FanFyte

Episode 35: Perfectly Poached Baby

Fri, 16 Oct 2020 12:00:00 -0000

It's the season 1 finale of Fanfyte, and while we're all bummed about the temporary loss of our favorite Punch Pals hangout session, there's still plenty to be excited about at the intersection of combat sports entertainment and Fanbyte dot com, which I'm told is a website!

Episode 34: A Podcast That Overturns the Concept of Breakfast

Fri, 09 Oct 2020 12:00:00 -0000

LB is having another spat with pro wrestling, so this week we spend some time enjoying the wholesome YouTube output of Hiromu Takahashi. Meanwhile, the Iron Lady achieves her first submission win, and Danielle is here for it.

Episode 33: Legendary Beefcake

Fri, 02 Oct 2020 12:00:00 -0000

LB takes us on a journey through the rise and fall of EVIL, while Danielle brings some good ol' fashioned boxing to the table (well, almost) with Irene Aldana vs. Ketlan Viera.

Gear Switch 2: Who Owns a Pair of Lex Luger Socks?

Fri, 25 Sep 2020 20:11:07 -0000

Colette and Jes are back this month to talk about Retribution's debut and to fantasize about stepping into a soft, comfortable Ric Flair bathrobe.

Episode 32: One of the Standard Animals

Fri, 25 Sep 2020 17:23:00 -0000

Danielle is touring the International Space Station this week, so in lieu of a normal episode we're going to find out what kind of fighter LB is with the help of an assuredly accurate test from the internet.

Episode 31: Nasal Pap Smear

Fri, 18 Sep 2020 12:00:00 -0000

Lace up your chucks and roll down the windows, it's time to fight!! LB shares the joy of no-holds barred parking lot combat between Best Friends and Santana & Ortiz on this week's AEW Dynamite, while Danielle brings a glorious underdog debut in Kevin Croom vs. Roosevelt Roberts.

Episode 30: A Sex Symbol Limo

Fri, 11 Sep 2020 12:00:00 -0000

We experience the thrill, excitement, and madcap hijinks of AEW's first-ever "Tooth and Nail Match," which isn't a real thing, between Big Swole and Dr. Britt Baker. Additionally, Danielle treats us to a very different, but equally enthralling display of MMA elegance from Angela Hill and Loma Lookboonmee.

Episode 29: Gorgeous Technical Hitchhiker Escape

Fri, 04 Sep 2020 12:00:00 -0000

LB takes us back in time by precisely one week, so that we can all enjoy Minoru Suzuki's open-air baseball stadium battle against Shingo Takagi. Danielle chalks up for Amanda Loewen vs. Gillian Robertson in Submission Underground 17, which uses a unique set of rules that somehow relate to a man's real estate and/or pizza disputes.

Episode 28: Fancy Bean Company

Fri, 28 Aug 2020 12:00:00 -0000

Wrestling returns to Fanfyte with an incredible tag-team battle from the annals of history! Meiko Satomura and Sonoko Kato square off against Fanfyte favorite Aja Kong and Mayumi Ozaki, in what may have been 1999's most explosive match. Meanwhile, Danielle gives us the gift of one the greatest MMA upsets of all time in Rose Namajunas' 2017 fight against Joanna Jedrzejczyk.

Gear Switch 1: (Vince McMahon voice) Antifa

Fri, 28 Aug 2020 01:14:00 -0000

Fanfyte's own Colette Arrand is joined by her old pal Jes Skolnik for the rebirth of Gear Switch to talk about the wonderful, terrible world of pro wrestling fashion. They look at the year so far, praising Seth Rollins' Summerslam look, shake their heads at WWE's miserable failure to make black bloc look cool, and dunk on a lot of merch.

