Heck of a Morning | UFC 273 Burning Questions, Free-For-All Friday

What would be the most shocking result at UFC 273 this coming Saturday night? This week on a roundtable edition of Between the Links, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck and Jed Meshew discuss this weekend's PPV event in Jacksonville, Fla., including Alexander Volkanovski vs. "The Korean Zombie" Chan Sung Jung featherweight title fight, the bantamweight unification bout between Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan, and Gilbert Burns vs. Khamzat Chimaev. In addition, topics include the chances of a major upset at the event, how the card stacks as a whole, if Leon Edwards is the biggest "Durinho" fan on the planet, and predicting which bout could win Fight of the Night.

UFC commentator Jon Anik stops by with Mike Heck to preview UFC 273 and talk Khamzat Chimaev vs. Gilbert Burns, Alexander Volkanovski vs. Korean Zombie, Aljamain Sterling vs. Petr Yan 2, and more.

Things got pretty intense between Gilbert Burns and Khamzat Chimaev, as well as Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan at the UFC 273 press conference. MMA Fighting's Mike Heck and Jose Youngs react to the UFC's latest pre-event press conference, if the back and forths between the co-main event and featured bout made the bouts more anticipated, Alexander Volkanovski getting a face-off going with Chan Sung Jung without Dana White in attendance, and more from Jacksonville, Fla.

While most eyes seem to be on the welterweight featured bout between Gilbert Burns and Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 273, Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan made quite the case for themselves during Wednesday's media day in terms of generating interest. On this edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck takes calls surrounding that rivalry bout to unify the bantamweight title, Gilbert Burns vs. Khamzat Chimaev, other sleeper fights on the card — which includes Vinc Pichel vs. Mark Madsen getting bumped to the main card — and much more. You can listen live to Heck of a Morning Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays at 8 a.m. ET on the MMA Fighting Twitter Spaces.

O UFC 273 é um dos eventos mais aguardados dos últimos tempos — um pouco pelas disputas de título, mas em grande parte por Durinho x Chimaev. O podcast recebe o jornalista Marcel Alcântara, da Ag. Fight, para analisar as lutas principais do card e a volta de Mackenzie Dern. O programa conversa, ainda, com Patrício Pitbull, que faz revanche com A.J. McKee no dia 15 de abril, sobre o desejo de ver o UFC se lançando no mercado da co-promoção.

It's officially UFC 273 fight week and all eyes seem to be on Khamzat Chimaev. On Tuesday's special episode of Heck of an Afternoon, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck fields calls about whether or not an impressive win over Gilbert Burns at Saturday's pay-per-view event in Jacksonville will lead to Chimaev jumping over Leon Edwards into a title fight with Kamaru Usman, a reaction to the top-three fights on the card featuring heavy betting favorites, if Darian Weeks could upset surging prospect Ian Garry, what the bantamweight division will look like after the Aljamain Sterling vs. Petr Yan championship rematch, if Conor McGregor is being disrespected by fans and media, and more. You can listen live to Heck of a Morning Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays at 8 a.m. ET on the MMA Fighting Twitter Spaces. Show will return to normal time the rest of the week.

Alan Jouban joins The Fighter vs. The Writer for the first time to preview UFC 273 while giving his picks and predictions for the entire main card including both title fights and the return of Khamzat Chimaev against Gilbert Burns.

UFC star Nate Diaz is frustrated to not have a fight on the books and has requested his release from the promotion. Now what? That topic will be discussed amongst the panel this week on a brand new edition of Between the Links, along with predictions in regards to if Diaz will fight in 2022, and if so, against whom. In addition, the panelists will talk the big wins from Curtis Blaydes and Kai Kara-France at UFC Columbus this past Saturday and which of the two could find themselves in a championship bout first, how many titles could change hands in the six championship bouts between next Saturday’s #UFC273 card, and June’s UFC 275 event in Singapore, and more. Host Mike Heck moderates the matchup between Eric “New York Ric” Jackman and Conner “GC” Burks.

