Cageside with John Morgan

Eric and John recap an intriguing UFC 296 card that was capped off with an odd decision win for welterweight champion Leon Edwards over heated rival Colby Covington. What happened, and where does Edwards go from here? Does Belal Muhammad or Shavkat Rakhmonov have the inside track? Of course, there was also action to recap outside of the cage with Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis. Timecodes 0:...

Eric and John break down everything that’s coming up with his weekend’s massive “UFC 296: Edwards vs. Covington” event in Las Vegas, including welterweight champ Leon Edwards vs. Colby Covington, as well as a loaded lineup from start to finish, including flyweight champ Alexandre Pantoja vs. Brandon Royval, Shavkat Rakhmonov vs. Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson, Tony Ferguson vs. Paddy Pimblett, Vicen...

Eric and John break down everything that happened at UFC on ESPN 52, including Arman Tsarukyan’s stunning win over Beneil Dariush, Kerry Hatley’s stoppage in the Jalin Turner vs. Bobby Green matchup, big wins from Deiveson Figueiredo and Sean Brady, and much more. Timecodes 0:00 – Introduction 2:32 – Arman Tsarukyan delivers big in headliner 7:09 – Could we see Justin Gaethje next? 16:48 – Jalin T...

Eric and John break down the ins and outs of the Professional Fight League purchasing Bellator. What does this mean for both brands, as well as their television contracts, executives and talent? Looking ahead, the UFC is off and running with a jam-packed December, starting this week in Austin, Texas with Beneil Dariush vs. Arman Tsarukyan and culminating in the big one at UFC 296, Leon Edwards vs....

Eric and John break down UFC 295, which provided the Madison Square Garden crowd with an incredibly memorable event, including Alex Pereira claiming his second UFC title in just his seventh fight for the promotion with a TKO win over Jiri Prochazka, as well as Tom Aspinall earning an interim heavyweight belt with a stunning knockout of Sergei Pavlovich. What does that mean for the idea of Jon Jone...

On episode No. 54, Eric and John preview this weekend’s much-anticipated UFC 295 from Madison Square Garden. What could happen when devastating striker Alex Pereira takes on the man who never lost his title in Jiri Prochazka? Sergei Pavlovich looks to continue his knockout streak as he takes on the highly touted and skilled Tom Aspinall for the interim title. How do Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic play...

Eric and John discuss the fallout from Francis Ngannou vs. Tyson Fury and a result that nobody saw coming. But who ends up as the real winners and losers from the surprising split decision, and what happens to Ngannou’s contract with the PFL? Conor McGregor was among the myriad of stars on hand to soak it all in, and it seems like things are building nicely toward a UFC 300 encounter with Michael...

Eric and John break down the wild card that was UFC 294. Islam Makhachev stakes his claim on why he should be the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Khamzat Chimaev wins via majority decision, but how we would have liked to see this fight a five-rounder. Should Johnny Walker have won by disqualification instead of having an illegal knee end in a no contest? Looking forward to the “Battle...

Eric and John give their takes on the Logan Paul vs. Dillon Danis fiasco over the weekend. Where does Danis go from here? The UFC 294 lineup underwent some major changes. Will Islam Makhachev change his approach to fighting Alexander Volkanovski this time around? Are we more or less excited about the new co-main event of Kamaru Usman vs. Khamzat Chimaev? 0:00 – Introduction 1:52 – Logan Paul and D...

Eric and John break down Bellator 300 and the dominance of Usman Nurmagomedov. Which promotion has the best lightweight in the world? Bobby Green only needs 33 seconds to take out Grant Dawson at UFC Fight Night 229. Are we looking at a UFC 300 return for Conor McGregor? Looking ahead to UFC 294, and a key matchup at middleweight. 0:00 – Introduction 1:01 – Eric’s debut assignment at Dana White’s...

Eric and John talk UFC Fight Night 228. Labeled a fight to add a new contender in the 155-pound division, the main event ends with disappointment as Mateusz Gamrot defeats Rafael Fiziev via TKO due to injury. Bryce Mitchell grapples his way to a unanimous decision but then goes full Bryce Mitchell after the fight. Should fighters bring their kids to the fight? Michelle Waterson-Gomez’s daughter ha...

Eric and John break down the historic victory by Sean Strickland and how he used masterful, suffocating pressure to dominate the fight with Israel Adesanya. Who’s next up for the new champ? We lay out three potential options for the UFC. Can Alexa Grasso retain her strap in a rematch against “The Bullet,” Valentina Shevchenko, at Saturday’s Noche UFC, or is there a changing of the guard? Also, wha...

On Episode No. 46, Eric and John discuss the fire fight that was Max Holloway vs. Chan Sung Jung. “The Blessed Express” keeps chugging along, while the “The Korean Zombie” lays down his gloves and retires – is he a UFC Hall of Famer? Erin Blanchfield just keeps winning and wants a title shot, but the guys discuss who could be standing in her way. UFC Fight Night 226 takes place in Paris this Satur...

Eric and John recap the incredible performance of “Suga” Sean O’Malley, who claimed the UFC bantamweight title with a thrilling second-round TKO of Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292 in Boston. What were the keys to his performance? Was there controversy in the stoppage? What comes next? Taking a look at the main event fallout from all angles, as well as the other storylines from the latest UFC pay-per-...

On Episode No. 44, Eric and John recap a busy weekend that included UFC on ESPN 51, Bellator 298, and the pro debut of an MMA legend’s son at United Fight League 3. Additionally, the two look forward to this weekend’s UFC 292 event in Boston, where reigning bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling puts his title on the line against a budding superstar in Sean O’Malley. 0:00 – Introduction 1:08 – In...

Eric and John discuss a wild weekend in combat sports. Jake Paul does it again, as he takes out another MMA legend in Nate Diaz by unanimous decision. Was Diaz’s stock hurt at all with this loss? Will they run in back in MMA, and what are the hurdles in making that happen? UFC on ESPN 50 from Nashville was a banger of a card, but the main event left everyone a little disappointed. Were the crowd a...

Eric and John relive a wild UFC 291 from Utah. Justin Gaethje pulls off another Salt Lake City head-kick heard ’round the world as he defeats Dustin Poirier for the BMF title. Alex Pereira squeaks out a split-decision victory over Jan Blachowicz. Is Pereira in line to compete with Jiri Prochazka for the vacant light heavyweight title? “The Black Beast,” Derrick Lewis, pulls off a spectacular victo...

On this episode, Eric and John discuss what to expect between Francis Ngannou and Tyson Fury. Will it be competitive? How successful will be at the box office? Additionally, what is there to make of Jamahal Hill getting injured in a pickup basketball game and giving up his UFC light heavyweight title? How will the UFC crown a new champion? Mayra Bueno Silva makes a statement with a win over Holly...

On this episode, Eric and John discuss the card of the year that was UFC 290. Alexander Volkanovski was flawless in victory. Where does he go from here? Is moving to the lightweight division the right move? Alexandre Pantoja wins an epic clash vs. Brandon Moreno to become the new flyweight champion. Does this fight rank up there with the all-time greats? Dricus Du Plessis shocked the world with a...

On this episode, Eric and John discuss how big a Mark Zuckerberg vs. Elon Musk fight could really be, who would have the advantage, and the hurdles that may come up trying to book the fight. Ilia Topuria picks apart Josh Emmett at UFC on ABC 5. Should Emmett’s corner have thrown in the towel? Maycee Barber makes it five in a row after an ultra-impressive victory over Amanda Ribas, and possibly the...

On this episode, Eric takes center stage as his worlds collide in a very unexpected fashion, with MMA superstar Conor McGregor sending the mascot from the NBA’s Miami Heat to the hospital following an on-court bit gone wrong. John’s along for the ride as Eric breaks it all down, including a recommendation for how the whole situation should have played out. Additionally, the guys talk about this pa...

On this episode, Eric McMahon and John Morgan discuss the controversial split decision victory for Amir Albazi this past weekend at the UFC Apex. Is there a need for more transparency with the judges? Jim Miller faces a late replacement and knocks him him in 23 seconds. What was all the controversy behind Jared Gordon being pulled from that fight just days before? Additionally, it’s UFC 289 fight...

Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou has struck a landmark deal with the PFL that gives “The Predator” much more than just a new place to fight. What does it mean for him, and can the PFL make it work? UFC president Dana White doesn’t think so. John and Eric break it all down, as well as discussing the return of the BMF title with Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje.

On this episode, Eric and John discuss Conor McGregor and his fighting future ahead of the debut of “The Ultimate Fighter 31.” They also look at Jailton Almeida’s big win at UFC on ABC 4, while also looking at wins from Johnny Walker, Matt Brown and more. Fabian Edwards was victorious at Bellator 296 and could join his brother Leon Edwards as the champion of a major promotion.

00:00 Cageside with John Morgan 01:40 MMA The Early Years 4:15 The Howl 6:45 Rampages First Ever Fight 10:00 Best Career Highlight 14:30 Rampage Jr now fighting 17:10 United Fight League