Episode 27: The Sweat of Justice

Fri, 21 Aug 2020 12:00:00 -0000

This week, punch pals Danielle and LB Hunktears devote the wrestling portion of the podcast to the ways in which the American wrestling established has failed to protect its talent from the COVID-19 pandemic, while the MMA portion of our program has been supplanted by a grappling match between Elisabeth Clay and Maggie Grindatti. It's an unconventional episode for an unconventional world, but still as fun as ever!

Episode 26: Texas MILF Hair

Fri, 14 Aug 2020 12:00:00 -0000

Danielle and LB Hunktears return for another action-packed week of combat sports entertainment, in addition to the highest per capita usage of the term "MILF" on any Fanbyte podcast to date. LB sets the stage with an oldie but a goodie, Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Shinsuke Nakamura at Wrestle Kingdom 8 in 2014. Danielle enters the octagon with the first of three planned bouts between Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier, our second-ever heavyweight UFC event.

Episode 25: Equinox Gym Apocalypse

Fri, 07 Aug 2020 12:00:00 -0000

It's that time again, punch pals! Danielle and LB Hunktears are back for another delectable day of wrasslin' and sasslin' (I don't know either, let's move on), with LB treating us to a high-flying 2018 CMLL bout between Bárbaro Cavernario and King Phoenix. Meanwhile, Danielle showcases the picture-perfect arm bar seen in last Saturday's UFC flyweight match between Joanne Calderwood and Jennifer Maia.

Episode 24: Big Satin Pants Brain

Fri, 31 Jul 2020 12:00:00 -0000

Danielle an LB Hunktears return for another action-packed week of failed Japanese pop idols and the King of Triangles, which are both still somehow related to the world of combat sports entertainment. LB comes to the table with last year's Tokyo Joshi Pro grudge match between Aja Kong and Maki Itoh, while Danielle tags in a more recent (read: last weekend) battle between Paul Craig vs. Gadzhimurad Antigulov.

Episode 23: The Chef's Kiss Kneebar

Fri, 24 Jul 2020 13:00:00 -0000

Danielle and LB Hunktears are back with two more exemplary examples of combat sports entertainment, with Danielle bringing last Saturday's flyweight bout between Ariane Lipski and Luana Carolina, and LB showcasing Wednesday's AEW Dynamite showdown between Eddie Kingston and Cody Rhodes.

Fanfyte 22: The Crush Gals

Fri, 17 Jul 2020 13:00:00 -0000

Fanbyte's own combat sports entertainment tag-team is back with a double barrel blast of retro events this week, with Danielle detailing Georges St. Pierre's 2008 match against Matt Serra, and LB Hunktears introduces us to the deeply Goals™ world of mid-90s women's Japanese wrestling with Manami Toyota vs. Akira Hokuto at All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling Destiny 1995.

Fanfyte 21: Nailed Him in the Balls

Fri, 10 Jul 2020 12:00:00 -0000

Danielle and LB Hunktears are back to talk about carbs, Outback Steakhouse (unrelated), and as always, the world of martial arts and sports entertainment. LB brings Night 2 of AEW's Dynamite Fyter Fest to the table with Orange Cassidy vs. Chris Jericho, while Danielle tackles the issues with weight cutting exposed by a 2019 bout between Jorge Masvidal and Darren Till. Plus, someone gets kicked in the junk!

Fanfyte 20: Respect the Meat

Fri, 03 Jul 2020 12:00:00 -0000

Get ready for a wet, red experience as Danielle and LB Hunktears talk veggie burgers, cat lore, and of course, the world of martial arts entertainment. LB enters the ring with a brand-new bout from Day 7 of the New Japan Pro Wrestling 2020 Japan Cup featuring Hiromu Takahashi and Tomohiro Ishii, while Danielle resurrects Dustin "The Diamond" Poirier's fated 2018 rematch against Eddie Alvarez. Stay meaty, everybody!

