Q&A with Kevin Iole
The veteran journalist has been covering the fight realm for more than four decades
The MMA Notebook runs every Friday.
In this edition:
Q&A with Kevin Iole
Weekend picks
Five Questions with… Kevin Iole
Kevin Iole is one of the most recognizable names in combat sports coverage.
A reporter and columnist, Iole wrote nationally for Yahoo before starting his own site–www.KevinIole.com–where he is on top of every major story in boxing and MMA.
Iole is the first guest in the “Five Questions with…” series, where he discusses the evolving coverage of the sport and the major upcoming fights.
Justin Barrasso: Your contributions to combat sports are remarkable. That includes creating the Yahoo combat sports section in 2007, as well as your time with the Las Vegas Review-Journal newspaper. What motivated you to leave traditional media and start your own site? What has the experience been like?
Kevin Iole: Thank you, Justin. I didn’t really have a choice in the matter. I was laid off on December 1, 2023 by Yahoo. I had a great run there and had the experience of a lifetime. For Yahoo, I covered fights all over the US, as well as North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Australia. I had a lot of creative freedom and worked with amazing people. When I got let go, I wasn’t ready to say goodbye yet. I truly love it. I considered working for someone else, but I felt if I started my own site, I could do it in my vision.
For the most part, it’s worked out as I had thought. I have had some difficulty on the boxing side with access. People who were upset at me who I was critical of dealt with me at Yahoo because we were a major site. But when I was at a smaller site, they weren’t that cooperative. But I’ve made it work.
The journalism is not like work to me. Trying to monetize the site is a different story and I can’t say I enjoy that part of this.
Barrasso: Your sweet spots are boxing and MMA. Before we get to what’s happening in UFC, what do you think is the best-case scenario for TKO Boxing in the upside-down, cutthroat world of boxing?
Iole: Well, I think that depends on what TKO wants it to be. I think if they want to be a major player, they can be. But it’ll be a slow build. It’s not going to be a snap of the fingers and we’re here. Turki [Al-Sheikh] right now interferes in promoter’s contracts with fighters by going to the fighters directly. He’s a super rich billionaire backed by a super rich country with seemingly endless money. But when TKO gets in and they have a promoter’s license, they have to play by the rules. And they can’t be, for instance, just contacting Top Rank, Matchroom and Golden Boy fighters who are under contract. So if they want to do more than a show here or there, they’ll have to build up and that’ll take a while.
Barrasso: Canelo-Crawford is an incredibly hard pick to gauge. I’m leaning toward Crawford because she’s just so remarkably well-rounded, but it feels foolish to pick against Canelo. How do you see their fight playing out?
Iole: I like Crawford to win the fight. I think he’s got more left in the tank than Canelo, and I think he’s got one of the best fight IQs I’ve ever seen. Canelo has an all-time great chin and he punches very hard, so Crawford will have to thread the needle.
Crawford will have to be ready to fight for 36 minutes and can’t afford a mistake. Switching southpaw and using that amazing footwork of his will be his best bet. I like Crawford to win, but I’d not be shocked if Canelo did because they’re both elite fighters.
Barrasso: What excites you most in MMA? And how do you see the Jon Jones-Tom Aspinall saga unfolding?
Iole: There are so many exciting things in MMA. Seeing Khamzat [Chimaev] try to fight for a title is going to be great. He blew me away in those first three fights back on Fight Island during the pandemic. If you’d have asked me then, I’d have told you that he would have been champion within a year. Dricus [du Plessis] kind of came out of nowhere and is now a dominant champion, so you have this guy who has been beating excellent opposition with an odd style going against the guy who as far back as 2020 that I thought would be the next big thing.
I’m excited to see how Islam [Makhachev] does at 170. I’m eager to watch Ilia [Topuria] move up against Charles [Oliveira] and try to win a second belt. Excited to see the development of guys off of DWCS like David Martinez, Malcom Wellmaker, and Islam Dulatov, among others. Love what I am seeing from The Fighting Nerds and they have a lot of potential stars.
As for Jon vs. Tom, I think it happens, most likely at MSG or at T-Mobile in December. It’d be a bad look for Jon NOT to take the fight. I believe and have written this for a while that they’ve already agreed on financial terms, so it’s a matter of whether Jon wants the fight and/or how long he wants to play with Tom.
Barrasso: Is there a particular piece you are proudest of this past year? And what can people expect for summer content at KevinIole.com?
Iole: I am most proud of my body of work. I produce a high volume of content, and I’m not just writing that Joe Blow is fighting Jon Doe at this place on this card. And I do it for two sports. So I think that’s what I am most proud of. I am the editor, the writer, the publisher, the columnist, the reporter, the business manager, etc. And I don’t feel my work has suffered.
As for what’s next, stay tuned! Look for some big announcements.
Pick ‘Em Section
UFC on ABC light heavyweight bout: Jamahal Hill vs. Khalil Rountree Jr.
Pick: Khalil Rountree Jr.
UFC on ABC lightweight bout: Rafael Fiziev vs. Ignacio Bahamondes
Pick: Ignacio Bahamondes
UFC on ABC heavyweight bout: Curtis Blaydes vs. Rizvan Kuniev
Pick: Curtis Blaydes
UFC on ABC lightweight bout: Tofiq Musayev vs. Myktybek Orolbai
Pick: Tofiq Musayev
UFC on ABC lightweight bout: Nazim Sadykhov vs. Nikolas Motta
Pick: Nazim Sadykhov
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