Sean O'Malley is preparing for his biggest test to date this Saturday at UFC 280 against former bantamweight champion Petr Yan. Will an O'Malley upset victory guarantee him a title shot against the winner of the co-main event? On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck discusses the high stakes in the featured bout of this weekend's massive pay-per-view card in Abu Dhabi between Yan and O'Malley, and what direction each fighter could go based on the result. Additionally, listener topics include Jorge Masvidal's recent interview with MMA Fighting and his callout of welterweight champion Leon Edwards, Jon Jones' potential involvement at UFC 282, the chaos of the featherweight division, T.J. Dillashaw's bantamweight GOAT status should he defeat Aljamain Sterling on Saturday, Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev, APEX cards vs. arena shows for the UFC, the UFC's latest rules on fighters and coaches betting on promotional bouts, 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.

Former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar and UFC 280 fighter Beneil Dariush join the latest installment of The Fighter vs. The Writer.

Alexa Grasso's name is certainly in the flyweight title conversation following her unanimous decision win over Viviane Araujo in the main event of UFC Vegas 62, but is she at the top of the list? Or, does Grasso have more work to do to get to her first championship opportunity? On an all-new edition of On To the Next One, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck and Alexander K. Lee put a bow on UFC Vegas 62 from a matchmaking perspective, and discuss what could be next for Grasso, and what needs to happen at UFC 280 between Manon Fiorot and Katlyn Chookagian for her to get the next crack at Valentina Shevchenko. Additionally, future matchups are discussed for Jonathan Martinez following his finish of Cub Swanson in the co-main event, along with fellow victors Dusko Todorovic, Raphael Assuncao, Alonzo Menefield, and more.

Alexa Grasso may find herself in the driver's seat of the UFC women's flyweight division's world title picture after defeating Viviane Araujo in her first main event bout. Following UFC Vegas 62, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck, José Youngs, and E. Casey Leydon react to Grasso's fourth straight win, and why she could be in a better position to face Valentina Shevchenko for the title than people think, Jonathan Martinez's tremendous performance in finishing Cub Swanson in the co-main and his subsequent callout of Dominick Cruz, Raphael Assuncao's turn-back-the-clock showing in his unanimous decision win over Victor Henry, the ceilings of Joanderson Brito and Tatsuro Taira, and more.

Alexa Grasso can put the pressure on Manon Fiorot and Katlyn Chookagian in the main event of Saturday's UFC Vegas 62 event. MMA Fighting's Mike Heck, Jed Meshew, and E. Casey Leydon discuss the stakes in Grasso's main event bout with Viviane Araujo at the UFC APEX — which takes place a week prior to the UFC 280 bout between Fiorot and Chookagian — and if Araujo could get herself in serious title contention with an upset win. Additionally, topics include Cub Swanson's UFC bantamweight debut against Jonathan Martinez, the loss of Askar Askarov and Brandon Royval's impact on the card as a whole, what fight could be flying under the radar, and more.

While it was made official that Jiri Prochazka will run it back with Glover Teixeira at UFC 282 for his first title defense, is the addition of Jon Jones in his heavyweight debut necessary for the UFC's year-end pay-per-view event? On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck reacts to the Prochazka vs. Teixeira 2 booking for the Dec. 10 card in Las Vegas, and takes listener questions in regards if the UFC should still try to get Jones on the card in some sort of title fight. Additionally, listener topics include the UFC Vegas 62 lineup, Aljamain Sterling vs. T.J. Dillashaw's bantamweight championship fight flying under the radar at UFC 280, the stakes in the Sean Brady vs. Belal Muhammad welterweight matchup, a potential return to Boston for the UFC, Aspen Ladd's comments about the 145-pound division, 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.

José Aldo se aposentou oficialmente do MMA para curtir a família, mas... será que é pra valer? Em uma longa entrevista exclusiva ao podcast Trocação Franca, o ex-campeão do UFC falou sobre a decisão de parar, sua situação contratual, se cogita lutar em outra modalidade, elegeu os momentos mais marcantes da carreira e as próximas estrelas do país no esporte, e revelou como Dana White pode involuntariamente ter salvo a vida do seu filho recém-nascido. Jose Aldo officially retired from MMA to enjoy his family but... is he out for good? In a long exclusive interview with Trocação Franca, the former UFC champion opened up on his decision to retire, his contract situation, if there's a chance he ever fights again in other sport, the best moments of his career, the next Brazilian stars in MMA, and how Dana White involuntarily might have saved the life of his newborn son. Listen to Trocação Franca with Guilherme Cruz every Wednesday to hear from the biggest names on the hottest topics in the Brazilian combat sports world.

