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

The Fighter vs. The Writer returns with a special year-end episode with UFC analyst and retired fighter Alan Jouban joining MMA Fighting senior reporter Damon Martin to discuss the biggest moments from 2023. Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski put on a possible Fight of the Year in February as two of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the sport battled it out in a five round classic. One month later, Jon Jones made his return to the octagon and he finally conquered the heavyweight division while taking out Ciryl Gane in the first round. By June, Amanda Nunes was defending her title and then calling it a career, which dramatically affected two different divisions in the UFC. In September, Sean Strickland pulled off one of the most epic upsets in the history of the UFC when he thumped Israel Adesanya to become middleweight champion. Follow along with us as we go through the biggest moments in 2023 and start looking ahead at what’s to come in 2024 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

26 Dec 20231h 15min

Belal Muhammad knows he’s the No. 1 contender in the UFC welterweight division but he’s still waiting on reigning champion Leon Edwards to acknowledge him as the next person in line for a shot at the title. Following an action-packed UFC 296, Muhammad sits down with MMA Fighting senior reporter Damon Martin to give his thoughts on fight week after he weighed in as the backup for the main event and what he thought about Edwards’ performance with a unanimous decision victory over Covington Muhammad will address Edwards’ post fight comments about him and his belief that the UFC will honor the promised made to him that he will get the next shot at the title. He also slams Covington for his “pathetic” remarks regarding Edwards’ father during the UFC 296 pre-fight press conference along with his abysmal showing in the title fight plus much more in this exclusive interview.   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

23 Dec 202333min

UFC CEO Dana White dropped a slew of fight announcements on Thursday, including the first bouts for the historic UFC 300 event in April. While White didn't drop the main event, he did drop some interesting bouts such as Aljamain Sterling vs. Calvin Kattar, Jiri Prochazka vs. Aleksandar Rakic, and the return of Bo Nickal. Do those fights make you feel as if the PPV lineup will be the most stacked card we've had in a few years? On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck reacts to the UFC 300 bouts, along with White announcing Robert Whittaker vs. Paulo Costa, and the moving up of Ian Machado Garry vs. Geoff Neal, Yair Rodriguez vs. Brian Ortega 2 for Mexico City, and Erin Blanchfield vs. Manon Fiorot for UFC Atlantic City in March. Additionally, listener questions include Alex Pereira potentially teasing a move up to heavyweight to try and win a third UFC divisional title, Alexa Grasso and Zhang Weili's respectful back and forth, Parker Porter's UFC release, 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 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

22 Dec 20231h 35min

With the conclusion of UFC 296, the UFC's 2023 campaign is over, and that means it's almost time to hand out some hardware as the MMA Fighting year-end awards are just around the corner. The panel will preview the 2023 awards following a quick look back at UFC 296, Colby Covington's head scratching performance against Leon Edwards, and more. This week, the panel of MMA Fighting's Mike Heck, Alexander K. Lee, and E. Casey Leydon preview the MMA Fighting 2023 year-end awards and reveal their top-five nominees for Fighter of the Year and discuss where Sean Strickland fits in after his unbelievable year, along with Fight of the Year, Knockout of the Year, Submission of the Year, and Rookie of the Year. They'll also discuss if there are any snubs, why their list came to be, if 2023 was the craziest year in the history of the sport, and much more. Follow Mike Heck: @MikeHeck_JR Follow Alexander K. Lee: @AlexanderKLee Follow E. Casey Leydon: @ekc 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 Dec 20231h 16min

While Belal Muhammad seems like a pretty clear choice to get the next shot at Leon Edwards and the UFC welterweight title, things still appear to be up in the air in regards to how the 170-pound title picture plays out. Does Shavkat Rakhmonov jump over him? Is the UFC waiting to see what happens with the Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler fight? Muhammad certainly deserves the shot, but will he get it? On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck discusses that and states his case for Muhammad to get his day in court, while also reacting to Edwards no-selling Muhammad, the champ's tweet at the surging contender, and his head coach saying he would prefer Gilbert Burns being next over Muhammad. Additionally, listener questions include Colby Covington's appearance on Fox News, UFC 300, what Sean Strickland's title reign could look like if he beats Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297, 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 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 Dec 20231h 10min

O UFC encerrou seu calendário em 2023, e o Trocação Franca recebe o narrador André Azevedo para fazer um balanço da temporada e eleger os melhores (e piores) do ano. O podcast recebe também o campeão dos moscas Alexandre Pantoja, que fez uma revelação surpreendente sobre a vitória diante de Brandon Royval no UFC 296. O melhor do MMA brasileiro no Trocação Franca, toda semana, com o jornalista Guilherme Cruz e convidados. The UFC has closed its year, and Trocação Franca welcomes UFC Fight Pass Brazil commentator André Azevedo to recap the year and pick the best (and worst) of 2023. The podcast also features an interview with UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja, who makes a surprising reveal about his UFC 296 title defense over Brandon Royval. Listen to Trocação Franca with Guilherme Cruz every week to hear from the biggest names on the hottest topics in the Brazilian combat sports world. Follow Guilherme Cruz: @Guicruzzz 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

20 Dec 20231h 12min

The knives are out for Colby Covington, but why have the past few days felt so different than when any other polarizing MMA figure loses? Old pals Jed Meshew and Damon Martin join co-hosts Shaun Al-Shatti and Alexander K. Lee this week to unpack everything UFC 296. The gang hits the absurdity that was Strickland vs. DDP around (11:05), as well as the reckoning Covington now faces around (20:51) and where his third title loss ranks among the great ya-blew-it nights in UFC history. Then, the boys discuss Leon Edwards snatching the No. 3 spot from Jon Jones on the pound-for-pound list around (1:02:43), Shavkat Rakhmonov's ferocious ascendance to title contention around (1:19:49), the biggest rankings surprises of 2023 around (1:30:58), and much more. Follow Shaun Al-Shatti @ShaunAlShatti Follow Alexander K. Lee @AlexanderKLee Follow Jed Meshew @JedKMeshew Follow 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

19 Dec 20231h 49min

Colby Covington had the Las Vegas crowd in the palm of his hands throughout UFC 296 fight week, including the press conference where he took a controversial shot at Leon Edwards, his walk to the octagon for the main event and last minute powwow with Donald Trump — and then the fight began, and he was dominated by the champion and put forth an effort that has left the MMA community scratching their heads. On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck reacts to UFC 296, Edwards' successful title defense, and if Covington will be able to bounce back in the eyes of fans following the worst performance of his career. Additionally, listener questions include whether or not Belal Muhammad should be next for Edwards, where Shavkat Rakhmonov fits in the mix after submitting Stephen Thompson, the incredible battle between Irene Aldana and Karol Rosa, Ariane Lipski's outstanding outing against Casey O'Neill, Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis fighting in the crowd, Dana White announcing a slew of fights for UFC 299 — including the newly signed Michael Page vs. Kevin Holland — 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 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 Dec 20231h 27min