MMA Fighting

Ilia Topuria is the new UFC featherweight champion following his highlight reel knockout of former long reigning champ Alexander Volkanovski in the main event of UFC 298 event this past Saturday. With a new market to tap into, and a 27-year-old champion with superstardom written all over him, how big can it get for the Topuria era?

On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck reacts to Topuria's win, what could be next, and the UFC getting into Spain. Additionally, topics include Volkanovski's 145-pound title reign coming to an end, the reactions on social media because of it, Dana White announcing Alex Pereira vs. Jamahal Hill as the main event of UFC 300, where that leaves UFC 301, and much more.

You can listen live to Heck of a Morning Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays at 10 a.m. ET on the MMA Fighting Twitter Spaces.

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The Fighter vs. The Writer returns as UFC legend Matt Brown and MMA Fighting senior reporter Damon Martin react to the fallout from UFC 298.

In the main event, Ilia Topuria became the new featherweight champion with a stunning second round knockout over Alexander Volkanovski. Brown will address the fight but also offer his opinion on Volkanovski returning to fight again just four months after he suffered a similar fate in his fight with Islam Makhachev.

Did Volkanovski come back too soon? Brown discusses his past experiences following a knockout loss as well as dealing with a concussion and the differences between the two.

We’ll also discuss the UFC 300 main event between Alex Pereira and Jamahal Hill — is this a letdown compared to the promises made by Dana White? Should we feel disappointed by this main event or is the card so stacked that the main event doesn’t really matter?

Plus Brown confronts his long standing opinion that Conor McGregor will never fight again after White once again hinted at the Irish superstar not competing any time soon and stating that with his bank account, he doesn’t really need to fight anymore. Is it possible that McGregor really is done?

All this and more on the latest episode of The Fighter vs. The Writer! 

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The fallout of UFC 298 has been such an intriguing part of the build towards the UFC's return to Anaheim on Saturday night. Following the featherweight championship main event which saw Ilia Topuria brutally knock out Alexander Volkanovski to become the new featherweight champion, where do both guys go from here?

MMA Fighting's Mike Heck and Alexander K. Lee attempt to answer that question from a matchmaking perspective on an all-new edition of On To the Next One. Future matchups will also be discussed for Robert Whittaker following his crazy co-main event win over Paulo Costa, Ian Machado Garry after his split decision win over Geoff Neal, along with fellow main card winners Merab Dvalishvili, Anthony Hernandez, and more,

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Ilia Topuria talked a big game heading into his UFC 298 main event fight against Alexander Volkanovski, and he sure backed it up with a sensational knockout to become the brand new UFC featherweight champion. What is the ceiling on the 27-year-old featherweight title holder?

Following Saturday's pay-per-view event, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck, Shaun Al-Shatti, Jed Meshew, and José Youngs react to Topuria's crowning moment, discuss where he goes from here, and what comes next for Volkanovski after his second straight knockout loss. Additionally, they'll discuss Robert Whittaker's hard fought victory over Paulo Costa in the co-main event, takeaways from main card wins from Ian Machado Garry, Merab Dvalishvili, Anthony Hernandez, plus a reaction from Dana White's UFC 300 main event announcement of Alex Pereira vs. Jamahal Hill.

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Relive the magic of UFC 298's live watch party with Mike Heck and Conner Burks!

Check out the original UFC 298 Watch Party video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vXKgPfJy6I

Timestamps:

Intro & final two rounds of Lemos vs. Dern (5:45)

Lemos hurts Dern badly (7:25)

Lemos wins decision (19:20)

Anthony Hernandez vs. Roman Kopylov (36:30)

Hernandez stops Kopylov in Round 2 (47:15)

Reaction to Wanderlei Silva Hall of Fame annnouncement (53:55)

Merab Dvalishvili vs. Henry Cejudo (1:09:42)

Dvalishvili wins decision (1:30:45)

Geoff Neal vs. Ian Machado Garry (1:47:55)

Machado Garry wins split decision, calls out Colby Covington (2:09:02)

Robert Whittaker vs. Paulo Costa (2:23:25)

Costa stings Whittaker with spin kick (2:30:05)

Whittaker wins unanimous decision (2:45:02)

Alexander Volkanovski vs. Ilia Topuria (3:01:15)

Topuria knocks out Volkanovski in Round 2 to win title (3:15:35)

Reaction to Dana White announcing UFC 300 main event (3:32:55)

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Alexander Volkanovski and Ilia Topuria battle it out in the UFC featherweight championship main event of Saturday's UFC 298 fight card in Anaheim, and the stakes are incredibly high. With so many burning questions surrounding the high-level matchup, will Volkanovski continue his incredible run at 145, or will Topuria begin a new era?

