MMA News
Video | Watch Curtis Blaydes lose his mind seeing Cory Sandhagen KO Frankie Edgar
Adam D Martin - February 10, 2021
UFC heavyweight Curtis Blaydes and his Elevation Fight Team teammates were beyond excited watching Cory Sandhagen KO Frankie Edgar. Blaydes, UFC welterweight Neil Magny, and several other Elevation Fight Team members were guests of UFC lightweight Drew Dober to watch UFC Vegas 18. Two of their teammates were fighting on the card, with heavyweight contender Alistair Overeem taking on Alexander Volkov in the main event and Sandhagen against Edgar in the co-main event. While Overeem’s performance would prove to be a tough watch for his team, Sandhagen’s was about as good as it gets. The bantamweight needed less than a minute to KO Edgar with a flying knee.
Watch Salt Bae serve up a $1,000 gold steak to Conor McGregor
Harry Kettle - February 10, 2021
He may have lost to Dustin Poirier, but Conor McGregor is still enjoying life in the fast lane – as evidenced by his recent interaction with “Salt Bae”. The chef known as Salt Bae welcomed McGregor to his Nusr-Et Steakhouse Dubai restaurant where he quite literally fed him the Golden Tomahawk dish – a wagyu cut wrapped in a 24-karat gold leaf.
Ryan Bader won't be stripped of Bellator heavyweight title, says Scott Coker
Adam D Martin - February 10, 2021
Bellator heavyweight champion Ryan Bader will not be stripped of his title, according to Bellator president Scott Coker at Tuesday’s presser. The promotion officially announced the eight-man, Bellator Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix tournament. In one of the quarterfinal matchups, Bader takes on Lyoto Machida in a rematch. On paper, that’s a fun fight and having Bader included in the tournament is a good thing. However, while he competes to win back his old light heavyweight title in the bracket, Bader is temporarily holding up heavyweight. He’s still the champion and has no plans to give up his belt.
Britain Hart on post-fight comments after Paige VanZant win: 'It came out a little crazy'
Drake Riggs - February 9, 2021
This past Friday night at BKFC: KnuckleMania, Paige VanZant had her bare-knuckle boxing debut spoiled by the promotional veteran, Britain Hart. What immediately followed was one of the more talked about post-fight interviews in recent memory. Taking to the mic, Hart described herself as not a person but “a f*cking feeling.” Then proceeded to tell viewers and spectators alike that they were all going to feel what’s coming.
Betting odds released for Bellator Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix quarterfinals
Adam Martin - February 9, 2021
The betting odds have been released for the upcoming Bellator MMA Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix tournament quarterfinals. Bellator announced the complete eight-man bracket for the promotion’s highly-anticipated 205lbs tournament on Tuesday. Hours later, the oddsmakers released the betting odds for all four quarterfinal matchups. Take a look at the opening odds for the Bellator Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix via BetOnline.
Nate Diaz uninterested in Jake Paul fight right now, but believes it will "for sure" happen
Cole Shelton - February 9, 2021
Nate Diaz appears open to a fight with Jake Paul down the line. After Paul knocked out Nate Robinson on the Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. undercard he called out several MMA fighters. Among those he called out were Ben Askren, Dillon Danis, Conor McGregor, and Nate Diaz.
Ian Heinisch expects to finish Kelvin Gastelum in "spectacular fashion" at UFC 258
Cole Shelton - February 9, 2021
Ian Heinisch wasn’t too surprised he was the one facing Kelvin Gastelum. After Heinisch was supposed to face Brendan Allen in November before getting COVID-19, he knew a big opportunity would be coming to him. He saw how the UFC was pushing new talent up the middleweight ranks in Marvin Vettori and Kevin Holland and knew he was next.
Yoel Romero reacts after booking Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson in first round of Bellator light heavyweight tournament
Cole Shelton - February 9, 2021
Yoel Romero is excited to face Anthony Johnson in his Bellator debut. It was revealed at Bellator’s press conference that both Romero and Johnson would be apart of the grand prix and face one another on April 16. It is a fight the fans wanted to see and Romero is eager for the fight to happen.
Elias Theodorou makes his return to the cage against fellow UFC veteran Matt Dwyer
Adam Martin - February 9, 2021
Former Ultimate Fighter winner Elias Theodorou makes his return to the cage against fellow UFC veteran Matt Dwyer at Rise FC 6. MMA journalist and Rise FC commentator James Lynch shared news of the bout, which is scheduled to take place at the Songhees Wellness Center on March 13 in Victoria, B.C. Both Theodorou and Dwyer are UFC veterans as well as fellow Canadians so this is the perfect fight for the MMA fans in British Columbia. It’s also a big opportunity for both men in their professional careers, as an impressive victory could land the winner of this matchup a deal with a bigger promotion.
