MMA News
Daniel Cormier says Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson could feature the biggest "Backfire in the history of the sport"
Curtis Calhoun - August 28, 2024
UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier thinks Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson could be a history-making moment for boxing, depending on how the fight transpires. Paul and the Boxing Hall of Famer Tyson will square off in a heavyweight matchup on November 15th in Dallas, TX. The matchup was scheduled to take place earlier this summer before Tyson was forced off the event due to a medical scare.
Ben Askren reignites Kamaru Usman feud, says former champion is "over the hill" in career
Curtis Calhoun - August 28, 2024
Former UFC welterweight contender Ben Askren may be retired, but he still has plenty of energy to poke some of his former adversaries, including Kamaru Usman. Usman is plotting a UFC comeback after three consecutive losses, including his most recent defeat to Khamzat Chimaev last November. Over the last few weeks, he’s gone back and forth with UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad on social media.
Francis Ngannou is still focused on his boxing career ahead of his PFL debut: "Why not fight everyone?"
Josh Evanoff - August 28, 2024
PFL heavyweight contender Francis Ngannou still has an eye on the boxing ring. ‘The Predator’ is set to return to the cage in October in Saudi Arabia. There, Francis Ngannou will make his PFL debut against former tournament winner Renan Ferreira. The bout will be the former UFC champion’s first, since handing Ciryl Gane a unanimous decision loss back in January 2022. Following that victory, Ngannou headed to the boxing ring.
Dana White opens up on future plans with Turki Alalshikh ahead of UFC 306: "We're going to do more stuff together"
Josh Evanoff - August 28, 2024
UFC President Dana White and Saudi advisor Turki Alalshikh are just getting started. Next month at the Las Vegas Sphere, the UFC will hold one of their biggest cards of the year. In the main event, Sean O’Malley will look to make another defense of his bantamweight gold against Merab Dvalishvili. The co-main event features Alexa Grasso in her trilogy bout against former flyweight champion, Valentina Shevchenko.
Gilbert Burns explains why he'd accept future fights with teammates Shavkat Rakhmonov, Ian Machado Garry
Curtis Calhoun - August 28, 2024
While many UFC fighters would hesitate to sign the dotted line if offered to fight a teammate, Gilbert Burns is one of the exceptions. Burns will face surging welterweight contender Sean Brady in a UFC Fight Night main event on September 7th. He returns to the Octagon after back-to-back losses to current titleholder Belal Muhammad and Jack Della Maddalena.
Petr Yan reveals plans for UFC 310 return in December, wants former champion as his next opponent
Josh Evanoff - August 28, 2024
Former UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan wants to fight in December. ‘No Mercy’ hasn’t competed since his return to the cage in March. Ending a yearlong hiatus, the former bantamweight champion faced the rising Song Yadong. Despite the Chinese fighter having a lot of momentum heading in, Petr Yan escaped UFC 299 with a unanimous decision victory.
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.
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.
Larissa Pacheco anticipates excuses after Cris Cyborg bout at PFL Super Fight: "I don’t owe anyone anything"
Fernando Quiles Jr. - August 28, 2024
Larissa Pacheco can already hear the excuses if she defeats Cris Cyborg on the October 10th PFL Super Fight card. Pacheco and Cyborg are set to collide on the same night that former UFC Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou makes his PFL debut. “The Predator” will headline against Renan Ferreira in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Some hardcore fans are looking forward to Pacheco vs. Cyborg even more given that Larissa is the only fighter to hand Kayla Harrison a loss in her pro MMA career.
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.
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.
Video | Dana White continues war of words with MMA media over Jon Jones current status: “He’s pound for pound the best fighter in the world and he’s the GOAT”
Harry Kettle - August 28, 2024
UFC CEO Dana White has continued his war of words with the media over Jon Jones’ status as the sport’s GOAT. If there’s one thing we all know to be true, it’s that Dana White is a fan of Jon Jones. That perhaps wasn’t always the case, largely due to some of the personal issues ‘Bones’ has had. Alas, whenever he’s given the opportunity, the boss makes it crystal clear that he believes Jones is the greatest of all time in mixed martial arts.
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.
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.
Henry Cejudo explains why fighting Bo Nickal "wouldn't be good" for Israel Adesanya
Cole Shelton - August 27, 2024
Henry Cejudo believes Bo Nickal would beat Israel Adesanya if they ended up fighting. Nickal is currently unranked at middleweight but has a outstanding wrestling pedigree and many have pegged him as a future contender. One of those believers is Cejudo who thinks Nickal would beat Adesanya in a potential contest as he thinks it is a bad matchup for the former champ.