MMA Fighting

Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya will once again battle for the UFC middleweight championship of the world, and for perhaps, the final time.Ahead of the fourth combat meeting between Pereira and Adesanya in the main event of UFC 287, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck, Shaheen Al-Shatti, and Jed Meshew discuss the matchup, where each guy goes with a victory, and what changes can be made on both sides. Additionally, they'll discuss the stakes in the welterweight co-main event between Gilbert Burns and Jorge Masvidal, if Dana White's plans for champ Leon Edwards could change based on the result, the rest of the stacked main card, and more. Follow Mike Heck: @MikeHeck_JR Follow Shaun Al-Shatti: @ShaunAlShatti Follow Jed Meshew: @JedKMeshew Subscribe: http://goo.gl/dYpsgHCheck out our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/u8VvLiVisit our playlists: http://goo.gl/eFhsvMLike MMAF on Facebook: http://goo.gl/uhdg7ZFollow on Twitter: http://goo.gl/nOATUIRead More: http://www.mmafighting.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dana White made it very clear that the UFC 287 press conference was going to go on his terms, no matter what interesting storylines had been created throughout the build to Saturday's event in Miami.On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck reacts to White's somewhat odd behavior at Thursday's presser. Additionally, listener topics include prediction for UFC 287 Fight of the Night, Israel Adesanya's legacy, Jorge Masvidal being the biggest underdog on the entire fight card against Gilbert Burns, Alex Pereira's longevity at middleweight, Dana White's odd behavior at the UFC 287 press conference, Amanda Ribas vs. Maycee Barber fight being targeted for June 24, and much more.You can listen live to Heck of a Morning Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays at 10 a.m. ET on the MMA Fighting Twitter Spaces.Follow Mike Heck: @MikeHeck_JR Subscribe: http://goo.gl/dYpsgHCheck out our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/u8VvLiVisit our playlists: http://goo.gl/eFhsvMLike MMAF on Facebook: http://goo.gl/uhdg7ZFollow on Twitter: http://goo.gl/nOATUIRead More: http://www.mmafighting.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With so much going on in the world of combat sports, and with a massive UFC 287 event just days away, this week on Between the Links, we are turning the programming and topics over to you.On a special Q&A edition of BTL, the panel will take your questions about Saturday's UFC pay-per-view event in Miami, the main event for the middleweight title between Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya, Jorge Masvidal's homecoming fight with the stakes as high as they can be against Gilbert Burns, the fallout from events in the combat landscape this past weekend, Gamebred Boxing 4, the new merger between the UFC and WWE, and more.This week, host Mike Heck will be joined by Eric "New York Ric" Jackman to answer your questions about the biggest stories in the sport. Follow Mike Heck: @MikeHeck_JR Follow Eric Jackman: @NewYorkRic Subscribe: http://goo.gl/dYpsgHCheck out our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/u8VvLiVisit our playlists: http://goo.gl/eFhsvMLike MMAF on Facebook: http://goo.gl/uhdg7ZFollow on Twitter: http://goo.gl/nOATUIRead More: http://www.mmafighting.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With UFC 287 just two days away, the level of anticipation continues to grow when it comes to the entire card — but mostly in regards to the main event between Alex Pereira and Israel Adesnya, and the co-headliner between Gilbert Burns and Jorge Masvidal.On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck discusses the middleweight championship rematch ahead of Saturday's card in Miami, and if Adesanya is due for a win against his longtime foe. Additionally, topics include if Masvidal is being severely overlooked ahead of his matchup with Burns, Masvidal and Kevin Holland being separated by security on Wednesday, Rob Font vs. Adrian Yanez, what could be the Fight of the Night for UFC 287, UFC Charlotte changing main events, and more.You can listen live to Heck of a Morning Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays at 10 a.m. ET on the MMA Fighting Twitter Spaces.Follow Mike Heck: @MikeHeck_JR Subscribe: http://goo.gl/dYpsgHCheck out our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/u8VvLiVisit our playlists: http://goo.gl/eFhsvMLike MMAF on Facebook: http://goo.gl/uhdg7ZFollow on Twitter: http://goo.gl/nOATUIRead More: http://www.mmafighting.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Fury FC 76 produced a viral clip on March 24 that saw Gianni Vazquez go unconscious due to a beautiful triangle choke applied by Edgar Chairez in the main event, but that wasn't how the fight ended. Instead, the referee allowed the bout to continue and Chairez transitioned to an armbar, which woke Vazquez up, only for him to pass out a second time before eventually mustering up the strength to tap out.On the second installment of Inside the Highlight, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck sits down with both fighters, along with Fury FC President Eric Garcia, commentator and UFC welterweight Alex Morono, and veteran referee and Bellator color analyst John McCarthy to break down the frightening ending to the bout from all angles, their reactions to the moment, the referee allowing the fight to continue, the aftermath, and more.Follow Mike Heck: @MikeHeck_JR Subscribe: http://goo.gl/dYpsgHCheck out our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/u8VvLiVisit our playlists: http://goo.gl/eFhsvMLike MMAF on Facebook: http://goo.gl/uhdg7ZFollow on Twitter: http://goo.gl/nOATUIRead More: http://www.mmafighting.