The Head Line with Simon Head

One of the biggest fight nights of 2021 is set to go down in Las Vegas on Saturday, October 9, and The Brit Pack will have boots on the ground in Sin City for Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder 3.

Sandhu will be making the trip down from Toronto, Canada to Las Vegas, Nevada for the huge WBC heavyweight title clash as he makes his first foray into live event coverage since the start of the pandemic.

Sandhu’s trip follows hot on the heels of Simon’s first such assignment, as he reported back on a big night of fights at the SSE Arena, Wembley, for Bellator 267, as Michael “Venom” Page edged a split-decision verdict in his rematch with former three-time welterweight champion Douglas Lima.

On this week’s show, the pair look back at fight night in London, and cast their thoughts toward Fury-Wilder 3. There’s also time to look back at UFC Vegas 38, (including a controversial finish to the co-main event between Kevin Holland and Kyle Daukaus) and look ahead to a pivotal bout for the women’s strawweight division as Mackenzie Dern and Marina Rodriguez face of in the main event of UFC Vegas 39.

Enjoy the show, and don’t forget to rate and review us!

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To borrow the famous tagline of Australian former Formula 1 ace Mark Webber, UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski showed true “Aussie grit” as he retained his undisputed title in the main event of UFC 266.

Volkanovski claimed a landslide decision on the scorecards after his bout with Brian Ortega went the distance, but the 49-46, 50-45, 50-44 scorecards don’t tell the full story of the fight, as Volkanovski showed remarkable composure and determination to fight his way not one, but two deep Ortega chokes in Round 3 before proceeding to batter the challenger to a near TKO at the end of the same round.

Things were much more straightforward for the other world champion on show, as Valentina Shevchenko took the opportunity to show us what most fans already know – that she’s one of the most complete mixed martial artists, male or female, on the planet.

On this week’s show, we look back at the two title fights from Las Vegas and offer our take on Nick Diaz’s comeback defeat to Robbie Lawler in their main card matchup.

We also look ahead to Bellator 267 as world-class MMA finally makes a return to England with a dynamite rematch between London’s own Michael “Venom” Page and the only man to defeat him, three-time former welterweight champion Douglas Lima.

There’s also time to look ahead to Saturday’s UFC event at the UFC Apex, as the spectacular Johnny Walker gets his chance to gatecrash the light heavyweight title picture when he takes on former title challenger Thiago Santos.

It’s another packed show, 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

He may be 46 years of age, but Anderson Silva showed the combat sports world that he is still more than capable of putting people away, with his clinical knockout of fellow former UFC champion Tito Ortiz the highlight of the Triller Fight Club: Legends II event last weekend.

On this week’s show, we look back at the at times controversial event in Florida, as Silva and another former UFC champ, Vitor Belfort, picked up first-round wins in the co-main and main event bouts, respectively. But the fact that Belfort’s win came at the expense of a 58-year-old Evander Holyfield left a sour taste in the mouth for some.

We also give our quickfire take on Conor McGregor’s latest appearance in the headlines, thanks to a flashpoint with Machine Gun Kelly at the MTV VMAs, before looking ahead to a double-header of fight nights, as the UFC and Bellator go head to head on Saturday night with light heavyweight main event bouts.

UFC Fight Night 192 features a battle between former title challenger Anthony Smith and rising contender Ryan Spann, while Bellator’s headliner sees the long-awaited promotional debut of “The Soldier of God” himself, Yoel Romero. But the Cuban powerhouse faces an extremely tough task on his first trip to the Bellator cage, as he takes on former 205-pound champion Phil Davis.

British fans will also be tuning in on BBC iPlayer to check out the latest chapter of Saul Rogers’ career, as “The Hangman” returns to 155 pounds for the first time since his pre-Bellator days to take on Georgi Karakhanyan, who is in form and fighting for his Bellator future in the final fight of his current contract.

Check out the show, and don’t forget to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, and spread the word by giving us a shout out via your social media channels.

Enjoy the show, then 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

UFC Vegas 36 (or UFC Fight Night 191, if you prefer) was supposed to take place in London, England. But some of U.K.’s top rising stars made the UFC Apex a home away from home as they served up impressive performances in Las Vegas on Saturday night.

Things may not have gone Darren Till’s way in the main event, but prior to the headline bout, we saw huge performances from Jack Shore, Molly McCann, Tom Aspinall and Paddy Pimblett, as the former Cage Warriors stars put on a show for the fans watching on TV (and the few lucky ones who managed to get inside the UFC Apex on the day).

On this week’s show, we look back at the event and focus on the performances of the U.K.-based fighters in Las Vegas, offering our take on what could be next for each of them.

We also debate the controversial oblique kick technique that Khalil Rountree used to great effect to score his win over London-based Lithuanian Modestas Bukauskas. Should the technique be banned, or be considered fair game in the world’s toughest sport?

Enjoying our show? Don’t forget to share on social media (tag us, @TheBritPackMMA, @simonhead and @SandhuMMA) and if you could rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, that’ll be a huge help, too. We’re still trying to grow this thing and your reviews and ratings could help us be seen (and heard) by more people in the weeks and months ahead.

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

The Brit Pack is back to recap a packed weekend of MMA action and look ahead to a pivotal event for a host of British fighters at the UFC Apex.

First, we look back at the final round of PFL Playoffs, as England’s Brendan Loughnane agonisingly lost out on a place in the final via split decision to Russian contender Movlid Khaybulaev.

Then we move on to the action at the UFC Apex as Giga Chikadze delivered a stellar performance to defeat veteran striker Edson Barboza and announce himself as the featherweight division’s newest contender.

