

MMA Fighting
MMA Fighting
Get all the mixed martial arts fighting news and analysis you need from the award-winning team at MMA Fighting. Produced by MMA Fighting and SB Nation, and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Aug 31, 2025 • 35min
Misfits Boxing 22 Post-Fight Show | Reaction To Darren Till Destroying Luke Rockhold, Ferguson and Danis Wins
Darren Till absolutely destroyed Luke Rockhold in the main event of Misfits Boxing 2022 on Saturday in Manchester, England, and the finish of the fight saw Till deliver one of the scariest knockouts in the boxing ring in 2025. What is next for Till, and should Saturday mark the end of the combat sports career — at least from a striking aspect — of Rockhold?
Following the event, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck and Jed Meshew react to the card, Till's big win, the possibility of Rockhold continuing on, and if Till vs. Carl Froch is the fight to make. Additionally, they discuss Tony Ferguson getting his first win in over six years with a very questionable TKO stoppage of Salt Papi in the co-main event, Dillon Danis making is look easy against Warren Spencer in his MMA bout, and more.
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Aug 29, 2025 • 47min
BREAKING NEWS: Dana White Announces Jack Della Maddalena vs. Islam Makhachev, Shevchenko vs. Zhang, More
UFC CEO Dana White announced a number of big fights, including Jack Della Maddalena vs. Islam Makhachev for the welterweight title as the main event for UFC 322 at Madison Square Garden, along with Valentina Shevchenko defending her flyweight title against Zhang Weili in the co-main event, as Zhang officially is vacating the strawweight title.
Following the major news, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck and E. Casey Leydon react to those massive fights, along with Leon Edwards vs. Carlos Prates on the MSG card. Additionally, they discuss Virna Jandiroba vs. Mackenzie Dern for the vacant strawweight title at UFC 321 and other additions to the promotion's return to Abu Dhabi, White saying the White House card is a go for next July, and much more!
Follow Mike Heck: @m_heckjr
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Aug 28, 2025 • 1h 18min
BTL | What's Next For Brian Ortega After UFC Shanghai? Plus, Walker's Big Win, Misfits 22, More
UFC Shanghai is in the books, and while some things certainly happened that were newsworthy, the two biggest storylines came from the final two fights, including Brian Ortega's rough 48 hour stretch from his chaotic weigh in, to his performance against Aljamain Sterling in a lopsided five-round loss. Where does "T-City" go next, and could it be to a promotion outside of the UFC?
On an all-new edition of Between the Links, the panel discusses the fallout from the UFC's most recent Fight Night event, what happens with Ortega next, what Sterling gains from the biggest win of his featherweight run, and Johnny Walker stopping Mingyang Zhang in the main event. Additionally, topics may include Saturday's Misfits Boxing 22 event, which features Darren Till vs. Luke Rockhold, Tony Ferguson vs. Salt Papi, and Dillon Danis in an MMA fight, the Raja Jackson — the son of Rampage Jackson — incident in the pro wrestling world, and much more.
Join MMA Fighting's Mike Heck and Jed Meshew as they discuss the biggest stories in the combat sports world.
Follow Mike Heck: @m_heckjr
Follow Jed Meshew: @JedKMeshew
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Aug 27, 2025 • 41min
Rankings Show: Who Has the Best Chance To Dethrone Khamzat Chimaev?
The UFC's middleweight division is in a fascinating place right now. Khamzat Chimaev is the brand new middleweight champion after dominating Dricus du Plessis at UFC 319, which has shaken up the MMA Fighting pound-for-pound rankings. With four contenders vying for the chance to face Chimaev in his first title defense, who has the best chance to get it done?
On an all-new edition of the MMA Fighting Rankings Show, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck and Jed Meshew step in for Alexander K. Lee in the hosting chair to discuss all of the changes going on in the rankings since we last spoke — including the madness at middleweight, Chimaev's rise and du Plessis' fall down the pound-for-pound rankings, and ranking who has the best shot to beat Chimaev in Nassourdine Imavov, Caio Borralho, Reinier de Riddder, and Anthony Hernandez. Additionally, they discuss where Brian Ortega now goes after a terrible week at UFC Shanghai, changes in the featherweight rankings, and who could make a low-key leap up the rankings by the end of the year.
Follow Mike Heck: @m_heckjr
Follow Jed Meshew: @JedKMeshew
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Aug 26, 2025 • 1h 11min
Fighter vs. Writer: Matt Brown Reacts to Raja Jackson Attacking Pro Wrestler, Jake Paul Fighting Tank Davis and More
On the latest episode of The Fighter vs. The Writer, Matt Brown and Damon Martin discuss Raja Jackson, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson’s son, assaulting a pro wrestler during a scripted segment gone wrong. We’ll also discuss Jake Paul’s decision to face Gervonta “Tank” Davis in his next fight as well as Daniel Cormier removing Jon Jones from his ‘Mount Rushmore of MMA’ over past drug test failures and Matt reveals the last time he got nervous meeting another fighter plus much more…
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Aug 25, 2025 • 1h 6min
Misfits 22 Preview with Darren Till, Luke Rockhold and Tony Ferguson
Ahead of Misfits 22 on Saturday, main event fighters Darren Till and Luke Rockhold join Damon Martin to chat about their upcoming fight and how this matchup actually came together. Till reveals the fighters he was originally pursuing while Rockhold discusses fallout from the GFL debacle and if he's even interested in doing MMA again. Former UFC interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson also stops by to discuss his move into boxing and split with the UFC as well as his future in combat sports plus much more.