FanFyte 19: Thai Clinches & Hugs

Fri, 26 Jun 2020 13:00:00 -0000

Danielle is joined by John this week to watch Bayley & Sasha Banks from NXT Takeover Brooklyn 2015 and last week's fight between Raquel Pennington & Marion Reneau

Fanfyte 18: Arms Are Good

Fri, 19 Jun 2020 14:57:51 -0000

Pride month continues here at Fanfyte, as we honor LGBT athletes and performers, and other fights and matches that fit a general sense of pride. This time, Elby Hunktears brings along a hilarious and high-tension 2019 match between ASUKA and Akito from DDT Extreme, and Danielle brings a vintage 2013 Invicta FC bout between Tecia “Tiny Tornado” Torres and future champion “Thug” Rose Namajunas.

Fanfyte 17: Two Wifed Up Queens

Fri, 12 Jun 2020 15:44:51 -0000

This week, Fanbyte Editor at Large John Warren joins LB and Danielle in the fun! Our pride-inspired month continues with a pro wrestling match and MMA fight that give us lots of powerful queer vibes, from some of our favorite powerful queer athletes. First, we watched Nyla Rose and Hikaru Shida go toe to toe in a bombastic, casino-themed championship match from AEW’s Memorial day weekend card. Then, Danielle gushes about Amanda Nunes: who successfully defended her featherweight belt against a very game Felicia Spencer this weekend, to become the first person (no matter their gender) to successfully defend two current championship belts in the UFC. Also, she’s openly queer, and basically one of the best fighters to ever do it.

Fanfyte 16: Colby Covington Jaw Punch

Fri, 05 Jun 2020 14:00:00 -0000

We’re in a bizarre time, dear podcast listeners. But we are also interested in both celebrating pride month with a beautiful match between two openly queer pro wrestlers, and highlighting one of the shining moments in MMA from the last five years — that is, when big MAGA-promoter Colby Covington got his shit-talking jaw broken by UFC champion Kamaru Usman in their welterweight title fight last December. There are still some wonderful things in this universe, after all.

SportsMiddle 13: Give the NFL to Colin Kaepernick

Wed, 03 Jun 2020 19:31:42 -0000

(Season Finale) SportsMiddle is going on hiatus but not before we discuss returning sports and Colin Kaepernick

Fanfyte 15: Hana Kimura

Fri, 29 May 2020 13:00:00 -0000

Content warning for discussion of self-harm, death by suicide, and related topics.

This week, we’re doing something a bit different on our pro wrestling and MMA show. Hana Kimura, a rising star in Japan’s World of Stardom promotion, died by apparent suicide last week, and we’ve chosen to honor her in this episode, with a look at her match with Kagetsu from October 2018. We chat about her career, her incredible charisma and talent, and a bit about her tragic death.

SportsMiddle 12: The Last Dance

Wed, 27 May 2020 23:36:00 -0000

Danielle, Dillon, and John explore the themes, heroes, villains, and missing moments from ESPN's Michael Jordan docuseries, The Last Dance.

Fanfyte 14: Jon Moxley vs. Toru Yano and Cris Cyborg vs. Yana Kunitskaya

Fri, 22 May 2020 13:00:00 -0000

Note that this episode has a content warning for a discussion of weight and dangerous weight-cutting.

Every week on Fanfyte, we watch a pro wrestling match and an MMA fight, and delight in the exchange of blows and bodies across the canvas. This week, we dive into comedy wrestling, with the very slapstick New Japan Pro matchup between cheating trickster Toru Yano and a very motivated Jon Moxley. Then, we switch gears and watch Cris “Cyborg’s” 2018 featherweight title defense against Yana Kunitskaya, in LB’s first view of a brutal Cyborg performance.

SportsMiddle 11: Crossword for Losers

Wed, 20 May 2020 22:48:00 -0000

The crew finds Dillon in 2012, where they discuss Ronda Rousey/MieshaTate, Bountygate, and the NFL referee lockout.

Fanfyte 13: Angela Hill vs. Hannah Cifers and Cesaro vs. Sara Del Rey

Fri, 15 May 2020 15:48:00 -0000

Content warning for a brief mention of domestic violence.

