MMA News

Chael Sonnen
Chael Sonnen

Chael Sonnen explains why he puts Alexandre Pantoja in the same category as GSP or Khabib Nurmagomedov

Susan Cox - May 7, 2024

Chael Sonnen is explaining why he puts Alexandre Pantoja in the same category as GSP or Khabib Nurmagomedov. It was just this past weekend, at UFC 301, that the main event featured Alexandre Pantoja (28-5 MMA) vs Steve Erceg (12-2 MMA) in a flyweight title bout. It was to be Pantoja retaining his title with a unanimous decision victory over ‘Astro Boy’.

Dricus Du Plessis, Sean Strickland, UFC, UFC 297, Pros react
UFC

Video | Dricus Du Plessis revealed as ‘Wildebeest’ on The Masked Singer South Africa

Susan Cox - May 7, 2024

Dricus Du Plessis was revealed to be the ‘Wildebeest’ on The Masked Singer South Africa. It’s true, the current UFC middleweight champion, Dricus Du Plessis, competed as ‘Wildebeest’ on Season 2 (Episode 5) of The Masked Singer South Africa.

Alexandre Pantoja, UFC 301
Jonathan Martinez

What's next for the stars of UFC 301?

Cole Shelton - May 7, 2024

The UFC was in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for UFC 301 with the flyweight title fight headlining the event. In the main event, Alexandre Pantoja was looking to defend his title for the second time as he took on Steve Erceg who had an incredible rise to the title as this was just his fourth UFC fight. Jose Aldo, meanwhile, was making his return to the UFC to face Jonathan Martinez.

Just Scrap Radio Ep. 164, UFC St Louis
Diego Ferreira

Just Scrap Radio Ep. 164 with Diego Ferreira, Chase Hooper, and Terrance McKinney

Cole Shelton - May 7, 2024

The 164th episode of Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com with host Cole Shelton is live to preview UFC St. Louis. We’re first joined by UFC lightweight Diego Ferreira (1:34). Next, UFC lightweight Chase Hooper (12:18) comes on. Closing out the program is UFC lightweight Terrance McKinney (23:33).

Matt Brown
UFC

Matt Brown says UFC 300 snub helped conclude his retirement decision, won’t rule out fighting in BKFC: “It’s not out of the question”

Harry Kettle - May 7, 2024

Matt Brown has explained some of the reasons behind him opting to retire from mixed martial arts, as well as touching on the future. At the age of 43, it’s not an exaggeration to say Matt Brown is a legend in the MMA game. He’s a knockout machine, he’s fought some of the best in the business, and he never shies away from a challenge.

Patchy Mix Sean O'Malley
Patchy Mix

Bellator champion Patchy Mix says he “would sleep” UFC’s Sean O’Malley: “I’m one round removed from being 31 in a row”

Harry Kettle - May 7, 2024

Bellator bantamweight champion Patchy Mix has explained why he believes he’s a better fighter than Sean O’Malley. For the longest time now, Patchy Mix has been making a name for himself as one of the best bantamweights on the planet. Last year, he submitted Sergio Pettis to become Bellator’s undisputed king at 135 pounds.

Kang Ji Won
ONE Championship

Korean smasher Kang Ji Won faces Kirill Grishenko at ONE Fight Night 23

BJPENN.COM Staff - May 7, 2024

A heavyweight MMA matchup between Kang Ji Won and Kirill Grishenko has been added to ONE Fight Night 23 on Prime Video. The pair lock horns live in U.S. primetime from the fabled Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on July 5.

Akbar Abdullaev
ONE Championship

Akbar Abdullaev KOs Halil Amir to bring home $50K bonus at ONE Fight Night 22

BJPENN.COM Staff - May 6, 2024

Akbar Abdullaev emerged as the sole recipient of a $50,000 performance bonus at ONE Fight Night 22 on Prime Video last Friday, May 3. While the event showcased a multitude of compelling matchups, it was Abdullaev’s standout showing against Halil Amir in the featherweight division that captured the attention of ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong.

