MMA Fighting

Jailton Almeida has been unstoppable since making his debut in the UFC, and as the surging heavyweight contender looks to take another step forward towards a title shot, a powerful veteran in Derrick Lewis aims to play spoiler in the main event of UFC Sao Paulo. MMA Fighting's Mike Heck, José Youngs, and Alexander K. Lee preview Saturday's headliner between Almeida and Lewis, what Almeida could ga...

Jon Jones was supposed to headline UFC 295 next Saturday before tearing his pectoral muscle, thus delaying his matchup with decorated former heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic until sometime in 2024. While it seemed like the Miocic matchup could be the final one for Jones, does the delay change things at all? On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck discusses Jones' futu...

Francis Ngannou shocked the combat sports world by taking lineal boxing heavyweight champion Tyson Fury to the limit this past Saturday in Saudi Arabia, a performance that has opened so many lucrative doors for the former UFC world champion. With so many options in play, what is the most interesting move for Ngannou moving forward? On an all-new edition of Between the Links, the panel discusses Ng...

Sean O'Malley has expressed interest in crossing over to the boxing world since capturing the UFC bantamweight title, and other big named boxers have reciprocated that interest in wanting to welcome him to the sport. While "Sugar" isn't there quite yet, could a win in his first title defense get him over the hump? On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck attempts to ans...

DAMN! They Were Good celebrates the careers of the most exciting and influential fighters in MMA history and on this episode it celebrates the career of Wanderlei Silva, the most intimidating fighter to ever compete in MMA. 22 years ago this Friday, Wanderlei Silva made history, becoming the inaugural Pride Middleweight Champion after beating Kazushi Sakuraba for the second time at Pride 17. That...

The No Bets Barred boys are back this week with a full breakdown of UFC Sao Paulo and the main event matchup between Jailton Almeida and Derrick Lewis. Co-hosts Conner Burks and Jed Meshew kick things off with a discussion Francis Ngannou's surprise performance against Tyson Fury before diving into the betting breakdowns this week. Topics discussed include whether Lewis has a chance at pulling off...

Agora o bicho vai pegar: o UFC desembarca em São Paulo pela primeira vez em quase quatro anos, e o Trocação Franca destrincha o card com a ajuda de Román Laurito, comentarista de MMA na Band, faixa-preta de jiu-jitsu e baixista da banda Tihuana. O podcast traz, ainda, entrevistas com Jailton Malhadinho, Vitor Petrino, Ismael Bonfim, Eduarda Ronda, Elves Brener, Kaue Fernandes e Fabrício Andrade. O...

Francis Ngannou's combat sports career took another incredible turn on Saturday when he arguably beat the lineal heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury in a 10-round boxing match in Saudi Arabia — even dropping Fury in the third round. Despite not getting the victory on the cards, Ngannou is the fight's big winner in other ways. On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck...

This week on The Fighter vs. The Writer, UFC welterweight Matt Brown and MMA Fighting senior reporter Damon Martin react to the shocking result in the boxing match between Francis Ngannou and Tyson Fury. Despite entering the fight as a massive underdog, Ngannou scored the only knockdown after the planted Fury on the ground with a huge left hand in the third round. In the end, Ngannou lost a razor-...

With the UFC having a rare Saturday night without a fight card, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck and Alexander K. Lee didn't want to leave the listeners hanging, so they decided to turn the programming over to them. On a special "Ask Us Anything" edition of On To the Next One, Mike and AK reunite to answer listener questions, with topics including whether or not Khamzat Chimaev is being judged by the MMA...

Francis Ngannou may not have gotten the official victory against Tyson Fury on the scorecards, but he sure feels like Saturday's biggest winner after defying the odds and taking the lineal boxing heavyweight champion to his absolute limit. MMA Fighting's Mike Heck, Shaheen Al-Shatti, and Alexander K. Lee react to Fury edging out a heavily debated split decision over the former UFC heavyweight cham...

Tyson Fury is the massive favorite to defeat former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in their 10-round boxing match this Saturday in Saudi Arabia. While the outcome may seem predictable, what if Ngannou actually does defeat Fury? MMA Fighting's Mike Heck, Shaheen Al-Shatti, and Jed Meshew discuss Saturday's main event bout, the interest levels in it, along with the fight week build seeming...

While the UFC is on a rare off week, the promotion has certainly had its share of headlines following UFC 294 between Islam Makhachev's knockout win over Alexander Volkanovski, the questions surrounding the middleweight division after Khamzat Chimaev's win over Kamaru Usman, as well as the UFC 295 shakeups due to Jon Jones' injury. On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting's Mike He...