We also give our reaction to the previous night’s event in Cleveland, Ohio, as Jake Paul continued his unbeaten start to life as a professional boxer with a split-decision win over former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley. Should people still doubt “The Problem Child,” or should he get more respect than he’s receiving? Also, what did we make of Woodley’s performance, and subsequent pleas for a rematch?

Finally, we look ahead to UFC Fight Night at the UFC Apex as England’s own Darren Till gets set to headline in a crucial bout for his middleweight title quest when he takes on the in-form Derek Brunson on a card featuring a host of Brits.

It’s a packed show, 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

With no UFC card at the weekend, the attention of the MMA-watching world was on Bellator and PFL, who went head to head with solid cards of action last Friday night.

Bellator 264 saw middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi retain his 185-pound title with victory over No. 1 contender John Salter, while former welterweight champion Andrey Koreshkov marked his return to the Bellator cage with an impressive win.

Bantamweight contender Raufeon Stots also had a night to remember, as he became the only man not named Petr Yan to hand Russian contender Magomed Magomedov an L.

Meanwhile, there was controversy over at the PFL Playoffs, as Clay Collard was denied a place in the $1 million lightweight season final after a hotly disputed unanimous decision went the way of his opponent Raush Manfio – despite the majority of those watching scoring the fight for “Cassius.”

Things were more clear cut at welterweight, however, as former champions Ray Cooper III and Magomed Magomedkerimov both picked up clear decision wins to book a titanic ex-champ vs. ex-champ battle for the 2021 170-pound crown.

On this week’s show, we recap both events, and also take a look ahead to the weekend’s offerings, with Bellator, PFL and the UFC all hosting fight cards.

There’s also time to discuss Dustin Poirier’s next move, as he continues to cross words with Nate Diaz on social media. Would he really rather face Diaz than challenge Charles Oliveira for the UFC lightweight title? We give our take.

It’s another packed show, 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

UFC 265 may have been denied the added value of an Amanda Nunes title fight, but the event still delivered plenty of superb action, with France’s Ciryl Gane coming of age by capturing the interim UFC heavyweight title in only his 10th professional fight.

“Bon Gamin” produced a near-flawless display to finish Derrick Lewis in the third round and set up a mouthwatering unification clash with the undisputed champ, former teammate and training partner Francis Ngannou.

On this week’s episode, we take a look back at an action-packed fight card in Houston, Texas, including headline-making performances from Jose Aldo, Vicente Luque and Rafael Fiziev.

We also discuss the confirmed booking of Darren Till vs. Derek Brunson for September 4, though the original plan of holding the event in London appears to have been scrapped, and look ahead to a trio of big events set for this coming Friday, with ONE Championship, the PFL and Bellator all set to host shows this weekend.

Don’t forget to rate and review us on Apple Podcast to help us move up their podcast charts, and feel free to spread the word and recommend us to your MMA-watching friends on social media, 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

On a packed weekend of MMA, Bellator took centre stage with a huge card at The Forum in Inglewood, California as A.J. McKee rose to the featherweight summit at Bellator 263.

McKee finished two-division champion Patricio Pitbull in less than two minutes in the final of the Bellator featherweight Grand Prix to extend his perfect record to 18-0 and become Bellator’s biggest star.

On this week’s show, we look back at McKee’s stunning $1 million win and debate which featherweight is the best in the world.

We also look back at the UFC Fight Night card at the UFC Apex as Sean Strickland defeated Uriah Hall to potentially gatecrash the middleweight top 10, and also look ahead to the battle for the vacant interim heavyweight title at UFC 265 next weekend, as Houston’s Derrick Lewis headlines in his home town as he goes for gold against undefeated French phenom Ciryl Gane.

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

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The already stacked UFC bantamweight division was bolstered by the return of former undisputed champ T.J. Dillashaw after he defeated top contender Cory Sandhagen in the main event of UFC Vegas 32.

Dillashaw returned from a two-year USADA suspension to defeat Sandhagen via split decision after five super-competitive rounds at the UFC Apex, and on this week’s instalment of the podcast, we look back at his performance and assess where that victory leaves both him and Sandhagen in a crowded bantamweight title picture.

We also run through the rest of the main card before looking ahead to the next UFC Fight Night event at the Apex as Uriah Hall and Sean Strickland get set to face off in the latest UFC main event.

We also look ahead to a huge night for Bellator, as Patricio Freire and A.J. McKee face off in the final of the Bellator featherweight Grand Prix with “Pitbull’s” 145-pound title on the line.

And we react to the breaking news that Kamaru Usman will take on Colby Covington in a welterweight title rematch at UFC 268 later this year.

It’s another packed show, 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

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On paper, this weekend’s UFC Vegas 31 event at the UFC Apex was a fight card that offered a couple of bouts of interest to the hard-core MMA fan. But, as is often the case with underestimated fight cards, the bouts delivered in spades as the Apex saw a night packed with finishes.

The main event saw Islam Makhachev score a dominant win, but was it enough to see him gatecrash the division’s top five? Meanwhile, Miesha Tate returned to the UFC after more than four and a half years away and became the first woman to finish Marion Reneau before announcing that she’s not here for a fight, she’s here for a belt.

On this week’s show, we discuss the very different career trajectories for both Makhachev and Tate, and debate the likely next steps for both athletes.

We also catch up on the latest news from Conor McGregor as the Irish superstar emerged from surgery with a renewed determination to return in style after his broken leg sustained at UFC 264.

We also recap Bellator 262, as Juliana Velasquez retained her title by the slimmest of margins, and preview UFC Vegas 32, where T.J. Dillashaw returns from his two-year USADA drugs ban to face in-form contender Cory Sandhagen in a mouthwatering main event clash.

It’s another packed one, so settle in for another hour of fighting talk with a distinctly British flavour!

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