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Aug 24, 2025 • 49min
On To the Next One | Matches To Make After UFC Shanghai
Johnny Walker entered the UFC Shanghai main event with Zhang Mingyang as a massive underdog and left the octagon after the fight a winner after earning an upset second-round TKO victory. Is Walker now poised to make a run in the light heavyweight division, and should he get his wish of fighting former champ Jan Blachowicz next?
On an all-new edition of On To the Next One, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck and guest host Jed Meshew discuss what's next for Walker after his big win in Saturday's headliner. Additionally, future matchups are discussed for Aljamain Sterling following his lopsided victory over Brian Ortega in the catchweight co-main event, Sergei Pavlovich after his decision victory against Waldo Cortes-Acosta in the heavyweight featured bout, along with fellow main card winners Sumudaerji, Taiyilake Nueraji, and more.
All of that, plus listener picks to close out the show.
Follow Mike Heck: @m_heckjr
Follow Jed Meshew: @JedKMeshew
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Aug 23, 2025 • 1h 14min
UFC Shanghai Post-Fight Show | Reaction To Johnny Walker's Stunning Upset, Aljamain Sterling's Dominance
The UFC's return to Shanghai is officially in the books, and the event ended with Johnny Walker pulling off a big upset in the main event, and a former bantamweight champion making a case for a title shot in a second division. Where do both fighters go from their big wins?
Following Saturday's UFC Shanghai event, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck and E. Casey Leydon react to the card, Walker's stunning second-round TKO win over Zhang Mingyang, Walker's callout of Jan Blachowicz, and discuss what could be next for Zhang after suffering his first UFC loss. Additionally, topics include Aljamain Sterling's lopsided win over Brian Ortega in the co-main event, where Sterling is in the title conversation, if we just saw Ortega's final fight in the UFC, other standout moments, and much more.
Follow Mike Heck: @m_heckjr
Follow E. Casey Leydon: @ekc
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Aug 22, 2025 • 1h 15min
UFC Shanghai Preview Show | Brian Ortega's Weigh-In Drama, Zhang vs. Walker
UFC Shanghai goes down in the early morning hours on Saturday, and during Thursday night's weigh-ins, Brian Ortega appeared to be in rough shape ahead of his pivotal matchup with former bantamweight champ Aljamain Sterling. While reports stated the fight was off, it will indeed take place at a catchweight of 153 pounds, despite Ortega looking horrible during his final staredown with Sterling. Should this fight go on?
Ahead of this weekend's UFC Fight Night event, MMA Fighting's Jed Meshew and Mike Heck preview the card, react to Ortega's weigh-in drama, and discuss the fight with Sterling. Additionally, they talk the light heavyweight main event between Zhang Mingyang and Johnny Walker, the stakes for the division that needs as much excitement as possible, the heavyweight featured bout between Sergei Pavlovich and Waldo Cortes-Acosta, and much more.
Follow Mike Heck: @m_heckjr
Follow Jed Meshew: @JedKMeshew
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
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Aug 21, 2025 • 1h 30min
BTL | Khamzat Chimaev's Dominance At UFC 319, DDP & Pico's Next Moves, UFC Shanghai, More
Following UFC 319, Khamzat Chimaev is the brand new UFC middleweight champion after delivering a lopsided victory against Dricus du Plessis in the main event. While Chimaev was in full control for 99 percent of the bout, the performance has garnered from groans from UFC fans and the MMA community. Is that fair, and if so, which fighter should take the blame for it?
On an all-new edition of Between the Links, the panel discusses the UFC 319 main event, the backlash it has received despite the impressive showing from the new champion, and what's next for du Plessis following his first UFC loss. Additionally, they react to Lerone Murphy's sensational knockout of Aaron Pico, if Murphy is definitely Alexander Volkanovski's next challenger, what the next step for Pico should be, Saturday's UFC Shanghai card headlined by Zhang Mingyang and Johnny Walker, Anthony Hernandez vs. Reinier de Ridder being announced for UFC Vancouver, Jake Paul vs. Gervonta Davis, and more.
Host Mike Heck moderates the matchup between MMA Fighting's Jed Meshew and Morning Kombat's Long Island Luke.
Follow Mike Heck: @m_heckjr
Follow Jed Meshew: @JedKMeshew
Follow Long Island Luke: @maincardminute
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Follow on Twitter: http://goo.gl/nOATUI
Read More: http://www.mmafighting.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices