UFC 254 is a matter of days away and boy are we set for one of the greatest lightweight title fights in UFC history. Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov defends his crown against the walking zombie himself, American Justin Gaethje to see who is the best 155-pound fighter on the planet. NZ Herald's Chris Reive joins the show to helps us dive into the feature bouts of what will be an epic morning of fights. Plus we hear from NZ's next UFC star Carlos Ulberg and we look at the drawing power of Joseph Parker and Junior Fa. Is their fight a bigger deal than David Tua and Shane Cameron? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fight Club

UFC lightweight Fight Island thriller awaits

It was supposed to be the biggest test of Israel Adesanya's UFC career - instead - it was one of the biggest mismatches in UFC middleweight title fight history. Brazilian powerhouse Paulo Costa was erased by The Last Stylebender on UFC's Fight Island in Abu Dhabi, in a flawless performance of precision, skill and elite-level striking. On this episode of Fight Club, NZ Herald's Christopher Reive joins the show to discuss a career-defining performance for the Nigerian-Kiwi. Plus, Dan 'The Hangman' Hooker on how he saw the afternoon unfold with four of his City Kickboxing teammates in action. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Israel Adesanya mauls Paulo Costa at UFC 253

UFC 253 is finally here. Four New Zealand warriors will go to war in the cage on UFC Fight Island, including middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, who defends against Brazilian Paulo Costa. Today on the Fight Club Podcast we dive deep into the Main Event of UFC 253. Can 'The Last Stylebender' walk out of Abu Dhabi with his title in tact? Plus, we speak to Shane Young, Brad Riddell and Kai Kara-France ahead of their returns to the Octagon on Sunday.  See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

UFC 253: The Kiwi invasion of Fight Island

We are finally out of COVID Lockdown ... well sort of. We aren't back in the studio just yey, but thought it was time we chat some fights. The Fight Club podcast is back with a bang as we recap a crazy month of mixed martial arts action. Jon Jones is no longer a champion or a UFC light heavyweight, Stipe Miocic is the GOAT heavyweight and the hype train of Sean O'Malley has been well and truly derailed.  Also City Kickboxing's Kai Kara-France joins the show and runs down what two weeks training in a MMA bubble looked like. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

We're back from Lockdown with Kai Kara-France

The UFC 252 main event is upon us and the winner could rightly proclaim to be the greatest big man in the history of the sport. So who are the contenders to rival Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier? The Fight Club Podcast runs through the list of potential GOATS. And what comes of the UFC heavyweight division following Sunday's epic conclusion to one of the greatest trilogy's in combat sports history? We dive deep into the division and offer a few fantasy matchmaking situations. Former middleweight champion Chris Weidman is finally back in the winning column for the first time in three years - is there a road back to the title for the man that stopped the Anderson Silva era?  And we reveal the UFC division that could just be the most stacked weight class, with contenders to burn. 

Who is the greatest heavyweight in MMA history?

City Kickboxing's Mike Angove is live in studio discussing various combat sports topics. Is Paulo Costa worthy of his UFC middleweight title shot against Israel Adesanya? Mike gives his evaluation of the Brazilians stocks. Also, how will Adesanya combat the aggressive gameplan Costa is promising to bring to the cage? We look back at UFC's latest card in Las Vegas, where veteran middleweight Derek Brunson halted the latest hype train. And Mike offers his thoughts on how the Government's COVID-19 quarantine rules will be a devastating financial hit to Kiwi fighters. 

Is Paulo Costa worthy of UFC title shot?

The final of four epic UFC Fight island events featured a stellar middleweight showdown between former champion Robert Whittaker and Darren Till. The two elite strikers engaged in a 25-minute technical brawl, but did the right man get his hand raised? Mike Tyson is back! How serious should we take this comeback fight against Roy Jones Jr. And a plethora of local combat sports events are I'm the pipeline for August - we cover off all you need to know. 

UFC Fight Island produces another classic

UFC 251 wasn't without controversy with featherweight champion Alex Volkanovski scoring what some punters perceived as a debatable win over former champion Max Holloway. Was it really a robbery though? Also, Dan Hooker on if the UFC could hold an event in New Zealand to a live audience, and we discuss if there is any welterweight capable of stopping Kamaru Usman's winning streak. For more, visit www.newshub.co.nz/podcasts  

UFC 251: Was Max Holloway really robbed of victory?

City Kickboxing's Mike Angove joins the show to deep dive into UFC 251's marquee fights - plus he gives us a little insight into life in quarantine post his return from Las Vegas. Speaking of that fight - Dan Hooker gives us an update on his road to recovery and we catch up with WWE NXT superstar, Auckland's own Dakota Kai. 

Epic Fight Island card is upon us

Kiwi lightweight Dan Hooker's brutal five-round thriller against Dustin Poirier will go down as one of the greatest fights in the history of the division. The two warriors battered each other for 25 minutes, with the American coming out on top via a close unanimous decision call.The fight proved Hooker belongs in the top echelon of lightweights after he came within seconds of finishing 'The Diamond' in the second round. This week Fight Club takes a deep dive into the fight and breaks down what the result means for both fighters.

Epic UFC war proves Dan Hooker is an elite lightweight

UFC featherweight champion Alex Volkanovski on why he feels disrespected, Dan 'Hangman' Hooker chats his main event slot against Dustin Poirer and we discuss the mess that is brewing in the UFC heavyweight division.

Alex Volkanovski and Dan Hooker

UFC 250 is in the books and while the women's G.O.A.T continued to cement her legacy, it was several bantamweights that stole the headlines.Cody Garbrandt, Sean O'Malley and Aljamain Sterling delivered bonus-winning performances on a breakout night for the 135-pound division. So, what next for the winners and which performance was the most impressive? The Fight Club looks at all those questions, plus we debate if Conor McGregor has legitimately retired from MMA.

UFC 250: A statement night for bantamweights

Was Jon Jones serious when he Tweeted he was vacating the UFC light heavyweight title? What next for Tyron Woodley? Does Gilbert Burns deserve a shot at Kamaru Usman and does Amanda Nunes' legacy continue to grow at UFC 250?

Jon Jones vacates UFC light heavyweight title?

We catch up with Dan 'Hangman' Hooker to get his thoughts on a crazy main event at UFC 249. We also catch up with heavyweight contender Walt Harris ahead of his big fight against Alistair Overeem and Brad and Stephen recap an awesome card headlined by Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje.

Kiwi 'Hangman' eyes marquee UFC lightweight fight

An absolutely jam-packed UFC 249 awaits fight fans this weekend - we preview all the action. Plus, we chat to former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis and we catch up with NZ NXTUK star Travis Banks.

The Octagon is back! UFC 249 preview

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