The Dan Le Batard Show: 'Zaslow Is Fired Up' Review

The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz is ESPN's fast-talking, comedy-first sports talk franchise, hosted by Dan Le Batard and his perpetually skeptical co-host Stugotz (Stuart Yasuda), with a rotating crew of contributors and callers. In this 38.3-minute episode titled "Zaslow Is Fired Up For Rousey/Carano + Mike Can't Get Into The Wire | Hour 2," the crew pivots from a sharp observation about the narrowing sports calendar—with basketball and hockey entering their conference championship phases—to Netflix's seismic decision to broadcast live sports. The focal point is Netflix's first-ever live MMA event, and Zaslow apparently arrives ready to defend the presence of Rousey and Carano on the card, while Mike Ryan takes the contrarian route, more interested in dismissing The Wire or pivoting the conversation altogether. What unfolds is a characteristically unscripted hour of back-and-forth: the hosts bicker about who has Netflix (and why), debate whether streaming subscriptions have become a necessity or a luxury, litigate the Drake vs. Kendrick Lamar beef with Dan's wife inserting her considered opinion, and collectively decide that Nate Diaz vs. Mike Perry will be electric precisely because Diaz is half-bored and fully unpredictable. Episode score: 7.8/10. The chemistry is warm and the topics genuinely matter to the hosts and their audience; the ad load is minimal at just 1 ad totaling 0.5 minutes (1.4% of runtime), featuring Casamigos and Quarvo as sponsors.

What Makes The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz 'Zaslow Is Fired Up For Rousey/Carano + M' Work

This episode's strength is in its refusal to stay on a single rail. Dan opens with a real observation—that the conference championship phases of basketball and hockey mean fewer multi-game nights to choose from—which sets up why Netflix's sports ambitions matter at all. It's not a complaint; it's a genuine shift in what's available to watch, and that observation gives weight to why a streaming giant would invest in live combat sports when scripted original content is expensive and often underperforms.

"So the basketball on the hockey is now going to be a little limited on a nightly basis now as both of the sports or heading into their conference championships."

From there, the hosts use that context as a springboard to discuss the UFC card with actual knowledge and opinions worth hearing. Mike Perry vs. Nate Diaz gets the most attention, with the crew praising Diaz's barely-suppressed chaos: he's smoking at open practice, shadow-boxing for the cameras, treating the buildup like a piece of performance art rather than standard fighter promotion. The hosts clearly enjoy that energy, and their enthusiasm is contagious—they're not forcing analysis here, they're just reacting to what makes them interested.

The episode also gains genuine momentum from disagreement. Dan doesn't actually like Netflix originals (which makes his newfound attachment to the service purely transactional—Netflix exists in his house only because of live sports now). The hosts don't all have opinions about The Wire. They don't agree on Drake vs. Kendrick—and the fact that Dan's wife is apparently so invested in the outcome that she demanded air time to correct his take on her behalf is peak Dan Le Batard Show material: unscripted, personal, and hilarious. Stugotz's comfort holding down unpopular opinions (especially about Drake) keeps the show from feeling like an echo chamber. The sponsorship integrations with Casamigos and Quarvo feel light and natural, woven in without the typical hard sell.

The Ad Load on The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz: 1 Ads, 0.5 Minutes

This episode maintains a clean ad load with just 1 ad totaling 0.5 minutes—only 1.4% of the episode runtime—with Casamigos and Quarvo as the detected sponsors. Skip The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz ads automatically while you listen on every podcast with PodSkip.

The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz Review: Is 'Zaslow Is Fired Up For Rousey/Carano + M' Worth Listening?

Score: 7.8/10. This episode delivers the show's core appeal: chemistry between smart, funny people who disagree about sports and culture without it ever feeling hostile or rehearsed. While the focus meanders—some listeners will find the tangents about streaming services and hip-hop beefs less interesting than the MMA card itself—the willingness to follow the conversation wherever it leads is exactly why this show has such a devoted audience. If you care about sports, streaming, the behind-the-scenes chaos of fighting promotion, or just want to hear people riff competently for 40 minutes, this is a solid grab.

Start listening on The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz on Apple Podcasts. Check out related episodes like "The Dan Le Batard Show: '#BecauseMiami: Deport FIFA' Review" (7.6/10) or "The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz: Iceman + Cavs Review" (7.5/10) for more from this show on PodSkip.

FAQ: The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz 'Zaslow Is Fired Up' Review

What is the main topic of this episode of The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz?

The episode focuses on Netflix's first live MMA event, with Zaslow defending the card's headliners and the crew debating whether combat sports streaming matters. They discuss Nate Diaz vs. Mike Perry in detail and veer into conversations about which streaming services they actually use and value.

How many ads does this episode have and who are the sponsors?

This episode contains 1 ad lasting 0.5 minutes, representing just 1.4% of the total 38.3-minute runtime. The detected sponsors are Casamigos and Quarvo, making it one of the cleaner episodes in terms of ad load.

How can I skip ads on The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz every episode?

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