MMA News
Just Scrap Radio Ep. 40 with Brandon Moreno, Eryk Anders, Matt Frevola, Steven Peterson, and Frank Camacho
Cole Shelton - June 8, 2021
The 40th episode of Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN with Cole Shelton is here ahead of UFC 263. We’re first joined by one-half of the co-main event and UFC flyweight title challenger, Brandon Moreno (2:24). Next, UFC middleweight/light heavyweight, Eryk Anders (17:03) joins the show. UFC lightweight, Matt Frevola (31:04) comes on. UFC featherweight, Steven Peterson (45:51) then joins the program. Closing out the show is UFC lightweight, Frank Camacho (56:58).
Nick Diaz "will fight this year," confirms Dana White: "It's looking promising"
Adam D Martin - June 8, 2021
UFC president Dana White says that fan-favorite Nick Diaz “will fight again” this year after recently revealing he wanted to make a comeback. Diaz was a guest at UFC 261 in Jacksonville in April and he made it known at that time that he was in discussions with the UFC about a potential comeback. The last time we saw Diaz fight was in 2015 when he fought to a No Contest against Anderson Silva. It’s now 2021 and Diaz is hoping to get back into the Octagon and fight for the first time in six years. However, while Diaz himself wants to come back, White was initially skeptical about it. In fact, the UFC president previously suggested that it might not be a good idea for his return.
Marvin Vettori scores sponsorship with Dolce & Gabbana ahead of UFC 263 title fight
Harry Kettle - June 8, 2021
Marvin Vettori has secured a sponsorship deal with Dolce & Gabbana heading into his UFC 263 main event this Saturday. The news comes courtesy of his manager Ali Abdelaziz as “The Italian Dream” gears up for the most important fight of his life. He’ll be taking on Israel Adesanya, the man who beat him via split decision in an intriguing bout back in 2018, with the UFC middleweight title being on the line.
Dan Hardy has an opponent in mind for Logan Paul’s potential Bellator debut: “Get it done, Scott Coker!”
Harry Kettle - June 8, 2021
Former UFC commentator Dan Hardy believes Logan Paul’s first opponent in a potential Bellator debut should be Michael “Venom” Page. Paul is coming off the back of an eight-round boxing exhibition against Floyd Mayweather this past weekend. While he didn’t quite blow the world away, he definitely proved that he has a whole lot of heart as he managed to avoid being stopped by the 50-0 veteran.
Dana White rips Floyd Mayweather vs. Logan Paul: “That wasn’t a f*cking boxing match”
Christopher Taylor - June 7, 2021
UFC President Dana White slammed all of the “dummies” who paid money to watch Floyd Mayweather box Logan Paul. Last night in Miami, Mayweather (50-0) squared off with YouTube sensation Logan Paul (0-1) in an exhibition boxing match slated for eight rounds.
Dana White blasts Paulo Costa: "You’re in no position to be talking about crazy money after your last performance"
Cole Shelton - June 7, 2021
Dana White isn’t a fan of Paulo Costa demanding more money. After it was revealed Costa was out of his main event fight against Jared Cannonier on August 21, he took to social media to say the UFC needs to pay him as a main event fighter. He also says he never signed the contract which White says is not true as the UFC president blasted the Brazilian.
Colby Covington blasts "prick" Dustin Poirier for dropping and taunting an amateur in training
Cole Shelton - June 7, 2021
Colby Covington has blasted Dustin Poirier for allegedly dropping and taunting an amateur in training. Covington and Poirier used to train with each other at American Top Team. However, they had a big falling out after “Chaos” picked Khabib Nurmagomedov to beat him. After that, they then began taking shots at one another and now Covington claims Poirier taunted an amateur in training in the lead-up to the Nurmagomedov preparation.
Scott Coker "absolutely" would let Logan Paul fight in Bellator if he wanted
Cole Shelton - June 7, 2021
Scott Coker is open to having Logan Paul take an MMA fight in Bellator. Paul, the YouTube star turned pro boxer has mentioned he believes he would be better at MMA due to his wrestling background. After he went the distance with Floyd Mayweather on Showtime pay-per-view, he mentioned he would take an MMA fight.
After "hanging with" Khabib and Islam in training, Kyle Crutchmer has the confidence to make a Bellator title run
Cole Shelton - June 7, 2021
Kyle Crutchmer has all the confidence in the world to be a Bellator champion. Crutchmer is coming off his first career loss as he lost a hard-fought decision to Kemran Lachniov at Bellator 249 in October, who is on the newest season of TUF. Although it was Crutchmer’s first career loss, he says he took a lot from it as he learned how to mix in his striking and grappling.
Joe Rogan praises "freak show" boxing match between Logan Paul and Floyd Mayweather: "It was pretty f*cking interesting"
Adam D Martin - June 7, 2021
UFC analyst Joe Rogan praised the “freak show” boxing match between Logan Paul and Floyd Mayweather, calling it “pretty f*cking interesting.” Paul and Mayweather met on Sunday night at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida in an eight-round exhibition boxing match. Though Mayweather landed the better shots throughout and would have won had there been judges scoring it, Paul proved his toughness and heart by going eight rounds with one of the greatest boxers in the world, and Rogan liked what he saw.
Claressa Shields calls teammate Holly Holm the "cheat code" ahead of PFL and MMA debut
Adam D Martin - June 7, 2021
Boxer-turned-MMA fighter Claressa Shields called teammate Holly Holm the “cheat code” ahead of her upcoming PFL and mixed martial arts debut. Shields makes her official professional MMA debut this Thursday at PFL 4 when she takes on Brittany Elkin in a non-tournament women’s lightweight bout. Shields is one of the best women’s boxers on the planet but she has said for a few years now that MMA was her goal, and she will finally make her debut in mixed martial arts later this week against Elkin.
Jake Paul "has a good chance" to beat Tyron Woodley, says Roy Jones Jr.: "He knows how to box"
Adam D Martin - June 7, 2021
Boxing legend Roy Jones Jr. believes that YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul “has a good chance” to beat Tyron Woodley in their boxing match. Paul meets Woodley on August 28 in the biggest boxing match of Paul’s career to date. After knocking out Woodley’s teammate Ben Askren in his last fight, the matchup with Woodley became hotly rumored and it will now happen later this summer. Paul is the slight favorite to get the win in the fight according to the sportsbooks, although there are still many fans who believe that Woodley is going to smoke him. Regardless of what happens in this fight, it has all the makings of one of the most highly-anticipated fights of the summer.
Ariel Helwani leaves ESPN, reportedly in talks with Action Network
Harry Kettle - June 7, 2021
MMA reporter Ariel Helwani has confirmed that he will be leaving ESPN later this month after three successful years with the company. Helwani is one of the most famous mixed martial arts journalists of his generation and will continue to hold that title for as long as he decides to cover the sport. Prior to this he spent time with MMA Fighting, before making what he considered to be the dream move of his career by jumping ship to ESPN.
Eddie Alvarez shares prediction for tonight's Logan Paul vs. Floyd Mayweather boxing match
Adam Martin - June 6, 2021
Former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez shared his prediction for tonight’s big boxing match between Logan Paul and Floyd Mayweather. Paul and Mayweather meet in an exhibition boxing match tonight live from the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida. It’s an exhibition boxing match because of the massive weight difference in the fight. At the official weigh-ins on Saturday, Paul came in at 189.5lbs while Mayweather tipped the scales at 155lbs. The weight difference is the reason this fight is not a professional boxing match, but rather an exhibition fight. Because it’s an exhibition, there will be no official judges ringside to declare a winner, but the fighters can still go for a KO.
Anthony Smith announces UFC Fight Night main event against Ryan Spann
Adam Martin - June 6, 2021
UFC light heavyweight contender Anthony Smith announced himself that he will next fight in a UFC Fight Night main event against Ryan Spann. Smith mentioned the fight against Spann himself during the UFC Vegas 28 pre-show on Saturday, and ESPN later confirmed the booking. The two top-15 ranked light heavyweights will meet on September 18 in the main event of a UFC Fight Night card. There is no venue or location set for the event yet, but Las Vegas seems plausible.
Francisco Trinaldo issues statement following loss at UFC Vegas 28: "I'm not ashamed of my performance"
Adam Martin - June 6, 2021
UFC lightweight Francisco Trinaldo issued a statement following his loss at UFC Vegas 28, saying that “I’m not ashamed of my performance.” Trinaldo moved up to the welterweight division for the first time in his UFC career following a three-fight losing streak at lightweight with wins over Jai Herbert, John Makdessi, and Bobby Green. At age 42, Trinaldo is one of the oldest fighters in the UFC but he has continued to have plenty of success in the Octagon even given his elder status. On Saturday night, Trinaldo made his 170lbs debut when he took on Muslim Salikhov. Although Trinaldo fought hard for the full 15 minutes, Salikhov had the upper hand in the striking and grappling and was given the unanimous decision by the judges after the fight.
Marcin Tybura "motivated to take the next step" following first-round TKO win over Walt Harris at UFC Vegas 28
Adam Martin - June 6, 2021
UFC heavyweight Marcin Tybura says he is “motivated to take the next step” following his first-round TKO win over Walt Harris at UFC Vegas 28. Tybura survived an early onslaught of strikes from Harris in the first round of their co-main event fight at UFC Vegas 28 to storm back, take Harris to the ground, and pound him out with vicious punches on the mat. It was an incredible comeback by Tybura after being badly rocked early on in the fight, and it won him $50,000 for “Performance of the Night.” It also gave Tybura a five-fight win streak in the UFC heavyweight division, and he will be moving into the top-10 of the weight class after beating the No. 8 ranked Harris.
Alan Patrick calls for rematch with Mason Jones following eye poke at UFC Vegas 28: "My vision was completely clouded"
Adam Martin - June 6, 2021
Lightweight Alan Patrick called for a rematch with Mason Jones after an eye poke at UFC Vegas 28, saying “my vision was completely clouded.” Patrick and Jones met on the undercard of Saturday’s UFC Vegas 28 event. The first round of the fight saw Jones take it to Patrick, dropping the veteran and nearly finishing him with ground-and-pound before the horn at the end of the first round saved Patrick. The second round was beginning to look like more of the same, with Jones dominating the stanza, but an accidental eye poke by Jones caused a premature end to the fight when he caught Patrick in the eye with his fingers. Patrick told the referee and the cage-side physician that he couldn’t see, and the fight was waved off and ruled a No Contest for both fighters.