It's a Free-For-All Friday on Heck of a Morning, which means the show belongs to you. MMA Fighting's Mike Heck discusses what April Fools' Day means in the MMA landscape and what has happened on this day over the last several years, then takes questions discussing the upcoming fight between Michael Chandler and Tony Ferguson at UFC 274, what the UFC will do if Khamzat Chimaev dominates and finishes Gilbert Burns at UFC 273 next Saturday, Ben Rothwell being released from the UFC leaving Alexander Gustafsson without an opponent for May 21, Alexander Volkanovski's pound-for-pound ranking, and much more. You can listen live to Heck of a Morning Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays at 8 a.m. ET on the MMA Fighting Twitter Spaces.

Nate Diaz asked for his release from the UFC over the weekend on social media, but he likely won't get what he wants. What does that mean for the popular fighter? That topic is discussed on this Thursday edition of Heck of a Morning with MMA Fighting's Mike Heck. In addition, Al Iaquinta (25:00) calls in to give his thoughts on open scoring in MMA — which led to a lot of discussion — your questions are answered, and Bellator bantamweight Danny Sabatello joins the program in a podcast exclusive interview to preview his grand prix qualifier bout with Jornel Lugo at Bellator 278 in April. You can listen live to Heck of a Morning Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays at 8 a.m. ET on the MMA Fighting Twitter Spaces.

UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo explains why he’s asking Dana White to book his next title defense against Kai-Kara Franca instead of Brandon Moreno, and why he’s planning on training with fellow UFC titleholder Charles Oliveira. Retired fighter Bethe Correia reveals there is no chance she ever returns to MMA, but could make the jump to boxing or bare-knuckle boxing. Deiveson Figueiredo, campeão dos moscas do UFC, que revela um pedido a Dana White: ele quer enfrentar Kai-Kara France na próxima defesa de título, e não Brandon Moreno. Ele conta, ainda, por que pretende treinar com Charles do Bronx. Na sequência vem o papo com Bethe Correia, ex-desafiante ao cinturão de Ronda Rousey, que conta por que nunca mais lutará MMA, e o desejo de competir no boxe (com ou sem luvas).

Did we see a trio of future UFC champions emerge in March? How high can Tom Aspinall, Kai Kara-France and Manon Fiorot go in their respective divisions? And has the legendary Demetrious Johnson really fallen out of the pound-for-pound rankings? The MMA Fighting Rankings Show returns after a busy March to debate the biggest winners and losers of the past four weeks, map out what’s ahead for the UFC’s convoluted heavyweight championship picture. Then, co-hosts Alexander K. Lee and Jed Meshew are joined by MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck and Damon Martin to dive deep into the sport’s top storylines and do the math on how many new undisputed champions we might soon see with titleholders Alexander Volkanovski, Aljamain Sterling, Charles Oliveira, Rose Namajunas, Glover Teixeira, and Valentina Shevchenko set to defend in the coming months.

On the debut episode of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck discusses the impact of Curtis Blaydes' big win in the main event of UFC Columbus on the heavyweight division and what future bookings could look like, then takes your calls about a number of topics, including the future of Khamzat Chimaev, Nate Diaz's current contract situation, Sean Strickland vs. Alex Pereira at UFC 277, and more. You can listen live to Heck of a Morning Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays at 8 a.m. ET on the MMA Fighting Twitter Spaces.

Anthony Smith returns to The Fighter vs. The Writer this week to discuss the latest with his career while also reacting to the recent altercation between Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington as well as Jake Paul’s declaration that he’d knockout Conor McGregor in a mixed martial arts fight.

Curtis Blaydes called for an interim title fight against either Stipe Miocic or Ciryl Gane following his knockout win over Chris Daukaus in the main event of UFC Columbus. While his resumé would warrant that opportunity, will he get his wish? On an all-new edition of On To the Next One, that question is discussed, along with who "Razor" could face in his next octagon appearance. In addition, future matchups are discussed for Alexa Grasso following her first-round submission win over Joanne Wood in the co-main event, Bryan Barberena after delivering one of the most exciting fights of the year in his split decision win over Matt Brown, Kai Kara-France following his upset win over Askar Askarov, Neil Magny, Marc Diakiese, and more with MMA Fighting's Mike Heck and Alexander K. Lee.

Curtis Blaydes changed a few narratives with his ferocious knockout of Chris Daukaus in the main event of UFC Columbus. MMA Fighting's Mike Heck, Alexander K. Lee, and E. Casey Leydon react to Blaydes' big win, callout, and impact it may have in the heavyweight title picture, Alexa Grasso's first submission win over Joanne Wood in the co-main event, Kai Kara-France's upset win over Askar Askarov, and other storylines from the UFC's return to Ohio.

Curtis Blaydes finds himself in an interesting spot in the heavyweight division heading into Saturday. With Francis Ngannou having surgery, along with Stipe Miocic, Jon Jones, Tai Tuivasa, Tom Aspinall, and Ciryl Gane in the championship picture, will a win for Blaydes over Chris Daukaus in the main event of UFC Columbus move him any closer to a title opportunity? MMA Fighting's Mike Heck, Alexander K. Lee, and Jed Meshew discuss the top storylines ahead of the UFC's first Fight Night event in front of U.S. fans outside of the APEX in over two years.

Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington’s rivalry boiled over this week with an alleged attack in Miami Beach, Fla., which led to Masvidal being arrested and charged. This week on Between the Links, the panel will discuss the allegations against Masvidal and the reactions from fighters and fans, the fallout of a memorable UFC London event — including Tom Aspinall and Arnold Allen’s coming out parties, and Paddy Pimblett’s pay for his first-round submission win over Rodrigo Vargas — Bellator announcing a plethora of news, such as Michael Page facing Logan Storley in May for an interim welterweight title due to champ Yaroslav Amosov withdrawing from his title defense against “MVP” to fight for is country of Ukraine, UFC Columbus going down this Saturday headlined by Curtis Blaydes and Chris Daukaus, and more. Host Mike Heck will moderate the BTL championship matchup between MMA Fighting’s Jed Meshew and MMA Mania’s Drake Riggs.

MMA Fighting's Mike Heck brings you the story of PFL lightweight Olena Koleznyk, and how Russia's invasion of her country Ukraine turned her world upside down. In this mini-documentary, Koleznyk shares her journey from Kyiv to Las Vegas, the help she received along the way, how close she was to going back to join the army before a conversation with her family took that option off the table, fighting for more than just herself, and more.

O Trocação Franca agora conversa com o brasileiro que treina Khamzat Chimaev, o faixa-preta de jiu-jitsu Alan Finfou. O técnico analisa o duelo com Gilbert Durinho do UFC 273 e avisa: Chimaev não tem medo do chão dele, e pode finalizar. Finfou também fala da parceria com Darren Till e possíveis treinos com Conor McGregor. O jornalista Carlos Antunes repercute a novela contratual entre UFC e Combate e como o fim da parceria afetaria o esporte no país.

Jorge Masvidal's rivalry with Colby Covington has allegedly boiled over into the streets following Covington's unanimous decision win over Masvidal earlier this month at UFC 272. MMA Fighting's Mike Heck and Jed Meshew react to the news of an alleged incident involving the two rivals, the police report MMA Fighting obtained, whether or not the UFC could use this alleged moment in time to promote a second fight, and more.

On the latest episode of The Fighter vs. The Writer, Paige VanZant stops by to talk about her recent signing with AEW as she prepares to crossover into professional wrestling while still pursuing a future in BKFC and UFC Columbus headliner Chris Daukaus previews his fight against Curtis Blaydes and what went wrong against Derrick Lewis.

Colby Covington says he would fight Jorge Masvidal again, but he doesn't suggest it for his welterweight foe. Covington discusses the fallout of his win over Masvidal at UFC 272, the fight week build, his callout of Dustin Poirier, Chael Sonnen's suggestion that he should fight Israel Adesanya for the UFC middleweight title, the death of wrestler Scott Hall, and more with MMA Fighting's Mike Heck.

Was Tom Aspinall's callout of Tai Tuivasa the correct choice following an impressive showing in his first UFC main event in the promotion's return to the U.K. for the first time in three years? The question will be answered this week on a brand new edition of On To the Next One with MMA Fighting's Mike Heck and Alexander K. Lee after Aspinall submitted Alexander Volkov in the first round to cap off UFC London on Saturday. In addition, future matchups are discussed for Arnold Allen after stopping Dan Hooker with strikes in the first round of the co-main event, Paddy Pimblett following his first submission win inside the octagon, Gunnar Nelson, Molly McCann, Ilia Topuria, and more.