Category Archives: Tony Penecale

FNU Combat Sports Show: PFL Debut, Pac-Man Upset and UFC Fight Previews

This episode of the FNU Combat Sports Show features Tom, Tony and Rich discussing the controversy surrounding Jeff Horn’s upset of Manny Pacquiao and recapping the combat sports action from last week. We also highlight the upcoming schedule, including an action-packed weekend for the UFC with the Ultimate Fighter Finale on Friday night and UFC 213 on Saturday night.

FNU Combat Sports Show: UFC and Bellator Recaps, PFL Preview, Boxing Schedule

Tom, Tony and Rich recap last week’s major events, including the controversial UFC Fight Night 112 finish and the near double KO at Bellator 180 from Madison Square Garden. We also discuss Conor McGregor calling out Khabib Nurmagomedov for his next opponent in the UFC Octagon. We of course also break down Manny Pacquiao vs. Jeff Horn.

 

 

FNU Combat Sports Show With Special Guest Richard Barrientes, Pound For Pound Boxing Gym Coach

Tom, Tony and Rich interview an up-and-coming Vegas boxing coach who is starting to make some real waves with his amateur and pro pupils. Richard Barrientes is obviously doing a great job with his students, and we had to know what his secret was. He points to “consistency” and “fundamentals” as the foundation for a great fighter, and he also puts a lot of work in every day to put his Las Vegas Pound 4 Pound gym on the world stage in a huge way. This was a fantastic interview with a man who obviously cares deeply about the sport and wants to make a positive impact on society. His hard work paid off in giving him a group of kids who could become future world champions in their respective divisions. He is indeed, doing something right in Las Vegas, and he explains everything about his program in this interview.

Tom, Tony and Rich also discussed Mayweather vs. McGregor, Tim Hague’s recent death after a brutal defeat in boxing, Female Boxer Heather Hardy’s pro MMA debut for Bellator, and Matt Hughes’ tragic accident in the first part of the broadcast. We also chat about Tony Penecale’s Boxing 101 video with his trainees and Hank Cisco:

We wrap up the show with a recap of last week’s UFC Fight Night and all the boxing action, plus we look ahead to this weekend’s boxing matches and the stacked MMA lineups for Bellator and the UFC.

FNU Combat Sports Show: Mayweather vs. McGregor set for August 26th, Ward vs. Kovalev II Preview, UFC Fight Night Hunt Vs. Lewis Recap

“Psychic” Tom Padgett earned his nickname last week in predicting Mark Hunt would be buoyed to a win over Derrick Lewis in front of his hometown New Zealand fans at the latest UFC Fight Night. We recap the fight card and preview this weekend’s UFC Fight Night card from Singapore. Tom, Tony and Rich also chat about Mayweather vs. McGregor getting signed. We additionally recap last week’s biggest boxing results and the upcoming weekend’s best fights, including a rematch of Andre Ward vs. Sergey Kovalev. Listen to the two part broadcast below.

 

 

Psychic Tom Predicts Win For Mark Hunt; Rabble Rousin’ Rich Opens the Show with Demetrious Johnson vs. Dana White Rant; Tony the Tornado rips Stevenson/Fonfara on this week’s FNU Combat Sports Show

Rich Bergeron opens this week’s FNU Combat Sports show by giving his unique take on the Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson feud with the UFC brass, namely Dana White. Upon refusing to take a fight with T.J. Dillashaw without getting certain assurances and conditions met, many fans on social media insisted DJ was running scared. Even Dillashaw took the opportunity to blast the move by the flyweight champ as “chickenshit.” Dana White even reportedly threatened to shut down the entire flyweight division if Johnson refused to fight TJ. “Mighty Mouse” didn’t blink and didn’t cave to the organization’s demands, and Rich explains in his opening dialogue why DJ should be respected and given the benefit of the doubt for his decision rather than being criticized and dragged through the mud for standing up for himself.

 

During the rest of the broadcast, Tony “The Tornado” Penecale details his night out at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia for a fight card headlined by Hank Lundy. He also recaps Fonfara vs. Stevenson II and calls the fight “a disgrace.”

 

“Psychic” Tom Padgett chips in with some post-fight analysis of Aldo vs. Holloway. He also predicts Mark Hunt will benefit from home cage advantage in his battle with Derrick Lewis this weekend at UFC Fight Night 110 in New Zealand.

 

There’s also an update on Hunt’s lawsuit against the UFC and Brock Lesnar and lots of other fight previews and recaps. Listen to the whole broadcast to catch up on what’s new in combat sports this week.

FNU Combat Sports Show: McGregor Agrees to Mayweather fight contract, big weekend ahead for boxing

This week’s show features Rich and Tom bragging about their UFC 211 main event predictions from last week. Tony also gets ample opportunities to talk about boxing this week with a ton of pugilism scheduled to go down all over the world this weekend. We also preview Bellator’s busy weekend with a huge card Friday night in the UK headlined by a battle between Rory MacDonald and Paul Daley.

FNU Combat Sports Show: Fighter Uprising in the UFC Continues; GSP vs Bisping Cancelled; Canelo vs. GGG takes spotlight From Floyd vs. Conor

This week Tom, Tony and Rich discuss how boxing is winning the combat sports battle for market share. We recap Canelo Alvarez vs. Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. and preview UFC 211. We also talk about the planned superfight between Canelo and Triple G, Gennady Golovkin. We break in with the news of GSP vs. Bisping getting cancelled and go on to explore multiple UFC fighter complaints from Tom Lawlor to Luke Rockhold to Anderson Silva. We will be moving the show to rantsports.com next week so stay tuned on the transition details.

 

We also touch on our interview from last year with “THE” James Krause, who just won his first fight in The Ultimate Fighter house on the current season of the reality TV tournament. This interview is from just prior to the UFC sale to WME/IMG and company, and it’s very eye opening:

 

FNU Combat Sports Show: Joshua vs. Klitschko Recap, Anderson Silva Threatens UFC Retirement

The FNU Combat Sports show concentrates heavily on boxing this week with the big heavyweight bout between Anthony Joshua and Wladimir Klitschko to review and discuss first. Then we move on to preview Cinco De Mayo weekend in The Sweet Science, which is headlined by a Saturday night fight between Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Julio Cesar Chavez Junior. Additionally, we discuss some additions to UFC 213, Anderson Silva’s retirement threat, the creation of a women’s featherweight division in the UFC for the next season of The Ultimate Fighter, and the viral video featuring the demolition of a Tai Chi “Master” by an MMA fighter. Listen to the broadcast below.

 

FNU Combat Sports Show: “Raging” Al Goes Off on Dana White, Klitschko vs. Joshua Preview & Event Recaps

It’s an early installment of the FNU Combat Sports Show this week since Co-host “Tornado” Tony Penecale will be busy in his role as the Phillies Superphan tomorrow night at the NFL Draft. We discuss “Raging” Al Iaquinta’s tirade against the UFC and Dana White, recap Bellator 178 and UFC Fight Night 108, and preview the big heavyweight boxing match between Wladimir Klitschko and Anthony Joshua on Saturday. We also discuss the latest season of The Ultimate Fighter and last week’s boxing events.