MMA News
Tom Aspinall reveals who he wants in first title defense if Jon Jones retires: "It only makes sense..."
Josh Evanoff - September 26, 2024
UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall knows what he wants if he’s not facing Jon Jones or Stipe Miocic. The British fighter hasn’t competed since a trip to the octagon in July, in Manchester. In the co-main event of UFC 304, Tom Aspinall made his first interim title defense against Curtis Blaydes. There, the heavyweight handed ‘Razor’ a first-round knockout loss. Post-fight, Aspinall called to face Jon Jones and unify their titles.
Daniel Cormier gives insight into how Cain Velasquez is handling looming 'Attempted Murder' sentencing
Curtis Calhoun - September 26, 2024
UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier weighed in on the upcoming sentencing of Cain Velasquez in the former UFC heavyweight champ’s attempted murder trial. Velasquez pleaded no contest to attempted murder, and weapons charges, stemming from a Feb. 2022 incident. He allegedly attempted to murder the alleged child molester of his young son, Harry Goularte, in a high-speed pursuit in the San Jose, CA area.
Ilia Topuria explains why he would turn down a fight against Conor McGregor: "There are bigger fights than him"
Cole Shelton - September 26, 2024
Ilia Topuria says he would turn down a fight against Conor McGregor if the bout got offered. McGregor is the biggest name in the sport and the biggest fight for anyone. However, Topuria thinks the Irishman’s star power has faded which is why he doesn’t want to fight him. Along with that, Topuria believes McGregor stands for alcohol and drugs which is why he doesn’t want to fight him.
Renato Moicano almost sucker punched Chael Sonnen: "I used to hate him"
Fernando Quiles Jr. - September 26, 2024
Renato Moicano wasn’t exactly a fan of Chael Sonnen. It’s no secret that Sonnen had a knack for getting under the skin of his opponents. Even though he is retired from active competition, “The Bad Guy” still knows how to ruffle some feathers.
Brendan Allen goes off on rankings panel ahead of UFC Paris: "I’d literally tell them go f*ck themselves"
Fernando Quiles Jr. - September 26, 2024
Brandan Allen is none too pleased with the UFC rankings panel. Allen is riding a seven-fight winning streak going into his UFC Paris fight with Nassourdine Imavov this Saturday. Ahead of the bout, Allen is ranked number eight on the official UFC middleweight rankings, while Imavov holds the number six spot.
Denice Zamboanga slams Ham Seo Hee for feisty comments: “I’ve earned my place”
BJPENN.COM Staff - September 26, 2024
Denice Zamboanga chose to set the record straight after hearing Ham Seo Hee’s remarks on social media. The South Korean veteran recently expressed her disappointment on Instagram. She criticized the decision to grant Zamboanga a shot at the ONE Interim Atomweight MMA World Title. This is in light of divisional queen Stamp Fairtex’s absence due to a torn meniscus.
Aljamain Sterling recalls Jon Jones "going nuts" at the bar a week before early fights
Harry Kettle - September 26, 2024
Aljamain Sterling has taken a trip down memory lane to when he spent a lot of time with, at the time, rising UFC contender Jon Jones. As we know, Jon Jones is a pretty divisive figure. He’s also one of the greatest fighters of all time. Some fans can’t stand him, whereas others are convinced that he is the undisputed GOAT. Later this year, he’ll put his UFC heavyweight title on the line when he defends against former champion Stipe Miocic.
Stephen Thompson admits finding it "weird" being on prelims for UFC 307
Harry Kettle - September 26, 2024
UFC veteran Stephen Thompson has admitted that it’s strange to know he’ll be fighting on the prelims, not the main card, at UFC 307. Even at the age of 41, Stephen Thompson is still making magic happen inside the Octagon. While he may not be in his prime anymore, he’s still one of the most exciting fighters to watch at 170 pounds. He’s fought some of the toughest guys in the history of the division and at UFC 307, he’ll attempt to derail the momentum of Joaquin Buckley.
Belal Muhammad explains how Khabib Nurmagomedov changed the game
Harry Kettle - September 26, 2024
UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad has revealed how Khabib Nurmagomedov changed the game. As we know, Khabib Nurmagomedov retired from mixed martial arts with an incredible 29-0 record. He walked away as the undisputed UFC lightweight champion, with many believing he belongs in the greatest of all time conversation.
