Fighter vs. Writer: Matt Brown REACTS to Ronda Rousey’s Comments on Joe Rogan Plus Jake Paul vs. Francis Ngannou and More

Cory Sandhagen delivered the goods in the main event of UFC San Antonio against Marlon Vera, while the UFC's 2023 Hall of Fame class has added a "Cowboy" — which has set off a bit of a debate in the MMA community. On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck reacts to Sandhagen's impressive performance, his callout of Merab Dvalishvili, and his subsequent interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour. Additionally, topics include Donald Cerrone being announced for the UFC Hall of Fame this past Saturday and the conversations it has stirred, Aljamain Sterling vs. Henry Cejudo, a potential Khamzat Chimaev vs. Paulo Costa fight, Dana White doubling down on Colby Covington being the No. 1 contender at 170, Michael Chiesa's options for UFC 287 with Li Jingliang out of their matchup, 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/dYpsgH Check out our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/u8VvLi Visit our playlists: http://goo.gl/eFhsvM Like MMAF on Facebook: http://goo.gl/uhdg7Z Follow on Twitter: http://goo.gl/nOATUI Read More: http://www.mmafighting.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

28 Mar 20231h 13min

Invicta FC veteran Serena Dejesus joins MMA Fighting’s José Youngs to discuss her love of all things anime, look back on the glory days of Toonami, and why she genuinely enjoys Grave of the Fireflies. The Las Vegas native also breaks down what she considers to be the 10 greatest anime shows of all-time, including Full Metal Alchemist, Cowboy Bebop, Steins;Gate, and more. She also tries her hand at the mysterious Bucket of Questions to close out episode 4. Follow José: https://twitter.com/JoseYoungs Follow Serena Dejesus: https://twitter.com/SerenaSouthpaw 🎵 Music by Nick Wolf: http://instagram.com/nickwolfmusic 🎨 Art by Adam Nelson: https://www.instagram.com/gorilla_the_bear Subscribe: http://goo.gl/dYpsgH Check out our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/u8VvLi Visit our playlists: http://goo.gl/eFhsvM Like MMAF on Facebook: http://goo.gl/uhdg7Z Follow on Twitter: http://goo.gl/nOATUI Read More: http://www.mmafighting.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

28 Mar 20231h 12min

On the latest episode of The Fighter vs. The Writer, Matt Brown and Damon Martin discuss the scoring in the Cory Sandhagen vs. Marlon “Chito” Vera fight as well as David Benavidez’s big win and what Conor McGregor’s career trajectory could have been if he didn’t take the Floyd Mayweather fight. Following UFC San Antonio on Saturday night, we’ll talk about Sandhagen’s big win as he took another step forward towards title contention with a potential matchup looming against Merab Dvalishvili. Of course, the scoring in Sandhagen’s split decision win will also take center stage after one judge somehow gave Vera three rounds, which Brown calls arguably the “biggest bulls***” scorecard in the history of the sport. We’ll also talk about David Benavidez picking up a statement win over Caleb Plant and the chances that he takes out “Canelo” Alvarez in his next fight. In fact, is Alvarez on the downside of his career at this point? Plus we’ll discuss what would have happened to Conor McGregor if he would have just continued fighting in MMA after he demolished Eddie Alvarez back in 2016. Is it possibly he could have beaten Khabib Nurmagomedov and cemented himself as one of the greatest fighters of all time?  All this and much more on the latest episode of The Fighter vs. The Writer with Matt Brown and Damon Martin. Subscribe: Apple Podcasts Subscribe: Spotify Read More: MMA Fighting Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

28 Mar 20231h 11min

Cory Sandhagen delivered a sensational performance against Marlon Vera in the main event of UFC San Antonio and went on to call his shot against Merab Dvalishvili. Is that the fight to make at 135 with the bantamweight division being in such a weird place? On an all-new edition of On To the Next One, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck and Alexander K. Lee attempt to answer that question from a matchmaking perspective following Sandhagen's second straight win. Additionally, future matchups are discussed for Vera after having his four-fight win streak snapped, Holly Holm following her dominant decision win against Yana Santos in the co-main event, Nate Landwehr after electrifying the crowd with his submission win over Austin Lingo and post-fight promo, Maycee Barber following her controversial split decision win over Andrea Lee, along with fellow victors Albert Duraev, Daniel Pineda, and more. Follow Mike Heck: @MikeHeck_JR Follow Alexander K. Lee: @AlexanderKLee Subscribe: http://goo.gl/dYpsgH Check out our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/u8VvLi Visit our playlists: http://goo.gl/eFhsvM Like MMAF on Facebook: http://goo.gl/uhdg7Z Follow on Twitter: http://goo.gl/nOATUI Read More: http://www.mmafighting.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

