About The Show
Launched in 2022, The MMA Outsiders is hosted by Tom Albano and Zain Bando.
The pair met when the two worked together at FanSided MMA starting in 2019, with Zain moving on to BJPenn.com in 2022. Each week, Tom and Zain will look at the biggest stories in the combat sports world, as well as review and preview fight cards while giving their best bet ideas. One of the newer ventures from the Empty The Bench Network, look out for conversations with other MMA media members, fighters in the limelight, and fighters of the future.
The MMA Outsiders
About The Hosts
Tom Albano
Tom Albano is the co-host and Executive Producer of Empty the Bench and The MMA Outsiders. Tom also serves as Programming Director of the ETB Network.
Outside of the network, Tom currently works as a high school English teacher and as a contributor to FanSided MMA. Previously, Tom served as a staff writer for The Hockey Writers and a Digital Content Creator at FIGHT SPORTS, as well as a color commentator for Rider Broncs baseball. Tom received his master's degree in journalism from Hofstra University in 2018 after receiving his bachelor's from Rider University in 2016.
When the busy-bodied and workaholic Tom actually gets free time, he loves to spend it playing video games, exercising, and playing fantasy sports. He is a fan of combat sports (MMA, boxing, etc.), as well as a fan of the New York Yankees, New York Rangers. and New York Giants.
Zain Bando
Zain Bando is a co-host on The MMA Outsiders with Thomas Albano, which airs every Wednesday morning at 9 a.m. ET/6 a.m. PT.
Bando’s love for MMA began after watching UFC 61 in 2006, and from then on, the rest is history. Having not missed a UFC PPV main event since August 2011, Bando’s knowledge of the sport is second-to-none.
His work has appeared in FanSided, IlliniGuys, and BJPenn.com. He earned a master’s in Journalism (specializing in Sports Media) at Northwestern’s Medill School. He is also a proud graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an avid Illini super fan, among other things.