UFC featherweight champion has revealed he is the backup fighter for the lightweight championship main event between Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev at UFC280 — much to the chagrin of Beneil Dariush. On an all-new edition of Between the Links, the panel reacts to Volkanovski's claims he is the backup plan for the highly anticipated vacant title fight next weekend, and if Dariush should feel slighted if that's true. Additionally, topics include the UFC's return to action this Saturday with UFC Vegas 62, the stakes on the main event between Alexa Grasso and Viviane Araujo, Cub Swanson's move to bantamweight, Kevin Holland ending his short-lived retirement to face Stephen Thompson in the main event of December's UFC Orlando card, Tai Tuivasa vs. Sergei Pavlovich getting the co-main event slot, Uriah Hall boxing Le'Veon Bell on the Jake Paul vs. Anderson Silva undercard, and more. Host Mike Heck moderates the matchup between MMA Fighting's Alexander K. Lee and UFC lightweight Grant Dawson.

Henry Cejudo continues to tease his UFC comeback, and while he feels he should be immediately thrust into a title fight, is that how the UFC views the situation? On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck discusses Cejudo's potential comeback after retiring from the sport, what matchups make sense, and why a title fight seems unlikely at this point. Additionally, listener questions include Khabib Nurmagomedov's confidence in his fighter Islam Makhachev ahead of his UFC 280 main event bout against Charles Oliveira, the UFC's bantamweight division vs. Bellator's, the hole in the main event spot on December's UFC 282 card, Julianna Peña's chances in getting the trilogy fight against Amanda Nunes, 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.

After taking a week off, the UFC is back this Saturday with another Apex event in UFC Vegas 62, headlined by a women's flyweight bout between Alexa Grasso and Viviane Araújo, and that means the No Bets Barred boys are back to cover all of your gambling needs.

UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski revealed on Monday that he will be the backup for the vacant lightweight title fight between Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev in the main event of UFC 280. On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck reacts to Volkanovski's involvement in the 155-pound title situation for the UFC's highly anticipated pay-per-view event, and where that puts him in the overall landscape should his services not be needed. Additionally, listener questions include refereeing in MMA and what needs to change in regards to fence grabs, and penalizing fighters in general for clear fouls, rising talent, the UFC rankings structure, if Khabib Nurmagomedov could come back to competition, 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.

UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling and boxing star Jake Paul highlight the latest episode of The Fighter vs. The Writer

Islam Makhachev is exuding extreme confidence heading into his first UFC world title fight next weekend at the highly anticipated UFC 280 event, but has his confidence put him in a must-win position ahead of his bout against Charles Oliveira? On an all-new bonus edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck answers listener questions regarding Makhachev's confident comments throughout the fight build for the vacant lightweight championship main event in Abu Dhabi. Additionally, listener questions include the UFC's bantamweight division, the PFL's upcoming pay-per-view and the expectations behind it, Aljamain Sterling vs. T.J. Dillashaw, Frankie Edgar's booking with Chris Gutierrez at UFC 281, Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira, MMA journalism, Alistair Overeem's big win at Glory's event this past weekend, 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.

DAMN! They Were Good celebrates the careers of the most exciting and influential fighters in MMA history, and this episode, we are covering the career of one of the greatest action fighters of all time, Melvin Manhoef.

On Thursday's edition of Between the Links, MMA Fighting's Damon Martin had a hot take prediction that stirred up a lot of debate: If Bo Nickal fought UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, would Nickal actually win? On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck takes listener calls about that take, and puts a slight tweak on it by discussing whether or not it would be a competitive fight right now. Additionally, listener topics include Islam Makhachev's road to his UFC 280 title shot in comparison to Khabib Nurmagomedov's, what is going on with Jon Jones, Frankie Edgar's potential retirement fight booked for UFC 281 at Madison Square Garden against Chris Gutierrez, ONE Championship's reported financial struggles, what current Bellator or PFL champions would have the best chance to defeat a current UFC champion, 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 pivotal final stretch for the UFC, Bellator, PFL, and more is vast approaching as the incredible athletes in the sport of MMA look to take home some hardware at the end of 2022. On an all-new edition of Between the Links, it's a special roundtable episode to discuss the frontrunners for MMA Fighting's 2022 year-end awards, and how things can change before the calendar changes to 2023. Topics include male fighter of the year, and if there's any chance Khamzat Chimaev could win the award, female fighter of the year, if that award go to a non-champion, the fight of the year, if the UFC 275 title fight between Jiri Prochazka and Glover Teixeira are the clear-cut clubhouse leaders, or if the UFC 273 bout between Chimaev and Gilbert Burns could take the trophy, KO of the year, if Leon Edwards' stunning finish of Kamaru Usman leads Michael Chandler's front-kick KO of Tony Ferguson, submission of the year, and more. Host Mike Heck moderates the discussion that includes MMA Fighting's Damon Martin and Alexander K. Lee.

