MMA News
Carlos Ulberg believes win over Volkan Oezdemir could earn him a title shot: "Anything can happen"
Cole Shelton - November 22, 2024
Carlos Ulberg believes he could secure a lightweight title shot with a win over Volkan Oezdemir at UFC Macau. Ulberg is a riding contender at light heavyweight and is ranked 10th. However, he’s set to fight the eighth-ranked contender and a former title contender in Oezdemir in a pivotal light heavyweight bout. It’s the biggest step-up in competition that Ulberg has faced and he knows a win will do him wonders.
UFC Macau weigh-in results: Petr Yan vs. Deiveson Figueiredo official, all fighters hit target weight
Fernando Quiles Jr. - November 22, 2024
The UFC Macau weigh-ins are in the books and the main event has been made official. Tomorrow’s Fight Night card will be held inside the Galaxy Arena in Macau. Headlining the card will be a pivotal bantamweight clash between Petr Yan and Deiveson Figueiredo. Both men are former UFC champions and are looking for gold once again. In Figueiredo’s case, he wants to hold a UFC championship in a second weight class. The winner will be one step closer to achieving his goal.
Conor McGregor issues statement after Dublin jury rules he's liable for sexual assault
Fernando Quiles Jr. - November 22, 2024
Conor McGregor has spoken out after a jury in Dublin found him liable in a 2018 sexual assault case. The jury determined that the UFC megastar was guilty of sexually assaulting Nikita Hand in December 2018. Irish Mirror’s Pat Healy revealed that the verdict includes damages around €250,000. Hand filed the civil suit back in 2021 and alleged that she never gave consent to an intoxicated McGregor. Hand alleged that both McGregor and a man named James Lawrence sexually assaulted her. The jury determined that Lawrence did not commit sexual assault.
Daniel Cormier responds to Bo Nickal’s criticism of his commentary at UFC 309: “I think he may have misunderstood”
BJ Penn Staff - November 22, 2024
Daniel Cormier is trying to clear the air with Bo Nickal. The undefeated Nickal, one of the hottest prospects in the UFC middleweight division, was back in action at UFC 309 last weekend, taking on Scotland’s Paul Craig. Nickal won the fight by decision, but the majority of fans seemed to be disappointed by his performance, and Cormier, who was on commentary duty, didn’t seem to be blown away either. In fact, Cormier was critical enough of his fellow wrestler’s performance that Nickal took issue with his comments after the fact.
Christian Lee eyeing quick finish in return at ONE Fight Night 26
BJPENN.COM Staff - November 22, 2024
After 24 months away from action, two-weight ONE MMA World Champion Christian Lee is looking to make up for lost time when he returns at ONE Fight Night 26. The Singaporean-American defends his lightweight MMA belt against undefeated Alibeg Rasulov at the top of the bill on Friday, December 6, inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium.
Ian Machado Garry hopes Joaquin Buckley puts "p***y" Colby Covington to sleep at UFC Tampa: "He’s a bitch"
Cole Shelton - November 21, 2024
Ian Machado Garry is rooting for Joaquin Buckley to beat Colby Covington at UFC Tampa. Garry had been calling out Covington, but the fight didn’t happen. Instead, Garry was booked to headline UFC Tampa against Buckley. However, the Irishman ended up getting moved a week earlier to fight Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310, while Covington then stepped up on short notice to face Buckley.
Alexander Volkanovski shuts down talks of fighting Diego Lopes
Cole Shelton - November 21, 2024
Former UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski has shut down talks of him fighting Diego Lopes. Lopes has called out Volkanovski and has expressed interest in fighting him for an interim title or a No. 1 contender. However, Volkanovski says he has no interest as he’s focused on fighting Ilia Topuria for the belt.
Ian Machado Garry opens up on UFC 310 showdown against Shavkat Rakhmonov: "Undefeated vs. Undefeated"
Josh Evanoff - November 21, 2024
Ian Machado Garry can’t wait to lock horns with Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310. ‘The Future’ hasn’t been seen in the octagon since a unanimous decision victory over Michael Page in June. The win was Ian Machado Garry’s biggest of his career thus far and moved him to a stellar 15-0 inside the cage. Following the victory, the Irishman called for a showdown with fellow unbeaten contender, Shavkat Rakhmonov.
Tom Aspinall confirms negotiations are underway for his UFC return: "We're just waiting on a date"
Josh Evanoff - November 21, 2024
Interim UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall is in discussions for his return. The British fighter is fresh off his trip to New York City for UFC 309. Back for the first time since knocking out Curtis Blaydes in an interim title defense in July, Tom Aspinall served as the backup fighter for Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic. However, his services weren’t needed. ‘Bones’ ultimately scored a third-round knockout win on Saturday.