Bryan Battle eager to go into enemy territory at UFC Paris, expects to finish Kevin Jousset in "spectacular fashion"
Cole Shelton - September 25, 2024
Bryan Battle jumped at the chance to go into enemy territory to face Kevin Jousset at UFC Paris. Battle is coming off a No Contest against Ange Loosa in March due to an accidental eye poke. It was a fight Battle was winning early on, and he says because of that, the UFC matchmakers saw enough to not have to rebook the bout.
Dustin Poirier shoots down Dan Hooker's recent call for a UFC rematch
Curtis Calhoun - September 25, 2024
UFC star Dustin Poirier feels former opponent Dan Hooker’s recent calls for a rematch inside the Octagon aren’t genuine. Poirier hinted at retirement following a loss to UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev at UFC 302 in June. But, after contemplating his combat sports future, he envisions at least one more fight in the Octagon before calling it quits.
Referee Herb Dean defends encouraging Merab Dvalishvili to "work" more in later rounds at UFC 306
Curtis Calhoun - September 25, 2024
MMA referee Herb Dean explained his persistence in wanting more volume and action from Merab Dvalishvili in the later rounds of the UFC 306 headliner. Dvalishvili defeated Sean O’Malley by unanimous decision to earn the UFC bantamweight title at UFC 306. He largely dominated the fight against O’Malley with his wrestling, despite O’Malley believing he was robbed on the judges’ scorecards.
Reinier de Ridder explains decision to leave ONE Championship for the UFC: "We had a plan..."
Josh Evanoff - September 25, 2024
Former ONE Championship titleholder Reinier De Ridder is opening up on his UFC signing. ‘The Dutch Knight’ has long been viewed as one of the best fighters outside of Dana White’s promotion. From 2019 to 2022, Reinier de Ridder picked up big win, after big win, inside ONE Championship. At one point, the Dutchman held gold at two different weight classes and held wins over the likes of Aung La Nsang and Vitaly Bigdash.
Brendan Allen targeting winner of Dricus du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland 2 with UFC Paris win: "I've checked every box"
Josh Evanoff - September 25, 2024
UFC middleweight contender Brendan Allen believes the winner of Dricus du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland 2 should be next. ‘All In’ is currently set to return to the octagon this Saturday night in Paris. Back for the first time since a split-decision victory over Chris Curtis in April, Brendan Allen will face Nassourdine Imavov. For his part, the Frenchman hasn’t competed since a controversial stoppage win over Jared Cannonier in early June.
Belal Muhammad targets Shavkat Rakhmonov for first title defense despite Kamaru Usman talk: "He has more aura"
Josh Evanoff - September 25, 2024
UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad has his sights set on Shavkat Rakhmonov, not Kamaru Usman. ‘Remember The Name’ has been out of the cage since a trip to Manchester in July. In the main event of UFC 304, Belal Muhammad finally challenged for gold against Leon Edwards. Despite entering the cage as a heavy betting underdog, the challenger wound up earning a unanimous decision victory.
Former ONE champ Reinier de Ridder's UFC debut set for November 9th against Gerald Meerschaert
Curtis Calhoun - September 25, 2024
Former two-division ONE titleholder Reinier de Ridder is set for his UFC debut just hours after his reported signing with the promotion in free agency. De Ridder will face the veteran Gerald Meerschaert at UFC Vegas 100 on November 9th. Dutch publication UFC op Eurosport was the first to report the news of the De Ridder vs. Meerschaert booking.
REPORT | Nick Diaz vs. Vicente Luque targeted for UFC 310
Curtis Calhoun - September 25, 2024
A UFC welterweight matchup between Nick Diaz and Vicente Luque is reportedly in the works for a rebooking at UFC 310 on December 7th. MMA Mania‘s Alex Behunin was the first to report the Diaz vs. Luque booking news. As of this writing, promotion officials haven’t confirmed the fight.
Pro fighters make their picks for Benoit Saint-Denis vs Renato Moicano
Cole Shelton - September 25, 2024
In the main event of UFC Paris, a pivotal lightweight bout goes down as Benoit Saint-Denis takes on Renato Moicano. Heading into the fight, Saint-Denis is a -290 favorite while the Brazilian is a +215 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to make their picks for the lightweight fight. The pros believe Saint-Denis will get his hand raised, as he will be able to KO Moicano early in the fight to get a big win at home.