Four years ago today, Khabib Nurmagomedov submitted Conor McGregor to retain the UFC lightweight title in the highly anticipated main event of UFC 229, and then all hell broke loose. On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck takes listener questions about the Nurmagomedov vs. McGregor bout from October 2018, the build to the matchup, and the aftermath — most notably, Nurmagomedov jumping out of the octagon into the crowd. Additionally, listener topics include the UFC's lightweight division, the chances Michael Chandler gets a title shot with a win over Dustin Poirier at UFC 281, Sodiq Yusuff's next opponent, UFC Vegas 62 and the main event stakes between Alexa Grasso and Viviane Araujo, Francis Ngannou, 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.

UFC lightweight contender Justin Gaethje sits down with MMA Fighting's Mike Heck to discuss teaming up with the UFC and Modelo for the gym revitalization program and his role in helping to renovate a local gym in Denver, his successful nose surgery, wanting to return in 2023, what opponents make sense, if he was offered a fight with Rafael Fiziev for December, what it would take for him to fight Conor McGregor, the UFC280 main event for the lightweight title between Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev, and more.

Kevin Holland's retirement didn't last long, and now he's set for a huge fight against a two-time UFC title challenger in December. On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck reacts to Holland's short-lived retirement from the UFC, and his scheduled main event matchup against Stephen Thompson for Dec. 3 at UFC Orlando. Additionally, listener questions include Conor McGregor's comeback opponent, who Justin Gaethje should fight when he's ready to return to the octagon, the UFC lightweight division, Bo Nickal, the UFC's 30-year anniversary coming up in 2023, Paddy Pimblett, who should fight Frankie Edgar in his retirement fight at UFC 281 in November at Madison Square Garden, 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.

O UFC Rio vai tomando forma, e já tem até campeão escalado. Com um terço já definido para o primeiro show no país em quase três anos, o fã abre um sorriso ou fica frustrado? O Trocação Franca recebe o jornalista Carlos Antunes para debater isso e muito mais, além de entrevistar Thiago Marreta e Vivi Araújo.

When Paddy Pimblett is ready to return to the octagon — whether it be at UFC 282 in December, or when the promotion heads back to London in 2023 — how should the UFC book him, and how much of a step up should he get? On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck discusses options for Pimblett, including his suggestion from this week's edition of On To the Next One with a fight against UFC Vegas 61 winner Mike Davis. Additionally, listener suggestions include referees allowing multiple infractions to go without any penalty, Bo Nickal's interview on The MMA Hour and his thoughts about fighting on the prelims, the lightweight title picture, Charles Oliveira being the underdog against Islam Makhachev at UFC 280, Mark Zuckerberg attending UFC Vegas 61, 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.

Anthony Smith joins the latest episode of The Fighter vs. The Writer to break down the key fights at UFC 280 while also offering an update on his health after undergoing leg surgery following his most recent bout.

Yan Xiaonan picked up a gutsy majority decision win over Mackenzie Dern in the main event of Saturday's UFC Vegas 61 event, snapping a two-fight skid in the process. But will she have to fight backwards in order to get back into the title picture the long way, or will she get a step up in the rankings next? On an all-new edition of On To the Next One, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck and Alexander K. Lee put on the matchmaking hats following the UFC's latest event at the APEX and give their thoughts on what could be next for Yan after a much-needed victory, along with what could be next for Dern following a tough setback. Additionally, future matchups are discussed for Randy Brown following his co-main event decision win over Francisco Trinaldo, Sodiq Yusuff after his quick finish of Don Shainis, Raoni Barcelos, and Mike Davis — which causes quite the debate on the difference in matchmaking suggestions between the co-hosts.

Yan Xiaonan picked up the biggest win of her career, and had to survive some tough spots against Mackenzie Dern in the main event of UFCVegas61. MMA Fighting's Mike Heck, Jed Meshew, and Shaheen Al-Shatti react to Yan's majority decision win and the judges' scorecards as a whole, along with Dern's performance overall from a viewer's perspective. Additionally, the panel discusses Randy Brown's win over Francisco Trinaldo in the co-main event, Mark Zuckerberg taking in the event at the UFC APEX, the bonus winners, the card not being very memorable as a whole, Chelsea Chandler and Daniel Santos picking up their first octagon wins, and more.

With the UFC Vegas 61 headlined by Mackenzie Dern and Yan Xiaonan, and Bellator 286 headlined by a featherweight title fight between Patricio Pitbull and Adam Borics, which promotion has the better slate? MMA Fighting's Mike Heck, José Youngs, and Alexander K. Lee discuss preview the stakes in the pivotal strawweight matchup between Dern and Yan, if Dern's "A+ skill" will be enough to get the win over her opponent, and the low-key banger of the promotion's return to the APEX. Additionally, they discuss Pitbull vs. Borics and the challenger's chances to pull off the upset, A.J. McKee's lightweight debut against Spike Carlyle, Aaron Pico's biggest test against Jeremy Kennedy, and more.