Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje will battle for the second time inside the octagon in the main event of UFC 291 on July 29 in Salt Lake City for the BMF title. While the premise is there, why is the BMF title on the line, and should the UFC have been more creative with it if they were going to slap a gimmick championship belt on a fight that doesn't need it? On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck reacts to Dana White's announcement of that massive bout in the lightweight division, along with the rest of the revealed lineup, along with the UFC 292 announcement for Boston in August. Additionally, topics include Francis Ngannou's new deal with the PFL, his boxing options, the potential short turnaround for the Robert Whittaker vs. Dricus Du Plessis winner to face Israel Adesanya in September, Alex Pereira vs. Jan Blachowicz at 205 pounds, 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.

The No Bets Barred boys return with a full breakdown of every fight at UFC Vegas 73, including dissension in the ranks for a couple of key matchups.

Francis Ngannou has not only found a new home, but he spoke with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour about some of the particulars of his massive deal with the PFL, the naysayers about his free agency, other promoters having their say on his free agency after parting ways with the UFC, and more. While Tuesday was officially a massive win for both Ngannou and the PFL, there are still lingering questions surrounding it all. MMA Fighting's Mike Heck, Shaheen Al-Shatti, and Steven Marrocco react to the news and Ngannou's appearance on The MMA Hour, reveal their long-term questions for both the former UFC heavyweight champion and the PFL, the boxing side of the equation, and much more.

Semana agitada entre os pesos pesados no MMA, e o Trocação Franca recebe Junior Cigano para dissecar os detalhes do histórico acordo de Francis Ngannou com a PFL, que lhe garante milhões e caminho livre para lutar boxe. O podcast entrevista ainda Jailton Malhadinho e Johnny Walker, que brilharam no UFC Charlotte, e Diego Ferreira, que volta ao octógono no próximo sábado.

Alexander K. Lee takes over HOAM from Mike Heck for the day, where the talk of the town is Francis Ngannou's recent signing to the PFL.

After months of speculation, Francis Ngannou has signed with the PFL in a deal that could prove ground-breaking for the combat sports world. MMA Fighting's Alexander K. Lee and Jed Meshew react to the signing and what it means going forward.

Matt Brown returns to The Fighter vs. The Writer following his first-round knockout win over Court McGee and he responds to Conor McGregor saying he wants to break the record that Brown currently holds in the UFC

Is Jailton Almeida in a position where his next octagon appearance could be for some sort of UFC championship following his dominant first-round submission victory over Jairzinho Rozenstruik in the main event of UFC Charlotte? 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 after Almeida's impressive win streak got extended to 14 with short work of Rozenstruik. Additionally, future matchups are made for Johnny Walker following his decision win over Anthony Smith in the co-main event, Ian Machado Garry after his breakout finish of Daniel Rodriguez in the welterweight featured matchup, along with fellow event winners Carlos Ulberg, Alex Morono, and more.

Jailton Almeida made it looks incredibly easy in his first UFC main event as he submitted Jairzinho Rozenstruik in the first round at UFC Charlotte. How close is the surging Almeida to a UFC heavyweight championship opportunity? MMA Fighting's Mike Heck, Alexander K. Lee, and Jed Meshew react to Almeida's sensational performance in the main event, discuss where he goes from here, and what — if anything — did we learn about Almeida. Additionally, they discuss Johnny Walker's decision win over Anthony Smith in the co-main event and how much of an impact the performance has on the division, Ian Machado Garry's fantastic first-round finish of Daniel Rodriguez, the controversy surrounding the preliminary fights between Ji Yeon Kim and Mandy Bohm, along with Douglas Silva de Andrade vs. Cody Stamann, and more.

division? MMA Fighting's Mike Heck, José Youngs, and Alexander K. Lee get you ready for the UFC's return to ABC and discuss the main event matchup between Rozenstruik and Almeida, and what is at stake for both guys. Additionally, they'll discuss the co-main event between Anthony Smith and Johnny Walker, the intriguing featured bout in the welterweight division between Daniel Rodriguez and Ian Machado Garryother, other notable storylines, and more.