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After a one week hiatus, the UFC returns with another pay-per-view this Saturday when Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya rematch in MMA (and compete against other for the fourth time) in the main event of UFC 278, and so the No Bets Barred boys are back to discuss.This week, co-hosts Conner Burks and Jed Meshew are joined by an old favorite, Tony Calatayud of Dan Le Batard Show fame to break down all the best action at UFC 278, and there is almost immediate dissension in the ranks as opinions differ on the the main event, and who will win this fourth fight between Pereira and Adesanya. The rest of the breakdowns go similarly as there are a ton of live dogs this week and action abounds on all sides of the card. Then, to wrap things up, Jed introduced Tony to The Next Big Thing in MMA Gambling, the ChatGPT Bet.Tune in for Episode 40 of No Bets Barred. Follow Conner Burks: @connerburks Follow Jed Meshew: @JedKMeshew Follow Tony Calatayud: @10DayTony Subscribe: http://goo.gl/dYpsgHCheck out our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/u8VvLiVisit our playlists: http://goo.gl/eFhsvMLike MMAF on Facebook: http://goo.gl/uhdg7ZFollow on Twitter: http://goo.gl/nOATUIRead More: http://www.mmafighting.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Justin Gaethje discusses his recent win over Rafael Fiziev at UFC 286 and his expectations that a rematch against Dustin Poirier will be awaiting him next, especially with the chance to revisit their Fight of the Year from 2018. Gaethje will also respond to Michael Bisping after he criticized the UFC Hall of Famer for his commentary during the fight between Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman. Gaethje also details his future plans after hinting that he might not have much time left in the sport following his latest win. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jorge Masvidal finds himself in a very interesting position this Saturday in a hometown fight with Gilbert Burns at UFC 287, despite being on a three-fight skid. Could an upset win be enough to spoil arch-rival Colby Covington's bid to fight Leon Edwards for the welterweight title?On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck discusses the stakes in the Masvidal vs. Burns co-main event of Saturday's pay-per-view card in Miami, and if the UFC could change course if Masvidal steals the headlines. Additionally, topics include the big news of the UFC and WWE merging together as one company under the Endeavor umbrella, what it could mean for the fighters, the advantages the deal could have, the UFC 287 bantamweight matchup between Rob Font and Adrian Yanez, Aljamain Sterling vs. Henry Cejudo, and more.You can listen live to Heck of a Morning Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays at 10 a.m. ET on the MMA Fighting Twitter Spaces.Follow Mike Heck: @MikeHeck_JR Subscribe: http://goo.gl/dYpsgHCheck out our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/u8VvLiVisit our playlists: http://goo.gl/eFhsvMLike MMAF on Facebook: http://goo.gl/uhdg7ZFollow on Twitter: http://goo.gl/nOATUIRead More: http://www.mmafighting.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

UFC 287 takes center stage on the latest episode of The Fighter vs. The Writer with Matt Brown and Damon Martin previewing the upcoming event.The main event will see Alex Pereira defending the UFC middleweight title for the first time against ex-champion Israel Adesanya. Pereira now holds three wins over Adesanya — two in kickboxing and a knockout over him in the UFC — but can he possibly make it four in a row?We’ll discuss this matchup and what Adesanya needs to do to finally slay the “monster in his closet” that Pereira has become in his career.Plus, how much does a win or a loss affect Adesanya’s career legacy after largely establishing himself as the second best middleweight in history behind Anderson Silva?We’ll also talk about the co-main event where Gilbert Burns battles Leon Edwards and the stakes surrounding that welterweight matchup.Masvidal appears at a crossroads where a win could lead him into a title fight against Leon Edwards while a loss might mean his retirement.All this plus we’ll discuss the news that the UFC will be merging with WWE and much more on the latest episode of The Fighter vs. The Writer.Subscribe: Apple PodcastsSubscribe: SpotifyRead More: MMA Fighting Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The UFC and WWE will merge together in a new publicly traded company with combined revenue worth more than $21 billion, but what does this new partnership actually mean for the future of combat sports and professional wrestling?MMA Fighting’s Damon Martin and Alexander K. Lee react to the massive news after Endeavor closed a deal to buy a majority share in WWE that was officially announced on Monday.What does this deal do for the UFC? Will WWE performers suddenly start showing up on UFC programming? Is Conor McGregor destined to appear at WrestleMania?We’ll discuss all of that and so much more as it relates to the UFC and WWE becoming business partners under the Endeavor umbrella.Subscribe: Apple PodcastsSubscribe: SpotifyRead More: MMA Fighting Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices