MMA News
Petr Yan fires back at Aljamain Sterling over Unified Rules comment: "Try to win the fight without crawling on your knees"
Adam D Martin - June 18, 2021
Petr Yan fires back at Aljamain Sterling over his Unified Rules comment, suggesting he “try to win the fight without crawling on your knees.” Yan and Sterling fought back at UFC 259 in March for the UFC bantamweight title that Yan held at that time. Yan was in total control of the fight and seemed to be cruising towards a decision win when he made the mistake of landing an illegal knee to a downed opponent in the fourth round of the fight. Sterling was unable to continue due to the illegal shot and referee Mark Smith ruled the fight in favor of Sterling via DQ, handing him the belt. It was about as controversial of a moment as one can remember in a UFC title fight, as it was the first time in promotional history that a belt has changed hands as a result of a DQ.
Dan Hooker wants Nate Diaz or Tony Ferguson at UFC 266: "That's what the fans want to see"
Adam D Martin - June 18, 2021
UFC lightweight contender Dan Hooker is hoping to fight again this fall and he wants to scrap either Nate Diaz or Tony Ferguson at UFC 266. UFC 266 is set to take place on September 25 and features a main event between UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz and No. 1 contender Glover Teixeira. In addition, a TUF coaches battle between UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega is also expected to take place on the card. Hooker, a longtime teammate of Volkanovski at City Kickboxing, is hoping to fight at UFC 266 and he recently said that he wants to fight Diaz. Now he is also adding Ferguson to his list of potential opponents.
Vitor Belfort calls boxing match with Oscar De La Hoya "the biggest fight ever"
Adam D Martin - June 18, 2021
Former UFC champion Vitor Belfort called his upcoming exhibition boxing match with Oscar De La Hoya “the biggest fight ever.” It was announced on Thursday that Belfort will return to the boxing ring for the first time in 15 years when he takes on the legend De La Hoya, who himself will be making his boxing comeback after 13 years away from the sport. The fight will take place on September 11 and it is expected to be another big money-making fight for Triller Fight Club as it features one of the most famous boxers of all time in De La Hoya against an MMA legend in Belfort.
Leon Edwards says he will wait for title shot against winner of Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington: "I'm not fighting no one else"
Adam D Martin - June 18, 2021
Leon Edwards says he will wait for the title shot against the winner of Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington: “I’m not fighting no one else.” Edwards is coming off of a unanimous decision win over Nate Diaz at UFC 263 and overall he is unbeaten over his last 10 fights, with nine wins and one No Contest during that stretch. Edwards believes that he has done enough to fight Usman for the UFC welterweight title, but UFC president Dana White has already confirmed that Covington will be getting the next crack at the belt. That means that Edwards either will have to wait for the winner of the Usman vs. Covington fight or take another fight in the meantime.
Rory MacDonald reacts following “clear robbery” in PFL 5 fight with Gleison Tibau: “I think that this should be looked into”
Adam D Martin - June 18, 2021
Rory MacDonald reacted following the “clear robbery” in his PFL 5 fight with Gleison Tibau, saying “I think that this should be looked into.” MacDonald was competing in PFL for the second time following a submission win over Curtis Millender in his promotional debut in April. Against Tibau, MacDonald used a game plan of sticking and moving on the outside to outpoint Tibau and take home a decision. He also used his grappling in the first round effectively. However, when the judges’ scorecards were read after the three rounds, it was Tibau winning the split decision, not MacDonald.
Photo | Check out the scorecards from Rory MacDonald vs Gleison Tibau
Harry Kettle - June 18, 2021
The scorecards from the three judges scoring Rory MacDonald vs Gleison Tibau last night have been released to the public. PFL 5 is officially in the books and while we may know the four welterweight contenders who will progress through to the playoffs, the process of learning who would go through certainly didn’t come easily.
Pros react after Gleison Tibau upsets Rory MacDonald at PFL 5
Harry Kettle - June 18, 2021
Multiple MMA fighters reacted on social media after Gleison Tibau pulled off an upset win over Rory MacDonald at PFL 5 last night. The two men battled it out as part of the final push towards the welterweight playoffs in the PFL. The overwhelming expectation heading into the bout was that MacDonald would blow the doors off of Tibau and while it wasn’t quite so convincing, many did believe he was the one who should have his hand raised.
Kayla Harrison talks Claressa Shields MMA debut, 'this is not boxing'
Drake Riggs - June 17, 2021
Claressa Shields is officially an MMA fighter following a successful PFL 4 debut against Brittney Elkin this past Thursday. Inevitably, fans are expecting a clash of Olympic gold medals pitting Shields against the 9-0 Kayla Harrison. Currently looking to claim yet another PFL crown through the lightweight tournament, Harrison recently shared her thoughts on the boxing legend’s victory.
Jake Paul believes once he hits Tyron Woodley he won't want to fight: "I'm too powerful"
Cole Shelton - June 17, 2021
Jake Paul believes he will make Tyron Woodley quit in their boxing match on August 28. Paul, the brash YouTuber turned boxer, is 3-0 as a pro and coming off a first-round KO win over Ben Askren. After the fight, Tyron Woodley, who was in Askren’s corner began to call him out. The fight ended up getting made and for Paul, he believes he will make quick work of the former UFC welterweight champion.
