MMA News

Jose Aldo returns
UFC

Report | Jose Aldo set to return to the Octagon at UFC 301

Harry Kettle - March 18, 2024

UFC legend Jose Aldo is set to make his return to the Octagon at UFC 301 following his retirement in 2022. For the longest time now, Jose Aldo has been seen as a legend in mixed martial arts. He’s a fan favorite, he’s a former champion, and he has always had a fantastic fight style. At the age of 37, however, many will wonder how much he has got left in the tank.

Anthony Smith
UFC

Anthony Smith explains why he’s “offended’ by Vitor Petrino’s callout: “I refuse to be the new Neil Magny”

Harry Kettle - March 18, 2024

Anthony Smith explained why he was offended by being called out by his next opponent, Vitor Petrino. At UFC 301, MMA veteran Anthony Smith will return to action. He’ll take on rising prospect Vitor Petrino as he attempts to make a return to the win column. That won’t, of course, be easy, especially given how impressive Petrino has looked in the UFC thus far.

Anthony Joshua, Francis Ngannou, KO, Boxing
Boxing News

Francis Ngannou shares behind the scenes locker room footage from his knockout loss to Anthony Joshua

Harry Kettle - March 18, 2024

Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou has shared some behind the scenes footage from his boxing showdown with Anthony Joshua. Earlier this month, Francis Ngannou went head to head with Anthony Joshua in just his second ever professional boxing match. It came hot on the heels of his narrow loss to Tyson Fury, which proved to the passes that he has a lot of potential inside the squared circle.

Kade Ruotolo and Tommy Langaker
ONE Championship

Kade Ruotolo vs. Francisco Lo official for ONE Fight Night 21

BJPENN.COM Staff - March 18, 2024

As the anticipation for ONE Fight Night 21 on Prime Video this April 5 continues to build, Kade Ruotolo joins the fanfare. The reigning ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Champion competes in a 180-pound catchweight contest against Francisco Lo. This bout takes place live in U.S. primetime from the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Ian Machado Garry and Colby Covington
Ian Garry

UFC fighter Ian Machado Garry unloads on Colby Covington, Challenges Him To WWE Style "I Quit" Match

Fernando Quiles - March 17, 2024

Ian Machado Garry has gone full WWE mode on Colby Covington. Garry and Covington have been going at one another with personal digs. Covington has gone as far as to call Garry a “c*ck.” More recently, Covington made a video where he called “The Future’s” wife a “gold digging w*ore.”

Nate Diaz Conor McGregor UFC
UFC

Nate Diaz stands with Conor McGregor amid UFC inactivity: "This was me for years before Conor even got here"

Fernando Quiles - March 17, 2024

Nate Diaz has posted a message on social media in support of Conor McGregor. McGregor hasn’t been inside the Octagon since suffering a broken leg during his trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier back in July 2021. McGregor has expressed frustration due to the fact that a fight hasn’t been booked for his return. UFC CEO Dana White has said that Conor McGregor’s next fight is up to how “Mystic Mac” is feeling about wanting to step back inside the Octagon when he’s made a substantial amount of money throughout his career and outside of fighting.

Marcin Tybura Chokes Tai Tuivasa UFC Vegas 88
Michael Bisping

Michael Bisping applauds Marcin Tybura for "beautiful" strategy in submission win over Tai Tuivasa at UFC Vegas 88

Fernando Quiles - March 17, 2024

Michael Bisping believes Marcin Tybura’s game plan against Tai Tuivasa worked to perfection. Tybura shared the Octagon with “Bam Bam” in the main event of UFC Vegas 88. The Polish heavyweight didn’t allow the fight to move past round one. Tybura ended up choking out Tuivasa in the opening frame. It was a solid rebound victory for Tybura, who was coming off a first-round TKO loss against the current interim UFC Heavyweight Champion Tom Aspinall. Tybura has now gone 8-2 in his last 10 outings, and he earned his fourth Performance of the Night bonus.

Marcin Tybura Tai Tuivasa UFC Vegas 88
Tai Tuivasa

Marcin Tybura thinks Tai Tuivasa has earned another UFC fight: "He deserves one more shot"

Fernando Quiles - March 17, 2024

Marcin Tybura is all class following his technical submission victory over Tai Tuivasa at UFC Vegas 88. Tybura choked out Tuivasa in the first round, handing “Bam Bam” his fourth loss in a row. While Tuivasa has become a fan favorite over the years, many believe he could be in danger of losing his spot on the UFC roster.

Jon Jones Tom Aspinall Hand response
Tom Aspinall

Tom Aspinall reacts to Jon Jones removing hand from his shoulder during tense run-in: "I wasn't there to be disrespectful"

Fernando Quiles - March 17, 2024

Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall recently had a tense moment, and the interim UFC heavyweight champion has now responded to the brief encounter. Jones and Aspinall were able to have a brief conversation during the Arnold’s Sports Festival UK in Birmingham, England. Aspinall put his hand on “Bones'” shoulder, but Jones calmly took his hand off of him. The two did have a cordial conversation about a potential fight, but Jones turned down a face-to-face photo with Tom. Instead, he opted for a regular side-by-side picture with Aspinall.

Alexandre Pantoja, Steve Erceg
UFC

Alexandre Pantoja vs. Steve Erceg official for UFC 301 in Brazil

Josh Evanoff - March 15, 2024

UFC flyweight Alexandre Pantoja will defend the gold at home against the rising Steve Erceg in May. ‘The Cannibal’ is in a bit of a weird spot. As Alexandre Pantoja has pointed out on several occasions, he’s already defeated most top contenders at 125 pounds. As of now, the flyweight champion has scored victories over Brandon Moreno three times, Brandon Royval twice, and wins over the likes of Manel Kape and Alex Perez.

Arman Tsarukyan, Islam Makhachev
Islam Makhachev

Arman Tsarukyan accuses Islam Makhachev of avoiding rematch: "He feels like I'm going to win"

Josh Evanoff - March 15, 2024

UFC lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan believes that Islam Makhachev doesn’t want to fight him. Back in April 2019, the Armenian stepped on short notice to face the rising Islam Makhachev. Despite being very young in his career, Arman Tsarukyan impressed many with his success against the future champion. Still, it was the Russian who claimed a unanimous decision victory after three rounds of action.

Jake Paul, Daniel Cormier
Daniel Cormier

Daniel Cormier doesn't hold back on Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson: "It absolutely sucks"

Josh Evanoff - March 15, 2024

UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier isn’t happy with Mike Tyson’s boxing return against Jake Paul. Earlier this month, ‘Iron Mike’ and ‘The Problem Child’ announced plans to compete in a boxing match this summer. The two stars will compete in a Netflix-produced event, in what will likely be Mike Tyson’s first real boxing match since 2005. However, depending on what the Texas State Athletic Commission says, the bout with Jake Paul may go down as an exhibition.

Exclusive MMA Interviews

Anthony Taylor
Exclusive MMA Interviews

Anthony Taylor explains why Gabe Silva fight fell through, wants boxing match against Tyron Woodley

Cole Shelton - March 6, 2024

Anthony Taylor was supposed to box Gabe Silva, the son of Anderson Silva, later this month but that won’t be the case anymore. Taylor, the former Bellator fighter, has become one of the top draws in influencer boxing as he’s currently the Misfits boxing light heavyweight champion. Taylor is 3-1 in Misfits and was booked to defend his title against Silva on March 23 which was exciting for the MMA veteran.

Sean O'Malley and Marlon Vera
Marlon Vera

UFC 299 | Pro fighters make their picks for Sean O'Malley vs. Marlon Vera 2 title fight

Cole Shelton - March 6, 2024

In the main event of UFC 299, the bantamweight title is on the line as Sean O’Malley defends his strap in a rematch against Marlon Vera. Heading into the fight, O’Malley is a -280 favorite while the the challenger is a +210 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to make their picks for the bantamweight title fight. The pros are actually going with the underdog in Vera to get his hand raised and become the bantamweight champion.

AJ McKee
Exclusive MMA Interviews

AJ McKee says he was "always keen on" re-signing with Bellator, open to returning to featherweight for Patricio Pitbull trilogy

Cole Shelton - March 5, 2024

AJ McKee always knew he was going to re-sign with Bellator. McKee is the former Bellator featherweight champion and was recently a free agent but opted to re-sign with the promotion. McKee says he is a loyal person and wanted to continue to be the face of Bellator going forward.

Kyler Phillips
Kyler Phillips

Kyler Phillips expects to be "too fast" for Pedro Munhoz at UFC 299

Cole Shelton - March 5, 2024

Kyler Phillips believes his speed and striking will be too much for Pedro Munhoz to handle at UFC 299. Phillips is coming off a decision win over Raoni Barcelos back in August and after the victory, he figured a ranked opponent would be next. Phillips is on a two-fight winning streak and is 5-1 in the UFC, so he’s eager to face someone like Munhoz who has fought some of the who’s who of the bantamweight division.

