Podcasts about irish mma

Sean and Graeme talk old school Irish MMA, Caolan to PFL, Gilbert Burns lash hoorah, Shem & Frimpong and more! Follow Sean X.Com/SeanSheehanBA Follow Graeme X.Com/SevereMMA Join the fun and support our journalism on Patreon.com/SevereMMAPodcast Episode 517 is brought to you by our friends at @Cloudbet! We're breaking down all the madness from the weekend in MMA! Including PFL's signing of Caolan Loughran! Massive thanks to our sponsor @Cloudbet — the original crypto sportsbook.Live MMA betting, clean odds, and VIPs watching from private boxes

Sean is joined by Andy Stevenson of the Auld Triangle Podcast for a deep dive into this week's CW 188 card. The lads give an insider's view of Irish MMA, with a special eye toward the strong batch of Celtic warriors set to showcase their talents on Saturday in front of the Dublin faithful.0:00 Intro1:07 James Sheehan vs. Justin Burlinson12:28 James Webb vs. John Allan16:34 Paddy McCorry vs. Ghassan Abdenabi19:44 Kenny Mokhonoana vs. Matthew Elliott24:49 Running down the rest of CW 188 Dublin

This is Wednesday's OTB Breakfast Bite, your FREE bitesize taster of this morning's full Off The Ball Breakfast. On this morning's show, Alan Quinlan gave us his immediate reaction to a massive morning in Irish rugby with another All Blacks superstar to join Leinster, and Connacht's head coach exiting stage left. OTB's GAA correspondent Tommy Rooney began our preview of the weekend's action. Denis Walsh talks hurling. And we're joined in studio by Irish MMA star Paul Hughes. But this morning's Bite starts with Quinny, as he reacts to a huge morning in Irish rugby, and then Tommy introduces us to our nearest, youngest GAA pundit.Catch Off The Ball Breakfast LIVE weekday mornings from 7:30am or just search for Off The Ball Breakfast and get the podcast on the Off The Ball app. SUBSCRIBE at OffTheBall.com/join

This is Wednesday's OTB Breakfast Bite, your FREE bitesize taster of this morning's full Off The Ball Breakfast. On this morning's show, Alan Quinlan gave us his immediate reaction to a massive morning in Irish rugby with another All Blacks superstar to join Leinster, and Connacht's head coach exiting stage left. OTB's GAA correspondent Tommy Rooney began our preview of the weekend's action. Denis Walsh talks hurling. And we're joined in studio by Irish MMA star Paul Hughes. But this morning's Bite starts with Quinny, as he reacts to a huge morning in Irish rugby, and then Tommy introduces us to our nearest, youngest GAA pundit.Catch Off The Ball Breakfast LIVE weekday mornings from 7:30am or just search for Off The Ball Breakfast and get the podcast on the Off The Ball app. SUBSCRIBE at OffTheBall.com/join

This is Thursday's OTB Breakfast Bite, your FREE bitesize taster of this morning's full Off The Ball Breakfast. On this morning's show, we had reaction to Shane Curran's snap resignation as Carlow football manager, with Tommy Rooney. We looked ahead to Ireland's W6N game away to Italy with Grace Davitt. Owen Heary & Barry Murphy look ahead to this weekend's League of Ireland action, which includes Off The Ball's live coverage of Shamrock Rovers' meeting with Derry City. Plus, Irish MMA star Will Fleury joins us for his latest edition of You Had To Be There. And it's with Will's visit that we take our Bite, but not until we get the views of Owen Heary and Barry Murphy regarding the FAI's academy problems. Catch Off The Ball Breakfast LIVE weekday mornings from 7:30am or just search for Off The Ball Breakfast and get the podcast on the Off The Ball app. SUBSCRIBE at OffTheBall.com/join

This is Thursday's OTB Breakfast Bite, your FREE bitesize taster of this morning's full Off The Ball Breakfast. On this morning's show, we had reaction to Shane Curran's snap resignation as Carlow football manager, with Tommy Rooney. We looked ahead to Ireland's W6N game away to Italy with Grace Davitt. Owen Heary & Barry Murphy look ahead to this weekend's League of Ireland action, which includes Off The Ball's live coverage of Shamrock Rovers' meeting with Derry City. Plus, Irish MMA star Will Fleury joins us for his latest edition of You Had To Be There. And it's with Will's visit that we take our Bite, but not until we get the views of Owen Heary and Barry Murphy regarding the FAI's academy problems. Catch Off The Ball Breakfast LIVE weekday mornings from 7:30am or just search for Off The Ball Breakfast and get the podcast on the Off The Ball app. SUBSCRIBE at OffTheBall.com/join

Welcome to Wednesday's OTB Breakfast Bite - your bitesize sample of this morning's Off The Ball Breakfast.Things got started with the Cork GAA C.E.O. Kevin O'Donovan joining Ger Gilroy and Colm Boohig to discuss the fact that Cork's highly-anticipated game against Limerick this weekend will not be televised. Irish international Anna Caplice was up next to discuss Ireland's Six Nations clash with England on Saturday evening. And finally, the Irish MMA fighter Will Fleury joined us in studio to discuss his career in the sport and his forthcoming heavyweight title fight on March 8th. Up first though, we'll hear from the top of this morning's show where the lads debated the Cork vs Limerick confusion.Catch Off The Ball Breakfast LIVE weekday mornings from 7:30am or just search for Off The Ball Breakfast and get the podcast on the Off The Ball app. SUBSCRIBE at OffTheBall.com/join

Welcome to Wednesday's OTB Breakfast Bite - your bitesize sample of this morning's Off The Ball Breakfast.Things got started with the Cork GAA C.E.O. Kevin O'Donovan joining Ger Gilroy and Colm Boohig to discuss the fact that Cork's highly-anticipated game against Limerick this weekend will not be televised. Irish international Anna Caplice was up next to discuss Ireland's Six Nations clash with England on Saturday evening. And finally, the Irish MMA fighter Will Fleury joined us in studio to discuss his career in the sport and his forthcoming heavyweight title fight on March 8th. Up first though, we'll hear from the top of this morning's show where the lads debated the Cork vs Limerick confusion.Catch Off The Ball Breakfast LIVE weekday mornings from 7:30am or just search for Off The Ball Breakfast and get the podcast on the Off The Ball app. SUBSCRIBE at OffTheBall.com/join

On today's episode, Petesy is joined by fellow Irish media members Andy Stevenson and Donagh Corby.Corby, who is on the scene in Dubai, gave his account of the incident between Irish and Dagestani fans at the PFL's weigh-in for the fight between Usman Nurmagomedov and Paul Hughes (3:00).Stevenson underlined the impact a Hughes win could have on Irish MMA (18:00), before rebuking claims that this is a one-fight card (23:00) and lads gave their picks for the main event (32:00).The conversation moves to Arman Tsarukyan's sticky situation with the UFC and whether the lads believe he should lose his title opportunity due to an eleventh hour UFC 311 withdrawal (40:00).They also discuss the idea of Sean O'Malley meeting Cory Sandhagen instead of the former champion facing Merab Dvalishvili in a rematch (47:00).Finally, the lads rank what event they're looking forward the most this weekend between PFL, BKFC and the highly anticipated GFL Draft (51:45).

The Irish MMA fighter Will Fleury re-joined Off The Ball Breakfast this morning ahead of his OKTAGON MMA title bout with Karlos Vemola later this month. Now into his mid-30s, Fleury is viewing the fight in redemptive terms. Last year, while fighting on a Professional Fighters League card, Fleury was one among seven different fighters found to have tested positive for a prohibited substance. He was hit with a 9-month suspension and fined in excess of $3000. With remarkable candour, Fleury spoke to Ger Gilroy and Arthur James O'Dea about why he decided to take a banned substance, how he did it and what led to him being caught.

