MMA News

Cole Shelton - August 5, 2020

Curtis Millender knows he has to beat Sabah Homasi if he is going to get a long-term contract in free agency. At Bellator 243 this Friday, Millender is set for his second fight in Bellator since re-signing with the promotion after being cut by the UFC. In his debut, he scored a decision win over Moses Murrietta.

Cole Shelton - August 5, 2020

Stipe Miocic believes a fight between Jon Jones will happen. For quite a few years now, many fans have called for Jones to move up to heavyweight. Yet, he has been reluctant to do until recently when he called for a scrap against Francis Ngannou. The UFC did not want to pay Jones what he wanted and now he said he will sit out for a couple of years if that is needed.

Cole Shelton - August 5, 2020

Scott Holtzman is looking to be the latest fighter to knock out Beneil Dariush. On the main card of UFC Vegas 6, Holtzman is getting the chance to fight a ranked opponent in Beneil Dariush. It is an interesting matchup and “Hot Sauce” believes it is the perfect next step after beating Jim Miller last time out.

Cole Shelton - August 5, 2020

Zabit Magomedsharipov is not happy with Yair Rodriguez for pulling out of their scheduled main event scrap on August 29. Magomedsharipov and Rodriguez have been linked to a fight for quite some time and were finally expected to meet on August 29 in Las Vegas. Yet, on Tuesday evening, Dana White confirmed that Rodriguez is out of the fight citing the Mexican having a high ankle sprain and a fracture.

Tom Taylor - August 5, 2020

Luis Pena has tested positive for marijuana, has received a suspension from the Nevada State Athletic Commission, according to a report from Damon Martin of MMA Fighting. In addition to Jamahal Hill and Tim Elliott, the Nevada Commission has extended a temporary suspension for Luis Pena after he tested positive for marijuana around his last fight on June 27. #UFC

Tom Taylor - August 5, 2020

Birmingham’s Leon Edwards has set his crosshairs on fellow welterweight contender Jorge Masvidal, pegging the potential pairing as “the only fight that makes sense” if he’s not given a title shot. Edwards called for a fight with Masvidal on Instagram on Wednesday afternoon.

Adam Martin - August 5, 2020

Former UFC women’s strawweight champion Carla Esparza admitted that she’s interested in fighting current champ Weili Zhang for the belt. Esparza is coming off of four straight wins over Marina Rodriguez, Michelle Waterson, Alexa Grasso, and Virna Jandiroba. She is 8-4 overall in the UFC and is a former TUF winner and was the first-ever UFC women’s strawweight champion. But since losing her belt to Joanna Jedrzejczyk back in 2015, Esparza has essentially acted as a gatekeeper at 115lbs. After reeling off four straight wins, “The Cookie Monster” now wants that to change.

Adam Martin - August 5, 2020

The full betting odds have been released for all 12 fights scheduled to take place this Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 32: Lewis vs. Oleinik event. In the main event, the No. 4 ranked heavyweight Derrick Lewis takes on No. 10 ranked Aleksei Oleinik. Lewis has won two straight fights over Ilir Latifi and Blagoy Ivanov, while Oleinik is coming off of back-to-back wins over Maurice Greene and Fabricio Werdum. Lewis is a knockout artist and Oleinik is a submission master, meaning this is a true two-outcome fight. It should be interesting to see what happens in this fun heavyweight main event.

Harry Kettle - August 5, 2020

UFC featherweight Charles Rosa has offered to fight Zabit Magomedsharipov in the wake of Yair Rodriguez withdrawing from their August 29 main event. Fans have been waiting a long time to see Magomedsharipov go head to head with Rodriguez, but now, they’ll be forced to wait a little bit longer after Rodriguez withdrew from the bout due to an ankle injury, as reported by ESPN’s Ariel Helwani.

Cole Shelton - August 5, 2020

In the main event of Bellator 243, Michael Chandler and Benson Henderson are having a rematch nearly four years in the making. The first fight took place in 2016 where Chandler won a split decision. Heading into the rematch, Chandler is a -235 favorite while the former UFC champion is a +185 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. The pros believe the three-time Bellator lightweight champion in Chandler will get his hand raised again.

Tom Taylor - August 5, 2020

Jorge Masvidal and Cody Henderson had an interesting staredown ahead of their Cornhole League showdown, which goes down tonight on ESPN 2. See the pair come face-to-face—with a guest appearance from Masvidal’s son—below.

Tom Taylor - August 5, 2020

Former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman, who is now 1-5 in his last six fights, knows he needs a win when he fights Omari Akhmedov at UFC Vegas 6 this weekend. Speaking to MMA Fighting ahead of this high-stakes bout, Weidman opened up on his recent struggles.

Tom Taylor - August 5, 2020

Former ONE Championship and Bellator welterweight champion Ben Askren says he “probably would” fight again, but the circumstances would have to be right. Askren retired in 2019, after sustaining back-to-back losses to Jorge Masvidal and Demian Maia—a knockout and a submission respectively. In his retirement announcement, he cited a need for a hip replacement.

Natasha Hooper - August 5, 2020

Ed Herman is ready to punch Kevin Holland in the face for his comments regarding their possible last-minute fight. The middleweight veteran Ed Herman could’ve fought Kevin Holland at UFC Vegas 5 last weekend after Holland’s opponent, Trevin Giles, fainted and the bout was called off. Likewise, Herman’s fight against Gerald Meerschaert was canceled because his opponent tested positive for COVID-19. Despite the apparent possibility of a matchup, “Short Fuse” revealed that he was told by that they couldn’t find a replacement.

Tom Taylor - August 5, 2020

The Professional Fighters League (PFL) will bring the action closer to fans once again with the release of a brand-new OTT platform. The premium content service—which will be free—was announced by the promotion on Tuesday, providing fight fans around the world with hundreds of hours of viewing from the first organization to offer MMA through a regular season, playoff and championship format.

Natasha Hooper - August 5, 2020

Paulo Costa recently proved it isn’t just his striking power that Israel Adesanya needs to look out for, it’s speed too. The middleweight standout proclaimed “I’m a beast now” as he stepped up his training ahead of his title fight against Adesanya at UFC 253 on September 19. With the help of his Muay Thai coach Felipe Reis and his boxing coach Edvaldo Badola, the top contender showcased his speed and power as he uncorked 23 kicks in 12 seconds.

Cole Shelton - August 4, 2020

Yair Rodriguez and Zabit Magomedsharipov will have to wait a little longer to fight one another. The two have been linked to fighting one another for quite some time, and on Aug. 29 in the main event, they were expected to finally meet. Yet, on Tuesday evening, Mexican outlet Milenio, reported Rodriguez is out of the fight. Dana White later confirmed at the post-fight press conference following the Contender Series.

Cole Shelton - August 4, 2020

Conor McGregor is not a fan of Khabib Nurmagomedov’s strategy for his upcoming bout against Justin Gaethje. Nurmagomedov is returning to the Octagon at UFC 254 on October 24 to take on the Gaethje. It is a fascinating fight where many believe “The Highlight” poses a big threat to the undefeated Dagestani champion.