Cageside with John Morgan

On this episode, Eric McMahon and John Morgan look back at UFC Des Moines, where Cory Sandhagen destroyed Deiveson Figueiredo’s knee. Did Sandhagen send a big enough message to put him back in the title picture? Bo Nickal suffers his first professional loss – where does he need to improve to be a contender at 185 pounds? Looking ahead and previewing Saturday’s UFC 315. All this and more.  0:00 – W...

Manchester Top Team’s Sammy-Jo Luxton outlines a physically and mentally demanding year ahead of her PFL debut while talking to Grind City Media’ John Morgan. The 26-year-old English prospect will make her long-awaited debut for the promotion at PFL Europe 1 on Saturday, May 10, where she takes on Scotland’s Gemma Auld at the  SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland. 0:00 – Outlining a year of loss...

On this episode Eric McMahon and John Morgan look back at UFC on ESPN 66, where Ian Machado Garry snapped the undefeated streak of the Fighting Nerds when he took out Carlos Prates. Why so much “hate” for Garry? Looking ahead to this weekend’s UFC card in Iowa and what is looked at as Bo Nickal’s toughest fight to date. Also, who gets to stay up at the top of the bantamweight division when Cory Sa...

UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad previewed his upcoming UFC 315 headliner with Jack Della Maddalena while speaking with Grind City Media’s John Morgan. UFC 315 takes place Saturday, May 10, and streams live on ESPN+ pay-per-view from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

UFC welterweight contender Gilbert Burns spoke to Grind City Media’s John Morgan and discussed his upcoming main event with Michael Morales at the UFC Apex, the frustration of his current run and how he plans to get back to winning ways, taking inspiration from Dominick Reyes, and much more. 0:00 – Accepting a main event change – and the multiple changes before it 3:06 – More rounds, more money, l...

On this episode, Eric McMahon and John Morgan look back at a fun night of fights at UFC 314, where Alexander Volkanovski regained his world title in a fun fight with Diego Lopes. Where do both fighters go from here? Paddy Pimblett silences all critics with a dominant performance over Michael Chandler. Top-5 opponent next for Pimblett; does Chandler have anything left in the tank? All this and more...

No. 11-ranked UFC featherweight contender Giga Chikadze spoke to Grind City Media’s John Morgan ahead of Saturday’s massive UFC 314 event, where the organization’s 145-pound title will be on the line. Chikadze broke down the big featherweight fights on the card, while also looking ahead to his own matchup with David Onama at UFC Kansas City on April 26. 0:00 – Healing up in Hollywood? 2:59 – Outli...

On this episode, Eric McMahon and John Morgan preview an intriguing UFC 314 lineup that is absolutely filled with interesting matchups. Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes compete for the vacant featherweight title. Michael Chandler and Paddy Pimblett meet in a five-round matchup. Bryce Mitchell vs. Jean Silva in an emotion-filled contest, Yair Rodriguez welcomes Bellator great Patricio “Pitbull...

The legendary “Triple C,” Henry Cejudo, spoke to Grind City Media’s John Morgan to recaps an incredible 2025 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships experience, including a moment for the ages with Wyatt Hendrickson scoring a massive upset over Gable Steveson. Cejudo, himself an Olympic wrestling gold medalist, also discusses the future of the sport and potential for growth, including a call for t...

On this episode, Eric McMahon and John Morgan relive the thrilling victory for Wyatt Hendrickson as he took down Gable Steveson in the heavyweight finals at the NCAA Wrestling Championships. Sean Brady takes a giant leap forward towards a title shot with a fourth-round submission over former champ Leon Edwards. Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall is done but not done. All this and more.  0:00 – John Morgan...

GLORY Kickboxing CEO Marshall Zelaznik, a longtime UFC exec who was instrumental in the launch of UFC FIGHT PASS, spoke to Grind City Media’s John Morgan about the latest news involving the surging international promotion. In addition to the stacked “Last Heavyweight Standing” tournament, the organization has signed a broadcast deal with DAZN, is launching GLORY Underground in association with Jak...

On this episode, Eric McMahon and John Morgan look back at some odd occurrences ahead of Marvin Vettori’s main event with Roman Dolidze before turning to the business of MMA and looking at the future of pay-per-view in the sport, and discussing where the UFC might end up when the promotion’s latest broadcast deal is announced. 0:00 – Conor McGregor speaking at the White House 5:33 – Yaroslav Amoso...

