The Brit Pack MMA Podcast

It feels like a quiet week this week, but we STILL have a double-header of UFC and Bellator action this coming weekend. It meant we still had plenty to chew over on this week’s episode of “The Brit Pack” podcast as we recapped the action from UFC on ESPN+ 31 in Las Vegas, as longtime middleweight rankings resident Derek Brunson proved to Edmen Shahbazyan that there are levels to this game at 185 p...

“UFC Fight Island’s” four-event run ended with a bang as UFC on ESPN 14 delivered a spectacular night of fights that had a little bit of everything for MMA fans, including some good, old-fashioned controversy. When Dan Hardy raised his voice in Herb Dean’s direction and we saw Dean gesture to Hardy, we knew this wasn’t going to be just a spur-of-the-moment incident, and the fallout and discussion...

After a packed double-header of events on “UFC Fight Island” last week, the UFC is getting set for its fourth and final show on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, with a British star ready to shine in the main event. England’s Darren Till will take on former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker in the headline fight of UFC Fight Island 3 on Saturday, July 25, knowing that an impressive win could see him...

UFC 251 was a momentous night for the world’s biggest MMA organization, as three titles were contested on a stacked card in the first-ever “UFC Fight Island” event. It was a huge achievement just to be able to put on a show of that scale, with the level of preparation involved behind the scenes to host a massive pay-per-view event during the COVID-19 pandemic. On this week’s episode of The Brit Pa...

Simon catches up with ONE Championship commentator Michael Schiavello, who lifts the lid on his experience of commentating on the first major MMA event of the "coronavirus era" as he called the fights at "ONE Championship 109: King of the Jungle" behind closed doors at Singapore Indoor Stadium. Michael also plays fantasy matchmaker as he books some of the big fights HE'D li...

The wait is finally over! UFC Fight Island is here, it’s happening and it all goes down on Saturday night, July 11 (July 12 in Abu Dhabi) as the UFC puts on arguably its biggest card of the year, UFC 251. On this week’s packed episode of the show, we take a deep dive into the main card of one of the most historically significant events the UFC has ever staged as the promotion puts on three UFC tit...

Has any sporting organization adapted better to the COVID-19 pandemic than the UFC? And has any sport done a better job than MMA of managing to maintain its authenticity and appeal despite the lack fans in attendance? To be honest, we don’t think so. Fans are the lifeblood of any sport, but when it comes to the television coverage of specific sports, certain events are able to adapt and still be c...

The UFC’s purpose-built “Apex” facility in Las Vegas was always intended to host live fight events, but even UFC president Dana White wouldn’t have expected to have held so many big events at the state-of-the-art venue by the summer of 2020. The advent of the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we have to think and operate, however, and the new facility has become the Las Vegas home of live figh...

It wasn’t all that long ago that Anderson Silva was the biggest name in MMA. As the UFC’s all-conquering middleweight champion, “The Spider” demolished almost everyone in his path, and even jumped up to light heavyweight and added to his highlight reel at 205 pounds. But now, after losing his title and picking up just one win in the last seven years, Silva has just two fights remaining on his UFC...

Business is picking up in the UFC, with the promotion finally unveiling the location of “Fight Island” and announcing a host of huge title fights, with three of them taking place at the newly-confirmed location on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. [Poster credit: @bosslogic ] On this week’s show, Simon and Sandhu run down the big-fight bookings and offer some way-too-early predictions and assessments ahead...

This week on The Brit Pack, we took a look ahead to the UFC 250 card as the UFC Apex plays host to its first pay-per-view event. But before we discussed the key matchups on the card, we took the decision to talk about a topic that has surpassed everything else in the world right now. We may come from the same country (though we now live on opposite sides of the Atlantic) but we come from very diff...

The latest episode of The Brit Pack looks ahead to this coming weekend’s UFC on ESPN 9 event as the UFC returns to Las Vegas with a pivotal bout in the welterweight division. Tyron Woodley will take on Gilbert Burns in the main event of the evening at the UFC Apex, but that fight is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to our welterweight chat this week, because there’s a LOT to discuss at 17...

