MMA Fighting

UFC featherweight champion has revealed he is the backup fighter for the lightweight championship main event between Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev at UFC280 — much to the chagrin of Beneil Dariush.  On an all-new edition of Between the Links, the panel reacts to Volkanovski's claims he is the backup plan for the highly anticipated vacant title fight next weekend, and if Dariush should feel...

Henry Cejudo continues to tease his UFC comeback, and while he feels he should be immediately thrust into a title fight, is that how the UFC views the situation? On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck discusses Cejudo's potential comeback after retiring from the sport, what matchups make sense, and why a title fight seems unlikely at this point. Additionally, listener...

After taking a week off, the UFC is back this Saturday with another Apex event in UFC Vegas 62, headlined by a women's flyweight bout between Alexa Grasso and Viviane Araújo, and that means the No Bets Barred boys are back to cover all of your gambling needs. After a brief discussion on UFC Vegas 61 and Bellator 286, co-hosts Conner Burks and Jed Meshew dive into this week's card, celebrating the...

UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski revealed on Monday that he will be the backup for the vacant lightweight title fight between Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev in the main event of UFC 280. On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck reacts to Volkanovski's involvement in the 155-pound title situation for the UFC's highly anticipated pay-per-view event,...

On the latest episode of The Fighter vs. The Writer, UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling stops by the show as well as Jake Paul ahead of his upcoming showdown against Anderson Silva. Sterling will preview his upcoming title defense against T.J. Dillashaw while addressing the cheating allegations that have continued to swirl around his opponent after serving a two-year suspension from USADA...

Islam Makhachev is exuding extreme confidence heading into his first UFC world title fight next weekend at the highly anticipated UFC 280 event, but has his confidence put him in a must-win position ahead of his bout against Charles Oliveira? On an all-new bonus edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck answers listener questions regarding Makhachev's confident comments throughout the...

DAMN! They Were Good celebrates the careers of the most exciting and influential fighters in MMA history, and this episode, we are covering the career of one of the greatest action fighters of all-time, Melvin Manhoef. During his 26-year, 103-fight career, Manhoef established himself as one of combat sports' premiere knockout artists, competing in practically every major organization that has ever...

On Thursday's edition of Between the Links, MMA Fighting's Damon Martin had a hot take prediction that stirred up a lot of debate: If Bo Nickal fought UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, would Nickal actually win? On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck takes listener calls about that take, and puts a slight tweak on it by discussing whether or not it would be a...

The pivotal final stretch for the UFC, Bellator, PFL, and more is vast approaching as the incredible athletes in the sport of MMA look to take home some hardware at the end of 2022. On an all-new edition of Between the Links, it's a special roundtable episode to discuss the frontrunners for MMA Fighting's 2022 year-end awards, and how things can change before the calendar changes to 2023. Topics i...

Four years ago today, Khabib Nurmagomedov submitted Conor McGregor to retain the UFC lightweight title in the highly anticipated main event of UFC 229, and then all hell broke loose. On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck takes listener questions about the Nurmagomedov vs. McGregor bout from October 2018, the build to the matchup, and the aftermath — most notably, Nur...

UFC lightweight contender Justin Gaethje sits down with MMA Fighting's Mike Heck to discuss teaming up with the UFC and Modelo for the gym revitalization program and his role in helping to renovate a local gym in Denver, his successful nose surgery, wanting to return in 2023, what opponents make sense, if he was offered a fight with Rafael Fiziev for December, what it would take for him to fight C...

Kevin Holland's retirement didn't last long, and now he's set for a huge fight against a two-time UFC title challenger in December. On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck reacts to Holland's short-lived retirement from the UFC, and his scheduled main event matchup against Stephen Thompson for Dec. 3 at UFC Orlando. Additionally, listener questions include Conor McGreg...

O UFC começou a agendar as lutas para o próximo evento no Brasil, primeiro card no país em quase três anos, e já tem até campeão escalado. Com um terço já definido, o evento deve agradar um frustrar o fã brasileiro? O Trocação Franca dessa semana recebe o jornalista Carlos Antunes para debater o assunto, além de entrevistar Thiago Marreta, que deixou o UFC para assinar com a PFL, e Vivi Araújo, qu...

When Paddy Pimblett is ready to return to the octagon — whether it be at UFC 282 in December, or when the promotion heads back to London in 2023 — how should the UFC book him, and how much of a step up should he get? On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck discusses options for Pimblett, including his suggestion from this week's edition of On To the Next One with a fig...

Ahead of UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi, UFC light heavyweight Anthony Smith joins The Fighter vs. The Writer to break down the biggest storylines heading into what should be a monumental pay-per-view in 2022. Smith will give his thoughts on the main event where Charles Oliveira clashes with Islam Makhachev to determine a new UFC lightweight champion. Makhachev has looked unbeatable during his current win s...

Yan Xiaonan picked up a gutsy majority decision win over Mackenzie Dern in the main event of Saturday's UFC Vegas 61 event, snapping a two-fight skid in the process. But will she have to fight backwards in order to get back into the title picture the long way, or will she get a step up in the rankings next? On an all-new edition of On To the Next One, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck and Alexander K. Lee...

Yan Xiaonan picked up the biggest win of her career, and had to survive some tough spots against Mackenzie Dern in the main event of UFCVegas61. MMA Fighting's Mike Heck, Jed Meshew, and Shaheen Al-Shatti react to Yan's majority decision win and the judges' scorecards as a whole, along with Dern's performance overall from a viewer's perspective. Additionally, the panel discusses Randy Brown's win...

With the UFC Vegas 61 headlined by Mackenzie Dern and Yan Xiaonan, and Bellator 286 headlined by a featherweight title fight between Patricio Pitbull and Adam Borics, which promotion has the better slate? MMA Fighting's Mike Heck, José Youngs, and Alexander K. Lee discuss preview the stakes in the pivotal strawweight matchup between Dern and Yan, if Dern's "A+ skill" will be enough to get the win...

Charles Oliveira is likely in the conversation for the best lightweight in UFC history with his current run, but will a win over Islam Makhachev in the main event of UFC 280 next month cement his place officially? On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck answers that question, and gives his opinion on whether or not an Oliveira win puts him over Khabib Nurmagomedov or B...

Bo Nickal impressed the masses once again at Tuesday’s season finale of Dana White’s Contender Series, and then called out Khamzat Chimaev. We now know that Nickal will debut against Jamie Pickett, but did the matchmakers get his debut opponent right? On an all-new edition of Between the Links, the panel reacts to Nickal’s quick submission win and what his future looks like in the middleweight div...

Bo Nickal is one of the sport's highly touted prospects, and ahead of his eventual UFC debut, how high should the promotion go in terms of his first opponent? On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck reacts to Nickal's incredible performance on Dana White's Contender Series on Tuesday, and whether or not he feels the UFC should throw him in against a top-15 opponent rig...

It's a busy week in the world of MMA with the UFC returning for UFC Vegas 61 and Bellator putting out one of its better efforts of late with Bellator 286, and so the No Bets Barred boys are back to cover all of your gambling needs. Co-hosts Conner Burks and Jed Meshew get into a contentious discussion surrounding the UFC main event fight between Mackenzie Dern and Yan Xiaonan before diving into th...

Rei dos penas do Bellator, Patrício Pitbull quer fazer história mais uma vez. Único brasileiro campeão duplo da história da organização, o potiguar disse ao Trocação Franca que mira repetir a façanha, agora entre os galos. No bate-papo, Pitbull apontou o próximo na fila após Adam Borics e elogiou o recém-aposentado José Aldo, revelando interesse em enfrentá-lo no MMA ou boxe. O podcast traz, ainda...

With glaring holes in the main event slots for December's UFC 282 and January's UFC 283 events currently, what fights could fill those slots — especially with so much lack of clarity in the heavyweight division? On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck answers questions about what could headline those two PPV events, how Jon Jones factors into things, what could happen...

On the latest episode of The Fighter vs. The Writer, Bellator 286 fighters Aaron Pico and Max Rohskopf join the show. Once touted as possibly the best prospect to enter the sport of mixed martial arts, Pico faced more than a few hurdles living up to his full potential after starting his career with a 4-3 record. Nobody gave up hope on Pico but he still had to rebuild himself and now he stands on t...