Serbian heavyweight striker Rade Opacic recently departed ONE Championship in favor of GLORY Kickboxing, and he’s arrived just in time for the promotion’s “Last Heavyweight Standing,” a yearlong tournament that kicks off on April 5 at Rotterdam Ahoy in the Netherlands. The field starts with 32 of the world’s best heavyweight strikers and will crown a winner at the end of this year. Ahead of the to...

On this episode, Eric McMahon and John Morgan both discuss the events that unfolded on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The two watched UFC 313 from opposite sides of the cage and break down how Magomed Ankalaev was able to claim the UFC light heavyweight title from Alex Pereira. What comes next – and why is it very clearly a rematch? Justin Gaethje did Justin Gaethje things, and it’...

With 12 years in the UFC, King Green has seen it all in the octagon, and yet he continues to perform in a way that is 100 percent his own. Ahead of this Saturday’s UFC 313 at T-Mobile Arena, Green spoke with Grind City Media’s John Morgan about his journey so far, and what still drives him more than 50 fights into his professional MMA career.

On this episode, Eric McMahon and John Morgan look ahead to the upcoming UFC 313 pay-per-view and the main event of Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev. Where do the advantages lie for each fighter, and what should you look out for early in the fight? There’s a co-main event switch up, with Dan Hooker out and Rafael Fiziev stepping in on short notice to take on Justin Gaethje in a rematch. Are the o...

On this episode, Eric McMahon and John Morgan look back at a wild main event from UFC Seattle. Song Yadong takes a technical decision victory over “Triple C,” Henry Cejudo, in what many are calling a controversial ending to the fight. Was referee Jason Herzog correct in his handling of the situation? Ilia Topuria vacates his title and moves up to lightweight. Will he have to win a fight before cha...

Longtime Bellator standout Aaron Pico has no desire to compete for PFL, and with his contract complete, he’s calling on PFL founder Donn Davis to grant him his outright release. Speaking with Grind City Media’s John Morgan, Pico says his lone interest right now is competing in the UFC, and he’d actually like to debut against No. 13-ranked featherweight Bryce Mitchell – though he’d be more than wil...

On this episode, Eric McMahon and John Morgan preview the headliner of UFC Seattle this weekend between Henry Cejudo and Song Yadong. Sean Strickland and Xtreme Couture MMA Coach Eric Nicksick make headlines after comments made by Nicksick on a podcast. Fair or foul? Conor McGregor guarantees he will fight in BKFC and even throws out some names. Is there any chance this will happen? All this and m...

Former two-division UFC champion and Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo previewed his upcoming UFC Fight Night headliner with Song Yadong while speaking to Grind City Media’s John Morgan. Cejudo discusses the reason he simply couldn’t retire following a 2024 loss to Merab Dvalishvili, how ended paired with an opponent more than a decade younger, what’s fueling him in his final title run, and much...

On this episode, Eric McMahon and John Morgan look back at UFC 312, where Dricus Du Plessis defended his middleweight title in convincing fashion over the outspoken Sean Strickland. Who is next for Du Plessis, and why is it Khamzat Chimaev? Zhang Weili looks like an unstoppable force in the women’s straweight division as she batters Tatiana Suarez over five rounds. All this and more.  0:00 – Intro...

Reigning Bellator bantamweight champion Patchy Mix is in Australia for UFC 312, where his fiancée Tatiana Suarez is challenging Zhang Weili for the strawweight title. Mix discusses her preparation and offers his thoughts on the fight while speaking with Grind City Media’s John Morgan. Mix also explains his reasons for wanting a release from the Professional Fighters League, which acquired Bellator...

On this episode, Eric McMahon and John Morgan look back at this past weekend as Israel Adesanya went down in defeat to Nassourdine Imavov. Where does “Izzy” go from here, and did Imavov set himself up for a title shot? Looking ahead to UFC 312 and Dricus Du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland 2. Who has the edge in the rematch, and what are the best paths for victories for each fighters?  All this and mor...

On this episode, Eric McMahon and John Morgan look back at the “Fight of the Year” candidate of Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Paul Hughes at PFL Road to Dubai Champions Series. Was there any controversy in the decision? Additionally, there’s finally an opportunity to talk about the Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Merab Dvalishvilli fight at UFC 311, and the guys brought receipts! All this and more ... Timecodes 0:...

On this episode, Eric McMahon and John Morgan break down the main and co-main at UFC 311. Islam Makhachev is coming in as a huge betting favorite over Arman Tsarukyan, and the guys discuss why they feel this fight is way more competitive. Will this fight shake out the same way as their first meeting, or will things be different? Merab Dvalishvili looks to defend his title again Umar Nurmagomedov....