The Head Line with Simon Head

We all knew there would be drama at UFC 264, but nobody could have predicted what we witnessed on a wild night in Las Vegas as crowds returned to the T-Mobile Arena for Poirier vs. McGregor III.

We had a wild opening round between the two main event stars, with Poirier looking outstanding after a strong start by McGregor. But an awful broken leg sustained by “The Notorious” meant a bout that was already at full throttle hit the brakes earlier than we’d hoped.

McGregor’s immediate comments in the aftermath of the fight were controversial to say the least, as was the decision to actually interview a man with a broken leg in the octagon in the first place. But what seems clear is the bad blood between the pair has far from dissipated. Poirier vs. McGregor 4 sometime early in 2022? Don’t be surprised.

Despite all of the main event drama, this was an event packed with action, with the main card delivering a truckload of action.

Gilbert Burns’ win over Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson may not make it into any “Fight of the Year” conversations, but it might just be the most important win of “Durinho’s” UFC career.

But if things were a little cagey in the co-main event, the rest of the main card more than made up for it.

Sean O’Malley turned on the style against the ludicrously tough debutant Kris Moutinho in the main card opener to score a third-round TKO finish, while Mexico’s Irene Aldana showed her striking skills with a hugely impressive finish of fellow bantamweight contender Yana Kunitskaya.

But the man who stole the show was undoubtedly Aussie slugger Tai Tuivasa, who danced to the octagon to the Spice Girls’ “Wannabe,” knocked out Greg Hardy inside a round and celebrated with a round of shoeys with the crowd, including one with a cheeky fan who “spiked” his drink with a large dose of Poirier’s hot sauce.

In summary, it was yet another crazy night in the UFC. Recap it all, and join with us in our post-Euro 2020 final despair, on a bumper edition of The Brit Pack MMA Podcast.

And if you love the show, do us a favour! Let people know on social media. Spread the word. And don’t forget to rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts. It all really helps, and we really appreciate it!

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The UFC is 100 per cent back. The octagon is back at the T-Mobile Arena this weekend, with the sport’s biggest star set to take centre stage in a massive fight, not only for the UFC, but for him personally.

Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier each hold a win over the other heading into UFC 264 on Saturday night, but who holds the edge going into the trilogy fight, and who has the best route to victory when they face off for the third time?

We try to unpick the matchup, consider the various possibilities and discuss the stakes for both men as we take a deep-dive preview into the huge main event this weekend. We also run down the rest of the UFC 264 main card, and offer our predictions along the way.

It’s a huge fight, on a huge card, on a huge night for the UFC. Start your fight week with us, right here!

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The build-up to UFC 264 is well and truly underway, and we’re on hand to offer our way-too-early predictions for each of the main card bouts at the T-Mobile Arena on July 10.

As well as our early pugilistic prognostications, we also take a look back at UFC Fight Night: Gane vs. Volkov from the UFC Apex, as “Bon Gamin” picked up another key victory. But was it enough to put him next in line for a title shot after Derrick Lewis?

We assess the likely path to a title fight for Gane, while also looking back through an entertaining card of fights that had a little bit of everything.

We also discuss Bellator 261 and look ahead to the upcoming semi-final bouts as the PFL’s Playoff bouts have all been locked in.

It’s another busy show (aren’t they all?!) and it’s 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 this week’s episode of The Brit Pack, we look back at UFC Fight Night at the UFC Apex, as “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung showed his class and put himself right back in the title mix at 145 pounds.

We run down the card and highlight the top performers of the night in Las Vegas, before chatting about former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva’s superb performance as he showed some of his old “Spider” swagger in his victory over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

We also take a look ahead to Bellator 261 and UFC Fight Night in Vegas, as heavyweights take centre stage at the top of both cards, before discussing Ariel Helwani’s departure from ESPN and return to independent MMA coverage.

It’s another busy hour of chat, and we hope you’ll enjoy it.

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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What a weekend that was! With PFL on Thursday night, Bellator on Friday and UFC on Saturday night, MMA fans got more than their fill of combat sports action, and UFC 263 was the perfect main course to a superb weekend of fights.

Israel Adesanya returned to middleweight and showed the world why he’s been untouchable at 185 pounds as he pitched a shutout against Marvin Vettori, while Brandon Moreno provided the feel-good story of the MMA year so far with his emotional submission win over Deiveson Figueiredo to capture the undisputed flyweight title. Kudos, too, to Figueiredo for his reaction to defeat, which was just about as classy as you’ll find in this sport.

It was a big night, too, for Leon Edwards, who defeated Nate Diaz in their special five-round welterweight showcase, despite a late scare when Diaz looked close to scoring a finish on the Brit, whose performance up to the final 60 seconds was absolutely sublime.

The event also delivered a gruesome viral moment, a Paul Craig dislocated Jamahal Hill’s arm, with the referee seemingly oblivious to the fact. Thankfully, Craig was able to secure the win and Hill remarkably avoided any broken bones from the incident.

We also look back at Bellator 260, where a new champion was crowned at 170 pounds as Yaroslav Amosov extended his perfect professional record at the expense of welterweight champion Douglas Lima and his title, and PFL 4, where Claressa Shields picked up a win on her MMA debut and Brendan Loughnane won a “Fight of the Year” contender with Tyler Diamond to book his place in the featherweight semi-finals and put him just two wins away from a major title and a cool $1million.

It’s a packed show to recap a packed weekend in MMA. Enjoy!

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It's been quite the week in combat sports, with a UFC fight night card in Las Vegas dwarfed by the crazy goings-on in Miami as Floyd Mayweather's mismatch world tour continued against Logan Paul.

