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

The PFL absorbing Bellator was massive news on Monday with an expanded roster, a "reimagined" Bellator, and Donn Davis stating that PFL is now on the verge of being a "co-leader" in the MMA space alongside the UFC — even saying that UFC CEO Dana White is now "worried" about this new merger. But did White, or anyone in the UFC, lose any sleep with this news? On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck reacts to the big news of the week, Davis' interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, his claims about the move making PFL an equal powerhouse to the UFC, and White being worried — which is likely is not. Additionally, more listener questions about the deal, the future of Bellator champions, potential interesting matchups between PFL and Bellator champions, how the deal was announced, Brendan Allen's title hopes at 185 pounds following hiis UFC Vegas 82 win over Paul Craig, 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 to MMA Fighting Check out our full video catalog Like MMA Fighting on Facebook Follow on Twitter Read More: http://www.mmafighting.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

21 Nov 20231h 24min

The Fighter vs. The Writer returns with UFC legend Matt Brown and MMA Fighting senior reporter Damon Martin reacting to the news that the PFL has purchased Bellator MMA as well as everything that unfolded at UFC Vegas 82 and what’s coming up at UFC Austin. Of course, the biggest news of the day came with the PFL acquiring Bellator MMA with plans to promote a champion versus champion card in 2024. The PFL gets a massively improved roster with all of the fighters from Bellator MMA but does this actually make them a legitimate threat to the UFC? PFL founder Donn Davis believes UFC CEO Dana White is “worried” but is that actually true? Does the UFC even see the PFL as a true competitor? Plus we’ll discuss Brendan Allen’s big win over Paul Craig and the new look UFC Fight Night cards in the UFC APEX that aren’t exactly the most stacked events in the world. Plus new Bellator bantamweight champion Patchy Mix joins the show for his first interview since defeating Sergio Pettis to claim the title this past Friday at Bellator 301. Mix reveals who he wants next in his first title defense while also detailing his future plans now that the PFL has purchased Bellator. All this and more on the latest episode of The Fighter vs. The Writer!  Subscribe to MMA Fighting Check out our full video catalog Like MMA Fighting on Facebook Follow on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

21 Nov 20231h 46min

Bellator as we know it is dead. MMA Fighting's Shaun Al-Shatti, Jed Meshew, and Damon Martin react to another crazy day in MMA following PFL's long-awaited acquisition of Bellator and PFL chairman Donn Davis' interview on The MMA Hour about the vision of PFL/Bellator moving forward. Follow Shaun Al-Shatti: @ShaunAlShatti Follow Jed Meshew: @JedKMeshew Follow Damon Martin: @DamonMartin Subscribe to MMA Fighting Check out our full video catalog Like MMA Fighting on Facebook Follow on Twitter Read More: http://www.mmafighting.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

21 Nov 202355min

Brendan Allen continued his impressive run in the UFC's middleweight division with a dominant performance, and finish over Paul Craig in the main event of UFC Vegas 82. "All-In" called for a No. 1 contender fight in the aftermath, and with the streak he's on, it's certainly not out of the realm of possibility, but will he get it? On an all-new edition of On To the Next One, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck and Alexander K. Lee discuss where Allen could go from a matchmaking perspective following his show closing submission win at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas. Additionally, future matchups are discussed for Michael Morales following his decision win over Jake Matthews, Chase Hooper after submitting Jordan Leavitt, Amanda Ribas following her stunning third-round knockout of Luana Pinheiro, along with fellow main card winners Peyton Talbott, Myktybek Orolbai, and more. Follow Mike Heck: @MikeHeck_JR Follow Alexander K. Lee: @AlexanderKLee Subscribe to MMA Fighting Check out our full video catalog Like MMA Fighting on Facebook Follow on Twitter Read More: http://www.mmafighting.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

