The Brit Pack MMA Podcast

The latest episode of The Brit Pack looks ahead to this coming weekend’s UFC on ESPN 9 event as the UFC returns to Las Vegas with a pivotal bout in the welterweight division.

Tyron Woodley will take on Gilbert Burns in the main event of the evening at the UFC Apex, but that fight is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to our welterweight chat this week, because there’s a LOT to discuss at 170 pounds right now.

In addition to Woodley-Burns, we have interesting developing situations regarding Jorge Masvidal and Kamaru Usman. They looked set to meet at some point this summer, but this week “Gamebred” appeared to switch his attention as he called for a rematch with Nate Diaz, while Usman’s manager Ali Abdelaziz suggested they could put the 170-pound strap on the line against a certain Conor McGregor instead.

And what the hell is going on with poor Leon Edwards? He was supposed to face Woodley at UFC London in March, but the pandemic scuppered that fight. Nobody wanted to fight him in the first place. Now he’s beginning to look like the welterweight division’s odd man out.

On top of all that, we had Conor McGregor sparking a huge debate over MMA’s GOAT, so we took a look at how on earth you go about defining the Greatest Of All Time.

There was much to discuss on this week’s show, so why not join us?

Check out the show above, give us a subscribe below and hit us up on Twitter @TheBritPackMMA, @simonhead and @SandhuMMA. We’d love to hear from you!

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This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebritpack.substack.com

The UFC took up the challenge of being the first batter out of the dugout as they hosted three events in the space of eight days in Jacksonville, Florida to become the first major US sports league to hold live events since the coronavirus shutdown.

But did they strike out or hit a home run?

That’s one of the big questions we look at on this week’s packed show, as we recap the two UFC Fight Night main events from Florida, where the thorny issue of when to stop fights raised its head during both headliners.

We also look at what might be next for UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, who has a growing queue of contenders lining up to face him at 205 pounds, but also has a potentially huge bout waiting for him at heavyweight, after he and Francis Ngannou exchanged views on each other’s chances on social media this week.

Finally, we decided to play matchmaker and put together some big-time matchups to kickstart the rest of the UFC’s lightweight division following Justin Gaethje’s interim title win at UFC 249. Conor McGregor features, of course, but who did we match him with?

Check out this week’s show via the podcast player above, or click the link to head straight to your podcasting provider of choice. It’s great to have you on board, so why not get on “The List” and be a part of our subscriber base? It’s free, and we’ll let you know the minute we publish a new episode!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebritpack.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonheadsport.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebritpack.substack.com

Live fights are back in our lives, and boy are we happy to have them back!

On this week’s packed episode of The Brit Pack, we run through the big talking points of UFC 249 – the first major sporting event since the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic.

We take a look back at Justin Gaethje’s incredible performance in the main event as he finally fulfilled his potential, captured interim lightweight gold and booked himself a future date with Khabib Nurmagomedov, possibly on Dana White’s “Fight Island”.

We also recap Henry Cejudo’s remarkable run in the UFC following his retirement announcement at the weekend. Has he called time on his career too early, or has he actually achieved more than a lot of people might initially have realised?

We also chat about an explosive performance from Francis Ngannou, and why he’s a major problem for the UFC’s heavyweight division, in more ways than one. We highlight our other favourite performers on a hugely entertaining night in Jacksonville. And we look back at the event as a whole as we assess how the UFC fared as they took on the unenviable task of being the first major sports organisation to run an event during the pandemic.

There’s also time to cram in some chat about Conor McGregor’s Twitter rant, Mike Tyson’s possible comeback, Georges St-Pierre’s Hall of Fame induction and a quickfire look ahead to Wednesday night’s UFC Fight Night card in Jacksonville, featuring Anthony Smith vs. Glover Teixeira in the main event.

It’s a packed one this week. We hope you enjoy it!

PS: Don’t forget to join “The List” by subscribing to our mailing list, where you’ll get our show mailed to you each week as soon as it’s published. You’ll soon be able to interact with the show and be a part of the discussion as we roll out new ideas and features for the show in the coming weeks and months. We’re trying to grow this thing, and we’d love you to be a part of it with us.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebritpack.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonheadsport.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebritpack.substack.com

We’ve all been waiting patiently, but live fights are finally here, with UFC 249 set to take place in Jacksonville, Florida this Saturday (May 9).

It means our latest episode of The Brit Pack is a jam-packed fight night preview, as we both work our way through the card and offer our takes – and predictions – for each and every fight on the card.

Who’ll win the battle of the heavyweight knockout artists as Francis Ngannou takes on unbeaten Jairzinho Rozenstruik?

Can Dominick Cruz come back from his longest-ever layoff to dethrone “The King of Cringe,” Henry Cejudo?

And which UFC lightweight contender is REALLY the most violent man at 155 pounds, Tony Ferguson or Justin Gaethje?