One week on from the verdict in Nikita Hand's civil rape case against Conor McGregor, the Irish MMA fighter's career is in freefall. Since last Friday, products associated with McGregor, including Proper No. Twelve whiskey, have been removed from shelves, murals have been whitewashed over and marches have taken place in solidarity with victim Ms Hand. What next for the Dublin MMA star who once had it all? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Craic is back and this week Petesy is zooming in all things UFC Paris. One of the foremost voices for the French sport, Guillaume Duseux of trailblazing podcast La Sueur, joins the show to set the table for the big card in the City of Light and explains the explosion in popularity the sport has witnessed in the country since MMA's legalisation in 2020. Following his underdog pick of Merab Dvalishvili bringing home the first perfect parlay for the new era of The Ariel Helwani Show, Petesy speaks to his “Underdog of the Week” Kevin Jousset, who takes on Bryan Battle at the Paris Event. The 2-0 UFC welterweight explains why he went to Scotland to learn to speak English, training with Alex Volkanovski in Australia, moving to City Kickboxing and his pursuit of Ian Machado Garry. Petesy details his experience covering an MMA event in Paris and explains why he thinks the popularity of the sport in the country is difficult for the English-speaking community to comprehend.

Former PR guru for the UFC, Las Vegas resident and star of the record-breaking Spotify Live show, Ant Evans, returns to The Craic to whet appetites ahead of the UFC 306 card happening this Saturday in Sin City. Although Ant has issues with some elements of the promotion of the UFC 306 card, he explains why he is excited to see the capabilities of the Sphere in action, having visited the venue of numerous occasions previously. As a former cornerstone of the UFC promotional team, he gives his take on how Dana feels about lowering the ticket prices and whether the UFC will return to the venue…all while getting chased out of our recording location by on-site security. Petesy gives the lowdown on his trip so far.

Dave Fogarty was a well-known jiu-jitsu competitor and a decorated amateur MMA fighter before he became Conor McGregor's private photographer. This weekend, he makes his first walk as a boxer when he takes on the highly touted “Deen The Great” and despite being an underdog, he is adamant that he is ready to shake up the promotion's lightweight bracket on Saturday night at 3 Arena.

Following the announcement of The Craic joining the all-new Uncrowned schedule, Petesy talks about his excitement with the new deal and gives us an idea about how things will look for the future of the show. The Trident of Knowledge (with Andy Stevenson and Donagh Corby) formed to discuss a massive fight for Brendan Loughnane at PFL 9 in Washington and another huge night for Irish MMA as Invicta champion Danni McCormack once again tries to cement her place in the UFC by taking out one of the rising stars on the Asian circuit, Qihui Yan.

The mighty Trident of Knowledge with Andy Stevenson and Dongah Corby forms again to wax lyrical on the news that Paul Hughes has a fight with one of the Bellator/PFL 's biggest stars, A.J. McKee. The lads also take on Dana White's comments about Conor McGregor not fighting in 2024 and ponder whether Leon Edwards vs. Ian Garry is the best fight to make for both the Irishman and the former UFC welterweight champion.

We thought the narrative had changed surrounding the heavyweight title conundrum after Tom Aspinall's magic performance at UFC 304, but it feels like ever since that night in Manchester Dana White has been on a PR pedestal for Jon “Bones” Jones. Chisanga Malata of SunSport returns to wade through the debris of 304 and consider a world where neither Jones nor Stipe Miocic want to fight beyond their Madison Square Garden clash in November. Furthermore, what if Jones continues to fight, but pending victory over Renan Fereirra, Francis Ngannou is next opponent instead? We also ponder whether the hopes for an immediate rematch for Leon Edwards are dead and briefly look forward to UFC 305.

After returning home to Dublin after UFC 304, Petesy gives us the lowdown on his experience in Manchester, his reactions to Dana White insisting there would be no more bonuses beyond 50k and much more. Joining the show, Paddy Holohan instantly reacts to becoming the first Irishman to both win a UFC fight and coach someone to winning a UFC fight. Andy Stevenson returns to talk all the big storylines that came out of the Co-op Live on Sunday morning.