19 Nov 20231h 11min

Brendan Allen kept his impressive winning streak going in his first scheduled UFC main event on Saturday as he dominated and finished Paul Craig to cap off UFC Vegas 82. With another finish under his belt, is Allen a true championship threat moving forward at 185, and what should be next for "All-In"? MMA Fighting's Mike Heck, José Youngs, and Jed Meshew react to Allen's impressive showing, discuss who he could fight next, and Craig's future at 185 pounds. Additionally, they discuss Michael Morales' victory over Jake Matthews, Amanda Ribas' incredible third-round finish of Luana Pinheiro and where she could go at 115, Mike Beltran's controversial stoppage of the Trey Ogden vs. Nikolas Motta fight and it being ruled a no contest, the APEX continuing to be a thing, and more. Follow Mike Heck: @MikeHeck_JR Follow José Youngs: @JoseYoungs Follow Jed Meshew: @JedKMeshew Subscribe to MMA Fighting Check out our full video catalog Like MMA Fighting on Facebook Follow on Twitter Read More: http://www.mmafighting.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

19 Nov 20231h 10min

Following a memorable UFC 295 event, the UFC returns to their home base for UFC Vegas 82, which will be headlined by a pivotal matchup in the middleweight division between surging contender Brendan Allen, and the always-exciting Paul Craig.  MMA Fighting's Mike Heck, Alexander K. Lee, and José Youngs preview Saturday's card, including the Allen vs. Craig main event, the stakes attached to it, and what could be awaiting the winner. Additionally, they'll discuss the card quality as a whole, the low-key interesting matchups, some of the exciting prospects on the promotion's second-to-last trip to the APEX for 2023, and more. Follow Mike Heck: @MikeHeck_JR Follow José Youngs: @JoseYoungs Follow Alexander K. Lee: @AlexanderKLee Subscribe to MMA Fighting Check out our full video catalog Like MMA Fighting on Facebook Follow on Twitter Read More: http://www.mmafighting.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

17 Nov 202355min

Alex Pereira became a two-division UFC champion this past Saturday when he finished Jiri Prochazka in the UFC 295 main event, but he accomplished that feat after leaving the middleweight division behind for good to take on a new challenge. With many current fighters talking about possibly moving up weight classes to challenge for titles being in the news, has the conversation become too watered down? On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck discusses why the idea of "champ-champ" status has lost its luster, but how it can become interesting again with two different additions to the conversation. Additionally, listener topics include Bellator 301 likely being the promotion's final event under the current regime, what matchups between Bellator 301 fighters and current UFC competitors would be interesting, Aljamain Sterling teasing working on a matchup with Max Holloway in his featherweight debut, 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 to MMA Fighting Check out our full video catalog Like MMA Fighting on Facebook Follow on Twitter Read More: http://www.mmafighting.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

17 Nov 20231h 6min

UFC 295 delivered an exciting event at Madison Square Garden, and when the dust settled in the World’s Most Famous Arena, Alex Pereira entered the two-division champion club, while Tom Aspinall stated his case to be MMA’s best heavyweight when he ran over Sergei Pavlovich in just over a minute. Where does Pereira go from here? And could we get a fight between Aspinall and Jon Jones? On an all-new edition of Between the Links, the panel recaps UFC 295, discusses what could be next for Pereira in his first title defense at 205, if the Israel Adesanya trilogy fight could happen, and Jamahal Hill feeling disrespected ahead of a potential matchup between the former champ and Pereira. Additionally, topics include Aspinall’s interim title win, if he could have enough juice to change the UFC’s plans away from a fight between Jones and Stipe Miocic, other standouts from UFC 295, Saturday’s UFC Vegas 82 headlined by Brendan Allen vs. Paul Craig, Bellator 301 being a great card on paper — but possibly the final one for the promotion — and more. Host Mike Heck moderates the matchup between MMA Fighting's Jed Meshew and recent Gamebred Bareknuckle winner Randy Costa. Follow Mike Heck: @MikeHeck_JR Follow Jed Meshew: @JedKMeshew Follow Randy Costa: @RandyCosta135 Subscribe to MMA Fighting Check out our full video catalog Like MMA Fighting on Facebook Follow on Twitter Read More: http://www.mmafighting.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

16 Nov 20231h 24min