A bitter rivalry will take center stage this Saturday at the UFC’s March PPV extravaganza between Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal. Although there is no title on the line, what is at stake for two of the top welterweights in the world? This week on Between the Links, the panel will attempt to answer that question, along with which fighter needs the win most in the main event of UFC 272. In addition, they will discuss some of the other top storylines ahead of this weekend’s card in Las Vegas — including the co-main event between Rafael dos Anjos and Renato Moicano — Islam Makhachev’s dominant win over Bobby Green and his involvement this week with dos Anjos that led to Dana White proclaiming he will not get a title shot in his next fight, Gegard Mousasi’s 85 second finish of Austin Vanderford to retain his middleweight title at Bellator 275, and more. Host Mike Heck moderates the matchup for the BTL title between MMA Fighting’s Jed Meshew, who will defend his championship against his colleague Shaun Al-Shatti.

Danaa Batgerel has won three fights in a row inside the UFC's octagon — all first-round knockouts — as he prepares to face Chris Gutierrez in a battle of under the radar fighters in one of the promotion's deepest divisions at the end of the month. Batgerel kicks off this week's edition of We Got Next ahead of his March 26 bout with Chris Gutierrez at UFC Columbus. "Storm" previews the bout, discusses his reaction to finding out original opponent Montel Jackson was scratched from the bout, his thoughts on Gutierrez as an opponent and how they match up stylistically, teammates such as Holly Holm and Michelle Waterson guiding him with their experience and wisdom, how he sees the fight playing out, and what he would like his 2022 to look like. UFC featherweight David Onama caps us off this week to recap his incredible first-round KO win over Gabriel Benitez at UFC Vegas 48 a couple of weeks ago, talks his reaction to Benitez missing weight, being summoned to Dana White's office following the finish and what the UFC president said to him before heading to the hospital, why he feels the victory changed his life, when he wants to return, Max Holloway being his dream opponent, his thoughts on Alexander Volkanovski vs. The Korean Zombie, Colby Covington vs. Jorge Masvidal, and more.

Is Islam Makhachev’s takeover of the lightweight division inevitable? Does Gegard Mousasi have a case for being the No. 2 middleweight in MMA? Tai Tuivasa is suddenly a top-4 heavyweight in the world — will he ever be ranked higher than he is right now?? The crew returns after a hectic February to debate the biggest winners and losers of the past four weeks, crown an MVP of the month, and predict who will be the breakout story of a busy March.

Em um longo e descontraído bate-papo, Michel Pereira conta como se tornou um lutador eficiente sem deixar a irreverência de lado. O lutador revela quando deve lutar novamente, o desejo de trocar tapas com Nate Diaz, e analisa o duelo Gilbert Durinho x Khamzat Chimaev.

BKFC champion and former UFC title contender Thiago Alves joins the latest episode of The Fighter vs. The Writer to discuss his current contract negotiations, plans for a summer showdown against Mike Perry and his thoughts on Jorge Masvidal vs. Colby Covington after training with both of them for many years.

There seems to be quite the debate happening in the MMA community in regards to whether or not Islam Makhachev's next fight will be for the lightweight title against the winner of the UFC 274 bout between Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje. Following Makhachev's dominant first-round finish over Bobby Green in the main event of UFC Vegas 49 on Saturday, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck and Alexander K. Lee discuss that, and if they believe the protégé of Khabib Nurmagomedov will fight for the belt next. In addition, future matchups are discussed for Wellington Turman, Priscila Cachoeira, Arman Tsarukyan, Armen Petrosyan, and more coming out of the promotion's event at the APEX this past weekend.

Islam Makachev submitted Bobby Green with a flawless performance in just over three minutes in the main event of UFC Vegas 49. With that performance, is Makhachev the best lightweight in the world? That question is discussed as the UFC puts a bow on their February slate. Other topics include where Green goes from the loss and if it had a significant impact on him, Arman Tsarukyan's impressive performance, the two closely contested bouts on the cards getting mini robbery reviews, and more with MMA Fighting's Mike Heck, Alexander K. Lee, and Jed Meshew.