Petesy arrived in Manchester early on Thursday morning, interviewing Irish MMA legend Paddy Holohan on the ten-year anniversary of UFC Dublin and discussing his student Shauna Bannon taking up his famed berserker role for UFC 304. After a day of media activity, Petesy met up with colleagues Jose Youngs (MMA Fighting) and Abbey Subhan (MMA Junkie) to discuss the many storylines at the event: is Belal's hatred for Leon Edwards real, will Jon Jones really face the winner of Aspinall vs, Blaydes, Paddy Pimblett's mental health struggles and much more.

Returning to The Craic, Caolan Loughran is as cool as the other side of the pillow ahead of his UFC 304 clash with short notice replacement opponent, Jake Hadley. The Team Kaobon fighter discusses how good it feels fighting so close to his adopted home of Liverpool, how he was inspired to pursue fighting on the back of UFC Dublin in 2014 and how he is relishing a pint of Guinness on Sunday as he watches the All Ireland final.

It's been over a year since Shauna Bannon made her UFC debut and the Tallaght UFC straw weight is adamant the world will see a host of improvements in her second trip to the Octagon. “Mama B” talks personal tests over the last twelve months, being coached by Paddy Holohan who made his debut ten years ago on the historic UFC Dublin card, the outrage surrounding her opponent Alice Ardelean and training alongside Kiefer Crosbie and Molly McCann in preparation for the event.

Ahead of his second fight in the UFC, Kiefer Crosbie returned to discuss how he has changed his mindset after what he described as the best camp of his life. The Dubliner gave insight on the fleeting nature of fandom following his debut loss, the pitfalls of fighters being on social media and how bad he felt ahead of his short notice debut in Australia. The SBG fighter shed light on how a camp in Thailand helped he refocus on what's important and he also shared a story about being a coach on the matt the first day Shauna Bannon - who also features on UFC 304 - started training in the sport.

Could Leon Edwards' be eyeing bout with lightweight champion and a 185-pound title shot prove troublesome for Irish welterweight contender Ian Machado Garry? What the fuss about Shauna Bannon's short notice opponent Alice Ardelean? The Trident of Knowledge - featuring Andy Stevenson and Donagh Corby - return to The Craic to break it all down.

The greatest Brazilian mixed-martial-arts of all time, Guilherme Cruz, returns to The Craic to give us the low-down on the impact Alex Pereira is having in his homeland. Can Poatan reached the lofty height Anderson Silva, Vitor Belfort and Jose Aldo once soared to, or is the lack of a deal with powerhouse network Globo providing a significant obstacle to him achieving. Cruz talks us through Pereira's origin story and explains why he believes heavyweight is his natural next port of call. As well as that, Cruz discusses his recent trip to Sao Paulo where he witnessed a training session at Chute Boxe featuring Ian Machado Garry.

Former Cage Warriors middleweight champion and head coach of Team KF, Chris Fields returns to The Craic to talk about the muted response to his former fighter Ian Machado Garry's historic win for Irish MMA at UFC 303. Fields gives insight into his busy schedule, the magic of Alex Pereira, a busy month for KF in July and ponders whether the lack of coverage for Garry in Irish media is a worrying sign for the Irish sport in 2024.

Petesy is looking forward to Ian Machado Garry's matchup with Michael “Venom” Page more than any fight on the stacked UFC 303 card. Keeping with the U.K. vs. Ireland theme, he invited his old verbal sparring partner Chisanga Malata back on the show to discuss the meeting. The lads weigh-in on the pre-fight talk between the two, question whether Garry is setting himself up for a big fall by talking down MVP's skillset and discuss who has more to gain as a victor in the high-stakes welterweight clash. Petesy also discusses Team KF's Omran Chaaban's big win agains the number one seed, Shamidkhan Magomedov, and gives his take on Garry's comments regarding the Irish media in a recent interview with Severe MMA.