UFC President Dana White said after UFC 288 that he hopes to have Aljamain Sterling make a quick turnaround to defend his bantamweight title against Sean O'Malley at the UFC's return to Boston in August. With Sterling eyeing a fall date with O'Malley, if the UFC can't get that fight on the books, then what should be the main event for that card? On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck attempts to answer that question and makes the case for Leon Edwards vs. Colby Covington for the welterweight title in that spot. Additionally, listener questions include what could be next for Jamahal Hill and the light heavyweight title if Jiri Prochazka needs to miss a lot more time, Henry Cejudo vs. Merab Dvalishvili, UFC Charlotte storylines, Daniel Rodriguez vs. Ian Machado Garry, ONE Championship's U.S. 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.

Aljamain Sterling continues to add notches to his already impressive resume, this time, defeating former two-division UFC champ Henry Cejudo in the main event of UFC 288 this past Saturday. What did the win do for Sterling's legacy, and where does Cejduo go from here? On an all-new edition of Between the Links, the panel will discuss the fallout of the bantamweight title fight from this past weekend, along with the upcoming Sterling vs. Sean O'Malley fight that appears to be next. Additionally, topics include Belal Muhammad's big win over Gilbert Burns and if Dana White, or Colby Covington is more believable when it comes to Muhammad's next move, the low-key MVP from this past weekend, if the Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz press conference from earlier this week changed excitement levels for the August boxing match, UFC Charlotte and Bellator Paris this weekend, and more. Host Mike Heck moderates the matchup between MMA Fighting's Jed Meshew and Morning Kombat's Brian Campbell.

On Tuesday, Jake Paul and Nate Diaz went face-to-face for the first time since their Aug. 5 boxing match was announced following a press conference in Dallas. With how everything went down, did the presser do anything to get you more excited for the fight? On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck reacts to the press conference, and gives his thoughts on how everything went down. Additionally, listener topics include the latest slate of UFC main events, Jiri Prochazka's potential return to fight Jamahal Hill, what a plan b could be for the light heavyweight division, the UFC 290 lineup in July, Amanda Nunes' legacy, the UFC's return to Boston in August, Merab Dvalishvili's viral theft of Sean O'Malley's jacket, Jailton Almeida vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik this Saturday at UFC Charlotte, 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.

The No Bets Barred boys return with a full breakdown of every fight at UFC Charlotte. With a lot of agreement this week, there could be some good chances to make some money.

UFC welterweight contender Colby Covington joins MMA Fighting's Mike Heck to discuss the latest on his upcoming title fight with Leon Edwards, eyeing August, why having the bout in Abu Dhabi doesn't make sense to him, having dinner with Dana White recently, Jorge Masvidal's retirement, Belal Muhammad's UFC 288 win over Gilbert Burns, wanting future fights with current lightweight champ Islam Makhachev and Israel Adesanya, what advice he would give to Aljamain Sterling following his win over Henry Cejudo, and more.

Trocação Franca dessa semana traz a história de Jailton Malhadinho, promessa do Brasil entre os pesos pesados que lidera o card de sábado do UFC em Charlotte, EUA, contra Jairzinho Rozenstruik. Malhadinho falou da vida, como trocou os gramados pelos ringues, o desaparecimento do irmão, altos e baixos no MMA e muito mais. O podcast traz, ainda, entrevistas com Johnny Walker, Douglas Lima, Diego Lopes e Tainara Lisboa.

Chaos reigns as the gang tie up some loose ends for UFC 288, make sense of AK's obscene disrespect for Aljamain Sterling in the P4P ranks, rank the top 3 most interesting opponents for a Jon Jones retirement fight, and much more.

Aljamain Sterling defeated Henry Cejudo in the main event of UFC 288 this past Saturday to retain his bantamweight championship, and becoming the first champion in the division to defend the belt three consecutive times. Sterling is now on a collision course with Sean O'Malley in a massive bout at 135. On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck recaps UFC 288, along with Sterling's big win over Cejudo and how the fight was scored, and the upcoming matchup with O'Malley. Additionally, listener questions include Belal Muhammad's win over Gilbert Burns, if he'll get a title shot in his next fight, Yan Xiaonan's finish of Jessica Andrade and a potential championship bout with Zhang Weili, Kron Gracie's performance, Movsar Evloev's future, and more. Plus, Bellator middleweight Fabian Edwards joins the program to preview his Bellator Paris main event matchup with Gegard Mousasi, discuss his thoughts on champion Johnny Eblen, his brother Leon Edwards' mindset when it comes to a potential fight with Colby Covington, 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.

