MMA News
Valentina Shevchenko reacts to former Muay Thai rival Wang Cong's warning following UFC debut win
Curtis Calhoun - September 4, 2024
Former UFC flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko reacted humorously to Wang Cong’s callout following a successful promotional debut last month. Shevchenko will face UFC flyweight titleholder Alexa Grasso in the UFC 306 co-main event. Their trilogy is the first in UFC women’s flyweight history and features two of the greatest female fighters on the planet.
Former UFC fighter Casey Kenney released on bond after pleading not guilty to kidnapping and assault charges
Cole Shelton - September 4, 2024
Former UFC bantamweight Casey Kenney has pleaded not guilty after being slapped with kidnapping and assault charges. Kenney was arrested on August 16 for kidnapping and assault with intent or reckless or injury charges in Arizona. He was released following an arraignment hearing in Maricopa County Court in Arizona after paying his $10,000 bond as ordered by the court. Kenney’s next court date involves a pre-trial conference scheduled on Oct. 15, with a trial date tentatively set for Jan. 23, 2025.
Valentina Shevchenko responds to Alexa Grasso's claims that their relationship is in a "weird place"
Curtis Calhoun - September 4, 2024
Former UFC flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko has responded to Alexa Grasso’s recent remarks about their relationship ahead of their UFC 306 trilogy. Shevchenko and Grasso will settle the score in the UFC 306 co-main event on September 14th. The card marks the first-ever major sporting event at the Las Vegas Sphere, a state-of-the-air venue.
Cancer survivor Maria Favela set to make MMA return at Invicta FC 57: "They told me I had a 50% chance of living"
Josh Evanoff - September 4, 2024
Women’s bantamweight prospect Maria Favela will make her return at Invicta FC 57 later this month. ‘Leona’ hasn’t been seen in the cage since a third-round knockout victory over Louise Hiller in August 2022. While the bantamweight prospect hoped to book a return to the cage soon thereafter, that bout never came. A few months following her stoppage win, Maria Favela was diagnosed with stage 3 Hodgkin Lymphoma.
Sean Brady blasts MMA fans for criticizing his loss to Belal Muhammad: "I guess I got fraud checked by the UFC champion"
Cole Shelton - September 4, 2024
Sean Brady has blasted MMA fans over their takes on his loss to Belal Muhammad in 2022. Brady took on Muhammad at UFC 280 in October of 2022 and it was ‘Remember The Name’ that won by way of second-round TKO. Since the defeat, some fans have criticized Brady for losing and getting stopped by Muhammad.
Dustin Poirier shoots down rumored fight against Colby Covington: "He'll never make money with me"
Josh Evanoff - September 4, 2024
UFC lightweight contender Dustin Poirier will seemingly never fight Colby Covington. ‘The Diamond’ hasn’t been seen in the cage since his bid for UFC gold in June. In the main event of UFC 302, Dustin Poirier faced Islam Makhachev and gave the champion all he could handle. However, in round five, the Russian scored a takedown and quickly earned a submission win. In the process, denying Poirier of the lightweight title that he’s long sought.
Belal Muhammad trolls Conor McGregor ahead of NFL season kickoff: "Don't let it distract you..."
Curtis Calhoun - September 4, 2024
UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad is upping the ante in his ongoing jabs towards Conor McGregor amidst the Irish star’s indefinite Octagon absence. Muhammad is enjoying the newfound limelight after earning the UFC welterweight title in July over Leon Edwards. He hasn’t slowed down in attacking some of his previous detractors, and jabbing some of the sport’s biggest names.
Michael Bisping details why he's against Alex Pereira's potential return to middleweight
Curtis Calhoun - September 4, 2024
UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping is vehemently against Alex Pereira potentially returning to middleweight for a shot at titleholder Dricus du Plessis. Pereira will face rising light heavyweight contender Khalil Rountree Jr. in the UFC 307 main event next month in Salt Lake City. He returns to the Octagon after successful title defenses against Jamahal Hill and Jiří Procházka this year.
Matt Brown dismisses idea that Jon Jones' legacy would be tarnished if he doesn't fight Tom Aspinall
Fernando Quiles Jr. - September 4, 2024
Matt Brown is dismissive of the idea that the legacy of Jon Jones would take a hit if he never fights Tom Aspinall. Much has been made over the UFC’s insistence on going through with plans to book Jones against Stipe Miocic for the UFC Heavyweight Championship. The two were supposed to collide back in November 2023, but “Bones” suffered an injury and was forced to pull out of the fight.