However, "The Maverick" turned out to be a much more tricky opponent than even Mayweather himself thought he'd be, as the YouTuber bit down on his gumshield and, despite being comprehensively outboxed, made it to the end of their eight-round exhibition bout at the Hard Rock Stadium.

But, with the hoop-la and ludicrousness of Mayweather's latest money-printing appearance now in the history books, the UFC is ready to show the world what elite-level combat sport looks like with an absolutely stacked card of fights this Saturday night.

UFC 263 features a pair of world title fights, as pound-for-pound star Israel Adesanya returns to middleweight looking to retain his title – and keep his perfect record at 185 pounds – following his unsuccessful tilt at Jan Blachowicz's light-heavyweight title.

Adesanya takes on Marvin Vettori, the only middleweight to have defeated the Kiwi in the eyes of an official judge following "The Last Stylebender's" split-decision win over the Italian in their first meeting.

Adesanya may have the star power, but the co-main event could steal the show, as flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo and challenger Brandon Moreno renew hostilities after their brilliant first meeting at UFC 256 was scored a majority draw.

And there's a five-round welterweight feature on the main card, as England's own Leon Edwards takes on Nate Diaz in a fight that could, one way or another, go a long way to determining the welterweight title picture for the second half of the year.

Below those three fights, the card is stacked from top to tail, with three more Brits, Scotland's Paul Craig and Joanne Calderwood, plus England's Darren Stewart, also set for action in pivotal bouts in their respective careers.

It all adds up to a packed show of review and preview chat as we pick through last week's action before setting the table for a huge night of fights this coming weekend.

Enjoy the show, and don't forget to subscribe, rate and review. Your support means the world to 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

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It’s been something of a quiet week in MMA, but business will start to pick up again this weekend when the octagon reopens for business at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Heavyweights are on the menu this weekend, with heavy-handed Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Augusto Sakai set to go toe to toe in the night’s main event, while octagon veterans Walt Harris and Marcin Tybura face off in the co-main feature.

On this week’s show we take a look at both heavyweight encounters, and also spotlight some of the other matchups we’re looking forward to this weekend, including the return of a couple of British stars looking to make a point.

We also discuss the long-awaited return to action of Yair Rodriguez, who comes back to the cage to face former champ Max Holloway in a huge matchup at 145 pounds, and former light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones, who now has new representation in the form of Richard Schafer.

We break it all down and weigh in with our takes as we bring you right up to speed ahead of fight night this weekend.

Enjoy the show, then enjoy the fights!

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The New England Cartel’s Rob Font put on a jabbing masterclass in the main event of UFC Vegas 27 as he outboxed former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt to stake his claim for a shot at championship gold at 135 pounds.

But, with Aljamain Sterling out injured, Petr Yan next in line for a rematch, and Cory Sandhagen and TJ Dillashaw set to throw down, where does Font’s win leave him in the title picture?

That’s one of the questions we attempt to answer on this week’s edition of the show as we pick through the key talking points from last week’s UFC action.

We also recap Bellator 259, as Cris Cyborg retained her women’s featherweight title on a bad night for the Brits (unless your name’s Leah McCourt…) in Uncasville.

In addition, we discuss the other key talking points of the week in combat sport, including the collapse of the Anthony Joshua-Tyson Fury unification fight, as Deontay Wilder, with a little help from an independent arbitrator, gatecrashed the heavyweight title picture once again.

Check out the show via Substack, Spotify, Apple Podcasts or YouTube, where our audio-only offering is soon to become an all-singing, all-dancing* video show.

Do us a favour and hit subscribe wherever you listen to us, and if there’s a facility to rate and review, please do. Your support really does help!

* Without the singing or dancing.

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UFC 262 delivered another packed night of talking points from the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas as a new champion was crowned in the 155-pound division.

On this week’s episode of the show, we break down what it means for the UFC to have Charles Oliveira as the new lightweight champion following his dramatic second-round TKO finish of Michael Chandler in Saturday night’s main event.

We also look at Beneil Dariush’s win and post-fight callouts, and wonder if the always-respectful lightweight contender may have missed a golden opportunity to land himself a huge fight.

We also discuss the other big talking points from fight night in Houston, including Edson Barboza’s victory over Shane Burgos, Katlyn Chookagian’s latest decision victory and Andre Muniz’s shocking arm-break technical submission of Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza.

There’s also some boxing chat, as we discuss the confirmation of the first Anthony Joshua vs. Tyson Fury fight, and share some per-punch earning stats that will make your head spin, and a quick look ahead to the UFC Fight Night event this coming weekend, as the octagon returns to the UFC Apex with a pivotal bout in the bantamweight division.

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

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It’s been a while since we’ve seen the UFC lightweight title on the line, but the belt is back up for grabs, and we’re guaranteed a brand new champion when first-time challengers Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler face off in the main event of UFC 262.

It’s a huge fight, and one that will kickstart a new era for the UFC’s 155-pound division following the retirement of the undefeated Khabib Nurmagomedov. But who will walk away as the new champion?

Will it be Brazilian finisher Oliveira, who is riding an eight-fight winning streak and has finished all bar one of them in his run to Saturday night’s title fight.

Or will it be Chandler, who may only be competing in his second UFC fight, but he’s proved his championship credentials as a three-time lightweight champ in Bellator.

On this week’s show, we’ll share our predictions for that fight, as well as the rest of the main card as we deep dive through the pay-per-view matchups set for action on Saturday night.

We also discuss some of the recent news in the sport, as Conor McGregor tops the Forbes’ money list for 2021, despite only fighting for seven and a half minutes this year (and just 40 seconds in 2020!), debate Dan Hardy’s next move and get excited at the prospect of the UFC potentially returning to London, England later this year.

It’s all packed into a one-hour feast of fighting talk, 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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