MMA News
Sean Strickland's coach highlights area where they can "create some havoc" in Dricus Du Plessis rematch
Chris Taylor - August 24, 2024
Eric Nicksick, the head coach of Sean Strickland, believes there is one area they can “create some havoc” in a rematch with Dricus Du Plessis. Du Plessis (22-2 MMA) successfully defended his middleweight title for the first time at last weekend’s UFC 305 event, scoring a fourth-round submission victory over former champion Israel Adesanya (see that here).
Muhammad Mokaev finds a new home after nasty split with the UFC
Chris Taylor - August 24, 2024
Muhammad Mokaev has found a new home following his nasty split with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Mokaev (13-0 MMA) fought out his contract at last month’s UFC 304 event in Manchester, scoring a lackluster decision win over Manel Kape.
Ronda Rousey issues apology for the "most regrettable decision" of her life
Chris Taylor - August 24, 2024
Former UFC champion Ronda Rousey has delivered a heartfelt apology for sharing a Sandy Hook conspiracy video eleven years ago. Prior to her title fight with Liz Carmouche at UFC 157 in February of 2013, Ronda Rousey shared a video on Twitter (now X) that questioned the legitimacy of the school shooting at Sandy Hook which left 20 children and 6 adults dead.
Spoiler Alert! Khalil Rountree Jr. will "walk through" Alex Pereira at UFC 307
Chris Taylor - August 24, 2024
Khalil Rountree Jr. is going to shock a lot of people this October when he “walks through” Alex Pereira at UFC 307. That’s according to former UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen, who believes ‘Poatan’ is tailor made for ‘The War Horse’.
Bantamweight Champion Sean O’Malley says 'dork' Conor McGregor is still face of the UFC
Fernando Quiles Jr. - August 23, 2024
Sean O’Malley still views Conor McGregor as the face of the UFC, even if he thinks the former champ-champ is a “dork.” O’Malley and McGregor had been cordial with one another before the “Notorious” one ended up taking a dig at the “Suga” show on social media. This led to the UFC Bantamweight Champion firing back at McGregor.
Paddy Pimblett expresses interest in future fight with UFC 305 winner Dan Hooker: “Could be a nice fight for me”
Fernando Quiles Jr. - August 23, 2024
Paddy Pimblett has an eye on Dan Hooker as a potential opponent following “The Hangman’s” gritty UFC 305 win. Pimblett was keeping a close eye on Hooker’s showdown with Mateusz Gamrot. The barn burner earned “Fight of the Night” honors for both men. Ultimately, it was Hooker who pulled off the split decision victory in a fight that had many MMA fans divided on a winner, but the excitement of the lightweight clash was never in question.
Ilia Topuria says he could beat Max Holloway and Sean O’Malley in the same night: “They both suck”
Harry Kettle - August 23, 2024
UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria believes he could defeat Max Holloway and Sean O’Malley on the same night. After knocking out Alexander Volkanovski, Ilia Topuria has been on top of the world. He has a new celebrity status, he’s the featherweight king, and he’s ready for the next step in his career. That next step will come in the form of him defending the crown against Max Holloway.
Stipe Miocic responds after Tom Aspinall suggests he’s currently injured: “Fake news”
Harry Kettle - August 23, 2024
Former UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic has responded after Tom Aspinall recently suggested he may be injured. No matter what anyone says, it’s hard to argue against Stipe Miocic being the greatest heavyweight of all time. Of course, there are many people trying to challenge that status, including Jon Jones. He’s set to battle Miocic later this year but according to interim champion Tom Aspinall, Stipe may be injured.
Shavkat Rakhmonov slams the idea of Kamaru Usman receiving the next UFC title shot at welterweight: “18-0 with 100% finishes or 0-3 in the last three fights”
Harry Kettle - August 23, 2024
Shavkat Rakhmonov has given his thoughts on Kamaru Usman possibly getting the next UFC welterweight title shot ahead of him. As we know, Belal Muhammad is the UFC welterweight champion. He captured the belt following a one-sided demolition of none other than Leon Edwards. Now, many are left to wonder what’s going to be next for the new king of the division.
Sean O'Malley explains why Merab Dvalishvili won't be able to test his wrestling at UFC 306
Cole Shelton - August 22, 2024
Sean O’Malley expects to knock Merab Dvalishvili out early at UFC 306 at The Sphere on September 14. O’Malley is looking to defend his bantamweight title for the second time as he takes on Dvalishvili in a highly-anticipated bout. Heading into the fight, the game plan for Dvalishvili is clear as he will look to wrestle the champ early and often. However, Sean O’Malley doesn’t think the Georgian will have a chance to wrestle.
