MMA News
Demetrious Johnson opens up on decision to reject UFC title shot offer from Alexandre Pantoja: "My legacy doesn't need him"
Josh Evanoff - December 9, 2024
Former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson has no interest in facing Alexandre Pantoja. ‘The Cannibal’ returned to the octagon in the main event of UFC 310 over the weekend. Back for the first time since defeating Steve Erceg in May, Alexandre Pantoja met former RIZIN champion Kai Asakura. The 31-year-old challenger entered the bout riding a wave of momentum, last knocking out Juan Archuleta last December.
Dana White open to signing more RIZIN fighters despite Kai Asakura's loss at UFC 310: "I would love to do it"
Josh Evanoff - December 9, 2024
UFC President Dana White is open to working with RIZIN after Kai Asakaura’s debut over the weekend. On Saturday night in Las Vegas, the former two-time RIZIN bantamweight champion made his promotional debut. In the main event of UFC 310, Kai Asakura met longtime flyweight champion, Alexandre Pantoja. With ‘The Cannibal’ having beaten most of the top ten, Dana White gave the Japanese star a title shot in his debut.
Colby Covington continues to take aim at Kamaru Usman: "He is a cheater and coward"
Cole Shelton - December 9, 2024
Former UFC interim welterweight champion Colby Covington has continued to take aim at his rival Kamaru Usman. Covington and Usman had a heated rivalry while ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ was the champion as they had two great fights. Although a trilogy does seem unlikely given both aren’t the champion, Covington continues to take aim at Usman as he called the former champ the opponent he hates the most.
Dominick Reyes reflects on UFC 310 win against 'true warrior' Anthony Smith: 'God bless Anthony'
Fernando Quiles Jr. - December 9, 2024
Dominick Reyes has reflected on his UFC 310 clash with a “true warrior” in Anthony Smith. Reyes and Smith collided on preliminary portion of the card. It was a tough ask of Smith to compete against a fellow ex-title challenger after losing his close friend and coach Scott Morton. “Lionheart” went through with the fight and he was ultimately stopped via second-round TKO.
Robert Whittaker assesses Dricus Du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland rematch at UFC 312: 'What could Sean do differently to change the outcome?'
Fernando Quiles Jr. - December 9, 2024
Robert Whittaker has given his take on how the Dricus Du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland rematch will go. Du Plessis is scheduled to put the UFC Middleweight Championship at stake against Strickland in the main event of UFC 312 on February 9th. It was “Stillknocks” who took the 205-pound gold from Strickland in their January 2024 showdown. That fight went down to the wire and Du Plessis captured gold via split decision.
Daniel Cormier gives his thoughts on Shavkat Rakhmonov's face-off with Belal Muhammad
Harry Kettle - December 9, 2024
UFC commentator Daniel Cormier gives his thoughts on Shavkat Rakhmonov’s face-off with Belal Muhammad at UFC 310. At UFC 310, Shavkat Rakhmonov overcame Ian Machado Garry in what proved to be a really interesting and competitive fight. He managed to get the job done on the scorecards, marking the first time that he didn’t actually finish his opponent inside the cage.
Alex Pereira gives his prediction for possible Jon Jones vs Tom Aspinall fight
Harry Kettle - December 9, 2024
Alex Pereira has expressed his thoughts on the heavily rumored title unification between Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall. For Alex Pereira, things are looking pretty great right now. He is the UFC light heavyweight champion, he’s already defended his belt three times, and he has a plethora of options regarding his next fight. Of course, the most likely next step for him seems to be defending against Magomed Ankalaev.
Merab Dvalishvili reveals story behind fan scuffle at UFC 310
Harry Kettle - December 9, 2024
UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili has revealed his side of the story behind a scuffle he had with a fan at UFC 310. Last weekend at UFC 310, Merab Dvalishvili was in the corner of Aljamain Sterling for his fight against Movsar Evloev. While it was a close and competitive affair, Sterling ultimately came up on the wrong end of a decision defeat. However, that wasn’t the end of the story for Merab that evening.
ONE Championship returns to Qatar for ONE 171 in February
BJPENN.COM Staff - December 8, 2024
ONE Championship has announced that it will return to the Middle East in 2025. The promotion will head back to Lusail Sports Arena for ONE 171: Qatar on Thursday, February 20, 2025, along with many of ONE’s biggest stars.
