BTL's 2025 Promotional Festivus: Grading the Best & Worst From UFC, PFL, More

MMA Fighting

Vox Media Podcast Network

Sports, News, Sports News

4.5 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 24 December 2025

⏱️ 107 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

With just a couple of days left in the year, it’s almost time to say goodbye to 2025, and hello to 2026. In the sport of MMA, there was certainly a lot to like this past year — and a lot that needs to be improved upon, from the UFC, to PFL, and beyond. On an all-new edition of Between the Links, MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck and Jed Meshew bring you the fourth annual BTL Promotional Festivus — where they grade the UFC for their 2025 performance, both in and out of the octagon, along with their airing of grievances for things that happened negatively throughout the course of the year. Additionally, the duo do the same for PFL, BKFC, and give their thoughts on things they did better from the year prior, other ideas to bring into 2026, and what could be the breakout promotion in the space for the upcoming year. Follow Mike Heck: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@m_heckjr⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow Jed Meshew: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@JedKMeshew⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ http://goo.gl/dYpsgH⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Check out our full video catalog: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://goo.gl/u8VvLi⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Visit our playlists:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ http://goo.gl/eFhsvM⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Like MMAF on Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://goo.gl/uhdg7Z⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://goo.gl/nOATUI⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Read More: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://www.mmafighting.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:30.3	Available through the 4th of Jan, 2026 from 11 a.m.
0:33.0	Price and participation may vary.
0:34.2	Subject to availability.
0:36.1	You're listening to the Vox Media Podcast Network.
0:44.8	Live from M.MA fighting studios, this is Between the Links.
0:51.3	And now, your host, Mike Heck.
0:57.0	The iconic voice of Esther Lynn welcomes you to a brand new edition of BTL, a very special edition of the program.
1:08.1	Hope you're all having a great week. A Merry Christmas Eve as you're hearing this. A happy holidays to those who celebrate, of course. But today, this one goes out to those who celebrate one of the most iconic holidays of all. Festivus, because that is what it's all about on today's program. It's our annual Festivist for the Restivist edition of Between the Links.
1:32.5	And today, we ear our grievances, we talk the good, the bad, the ugly in MMA and
1:38.8	the Combat Sports World.
1:40.2	We give you our honest assessments of how the year went for some of the major organizations in combat sports.
1:48.0	And to be frank, it's one of my favorite shows in the year.
1:52.6	But this is also a show that if we're being fair, it's piss some people off, especially those who work for or are part of some of these promotions that we talk about.
2:01.6	But hopefully they can accept what comes their way.
	...

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