MMA News

Cole Shelton - April 22, 2021

Khamzat Chimaev believes he can compete at light heavyweight and beat the current champ in Jan Blachowicz. Chimaev took the MMA world by storm in 2020 as he fought twice in 10 days and earned wins at welterweight and middleweight. He followed that up with a one-punch KO over Gerald Meerschaert and was then booked to face Leon Edwards. Unfortunately, he has been dealing with lingering effects of COVID-19 but is eyeing a July or August return.

Cole Shelton - April 22, 2021

Jorge Masvidal is going back to his roots as he’s launching a bare-knuckle MMA promotion. Recently, Masvidal teased the news as he said he would be trying to find the best bare-knuckle fighters, just like Kimbo Slice did for him. Although many weren’t expecting a full-on promotion, “Gamebred” took to Instagram to announce the launch of Gamebred Fighting Championship. The first event will on June 25 in Miami.

Christopher Taylor - April 22, 2021

Colby Covington will be watching this weekend’s UFC 261 main event with keen interest as he is slated to face the winner of Masvidal vs. Usman 2. Earlier this week UFC President Dana White confirmed that Covington (16-2 MMA) would be the next man to challenge for the promotions coveted welterweight title, regardless of what happens this Saturday night in Jacksonville.

Adam D Martin - April 22, 2021

UFC lightweight Rafael Fiziev issued a hilarious callout of fellow divisional contender Kevin Lee with a video posted on his social media. In the video that Fiziev shared on his social media, the striker is seen walking around in a forest while calling out Lee’s name. Take a look at the video that “Ataman” posted below.

Adam D Martin - April 22, 2021

UFC commentator Joe Rogan will be back in the booth for this weekend’s UFC 261 pay-per-view card alongside Daniel Cormier and Jon Anik. Rogan, Cormier, and Anik have been the UFC’s go-to commentary team for its pay-per-view events in recent years. Rogan has been, of course, the UFC’s A-team color commentator for well over a decade and has been part of the UFC team for over 20 years. As for Cormier, he is the former UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight champion. As far as Anik goes, he has been the A-team play-by-play announcer ever since Mike Goldberg left. Betwen Rogan, Cormier, and Anik, they bring an incredible amount of knowledge and experience to the booth, so it’s not a surprise the UFC loves to use this set-up for PPVs.

Adam D Martin - April 22, 2021

Kickboxing legend John Wayne Parr reacted after getting knocked out by a head kick against Nieky Holzken in a Muay Thai bout at ONE on TNT 3. The 44-year-old Parr and the 37-year-old Holzken put on four-ounce MMA gloves as they stepped into the ONE Championship cage with each other for a Muay Thai fight. Unfortuantely for Parr, it was not a night to remember as he suffered a vicious knockout when Holzken knocked him out with a high kick. You can see the highlights below.

Cole Shelton - April 22, 2021

In the co-main event of UFC 261, Weili Zhang is looking to defend her strawweight title for the second time when she battles former champion, Rose Namajunas. Heading into the fight, Zhang is a -210 favorite while the challenger is a +170 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. The pros slightly lean towards Zhang defending her belt in a very competitive fight.

Adam D Martin - April 22, 2021

Rose Namajunas explained the problems she possesses for UFC women’s strawweight champion Weili Zhang when they meet at UFC 261. Namajunas steps back into the Octagon for the first time since defeating Jessica Andrade last summer on Fight Island to earn this title shot against Zhang, who fights for the first time since her war with Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 248 last year. Namajunas enters this fight againt the champion Zhang as the underdog, but she is confident that she has the skillset to get the job done. Namajunas is a former champion herself so she knows what it takes to get the belt and hold it, and she promises to give Zhang a tough fight at UFC 261.

Adam D Martin - April 22, 2021

Former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis looks absolutely shredded ahead of his debut with PFL, the Professional Fighters League. Pettis left the UFC following a decision win over Alex Morono and in free agency, it was PFL who made the best offer to him. With the allure of a $1 million grand prize, it was an offer that Pettis couldn’t refuse and so he signed with the PFL. In his first fight with the promotion, he takes on former UFC featherweight Clay Collard on Friday night.

Adam D Martin - April 22, 2021

Veteran ring announcement Michael Buffer apologized for saying Ben Askren wrong when he introduced him this past Saturday night. Askren fought Jake Paul in the main event of the Triller Fight Club boxing event this past Saturday night. When Buffer introduced Askren, he mispronounced his last name, calling him “Ben Askew,” to which Askren could be seen looking confused when his name was read. Buffer is ne of the top ring announcers in the game, but anyone can make a mistake with a name and it just so happens that he did so in front of millions of live viewers. It was am embarassing error and one that fans made sure they noticed by tweeting about it.

Harry Kettle - April 22, 2021

John Lineker scored another vicious knockout last night as he put Troy Worthen to sleep in the very first round of their ONE on TNT 3 showdown. Lineker has been part of the ONE Championship family since back in 2019 and while it may not seem like that’s the case, he’s certainly made the most of his opportunities ever since arriving on the scene.

Harry Kettle - April 22, 2021

Former UFC fighter Rob Broughton has been jailed for eight years for his role in a cocaine enterprise that saw him move around £30 million in cash. As reported by Liverpool Echo, Broughton served as the enforcer or “muscle” for Liverpool brothers Alan and John Tobin. The pair supplied Class A drugs to gangs around the Merseyside area and even stretched out to other parts of England and the United Kingdom.

Cole Shelton - April 21, 2021

Jorge Masvidal is confident he will not only beat but finish Kamaru Usman at UFC 261. At UFC 251 in July on Fight Island, Masvidal stepped up on six day’s notice to fight Usman for the welterweight title. Unfortunately for “Gamebred”, the fight did not go his way as he suffered a decision loss.

Cole Shelton - April 21, 2021

Chris Weidman knows he is a bad style matchup for Israel Adesanya and is excited for the chance to prove it. Weidman returned to the win column in August with a hard-fought decision over Omari Akhmedov. After that fight, he said he was chasing another title shot as he knows he’s a bad style matchup for Adesanya and believes Jan Blachowicz’s win proves that.

Adam D Martin - April 21, 2021

UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman says he’s lapping the field right now, but he admitted walking away in the future is an option. With a perfect 13-0 record in the Octagon, Usman has been smoking everyone in the UFC welterweight division ever since winning TUF. Usman has shown exceptional skills in all areas of the game, especially with his trademark wrestling and improved striking. When he takes on Jorge Masvidal this weekend at UFC 261, Usman will look to continue making records in the promotion’s trademark division. Ever since Georges St-Pierre retired, Usman has been a tremendous heir replacement to the throne. But at some point, there comes a time when everyone walks away. GSP did it, and Usman knows he will one day, too.

Cole Shelton - April 21, 2021

Tristan Connelly will finally make the walk to the Octagon at UFC 261 and will do so two weight classes lower than his debut fight. Connelly made his UFC debut on short notice against Michel Pereira at UFC Vancouver in 2019, he also moved up to welterweight for the fight. Connelly ended up pulling off a big upset and earned a decision win.

Adam D Martin - April 21, 2021

UFC lightweight Drakkar Klose has been given his show money, but not his win bonus, after his recent fight with Jeremy Stephens was canceled. Last Friday at the UFC Vegas 24 weigh-ins, Klose was shoved by Stephens. The shove came out of nowhere and startled Klose, who was already dehydrated from cutting weight. The next day, the fight was canceled just hours before the fighters were supposed to step into the cage. Klose later released a statement saying that he was injured from the shove and that he was dealing with whiplash-like symptoms. UFC president Dana White responded by saying that UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby was the one to blame since he should have prevented the shove from ever occurring between Klose and Stephens.

Adam D Martin - April 21, 2021

Former UFC welterweight Lorenz Larkin will move up to middleweight when he takes on Costello Van Steenis at Bellator 258 next month. Many fans have been wondering what Larkin has been up to. When Bellator released its inaugural promotional rankings last week, Larkin was nowhere to be found in the 170lbs rankings because he had a 15-month layoff. Still, it made fans wonder where “Da Monsoon” was. Now we know, as the striker just had next his MMA fight announced.