MMA Fighting

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...

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 Anderson Silva, the unquestioned middleweight GOAT and possibly the best fighter ever. 17 years ago this past weekend, Silva claimed the UFC middleweight title with a three minute demolition of Rich Franklin at UFC 64 that began the longest title...

While UFC 294 looks a bit different at the top than it did two weeks ago, it's still a pretty loaded card with two incredibly intriguing bouts at the top of the bill that have very high stakes outside of just wins and losses. On an all-new edition of Between the Links, the panel discusses Saturday's UFC pay-per-view event in Abu Dhabi headlined by Islam Makhachev vs. Alexander Volkanovski 2 for th...

Kamaru Usman says that the rumors surrounding a knee injury ahead of his UFC 294 matchup with Khamzat Chimaev are false, and he sent a message to those who put that idea out into the universe this week. On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck discusses the open workout moment between Usman and Justin Gaethje, Usman's reaction to it all, and more. Additionally, listener...

The No Bets Barred boys are back this week with a full breakdown of UFC 294 and the lightweight title rematch between Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski. Co-hosts Conner Burks and Jed Meshew kick things off with a discussion of their excitement levels for the UFC's return to Abu Dhabi and the short notice replacement main event between Makhachev and Volkanovski. Then it's right into the fig...

O Trocação Franca recebe Johnny Walker e Bruno Blindado para falar sobre suas lutas no UFC 294 e bate um papo com Edson Barboza sobre a espetacular virada sobre Sodiq Yusuff no último sábado. O programa conversa ainda com Poliana Botelho, veterana do UFC e Invicta FC, que assinou com o Bellator semanas antes de receber o diagnóstico de cancer de mama em janeiro. A atleta fala do tratamento e a pro...

Alexander Volkanovski and Kamaru Usman, unsurprisingly, enter their short notice UFC 294 matchups as pretty sizable underdogs. Between the two competitors, who has the best chance to pull off the upset at Saturday's pay-per-view event? On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck discusses Volkanovski's underdog chances against Islam Makhachev in their rematch in the main e...

The Fighter vs. The Writer returns with UFC legend Matt Brown and MMA Fighting senior reporter Damon Martin discussing the latest news including the shocking announcement that the UFC will be cutting ties with USADA at the start of 2024. Brown offers his perspective from the side of the fighters as well as his biggest concern about the new updated UFC anti-doping program that was announced last we...

For the second consecutive week, the wily veteran has defeated the promising up and comer in the main event, and this time, it was Edson Barboza that halted the divisional momentum of Sodiq Yusuff in the main event of UFC Vegas 81. Following the wild comeback victory, where does Barboza go next in one of the UFC's deepest divisions? On an all-new edition of On To the Next One, MMA Fighting's Mike...

Edson Barboza proved that experience matters, as he dug himself out of a deep hole early in the UFC Vegas 81 main event to prevail over Sodiq Yusuff in a five-round war. MMA Fighting's Mike Heck and Jed Meshew react to Saturday's event at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, which includes Barboza's impressive decision win over Yusuff, the scoring of the fight, the lack of 10-8 rounds on the scorecards, and...

Misfits Boxing's Prime Card was everything it was supposed to be. MMA Fighting's Shaheen Al-Shatti, Eric Jackman, Jed Meshew, and E. Casey Leydon react to whatever the heck happened in Logan Paul vs. Dillon Danis, Tommy Fury eking out a win over KSI, and much more from a bizarre Saturday night in Manchester. Follow Shaheen Al-Shatti: @shaunalshatti Follow Eric Jackman: @NewYorkRic Follow Jed Meshe...

The UFC returns to the APEX for it's go-home event ahead of UFC 294, while across the pond, Dillon Danis will finally compete in a fight when he faces Logan Paul in one of the co-headliners of the PRIME Card in Manchester. Which card is more intriguing heading into the weekend? MMA Fighting's Mike Heck, Shaheen Al-Shatti, and Eric Jackman preview UFC Vegas 81, the featherweight main event between...

This week will go down as one of the most chaotic weeks in recent memory in the UFC and combat sports with the Islam Makhachev vs. Alexander Volkanovski 2 and Khamzat Chimaev vs. Kamaru Usman revealed as short notice fights for UFC 294, along with the end of the UFC and USADA era. On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck gives his reaction to the UFC's response to USADA...

UFC 294 looks a bit different at the top with Charles Oliveira being forced to exit his main event rematch for the lightweight title against Islam Makhachev. Featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski now steps in for his shot at redemption on less than two weeks' notice.  On an all-new edition of Between the Links, the panel reacts to the new main event for next weekend's UFC pay-per-view event, i...