MMA News
Tye Ruotolo promises to get better after tough battle at ONE Fight Night 23
BJPENN.COM Staff - July 10, 2024
Tye Ruotolo may have emerged victorious at ONE Fight Night 23 on Prime Video last Friday, July 5, but he is admittedly far from satisfied with his performance. The reigning ONE Welterweight Submission Grappling World Champion took a hard-earned unanimous victory in his last fight. This came over Jozef Chen in a 186-pound catchweight contest on the recently concluded U.S. primetime card.
Sean O’Malley anxious for fight announcement as UFC 306 draws closer: "I’m still hoping for the Sphere"
Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 10, 2024
Sean O’Malley is eager to get back inside the Octagon, but he hasn’t heard anything new on when that might be. O’Malley is the reigning UFC bantamweight champion. The “Suga” show and Merab Dvalishvili have been going back-and-forth on social media, and the two have expressed a desire to fight one another. While UFC 306 inside the Sphere in Las Vegas would appear to be the right time for the title fight, nothing has been made official at this time.
Ali Abdelaziz makes bold UFC 304 prediction for Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad: "Don't worry, just buy the pay-per-view"
Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 10, 2024
The manager of Belal Muhammad, Ali Abdelaziz, believes his fighter will dethrone Leon Edwards at the conclusion of UFC 304. Muhammad will be entering enemy territory on July 27. Belal will meet Edwards inside Co-Op Live in Manchester, England. The UFC Welterweight Championship will be at stake.
Matt Brown scoffs at backlash for Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic: "Let them f*cking fight"
Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 10, 2024
Retired fan favorite Matt Brown doesn’t understand the hate for Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic. Jones vs. Miocic had been planned for UFC 295 back in November 2023. The UFC Heavyweight Championship would’ve been at stake, but “Bones” suffered an injury. As a result, an interim title bout between Tom Aspinall and Sergei Pavlovich took its place.
Former UFC champions Quinton Jackson and Rashad Evans targeting November rematch in boxing: “I need to get that win back”
Harry Kettle - July 10, 2024
Former UFC champions Quinton Jackson and Rashad Evans are aiming for a boxing showdown against one another later this year. As we know, Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson and Rashad Evans are two MMA legends in their own right. They’ve held world titles, they’ve competed against some of the very best, and they are superstars in the eyes of many. They’ve also collided in the Octagon before, meeting back at UFC 114 in May 2010. The fight, which came off the back of a season of The Ultimate Fighter, ended in a decision victory for Evans.
Rose Namajunas believes win over Tracy Cortez at UFC Denver could lead to a title shot: “I could see myself fighting for the belt really soon”
Harry Kettle - July 10, 2024
Rose Namajunas believes she could earn a UFC flyweight title shot if she can defeat Tracy Cortez at UFC Denver. For the longest time now, Rose Namajunas has been one of the most popular female fighters in mixed martial arts. The former two-time UFC strawweight champion has produced some truly incredible moments throughout the course of her career in the sport. Now, however, she faces a new challenge at flyweight.
Joe Rogan believes “the fix was in” with the Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou boxing match
Harry Kettle - July 10, 2024
UFC commentator Joe Rogan has given a controversial view on the Tyson Fury vs Francis Ngannou boxing match. Last October, Francis Ngannou went to war with Tyson Fury in a crossover boxing showdown. Against all odds, Francis put forward a tremendous performance – even dropping ‘The Gypsy King’. Alas, in the eyes of the judges, he didn’t quite do enough to get his hand raised in victory.
Johan Ghazali squares off with Josue Cruz at ONE 168
BJPENN.COM Staff - July 10, 2024
Johan Ghazali gets a shot at redemption at the much-awaited ONE168: Denver. There, he goes up against Josue Cruz in a flyweight Muay Thai bout, airing live in U.S. primetime from the 21,000-seater Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado, on September 6.