UFC 258 loses main card bantamweight fight between Pedro Munhoz and Jimmie Rivera
Tom Taylor - February 9, 2021
The upcoming UFC 258 card has lost an intriguing bantamweight fight between Pedro Munhoz and Jimmie Rivera. UFC 258 goes down this Saturday in Las Vegas. Munhoz and Rivera were scheduled to meet on the event’s main card, in a rematch of a 2015 fight that Rivera won by split decision.
Fabricio Werdum, Kayla Harrison highlight PFL heavyweight and women's lightweight brackets
Adam Martin - February 9, 2021
Fabricio Werdum and Kayla Harrison are among the fighters in the upcoming PFL season three men’s heavyweight and women’s lightweight brackets. PFL’s third season kicks off in April and the promotion has been busy in the last week releasing the rosters for its light heavyweight, welterweight, lightweight, and featherweight rosters. On Tuesday, PFL released the rosters for heavyweight and women’s lightweight. Among the participants in these tournaments are former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum and women’s star Kayla Harrison.
Anthony Smith returns to the Octagon at UFC 261 against Jimmy Crute
Adam Martin - February 9, 2021
A pair of light heavyweight contenders will meet at UFC 261 as Anthony Smith is set to take on Jimmy Crute, who recently lost his opponent. Crute was originally set to take on Johnny Walker at UFC 260, but Walker was forced to withdraw from that fight due to a torn pectoral muscle. Instead, Crute is now shifted back a month but he gets to take on a higher-ranked fighter instead when he meets Smith at UFC 261, which takes place on April 24. ESPN’s Brett Okamoto was the first to break the news that Smith would be fighting Crute.
Dustin Poirier responds to Nate Diaz's callout
Tom Taylor - February 9, 2021
Top UFC lightweight contender Dustin Poirier has already responded to a recent callout from his long-time rival, Nate Diaz. Diaz recently partook in an interview with Ariel Helwani of ESPN, which was published on Tuesday morning. During the interview, he expressed interest in fighting Charles Oliveira and Poirier, but clarified that he has no interest in doing so in the 155-pound lightweight division—only at 165 or 170 pounds.
Conor McGregor trolls Nate Diaz over ESPN interview: "Look out, we got a bad ass"
Tom Taylor - February 9, 2021
It didn’t take long for Conor McGregor to respond to Nate Diaz’s Tuesday morning interview with ESPN. Diaz and McGregor have fought twice previously. They first met at welterweight in March, 2016, with Diaz submitting McGregor in round two. The pair then met in an immediate rematch in August of the same year. In that fight, McGregor evened the score with a hard-fought majority decision victory.
Bellator reportedly plotting 8-man LHW tournament featuring Romero, Rumble, Anderson
Tom Taylor - February 9, 2021
Bellator MMA is reportedly plotting an eight-man light heavyweight tournament featuring former UFC stars Yoel Romero, Anthony “Rumble” Johnson and Corey Anderson, and more. Bellator’s light heavyweight division has been quite strong for awhile now, as the home of fighters like Phil Davis, Ryan Bader, and reigning champion Vadim Nemkov. After the promotion signed former UFC contenders like Romero, Rumble and Anderson, however, its light heavyweight division is better than ever—debatably even better than the UFC’s.
Nate Diaz says he created blueprint for Floyd Mayweather's win over Conor McGregor
Tom Taylor - February 9, 2021
Nate Diaz says he created the blueprint for defeating Conor McGregor, and that Floyd Mayweather followed that blueprint in his boxing match with the Irishman. Diaz defeated McGregor by second-round submission in a welterweight fight in 2016. It was McGregor’s first setback in the UFC.
Just Scrap Radio Ep. 27 with Maycee Barber, Ian Heinisch, Jim Miller, Julian Marquez, Gillian Robertson, and Anthony Hernandez
Cole Shelton - February 9, 2021
The 27th episode of Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com with Cole Shelton is here ahead of UFC 258. var _bp = _bp||[]; _bp.push({ "div": "Brid_22657878", "obj": {"id":"22947","width":"100%","height":"","video":"717044"} });
RIZIN boss responds to Spike Carlyle, lays out plans for featherweight GP
Tom Taylor - February 9, 2021
RIZIN CEO Nobuyuki Sakakibara has responded to some recent comments from Spike Carlyle, and laid out plans for a Featherweight Grand Prix. Carlyle was recently released by the UFC after going 1-2 in the promotion’s featherweight division. After his release, he expressed interest in migrating to RIZIN because he’s always wanted to fight in Japan, where the promotion is based.