MMA News
Israel Adesanya plans to unveil “new weapons” in UFC 271 rematch with Robert Whittaker: “I'm not even lying. He's f*cked”
Susan Cox - February 8, 2022
With UFC 271 only days away, Israel Adesanya plans to unveil ‘new weapons’ in his rematch with Robert Whittaker. Adesanya (21-1 MMA) will be taking on Whittaker (24-5 MMA) in the much anticipated headliner at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas on Saturday, February 12th.
John McCarthy shares his thoughts on a potential Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic matchup: “Stipe is getting older”
Susan Cox - February 8, 2022
John McCarthy weighed in on what a Jon Jones vs Stipe Miocic matchup might look like. McCarthy, ‘Big John’, is a former professional MMA referee and currently a broadcaster for Bellator MMA. Co-hosting the ‘Weighing In’ podcast with former world champion Josh ‘The Punk’ Thomson the two provide listeners with forty plus years of experience and lots of insight and banter.
Former UFC standout Chris Leben hospitalized with COVID-19
Harry Kettle - February 8, 2022
Former UFC middleweight Chris Leben has announced that he’s been hospitalized as a result of a bout with COVID-19. Leben, 41, has been heralded as a true MMA veteran by many fans after the years of commitment he gave to the sport. His time in the UFC featured a lot of ups and downs, including a highlight reel loss to Anderson Silva and big knockout wins over the likes of Wanderlei Silva and Mike Swick.
Just Scrap Radio Ep. 66 with Robert Whittaker, Renato Moicano, Roxanne Modafferi, Kyler Phillips, and Jared Vanderaa
Cole Shelton - February 8, 2022
The 66th episode of Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com with host Cole Shelton is here ahead of UFC 271. We’re first joined by one-half of the main event in the top-ranked middleweight contender and former middleweight champion, Robert Whittaker (2:53). UFC lightweight, Renato Moicano (15:35) then stops by. 12th-ranked women’s flyweight, Roxanne Modafferi (28:06) joins the show. UFC bantamweight, Kyler Phillips (38:30) then comes on. Closing out the show is UFC heavyweight, Jared Vanderaa (49:28).
Rumble CEO offers Joe Rogan a no-censorship deal worth $100 million to switch platforms
Harry Kettle - February 8, 2022
The CEO of Rumble has offered Joe Rogan a deal worth $100 million over four years to switch to their platform from Spotify. The last few weeks have been a whirlwind for Joe Rogan after a video compilation of him saying the N-word went viral. Understandably, this caused quite the backlash on social media, with many fans being split between supporting him and tearing him down.
Chael Sonnen condemns Daniel Cormier for his middleweight GOAT assessment
Harry Kettle - February 8, 2022
Chael Sonnen has questioned Daniel Cormier for suggesting recency bias has played a role in people comparing Israel Adesanya to Anderson Silva. While Anderson Silva is often regarded as the middleweight GOAT by the MMA masses, some have argued that Israel Adesanya could be sneaking his way into the conversation. Alas, Daniel Cormier recently rejected that notion, indicating that he believed Adesanya still has work to do if he wants to be put on the same pedestal as “The Spider”.
Dana White shares graphic picture of Kamaru Usman's hand surgery (Photo)
Cole Shelton - February 7, 2022
Kamaru Usman went under the knife for his hand and Dana White has shared a graphic photo of the procedure. Usman had the surgery to repair a ligament after suffering a broken hand in his UFC 268 fight against Colby Covington. The hope for the welterweight champ is that he will be ready to return at International Fight Week in July, but the process of the surgery was not a pretty sight.
Julianna Pena explains excitement behind Amanda Nunes rematch: "I want to silence the naysayers"
Josh Evanoff - February 7, 2022
Julianna Pena is currently set to face Amanda Nunes later this year in a highly-anticipated rematch. The UFC bantamweight champion has given her reason why she’s so excited to fight ‘The Lioness’ again. Pena and Nunes are currently coaching the 30th season of The Ultimate Fighter. During media day for the show, ‘The Venezuelan Vixen’ shared excitement over facing her rival once again.
Anthony Pettis reveals "Showtime Kick" bonus for his new promotion
Josh Evanoff - February 7, 2022
Showtime Fighting Championship’s inaugural show is this Friday. Ahead of the event, its creator Anthony Pettis has revealed a fun bonus on the table. Last year, the former UFC lightweight champion announced that he was starting his own promotion. Dubbed “Showtime FC”, the first show was set for February 11th. Now just days out from the event, ‘Showtime’ has announced that the promotion will have a unique bonus structure.
Tai Tuivasa is open to fighting Jon Jones after UFC 271: "Count me in"
Josh Evanoff - February 7, 2022
Tai Tuivasa has decided to shoot his shot. ‘Bam Bam’ has stated that he’s down to fight former UFC light heavyweight champion, Jon Jones, after UFC 271. The former 205lb titleholder is expected to move up in weight and fight later this year. Tuivasa is currently scheduled to fight Derrick Lewis this Saturday. A win would put the Australian near the front of the line in terms of getting a title shot. However, it appears that Tuivasa seemingly has other plans rather than fighting for the title.
Julian Erosa says he "took more money off" Steven Peterson than his entire purse, eyes Alex Caceres or Hakeem Dawodu next
Cole Shelton - February 7, 2022
Julian Erosa made a lot more money than he expected on Saturday. Erosa opened up the UFC Vegas 47 main card against Steven Peterson in a highly anticipated bout. The fight exceeded expectations as the combatants went to war for the full fifteen minutes. In the end, it was Erosa who won the contest by split decision. Although the plan was for Erosa to be more technical, he is happy that the fight was entertaining.
Nick Maximov praises the Diaz Brothers: "I think Nick and Nate are the greatest martial artists to grace the Octagon"
Josh Evanoff - February 7, 2022
Nick Maximov has thrown praise towards his trainer partners’ direction. The middleweight prospect is coming off back-to-back victories inside the UFC Octagon. He’s received lots of attention thanks to his association with the famed Diaz brothers, as he’s trained with Nick and Nate for years.
Rashad Evans unsure if he'll fight again after Eagle FC win: "I got the win I have been so desperate to get"
Cole Shelton - February 7, 2022
Rashad Evans always wanted to end his career on a win and he may have just done that. Evans ended his near four-year retirement to return at Eagle FC 44 where he fought Gabriel Checco. He entered the fight on a five-fight losing streak but he says the pandemic is a key reason as to why he even wanted to fight again.
WWE champion Bobby Lashley explains his decision to walk away from MMA
Susan Cox - February 7, 2022
Bobby Lashley, 45, is an American professional wrestler, mixed martial artist and armed forces veteran. Lashley last fought in 2016, ending his pro fighting career with a 15-2 record which includes a 5-0 record in the Bellator cage. While partnering with Bellator, Lashley was allowed to compete while also pursuing pro wresting bookings.
CEO Daniel Ek says Joe Rogan’s comments are “incredibly hurtful” but he still has a home at Spotify
Susan Cox - February 7, 2022
It seems every day you read or watch the news, the headlines include Joe Rogan. While many say there’s no such thing as bad publicity, I’m sure even Joe is getting tired of all the controversy concerning his podcast ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’.
Michael Bisping on a potential interim heavyweight title fight between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic: “If anyone deserves it, it's Stipe”
Susan Cox - February 7, 2022
Michael Bisping on his YouTube ‘Believe You Me’ podcast discussed a potential interim heavyweight title fight between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic. Jon Jones, (26-1 MMA) only defeat was a controversial disqualification against Matt Hamill (12-8 MMA) back in December 2009. To this day, many in the MMA community, including Dana White, believe the fight should’ve been a KO/TKO win for Jon Jones.
Dustin Poirier hints at possible retirement, plays down fighting Conor McGregor or Nate Diaz
Harry Kettle - February 7, 2022
Dustin Poirier has hinted at retiring from mixed martial arts whilst also playing down the idea of fighting Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz. Ever since his defeat to Charles Oliveira at UFC 269, questions have been circulating across the MMA sphere regarding the future of Dustin Poirier. While he’s quite clearly still an elite lightweight, the talk of him getting straight back into the Octagon against Nate Diaz appears to have died down.
Jack Hermansson pens poem to Sean Strickland following loss at UFC Vegas 47: “Best of luck to murder your next competition”
Harry Kettle - February 7, 2022
Jack Hermansson has written an amusing poem to his fans and Sean Strickland in the wake of his loss last weekend. In the main event of UFC Vegas 47 on Saturday night, Jack Hermansson simply wasn’t able to match Sean Strickland as he fell to a decision defeat. The bout was certainly an intriguing one but in comparison to some other middleweight main events we’ve seen in recent years, it didn’t really live up to the hype.