After his massive debut win on Saturday, The Trident of Knowledge (Andy Stevenson & Donagh Corby) assembled to discuss Paul Hughes and the impact Conor McGregor's presence had on putting him over in his maiden voyage with Bellator/PFL. The lads give their takes on how McGregor put the Derry man over in the exact way that UFC had hoped he would with Ian Machado Garry at UFC 303, what McGregor gained from attending the event and how Nate Kelly can solidify himself as one of Ireland's best after improving to 11-2 on the night. Petesy explains how attending the wedding bash of the year, coupled with commitments to The Ringer MMA Show did not allow him to attend the Dublin event.

Fight Academy Ireland head coach Liam Shannon gives insight into Paul Hughes' preparation for his Bellator/PFL debut, sheds light on the current wave of talent at the Belfast gym and considers whether PFL and Bellator have shed the label of being the “SBG Show” with the signing of Hughes. Shannon also talks Rhys McKee's next move, Paddy McCorry on the latest season of TUF and the great expectations he has for Hughes against Bobby King and much more. Petesy describes his trip to Belfast, his first chat with McCorry and a big catch up with Ryan Curtis.

Considered the hottest free agent in the sport during his time on the market, Paul Hughes is set to make his Bellator/PFL debut on Saturday at 3 Arena against Bobby King. Petesy interviewed Hughes at Fight Academy Ireland in Belfast where the former Cage Warriors Champion discussed how much his new contract can change his life, his time training with Michael Chandler, being unfollowed by Conor McGregor and his aspirations with PFL Bellator.

The latest word surrounding Conor McGregor's camp is that the Irish superstar is not likely to make an appearance at UFC 303. Donagh Corby joins Petesy from Connecticut to give his take on the on again/off again conversation surrounding McGregor's meeting with Michael Chandler, what the legacy of this period will be for McGregor should he not fight on June 29th, possible replacements fights and how the UFC will react if he does withdraw. Donagh also provides a stellar preview of the PFL card this weekend which stars the likes of Linton Vassell, Dakota Ditcheva and Taila Santos.

UFC bantamweight and former Cage Warriors champion Caolan Loughran returns to the Craic on the back of collecting his first promotional win at Atlantic City and on the back of his UFC Manchester clash against Ramon Tavares being announced. Loughran discusses the atmosphere among the Irish for his win over Angel Pacheco, being live on the scene as Paul Hughes reacted to Ray Sefo letting the cat out of the bag about his PFL signing, the impact of McGregor's return and the Irish contingent at UFC Manchester.

The Trident of Knowledge - Petesy Carroll, Donagh Corby and Andy Stevenson - formed to breakdown a massive week of news. After teasing the news for a week on The Craic, Petesy and the lads discuss the announced UFC 303 press conference in Dublin on June 3rd where Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler will face off at 3 Arena. The Trident also weigh-in on the video of McGregor partying over the weekend and give their thoughts on whether it is concerning given that his meeting with Chandler is just five weeks away.

Severe MMA and The Auld Triangle reporter Andy Stevenson returns to The Craic to discuss Conor McGregor's latest interview with The Mac Life.Do Petesy and Andy believe that McGregor will re-sign with the UFC to fight three times in 2024, and fight Nate Diaz in their trilogy fight at The Sphere. Following his early report on Tuesday's episode, Petesy sheds more light on the “special announcement” that was teased during The Mac Life interview with Oscar Willis.

There are an abundance of Irish UFC fighters booked for action in close proximity between UFC 303 and 304. The last time this happened in the Summer of '23, there was genuine conversations within UFC HQ about a UFC Dublin event, so could we rekindle hopes of UFC marquee in the Irish capital should we bank a few wins? As far as Petesy has heard, even without Ian Machado Garry and MVP happening at UFC 304, there will be AT LEAST three Irish fighters booked for action on that card. Caolan Loughran and Shauna Bannon are already set for action, and there should be one more fight confirmed in the coming weeks for the Irish. Petesy gives his take on the back and forth between Garry and MVP, shares his thoughts on a busy weekend of fights and discusses the heavyweight undisputed fight between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk from Saudi Arabia.

