MMA News
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Max Holloway vows to do something special against Ilia Topuria at UFC 308: "Wait until they get to see the outcome"
Cole Shelton - August 27, 2024
Max Holloway plans to do something special to become the featherweight champion again when he takes on Ilia Topuria at UFC 308. Holloway secured a featherweight title shot after he scored a KO win over Justin Gaethje at UFC 300 to win the BMF title at lightweight. Although it was up a weight class, the Hawaiian cemented himself as a No. 1 contender, but he enters his UFC 308 bout against Topuria as the underdog.
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.