The MMA Hour - Episode 168

On the latest episode of The Fighter vs. The Writer, Matt Brown returns from hiatus to join MMA Fighting senior reporter Damon Martin to discuss the fallout from UFC 292 this past Saturday. In the main event, Sean O’Malley scored a dramatic second round knockout to beat Aljamain Sterling to become UFC bantamweight champion for the first time. Brown praises O’Malley’s performance while also taking one on the chin after he picked Sterling to win ahead of the fight. We’ll also discuss Ian Garry’s huge win over Neil Magny and if he deserves any criticism for not getting the finish with his opponent clearly compromised during the fight. We’ll also play matchmaker for Garry to see what should be next for him after the win at UFC 292. Brown will also react to Chris Weidman’s long awaited return to action following a devastating broken leg that could have easily ended his career. In the wake of Weidman’s loss, Brown credits Brad Tavares for getting the job done but he also disagrees with UFC president Dana White when it comes to Weidman’s future. All this and more on the latest episode of The Fighter vs. the Writer!  Subscribe: Apple Podcasts Subscribe: Spotify Read More: MMA Fighting Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

22 Aug 20231h 15min

Sean O’Malley flipped the UFC bantamweight division upside down following his incredible knockout win over Aljamain Sterling to capture UFC gold. After the stunning finish, where does O’Malley go from here, and where does Sterling go after losing his championship? On an all-new edition of On To the Next One, MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck and Alexander K. Lee attempt to answer those questions from a matchmaking perspective following the UFC’s return to Boston. Additionally, future matchups are discussed for Zhang Weili and Amanda Lemos following Weili’s record-setting decision victory to retain the strawweight title, Ian Machado Garry after his one-sided victory over Neil Magny in the featured bout, along with fellow main card winners Mario Bautista, Marlon Vera, 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

20 Aug 20231h 11min

Sean O'Malley is the UFC bantamweight champion of the world after knocking out Aljamain Sterling in the second round of the main event of UFC 292. The stunning finish kicks off a new era in the bantamweight division with one of the promotion's biggest stars driving the train. MMA Fighting's Mike Heck and Jed Meshew react to O'Malley's incredible finish of Sterling, discuss where Sterling goes from the loss, and what this division looks like going forward. Additionally, they react to the absolute dominance from Zhang Weili in the co-main event against Amanda Lemos to retain her title, discuss if Yan Xiaonan or Tatiana Suarez will be next for Weili, Ian Machado Garry's one-sided victory over Neil Magny, Marlon Vera's massively important victory, and more. Follow Mike Heck: @MikeHeck_JR Follow Jed Meshew: @JedKMeshew 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

20 Aug 20231h 6min

Relive the magic of UFC 292's live watch party with Mike Heck, Conner Burks, plus a few special guests! Check out the original UFC 292 Watch Party video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVHUDhvUqTI Timestamps: Chris Weidman vs. Brad Tavares final two rounds (6:43) Marlon Vera vs. Pedro Munhoz (43:30) Vera wins unanimous decision (1:03:30) Boston slang trivia (1:06:13) Mario Bautista vs. Da'Mon Blackshear (1:14:00) Bautista wins unanimous decision (1:34:15) Ian Machado Garry vs. Neil Magny (1:43:09) Garry wins decision, calls out Wonderboy (2:03:28) Ripping packs part 1 (2:06:24) Zhang Weili vs. Amanda Lemos (2:12:18) Weili wins decision to retain title (2:55:30) Ripping packs part 2 (2:59:00) Aljamain Sterling vs. Sean O'Malley (3:16:58) O'Malley knocks out Sterling to win bantamweight title (3:26:48) 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 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

20 Aug 20233h 39min

The UFC returns to Boston this Saturday for UFC 292, and the heat has been turned up for the bantamweight championship main event between Aljamain Sterling and Sean O'Malley. Depending on the result of this weekend's clash, the 135-pound division is likely to go through some big changes. Ahead of UFC 292, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck and Alexander K. Lee preview the pay-per-view event, the storylines heading into the Sterling vs. O'Malley fight, where the division goes from Saturday, and more. Additionally, they'll discuss the under the radar co-main event for the strawweight title between Zhang Weili and Amanda Lemos, the animosity between Ian Machado Garry and Neil Magny, the long-awaited return of former middleweight champion Chris Weidman, 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

18 Aug 20231h 5min

The UFC's return to Boston is just a couple of days away, and with it comes a lot of interesting storylines — including in the bantamweight championship main event of UFC 292 between Aljamain Sterling and Sean O'Malley. On an all-new edition of Between the Links, the panel discusses the demeanors of both Sterling and O'Malley from the UFC 292 media day, where both guys could go after Saturday, and what result would give us the most interesting divisional storylines. Additionally, they discuss the co-main event for the strawweight title between Zhang Weili and Amanda Lemos, Marlon Vera vs. Pedro Munhoz, the overwhelming confidence of Ian Machado Garry ahead of his matchup with Neil Magny, and much more. This week, host Mike Heck is joined by MMA Fighting's José Youngs and The Mac Life's Oscar Willis from Boston for a special roundtable edition of the show. Follow Mike Heck: @MikeHeck_JR Follow José Youngs: @JoseYoungs Follow Oscar Willis: @oscarswillis 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

17 Aug 202347min

Sean O'Malley enters his first UFC championship fight in the main event of UFC 292 against Aljamain Sterling, but even though the spot is big and the lights will be bright, is there a lot of pressure on "Sugar," or is all of the pressure on the current champ in, perhaps, his final 135-pound title defense? On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck discusses the main event between Sterling and O'Malley, both fighters' media day scrums after talking with both competitors, and why there's a case to be made that this is a "house money" fight for the challenger. Additionally, listener topics include The Ultimate Fighter and Dana White's Contender Series, judging in MMA, O'Malley's comments about managers in the MMA space, Leon Edwards vs. Colby Covington, Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler, 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

17 Aug 202349min

For the first time in nearly four years the UFC heads back to Boston and it's coming correct with UFC 292, one of the best events of the year on paper. Headlined by a bantamweight title fight between Aljamain Sterling and Sean O'Malley, and a strawweight title fight between Weili Zhang and Amanda Lemos, UFC 292 is bringing the heat, and so too are the No Bets Barred boys as the break it all down. This week, co-hosts Conner Burks and Jed Meshew are joined by the esteemed "Boston" Mike Heck as he's boots on the ground for UFC 292 and the trio does a deep dive into all the big matchups this weekend. Topics discussed include Sean O'Malley's chances at the upset, exactly how dominant will Weili Zhang and Ian Garry look, the world's most obvious gimmick parlay, and of course, the ChatGPT Bet of the Week. Tune in for episode 58 of No Bets Barred. Follow Conner Burks: @connerburks Follow Jed Meshew: @JedKMeshew 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

16 Aug 20231h 8min