MMA News
Dante Leon and Tommy Langaker booked for submission grappling showdown at ONE Fight Night 27
BJPENN.COM Staff - December 21, 2024
Although combat sports are in an eternal state of change, some things remain the same. That can be said for Dante Leon and Tommy Langaker, who are about to reignite a rivalry at ONE Fight Night 27: Tang vs. Abdullaev. The wrestling wizards collide in a 180-pound catchweight submission grappling affair on Friday, January 10, inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium.
Panpayak predicts he’ll be Superlek’s “toughest opponent”
BJPENN.COM Staff - December 20, 2024
Thai great Panpayak Jitmuangnon is working his way up the ranks. And he believes that if he keeps winning, another showdown with two-sport king Superlek Kiatmoo9 is possible. Panpayak looks to end his 2024 comeback run at ONE Friday Fights 92 inside Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, with a win. He meets unbeaten Egor Bikrev in a flyweight Muay Thai tilt on December 20, following a successful return this past October.
Manel Kape goes scorched earth on Kai Kara-France after recent comments: "I'll beat you till you love me"
Josh Evanoff - December 20, 2024
UFC flyweight contender Manel Kape has responded to Kai Kara-France. ‘Starboy’ is fresh off his return to the cage at UFC Tampa over the weekend. Back for the first time since a loss to Muhammad Mokaev in July, Manel Kape met the rising Bruno da Silva. ‘Bulldog’ entered the fight riding a four-fight winning streak, but was battered over the weekend. Kape wound up handing the Brazilian a third-round knockout loss.
Donn Davis defends PFL after backlash from Bellator fighters, Patricio Pitbull responds: "You said you'd honor everyone's contracts"
Josh Evanoff - December 20, 2024
Bellator featherweight champion Patricio Pitbull has responded to PFL founder Donn Davis. As many fans have likely noticed over the last few weeks, Bellator fighters aren’t happy. Last fall, the PFL and Donn Davis bought the longtime Viacom brand and promised to honor the roster’s contracts. Quickly, the company announced a new streaming deal with HBO Max and revealed a massive schedule for 2024.
Daniel Cormier reveals what worries him about Colby Covington's UFC future following TKO loss to Joaquin Buckley
Fernando Quiles Jr. - December 20, 2024
Daniel Cormier believes he knows the deciding factor in how Colby Covington recovers from suffering back-to-back losses. Covington stepped inside the Octagon for the final UFC event and fight of 2024. He went one-on-one with surging welterweight contender Joaquin Buckley. Covington’s chin was certainly on display and he ate some hard shots from Buckley, who was as crisp as ever in the standup. While “Chaos” found a little bit of success with his grappling in round two, the damage from “New Mansa” was evident.
Francis Ngannou remains suspicious of KO loss to Anthony Joshua: 'Something unfair definitely happened'
Fernando Quiles Jr. - December 20, 2024
Francis Ngannou believes the circumstances throughout fight week and on fight night for his clash with Anthony Joshua were suspicious. Ngannou and Joshua collided inside the boxing ring back in March. The heavyweight bout was held inside Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Joshua earned a second-round knockout win and the bout never looked competitive.
Former UFC champion thinks Khamzat Chimaev beats Alex Pereira in rumored title fight
Fernando Quiles Jr. - December 20, 2024
One former UFC titleholder believes Khamzat Chimaev would be able to dethrone the current light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira. Rumors have been swirling since Pereira took to social media to claim that Magomed Ankalaev will not be his next title challenger. Some have speculated that Chimaev will move up from 185 pounds to challenge Pereira for the gold at light heavyweight.
Conor McGregor mocks "novice" Logan Paul and dubs fight UFC vs WWE
Harry Kettle - December 20, 2024
UFC star Conor McGregor has mocked Logan Paul in a recent social media post as talk of a boxing match between them intensifies. Nobody ever truly knows what Conor McGregor is going to do next. The Irishman is an absolute enigma in the world of mixed martial arts, and that’ll likely continue to be the case for as long as he’s involved in the fight game. Recently, he’s been teasing the idea of a blockbuster boxing match between himself and Logan Paul.
Dan Hooker vs Justin Gaethje reportedly considered in huge possible lightweight fight
Harry Kettle - December 20, 2024
Dan Hooker vs Justin Gaethje is reportedly being considered for a huge possible lightweight collision in the UFC next year. When you’re talking about the most entertaining fighters in the game, Dan Hooker and Justin Gaethje have to be in the conversation. Throughout the course of their entire careers, they have put on some of the most incredible scraps imaginable. From violent knockouts to all-out wars, these two know how to do it all.