Ahead of the pay-per-view event, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck, Shaun Al-Shatti, and José Youngs preview UFC 298, the headliner between Volkanovski and Topuria, discuss the burning questions, what's on the line for both fighters, and predictions for the bout. Additionally, they'll talk the co-main event between Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa, Ian Machado Garry's toughest test to date against Geoff Neal, Henry Cejudo putting his career on the line against Merab Dvalishvili, plus answer your questions. 

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UFC 298 is coming fast with a card that is flying completely under the radar, event with a spectacular main event for the UFC featherweight title between Alexander Volkanovski and Ilia Topuria.

Join MMA Fighting's Mike Heck for a special pre pay-per-view edition of Heck of a Morning, as he answers all of your UFC 298 questions, reacts to Thursday's press confernce, along with getting your thoughts about the stakes of some of the other big fights on Saturday's pay-per-view card. Additionally, viewer questions include what the main event for UFC 300 will be, the fighter who has the most to gain and lose on Saturday, Paulo Costa's chances against Robert Whittaker, Topuria's potential star power, and much more.

You can listen live to Heck of a Morning Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays at 10 a.m. ET on the MMA Fighting Twitter Spaces.

• Follow Mike Heck: @MikeHeck_JR

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The amount of questions surrounding the UFC featherweight championship main event of UFC 298 between Alexander Volkanovski and Ilia Topuria are astounding — not just heading into the fight, but the roads both fighters will take based on the result. Can Volkanovski continue his 145-pound dominance, or will the incredibly confident Topuria be put on the rocket ship to superstardom?

On an all-new edition of Between the Links, the panel will preview Saturday's main event, the stakes involved for both Volkanovski and Topuria, and where the champion goes, win or lose. Additionally, topics include the rest of the UFC 298 storylines, UFC 300 still not having a main event and potentially will be announced at the post-fight press conference on Saturday, along with a special fan Q&A final round. 

Host Mike Heck moderates the matchup between MMA Fighting's Jed Meshew and Eric "New York Ric" Jackman.

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Alexander Volkanovski will look to pick up his sixth successful defense of his featherweight title against the undefeated Ilia Topuria in the main event of Saturday's UFC 298 card in Anaheim, Calif. Should "The Great" live up to his moniker once again, will he stick around at 145 pounds to add to his impressive number of title defenses, or could he make a permanent move up to 155?

On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck discusses the stakes of this weekend's main event, Volkanovski's future with a win, and the impact on Topuria if he does suffer his first loss. Additionally, listener topics include the new main event for UFC Atlantic City between Erin Blanchfield and Manon Fiorot, the UFC 300 main event still being up in the air, the UFC at the APEX moving forward, if Paulo Costa would earn a title shot if he defeats Robert Whittaker on Saturday, Henry Cejudo putting his career on the line against Merab Dvalishvili, and more.

You can listen live to Heck of a Morning Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays at 10 a.m. ET on the MMA Fighting Twitter Spaces.

• Follow Mike Heck: @MikeHeck_JR

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After a lackluster UFC Vegas 86 card, MMA's leading promotion returns with arguably the first good fight card of the year. UFC 298 is headlined by a featherweight title fight between Alexander Volkanovski and Ilia Topuria and a host of other marquee matchups, and the No Bets Barred boys are back with a full breakdown of all the fights.

Conner Burks and Jed Meshew kick things off with a brief recap of last weekend's card and lamentations about the tough start to 2024 both men had had. Then it's on to UFC 298, with a deep dive into all the fights on the main card, and breakdowns of the rest of the action as well.

Has age finally caught up to Alexander Volkanovski? Is Ilia Topuria the next big superstar? What's at stake between Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa? Is Ian Machado Garry actually "The Future"? And what about Merab Dvalishili vs. Henry Cejudo? All this and more are discussed on this week's episode.

Tune in for episode 78 of No Bets Barred.

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