Every week on Fanfyte, we watch a pro wrestling match and an MMA fight, and glory in our shared passion for fisticuffs. This time around, Elby brought Cesaro (Claudio Castagnoli) vs. Sara Del Rey, an inter-gender pro wrestling scrap from the accessible Chikara promotion. Danielle brought the January matchup between Angela “Overkill” Hill and Hannah Cifers, one of Hill’s historic six matches inside of a year (an unheard-of feat in the UFC).

We got serious in this one, and we had fun. It’s the Fanfyte way!

SportsMiddle 10: Helmet Catch Time Machine

Wed, 13 May 2020 23:49:00 -0000

Danielle, Niki, and John time travel to 2008 to watch Super Bowl 42 and to give field reports on sports from this year. Also Dillon is lost in time.

Fanfyte 12: High Flyers and Bad Mofos

Fri, 08 May 2020 15:38:00 -0000

On every Fanfyte episode, we watch a pro wrestling match and an MMA fight, in order to share the joy of our respective passions. This week was a real treat, with a high-flying, positively acrobatic lucha match between Laredo Kid and El Hijo Del Vikingo. We followed that up with one of the most-hyped MMA fights of last year, Jorge Masvidal vs. Nate Diaz in the UFC’s “Baddest Motherfucker” championship. That belt… that ending… that cut!

SportsMiddle 9: We Could Take Luka Doncic 1v1, Probably

Wed, 06 May 2020 19:27:00 -0000

This week on SportsMiddle, the crew talks about space, plans to adjust the NASCAR and NHL seasons, and more! They also find a VHS tape, which is weird.

Fanfyte VCR 3: Step 1 Look at Vader Step 2 Feel Good

Wed, 06 May 2020 17:22:00 -0000

We watched Big Van Vader wrestle Stan Hansen in New Japan in 1990, and his eyeball popped out. How on topic did we manage to be??? Not very!! But this match ruled! And LB tried to wear a child's cowboy hat the whole time!

Fanfyte 11: Tag Team Doubles

Fri, 01 May 2020 13:00:00 -0000

Welcome to Fanfyte, our premiere pro wrestling and MMA appreciation podcast! This week, Wrestling Editor LB Hunktears brought the show’s first tag team match, 2014’s dynamic duel between the heels at reDRagon and the babyfaced Time Splitters.

Then, in the MMA section, we took a look at the historic heavyweight championship match between Brock Lesnar and Randy Couture from 2008.

(Small content note: this episode contains a brief discussion of food!)

SportsMiddle 8: Good Baseball Punches

Wed, 29 Apr 2020 18:46:00 -0000

This week, the crew brings on SB Nation's Bill Hanstock (@sundownmotel) to talk about MLB, NBA, and the continued dearth of sports and sports entertainment. They also remember some guys (that they went to high school with and now play professional sports).

Fanfyte 10: Pancrase Predator Wristlock

Fri, 24 Apr 2020 13:00:00 -0000

Today on Fanbyte’s premier MMA and pro wrestling podcast, we took a trip back to the mid-90s with the hybrid shoot-wrestling and pro wrestling promotion Pancrase. It’s a wildly entertaining combination of real MMA grappling with some flair and fixings from the pro wrestling world, and we watched two of the most exciting matches in the show’s history: 1995’s Ken Shamrock vs Minoru Suzuki and 1994’s Masakatsu Funaki vs Minoru Suzuki.

Fanfyte VCR 2: A Good Use of Cargo Pants

Wed, 22 Apr 2020 23:44:00 -0000

Hunktears and Colette are back to talk about the 1994 FMW No Ropes Exploding Barbed Wire Dynamite Pool Elimination Death Match. You know, where everyone rode a dinghy to get to the ring because it was in the middle of an enormous swimming pool. Colette sings the praises of Atsushi Onita, LB makes plans to become Mr. Pogo, and then they talk about boats. Do you know anything about boats? We sure don't. Please put "boats" in the body of the five star review you leave us though.