Conor McGregor roasts Belal Muhammad following UFC 310 security blunder: 'You barely got into the ring'
Fernando Quiles Jr. - December 8, 2024
Conor McGregor went scorched earth on Belal Muhammad during the UFC 310 pay-per-view. McGregor has taken aim at numerous fighters over the years. More recently, he’s found himself in a war of words with Muhammad, who is the reigning UFC welterweight champion. Muhammad was in attendance for UFC 310, and his presence was requested inside the Octagon by Shavkat Rakhmonov.
Ian Machado Garry proud of UFC 310 performance against Shavkat Rakhmonov: 'I fought the boogeyman and showed he's f*cking human'
Fernando Quiles Jr. - December 8, 2024
Ian Machado Garry has suffered the first defeat of his pro MMA career, but he doesn’t feel it’s a setback. Garry stepped up when the UFC needed a new opponent for Shavkat Rakhmonov. While Rakhmonov was scheduled to challenge Belal Muhammad for the welterweight title at UFC 310, the champion suffered a bone infection. Garry answered the call and had his moments against Rakhmonov.
Marcelo Garcia to face Japanese grappler Masakazu Imanari at ONE 170
BJPENN.COM Staff - December 8, 2024
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu legend Marcelo Garcia has found a worthy adversary in his highly anticipated ONE Championship debut at ONE 170. The legendary grappler will collide with fellow icon Masakazu Imanari on Friday, January 24, inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Impact Arena in an openweight submission grappling tilt.
Dana White reacts after Merab Dvalishvili gets into another altercation with a fan at UFC 310: “He's my mini Sean Strickland without the mouth”
Fernando Quiles Jr. - December 8, 2024
Dana White has reacted to Merab Dvalishvili’s latest incident with a fan. Dvalishvili was in attendance for UFC 310 in support of his teammate Aljamain Sterling. On the preliminary portion of the card, Sterling dropped a unanimous decision to Movsar Evloev in a competitive fight. Dvalishvili ended up getting physical with a fan in the stands, something that has become common for the reigning UFC bantamweight champion.
UFC boss Dana White claims "things aren't looking good" for rival promotion PFL
BJ Penn Staff - December 8, 2024
UFC CEO Dana White believes the Professional Fighters League (PFL) is in financial trouble. The PFL as long been one of the UFC’s chief rivals, but after purchasing Bellator MMA late last year, established itself as the clear cut No. 2 in the sport of MMA.
Alexandre Pantoja reacts after Demetrious Johnson shoots down his UFC 310 callout: “It’s not about money”
Fernando Quiles Jr. - December 8, 2024
Alexandre Pantoja is aware of Demetrious Johnson’s response to his callout. Pantoja surprised MMA fans when he called for a showdown with “Mighty Mouse” at the conclusion of UFC 310. The UFC flyweight champion had a successful title defense against Kai Asakura, earning a second-round submission finish. After the fight, Pantoja expressed his desire to share the Octagon with Johnson, who retired from pro MMA competition earlier this year.
UFC CEO Dana White reacts to Conor McGregor’s civil case verdict: “He hasn’t been fighting here in I don’t know how long”
Fernando Quiles Jr. - December 8, 2024
Conor McGregor continues to stir controversy, and Dana White has reacted to the “Notorious” one’s civil case verdict. A Dublin court recently found McGregor liable for sexual assault stemming from an alleged incident back in 2018. The verdict has led to McGregor being pulled from numerous sponsorship deals. He’s no longer the face of the Proper No. 12 Irish Whiskey brand, and has been pulled from the Hitman video game franchise as a DLC character.
Sean O’Malley takes aim at former opponents Aljamain Sterling and Merab Dvalishvili after UFC 310
Harry Kettle - December 8, 2024
UFC star Sean O’Malley has taken a shot at former opponents Aljamain Sterling and Merab Dvalishvili following UFC 310. As was the case for most of us last night, Sean O’Malley was watching closely during a really fascinating UFC 310 pay-per-view event. It featured some notable moments for two of his rivals, too, with Aljamain Sterling losing to Movsar Evloev and Merab Dvalishvili getting involved in a fight with a fan in the crowd.
Video | Merab Dvalishvili got into an altercation with a fan following Aljamain Sterling’s loss to Movsar Evloev
Harry Kettle - December 8, 2024
UFC champion Merab Dvalishvili got into an altercation with a fan following Aljamain Sterling’s loss at UFC 310. If there’s one thing we know to be true about Merab Dvalishvili, it’s that he’s a pretty passionate guy. Whether it be himself or his teammates, he wears his heart on his sleeve. Sometimes, that takes him all the way to a world championship. In other instances, though, that leaves him on the verge of creating a real problem for himself.