Jan Blachowicz advises Israel Adesanya to avoid going up to light heavyweight after UFC 305 loss
Cole Shelton - August 22, 2024
Jan Blachowicz doesn’t think Israel Adesanya should return to light heavyweight after his UFC 305 loss to Dricus Du Plessis. Adesanya suffered a fourth-round submission loss to Du Plessis earlier this month in Perth, a setback which marked his second-straight loss. After the defeat, the future of Adesanya was up in the air, but Izzy has said he has no plans to retire. With that, many believe ‘The Last Stylebender’ should consider a return to light heavyweight, given that he has now lost to the current champion and No. 1 contender at middleweight.
Jake Paul calls out Dana White for refusing to co-promote and make Jon Jones vs. Francis Ngannou: "He's scared"
Josh Evanoff - August 22, 2024
PFL’s Jake Paul believes UFC President Dana White is afraid of making Jon Jones vs. Francis Ngannou. Earlier today, the PFL held a press conference making their biggest event of the year official. In October in Saudi Arabia, Francis Ngannou will compete for the first time since 2022 against Renan Ferreira. In the co-main event, Bellator women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg will face off against PFL tournament winner, Larissa Pacheco.
Belal Muhammad confirms plans for UFC 310 return, eyeing Kamaru Usman or Shavkat Rakhmonov next
Josh Evanoff - August 22, 2024
UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad will likely be back in the cage in December. ‘Remember The Name’ is fresh off his return to the cage in July at UFC 304. In the main event, Belal Muhammad finally got his crack at welterweight gold against Leon Edwards. He faced ‘Rocky’ three years prior, fighting to a no-contest at the UFC Apex. Since then, both men have accelerated to the top of the welterweight division.
Francis Ngannou laughs off Dana White's comment that he's scared to fight Jon Jones: "He didn't want to fight me!"
Josh Evanoff - August 22, 2024
PFL heavyweight contender Francis Ngannou has responded to Dana White’s comments about fighting Jon Jones. ‘The Predator’ is finally set to return to the cage in October. Francis Ngannou last appeared in the octagon at UFC 270 in January 2022, where he handed Ciryl Gane a unanimous decision defeat. The fight was the last on his contract with the promotion, and he left the following year. Due to his exit, fans missed out on a long-awaited bout against Jon Jones.
Jonathan Haggerty adamant about vying for Fabricio Andrade’s MMA title
BJPENN.COM Staff - August 22, 2024
It’s safe to say that Jonathan Haggerty has no plans of slowing down once he’s done with his next assignment. The two-sport ONE World Champion stakes his bantamweight Muay Thai crown against flyweight kickboxing king Superlek Kiatmoo9 in the main event on ONE 168: Denver. This takes place at Ball Arena on September 6.
Tom Aspinall claims Stipe Miocic is "injured" ahead of potential Jon Jones fight
Cole Shelton - August 22, 2024
Tom Aspinall says he’s heard that Stipe Miocic is injured ahead of his potential heavyweight title fight against Jon Jones. Jones and Miocic are likely to fight in November at UFC 309 in Madison Square Garden in a fight that has been years in the making. Yet, the bout has not officially been booked by the promotion and according to Aspinall, that is because he has heard that Miocic is dealing with an injury.
Dricus Du Plessis leapfrogs Sean O’Malley in latest UFC pound-for-pound rankings update
Fernando Quiles Jr. - August 22, 2024
UFC Middleweight Champion, Dricus du Plessis, has moved past bantamweight kingpin Sean O’Malley on the official pound-for-pound rankings. In his first title defense, du Plessis had a barnburner with former two-time 185-pound titleholder Israel Adesanya. “The Last Stylebender” threw the kitchen sink at du Plessis, but it was “Stillknocks” who successfully retained his gold via fourth-round submission.
Dana White explains what Magomed Ankalaev must do to earn another UFC title shot
Fernando Quiles Jr. - August 22, 2024
UFC CEO Dana White has revealed how Magomed Ankalaev can secure another light heavyweight title opportunity. When it was announced that 205-pound champion Alex Pereira will put his gold at stake against Khalil Rountree in the main event of UFC 307, the reaction within the MMA community was mixed. While many are expecting a barnburner between the two knockout artists, Rountree’s credibility as a title contender has come into question.