SportsMiddle 7: Sabrina Ionescu is Good at Basketball

Wed, 22 Apr 2020 19:48:00 -0000

On this episode of SportsMiddle, we welcome SB Nation's Natalie Weiner to the program to chat about the WNBA Draft, ESPN's The Last Dance, and the NFL draft.

Fanfyte 9: You Can’t Top That!

Fri, 17 Apr 2020 14:45:00 -0000

Once again, we didn’t do this on purpose, but both our MMA fight and pro wrestling match this week have a sort of similar energy. In both, there’s a wily veteran vs. a scrappy, younger up-and-comer, and in both, we have fun, dynamic matchups that go places. This week, it’s Kairi Hojo vs. Meiko Satomura from 2015, and Roxanne “The Happy Warrior” Modafferi vs. Antonina Shevchenko from last year’s UFC St. Petersburg card (the first UFC women’s bout in Russia).

Sportsmiddle 6: A Mic Check for the Racist, Please

Wed, 15 Apr 2020 22:48:00 -0000

Sports! This week, your favorite video game podcasters surround themselves with an iRacist, the ragtag group of terrible sports owners who are going to save the economy, and hot F1 racers!

Fanfyte 8: That Old Face and Heel Energy

Fri, 10 Apr 2020 15:38:00 -0000

This week on the Fanfyte podcast, LB brought Danielle a wildly fun AEW match in Orange Cassidy vs. Pac, a classic fresh-faced babyface vs. heel kind of situation. Then Danielle brought the explosive headliner from October 2018, Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor lightweight championship. That was an intense fight that ended in a massive brawl in the stadium, so you can say there was a lot of pro wrestling energy all around this week.

SportsMiddle 5: Secret Islands, Crystal Mazes

Wed, 08 Apr 2020 20:08:00 -0000

We watched college football, made a very, very long plea for Niki and Danielle to compete on family game show The Crystal Maze, and discuss the fact that UFC is going to some sort of secret private island for its next event.

Fanfyte VCR 1: I Quit

Wed, 08 Apr 2020 12:00:00 -0000

LB Hunktears and Colette Arrand embark on a beautiful journey into watching old wrestling on the computer and pretending it's on a tape in this new Fanfyte podcast. To get started, we watched Terry Funk and Ric Flair's "I Quit" match from 1989.

Fanfyte 7: Wrestling Rules

Fri, 03 Apr 2020 17:56:00 -0000

Last week, we did an MMA-centered episode around the rules of engagement, and this week, we’re going full steam ahead on pro wrestling rules! In order to get the best grip, we invited expert and Fanfyte contributor Colette Arrand to show us the ropes, and we watched the classic match between Eddie Guerrero and Kurt Angle. There were some… interesting rues violations there.

SportsMiddle 4: We Did a Basketball

Wed, 01 Apr 2020 21:37:00 -0000

Today on SportsMiddle, we checked out one of the games the NBA has released on its YouTube channel for free: the nail biting, memorable, possibly heartbreaking game seven from last year’s playoffs, between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Toronto Raptors. Elsewhere: there was actually a live grappling event, and it was weird, and we all appreciate Kevin Harlan’s commentary.

Fanfyte 6: MMA Rules Extravaganza

Fri, 27 Mar 2020 15:57:00 -0000

This week, we’re talking about MMA rules and Jon Jones’ wildly controversial fight with Mark Hamill: his only loss, due to a 12-6 elbow. A 12-6 elbow? What’s that, you ask? Well we have a special guest to guide us through the wild and wooly history of MMA rules: Jaime Perea, an MMA fighter, submission grappler, coach, and co-owner of Chop and Chops MMA here in Brooklyn.

