MMA Fighting

The UFC middleweight champion has a name, and it's Alex Pereira after a stunning fifth-round, come-from-behind knockout win over Israel Adesanya in the main event of UFC 281. While Pereira's win opens up the door to some interesting and fresh matchups, a rematch between the new champ and Adesanya would be massive, but is it the fight to make in the immediate aftermath of the UFC's return to Madison Square Garden?

On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck attempts to answer that question from a matchmaking perspective and explains why a rematch makes sense in multiple ways. Additionally, listener questions include the sad news of Anthony Johnson's passing on Sunday, Dustin Poirier's win over Michael Chandler and where he goes from UFC 281, the matchmaking of Erin Blanchfield vs. Molly McCann and why it was the right call even in hindsight, Frankie Edgar's tough retirement fight against Chris Gutierrez, 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 after an action-packed weekend at UFC 281 where Alex Pereira pulled off a stunning comeback to knockout Israel Adesanya to become the new middleweight champion.

UFC welterweight Matt Brown joins Damon Martin on the podcast as they discuss the fallout from the event when Pereira earned a third win over Adesanya after beating him twice previously whey they were competing in kickboxing.

Brown will give his thoughts on the fight and why he believes the stoppage in the fight between Pereira and Adesanya was a little bit early in his estimation.

We’ll also discuss the jaw-dropping performance from Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler as they went to war in one of the most memorable fights of 2022. Where does Poirier go next after this win and has Chandler hit his ceiling in the UFC if he’s not willing to engage in these all out wars?

Plus, the podcast pays tribute to Anthony “Rumble” Johnson after his tragic death at just 38 years old while Brown looks back at the time he was scheduled to face the prolific knockout artist in his career.

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

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After the shocking ending to the main event of UFC 281, it seems pretty clear that Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya will run it back in a massive middleweight championship fight after Pereira dethroned the long reigning titleholder to improve to 3-0 in their combat sports rivalry. Is that unequivocally the fight to make with the division looking like it has opened up for the first time in a long while?

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 Pereira and Adesanya following their memorable battle at Madison Square Garden. Additionally, future matchups are discussed for the two-time champion Zhang Weili, and the former champ Carla Esparza after Weili submitted Esparza in the co-main event, Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler following a third-round submission win for "The Diamond" in the Fight of the Night, along with Chris Gutierrez, Dan Hooker, and more.

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Needing a finish heading into the fifth and final round, Alex Pereira landed his most powerful shots when he needed them the most and stunned Israel Adesanya to become the brand new UFC middleweight champion of the world to cap off a memorable UFC 281 event.

MMA Fighting's Mike Heck and Jed Meshew react to Pereira's comeback win, whether or not the stoppage was too early, and discuss the potential of a massive rematch. Additionally, they talk Zhang Weili stopping Carla Esparza to regain the strawweight title, the chaotic Dustin Poirier vs. Michael Chandler fight — which was won by Poirier via a third-round submission — Frankie Edgar retiring with a devastating knockout from the perfectly timed flying knee of Chris Gutierrez, along with other notable moments from the UFC's return to Madison Square Garden in New York.

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The history between Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira is well known ahead of their main event title clash at UFC 281. Will Saturday night be the moment for Adesanya that changes their history moving forward?

MMA Fighting's Mike Heck and Alexander K. Lee discuss the fascinating UFC middleweight title fight and how they see it potentially playing out. Additionally, topics include the co-main event between Carla Esparza and Zhang Weili for the strawweight championship, the MMA community not giving the champion much of a chance, the featured lightweight bout between Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler, Frankie Edgar's final fight against Chris Gutierrez, and much more.

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Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler will battle it out in a highly anticipated lightweight showdown at UFC 281. While there are contenders in the division on long winning streaks, or are looking for their shot at a big fight to get them in the title picture, could the Poirier vs. Chandler winner find themselves in a title fight in their next octagon appearance?

On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck discusses what's on the line for both guys, if a championship bout opportunity is on the line for the winner, and if a loss takes either out of the title picture for good. Additionally, listener questions include Carla Esparza vs. Zhang Weili, Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira's official weigh-ins, if Pereira showing up last minute was a mind game, MMA drama on Twitter, Henry Cejudo, 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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This Saturday, one of the most intriguing title fights of the year takes place at Madison Square Garden for the middleweight championship between Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira at #UFC281.

On an all-new edition of Between the Links, the panel will break down the third combat sports meeting between the two fighters, discuss what the most burning questions are in the matchup, and what would be the best outcome for the #UFC from a business perspective. Additionally, they'll talk the strawweight title fight between Carla Esparza and Zhang Weili, and if Esparza is being supremely overlooked, the lightweight featured bout between Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler, which fighters need wins the most outside of the top-three fights, Frankie Edgar's final fight against Chris Gutierrez on Saturday, and more.

Host Mike Heck moderates the matchup between MMA Fighting's Jed Meshew and Sherdog's Ben Duffy.

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UFC 281 is built with many fascinating matchups, storylines, and questions ahead of Saturday's return to Madison Square Garden. While making fight predictions is one thing, predicting something outside of the box is something entirely different, and there are many avenues to take when it comes to the main event between Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira, and the rest of the fight card as a whole.

On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck discusses his thoughts on some of the major bouts on the slate for Saturday. Additionally, listener responses are focused on some bold predictions for Adesanya vs. Pereira, Carla Esparza vs. Zhang Weili, Dustin Poirier vs. Michael Chandler, along with questions about the disrespect Esparza has received from fans heading in, Molly McCann's potential title aspirations if she upsets Erin Blanchfield, 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.

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UFC 281 is here with two title fights, a potential Fight of the Year contender, and a bevy of other bouts, and you know what that means: the No Bets Barred boys are here to cover all the betting angles on the card!

First, co-hosts Conner Burks and Jed Meshew celebrate the return of Flyweight Unders at UFC Vegas 64 before jumping in for in-depth analysis of the middleweight title grudge match between Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira, the strawweight title tilt between Carla Esparza and Weili Zhang, and the lightweight barnburner between Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler. In the end, Conner and Jed end up with nearly two dozen bets, including an especially juicy parlay, and Jed once again shoving All-In on one particular fighter.

Tune in for Episode 24 of No Bets Barred.

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MMA Fighting's Damon Martin, Jed Meshew and Steven Marrocco react to news that former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez has been granted bail at $1 million in his attempted murder case.

Follow Damon Martin on Twitter: @DamonMartin

Follow Jed Meshew on Twitter: @JedKMeshew

Follow Steven Marrocco on Twitter: @MMAFightingSM

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