Henry Cejudo seemingly approves future rematch with Dominick Cruz: "Let's make it happen!"
Josh Evanoff - November 21, 2024
Former two-weight UFC champion Henry Cejudo is down to face Dominick Cruz again. ‘Triple C’ hasn’t been seen in the cage since a showdown with Merab Dvalishvili in February. There, Henry Cejudo was handed his second straight loss by ‘The Machine’, this time losing by unanimous decision. Last May, the former champion ended his three-year retirement, suffering a defeat against Aljamain Sterling.
Surging UFC contender says he's closer than ever to Alex Pereira's light heavyweight championship
Fernando Quiles Jr. - November 21, 2024
One rising UFC light heavyweight believes he’ll be challenging for the 205-pound gold sooner rather than later. The current king of the 205-pound division is Alex Pereira. His last outing was a successful title defense against Khalil Rountree via fourth-round TKO. Many expect Pereira’s next title defense to be against Magomed Ankalaev at some point in 2025.
Jorge Masvidal thinks Conor McGregor has ducked him for years: 'He’s never mentioned my name because he knows I’ll rip his head off'
Fernando Quiles Jr. - November 21, 2024
Jorge Masvidal has a stern message for Conor McGregor. “Gamebred” has been making the media rounds pounding the table for bouts with McGregor and Leon Edwards. Masvidal has claimed he will be returning to the UFC and wants to show the world he’s still a viable welterweight.
Michael Chandler reveals Charles Oliveira rematch left him in the most pain in his career: "Most injuries I’ve ever had in a fight"
Cole Shelton - November 20, 2024
Michael Chandler says he’s never been in more pain after a fight than he was after UFC 309. Chandler ended his two-year-long layoff on Saturday in a rematch against Charles Oliveira. He suffered a five-round decision loss but wasn’t dropped or knocked down at all in the fight. However, he says he still left that fight with more injuries and more pain than he’s ever had before.
Vicente Luque hopes Nick Diaz "recovers" after "sad" video goes viral: "He didn’t look okay"
Cole Shelton - November 20, 2024
Vicente Luque is hoping Nick Diaz gets the help he needs. Luque was supposed to fight Diaz at UFC 310, but the MMA legend was forced out of the bout due to undisclosed reasons. The cancellation came after a viral video appeared to show Diaz trying to light grass on fire in the middle of the night.
Khalil Rountree reveals he went blind during UFC 307 title loss to Alex Pereira: "I couldn't see anything"
Josh Evanoff - November 20, 2024
UFC light-heavyweight contender Khalil Rountree is reflecting on his war with Alex Pereira. ‘The War Horse’ got one of the most unexpected title shots in October. Riding a five-fight win streak punctuated by a knockout of Anthony Smith last year, Khalil Rountree got a shot at Alex Pereira. For his part, ‘Poatan’ was fresh off a second-round knockout win over Jiri Prochazka at UFC 303 in late June.
Daniel Cormier responds to Bo Nickal's criticism of UFC 309 commentary: "There's room for improvement!"
Josh Evanoff - November 20, 2024
UFC commentator Daniel Cormier has responded to Bo Nickal’s recent comments. ‘DC’ was in the broadcast booth for the massive UFC 309 card in New York City over the weekend. On the main card, Bo Nickal returned to the octagon for the first time since a submission win over Cody Brundage in April. There, the former NCAA champion met Paul Craig, in the biggest test of his career thus far.
Bellator announces Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Paul Hughes for "Dagestan vs. Ireland 2" card in Dubai
Josh Evanoff - November 20, 2024
Bellator lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov will meet Paul Hughes in Dubai. ‘Big News’ is fresh off his return to the PFL cage last month in Saudi Arabia. There, Paul Hughes met former Bellator featherweight champion A.J. McKee in a lightweight title eliminator. ‘Mercenary’ was considered the Irishman’s biggest test of his career, and he passed the test with flying colors.
Pro fighters make their picks for Petr Yan vs. Deiveson Figueiredo
Cole Shelton - November 20, 2024
In the main event of UFC 309, a pivotal bantamweight bout goes down as Petr Yan takes on Deiveson Figueiredo. Heading into the bout, Yan is a -310 favorite while the Brazilian is a +230 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the bantamweight fight. The pros believe Figueiredo can pull off the upset. The majority of pros like what they have seen from Figueiredo at bantamweight as he’ll cement himself as a contender with a win over Petr Yan.