Jorge Masvidal eyes end of year return against top-five opponent, claims Leon Edwards is "not a fighter"
Cole Shelton - June 17, 2021
Jorge Masvidal is looking to return sometime in October or November against a top-five opponent. Masvidal is coming off back-to-back losses to Kamaru Usman for the welterweight title including losing by a vicious KO back at UFC 261. Although the losses are disappointing, “Gamebred” says he’s eager to return at the end of this year.
Jan Blachowicz credits Israel Adesanya for improved grappling against Marvin Vettori: "He did his homework"
Adam D Martin - June 17, 2021
UFC 205lbs champion Jan Blachowicz credited Israel Adesanya for improved grappling against Marvin Vettori, saying “he did his homework.” Blachowicz handed Adesanya his first loss in MMA back in March when he won a unanimous decision in a fight where Blachowicz took Adesanya down and controlled him on the mat. There were some who thought Blachowicz laid out the blueprint for how to beat Adesanya, but he showed improvements in his grappling game against Vettori at last Saturday’s UFC 263 in a unanimous decision win. Notably, there was one point in the fight where Vettori got Adesanya’s back, but he was able to explode out of the position and avoid danger.
Oscar De La Hoya vs. Vitor Belfort set for Triller exhibition boxing match
Adam D Martin - June 17, 2021
Boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya will return to the ring when he takes on former UFC champion Vitor Belfort in an exhibition boxing match. Mike Coppinger of The Athletic was the first to report that De La Hoya vs. Belfort is on tap for the Triller Fight Club event scheduled for September 11 in Las Vegas, Nevada. It will be an exhibition match and the fighters will wear 12-ounce gloves. As the scribe notes, the 48-year-old De La Hoya hasn’t fought since losing to Manny Pacquiao in 2008. The 44-year-old Belfort, meanwhile, hasn’t competed since losing to Lyoto Machida in the UFC in 2018, and his only pro boxing match came back in 2006, which he won by first-round KO.
Aleksei Oleinik believes experience is key against Serghei Spivac, eyes submission win
Cole Shelton - June 17, 2021
Aleksei Oleinik is set for his 76th professional MMA fight as he takes on Serghei Spivac in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 29. Oleinik is coming off of back-to-back knockout losses to Chris Daukaus and Derrick Lewis. He last fought back in February and after that fight, he went back to the gym and was looking to fight again in the summer. He ended up getting his wish and is eager for the opportunity to show his skills once again.
Anderson Silva says he spoke to Chris Weidman after he broke his leg at UFC 261, confident he'll return
Cole Shelton - June 17, 2021
Anderson Silva immediately knew what Chris Weidman was going through. On the main card of the stacked UFC 261 card, Weidman and Uriah Hall were having a rematch years in the making. It was an important fight for the middleweight division but on the first kick Weidman threw, his leg snapped just like Silva’s did against Weidman. Once the dust settled of the injury, the Brazilian reached out to Weidman and gave him some advice and support.
Pro fighters make their picks for Korean Zombie vs. Dan Ige
Cole Shelton - June 17, 2021
In the main event of UFC Vegas 29, Korean Zombie takes on Dan Ige in a pivotal featherweight clash. It’s an evenly matched fight as the oddsmakers have it as a pure pick’em at -110 apiece. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The majority of pros believe it will be Korean Zombie getting his hand raised on Saturday night.
Claressa Shields says she wants to be the Bo Jackson of MMA and boxing: "I believe I am the greatest woman of all time"
Adam D Martin - June 17, 2021
PFL star Claressa Shields says she wants to be the Bo Jackson of MMA and boxing, saying that “I believe I am the greatest woman of all time.” Jackson was an incredible two-sport athlete who is still the only person to ever be named to a Pro Bowl team in the NFL and an All-Star team in MLB. Many consider Jackson to be one of the greatest athletes who ever lived, and many athletes have come up behind him who have wanted to accomplish what he did, which is being great at two professional sports. Of course, it’s hard enough to be an elite athlete in one sport, but Jackson proved you can be elite in two, and that’s exactly what Shields is hoping to do herself.
Kelvin Gastelum says Robert Whittaker has "real chance at regaining that middleweight title" from Israel Adesanya
Adam D Martin - June 17, 2021
UFC middleweight Kelvin Gastelum says Robert Whittaker has a “real chance at regaining that middleweight title” from champ Israel Adesanya. Gastelum has fought both Whittaker and Adesanya so he knows exactly what both men bring to the table. In the wake of Adesanya’s win over Marvin Vettori at UFC 263, which improved his record as a UFC middleweight to a perfect 10-0, the next fight to make for the 185lbs title seems to be Adesanya against Whittaker. And if you ask Gastelum what he thinks about that potential title fight, he thinks there’s a good chance the champ loses.
Max Holloway injured, out of UFC Fight Night matchup against Yair Rodriguez
Adam D Martin - June 17, 2021
Former UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway is injured and out of his upcoming UFC Fight Night matchup against Yair Rodriguez. ESPN was the first to report that Holloway is injured and out of the fight with Rodriguez. According to the report, the UFC is hoping to reschedule the bout for a future fight card instead of finding someone to fill in on short notice against Rodriguez. With the Holloway vs. Rodriguez fight now off of the UFC’s July 17 card, the promotion will surely be looking to find a replacement headliner on one month’s notice.