All Things MMA on Scoreline.ie

This week we're talking

• Triller Fight Club and Jake Paul v Ben Askren
• Changing training camps
• UFC 261's three title fights
• Fans returning to live shows

For more, check scoreline.ie/mma

All Things MMA #031 is in the wild.

It's been a busy week in the world of mixed martial arts and on this edition of the podcast we're kicking off with a look back at the events of UFC 260.

As a new heavyweight king has been crowned, is that the end of the run for Stipe Miocic and what comes next for Francis Ngannou?

The big events keep on coming too with UFC 261 and 262 set for some major matchups and for Irish fight fans, there's positive news on the TV front as Virgin Media will be screening all of Bellator's key events this year.

Grab a listen here or follow for free on your favourite podcast platform.

UFC 260 is upon us this weekend and it makes for the bulk of conversation in this week’s All Things MMA.

While we take a look back at some of last week’s fight action including Derek Brunson v Kevin Holland, the focus is very much on Stipe Miocic (20-3) and Francis Ngannou (15-3) as they meet for the second time in three years for the UFC Heavyweight title.

Last time out it was Miocic all the way by unanimous decision but three years on, both are in quite different places.

With Ngannou brings with him four wins on the bounce, none of which made it past the mid-stage of the first round. Miocic is coming off the back of a break following the conclusion of his trilogy with Daniel Cormier to retain the heavyweight title.

Will the Cleveland native’s experience in deeper rounds sustain him past the physical prowess of Ngannou? Or will it all be over in the opening exchanges?

Check it out above, with the audio version of the podcast dropping on Thursday morning along with our UFC 260 card preview.

On this week's All Things MMA we're looking back at UFC 259

• The illegal knee that crowned a new bantamweight champion
• A business-as-usual for the GOAT of women's MMA
• A statement defence from Blachowicz and what or who comes next for Israel Adesanya

Ken's picking Myles fight-brain on all of the above with observations on what comes next for the winners.

Catch up online at scoreline.ie every Wednesday. 

This week on All Things MMA, we're turning our attention towards the regulation of the sport in Ireland.

To help with that, we're joined by Tim Murphy, head coach of Point Blank Submissions in Galway, but also the chairperson of the Irish Mixed Martial Arts Association (IMMAA).

We've touched on this subject previously with Andy Ryan but as time ticks along, it's clear that getting a national governing body up and running and officially recognised in order to regulate the sport of MMA in Ireland, all under Sport Ireland, is proving quite difficult.

Following the passing of Joao Carvalho in 2016 in the wake of an MMA show in Ireland, the Coroner's Count recommended the introduction of standardised safety procedures and protocols to MMA events in the country, as well as the establishment of a national governing body.

Four years on from the formation of IMMA, that recognition is still lacking so speak with Tim about why this is the case, what changes have been made surrounding the safety aspects of the sport, club structures and Ireland's participation at international amateur level and what the future looks like with recognition secured.

We begin with what IMMAA is, why they exist and continue by looking at the roadblocks, conflicts with other sports and exploring what support at ground level is like.

Have a listen above, catch ATMMA on Scoreline every Saturday or subscribe for previous and new episodes on your favourite podcast platform.

We're back on the mixed martial arts trail for this week's All Things MMA.

While last week broke rank to discuss matters wellness and self-care, this week we're taking a look at

• The possible return of TJ Dillashaw to the UFC ranks
• What happens next for Derrick Lewis and Curtis Blaydes following UFC Vegas 19
• Who's coming out on top at UFC 259 next week

Following a two-year USADA suspension for EPO use, former UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw is gunning for a return and hopeful of a title shot too. Next weekend sees the title on the line as Petr Yan meets top contender Aljamain Sterling on a packed UFC 259 card. Should Dillashaw be back in the mix or is it a case of getting in line, regardless of what happens at 259?

Following his emphatic second-round knockout of Curtis Blaydes, what comes next for Derrick Lewis in the heavyweight ranks and where does a loss leave #2 contender Blaydes when you've got Stipe, Ngannou, Volkov and now Jon Jones hanging around. Will we see Lewis v Jones?

Lastly, with other plans for next week's podcast, we're getting Myles thoughts on UFC 259 which sees the aforementioned Yan v Sterling encounter at 135, Amanda Nunes defend her featherweight title and current middleweight king Israel Adesanya stepping up to take on light-heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz for the 205 title.

We're delighted to catch up with Pat Divilly, well regarded high-performance health and wellness coach to talk lockdown, BJJ, and techniques on managing thoughts, stresses, journaling and more.

While the MMA conversation is parked to one side this week, we do get to touch a little on BJJ, Pat himself a jiu-jitsu purple belt though all our BJJ journeys are admittedly very different over the past 11 months of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Are we being too hard on ourselves? How does breathing help any situation? What have we to gain from controlling our thoughts rather than letting our thoughts control us? What tools does Pat have in his arsenal to help others, to help you? All these and loads more in a lovely chat tied up in 40 minutes.

Be sure to subscribe to Pat's weekly podcast, it's a fantastic listen with wide-ranging guests and available on all good podcast platforms, just search The Pat Divilly Podcast or visit PatDivilly.com.

For more details, links and show notes, check out Scoreline.ie. 

We're short and sweet this week with a quick look at the main event for UFC 258 and a look at negative visualisation for combat sports.

For more, check scoreline.ie.

As the weeks roll by, the MMA world keeps on turning and our MMA Podcast, All Things MMA, is back for another look at the news of the week and a very light preview of UFC Vegas 18.

Having visited the topic of martial arts for mental health before Christmas, an article on Bloody Elbow earlier this week on the mental strain at high-performance levels triggered some good WhatsApp conversation.

The article in question looked at the Korean Zombie and his admission of hitting rock bottom in the wake of his October 2020 defeat to Brian Ortega. With a featherweight title shot on the line, it's Ortega who will face Alexander Volkanovski later this spring for a crack at the 145 gold.

This week, Myles Price joins Ken McGuire to share some of his own experiences in the mental preparation involved in stepping into the cage to fight, plus the flipside - if you're so focused on the win, what happens when the result doesn't go your way?

While we will preview the UFC Vegas 18 card on Thursday we also take a look at the last title hopes of Alistair Overeem (47-18) as he faces Alexander Volkov (32-8) on Saturday night/Sunday morning in Las Vegas.

You can subscribe to All Things MMA on all good platforms.

While Bellator, Cage Warriors and co. are still planning for the year ahead, the UFC is full steam ahead and has started 2021 with a bang.

No bigger a bang can you get than a Conor McGregor-headlined PPV that was UFC 257 with Dustin Poirier coming out on top. We look at Michael Chandler's debut, play matchmaker for the UFC lightweight division and reflect on some of the key matchups for 2021 with titles on the line through February and March.