MMA News
Dana White reveals he'll "absolutely" approve Islam Makhachev welterweight title shot with win over Arman Tsarukyan
Josh Evanoff - October 24, 2024
UFC President Dana White has co-signed on Islam Makhachev’s future welterweight move. The Russian has been out of the cage since a June title defense against Dustin Poirier. In the main event of UFC 302, Islam Makhachev faced ‘The Diamond’ in the latter’s third crack at undisputed gold. Despite some resistance from the challenger, the lightweight champion wound up securing a fifth-round submission victory.
REPORT | UFC champion Alex Pereira is in talks to join 'Onslaught' film in production at A24
Josh Evanoff - October 24, 2024
UFC light-heavyweight champion Alex Pereira could soon be entering showbusiness. ‘Poatan’ has been out of the cage since his clash against Khalil Rountree Jr. earlier this month at UFC 307. Back for the first time since dominating Jiri Prochazka in June, the Brazilian went down on the scorecards early. ‘The War Horse’ scored a shocking second-round knockdown, and brought the fight to Alex Pereira.
VIDEO | Dana White shockingly signs 9-0 fighter who asked for a contract at UFC 308 press conference
Josh Evanoff - October 24, 2024
It appears that Dana White was in a generous mood at today’s UFC 308 press conference. This Saturday night in Abu Dhabi, the UFC will put on one of their last pay-per-view cards of the year. For what it’s worth, the card is an excellent one. In the main event, featherweight champion Ilia Topuria will look to make his first title defense against Max Holloway. ‘Blessed’ earned the title opportunity with a knockout win over Justin Gaethje in April.
Dana White rips PFL's Donn Davis over latest event comparisons: "Talks a lot, but says nothing!"
Curtis Calhoun - October 24, 2024
UFC CEO Dana White quickly responded to PFL founder Donn Davis’s latest claims, comparing the two top MMA organizations. White and the UFC are hours away from one of their biggest cards of the year in Abu Dhabi. UFC 308 is headlined by a featherweight title clash between Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway.
'Optimistic' Donn Davis says Jon Jones vs. Francis Ngannou is unlikely, but not impossible
Fernando Quiles Jr. - October 24, 2024
PFL Chairman Donn Davis isn’t exactly ruling out Jon Jones vs. Francis Ngannou. Jones vs. Ngannou is a fight that escaped the UFC’s grasp. Ngannou, who was the reigning UFC heavyweight champion, decided to leave the promotion to pursue lucrative boxing matches and a PFL contract. While Jones and Ngannou traded barbs over the situation, “Bones” was recently complimentary of “The Predator’s” successful return to MMA.
Belal Muhammad dismisses Ilia Topuria's three-division champion claim: "Short guys always act like they’re tough"
Fernando Quiles Jr. - October 24, 2024
Belal Muhammad finds humor in Ilia Topuria’s plan to become a three-division UFC champion. Topuria is the reigning UFC featherweight champion. He will be putting his title at stake against Max Holloway in the main event of UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi this Saturday. It’s “El Matador’s” first attempt at a successful title defense.
Coach: Kayla Harrison brings excitement back to UFC women's bantamweight division
Fernando Quiles Jr. - October 24, 2024
Kayla Harrison’s coach, Matt Brown, believes his fighter is bringing buzz back to the women’s bantamweight division. Since Amanda Nunes walked away from pro MMA competition, some feel the women’s 135-pound division has been missing a spark. More recently, Julianna Pena defeated Raquel Pennington to recapture the bantamweight gold. Fans have scoffed at the current state of the division, however.
Joaquin Buckley reveals his frustration at UFC welterweight division
Harry Kettle - October 24, 2024
UFC fighter Joaquin Buckley has explained why he’s frustrated with the current state of the welterweight division. Over the course of the last few years, Joaquin Buckley has really put everything together. He has become a genuine contender at welterweight and, in the process, has developed quite the persona outside of the cage.
Dustin Poirier thinks Ilia Topuria's KO prediction of Max Holloway is "almost impossible"
Harry Kettle - October 24, 2024
Dustin Poirier has questioned whether or not Ilia Topuria is capable of one-punch KO’ing Max Holloway at UFC 308. On Saturday night, Ilia Topuria will defend his UFC featherweight championship against Max Holloway. In the eyes of many, this is the most fascinating fight on the calendar in mixed martial arts. No matter which way you slice it, this one has the potential to be a Fight of the Year contender.
Jake Hadley opens up on recent UFC departure
Harry Kettle - October 24, 2024
Former UFC fighter Jake Hadley has opened up on his recent departure from the promotion. For the longest time, it felt as if Jake Hadley had the potential to become a real player in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, things never quite clicked into place for him. Following a run of 3-4 in the promotion, including a loss to Cameron Smotherman last weekend, he was not re-signed to a new contract.
Dan Ige expecting a "fun fight" against Lerone Murphy at UFC 308, hopes for a big fight next: "It lines me up for something big"
Cole Shelton - October 23, 2024
Dan Ige is expecting a fun fight against Lerone Murphy at UFC 308. Ige is coming off a decision loss to Diego Lopes back at UFC 303 in a fight he took on only a couple of hours’ notice. It was a hectic day for the Hawaiian and he says he was glad he did it as he proved to everyone just how good he is.
UFC 308 | Pro fighters make their picks for Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway title fight
Cole Shelton - October 23, 2024
In the main event of UFC 308, the featherweight title is up for grabs as Ilia Topuria looks to defend his belt for the first time against Max Holloway. Heading into the bout, Topuria is a -260 favorite while the challenger is a +196 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the title fight. The pros believe it should be an exciting striking match but they are shockingly unanimous in thinking Holloway pulls off the upset to get the win.
Glory superstar Rico Verhoeven sends a message to Francis Ngannou about possible crossover fight: "This must happen!"
Curtis Calhoun - October 23, 2024
Glory heavyweight kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven has a crossover fight with former UFC champ Francis Ngannou at the top of his fighting priority list. Ngannou defeated 2023 PFL heavyweight title winner Renan Ferreira in the Battle of the Giants main event last Saturday in Riyadh. He made his long-awaited return to MMA to make his PFL debut, finishing Ferreira in the first round by ground and pound.
PFL founder Donn Davis responds to Usman Nurmagomedov’s comments about a future UFC move
Curtis Calhoun - October 23, 2024
PFL founder Donn Davis didn’t take long to respond to Bellator champ Usman Nurmagomedov’s timeline for a potential move to the UFC. Nurmagomedov, regarded by many as one of the top fighters outside of the UFC, defeated Alexandr Shabliy by unanimous decision in his last Bellator title defense. Usman is the cousin of UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov, considered one of the greatest fighters of all time.
Robert Whittaker says he's "coming for war" against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 308: "Hardest fight of my life"
Cole Shelton - October 23, 2024
Robert Whittaker is expecting a war against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 308. Whittaker and Chimaev are rebooked to fight in a pivotal fight at middleweight with the winner likely getting a title shot. It’s an intriguing matchup and one that Whittaker knows will be a tough out for him.
Conor McGregor continues feud with Johnny Eblen over lackluster Bellator title fight: "Bum b*tch nobody"
Josh Evanoff - October 23, 2024
It appears that the feud between UFC star Conor McGregor and Bellator champion Johnny Eblen isn’t over. The middleweight returned to the cage on the PFL pay-per-view offering over the weekend in Saudi Arabia. There, Johnny Eblen met Fabian Edwards for a rematch of their firefight in Ireland last September. That first encounter ended a third-round knockout for the champion, and a near-brawl with Leon Edwards afterward.
Max Holloway opens up on CTE concerns ahead of UFC 308 return: "I don't want to be a vegetable when I'm older"
Josh Evanoff - October 23, 2024
Max Holloway is opening up on his concerns about brain trauma ahead of his UFC 308 return. ‘Blessed’ is set to return to the cage in Abu Dhabi this Saturday night. Back for the first time since scoring a fifth-round knockout win over Justin Gaethje in April, Max Holloway will face Ilia Topuria. ‘El Matador’ famously won featherweight gold with a stoppage victory over Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 in February.
Khamzat Chimaev dismisses Sean Strickland's recent criticism, opens up on prior training session: "I tapped him out"
Josh Evanoff - October 23, 2024
Khamzat Chimaev has opened up on his training sessions with former UFC champion Sean Strickland. ‘Borz’ is set to return to the cage in the co-main event of UFC 308 on Saturday night. Back for the first time since defeating Kamaru Usman by a majority-decision last October, Khamzat Chimaev will meet Robert Whittaker. ‘The Reaper’ enters the five-round bout riding a two-fight winning streak last knocking out Ikram Aliskerov in June.