MMA Fighting

Francis Ngannou's head coach Eric Nicksick reacts to Francis Ngannou's sensational knockout of Renan Ferreira at PFL's Battle of the Giants, talks his emotions after seeing the finish, doing something he's never done before after a fight, what he said to Ngannou in the cage, the referee stoppage, the pre-fight meeting Ngannou held, how Ferreira sparked something in Ngannou after their final faceoff, and more. Plus, a special guest appearance from UFC 308 fighter Dan Ige.Follow Mike Heck: @MikeHeck_JR Subscribe to MMA FightingCheck out our full video catalogLike MMA Fighting on FacebookFollow on TwitterRead More: http://www.mmafighting.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Francis Ngannou left no doubt that he’s still one of the best heavyweights in the world. The question is what will he do for his next act?After a resounding knockout of Renan Ferreira in the PFL Battle of the Giants main event, Ngannou appears to have numerous options ahead of him once again, with the MMA community welcoming him back with open arms and the boxing world still beckoning. Whatever the former UFC champion decides to do for his next fight, you can be sure everyone will be watching.On an all-new edition of On To the Next One, MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck and Alexander K. Lee discuss the possibilities for Ngannou after his emotional return to the cage. Additionally, future matchups are discussed for UFC Vegas 99 winner Anthony Hernandez following a dominant win over Michel Pereira, bantamweight veteran Rob Font after a streak-busting performance, plus main card winners Charles Johnson, Cameron Smotherman, Darren Elkins, and more. Follow Mike Heck: @MikeHeck_JR Follow Alexander K. Lee: @AlexanderKLee Subscribe to MMA FightingCheck out our full video catalogLike MMA Fighting on FacebookFollow on TwitterRead More: http://www.mmafighting.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Francis Ngannou reminded MMA fans how vicious he can be in the cage as he absolutely steamrolled Renan Ferreira, knocking him unconscious in the first round of the PFL: Battle of the Giants pay-per-view event in Saudi Arabia. Where does Ngannou go from here, and is that even a fair question to ask with everything the former UFC champ has gone through?Following Saturday's PFL event, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck and E. Casey Leydon react to Ngannou's incredible performance in his first MMA fight in nearly three years, the emotion that came over him and his team, his game plan, and Ferreira filling a pivotal role. Additionally, they discuss the fantastic co-main event between Cris Cyborg and Larissa Pacheco, where Cyborg goes from her win, how a hypothetical fight between Cyborg and Kayla Harrison would go, Paul Hughes' big upset win over A.J. McKee, if Hughes should face Usman Nurmagomedov next, and more. Follow Mike Heck: @MikeHeck_JR Follow E. Casey Leydon: @ekc Subscribe to MMA FightingCheck out our full video catalogLike MMA Fighting on FacebookFollow on TwitterRead More: http://www.mmafighting.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The UFC and PFL go head-to-head on Saturday, with the PFL putting on arguably the most important event in company history with Battle of the Giants, headlined by the MMA return of Francis Ngannou as he battles fellow knockout artist Renan Ferreira. While the stakes are certainly higher in Saudi Arabia, the UFC is bringing a fascinating middleweight main event between Anthony Hernandez and Michel Pereira.Ahead of Saturday’s doubleheader, MMA Fighting’s Jed Meshew and Mike Heck preview both events, discuss the burning questions surrounding Ngannou vs. Ferreira, the returning Cris Cyborg facing Larissa Pacheco, Johnny Eblen vs. Fabian Edwards 2, and A.J. McKee vs. Paul Hughes. Additionally, they’ll discuss the Hernandez vs. Pereira five-rounder at the APEX, the heavily-favored Kyler Phillips facing perennial ranked bantamweight Rob Font in the co-main event, answer your questions, and much more. Follow Jed Meshew: @JedKMeshew Follow Mike Heck: @MikeHeck_JR Subscribe to MMA FightingCheck out our full video catalogLike MMA Fighting on FacebookFollow on TwitterRead More: http://www.mmafighting.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Francis Ngannou's MMA return happens this Saturday as the PFL returns to pay-per-view for Battle Of the Giants in Saudi Arabia. With the PFL needing to badly get some buzz, does Ngannou have to beat Renan Ferreira — not just for himself, but for the PFL as a whole? On an all-new edition of Between the Links, the panel discusses Saturday's big fight card, how important it is that the card delivers as a whole, and what happens based on the result of the main event. Additionally, topics include Dana White once again ripping the UFC rankings panel after UFC 307, the promotion returning to the APEX this Saturday for UFC Vegas 99 headlined by Anthony Hernandez vs. Michel Pereira, Donald Cerrone announcing he's ending his retirement with hopes of two more UFC bouts, UFC 310 fight announcements including Belal Muhammad vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov for the welterweight title, and more. Host Mike Heck moderates the matchup between MMA Fighting's Jed Meshew and UFC lightweight Grant Dawson. Follow Mike Heck: @MikeHeck_JR Follow Jed Meshew: @JedKMeshew Subscribe to MMA FightingCheck out our full video catalogLike MMA Fighting on FacebookFollow on TwitterRead More: http://www.mmafighting.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