Bobby Green has little to lose, but a whole lot to gain when he faces Islam Makhachev in the main event of Saturday's UFC Vegas 49 event. Can the longtime veteran pull off the massive upset and turn the UFC lightweight division upside down? MMA Fighting's Mike Heck, Alexander K. Lee, and Jed Meshew discuss that question, along with why Makhachev isn't getting a lot of shine in his own right for taking this fight on short notice after Beneil Dariush was forced to withdraw due to an injury, the potential championship implications in the matchup, other intriguing bouts on the card, and more.

A new video of Jon Jones’ September arrest has been released. Does it change how you view the situation? Will it change the UFC’s? Those questions will be addressed this week on Between the Links, along with the debate amongst the MMA community in regards to the video itself and if it should be on the newswire, who stole this past weekend between UFC Vegas 48, Bellator 274, and BKFC: KnuckleMania 2, Triller acquiring a majority stake in the BKFC, the stakes in the Islam Makhachev vs. Bobby Green UFC Vegas 49 headliner on Saturday, the rest of the card at the APEX, Bellator 275 headlined by a middleweight title bout between Gegard Mousasi and Austin Vanderford, and more. Mike Heck moderates the discussion between MMA Fighting’s Shaun Al-Shatti and Jed Meshew.

How would Gegard Mousasi fare if he shared the cage with current UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, or former champ Robert Whittaker? In Mousasi's eyes, he thinks he would do just fine. The reigning, defending Bellator middleweight champion (4:57) joins this week's edition of We Got Next to give his thoughts on Adesanya's unanimous decision victory over Whittaker in the main event of UFC 271 earlier this month, talk his upcoming title defense against Austin Vanderford this Friday in the main event of Bellator 275 in Dublin, if the plan is still have him face the winner of the light heavyweight grand prix between Vadim Nemkov and Corey Anderson should he defeat Vanderford, who he believes will leave the grand prix with the title, and KSW double-champ Roberto Soldic's potential in the sport. Finally, UFC lightweight Terrance McKinney (19:31) joins the program to preview his fight with Fares Ziam this Saturday at UFC Vegas 49, discusses having their first scheduled meeting scratched the day of the event due to one of McKinney's corners testing positive for COVID-19, sharing the fight week with his former high school wrestling coach Michael Chiesa, his public support of Joe Rogan — including writing an op-ed piece for Newsweek — his thoughts on Rogan not being on the broadcast for UFC 271, and more.

André Sergipano em enfileirando a concorrência no peso médio do UFC, chegando a quebrar o braço de Ronaldo Jacaré em 2021, e fala ao Trocação Franca que tem planos ainda maiores no MMA. Em um papo franco, Sergipano explicou a origem do nome, já que ele é mineiro, esmiuçou o confronto com Uriah Hall, marcado para 16 de abril, as dificuldades que enfrentou no MMA antes de chegar ao UFC, chegando a cogitar se aposentar, e muito mais.

Former UFC strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk joins The Fighter vs. The Writer this week to discuss the latest with her career including a potential rematch with Zhang Weili, the delays in returning to action and her current standing with the UFC.

After picking up the biggest win of his career in devastating fashion in his first UFC main event on Saturday, how big of a step up should Jamahal Hill get in the light heavyweight division. This week on On To the Next One, that question is answered from a matchmaking perspective following Hill’s terrifying first-round KO over Johnny Walker in the the headliner of UFC Vegas 48. In addition, future matchups are discussed for Kyle Daukaus following his buzzer-beater submission win over Jamie Pickett, Parker Porter, Joaquin Buckley, and Jim Miller, who picked up a stunning second-round TKO win over Dana White’s Contender Series contract winner Nikolas Motta in their lightweight matchup at the APEX with MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck and Alexander K. Lee.

After big wins for Jamahal Hill at UFC Vegas 48, Mike Perry and Chad Mendes at BKFC's Knucklemania 2, and Logan Storley at Bellator 274, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck, José Youngs, and Jed Meshew react to a wild and chaotic night in combat sports.