SportsMiddle 3: Owning the Post-Game

Wed, 25 Mar 2020 19:58:00 -0000

On the third episode of the new sports podcast that we started just as sports… ended, we have a number of incredible revelations, including young Niki’s thoughts on dog health and some surprising assertions about esports. Then we go into some of our all-time favorite post-game interviews, from across the NBA, NFL, NHL, and UFC.

Fanfyte 5: The Sweetest Beast

Fri, 20 Mar 2020 14:00:00 -0000

This week, we have two action-packed events: WWE's Asuka vs. Charlotte Flair, a “green mist”-spewing, sliding and high-flying match from last November. That’s paired, like a fine wine, with last August’s lightning-quick UFC strawweight championship fight between Jessica Andrade and Weili Zhang, which only took a tiny portion of the first round to end in a hail of elbows and knees.

Sportsmiddle 2: No Handbook for Pandemic Sports

Wed, 18 Mar 2020 20:33:00 -0000

We sure did start a sports podcast just as all sports were being cancelled, huh? To help us with that, today we welcomed a very special guest to the Sportsmiddle fold: The Athletic MMA reporter Fernanda Prates, who gave us a good dose of humor, on-the-ground reporting from UFC Brasilia, and the need to get creative with sports coverage in light of current events.

Fanfyte 4: Taste the Blood

Fri, 13 Mar 2020 13:00:00 -0000

LB brought Danielle a barnburner of an early 2000s indie wrestling event, the hard-hitting, blood-spurting 2005 match between Samoa Joe and The Necro Butcher. CM Punk was on the mic for this one! Then, Danielle brought LB a crimson-soaked MMA fight, Invicta FC’s incredible bantamweight championship fight from the weekend. Featuring innovative open scoring, strong “pro wrestling energy,” a cut that looks like an axe wound to the face, and very literal buckets of blood, this was a wild one.

SportsMiddle 1: Empty Arena Buckets

Thu, 12 Mar 2020 00:55:00 -0000

This is SportsMiddle, where your favorite video game podcasters are surrounded by sports. In the premiere, John, Danielle, Niki, and Dillon explore their histories with sports, problematic-but-good commentators, rule changes, and COVID-19's impact on the sporting landscape. SportsMiddle will air every Wednesday right here on the FanFyte channel.

Fanfyte 3: Chaotic Good Babyface

Fri, 06 Mar 2020 18:37:00 -0000

Welcome again to the Fanfyte podcast, where MMA fan (and Fanbyte Senior Editor) and Pro Wrestling aficionado (and Fanfyte section head) LB Hunktears come together, show each other a fight or event from their respective disciplines, and enjoy the exchange of beautiful violence together. This week, LB brought Darby Allin vs. Sammy Guevara, and Danielle brought UFC 245’s Uriah Faber vs. Petr Yan, spoiling some of the California Kid’s forward momentum in his “un-retirement.”

Fanfyte 2: Beauty Supply Store Deathmatch

Fri, 28 Feb 2020 14:00:00 -0000

Welcome to episode 2 of the Fanfyte podcast, a place where fans of pro wrestling and MMA come together in a beautiful exchange. This week, Pro wrestling expert LB Hunktears has brought us Lady Shani vs Faby Apache, a 2018 Lucha Libre match. Danielle the MMA lover brought a fight that LB described as “like watching a nature documentary” in which undefeated lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov faced off against interim champ Dustin “Diamond” Pourier at UFC 242 last fall.

Fanfyte 1: Introducing the Challenger

Fri, 21 Feb 2020 19:02:00 -0000

In this corner, we have the challenger: a brand new podcast from LB Hunktears, Fanbyte’s pro wrestling Editor, and Senior Editor Danielle Riendeau. Each week, Danielle — the MMA fan and amateur grappler — brings an MMA fight to the table, and LB —the pro wrestling expert — brings a show-stopping match. Think of it as a beautiful exchange between fans of two violent, beautiful art forms.