Robelis Despaigne destroys opponent in four seconds at Karate Combat 51
Harry Kettle - December 20, 2024
Robelis Despaigne dismantled Dominik Jedrzejczyk in short order at Karate Combat 51 with his usual electric style. When it comes to fun, striking heavyweights in mixed martial arts, few are better than Robelis Despaigne. Ever since he burst on the scene courtesy of his quick finishing ability and incredible size, people haven’t been able to stop talking about him. Unfortunately, things started to go south when he entered the UFC.
Shamil Gasanov vs. Martin Nguyen booked for ONE 171
BJPENN.COM Staff - December 19, 2024
A heated featherweight MMA showdown has been confirmed for ONE 171: Qatar. Third-ranked contender Shamil Gasanov gets the clash he’s demanded versus the first-ever two-weight ONE World Champion Martin Nguyen. The pair will collide on Thursday, February 20, 2025, inside Doha’s Lusail Sports Arena.
Rodtang “more than ready” to fight Takeru at ONE 172
BJPENN.COM Staff - December 19, 2024
Former ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon and Japanese ace Takeru Segawa are finally set to do battle. And “The Iron Man” believes this is the perfect time for the icons to collide. The duo will throw down in a five-round flyweight kickboxing super-fight at ONE 172 on Sunday, March 23, inside Japan’s legendary Saitama Super Arena.
Gilbert Burns responds to Colby Covington's callout
Cole Shelton - December 19, 2024
Gilbert Burns has responded to Colby Covington’s callout. After Burns leaked Chael Sonnen’s phone number, who is now Covington’s coach, ‘Chaos’ called out the Brazilian for his next fight. Covington said he wanted to get payback for Sonnen and felt like that fight also made sense.
Colby Covington offers to fight Gilbert Burns for leaking Chael Sonnen's phone number: "He's despicable!"
Josh Evanoff - December 19, 2024
UFC welterweight contender Colby Covington wants to fight Gilbert Burns on Chael Sonnen’s behalf. ‘Chaos’ is fresh off his return to the octagon in the main event of UFC Tampa last Saturday night. Back for the first time since a loss to Leon Edwards last year, Colby Covington stepped up on short notice to face Joaquin Buckley. ‘New Mansa’ entered the bout riding a wave of momentum, last scoring a knockout win over Stephen Thompson in October.
Kai Asakura vows to become UFC champion after suffering loss to Alexandre Pantoja: "Make my dream come true"
Josh Evanoff - December 19, 2024
Despite his loss to Alexandre Pantoja, Kai Asakura remains confident that he’ll become UFC flyweight champion. The former RIZIN bantamweight champion is fresh off his UFC debut earlier this month in Las Vegas. Back for the first time since a knockout win over Juan Archuleta in December, Kai Asakura faced Alexandre Pantoja. The Japanese star got a rare title shot in his promotional debut, given the champion’s dominance over the flyweight division.
Kamaru Usman interested in UFC 312 showdown against Jack Della Maddalena: "I'll put him to the test"
Josh Evanoff - December 19, 2024
Former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman is interested in fighting Jack Della Maddalena. ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ hasn’t been seen in the octagon in over a year. He last appeared in the cage at UFC 294 last October, stepping up on short notice for a middleweight showdown with Khamzat Chimaev. Ultimately, ‘Borz’ handed Kamaru Usman his third loss in a row, this time by majority decision.
Kai Kara-France slams Manel Kape amid recent trash talk: 'He's all just talk, a lot of bark, no bite'
Fernando Quiles Jr. - December 19, 2024
Kai Kara-France is dismissive of Manel Kape’s bad boy persona. It’s no secret that Kape isn’t afraid to speak his mind. The former RIZIN champion has been known for his brash personality, and he certainly hasn’t slowed down since arriving to the UFC. As of late, Kape and Kara-France have exchanged words. Kape has even taken aim at Kara-France’s teammate Israel Adesanya.
Top UFC title contender picks Umar Nurmagomedov to dethrone Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 311: 'People don’t really realize just how fast that guy is'
Fernando Quiles Jr. - December 19, 2024
One top-ranked UFC bantamweight doesn’t believe Merab Dvalishvili will get past Umar Nurmagomedov. Dvalishvili will put the 135-pound gold at stake when he meets Nurmagomedov at the UFC 311 pay-per-view on January 18th. The bout will be held inside the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, CA. It’ll be the UFC 311 co-main event. Nurmagomedov is hoping to secure UFC gold before his teammate Islam Makhachev defends his lightweight title against Arman Tsarukyan in the main event.