MMA News
Bokang Masunyane vs. Mansur Malachiev added to ONE Fight Night 25
BJPENN.COM Staff - August 28, 2024
ONE Fight Night 25 on Prime Video is shaping up to be a must-watch event, and the addition of a thrilling strawweight MMA clash has only heightened the anticipation. Second-ranked Bokang Masunyane locks horns with #5-ranked Mansur Malachiev at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. Along with the card’s other feature attractions, this three-round duel airs in U.S. primetime on October 4.
Chael Sonnen pays tribute to teammate Benji Radach following his tragic death: "It's a hard moment"
Curtis Calhoun - August 28, 2024
UFC Hall of Famer Chael Sonnen has issued a lengthy statement on the recent death of his former teammate Benji Radach. Radach, 45, passed away earlier this week, as announced by family and friends on social media. As of this writing, his cause of death hasn’t been publicized.
Tony Ferguson rips apart Khabib Nurmagomedov for 'Lucky punch' comment: "Ya fat f***!"
Curtis Calhoun - August 28, 2024
Former UFC interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson didn’t take long to notice Khabib Nurmagomedov’s declaration about the lone way he feels he’d lose to him. Ferguson and Nurmagomedov were scheduled to fight several times during their legendary careers. But, the dream lightweight matchup never came to fruition, for reasons ranging from last-second injuries to travel issues.
Sean O’Malley would "love" to KO Floyd Mayweather in boxing match: "That would be crazy"
Fernando Quiles Jr. - August 28, 2024
UFC Bantamweight Champion, Sean O’Malley, would “love” the chance to shut the lights off Floyd Mayweather in an exhibition boxing match. Mayweather has been having some fun in the boxing ring even though the days of his pro fighting career are long gone. “Money” has taken part in a slew of exhibition bouts. More recently, he went one-on-one with John Gotti III in a rematch. While the two didn’t brawl post-fight this time, there was a whacky moment early when Floyd had the referee replaced mid-fight due to erroneous foul calls and slow timing.
Stephen Thompson agrees with Michael Chandler's plan to wait for Conor McGregor fight: "Who else is he going to fight?"
Fernando Quiles Jr. - August 28, 2024
UFC welterweight Stephen Thompson is in agreement with Michael Chandler’s strategy to wait for Conor McGregor. Chandler and McGregor were coaches on season 31 of “The Ultimate Fighter” back in 2023, but a fight between the two has yet to materialize. They were supposed to collide at UFC 303 back in June, but McGregor pulled out of the fight due to an injury.
Henry Cejudo apologizes to Khamzat Chimaev over recent prank
Harry Kettle - August 28, 2024
Former two-weight UFC champion Henry Cejudo has issued an apology to fellow UFC fighter Khamzat Chimaev. As we know, Henry Cejudo isn’t afraid to make some noise on social media. Over the course of the last five years, he’s built up a persona for himself – ‘Triple C’. In terms of what he’s achieved in the cage, he’s had great success after becoming world champion at both flyweight and bantamweight.
Dana White reacts to footage of UFC 306 title challenger Merab Dvalishvili taking out his own stitches
Harry Kettle - August 28, 2024
UFC CEO Dana White has reacted to Merab Dvalishvili taking out his own stitches ahead of UFC 306 next month. As we know, Merab Dvalishvili will finally get a crack at the UFC bantamweight championship at UFC 306. The event, titled Noche UFC at the Sphere, will see Sean O’Malley defend his crown against the exciting Georgian. For many, there’s an argument to be made that this one is too close to call.
Sean O’Malley claps back at former opponent Aljamain Sterling: “I’m glad they gave me an easy fight to get the title”
Harry Kettle - August 28, 2024
UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley has hit out at Aljamain Sterling, the man he defeated to win the strap. Last year, Sean O’Malley defeated Aljamain Sterling to capture the UFC bantamweight championship. It served as the culmination of an incredible rise to the top for ‘Suga’, who had worked incredibly hard to climb the ranks of the division. Sterling, meanwhile, did a solid job as champion before being dethroned.
Sean Strickland responds to Machine Gun Kelly's hostile comments: "Go back to cutting yourself"
Curtis Calhoun - August 27, 2024
It didn’t take long for former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland to explode at rapper Machine Gun Kelly’s scathing remarks about him. A rematch with UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis is likely next for Strickland after the former’s successful title defense at UFC 305. Du Plessis earned the title by defeating Strickland at UFC 297 in January.