Sean O'Malley, Conor McGregor
Sean O'Malley

Sean O'Malley 'sad' over Conor McGregor's recent social media jabs at him: "F*** Conor"

Curtis Calhoun - May 6, 2024

UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley was caught off guard when Conor McGregor called him out in hostile fashion in a recent social media rant. O’Malley is fresh off a dominant title defense against Marlon Vera at UFC 299 earlier this year. He’s expected to face top contender Merab Dvalishvili for his next fight, potentially at UFC 306 in September at the Las Vegas Sphere.

Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson
UFC

WATCH | The Rock starts MMA training to prepare for starring role of 'The Smashing Machine'

Josh Evanoff - May 6, 2024

WWE superstar Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson is now preparing to play former UFC heavyweight Mark Kerr. ‘The Smashing Machine’ was one of the earliest documentaries about the dark side of MMA. The HBO-made documentary came out in 2002 and starred the aforementioned Mark Kerr. The former UFC heavyweight was once one of the biggest stars in the sport but ended his career dealing with addiction and mental issues.

Demetrious Johnson, Alexandre Pantoja, Steve Erceg
Demetrious Johnson

Demetrious Johnson criticizes UFC's decision to make Alexandre Pantoja/Steve Erceg the UFC 301 headliner: 'It's very frustrating!'

Curtis Calhoun - May 6, 2024

Former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson feels the promotion shouldn’t continue to book flyweight pay-per-view main events after UFC 301. UFC flyweight titleholder Alexandre Pantoja outpointed Steve Erceg in an instant classic at UFC 301. Pantoja capped off his first-career UFC pay-per-view headliner with a gritty performance to retain the flyweight belt.

Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway
Max Holloway

Alexander Volkanovski open to fourth fight with Max Holloway for the BMF belt

Cole Shelton - May 6, 2024

Alexander Volkanovski would fight Max Holloway again as long as the BMF title is up for grabs. Volkanovski and Holloway have fought three times, and the Aussie has won on all three occasions by way of decision. The third fight was the most clear-cut as Volkanovski dominated Holloway over five rounds to defend his belt with ease.

Exclusive MMA Interviews

Alexandre Pantoja and Steve Erceg UFC 301
Exclusive MMA Interviews

UFC 301 | Pro fighters make their picks for Alexandre Pantoja vs. Steve Erceg title fight

Cole Shelton - May 1, 2024

In the main event of UFC 301, the flyweight title is up for grabs as Alexandre Pantoja looks to defend his belt against Steve Erceg. Heading into the fight, Pantoja is a -200 favorite while the challenger is a +154 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to make their picks for the flyweight title fight. The pros are unanimous in thinking Pantoja will remain the flyweight champ as they believe this is too big of a step up in competition for Erceg.

Drakkar Klose
Exclusive MMA Interviews

Drakkar Klose claims Joaquim Silva is the "easiest fight," vows to KO him at UFC 301

Cole Shelton - April 30, 2024

Drakkar Klose called for the easiest fight in the lightweight division after his last win and he says he got his wish. After Klose scored a slam KO over Joe Solecki in December, he said he didn’t care who was next, as he just wanted the easiest guy for the most amount of money. Klose ended up getting the call to face Joaquim Silva at UFC 301 in Brazil, which is exciting for the American to go into enemy territory.

Austen Lane
UFC

Austen Lane guarantees violence against Jhonata Diniz at UFC Vegas 91: "I will turn it loose"

Cole Shelton - April 24, 2024

Austen Lane wasn’t surprised when he got offered to fight Jhonata Diniz at UFC Vegas 91. Lane is coming off a knockout loss to Justin Tafa back in September at UFC 293, this after their no-contest result. Following the loss, Lane wanted to return much sooner as he wanted to be as active as possible.

Cody Brundage
Cody Brundage

Cody Brundage believes he's too much of a "step-up in competiton" for Bo Nickal, confident he will finish him at UFC 300

Cole Shelton - April 12, 2024

Cody Brundage wanted to fight Bo Nickal and he was hoping he’d get the fight at UFC 300. Brundage is on a two-fight winning streak and after his last win, he thought it made sense for him to be Nickal’s next opponent. To no surprise, when his coach called with a fight offer, it was Nickal at UFC 300 which he jumped at.

