MMA News
Floyd Mayweather set to return to RIZIN FF, faces Mikuru Asakura
Cole Shelton - June 14, 2022
Floyd Mayweather will be returning to Japan to fight for RIZIN FF. Mayweather who fought kickboxing phenom Tenshin Nasukawa and knocked him out under the RIZIN FF banner in December of 2019, has struck another deal with the promotion. RIZIN FF announced that Mayweather will take on MMA fighter Mikuru Asakura in an exhibition boxing match in September.
Valentina Shevchenko issues a warning to fellow flyweights who now view her as beatable
Susan Cox - June 14, 2022
UFC champion Valentina Shevchenko has issued a warning to fellow flyweights who view her as beatable. It was at UFC 275 this past weekend where Valentina Shevchenko (23-3 MMA) went up against Taila Santos (19-2 MMA) in the women’s flyweight co-main event. It was to be Shevchenko narrowly defending her title via split decision. The champion’s late push was enough to secure her a win by scores of 48-47, 47-48 and 49-46.
Josh Emmett brought in Shane Burgos to prepare for Calvin Kattar, believes he will find the finish to earn a title shot: "I possess a different type of power"
Cole Shelton - June 14, 2022
Josh Emmett will be headlining a UFC card once again. Emmett, who has not headlined an event since his stoppage loss to Jeremy Stephens in 2018, is set to face Calvin Kattar in the main event of UFC Austin. It’s a very fun fight on paper and for Emmett, when he got the fight offer, he was immediately excited for the matchup.
Tyron Woodley explains why former foe Jake Paul is not the appropriate ambassador for UFC fighter pay
Susan Cox - June 14, 2022
Tyron Woodley has expressed his thoughts on why former foe Jake Paul is not the appropriate ambassador for fighter pay in the UFC. The former welterweight champion doesn’t believe that YouTuber-turned-boxer, Jake Paul, is the right figurehead to lead the push for improved fighter pay in the UFC.
Joe Lauzon received show money for canceled UFC 274 fight, plans to "get after" Donald Cerrone early at UFC Austin
Cole Shelton - June 14, 2022
Joe Lauzon is glad he and Donald Cerrone will finally be sharing the Octagon together. Lauzon and Cerrone were supposed to fight at UFC 274 on May 7, but on the morning of the event, ‘Cowboy’ had to pull out as he fell ill. Immediately, the promotion began looking to get the fight rebooked and the two will now meet at UFC Austin. For Lauzon, he says he still got paid for the canceled fight.
Daniel Cormier believes accidental clash of heads saved Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 275: “I thought Santos won the fight”
Susan Cox - June 14, 2022
Daniel Cormier believes the accidental clash of heads saved Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 275. It was Valentina Shevchenko (23-3 MMA) vs Taila Santos (19-2 MMA) in the women’s flyweight co-main event last Saturday, June 11th at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore. The outcome was a split decision victory for Shevchenko, sealing the deal on her status as the UFC women’s flyweight champion. It was to be her seventh consecutive title defense – setting the record for a female UFC fighter.
Just Scrap Radio Ep. 82 with Josh Emmett, Joe Lauzon, Kyle Daukaus, Adrian Yanez, and Ricardo Ramos
Cole Shelton - June 14, 2022
The 82nd episode of Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com with host Cole Shelton is live ahead of UFC Austin. We’re first joined by one-half of the main event and the seventh-ranked featherweight Josh Emmett (2:05). UFC lightweight Joe Lauzon (16:13) then comes on. UFC middleweight Kyle Daukaus (38:16) stops by. Then, UFC bantamweight Adrian Yanez (54:28) comes on. Closing out the program is UFC featherweight Ricardo Ramos (1:14:43).
Aljamain Sterling shares his thoughts on UFC featherweight Zabit Magomedsharipov: “That would the most nightmare matchup ever”
Harry Kettle - June 14, 2022
Aljamain Sterling has explained what happened when he once trained with UFC featherweight Zabit Magomedsharipov. At this moment in time, Aljamain Sterling is on top of the world. He’s riding high as the UFC bantamweight champion and while he has plenty of tough challenges ahead of him, ‘Funk Master’ has done pretty well to hold onto his belt despite many believing Petr Yan would take it off him with relative ease.
Glover Teixeira says a bad weight cut caused him to gas at UFC 275: “When I started to recover, I started to vomit”
Harry Kettle - June 14, 2022
Glover Teixeira has suggested a bad weight cut was one of the reasons for his UFC 275 defeat to Jiri Prochazka. Last Saturday night in the main event of UFC 275, Glover Teixeira went to war with Jiri Prochazka with the UFC light heavyweight title on the line. The Brazilian had to overcome some real adversity but with just half a minute remaining in the final round, he seemed to be on track to retain the strap.
Karolina Kowalkiewicz pens heartfelt message to Joanna Jedrzejczyk following retirement announcement
Harry Kettle - June 14, 2022
Karolina Kowalkiewicz has sent a heartfelt message to Joanna Jedrzejczyk following her retirement at UFC 275. Last Saturday night in Singapore, Joanna Jedrzejczyk retired from mixed martial arts following her knockout defeat at the hands of Weili Zhang. While she had a few good moments throughout the course of the fight, it was clear to see she was a step behind with the Chinese star landing a vicious spinning back fist to secure the win.
Taila Santos's manager reveals she fought through broken orbital bone against Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 275
Josh Evanoff - June 13, 2022
UFC women’s flyweight contender Taila Santos fought through a broken orbital bone against Valentina Shevchenko. Last Saturday night, the Brazilian met ‘The Bullet’ in the co-main event of UFC 275. Despite heading into the fight as a massive underdog, Santos defied expectations. The 28-year-old utilized her wrestling and had massive success against the dominant champion.
Jan Blachowicz still interested in Jon Jones showdown: "I will knock him out"
Josh Evanoff - June 13, 2022
Former UFC light-heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz is interested in fighting Jon Jones. After Jan Blachowicz knocked out Corey Anderson in February 2020, his first thought was to call out Jon Jones, who was cage side. It seemed like that fight was likely in the pipeline, given ‘Bones’ seeming open to the fight. Instead, the bout never happened, as the champion decided to move up in weight.
Miesha Tate looking forward to grappling with Valentina Shevchenko: "I'm licking my chops"
Josh Evanoff - June 13, 2022
UFC women’s flyweight contender Miesha Tate is looking forward to fighting Valentina Shevchenko. Last Saturday night, ‘The Bullet’ faced off against Taila Santos at UFC 275. Despite entering the bout as a massive underdog, the Brazilian put up an admirable effort. Fighting through a broken orbital, Santos secured multiple takedowns and controlled the bout on the mat.
Anthony Smith weighs in on Glover Teixeira vs. Jiri Prochazka: "They just made terrible decisions"
Josh Evanoff - June 13, 2022
Don’t expect UFC light-heavyweight contender Anthony Smith to fight like Glover Teixeira or Jiri Prochazka next time out. Last Saturday night in Singapore, fans were witness to one of the greatest fights in UFC history. UFC 275’s main event saw champion Glover Teixeira look to defend against Jiri Prochazka. The bout was the first title defense for the Brazilian since capturing the strap last October.
Dominick Reyes claims he's the reason Jon Jones moved up to heavyweight
Cole Shelton - June 13, 2022
Dominick Reyes believes nearly beating Jon Jones at UFC 247 is the reason ‘Bones’ is moving up to heavyweight. Jones edged out a decision over Reyes in a fight that many thought the challenger should’ve won. Yet, the judges gave it to ‘Bones’ and since that fight, he has not fought and is bulking up for a heavyweight move. According to Reyes, there were talks of booking an immediate rematch but Jones backed out and instead wanted to go to heavyweight.
Shu-Ki Fita #55: XV.26
Chris Taylor - June 13, 2022
INTRODUCING XV.26 XV.26 is a HYBRID model built with Air Jordan XXII’s, Air Jordan XIX’s, and Air Jordan XX’s. Its construction is TOE-DOWN and SOLE-to-SOLE. His Primary Color is ORANGE (S TIER) and his Accent Color is BLACK (S TIER).
Cody Garbrandt vs. Rani Yahya scratched from UFC Vegas 58
Cole Shelton - June 13, 2022
Cody Garbrandt and Rani Yahya will no longer be fighting on July 9. Multiple sources inform BJPENN.com that Yahya has suffered a neck injury that has forced him to pull out of his fight against Gabrandt. At this time, it’s uncertain if the fight will be rebooked for a later date or if a replacement will be found. The main event of UFC Vegas 58 sees Rafael dos Anjos taking on Rafael Fiziev from the UFC Apex.
Ronda Rousey names the one opponent who could lure her back to MMA
Susan Cox - June 13, 2022
Ronda Rousey has named the one opponent who could lure her back to MMA. Rousey, 35, retired from MMA in 2016 and was the first female fighter inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2018.