Liam Harrison claims he would have “body-bagged” Jonathan Haggerty
BJPENN.COM Staff - July 9, 2024
Liam Harrison has asserted that a matchup against Jonathan Haggerty during his prime years would have been a routine victory. The 38-year-old veteran thinks that the two-sport ONE World Champion would have been no match for him at the peak of his career.
Nate Diaz jabs Jorge Masvidal after 'Gamebred' cries foul over boxing match scorecards
Curtis Calhoun - July 9, 2024
There remains no love between former UFC stars Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal after their battle in the boxing ring last weekend. Diaz defeated Masvidal by majority decision on Saturday in Anaheim. He picked up his first professional boxing win after a loss to Jake Paul in August.
Sean Strickland rips the idea of Robert Whittaker getting another title shot: "Bro you're 0-3..."
Curtis Calhoun - July 9, 2024
Former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland won’t be happy if Robert Whittaker skips the line and gets the next title shot. UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis will face former titleholder Israel Adesanya in the UFC 305 main event next month. Strickland and Whittaker are waiting in the wings for the winner of the upcoming title fight.
Sean Strickland slams Khamzat Chimaev for 'SMASH' token failure: "Rich and still try to scam your fans"
Josh Evanoff - July 9, 2024
Former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland has taken aim at Khamzat Chimaev. It’s been a rough month for ‘Borz’. Late last month, Khamzat Chimaev was set to return to the cage in Saudi Arabia against former UFC champion Robert Whittaker. However, just a few weeks before fight day, the Chechen pulled out due to illness. In his place, Ikram Aliskerov was handed a knockout loss by ‘The Reaper’.
Former UFC bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw ends talk of rumored return: "I'm f*cking done"
Josh Evanoff - July 9, 2024
Don’t expect to see former bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw back in the UFC anytime soon. The 38-year-old has been retired for almost two years now. In October 2022, T.J. Dillashaw attempted to win bantamweight gold for the third time against then-champion Aljamain Sterling. However, the former titleholder had a very tough training camp. While Dillashaw had shoulder injuries in the past, the issues became much worse in training for ‘The Funk Master’.
Anthony Smith gets candid about UFC 303 loss: "What the f*** am I doing here?"
Curtis Calhoun - July 9, 2024
Former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Anthony Smith is in a peculiar spot after his short-notice defeat to Roman Dolidze. Smith and Dolidze fought in a days’ notice matchup at UFC 303 last month. After he was originally supposed to face Carlos Ulberg, Ulberg withdrew, leading to Dolidze stepping up from middleweight to take the fight.
Former Bellator champ Raufeon Stots booked for return on Sept. 7
Curtis Calhoun - July 9, 2024
Former Bellator interim bantamweight champion Raufeon Stots will return to the cage after a 10-month absence from fighting. Stots will face Glover Teixeira protégé Marcos Breno in the Bellator Champions Series: San Diego co-main event on September 7th. The promotion announced the matchup in a press release on Tuesday.
Yosuke Saruta to test Keito Yamakita’s mettle at ONE Fight Night 24
BJPENN.COM Staff - July 9, 2024
Yosuke Saruta looks to arrest his losing skid when he reports for duty at ONE Fight Night 24 on Prime Video. The former ONE Strawweight MMA World World Champion battles Japanese compatriot Keito Yamakita in a three-round duel. This airs live in U.S. primetime from the iconic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on August 2.
Team Khamzat Chimaev attempts to explain ‘major downfall’ of SMASH token
Susan Cox - July 9, 2024
Team Khamzat Chimaev are attempting to explain ‘major downfall’ of SMASH token. It recently came to light that UFC middleweight contender Khamzat Chimaev is being accused of running a pump-and-dump scheme for his SMASH crypto coin. The contention is that the Swede ‘stole up to $1 million dollars from investors.
Coach Cesar Gracie says the UFC will need to open their pocket book to get Nate Diaz back: “Millions and millions”
Susan Cox - July 9, 2024
Coach Cesar Gracie is making it known that the UFC will need to open their pocket book to get Nate Diaz back. Nate Diaz is hot off a majority decision victory over Jorge Masvidal in the boxing ring.