Daniel Cormier explains the hidden intent behind Sean O'Malley's recent KO prediction
Curtis Calhoun - August 27, 2024
Daniel Cormier believes UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley’s prediction for his fight with Merab Dvalishvili is a possible attempt at mental warfare. O’Malley and Dvalishvili headline UFC 306 (also known as Riyadh Season’s Noche UFC), in Las Vegas. The September 14th pay-per-view is the first major sporting event held at the Las Vegas Sphere venue.
Khabib Nurmagomedov claims Tony Ferguson's only chance to beat him was by a "lucky punch"
Cole Shelton - August 27, 2024
Khabib Nurmagomedov thinks Tony Ferguson’s only path to beating him was by a lucky punch. Nurmagomedov vs. Ferguson is one of the biggest what-if fights of all time as the two were scheduled to fight on five occasions, but none of those bouts ended up happening for a variety of reasons. Many still believe Ferguson was the one man who could have defeated Nurmagomedov, but ‘The Eagle’ doesn’t think that is the case.
Daniel Cormier responds to Joaquin Buckley's latest taunts: "My job is to tell the truth!"
Curtis Calhoun - August 27, 2024
UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier has responded to Joaquin Buckley’s recent invitation for a face-to-face conversation after their hostile online back-and-forths. Cormier and Buckley’s relationship soured after Buckley’s callout of Conor McGregor at UFC Louisville in May. Cormier called the decision to call out McGregor the “worst callout in UFC history”, to which Buckley didn’t respond in kind.
Demetrious Johnson responds to Belal Muhammad's harsh criticism of his MMA analysis: "I haven't seen you fight that much!"
Curtis Calhoun - August 27, 2024
Former UFC champion Demetrious Johnson has issued a detailed response to some of Belal Muhammad’s harsh rhetoric towards his fighting analysis. Muhammad earned the UFC welterweight title by defeating Leon Edwards at UFC 304. He’s set to reel in a new era in the welterweight division and is expected to make his first title defense soon.
Shavkat Rakhmonov laughs off Kamaru Usman getting a title shot over him, sends message to Belal Muhammad: "Get ready!"
Josh Evanoff - August 27, 2024
UFC welterweight contender Shavkat Rakhmonov believes it’s shameful that Kamaru Usman might fight Belal Muhammad. ‘Nomad’ hasn’t competed since his clash with Stephen Thompson at UFC 296 last December. There, Shavkat Rakhmonov defeated yet another welterweight contender. This time, it took less than two rounds for the undefeated fighter to earn a submission victory over ‘Wonderboy’. In the process, earning a shot at the welterweight title.
Demetrious Johnson reveals that he hasn't done any MMA training in 18 months: "It's not on my mind right now"
Josh Evanoff - August 27, 2024
Current ONE Championship flyweight titleholder Demetrious Johnson is keeping the door open on an MMA return. ‘Mighty Mouse’ hasn’t competed in well over a year. The former UFC champion famously headed to ONE Championship in late 2018 and quickly compiled a three-fight winning streak. While Demetrious Johnson suffered a knockout loss to Adriano Moraes in April 2021, he avenged the loss the following year.
Machine Gun Kelly explodes on 'f*cking idiot' Sean Strickland over comments about previous run-in: "Shut the f*ck up"
Josh Evanoff - August 27, 2024
Rapper Machine Gun Kelly has fired back at former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland. ‘Tarzan’ is fresh off his split-decision victory over Paulo Costa in June at UFC 302. That victory secured the former champion yet another shot at Dricus du Plessis. Sean Strickland suffered a split-decision loss to ‘Stillknocks’ in January, losing his middleweight title in the process. However, the former titleholder has become quite known for his actions out of the cage as well.
Belal Muhammad trolls Kamaru Usman with AI-Generated song
Curtis Calhoun - August 27, 2024
UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad is upping the ante in his trolling of former titleholder Kamaru Usman. Muhammad defeated Leon Edwards by unanimous decision to win the UFC welterweight title at UFC 304. The title victory capped off a long road to the belt as he became the latest from Team Khabib to capture a world championship.
Joe Rogan thinks Mike Tyson is still dangerous for Jake Paul: "He can still knock your head into another dimension"
Fernando Quiles Jr. - August 27, 2024
Joe Rogan believes that a 58-year-old Mike Tyson still poses a threat to Jake Paul. Tyson and Paul are scheduled to collide on November 15 in a boxing match. The two were set to meet earlier this year, but the bout was pushed back after Tyson suffered from an ulcer flareup while on a flight. Paul ended up stopping former UFC fighter Mike Perry, who replaced “Iron” Mike.