On the latest episode of The Fighter vs. The Writer, UFC analyst Alan Jouban joins the show to break down everything that unfolded at UFC 288 while Cory Sandhagen reacts to Aljamain Sterling’s win and Henry Cejudo then calling out Merab Dvalisvhili.

While Aljamain Sterling will likely have his next UFC bantamweight title defense this summer — at least, according to Dana White — following his UFC 288 main event win, where does Henry Cejudo go after falling short in his comeback bid? Was that the final fight for the storied career of "Triple C"? 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. And if Cejudo were to stick around, what would be the matchup to make? Additionally, future matchups are discussed for Belal Muhammad after his dominant decision victory in the co-main event, Gilbert Burns after being on the wrong end of the scorecards, Yan Xiaonan following her incredible finish of Jessica Andrade, along with Movsar Evloev, Charles Jourdain, and more.

Aljamain Sterling made history on Saturday by becoming the first UFC bantamweight champion to defend their title three consecutive times in the main event of UFC 288, and spoiled the long-awaited return of former two-division champion Henry Cejudo in the process during the UFC's return to Newark, N.J. MMA Fighting's Mike Heck, Shaheen Al-Shatti, and Jed Meshew react to Sterling's victory over Cejudo, discuss how they scored the 135-pound championship bout, if that was Cejudo's final fight, and the more-than-likely next championship bout between Sterling and Sean O'Malley. Additionally, topics include Belal Muhammad's dominant decision win over Gilbert Burns in the five-round co-main event, if Muhammad's next fight will actually be for the welterweight title, Yan Xiaonan's show-stealing finish of Jessica Andrade, Matt Frevola's massive stoppage win over Drew Dober, and more.

Relive the magic of UFC 288's live watch party with Mike Heck, Conner Burks, plus a few special guests!

Aljamain Sterling puts his UFC bantamweight championship on the line against Henry Cejudo in the former two-division titleholder's first bout in over three years in the main event of Saturday's UFC 288 event. With so many burning questions on both sides, the fight's intrigue continues to grow. MMA Fighting's Mike Heck, Alexander K. Lee, and José Youngs get you ready for UFC 288 and discuss the Sterling vs. Cejudo main event, what is on the line besides championship gold, who needs the win more, where Cejudo would go with a loss, and more. Additionally, topics include the five-round co-main event between Gilbert Burns and Belal Muhammad, why the fight has created some mixed feelings amongst the team, other intriguing matchups, the low-key storylines and fights from the card, and much more.

On the eve of UFC 288, the anticipation levels and the amount of questions continue to rise ahead of Aljamain Sterling's upcoming title defense against the returning Henry Cejudo, Gilbert Burns battling Belal Muhammad in the co-main event, and more. On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck answers your questions about some of the burning storylines heading into Saturday's pay-per-view card in Newark, N.J. Additionally, listener questions include where Kron Gracie goes, win or lose, following his fight with Charles Jourain, Gracie's demeanor during the fight week, the UFC 289 lineup as it currently stands, the UFC's lightweight divisions, fantasy matchmaking a BKFC card using only UFC fighters, if there's anyone that can beat Jon Jones right now, 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.

With BKFC stealing headlines this past weekend with BKFC 41, all eyes are now on a busy weekend in the MMA world — which included the UFC's next pay-per-view offering. On an all-new edition of Between the Links, the panel will discuss the fallout of BKFC 41, Mike Perry's big win over Luke Rockhold, and the future of the promotion. Additionally, topics include the UFC 288 fight card, the main event for the bantamweight title between Aljamain Sterling and Henry Cejudo, the stakes in the Gilbert Burns vs. Belal Muhammad co-main event, Francis Ngannou's fighting future and current free agency status, Jon Jones saying he'll stick around for a fight with Ngannou after he faces Stipe Miocic, ONE Championship's U.S. debut on Friday, and more. This week, host Mike Heck returns to moderate the matchup between MMA Fighting's Shaheen Al-Shatti and Jed Meshew.