Justin Gaethje and Max Holloway
Justin Gaethje

UFC 300 | Pro fighters make their picks for Justin Gaethje vs. Max Holloway BMF title fight

Cole Shelton - April 11, 2024

On the main card of UFC 300, Justin Gaethje looks to defend his BMF title for the first time as he takes on Max Holloway. Heading into the fight, Gaethje is a -178 favorite while the Hawaiian is a +138 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to make their picks for the BMF title fight. The pros are expecting Gaethje to get his hand raised in a highly-anticipated fight, as they think the size will play a factor.

Alex Pereira and Jamahal Hill
Exclusive MMA Interviews

UFC 300 | Pro fighters make their picks for Alex Pereira vs. Jamahal Hill title fight

Cole Shelton - April 10, 2024

In the main event of UFC 300, the light heavyweight title is up for grabs as Alex Pereira looks to defend the belt for the first time against former champ Jamahal Hill. Heading into the fight, Pereira is a -140 favorite while the American is a +110 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to make their picks for the light heavyweight title fight. The pros believe Pereira will get it done, as his striking will be too much for Hill.

Zhang Weili and Yan Xiaonan
UFC

UFC 300 | Pro fighters make their picks for Zhang Weili vs. Yan Xiaonan

Cole Shelton - April 10, 2024

In the co-main event of UFC 300, the strawweight title is on the line as Zhang Weili looks to defend her strap against Yan Xiaonan. Heading into the fight, Weili is a sizeable -500 favorite while the challenger is a +340 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to make their picks for the strawweight title fight. To no surprise, the pros believe Zhang Weili will be too much for Yan Xiaonan as she will defend her title with ease.

Jim Miller
Exclusive MMA Interviews

Jim Miller plans to "frustrate" Bobby Green at UFC 300, lays out retirement plan

Cole Shelton - April 9, 2024

Jim Miller got his wish of fighting on UFC 300. Miller competed at UFC 100 and 200 and for the past couple of years, he has been campaigning to be on UFC 300. Originally the plan was for Miller to retire at UFC 300, but that is no longer the goal, so he says that has taken a bit away from the spectacle of the event.

Kyle Nelson
Kyle Nelson

Kyle Nelson eyes Cub Swanson or Nate Landwehr after first-round TKO over Bill Algeo at UFC Atlantic City

Cole Shelton - April 6, 2024

Kyle Nelson has won his third straight fight as the betting underdog. Nelson scored a first-round TKO win over Bill Algeo on the main card of UFC Atlantic City. The Canadian started strong as he landed a massive shot that wobbled Algeo and he kept landing punches that forced the ref to jump in and stop the fight.

Christos Giagos
Exclusive MMA Interviews

Christos Giagos expects to "catch" Ignacio Bahamondes at UFC Vegas 90: "It's going to be fun"

Cole Shelton - April 4, 2024

Christos Giagos is excited to face Ignacio Bahamondes at UFC Vegas 90 on Saturday. Giagos is coming off a submission loss to Daniel Zellhuber in September and after the defeat, he was hoping to return to fight in Anaheim at UFC 298. Although fighting at February’s pay-per-view never came to fruition, Giagos did get offered a fight against Bahamondes on Saturday at UFC Vegas 90 and jumped at the chance.

Damon Jackson
Exclusive MMA Interviews

Damon Jackson expects Alexander Hernandez fight to be a "banger" for however long it lasts: "First round is going to be a fury"

Cole Shelton - April 3, 2024

Damon Jackson is expecting his UFC Vegas 90 co-main event fight against Alexander Hernandez to be wild and chaotic for however long it lasts. Jackson is coming off a decision loss to Billy Quarantillo back in August, which was his second straight defeat. After the loss, Jackson focused on getting healthy and says he is now back to one hundred percent.

Alex Morono
Exclusive MMA Interviews

Alex Morono excited to continue "legends tour" by facing Court McGee at UFC Vegas 90: "I'm going to go throw some heat"

Cole Shelton - April 2, 2024

Alex Morono is eager for the opportunity to face another veteran in Court McGee at UFC Vegas 90 on Saturday. Morono is set for his 20th UFC fight on Saturday as he will take on McGee who is someone he’s eager to compete against. Morono has fought the likes of Anthony Pettis, Donald Cerrone, and Tim Means among others, so he’s excited to add another OG name to his resume.