PFL's big weekend is finally here!This Saturday, PFL Superfights: Battle of the Giants takes place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, headlined by a lineal heavyweight title fight between Francis Ngannou and Renan Ferreira. The card also features a number of other marque matchups, including Cris Cyborg taking on Larissa Pacheco, and AJ McKee facing Paul Hughes. On top of that, there's also another UFC APEX card this week so No Bets barred is back to break it all down.This week, host Jed Meshew is joined by his Watch Party co-host Mike Heck to dive into all the MMA action this weekend. Topics discussed include Ferreira's chance to pull off the upset, Cyborg vs. Pacheco, other big fights from PFL, the UFC Vegas 99 main event between Anthony Hernandez and Michel Pereira, plus much more.Tune in for episode 104 of No Bets Barred. Follow Jed Meshew: @JedKMeshew Follow Mike Heck: @MikeHeck_JR Subscribe to MMA FightingCheck out our full video catalogLike MMA Fighting on FacebookFollow on TwitterRead More: http://www.mmafighting.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On the latest episode of The Fighter vs. The Writer, UFC legend Matt Brown and Damon Martin debate the scorecards in the boxing match between Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol, Belal Muhammad’s chances to hand Shavkat Rakhmonov his first and Francis Ngannou finally making his PFL debut but can he sell pay-per-views?All this and more on the latest episode of The Fighter vs. The Writer!Subscribe to MMA FightingCheck out our full video catalogLike MMA Fighting on FacebookFollow on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Brandon Royval just won an incredible five-round fight against Tatsuro Taira, handing the Japanese blue-chipper his first loss. Is that enough to vault him to another title fight and possibly a third matchup with Alexandre Pantoja, who defends his title at UFC 310 in December? Or does "Raw Dawg" need to prove his No. 1 contender credentials one more time?On an all-new edition of On To the Next One, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck and Alexander K. Lee discuss what's next for Royval after coming out on top of one of the best fights of 2024. Additionally, future matchups are discussed for cult hero "The Iron Turtle" Jun Yong Park, welterweight winners Chidi Njokuani and Daniel Rodriguez, and intriguing lightweight contender and wife appreciator Grant Dawson. We also try to figure out what lies ahead for Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's favorite fighter Themba Gorimbo after he recorded his fourth consecutive victory. Follow Mike Heck: @MikeHeck_JR Follow Alexander K. Lee: @AlexanderKLee Subscribe to MMA FightingCheck out our full video catalogLike MMA Fighting on FacebookFollow on TwitterRead More: http://www.mmafighting.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Former UFC women's bantamweight champion Raquel Pennington discusses her UFC 307 title loss to Julianna Pena, the controversy surrounding the scorecards, why she feels she won the first round, if there was frustration re-watching it, having new motivation, Kayla Harrison, a potential Amanda Nunes return, and more with MMA Fighting's Mike Heck. Follow Mike Heck: @MikeHeck_JR Subscribe to MMA FightingCheck out our full video catalogLike MMA Fighting on FacebookFollow on TwitterRead More: http://www.mmafighting.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Brandon Royval and Tatsuro Taira delivered the goods in the main event of Saturday's UFC Vegas 98 event at the APEX, and while Taira proved he belongs at the top of the flyweight division, it was the wily veteran who got his hand raised at the end of the night.Following the latest UFC Fight Night event, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck and Jed Meshew react to Royval's split decision win over Taira in the incredible headliner, the one scorecard for Taira, what we learned about both fighters, and where both go following the five-round classic. Additionally, they discuss Grant Dawson's fantastic night at the office — both in his fight and the post-fight interview — who got bonuses, other standout moments from the event, and much more. Follow Mike Heck: @MikeHeck_JR Follow Jed Meshew: @JedKMeshew Subscribe to MMA FightingCheck out our full video catalogLike MMA Fighting on FacebookFollow on TwitterRead More: http://www.mmafighting.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices