MMA News

Daniel Cormier, Joe Rogan
Joe Rogan

Joe Rogan and Daniel Cormier set for commentary booth at UFC 260

Adam Martin - March 24, 2021

Joe Rogan and former UFC champion Daniel Cormier will join Jon Anik in the booth for this Saturday night’s UFC 260 pay-per-view event. Rogan and Cormier have both sat alongside Anik during the last couple of pay-per-view cards, so it’s no surprise to see them both back in the booth alongside the stalwart UFC commentator Anik. Both Rogan and Cormier are two of the most popular commentators the UFC has and the promotion likes having this three-man booth alongside Anik for PPV cards.

Alonzo Menifield
UFC

Alonzo Menifield gets new opponent after William Knight pulled from UFC 260

Cole Shelton - March 24, 2021

Alonzo Menifield will remain on UFC 260 but he won’t fight William Knight. Menifield and Knight were supposed to fight on February 27 but Menifield tested positive for COVID-19 and the fight was postponed to this Saturday’s UFC 260. However, the UFC announced that Knight is out of the fight and has been rebooked to fight Da-un Jung on April 10. Menifield, meanwhile, will remain on UFC 260 and he will face LFA light heavyweight champion Fabio Cherant.

Stipe Miocic, Francis Ngannou
Francis Ngannou

UFC 260 | Pro fighters make their picks for Stipe Miocic vs. Francis Ngannou 2 title fight

Cole Shelton - March 24, 2021

In the main event of UFC 260, Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou are set to rematch three years after their first fight. Heading into the bout, Miocic is a +100 underdog while the challenger is a -120 favorite. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The pros are torn on this but the slight majority believe Ngannou beats Miocic this time around.

Hannah-Goldy
UFC

Hannah Goldy tests positive for COVID-19, fight with Jessica Penne at UFC 260 off

Adam D Martin - March 24, 2021

UFC women’s strawweight prospect Hannah Goldy tested positive for COVID-19 and her fight with Jessica Penne at UFC 260 is now off. Hannah Goldy hasn’t fought since August 2019, while Penne hasn’t competed since April 2017, so both women were very much looking forward to stepping back into the Octagon again. Unfortunately, they are both going to have to wait a little bit longer to do so. On Wednesday, Goldy announced on her Instagram that she has tested positive for COVID-19. The Florida native says she is hoping the fight with Penne is rescheduled for a future date.

Jacare Souza
UFC

Ronaldo Souza returns to the Octagon at UFC 262 against Andre Muniz

Adam D Martin - March 24, 2021

An intriguing middleweight matchup between former Strikeforce champion Ronaldo Souza and Andre Muniz has been added to the UFC 262 PPV card. UFC 262 takes place on May 15 in Houston, Texas with a full crowd of fans. The main event for the evening sees the vacant UFC lightweight title up for grabs between Michael Chandler and Charles Oliveira. In addition to Oliviera, another grappling ace will compete on the pay-per-view card as Souza returns to the Octagon when he takes on Muniz, a Dana White’s Contender Series veteran who has looked sharp so far in the UFC with two victories. The Souza vs. Muniz fight was first reported by Raphael Marinho of Combate.

UFC-260-Stipe-Miocic-Francis-Ngannou
Stipe Miocic

UFC 260: Miocic vs. Ngannou 2 full betting odds

Cole Shelton - March 24, 2021

Check out the complete betting odds for this Saturday’s UFC 260 card featuring a heavyweight title fight rematch between Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou. The UFC 260 main event sees the heavyweight champ in Miocic looking to defend his heavyweight title for the second time since reclaiming the belt. Miocic is coming off three straight fights with Daniel Cormier where he lost the first one but won the final two bouts in the trilogy. Ngannou, meanwhile, is coming off of four-straight first-round KO’s with his longest fight going just 71 seconds during this stretch.

Belal Muhammad
Demian Maia

Belal Muhammad open to fighting Demian Maia if Leon Edwards rematch falls through

Adam D Martin - March 24, 2021

UFC welterweight Belal Muhammad says that he’s open to fighting the legend Demian Maia if he doesn’t get the rematch with Leon Edwards. Muhammad and Edwards recently fought in the main event of UFC Vegas 21, with the fight being booked on short notice. Unfortunately, the fight ended in a controversial fashion when Edwards poked Muhammad in the eye and he was unable to continue. The fight was ruled a No Contest by referee Herb Dean, but Muhammad wants to run it back. Edwards is hoping to get a title shot next, but Muhammad is adamant that they have the rematch.

Jack Hermansson, UFC Vegas 16
Kevin Holland

Jack Hermansson shares interesting theory on Kevin Holland’s in-cage trash talking: “It feels like it’s some kind of self-therapy”

Harry Kettle - March 24, 2021

UFC middleweight Jack Hermansson has given his thoughts on Kevin Holland’s in-cage trash talking after the latter’s loss to Derek Brunson. Holland left plenty of fans feeling pretty confused last weekend during his showdown with Brunson as his main focus seemed to be on maintaining his reputation of “Big Mouth.” Alas, while some found it funny, others felt as if he wasn’t taking the fight seriously at all.

Marvin Vettori
Marvin Vettori

Marvin Vettori blasts "joke" UFC rankings after Derek Brunson shoots up the ladder

Adam D Martin - March 24, 2021

UFC middleweight Marvin Vettori blasted the “joke” UFC rankings after Derek Brunson shot up the 185lbs ladder in the latest rankings update. In the latest update of the middleweight rankings, Brunson moved all the way up to No. 4 in the world after defeating No. 10 Kevin Holland at UFC Vegas 22 this past Saturday. Brunson is a great fighter and deserves his top-10 ranking, but there has been criticism that beating the No. 10-ranked fighter in Holland would shoot him so far up the rankings. Not only did Brunson move up three spots, but it also meant Darren Till, Vettori, and Jack Hermansson all dropped a spot in the rankings, and “The Italian Dream” is not happy.

Junior dos Santos, UFC Wichita, UFC rankings
Fedor Emelianenko

Junior dos Santos open to joining Bellator, interested in fighting Fedor Emelianenko

Adam D Martin - March 24, 2021

Former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos says he is open to joining Bellator, admitting an interest in fighting Fedor Emelianenko. “Cigano” was recently released from the UFC, alongside divisional stalwart Alistair Overeem, as the world’s leading MMA promotion continues to cut fighters from the roster. JDS has admitted he wasn’t a fan of the “cold” way UFC president Dana White let him go, but he’s now ready to move on with his career. Although he has admitted he’s open to competing in boxing, it appears JDS isn’t ready to hang up his MMA gloves just yet.

UFC Octagon,
MMA News

Kathleen Nelson scores KO in power outage sequence at Combat Night Pro 20

Harry Kettle - March 24, 2021

In one of the craziest moments of the year so far in MMA, Kathleen Nelson scored a knockout at the same time as the arena’s power going out. The KO took place during Combat Night Pro 20 earlier this month with the event going down at Caribe Royale in Orlando, Florida. A whole host of rising stars competed on the card with there being plenty of exciting activities to enjoy, but the talking point of the night really came from the fight between Kathleen Nelson and Laura Dotter.

Tsuyoshi-Sudario
RIZIN FF

Tsuyoshi Sudario fined for continuing to punch opponent after 8-second knockout at RIZIN 27

Drake Riggs - March 23, 2021

Tsuyoshi Sudario made some history during RIZIN’s first event of 2021. Unfortunately, the aftermath of the bout could overshadow his win. Entering into his matchup with 42-year old professional wrestler Kazushi Miyamoto, the former Sumo wrestling sensation, Tsuyoshi Sudario, was 2-0 in MMA. Coming in off of a big win over the iconic Ikuhisa “Minowaman” Minowa at RIZIN 26 on New Year’s Eve 2020, Sudario was back to facing a pro wrestler making their MMA debut just like he did when he debuted at RIZIN 24 vs. Dylan James.

Antonio Tarver
Frank Mir

Antonio Tarver out of Frank Mir boxing fight due to Georgia commission not clearing him

Cole Shelton - March 23, 2021

Antonio Tarver will not be boxing Frank Mir on April 17. Tarver, the former light heavyweight and cruiserweight champion, was set to fight for the first time since 2015. However, according to ESPN,  Tarver, 52, did not meet the requirements to compete put forth by the Georgia Athletic & Entertainment Commission, per commission executive director Matt Woodruff.

Francis Ngannou
Francis Ngannou

Daniel Cormier believes Francis Ngannou is on the cusp of "global superstardom"

Cole Shelton - March 23, 2021

Daniel Cormier believes Francis Ngannou can become the UFC’s next big superstar. In the main event of UFC 260, Ngannou is set to rematch Stipe Miocic for the heavyweight title. In the first fight, Ngannou came up short as he said he was too young and inexperienced for the fight.

Charles Oliveira
Michael Chandler

Charles Oliveira expects to KO Michael Chandler to win the lightweight title: "I'll catch him"

Cole Shelton - March 23, 2021

Charles Oliveira is confident he will become the new lightweight champion at UFC 262. After Dana White confirmed Khabib Nurmagomedov was retired, the promotion was quick to book Oliveira vs. Chandler for the lightweight title. In the fight, ‘Do Bronx’ doesn’t expect Chandler to take him down, nor does he plan to back down as Dan Hooker did in Chandler’s debut.

Islam Makhachev
Justin Gaethje

Islam Makhachev would "love to fight" Justin Gaethje next if RDA bout doesn't come to fruition

Cole Shelton - March 23, 2021

Islam Makhachev believes he will face a top-10 opponent next time out. At UFC 259, Makhachev dominated Drew Dober en route to a third-round submission win. The victory extended his winning streak to seven in a row and is looking to fight a top-ranked opponent. The goal was to rebook the Rafael dos Anjos fight this summer in the main event spot, but he is also open to fighting anyone in the top-10.

Khamzat Chimaev, Leon Edwards, Dana White
UFC

Khamzat Chimaev says he's "coming back to smash everybody"

Cole Shelton - March 23, 2021

Khamzat Chimaev is ready to return. After Chimaev was forced out of his March 13 main event fight against Leon Edwards, he announced his retirement from MMA. He was dealing with lingering effects of COVID-19 and couldn’t train properly, forcing him to retire.

Kenny-Florian
Professional Fighters League (PFL)

Kenny Florian joins PFL commentary team

Adam D Martin - March 23, 2021

Former UFC lightweight title challenger Kenny Florian is taking his talents to the PFL commentary booth for the promotion’s third season. Florian, arguably one of the most popular fighters in UFC history, formerly called fights in the Octagon but left the UFC commentary booth a few years ago. He has continued to host the “Anik and Florian” podcast alongside current UFC mic man Jon Anik, as well as provide commentary for the BattleBots television show. But Florian’s calling has always been the fight game, and ahead of PFL’s third season, the promotion has brought him on to call fights. He will do so alongside UFC Hall of Fame Randy Couture and Sean O’Connell.