We’ll bring you our answers to the above, and a whole lot more, on our bumper UFC 249 preview.

Get stuck in, then get involved! Leave your picks in the comments below or hit us up on social media to share your big predictions for fight night.

We’ll be back with our first post-fight show on Sunday, so fire your questions our way after the fights, too.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebritpack.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonheadsport.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebritpack.substack.com

Without wanting to be overly optimistic, it looks like the clouds are parting and the sun is beginning to shine through for MMA fans, with the UFC’s planned triple-header in Florida seemingly looking good to go.

We have three events in the space of eight days in Jacksonville, with three big main events confirmed, one blockbuster card for UFC 249 on May 9 and two Fight Night cards starting to come together for the following Wednesday and Saturday.

But while the main event of UFC 249 focuses on the UFC’s lightweight title picture, we take a look at what might be next for the biggest name in the 155-pound division. Conor McGregor is under lockdown in Dublin, Ireland, and looking like the odd man out in the lightweight division right now.

With Justin Gaethje taking on Tony Ferguson for the interim title, and the chance to move on to face Khabib Nurmagomedov next, where does it all leave Conor? We offer our takes on who we think he should face next as he looks to get his “2020 season” back on the road again. Unsurprisingly, “The Notorious” should find himself with a few options.

We also round up all family business with the UFC’s triple-header and look at ONE Championship’s decision to scrap their entire May schedule.

Give us a listen via the player above!

[Pic: @AwesomeGandalf]

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebritpack.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonheadsport.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebritpack.substack.com

The world continues to adapt and improvise during the COVID-19 pandemic, with MMA promotions taking markedly different approaches to dealing with the crisis. On this week’s episode of The Brit Pack, we take a look at the MMA’s big hitters as the UFC looks to get the ball rolling again with a May 9 event named… you guessed it, UFC 249.

But while the UFC is looking to open up for business once again, the PFL has brought the shutters down on their 2020 season after announcing the official postponement of this year’s season. Bellator also confirmed the postponement of their upcoming Bellator 244 event in Chicago.

We take a look at all of the above on this week’s show as we run down the one fight card we actually have in front of us, and assess the differing approaches of the various promotions.

We also look at the light heavyweight love triangle for the UFC 205-pound title, which featured Jan Blachowicz offering to “fist” Jon Jones after the champ talked about popping some cherries in Poland.

Plus we give a little update on how we’re surviving lockdown life, with a few TV and podcast recommendations. Of course, if you want those, you’ll have to listen to our show first!

Finally, we both want to offer a huge thank you to everyone who has downloaded, listened, subscribed, shared and even reviewed the show already. It means the world and we’re so happy to have you guys on board so quickly following our three-year slumber.

But that’s more than enough from us, hit play, sit back and enjoy this week’s episode!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebritpack.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonheadsport.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebritpack.substack.com

Less than a week removed from their enforced shutdown of UFC 249, the UFC is bouncing back QUICKLY.

Literally moments after we stopped recording our first episode of the pod, ESPN’s Brett Okamoto tweeted the news that the UFC was set to host a show on May 9 with an absolutely stacked card of “targeted” fights.

So, we jumped straight back on the mic to share our instant reaction in our first “Breaking News” pod. We’d love to get your reactions, too. What do you make of the UFC’s planned show? Let us know in the comments below.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebritpack.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonheadsport.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebritpack.substack.com

Well, friends, we made it! The Brit Pack is back up and running, and here’s our first episode following our three-year hiatus.

As you’d expect given our long layoff, this week’s show is something of a catch-up episode, as we share what’s been going on in our worlds while we’ve been away from the mic.

We also take a look at the MMA landscape following the recent postponement of UFC 249 and debate the likely way forward for the sport in the months to come.

Finally, we share a few experiences of “lockdown life” as we both try to stave off cabin fever and, in Simon’s case, look after two stir-crazy daughters while still trying to stay gainfully employed!

Hope you enjoy it. We blew off the cobwebs with this one and will return with the next episode next week. It feels good to be back!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebritpack.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonheadsport.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebritpack.substack.com

Simon joined CNN's Amanda Davies live on CNN World Sport to chat about Conor McGregor's announcement that he had "retired" from the sport of mixed martial arts.

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Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/simonhead/message

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonheadsport.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebritpack.substack.com

On Tuesday, March 19, Simon hopped on MMA Junkie Radio for the first time to join Gorgeous George, Goze, Dan Tom and Richard Hunter to discuss UFC London: Till vs Masvidal and unpack some of the big talking points from a wild night at The O2 Arena.

For the full show, check out the MMA Junkie Radio podcast on Audioboom and iTunes, or rewatch the live stream from the MMA Junkie studios at the Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, via the MMA Junkie YouTube channel.

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Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/simonhead/message

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonheadsport.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebritpack.substack.com