Belal Muhammad questions if Gilbert Burns has desire to make UFC title run: "Is he still motivated in there?"
Fernando Quiles Jr. - September 4, 2024
Belal Muhammad wonders just how motivated Gilbert Burns is coming off back-to-back losses. Burns is hoping to return to title contention before it’s time for him to hang up his gloves. After securing wins over Neil Magny and Jorge Masvidal, “Durinho” set himself up for a title eliminator against Belal Muhammad, but he fell short via unanimous decision. When Burns tried to rebound from the defeat, he was knocked out by Jack Della Maddalena.
Joe Rogan agrees with Floyd Mayweather firing referee mid-fight: "The first referee was terrible"
Fernando Quiles Jr. - September 4, 2024
UFC color commentator Joe Rogan believes Floyd Mayweather made the right call tossing the first referee in his exhibition boxing match with John Gotti III. Mayweather and Gotti may have entered their rematch as bitter enemies, but the two both agreed that the first official in the ring was a nuisance. The referee in question halted the action due to an erroneous foul call on Mayweather. He was also quite slow when the action was disrupted, leading “Money” to have the referee replaced mid-fight.
UFC CEO Dana White reacts to Alex Pereira’s callout of Dricus du Plessis: “That’s why people love him”
Harry Kettle - September 4, 2024
UFC CEO Dana White has given his thoughts on Alex Pereira opting to call out Dricus du Plessis. In the eyes of many, Alex Pereira is one of the most exciting fighters on the planet right now. In addition to winning world titles in two weight classes, he appears ready and willing to take on just about anyone. Even at middleweight, he’s entertaining the idea of going back down to battle Dricus du Plessis.
Belal Muhammad would never allow Conor McGregor to skip the line at welterweight: “He looks like he’s coked out”
Harry Kettle - September 4, 2024
UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad has dismissed the idea of Conor McGregor receiving a title shot. Over the course of many, many years, Conor McGregor has built a reputation for himself as the biggest star in mixed martial arts. While many people may not like that, it’s the truth. The Irishman is known worldwide and in many ways, he helped put MMA on the map.
Video | Dana White releases Jon Jones ‘The GOAT’ promo amidst pound-for-pound debate
Harry Kettle - September 4, 2024
UFC CEO Dana White continues to make the case for Jon Jones being the pound-for-pound best fighter in the sport. Later this year, Jon Jones will likely defend his UFC heavyweight championship against Stipe Miocic. It’s a true legacy fight for both men, with Jon being seen as the GOAT and Stipe being seen as the heavyweight GOAT. Of course, a lot of fans and pundits aren’t happy about it.
Nico Cornejo unfazed by Adrian Lee’s hype: “Don’t mess with wrestlers from Colorado”
BJPENN.COM Staff - September 4, 2024
Nico Cornejo looks to derail the hype surrounding one of MMA’s most promising young stars. “The Steel City Kid” battles Adrian Lee in a lightweight bout at ONE 168: Denver at Ball Arena this Friday, September 6.
Merab Dvalishvili responds to Dana White's criticism of leaked head cut ahead of UFC 306
Curtis Calhoun - September 3, 2024
UFC bantamweight contender Merab Dvalishvili has responded to Dana White’s harsh rhetoric about his decision to show off a nasty head cut on social media. Dvalishvili will face UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley in the UFC 306 main event on September 14 in Las Vegas. The event marks the first major sporting event held at the Las Vegas Sphere.
Conor McGregor reveals Mike Perry is still banished from BKFC for losing to Jake Paul: "See him since?"
Josh Evanoff - September 3, 2024
Former UFC champion Conor McGregor is continuing his feud with BKFC star Mike Perry. ‘Platinum’ hasn’t been seen since his trip over to the boxing ring earlier this summer. While Jake Paul was initially slated to face Mike Tyson on July 20th, ‘Iron Mike’ was forced out due to health issues. As a result, Mike Perry stepped up on short notice. While the former UFC star was 0-1 in the ring, he had scored several stoppage victories in BKFC.
Johnny Eblen vs. Fabian Edwards 2 scrapped, new Bellator London main event revealed
Josh Evanoff - September 3, 2024
Johnny Eblen vs. Fabian Edwards 2 has been removed from Bellator London. The two met in the main event of Bellator 299 last September. There, Fabian Edwards gave the undefeated middleweight champion arguably the toughest test of his career. However, the striker wound up being badly knocked out in round three. Post-fight, Johnny Eblen got into a confrontation with then-UFC champion, Leon Edwards in a wild scene.