This Saturday sees UFC Vegas 48, Bellator 247, and BKFC KnuckleMania 2 all vying for the attention of combat sports fans and the MMA Fighting team is here to help you sort out your schedule. Join Mike Heck, José Youngs, Alexander K. Lee, and E. Casey Leydon as we discuss the weight of the main event between light heavyweights Johnny Walker and Jamahal Hill, what could be the best pure martial arts contest of the weekend in the Bellator 247 headliner between welterweights Neiman Gracie and Logan Storley, and all the chaos that could happen at a KnuckleMania 2 event that features Mike Perry, Julian Lane, Chad Mendes, Britain Hart-Beltran, Luis Palomino and more. Plus, which fights are flying under the radar and what’s the one fight that you should watch if you could only choose one?

How big of a step did Israel Adesanya take in his quest for greatness, and where does Robert Whittaker go from his loss to the champ in the main event of UFC 271? This week on Between the Links, the panel will attempt to answer those questions, and give their final thoughts on the UFC's second PPV event of 2022 — including Tai Tuivasa's ceiling in the heavyweight division following his KO win over Derrick Lewis. In addition, they'll discuss Joe Rogan no longer being part of the UFC 271 broadcast in lieu of Michael Bisping and how the UFC, and Dana White, handled the situation, the combat sports triple header on this weekend with UFC Vegas 48, Bellator 274, and BKFC's Knucklemania 2, as well as their thoughts on which event has more intrigue heading into Saturday night, and more. Host Mike Heck will moderate the discussion with MMA Fighting's Jed Meshew and José Youngs. Show goes LIVE Thursday at 3 p.m. ET / Noon PT.

KSW two-division champion Roberto Soldic seems to be at an interesting crossroads in regards to his fighting future. Soldic (7:58) kicks off this week's edition of We Got Next to recap his incredible KO win over Mamed Khalidov to add the middleweight championship to his collection at KSW 65 in December, having one fight left on his KSW deal — which has an expiration date — his team preparing to meet with KSW officials this weekend to discuss what he would need to stick around, his thoughts on fighting in the UFC, what other promotions have stood out should he hit free agency, and why his dream fight would be against Conor McGregor. New UFC featherweight Isaac Dulgarian (36:38) talks earning a contract at FAC 12: Dana White's Lookin' For a Fight earlier this month, his reaction to Eduardo Dantas' incredible head kick KO in the co-main event before making the walk, how he found out about earning the spot on the UFC roster, wanting to take his time before making his octagon debut, possibly moving down to 135, and having a hobby as a beekeeper. New UFC middleweight Josh Fremd (54:35) recaps his second-round submission win at FAC 12: Dana White Lookin' For a Fight to earn a contract, talks getting to meet the UFC president and The Nelk Boys, what his thought process was watching the rest of the card following his win, when he wants to make his first octagon walk, and his thoughts on the Super Bowl this past Sunday. In addition, Jay Perrin (1:09:25) discusses getting the call for a short notice UFC debut against Mario Bautista this Saturday at UFC Vegas 48 and how he got the call, and Ronnie Lawrence (1:32:24) recaps his unanimous decision win over Mana Martinez at UFC 271.

O Trocação Franca recebe Neiman Gracie e Marlon Moraes, que voltam às jaulas em momentos distintos na carreira. Neiman lidera o Bellator 274 desta sexta-feira em busca da vitória que pode garantir uma chance ao cinturão, e fala sobre a inspiração em Werdum, a eterna rivalidade Renzo x Wallid, e mais. Escalado para o UFC de 12 de março, Marlon comenta o susto que levou ao passar 11 dias em um “hospitel” com COVID, a situação delicada na carreira e a saída de Amanda Nunes da ATT. O podcast recebe também o jornalista Vitor Freitas para debater o UFC 271 e a aguardada luta entre André Galvão e Gordon Ryan no ADCC.

UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping joins the latest episode of Fighter vs. Writer to discuss the fallout from UFC 271 including Israel Adesanya’s win, what’s next for him and he responds to criticism over his commentary on Saturday night.