Petesy is joined Bloody Elbow reporter and the host of Wanna Fight About It, Donagh Corby, from Paris where is on site covering the Bellator Champion Series event that will se Cedric Doumbé look to avenge his first career loss. Petesy and Donagh also discuss Ian Machado Garry and MVP, Garry wanting to compete at UFC 303 and MVP seemingly wanting the fight to take place at UFC 304, and the Irish charges Shauna Bannon and Caolan Loughran competing at UFC Manchester. Petesy also provides an update on the Co-op Live arena, which is scheduled to host UFC Manchester, following its official opening on Tuesday.

After all of my belly-aching about the issues with the venue that is scheduled to host UFC Manchester, The Co-op Live is now set for it's official launch on Tuesday May 14th. Chisanga Malata of Sun Sport joins the show to discuss all the concerns surrounding the venue, whether UFC have a contingency plan if things continue to go badly for the arena and Manchester's own Lerone Murphy who headlines a UFC Apex event against Edson Barbosa this weekend.

Did UFC pack 299 and 300 with Brazilian stars to the point that they couldn't possibly deliver a massive card in Rio this weekend for UFC 301? How much would Alex Pereira's presence help the card and is Ian Machado Garry being embraced by the Brazilian people? “The Brazilian Beast,” also known as legendary MMA Fighting journalist Guilherme Cruz joins The Craic to give us a view from the ground from The City God. He explains how some promotions have been running in Rio to help put asses in seats, how he sees the event as a potential changing of the guard for the “King of Rio” moniker from Jose Aldo to Alexandre Pantoja and his great fear of interviewing Paul Craig.

Paul “The Big News” Hughes returns to The Craic to reveal his dance partner for his PFL/Bellator debut, which will take place on June 22 at Dublin's 3 Arena, the Irishman's first appearance at the celebrated arena. Hughes discusses how it felt when the news of his signing was dropped in the middle of the night during the post-fight press conference for PFL's recent Chicago event, how the deal he struck with PFL can change his life and why, despite being offered a contract with the UFC, he chose to go a different path. The Fight Academy Ireland prospect also teases his PFL manifesto which he plans to reveal in the aftermath of his debut outing on June. 22.

The booking of Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson at Cowboy Stadium has coveted more outrage than any of Paul's previous boxing adventures. Yet, the co-main event of the marquee belongs to Ireland's beacon of sporting success, Katie Taylor, and her 2022 Madison Square Garden counterpart, Amanda Serrano. One of boxing journalism's finest, Gavan Casey of the42.ie, returns to The Craic to discuss the bizarre dichotomy of a pure sporting clash between Taylor and Serrano and what many see as a freakshow in Tyson vs. Paul. Casey gives his take on the highly controversial booking, and despite his own disinterest in the contest, concedes that it is a massive opportunity and payday for Taylor and Serrano. He also gives his take on the optics of Taylor and Serrano playing chief support to Paul and Tyson and weighs in on Sean McComb being the target of a blatant robbery following his contest Arnold Barboza Jr. last week.

PFL flexed their financial muscle with the signing of Paul Hughes over the weekend, but will the UFC continue to allow top their talent like the Irishman, Cedric Doumbé and reportedly Salahdine Parnasse slip through their fingers? The Trident of Knowledge - featuring Severe MMA's Andy Stevenson and Bloody Elbow's Donagh Corby - forms to the discuss all of the permutations to PFL's capture of Hughes including how successful he will be when he joins the tournament in 2025 and when we will likely see him debut. Petesy also gives his thoughts on making Dana White's latest media hit post. Check out Andy Stevenson on “The Auld Triangle” with Ian O'Neill and Caoilte de Barra here: https://open.spotify.com/show/7EOp09CEbauigbtPVvUx7Y?si=704b1600a7bd43d8 Check out Donagh Corby's all new "Wanna Fight About It?” podcast here: https://open.spotify.com/show/5SfrCrjisX2k2H9eEa3hCv?si=4271338aaff54588

SunSport journalist Chisanga Malata and Petesy have been discussing a potential UFC Manchester event since December on The Craic, but the event is yet to be confirmed. With Tom Aspinall present at UFC 300, and Chisanga on site at the event reporting, it felt like it was an open goal to announce the date that has been rumoured for the all-new Co-op Live arena. Chisanga and Petesy discuss what the holdup has been, if they're still confident Leon Edwards and Tom Aspinall will be on the card, the emerging storyline between Aspinall and Alex Pereira and Bobby Green declaring interest in a clash with Paddy Pimblett.

