MMA Fighting

The PFL has officially absorbed Bellator MMA in a blockbuster deal made official on Monday morning, and then PFL co-founder Donn Davis joined Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour to answer a lot of the burning questions surrounding it. While the news is certainly big, did Davis do himself and the promotion a disservice with some of the things he said? On a special Thanksgiving edition of Between the Link...

The No Bets Barred boys are back this week with a deep dive into the PFL Championship card on this special Thanksgiving Week episode. On Friday, the 2023 PFL Championships go down in Washington D.C. and co-hosts Connor Burks and Jed Meshew are here to break down all the big fights on this special holiday fight week. Topics discussed include the wisdom of Wiki-capping, which underdogs are worth thr...

A PFL finalmente oficializou a compra do Bellator após meses de novela e especulação, e o Trocação Franca recebe Patrício Pitbull e Juliana Velasquez, campeão e ex-campeã do Bellator, para desmembrar todos os detalhes já anunciados dos planos da PFL para 2024, e se a nova mega-organização tem condições de bater de frente com o UFC pelo posto de número um do MMA. O melhor do MMA brasileiro no Troca...

The PFL absorbing Bellator was massive news on Monday with an expanded roster, a "reimagined" Bellator, and Donn Davis stating that PFL is now on the verge of being a "co-leader" in the MMA space alongside the UFC — even saying that UFC CEO Dana White is now "worried" about this new merger. But did White, or anyone in the UFC, lose any sleep with this news? On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morni...

The Fighter vs. The Writer returns with UFC legend Matt Brown and MMA Fighting senior reporter Damon Martin reacting to the news that the PFL has purchased Bellator MMA as well as everything that unfolded at UFC Vegas 82 and what’s coming up at UFC Austin. Of course, the biggest news of the day came with the PFL acquiring Bellator MMA with plans to promote a champion versus champion card in 2024....

Bellator as we know it is dead. MMA Fighting's Shaun Al-Shatti, Jed Meshew, and Damon Martin react to another crazy day in MMA following PFL's long-awaited acquisition of Bellator and PFL chairman Donn Davis' interview on The MMA Hour about the vision of PFL/Bellator moving forward. Follow Shaun Al-Shatti: @ShaunAlShatti Follow Jed Meshew: @JedKMeshew Follow Damon Martin: @DamonMartin Subscribe to...

Brendan Allen continued his impressive run in the UFC's middleweight division with a dominant performance, and finish over Paul Craig in the main event of UFC Vegas 82. "All-In" called for a No. 1 contender fight in the aftermath, and with the streak he's on, it's certainly not out of the realm of possibility, but will he get it? On an all-new edition of On To the Next One, MMA Fighting's Mike Hec...

Brendan Allen kept his impressive winning streak going in his first scheduled UFC main event on Saturday as he dominated and finished Paul Craig to cap off UFC Vegas 82. With another finish under his belt, is Allen a true championship threat moving forward at 185, and what should be next for "All-In"? MMA Fighting's Mike Heck, José Youngs, and Jed Meshew react to Allen's impressive showing, discus...

Following a memorable UFC 295 event, the UFC returns to their home base for UFC Vegas 82, which will be headlined by a pivotal matchup in the middleweight division between surging contender Brendan Allen, and the always-exciting Paul Craig.  MMA Fighting's Mike Heck, Alexander K. Lee, and José Youngs preview Saturday's card, including the Allen vs. Craig main event, the stakes attached to it, and...

Alex Pereira became a two-division UFC champion this past Saturday when he finished Jiri Prochazka in the UFC 295 main event, but he accomplished that feat after leaving the middleweight division behind for good to take on a new challenge. With many current fighters talking about possibly moving up weight classes to challenge for titles being in the news, has the conversation become too watered do...

UFC 295 delivered an exciting event at Madison Square Garden, and when the dust settled in the World’s Most Famous Arena, Alex Pereira entered the two-division champion club, while Tom Aspinall stated his case to be MMA’s best heavyweight when he ran over Sergei Pavlovich in just over a minute. Where does Pereira go from here? And could we get a fight between Aspinall and Jon Jones? On an all-new...

Alex Pereira vs. Jamahal Hill for the UFC light heavyweight title will be a super intriguing matchup, but it's doubtful that Pereira will sit on the sidelines for that long while Hill recovers from his achilles injury. If the UFC chooses to keep Pereira active, will he get his third fight with Israel Adesanya, or will there be a new challenger for the title? On an all-new Heck of a Morning, MMA Fi...

The No Bets Barred boys are back this week with a full breakdown of UFC Vegas 82 and plenty of Bellator discussion as on Friday, Bellator 301 takes place in what may end up being the final event in promotional history. Co-hosts Conner Burks and Jed Meshew kick things off with a small recap of UFC 295 before diving into the double header this weekend. Topics discussed include Paul Craig's chances a...

Court is officially in session! Mike Heck and Jed Meshew (plus a special guest) join co-hosts Shaun Al-Shatti and Alexander K. Lee this week for the most important trial in MMA history. With UFC 295 in the rear-view, the gang hits the witness stand around (7:25) to settle once and for all whether Jon Jones or Tom Aspinall is the No. 1 heavyweight in the world. Then, the boys discuss how Alex Perei...

Alex Poatan fez história ao nocautear Jiri Prochazka e adicionar mais um cinturão do UFC ao seu legado, e o Trocação Franca repercute o feito na companhia de Glover Teixeira, seu fiel escudeiro, e o jornalista Renato Rebelo, do Sexto Round. O podcast traz ainda entrevistas com Amanda Ribas, Luana Pinheiro, Patricky Pitbull e Killys Mota, que lutam neste fim de semana no UFC e Bellator. O melhor do...

While the idea of a Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic had little buzz ahead of their scheduled matchup at UFC 295 before Jones was forced to withdraw due to injury, whatever buzz was there seems to be fully gone after Tom Aspinall's 69 second destruction of Sergei Pavlovich to win the interim heavyweight title on Saturday at Madison Square Garden. The MMA world now wants to see Jones vs. Aspinall, but wi...

The Fighter vs. The Writer returns with a new episode reacting to the fallout from UFC 295 where two new champions were crowned. UFC welterweight Matt Brown and MMA Fighting senior reporter Damon Martin discuss Tom Aspinall’s stunning first-round knockout win over Sergei Pavlovich and what likely comes next for him. Is there a chance Aspinall will get to fight Jon Jones or should he just give up t...

A new light heavyweight champion and interim heavyweight champion were crowned at the UFC's return to Madison Square Garden in New York City. Alex Pereira capped off the wild night with a second-round knockout of Jiri Prochazka to capture the light heavyweight championship. What's next for Pereira and Prochazka following the UFC 295 main event? MMA Fighting's Mike Heck and Alexander K. Lee attempt...

UFC 295 will go down as one of the wildest UFC events of 2023 with a main card full of finishes — including championship victories for Alex Pereira and Tom Aspinall in the final two bouts, although the main event seemed to have ended with a bit of controversy. MMA Fighting's Mike Heck, Shaun Al-Shatti, and Jed Meshew react to Pereira's historic light heavyweight championship knockout victory over...

Relive the magic of UFC 295's live watch party with Mike Heck, Conner Burks, plus a few special guests! Timestamps:  Steve Erceg vs. Alessandro Costa conclusion and decision (12:20) Diego Lopes vs. Pat Sabatini (34:55) Lopes stops Sabatini in Round 1 (36:40) Mike's prediction for Chronicles pack autographs (46:20) Matt Frevola vs. Benoit Saint-Danis (50:52) Saint-Denis knocks out Frevola in Round...

The UFC returns to Madison Square Garden on Saturday with for UFC 295, which features an expected wild main event for the vacant light heavyweight title between the returning former champ Jiri Prochazka and prior middleweight champion Alex Pereira, along with an interim heavyweight championship bout between surging contenders Sergei Pavlovich and Tom Aspinall.  MMA Fighting's Mike Heck, Shaun Al-S...

UFC 295 will take place at Madison Square Garden, a historic arena that has featured some of the biggest moments in combat sports, and memorable UFC events. While Saturday’s card is incredibly interesting for the hardcore MMA fan, the vibes for an MSG fight week don’t seem to be there compared to others. Where does UFC 295 rank on paper compared to the promotion’s other six events? On an all-new e...

The UFC returns to Madison Square Garden this Saturday for UFC 295 with two world title fights — Jiri Prochazka vs. Alex Pereira for the vacant light heavyweight title, and Sergei Pavlovich vs. Tom Aspinall for the interim heavyweight title. With Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic no longer happening, how do these title fights, and the event as a whole, hold up on paper? On an all-new edition of Between t...

Even with the loss of Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic, the UFC 295 title fights are incredibly fascinating with the returning Jiri Prochazka taking on former middleweight champ Alex Pereira, and Sergei Pavlovich and Tom Aspinall battling for the interim heavyweight title — both fights nearly pick 'ems from a betting perspective. On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck discu...

Ahead of UFC 295 on Saturday, Daniel Cormier sits down with MMA Fighting senior reporter Damon Martin to preview the upcoming event where he’ll call the fights alongside Jon Anik and Joe Rogan. Cormier gives his thoughts on Sergei Pavlovich vs. Tom Aspinall potentially being an even more competitive fight that the previously scheduled matchup between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic. Cormier also previe...