The Brit Pack MMA Podcast

Israel Adesanya once again proved that he’s one of the best pound-for-pound athletes in MMA when he outpointed former champion Robert Whittaker to retain his undisputed UFC middleweight title at UFC 271.

Adesanya’s performance in Houston was as clean as it was classy as he remained one step ahead of Whittaker, who delivered a noticeably improved performance from their first meeting. But, despite being competitive throughout and enjoying the better of the exchanges in the final round, Adesanya’s victory on the scorecards had already been assured as “The Last Stylebender” cemented his dominance of the UFC’s 185-pound division.

On this week’s episode of The Brit Pack MMA Podcast, we take a look back at UFC 271 and give our reaction to that Adesanya performance. We share our scorecards, talk tactics and discuss the likely next steps for both men. It’s fair to say Adesanya’s path seems much more straightforward than Whittaker’s right now.

We also look back at the explosive co-main event as Tai Tuivasa stunned Derrick Lewis in front of “The Black Beast’s” hometown fans, and the pivotal middleweight bout between Jared Cannonier and Derek Brunson, which may well have determined the next challenger to Adesanya’s title reign.

Finally, we take a look ahead to the UFC’s return to the Apex this coming weekend, with light heavyweights Johnny Walker and Jamahal Hill set to take centre stage in the newly-promoted main event following the rescheduling of the “Rafael Derby” between Rafael Dos Anjos and Rafael Fiziev.

Enjoy the show, and if you haven’t already, hop over to our YouTube channel and hit that subscribe button. We’ll be switching to video VERY soon, and we’d love to bring you along for the ride!

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 UFC’s second pay-per-view event of 2022 features a battle between two of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the UFC.

Reigning middleweight champion Israel Adesanya and former champ Robert Whittaker have proved their worth inside the octagon with some memorable performances over the years, but Saturday night in Houston, Texas will see the pair meet for a second time in a rematch of the bout that saw Adesanya crowned UFC 185-pound king. Will we see a repeat of Adesanya’s virtuoso performance that night, or will Whittaker find something special to dethrone “The Last Stylebender?”

The main event is joined by a dynamite co-main matchup, as in-form Aussie slugger Tai Tuivasa steps up to face the knockout king of the UFC, former interim heavyweight title challenger Derrick Lewis. “The Black Beast” is fighting on home soil for the second time in three outings and, after losing out to Ciryl Gane in Houston in his last hometown appearance, you can bet he’ll be out to settle the score and put things right for his fans this time around.

The main card also features a pivotal bout in the middleweight division, as the third- and fourth-ranked 185-pound contenders face off for the right to be the next man in line to fight for the title. Jared Cannonier is one of the strongest fighters in the division, but he’ll face a Derek Brunson who has found some of the best form of his career over the last year or so. It’s a huge bout for the division.

On this week’s episode of The Brit Pack MMA Podcast, we run through each of the aforementioned bouts, offering our takes and discussing the various scenarios that could play out over the course of the evening, and beyond.

We also take a look back at UFC Fight Night 200 last weekend, as Sean Strickland defeated Jack Hermansson in a solid, if unspectacular, performance, and Kazakhstan’s Shavkat Rakhmonov extended his perfect professional record – and his 100 percent finish rate – with his 15th career win.

Check out the show here, and don’t forget to like and subscribe on our YouTube channel. We’re switching to video VERY soon!

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

Both Simon and Sandhu have been out on the road this past week, and the two lads recap their experiences on this week’s episode of the show.

Sandhu was in St. Louis to witness two former UFC champions – Brock Lesnar and Ronda Rousey – win the men’s and women’s WWE Royal Rumble matchups, while Simon was over in Abu Dhabi to mentor young journalists at the IMMAF World Championships.

The pair also look back at Bellator 273, as Ryan Bader defied the oddsmakers, and the doubters, to retain his heavyweight title and unify the championship after defeating interim champion Valentin Moldavsky via unanimous decision in Phoenix, Arizona.

There’s also time to look ahead to the next UFC event, as the octagon returns to the UFC Apex for UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs. Strickland as both men look to pick up a big win to catapult themselves toward the top five in the UFC middleweight division.

Enjoy the show!

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

Francis Ngannou turned back the challenge of Ciryl Gane in the main event of UFC 270, but there was still some controversy after his hard-earned and well-deserved victory over his former training partner.

Ngannou showed real improvement in his all-around MMA game as he turned to his wrestling to earn the unanimous decision victory and unify the UFC heavyweight title.

However, that wasn’t the end of the story.

UFC president Dana White was nowhere to be seen when it was time to present him with his championship belt. White also no-showed the post-fight press conference, where talk turned to Ngannou’s next move after he completed the last fight on his current UFC contract.

Victory looks set to automatically tack additional fights or time to his current deal, but it seems the Cameroonian still sees boxing in his future, and he wants what he calls a fair deal if he’s to stay with the UFC moving forward.

On this week’s episode of the show, we discuss all the talking points that arose following Ngannou’s victory, before we threw back to the night’s co-main event, where Deiveson Figueiredo recaptured the UFC flyweight title with victory over Brandon Moreno after a thrilling five-round battle as they completed their fighting trilogy.

However, with the score between the two standing at one win apiece, plus one draw, both men seem keen to run it back one more time to eliminate any doubt and put their championship rivalry to bed.

Enjoy the show!

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 UFC’s first pay-per-view event of 2022 is upon us, and it’s serving up two top-grade title fights that will likely serve up very different matchups on fight night.

The main event has captured the imagination of hardcore MMA fans, with reigning UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou set to face former teammate and training partner Ciryl Gane, who now holds the interim version of the heavyweight title.

It’s a bout that pitches Ngannou directly against his old team, and the coach who set him on his path to UFC stardom, Fernand Lopez. But that backstory is only part of the narrative ahead of Ngannou’s title defense.

The Cameroonian is also on the final fight of his current UFC contract, and has been very public in his demands for his next fight deal. In short, he wants more money, plus he wants to be able to box, with a bout against WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury seemingly within reach. But relations between Ngannou’s camp and the UFC appear somewhat frosty, with the fighter repped by a rival organization, CAA, to the UFC’s owners, Endeavor.

While there’s intrigue, history and a contractual situation surrounding the main event, the co-main event looks much more straightforward, with Brandon Moreno looking to make the first defense of his flyweight title in a trilogy fight against the man he defeated to win it, Deiveson Figueiredo.

It’s a fight that could provide plenty of fireworks, and one that could produce one of the fights of the year.

On this week’s show, we preview both title fights, as well as offer an under-the-radar fighter to watch ahead of fight night in Vegas. We also take a look back at Calvin Kattar’s brilliant performance to defeat Giga Chikadze in the main event of UFC Vegas 46 last weekend.

Enjoy the show!

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

After a few weeks off, MMA is well and truly back, and the UFC is kicking off the 2022 schedule with a banger of a fight in the featherweight division.

Calvin Kattar and Giga Chikadze could be as little as two wins away from a shot at the 145-pound title, and on this week’s show, we take a look at the stakes as the two strikers get set to go head to head in Saturday night’s main event in Las Vegas.

We also take a look at some of the big world title matchups already locked in for the early part of the year as we discuss the dynamics of each bout, and ponder the next step for featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski after his trilogy bout with Max Holloway was scrapped due to the former champion’s injury.

With Francis Ngannou vs. Ciryl Gane, Brandon Moreno vs. Deiveson Figueiredo 3, Petr Yan vs. Aljamain Sterling 2 and Israel Adesanya vs. Robert Whittaker 2 all on the schedule for the early part of this year, things are already shaping up for a spectacular start to the year, and we can’t wait to talk you all through it!

Enjoy this week’s show, and don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe!

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

Happy New Year from The Brit Pack! We hope you enjoyed the holiday season and are launching into the new year with gusto and optimism.

We’re kicking off 2022 with our annual hot takes special as we offer up our outlandish predictions for the upcoming year in MMA.

Last year, we gathered behind our mics to offer up our MMA hot takes, using the famed spice-o-meter ratings used by our favourite chicken-based eatery, Nando’s.

Our picks may not have aged well (at all!) but we loved doing the show, and now, one year on, we’re donning the oven gloves for another show packed with hot takes and MMA predictions.