Petesy is joined by U.K. correspondent for The Craic, the legendary Sun Sport journalist, Chisanga Malata, to discuss his experience at UFC 300, that Max Holloway finish and the muted Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler announcement. With both lads hearing that McGregor had signed for the bout during the week, they were surprised - given the ample opportunities throughout the massive fight week - that the Irishman's return was announced in such a quiet fashion by Dana White at the post-fight press conference. Is this evidence that UFC no longer want to give “The Notorious” special treatment, and is it a sign of things to come between the organisation and its biggest star as he approaches the end of his current deal?

Following a drama-filled weekend for Petesy at Cage Warriors 170, the promotion's president Graham Boylan reached out and the situation is now resolved. Petesy shares the timeline of events which led to the mending of the relationship, which will see him happily continue to cover the European organisation in the future. After that, the Trident of Knowledge forms, with Donagh Corby and Andy Stevenson returning to the show discuss free agent Paul Hughes' courting offers from multiple major promotions in his first days as a free agent and also the free agency statuses of KSW champion Salahdine Parnasse and Invicta champion, Danni McCormack.

Petesy recaps a weekend where he was banned from Cage Warriors 170, became the subject of a baffling “gag”, jousted for his event credential and ultimately witnessed a fantastic night for Irish MMA. Petesy recaps his online and in-person interactions with Cage Warriors president Graham Boylan and speaks to newly crowned welterweight champion James Sheehan, the hottest free agent in the sport Paul Hughes, former Cage Warriors champions Neil Seery and Joe McColgan, and FAI coaches Liam Shannon and Pat McAlister.

Aside from Paul Hughes' looming free agency, one of the main talking points going into Cage Warriors 170 is Team Ryano vying for a Cage Warriors title for the first time since 2013, when the legendary Neil Seery clinched flyweight gold. Speaking to Andy Ryan, Petesy discusses the golden era of the sport which occurred around the same time while the infamous Team Ryan boss underlines why he believes the scene has become divided since then. Ryan, one of the founding fathers of the Irish sport, outlines the promise of his latest batch of talent and details why he believes James Sheehan will be ready for the UFC if he secures the Cage Warriors welterweight title at Dublin's RDS. Former Cage Warriors middleweight champion, Chris Fields, also fixes his mind back to the 2013 event. As well as that, the Irish fan favourite acknowledges that his Team KF charges are building back to title contention while also asserting his belief that Irish MMA's best chance of producing another golden generation will come from all gyms competing against each other, something that hasn't happened regularly since the early BAMMA events in the country.

Paul Hughes not being signed by the UFC has been one of the great mysteries on the European scene for the past number of years.Ahead of his first round knockout of Jan Quaeyhaegens at Cage Warriors 161, Hughes revealed that he had turned down a short notice debut with the promotion and an opportunity to compete on TUF due to injury.Now, before he headlines Cage Warriors 170 in Dublin this Saturday, Hughes reveals his showdown with short notice replacement with Edgar Escarrega will be the last on his Cage Warriors deal and he fully intends to explore all offers that will be put to him. Hughes discusses the excitement he has going into free agency, how he'd be interested in being Ireland's answer to Cedric Doumbé, how he feels about the UFC and his experiences with Cage Warriors.

Former Cage Warriors champions Caolan Loughran and Rhys McKee join The Craic ahead of must-win fights at UFC Atlantic City. Rhys McKee discusses being away from his new-born daughter for the first time, why he is particularly excited about fighting Chidi Njokuani and how this camp feels different to he previous ones. Caolan discusses the influx of supporters he expects in Atlantic City, including a GAA team and many more from Philadelphia, New York and San Francisco.

