Episode 462: Can AJ McKee become a star if he stays in Bellator?

$HOAM | How Should the UFC Book Paddy Pimblett Next?: When Paddy Pimblett is ready to return to the octagon — whether it be at UFC 282 in December, or when the promotion heads back to London in 2023 — how should the UFC book him, and how much of a step up should he get? On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck discusses options for Pimblett, including his suggestion from this week's edition of On To the Next One with a fight against UFC Vegas 61 winner Mike Davis. Additionally, listener suggestions include referees allowing multiple infractions to go without any penalty, Bo Nickal's interview on The MMA Hour and his thoughts about fighting on the prelims, the lightweight title picture, Charles Oliveira being the underdog against Islam Makhachev at UFC 280, Mark Zuckerberg attending UFC Vegas 61, and more. You can listen live to Heck of a Morning Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays at 10 a.m. ET on the MMA Fighting Twitter Spaces.$

On To the Next One | Matches To Make After UFC 291: While Justin Gaethje will likely find himself in a UFC lightweight title fight following his incredible knockout win to capture the BMF title in the main event of UFC 291, Dustin Poirier now finds himself in a tough and interesting spot with his next move. Who would make sense for Poirier to fight next inside the octagon? On an all-new edition of On To the Next One, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck and Alexander K. Lee discuss what's next for Gaethje and Poirier after their headliner at Saturday's pay-per-view event. Additionally, future matchups are discussed for Alex Pereira and Jan Blachowicz following Pereira's split decision win in the co-main event, Derrick Lewis after his memorable finish and free agency announcement, Bobby Green after submitting Tony Ferguson, Kevin Holland following his first-round finish of Michael Chiesa, and more. by MMA Fighting

71 min listen

HOAM | Bellator 290 vs. UFC Vegas 68, Bellator Honoring Legends For Fedor's Final Fight: With a historic event for Bellator MMA this Saturday, they are putting their best foot forward in the heads up battle with the UFC, which includes the final fight of Fedor Emelianenko's legendary career, along with the sendoff "The Last Emperor" will receive. On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck discusses Saturday's doubleheader, and explains why Bellator 290 is far better than UFC Vegas 68 on paper. Additionally, listener questions include Bellator president Scott Coker's announcement of a host of MMA legends attending the event to honor Emelianenko following his heavyweight title fight with Ryan Bader, the hopes of seeing more things like that to remember the history of the sport, Bloody Elbow's future, whether or not UFC 284 is getting enough promotion, Islam Makhachev vs. Alexander Volkanovski, how Kamaru Usman matches up with Leon Edwards ahead of UFC 286, and by MMA Fighting

76 min listen

BTL | Epic UFC 300 Reaction, Pereira Does It Again, Holloway's Viral KO, McGregor Return Official: UFC 300 over exceeded the lofty expectations, and when the dust settled on the epic UFC pay-per-view event, Alex Pereira knocked out Jamahal Hill in quick fashion to retain his light heavyweight title, before calling for a heavyweight fight at UFC 301 in less than three weeks. On an all-new edition of Between the Links, the panel discusses Pereira's sensational finish, if he should fight at heavyweight in Brazil next, who should be next for the title shot at 205, and where Hill goes from the loss. Additionally, they'll recap Max Holloway's history-shifting knockout of Justin Gaethje to win the BMF title, discuss the plethora of options in front of him, what's next for Gaethje, Zhang Weili's dominant win over Yan Xiaonan, other superlatives and storylines coming from Saturday's blockbuster card, Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler announced for UFC 303, Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier by MMA Fighting

98 min listen

HOAM | What's Next For Dustin Poirier? Reaction To PFL PPV Price Tag, More: After a chaotic battle with Michael Chandler in the featured bout of UFC 281 this past Saturday at Madison Square Garden, what could be next for Dustin Poirier in the lightweight division? On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck discusses potential options for Poirier and how close he could be to getting another chance to fight for the UFC lightweight title. Additionally, topics include the PFL announcing that the PFL World Championship pay-per-view will cost $49.99, the potential for an Alex Pereira vs. Israel Adesanya immediate rematch, if Derrick Lewis could make another heavyweight championship run if he's victorious in the UFC Vegas 65 main event, Erin Blanchfield's ceiling after stopping Molly McCann, and much more. You can listen live to Heck of a Morning Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays at 10 a.m. ET on the MMA Fighting Twitter Spaces. by MMA Fighting

73 min listen

HOAM | Will Dustin Poirier Get Next Title Shot vs. Islam Makhachev?: Dustin Poirier wants to be Islam Makahchev's next challenger for the UFC lightweight title coming off of his finish of Michael Chandler this past November at UFC 281. What are the chances "The Diamond" gets his wish? On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting's Mike Heck discusses why it shouldn't come as a surprise of Poirier does end up fighting Makhachev for the title next, even if Beneil Dariush beats Charles Oliveira at UFC 288 in May. Additionally, topics include Tatiana Suarez's return to the octagon this Saturday and her plan to move back down to strawweight after UFC Vegas 70, Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 for the vacant heavyweight title, who Jones could fight next if he loses to Gane, Curtis Blaydes vs. Sergei Pavlovich being announced as the main event of the UFC's April 22 card, and more. You can listen live to Heck of a Morning Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays at 10 a.m. ET on the M by MMA Fighting

76 min listen