The spice-o-meter is our guide once again as we present our MMA hot takes for 2022, with our takes getting ever hotter as the spice rating increases.

We’ve no idea how many of them will come to fruition (and we recap just how many of last year’s takes actually played out in real life) but we humbly offer them here, for your entertainment.

In addition, we also offer our annual UFC divisional champion predictions, where we state who we think will end 2022 with championship gold in each of the UFC’s 12 divisions.

Check out our predictions, and our picks, and get set for another huge year of MMA. We’ll be there to talk you through it, every step of the way!

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 final weekend of combat sports for 2021 served up a smorgasbord of pugilistic action, with a little something for everyone across three shows that delivered memorable moments aplenty.

The headlines were generated by YouTuber-turned-pro boxer Jake Paul, who faced off against late replacement Tyron Woodley in a rematch, and scored a thumping one-shot KO of the former UFC welterweight champion.

It once again proved that, despite all the haters, Paul continues to take his boxing career seriously as he showed notable improvements from past fights against the seemingly washed-up former UFC champion.

But, despite Woodley looking miles past his best, his status as a former UFC champion still carries some weight, and Paul followed up his split-decision victory over “The Chosen One” earlier this year with a huge sixth-round knockout as he face-planted Woodley for the biggest win of his prizefighting career to date.

On this week’s show, we discuss Paul’s next move, and ponder the options he seemingly has in front of him as he plots his course through 2022.

We also chat about UFC Fight Night 199 at the UFC Apex, as Derrick Lewis delivered his 13th knockout win in the UFC to set a new all-time record for KO in the promotion. His win over Chris Daukaus maintains the status quo in the heavyweight division, so where are the new contenders going to come from? We have a name in mind…

We also recap the spectacular main event at KSW 65 in Gliwice, Poland, as legendary middleweight champion Mamed Khalidov was spectacularly and brutally dethroned by power-punching welterweight champion Roberto Soldic, who now ends the year as a two-division KSW champion.

It’s another busy show packed with combat sports chat, and it’s all yours, right here!

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

What a night! UFC 269 delivered a spectacular final pay-per-view event for 2021 as the UFC’s final premium offering served up one of the most unforgettable performances in UFC championship history.

That performance came in the co-main event, as Julianna Pena, almost universally considered a huge underdog, submitted two-division champ Amanda Nunes to capture the UFC women’s bantamweight title.

With all respect to Nunes, it was a huge feel-good moment to see someone defy the odds to make their dream a reality, but where should Pena’s incredible win stand in the pantheon of great UFC title fight upsets?

We discuss that very topic on this week’s show, as we recap a quite brilliant night of fights at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas – including Charles Oliveira’s finish of Dustin Poirier in the main event – and offer our takes on the big talking points that arose as a result.

We also take a look ahead to the final UFC card of 2021, as Derrick Lewis faces surging contender Chris Daukaus in a battle of knockout artists at the UFC Apex.

It’s a jam-packed show, with lots to discuss, so what are you waiting for?! Dive in and enjoy!

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 UFC brings the curtain down on a stellar 2021 with a huge pay-per-view offering from Las Vegas, as two champions get set to put their titles on the line at UFC 269.

In the main event, newly-crowned lightweight world champion Charles Oliveira takes on former interim champ Dustin Poirier in a battle to decide who’ll enter 2022 as the kingpin of the UFC’s glamour division.

Meanwhile, the co-main event sees the return of the most dominant athlete in combat sports. Amanda Nunes has ruled over the women’s 135- and 145-pound divisions with apparent ease, and she’ll face a fresh new challenge in the form of the gritty contender Julianna Pena, who plans to shock the world on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena.

On this week’s show, Simon flies solo to preview the card, as well as Cage Warriors’ upcoming “Double Trouble” events in London this weekend.

There’s also time to take a look back at the night’s big winners at UFC on ESPN 31, while also discussing the news of Jake Paul vs. Tommy Fury’s cancellation and replacement with Paul’s rematch against Tyron Woodley.

Simon also gives his take on Dominick Cruz’s criticisms of Daniel Cormier as a UFC analyst ahead of Cruz’s UFC 269 battle with Pedro Munhoz.

It’s another packed show, and it’s yours, right here!

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