While it seems like all signs are pointing towards a middleweight title fight between Israel Adesanya and Jared Cannonier following their victories on Saturday night in Houston, where does Robert Whittaker go after dropping to 0-2 against the current champion? This week on On To the Next One, that question is answered from a matchmaking perspective following a memorable UFC 271 event. In addition, future matchups are discussed for Tai Tuivasa following the biggest win of his career in the co-main event, along with Derrick Lewis, Renato Moicano after stopping Alexander Hernandez, Bobby Green — who kicked off the main card with a unanimous decision over Nasrat Haqparast — and more with MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck and Alexander K. Lee.

Israel Adesanya got the job done against Robert Whittaker for the second time in the main event of UFC 271. MMA Fighting's Mike Heck, Jose Youngs, Shaun Al-Shatti, Alexander K. Lee, and Jed Meshew discuss the latest UFC title defense for Adesanya, Tai Tuivasa's incredible finish of Derrick Lewis, and more.

Israel Adesnaya and Robert Whittaker will run it back in the main event of Saturday's UFC 271 event. Before the UFC's second PPV event of 2022, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck, Jose Youngs, Shaun Al-Shatti, and Jed Meshew discuss the middleweight championship main event, the heavyweight co-main event between Derrick Lewis and Tai Tuivasa, and more.

Will Israel Adesanya become the greatest middleweight in UFC history with a second win over Robert Whittaker on Saturday, or will he still have some work to do to catch Anderson Silva in that conversation? This week on Between the Links, the panel will attempt to answer that question and preview the middleweight championship main event rematch at UFC 271 between Adesanya and Whittaker. In addition, they will take a look at Saturday night’s card in Houston as a whole, Sean Strickland’s victory over Jack Hermansson in the main event of UFC Vegas 47 this past Saturday and the potential impact it may have had, Alexander Volkanovski’s fiery reaction to Max Holloway offering to be a backup for the UFC 273 title fight between he and “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung, and more. Host Mike Heck moderates the roundtable discussion and is joined by MMA Fighting’s Jed Meshew and UFC bantamweight Randy Costa.

Alexander Hernandez is excited to kick off 2022 at a big event in his home state, but he is not at all thrilled at the lightweight bout's placement on the card. Hernandez (8:20) kicks off this week's edition of We Got Next to preview his fight with Renato Moicano this Saturday at UFC 271 in Houston, Texas, talks his reaction to getting offered the bout when he wanted to get a quick turnaround following his quick KO win over Mike Breeden in October, being unhappy fighting on the early prelims, his focus for the bout, where he may want to go following Saturday's fight, and more. Julian Erosa (21:10) recaps his Fight of the Night earning victory over Steven Peterson at UFC Vegas 47 this past Saturday and discusses winning the full $100,000 bonus, his reaction to Peterson's weight miss that netted him 30 percent of his opponent's purse, squashing the beef with Peterson after the fight, his career turnaround, and only wanting exciting fights moving forward. Joe Penafiel (51:50) talks capturing the Cage Titans bantamweight title via fifth-round TKO of Lionel Youngs at Cage Titans 51 this past Saturday in Plymouth, Mass., why he wasn't all that upset Young missed weight prior to the bout, why he lost a point in-between the third and fourth rounds, getting a late start to his MMA career, and eyeing a shot at a major promotion such as the UFC or Bellator. Finally, Bryan Battle (1:05:55) discusses his unanimous decision win over Tresean Gore at UFC Vegas 47, feeling like the undisputed TUF 29 middleweight champion, Gore not shaking his hand after the fight, moving forward from the show, the idea of bringing the TUF trophy coming from another cast member, if he would've given the trophy to Gore had he won the fight, thinking a fight with Nick Maximov next would make sense, and the BKFC rise of teammate Taylor Starling.

O Trocação Franca dessa semana recebe Bruno Blindado, que faz fila no UFC, para debater o seu aguardado (e muitas vezes criticado) duelo com o badalado Alex Poatan. Os rivais Bibiano Fernandes e John Lineker, que se enfrentam pelo cinturão dos galos do ONE Championship nesta sexta-feira, explicam a origem da treta entre eles. Lineker ainda revela o desejo de enfrentar Popó no boxe, enquanto Bibiano garante que teria sido campeão do UFC caso tivesse assinado com a empresa de Dana White em 2012.