonnen with bad guy image

12:17 interactions with Doug Crosby

13:34 Chael Sonnen Dark side of the cage

15:24 Joey Venti’s studio set up

16:59 camaraderie in the UFC

19:18 the UFC original US office

20:36 2 UFC employees fighting

30:14 UFC hiring Karen Bell

31:45 UFC limiting access to the press

34:43 Sherdogs relationship with pride FC

37:10 getting media coverage for the UFC

40:13 issues with modern coverage on UFC

44:07 reporters receiving bad seating

46:33 importance of having reporters at events

47:59 Teddy Atlas and Max Kellerman

50:54 UFC 110 Australia

55:10 Mark Hunt legal issue with the UFC

58:41 Jon Jones vs Brandon Vera

1:03:04 UFC 111 GSP vs Dan Hardy

1:11:16 UFC 112 Ariel Helwani reporting

1:16:49 Ariel Helwani refusing pay from the UFC

1:21:13 Anderson Silva vs Damian Maia controversy

1:26:13 UFC 112 card

1:26:27 Frankie Edgar fight shorts controversy

1:29:55 UFC 113 card

1:30:22 Paul Daley sucker punching Josh Koscheck

1:31:10 Mike Russow vs Todd Duffee

1:32:12 Chuck Liddell condom story

1:35:05 UFC 116

1:39:36 Kendall Grove comments about TUF

1:41:04 UFC 117

1:41:25 James Toney vs Randy Couture

1:45:52 IRS issues with James Toney

1:47:55 Dana Whites personality behind the scenes

1:50:59 UFC in 2010

1:54:03 interview wrap up

1:55:19 outro/ closing thoughts

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