Jairzinho Rozenstruik
Jairzinho Rozenstruik

Jairzinho Rozenstruik believes UFC Vegas 87 fight against Shamil Gaziev comes down to "who lands first"

Cole Shelton - February 28, 2024

Jairzinho Rozenstruik knows his UFC Vegas 87 main event fight against Shamil Gaziev won’t be needing the judges. Rozenstruik is coming off a stoppage loss to Jailton Almeida back in May which he admits was a tough defeat to deal with. After that, Rozenstruik said he wanted time off to fix some things but was hoping to return at the end of 2023.

David Feldman
Exclusive MMA Interviews

David Feldman says there are "top-20 pound-for-pound" boxers who are in talks with BKFC: "You won't believe it"

Cole Shelton - February 28, 2024

BKFC founder David Feldman says fans won’t believe the boxers they are in talks with to sign with their sans gloves promotion. At BKFC 57 on Feb. 2, pro boxer Austin Trout won the BKFC welterweight title with a decision win over Luis Palomino. It was just his second fight in the sans gloves promotion as he beat Diego Sanchez in his debut.

David Feldman and Dana White
Dana White

BKFC founder David Feldman praises UFC CEO Dana White after recent meeting: "He's a real guy and I like him"

Cole Shelton - February 27, 2024

BKFC founder David Feldman has nothing but praise for UFC CEO Dana White. Feldman recently went to the UFC headquarters and met with White and what they talked about isn’t known. However, Feldman says he wanted to meet with White and after talking to him, he has nothing but praise for the UFC CEO, who also had kind words for the BKFC founder.

Yair Rodriguez and Brian Ortega
Exclusive MMA Interviews

Pro fighters make their picks for Yair Rodriguez vs. Brian Ortega 2

Cole Shelton - February 22, 2024

In the co-main event of UFC Mexico City, a rematch between top-four featherweights goes down as Yair Rodriguez takes on Brian Ortega. Heading into the rematch, Rodriguez is a slight -158 favorite while ‘T-City’ is a +124 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to make their picks for the featherweight fight at UFC Mexico City. In their first fight back in July 2021 Rodriguez won in the first round due to a shoulder injury suffered by Ortega. However, in the rematch, the pros are actually going with the underdog in Ortega to pull off the upset.

Brandon Moreno and Brandon Royval at UFC Mexico City
Brandon Royval

Pro fighters make their picks for Brandon Moreno vs. Brandon Royval 2

Cole Shelton - February 21, 2024

In the main event of UFC Mexico City, a rematch between top-three flyweights goes down as Brandon Moreno takes on Brandon Royval. Heading into the fight, Moreno is a -310 favorite while the American is a +230 underdog. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to make their picks for the flyweight main event. The pros believe Moreno will get his hand raised again as he beat Royval back in 2020, and with the fight being in Mexico they believe he will let the crowd go home happy on Saturday night.

Max Griffin
Max Griffin

Max Griffin wants to "finish" his career in the UFC after fighting out his deal, hopes for a quick turnaround

Cole Shelton - February 20, 2024

Max Griffin is ready to re-sign with the UFC. Griffin fought out his contract at UFC Vegas 86 against Jeremiah Wells and he earned a hard-fought split decision win. Going into the fight, Grifin knew there was pressure on him to get the victory, but he believed that same pressure would prove to be good motivation and make him perform at his best.

Dan Ige
Exclusive MMA Interviews

Dan Ige says KO of Andre Fili was "pretty gangster," eyes return at The Sphere against any ranked featherweight

Cole Shelton - February 20, 2024

Dan Ige returned to the win column in a big way at UFC Vegas 86. Ige was fighting in the co-main event as he took on short-notice replacement Andre Fili. The Hawaiian was originally supposed to fight Lerone Murphy, but the Brit was forced out of the bout. Fili ended up being the replacement opponent, which was tough for Ige as he says the two are friends and have trained together in the past.

Merab Dvalishvili and Henry Cejudo
Henry Cejudo

UFC 298 | Pro fighters make their picks for Merab Dvalishvili vs Henry Cejudo

Cole Shelton - February 15, 2024

On the main card of UFC 298 on Saturday in Anaheim, California, top-three bantamweights collide as Merab Dvalishvili takes on Henry Cejudo. Heading into the fight, Dvalishvili is a -205 favorite while ‘Triple C’ is a +158 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to make their picks for the bantamweight fight at UFC 298. Ultimately, the pros are siding with the favorite as they believe Merab Dvalihvili’s cardio and relentless wrestling will be too much for Cejudo at UFC 298.