Islam Makhachev made a strong case for being the world's best pound-for-pound fighter after he demolished Alexander Volkanovski in the main event of UFC 294 this past Saturday. What is the biggest Makhachev question moving forward after getting closure against Volkanovski?  On an all-new edition of Between the Links, the panel recaps Makhachev's sensational performance to retain the UFC lightweigh...

Jon Jones' injury led to Dana White's shocking annoucement this week that Jones will no longer fight Stipe Miocic in the main event of UFC 295, but now Sergei Pavlovich vs. Tom Aspinall will fight for the interim heavyweight title in the co-main event. Is it the more intriguing matchup than the original, and should it be for the actual title instead of the interim belt? On an all-new edition of He...

Islam Makhachev's monster win at UFC 294 did the impossible — it actually made the MMA Fighting crew agree on something! Mike Heck and Jed Meshew join co-hosts Shaun Al-Shatti and Alexander K. Lee this week to sift through the wreckage of UFC 294 and put Makhachev’s knockout victory over Alexander Volkanovski into perspective around (10:50). Is Makhachev the best damn fighter in the world? Did he...

Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic is OFF! Shaun Al-Shatti, Damon Martin, and José Youngs assemble to react to Jones' injury, Sergei Pavlovich vs. Tom Aspinall getting booked for UFC 295's new interim heavyweight title fight, Miocic's side of the equation, what this means for the heavyweight division, and much more. Follow Shaun Al-Shatti @ShaunAlShatti Follow Damon Martin @DamonMartin Follow Jose Youngs...

Mayra Sheetara viu a maior vitória de sua carreira ser anulada no UFC por conta de um caso de doping, e explica a situação em entrevista exclusiva. Ela, aliás, reforça a vontade de lutar (e humilhar) Julianna Peña em disputa de cinturão. O podcast fala ainda com campeão dos moscas do UFC, Alexandre Pantoja, sobre a luta com Brandon Royval, a rivalidade com Sean O’Malley, o duelo dos sonhos no MMA,...

Khamzat Chimaev had to work for it, but he did what he needed to do on Saturday at UFC 294 — he defeated Kamaru Usman. Heading in, Dana White said that the winner would get a title shot against Sean Strickland, but was the performance from Chimaev enough to get him his first world championship opportunity? On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck attempts to answer that...

This week on The Fighter vs. The Writer, UFC Hall of Famer Mark Coleman joins the show alongside Matt Brown and MMA Fighting senior reporter Damon Martin to discuss the latest happenings in combat sports. Coleman offers details about his recent work with Stipe Miocic to help him prepare for Jon Jones and why the former UFC heavyweight champion will be the toughest test that Jones has ever faced in...

What's next for Islam Makhachev following his incredibke knockout victory over Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 294 on Saturday? What about Khamzat Chimaev after gutting out a majoity decision win over former UFC welterweight champ Kamaru Usman? Following Saturday's return to Abu Dhabi for rhe UFC, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck and Alexander K. Lee attempt to answer those questions from a matchmaking persp...

Islam Makhachev got his closure against Alexander Volkanovski, and he did it in incredibly brutal fashion as he knocked the featherweight champion out to cap off UFC 294 and retain his lightweight title. Following a wild UFC pay-per-view event, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck, Shaheen Al-Shatti, and Jed Meshew react to Makhachev's incredible performance, his spot in the pound-for-pound discussion, if Jus...

Relive the magic of UFC 294's live watch party with Mike Heck, Conner Burks, plus a few special guests! Check out the original UFC 294 Watch Party video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-hOR4pkAjo Follow Mike Heck: @MikeHeck_JR Follow Conner Burks: @connerburks Subscribe: http://goo.gl/dYpsgH Check out our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/u8VvLi Visit our playlists: http://goo.gl/eFhsvM Lik...

UFC 294 will be headlined by a rematch of arguably the best fight of 2023 for the lightweight title between Islam Makhachev and featherweight titleholder Alexander Volkanovski. With Volkanovski stepping in on 12 days' notice, will he be able to avenge to sole loss of his UFC career? MMA Fighting's Mike Heck, Shaheen Al-Shatti, and Alexander K. Lee preview the second meeting between the pound-for-p...

Islam Makhachev could hold two wins over one of the best fighters on the planet in the same year when he faces featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 294 on Saturday. With the current lightweight titleholder teasing a move to 170, should he be victorious against Volkanovski again, is that the best course of action? On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck atte...