Another road edition of The Craic saw Petesy pull a 19-hour shift, part of which he was joined by Donagh Corby as they embarked on a trip up north for Bellator Belfast.Petesy speaks to the legendary Dan Hardy, number one contender to Johnny Eblen's middleweight crown Fabian Edwards, Irish boxing royalty Mick Conlan and the Score's Nick Baldwin. He recaps all the thrills and spills from the event with his trusty D15 confidant Corby, including Corey Anderson's title capture after claiming victory over Belfast native, Karl Moore.

Former Cage Warriors lightweight champion and a legend of the Irish scene, Joe McColgan joins the The Craic for the very first time to take a look back at his career and to underline the lack of regret he has in terms of not making it to the UFC. A Belfast native, McColgan highlights his surprise that the upcoming Bellator card has not generated much buzz in the city and also sheds light on the impact Ryan Curtis has had on the gym as a training partner and a motivator as he battles the toughest test of his life.

Ariel Helwani around (3:04) wraps up UFC 295 this past Saturday night and believes Tom Aspinall should face Jon Jones next. The panel then weighs in if this is the right path for the interim UFC heavyweight champion. John Kavanagh around (26:40) talks about the challenges of traveling to fights around the world, watching UFC 295 live with Royce Gracie, getting recognized by fans over Gracie, Johnny Walker's position in the light heavyweight and the stoppage in his fight with Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 294, Johnny Walker's rematch with Magomed Ankalaev on Jan. 13, the state of Irish MMA, the impact of a potential merger between Bellator and PFL, Conor McGregor's potential return and work with PFL star Brendan Loughnan, the changing timeline for McGregor fighting in the UFC, Conor's situation with USADA, his thoughts on McGregor fighting Michael Chandler, the possibility of Conor returning to lightweight, reuniting with Dillon Danis, the possibility of Danis in the UFC, Ian Machado Garry's career trajectory, the controversy surrounding Garry's exit from Leon Edwards' gym, dealing with big personalities in the gym, how much longer he'll stay in the sport as a coach, his strongest memories from Conor McGregor's career, Katie Taylor's rematch with Chantelle Cameron, and more. Loopy Godinez around (1:33:43) discusses her big win at UFC 295, what it was like fighting at Madison Square Garden, the judges' scores, if her sisters will follow her to MMA, why she didn't like team sports, how Ronda Rousey inspired her, if she is ready for a title shot, how the camp change helped her, and more. Diego Lopes around (1:59:42) discusses his big 2023, breaks down his big win at UFC 295, the inspiration behind his unique haircut, if he enjoys being a coach or a fighter more, why there's so much team success right now, how he ended up in Mexico, why he wants Bryce Mitchell next, the growing fan support, and more. Tom Aspinall around (2:22:06) discusses winning the UFC interim heavyweight title at UFC 295, his place among the top heavyweights Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou in the world today, his injury before UFC 295, his emotions heading into the fight, why he hugged Sergei Pavlovich before the fight, how he celebrated with his father after the fight, what's next, and more. The panel then around (2:51:17) discusses Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall, Ariel's pound-for-pound rankings, the next fight for Alex Pereira, and more. The parlay pals around (3:06:55) look back at their most recent selection, and GC recaps his picks for UFC 295. The panel also discusses more UFC 295 storylines, and more. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL/IN/MI/NJ/PA/WV/WY), 1-800-NEXT STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO/NH), 888-789-7777/visit http://ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), 1-877-770-STOP (7867) (LA), 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY), visit OPGR.org (OR), call/text TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN), or 1-888-532-3500 (VA). 21+ (18+ NH/WY). Physically present in AZ/CO/CT/IL/IN/IA/LA/MI/NH/NJ/NY/OR/ PA/TN/VA/WV/WY only. New customers only. Min. $5 deposit required. Eligibility restrictions apply. See http://draftkings.com/sportsbook for details. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices