The Head Line with Simon Head

Danny Roberts is all set to make his 12th UFC appearance on Saturday night when he faces Brazilian veteran Francisco Trinaldo at UFC 274 in Phoenix, Arizona. It’s a bout that offers “Hot Chocolate” the chance to kick-start his 2022 in style as he faces a tough, durable opponent on one of the biggest fight cards of the year so far.

Ahead of his bout, I caught up with Danny from his hotel room in Arizona as he prepared for the 24th fight of his professional career. He’s fit, he’s in good form and he’s ready to deliver the goods for the fans back home.

Check out the full interview as we discuss everything from his preparation for Trinaldo, to his willingness to face anyone and everyone at 170 pounds, to OG status in the current crop of active British UFC fighters. We even got to chat a little football, too.

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

UFC 274 brings an absolutely stacked card of fights to Phoenix, Arizona, as the Footprint Center plays host to the UFC’s latest pay-per-view offering.

The card features a double-header of championship action, with Brazil’s Charles Oliveira putting his undisputed UFC lightweight title on the line against former interim champion Justin Gaethje in the main event.

The co-main event also features a title tussle, as reigning strawweight queen Rose Namajunas faces off against the woman who defeated her to become the inaugural 115-pound champion, Carla Esparza.

There’s also a huge bout at 155 pounds, as former Bellator champion Michael Chandler looks to surge back into title contention with victory over former UFC interim champion Tony Ferguson, who has arrived in Phoenix with a chip on his shoulder and a point to prove.

It should make for a spectacular night of fights and, ahead of the action, the United Nations team break down the big main card clashes and offer their picks as they get set for a huge night of MMA in Arizona.

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

NFL Draft fever had the sporting world gripped on Thursday night as the first round of the draft took place in Las Vegas.

Not wanting to miss out on the fun, we at The Brit Pack United Nations gathered together to conduct a draft of our own – The Brit Pack United Nations Fantasy MMA Draft.

The format was (relatively) simple:

* 11 rounds, one fighter per weight class, from women’s strawweight to men’s heavyweight (leaving out the women’s 145 division, due to a lack of depth)

* Each team must contain at least one fighter from each of the UFC, Bellator and PFL

* Each team is allowed no more than ONE active UFC or Bellator champion

The fighters will score points for the rest of the year, earning points for our teams.

Scoring System

The Brit Pack United Nations Fantasy MMA scores are determined by an adaptation of the PFL's league scoring system.

* Fight appearance: 1 point

* Win (of any kind): 3 points

* Additional bonus points for a finish:

* Round 1 finish: 3 points

* Round 2 finish: 2 points

* Round 3-5 finish: 1 point

* Championship bonus (for winning a title fight with any of the aforementioned promotions): 5 points

Check out the show and find out who went early, who went late, and decide which lineup has the best chance of success by the end of the year.

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

Could it be possible that a British fighter just locked up 2022’s Fight of the Year, Round of the Year AND Comeback of the Year honours in the space of just one round?

Liam Harrison’s incredible comeback against the “Elbow Zombie” Muangthai at ONE 156 was one of the highlights from an absolutely packed week of action as the world’s top promotions all put on a show (or, in Bellator’s case, two shows) for fight fans across the globe.

On the first episode of our post-weekend recap show, “The Rundown,” I take a look back at the biggest and best moments from a superb week of fights, starting with the PFL’s 2022 season curtain-raiser in Texas, continuing with ONE Championship's event in Singapore and Bellator’s double-header in Hawaii, and finishing with the UFC Fight Night event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

There’s also a little housekeeping, as I bring you bang up to date with developments with The Brit Pack, and what you can expect in the coming weeks and months.

Check out the show via the player above, and don’t forget to subscribe!

Thanks for checking out The Brit Pack MMA! Subscribe for free and get new shows sent straight to your inbox, every week.

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

Welcome to the first episode of a new spin-off pod, “United Nations,” as MMA Junkie Radio’s Gorgeous George and Goze join me to shoot the breeze on everything from upcoming MMA events to other sports and pop culture.

On the inaugural show, the trio chat about the upcoming Bellator double header in Hawaii, including the start of the Bellator bantamweight grand prix, as they offer their tournament predictions, and look ahead to Cris Cyborg’s latest title defence against familiar foe Arlene Blencowe.

The lads also chat about the upcoming World Cup, next year's Las Vegas Formula 1 Grand Prix and ask why Simon still hasn’t made an appearance at the MMA Junkie Radio studios at Mandalay Bay…

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 simonheadsport.substack.com

UFC 273 was another stellar pay-per-view, with two enthralling title fights that saw both champions retain their titles, while the welterweight bout between Khamzat Chimaev and Gilbert Burns delivered a Fight of the Year contender.

On this week’s show, Simon looks back at the big fights, and the big talking points, from Saturday night in Jacksonville as Alexander Volkanovski and Aljamain Sterling defended their belts in very different ways.

Volkanovski was a class above “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung as he finished his man early in the fourth round to extend his winning streak to 21 fights, while Sterling edged Petr Yan in a closely-contested title unification battle in the co-main event. Some complained about the scoring – Simon has his own take on the scorecards…

The show also bids a fond farewell to Sandhu, who is stepping away from the pod to focus on other projects. With increasing scheduling and work commitments making it increasingly difficult to get both lads behind the mic at the same time each week, running a “two-man booth” became untenable, and the show will now continue in a slightly different format, with Simon at the helm. And, who knows? Maybe the pair will reunite with Sandhu as a special guest at some point down the line…

We’ll have more news about what’s to come in the days and weeks ahead, but for now, make sure you subscribe to our Substack to make sure you don’t miss a thing. As always, thanks for supporting the show. Enjoy the fights this weekend!

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

After a relatively quiet week for MMA last week (check UFC Fight Pass to catch up on two stellar Cage Warriors cards, if you missed them) the UFC is back with a bang as it brings two title fights to the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena for UFC 273.

Reigning featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski headlines the card as he looks to make it 21 wins in a row with victory over “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung, who will be hoping the second time’s the charm as he gets a second chance to capture UFC gold, eight years after his first.

The co-main features a bantamweight title unification battle between reigning champ Aljamain Sterling and the man whose disqualification gifted the title to “The Funkmaster,” Petr Yan. To say there’s some heat in this one would be an understatement, but who will come out with bragging rights, and the belt?

Remarkably, despite the two title fights at the top of the card, the welterweight contender clash between Gilbert Burns and Khamzat Chimaev has already threatened to steal the show. The level of anticipation for this one is right up there, and may even be higher than the two title fights in terms of sheer fan interest.

It’s the acid test for Chimaev, who has looked every inch a title threat without ever actually facing elite-level opposition. That will change on Saturday when he faces No. 2-ranked Burns, who briefly had reigning champ Kamaru Usman on skates before eventually losing out to “The Nigerian Nightmare.”

It’s a big night in Florida, and ahead of UFC 273, Simon flies solo to mark your card ahead of fight night as he previews the big matchups, along with some pre-fight comments from reigning champions Volkanovski and Sterling, plus Burns, as The Brit Pack MMA Podcast sets the scene ahead of the UFC’s latest pay-per-view extravaganza.

Enjoy the fights, and don’t forget to like 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

It’s not often we talk about ONE Championship on this show, but this week, it was more than justified, as Asia’s biggest martial arts promotion put on a bumper card of fights to celebrate its 10th anniversary.

ONE X was a 10-hour, 20-bout marathon of fight action that would have tested even the most avid of fans, but (after missing the first few bouts, which started VERY early in the morning, UK-time) Simon watched all three cards of action, and was gripped by what he saw.

Sandhu is over in Dallas, Texas, for WrestleMania, and he’ll bring us bang up to date with his travels upon his return. It means that, on this week’s show, Si flies solo to recap ONE X’s huge card, then takes a look back at UFC on ESPN 33 as Curtis Blaydes picked up a big win in the main event in Columbus, Ohio.

Simon also marks your card ahead of a Cage Warriors double-header in Manchester as the UK-based promotion takes centre stage on a relatively quiet weekend for live MMA.

Enjoy the fights, and 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

Oh, what a night!

After three years away, the UFC returned to London, where a card packed with the cream of British fighting talent, backed by 18,000 raucous fans, blew the roof off the O2 Arena on a memorable night in the English capital.

The Brit Pack was on the ground at UFC London, with Sandhu working as part of the BT Sport team, and Simon covering the event as part of a packed media corps – and the event surpassed all expectations to deliver an event that might just have been the best UFC show ever staged on these shores.

With the dust finally settled on a spectacular night, and with Sandhu somewhere over the Atlantic on his way home, Simon got behind the mic to fly solo for a bumper UFC London post-fight recap as he shares his thoughts from his experience watching the action from cageside at the O2 Arena.

We also hear from some of the night’s big winners, with post-fight press conference audio from Tom Aspinall, Arnold Allen, Paddy Pimblett, and Paul Craig. By way of a bonus, we’ve also tacked Dana White’s croaky, but happy, post-fight presser onto the very end of the show.

It means this week’s edition is a biggie. But, after the biggest night of fights we’ve seen in the UK for years, we think it’s worth it.

Don’t forget to subscribe, either via our Substack, or via the podcast provider of your choice, and please hop over to your YouTube channel and hit the subscribe button so you’re all prepped and ready for when we flip the switch and go to video.

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

We’ve been waiting for three long years, but finally the UFC octagon has returned to the UK.

UFC London is all set to go down on Saturday night, with a capacity crowd of 20,000 fans expected to pack the O2 Arena for a fight card stacked with the cream of the UK’s fighting talent.

Both Simon and Sandhu will be in London to work the event, and ahead of fight night, Simon flies solo to bring you a whistlestop preview of the fight card as he breaks down the key fights on the bill, and highlights some of the most interesting storylines that underpin the matchups on Saturday night’s card.

* Will Tom Aspinall announce himself as a legitimate heavyweight title contender with victory over Alexander Volkov in the main event?

* Can Arnold Allen extend his win streak by handing Dan Hooker a defeat on the Kiwi’s return to the featherweight division?

* Will Paddy Pimblett deliver another show-stealing performance?

* Can Molly McCann add another win to her resume and edge closer to a shot at the UFC women’s flyweight championship?

* And can Paul Craig continue his impressive run of form at light heavyweight to move towards a shot at the title at 205 pounds?

We’ll learn the answers to these questions, and a whole lot more, on a packed night of fights this weekend.

Enjoy the show, and enjoy the fights!

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