26 Mar 20231h 28min

Cory Sandhagen looked sensational over 25 minutes to defeat Marlon Vera in the main event of UFC San Antonio. However, one judge scored the bout for Vera which left the MMA community scratching their heads — and that was not the first time during the event that happened. Following Sandhagen's big win, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck, José Youngs, and E. Casey Leydon react to the performance, Sandhagen's callout of Merab Dvalishvili and why it was the correct use of his mic time, along with the weird scorecards for that fight, and others on the card. Additionally, they discuss Holly Holm's dominant decision win against Yana Santos and where it puts her at 135, the post-fight bonus winners, Nate Landwehr getting the job done in the cage and on the microphone, Manel Kape's reaction to his fight with Alex Perez getting cancelled, Donald Cerrone's UFC Hall of Fame announcement, and more. Follow Mike Heck: @MikeHeck_JR Follow José Youngs: @JoseYoungs Subscribe: http://goo.gl/dYpsgH Check out our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/u8VvLi Visit our playlists: http://goo.gl/eFhsvM Like MMAF on Facebook: http://goo.gl/uhdg7Z Follow on Twitter: http://goo.gl/nOATUI Read More: http://www.mmafighting.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

26 Mar 20231h 25min

In the UFC's first event following a storyline filled UFC 286 card, the promotion heads to Texas for UFC San Antonio, which will be headlined by a pivotal matchup in the bantamweight division between Marlon Vera and Cory Sandhagen. With the division in the state that it's in currently, what is on the line for both guys ahead of the fan-friendly bout? MMA Fighting's Mike Heck, José Youngs, and Alexander K. Lee break down the Vera vs. Sandhagen five-rounder and where each guy goes with a win, and if a title shot is in play for either. Additionally, they'll discuss Holly Holm's first fight of 2023 as she meets Yana Santos in the co-main event, Maycee Barber vs. Andrea Lee, and more ahead of Saturday's event at the AT&T Center. Follow Mike Heck: @MikeHeck_JR Follow José Youngs: @JoseYoungs Follow Alexander K. Lee: @AlexanderKLee Subscribe: http://goo.gl/dYpsgH Check out our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/u8VvLi Visit our playlists: http://goo.gl/eFhsvM Like MMAF on Facebook: http://goo.gl/uhdg7Z Follow on Twitter: http://goo.gl/nOATUI Read More: http://www.mmafighting.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

24 Mar 20231h

Belal Muhammad was confused as to why Colby Covington was named the No. 1 contender following UFC 286. Despite the bad news of getting passed over, Muhammad has found a way to turn the negative into a positive, and has gotten more support over the last few days among the MMA fan base than he has in his entire career. Will it work out for him in the end? On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck discusses how Muhammad has gotten himself over in a big way this week with how he has handled himself in the aftermath of Dana White's decision, and how Jorge Masvidal can give him what he wants should "Gamebred" defeat Gilbert Burns at UFC 287. Additionally, listener questions include greatest trilogies in MMA, Mount Rushmore of current fighters, the journey into the MMA media space, Benavidez vs. Plant, 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/dYpsgH Check out our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/u8VvLi Visit our playlists: http://goo.gl/eFhsvM Like MMAF on Facebook: http://goo.gl/uhdg7Z Follow on Twitter: http://goo.gl/nOATUI Read More: http://www.mmafighting.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

24 Mar 20231h 12min

Leon Edwards sent the London fans home happy with majority decision win over Kamaru Usman in the main event of UFC 286 this past Saturday. With his rivalry with Usman officially behind him, there seemed to be many interesting options for "Rocky," before Dana White announced his own option. On an all-new edition of Between the Links, the panel discusses the fallout of Edwards' victory over Usman, what the victory means for Edwards' legacy, and where Usman goes from his second straight loss. Additionally, they'll discuss the UFC president naming Colby Covington as the No. 1 contender for the welterweight title, Edwards taking a stand, Covington's interview with MMA Fighting, and if "Chaos" has done Belal Muhammad a favor, along with Justin Gaethje's big win over Rafael Fiziev in the UFC 286 co-main event, Saturday's UFC San Antonio event headlined by a pivotal bantamweight bout between Marlon Vera and Cory Sandhagen, and more. Host Mike Heck moderates the matchup between MMA Fighting's Jed Meshew and Damon Martin. Follow Mike Heck: @MikeHeck_JR Follow Jed Meshew: @JedKMeshew Damon Martin: @DamonMartin Subscribe: http://goo.gl/dYpsgH Check out our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/u8VvLi Visit our playlists: http://goo.gl/eFhsvM Like MMAF on Facebook: http://goo.gl/uhdg7Z Follow on Twitter: http://goo.gl/nOATUI Read More: http://www.mmafighting.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

23 Mar 20231h 34min