The UFC took up the challenge of being the first batter out of the dugout as they hosted three events in the space of eight days in Jacksonville, Florida to become the first major US sports league to hold live events since the coronavirus shutdown. But did they strike out or hit a home run? That’s one of the big questions we look at on this week’s packed show, as we recap the two UFC Fight Night m...

Live fights are back in our lives, and boy are we happy to have them back! On this week’s packed episode of The Brit Pack, we run through the big talking points of UFC 249 – the first major sporting event since the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic. We take a look back at Justin Gaethje’s incredible performance in the main event as he finally fulfilled his potential, captured interim lightweight gol...

We’ve all been waiting patiently, but live fights are finally here, with UFC 249 set to take place in Jacksonville, Florida this Saturday (May 9). It means our latest episode of The Brit Pack is a jam-packed fight night preview, as we both work our way through the card and offer our takes – and predictions – for each and every fight on the card. Who’ll win the battle of the heavyweight knockout ar...

Without wanting to be overly optimistic, it looks like the clouds are parting and the sun is beginning to shine through for MMA fans, with the UFC’s planned triple-header in Florida seemingly looking good to go. We have three events in the space of eight days in Jacksonville, with three big main events confirmed, one blockbuster card for UFC 249 on May 9 and two Fight Night cards starting to come...

The world continues to adapt and improvise during the COVID-19 pandemic, with MMA promotions taking markedly different approaches to dealing with the crisis. On this week’s episode of The Brit Pack, we take a look at the MMA’s big hitters as the UFC looks to get the ball rolling again with a May 9 event named… you guessed it, UFC 249. But while the UFC is looking to open up for business once again...

Less than a week removed from their enforced shutdown of UFC 249, the UFC is bouncing back QUICKLY. Literally moments after we stopped recording our first episode of the pod, ESPN’s Brett Okamoto tweeted the news that the UFC was set to host a show on May 9 with an absolutely stacked card of “targeted” fights. So, we jumped straight back on the mic to share our instant reaction in our first “Break...

Well, friends, we made it! The Brit Pack is back up and running, and here’s our first episode following our three-year hiatus. As you’d expect given our long layoff, this week’s show is something of a catch-up episode, as we share what’s been going on in our worlds while we’ve been away from the mic. We also take a look at the MMA landscape following the recent postponement of UFC 249 and debate t...

Simon joined CNN's Amanda Davies live on CNN World Sport to chat about Conor McGregor's announcement that he had "retired" from the sport of mixed martial arts. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/simonhead/message This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonheadspo...

On Tuesday, March 19, Simon hopped on MMA Junkie Radio for the first time to join Gorgeous George, Goze, Dan Tom and Richard Hunter to discuss UFC London: Till vs Masvidal and unpack some of the big talking points from a wild night at The O2 Arena. For the full show, check out the MMA Junkie Radio podcast on Audioboom and iTunes, or rewatch the live stream from the MMA Junkie studios at the Mandal...

Simon chats with MMAjunkie's John Morgan on The MMA Road Show from his hotel room in Prague as he previews UFC on ESPN+ 3 in the Czech Republic. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/simonhead/message This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonheadsport.substack.com

Simon checked in with John Morgan and Ken Hathaway on The MMA Road Show after a busy day at the Bellator MMA press conference in London. This episode features his chats with British welterweight rivals Paul 'Semtex' Daley and Michael 'Venom' Page. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/simonhead/message This is a public episode. If you would like to di...

Simon grabs a word with press row colleague from Canada, PostMedia's Danny Austin, as they look back at the events of UFC on FOX in his home city of Calgary. Danny also reveals his other sporting beat, covering the CFL, and the pair look ahead to the big fights at the top of the upcoming UFC 227 card in Los Angeles. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/simonhead...

Simon chats to British UFC welterweight Danny Roberts after his victory over David Zawada at UFC Fight Night in Hamburg, Germany. The pair chat about Roberts' career, the difficulty of facing a last-minute opponent change, and what inspires him to succeed inside the Octagon. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/simonhead/message This is a public episode. If you...