Shaun and Chuck are joined by Justin Gaethje’s head coach and trainer, Trevor Wittman, to discuss Justin’s headlining bout against Tony Ferguson for the interim Lightweight title at UFC 249, the unique lead-up to the fight set to take place inside an empty arena, Justin’s mindset throughout this whole process, the emotional roller coaster of cornering someone like Justin Gaethje, game-planning against Tony Ferguson’s unpredictability, and much more.

Plus, the guys each highlight the matchup they’re most intrigued by on the stacked UFC 249 undercard, making their picks, and their respective Lock of the Night, along the way.

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Shaun, Chuck, and Producer Chris open up the mailbag a little over a week before live MMA fights begin again and answer some great listener questions: any fighters you weren’t necessarily a fan of early on win you over? If you could book a rematch of any UFC fight in history, what would it be? Is there any fighter that gives you anxiety to watch? Which fighter would you like to see compete at a higher weightclass in their prime? Jordan or LeBron? If you could place one fighter from history in their prime into today’s UFC, who would it be? What one MMA trade would you make? What’s the best cross-division fight you can make right now? … and more!

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As a return to fighting at UFC 249 fast approaches, Shaun and Chuck dedicate this episode to the two men headlining the event, Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje.

First, the guys take a look back at three of Justin Gaethje’s most important fights, a Lightweight title defense against Luis Palomino at WSOF 19, his UFC debut against Michael Johnson at the TUF 25 Finale, and his first professional loss to Eddie Alvarez at UFC 218, and discuss what each of these bouts taught us about “The Highlight” both in the moment and in retrospect.

Then, the guys compare and contrast the records of Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson to determine who has the better resume, as well as decide if an “El Cucuy” victory over Justin Gaethje next week changes the equation at all.

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Shaun, Chuck, and Producer Chris continue on to the second edition of their MMA Global Redraft, this time featuring fighters from the Welterweight division, picking eight active contenders from any promotion, plus two legend picks, over the course of a ten-round snake draft.

Plus, the guys recap the results of their Lightweight division redraft and close the show, as always, by handing out their Interim Titles of the Week.

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Shaun and Chuck are joined by former UFC Lightweight champion, Frankie “The Answer” Edgar, to take a look back and give his insights on being involved in one of the sport’s best trilogies against Gray Maynard. Plus, Frankie talks about his possible Octagon return against Aljamain Sterling, and more.

First, the guys break down all the three fights, starting at UFC Fight Night 13, continuing through UFC 125, and ending at UFC 136, and discuss what the trilogy means for each fighter’s legacy, its impact on the history of the Lightweight division, where it ranks amongst all-time great trilogies, and much more.

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Shaun and Chuck talk about the UFC targeting a new, stacked card for May 9 at a yet-to-be-disclosed location and discuss whether this event feels more feasible than UFC 249, which was set for April 18, Tony Ferguson vs. Justin Gaethje headlining, the seemingly out-of-whack betting odds on whether the event will actually happen or not, and more.

Then, the guys run through their first ever MMA Global Redraft featuring fighters from the Lightweight division, picking five current 55ers from any promotion, plus one legend pick, over the course of a six round snake draft.

And, as always, the guys close the show by handing out their Interim Titles of the Week.

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Shaun and Chuck discuss the cancelation of UFC 249, four days removed from Disney pulling the plug on the event, how things could’ve played out differently if Dana White and the UFC had taken the total opposite approach, the vitriol towards the MMA media from fans, if a Conor McGregor-headlined event in July is the right time to kick things off again, Fight Island as a feasible plan, and whether or not everything was worth it if it means Khabib-Ferguson is going to happen after all.

Plus, the guys talk about Dominick Cruz’s potential return to the Octagon against Henry Cejudo for the Bantamweight title with Jose Aldo quarantined in Brazil, Chris Weidman revealing he accepted eventually-scrapped fights against Edmen Shahbazyan and Yoel Romero, and Ronda Rousey’s recent comments about “ungrateful” WWE fans.

And, the guys close the show with a quick discussion about one of the worst cards in UFC history, UFC 149, and reimagine the event if everything that got canceled had stayed intact.

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On this emergency edition of the The Man and the MITH, Shaun and Chuck are joined by The Athletic MMA’s managing editor, Dann Stupp, and senior writer, Ben Fowlkes, to give their immediate reactions to the sudden cancelation of UFC 249, after the heads of Disney and ESPN told Dana White to stand down, a little over a week away from the event.

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Shaun, Chuck, and Producer Chris flash back to UFC 199 and revisit one of MMA’s most incredible upsets with Michael Bisping stepping into the main event on two-weeks’ notice and knocking out Luke Rockhold to capture the Middleweight title, as well as Dominick Cruz successfully defending his Bantamweight crown in a trilogy fight against his longtime rival Urijah Faber in the co-main event, Max Holloway putting on eye-opening performance against Ricardo Lamas, featuring an all-time classic throwdown in the final ten seconds of round three, Dan Henderson’s vicious stoppage of Hector Lombard, and more.

Plus, the guys discuss other undercard highlights, Dan Henderson’s legacy, the highly entertaining and disrespectful post-fight press conference, the greatest what ifs and big picture takes, what’s aged the best and worst in retrospect, including Dana White’s now-infamous MMAFighting ban, the MVP of the night, and much more. And, to close the show, the guys hand out their first ever unanimous Interim Title of the Week.

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Shaun and Chuck react in real time to the breaking news that Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje will headline UFC 249 from “somewhere on Earth” for the interim Lightweight title on April 18 and discuss whether or not this event should even be happening, what this means for the uber-jinxed Khabib-Ferguson title fight, pay-per-view implications, and much more.

Before that, the guys kick off the show talking about the continuing saga that is Khabib vs. Tony Ferguson, Dana White getting trolled by the fake Ariel Helwani Twitter account, internet chatter calling for Khabib to be stripped of his 155 belt, and more.

Plus, the guys discuss Dana White’s recently revealed extortion case, TJ Dillashaw saying he has was promised a title fight upon his return from suspension, and Cody Garbrandt planning a move to Flyweight after his fight against Raphael Assuncao.

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