MMA News
Douglas Lima booked for Bellator return after lengthy, messy contract dispute
Curtis Calhoun - July 10, 2024
Former Bellator welterweight champion Douglas Lima will make his return to the cage at 185lbs after his rocky relationship with the PFL was repaired. Lima will face middleweight contender Aaron Jeffery at Bellator Champions Series: San Diego on September 7th. He returns to the cage following a 16-month hiatus, stemming from his unanimous decision win over Costello Van Steenis at Bellator 296.
Cody Brundage doubts Abdul Razak Alhassan fight will last long at UFC Denver: "There will be chaos"
Cole Shelton - July 10, 2024
Cody Brundage says the judges won’t be needed for his UFC Denver fight against Abdul Razak Alhassan. Brundage is set for his second fight of 2024 as he’s coming off a submission loss to Bo Nickal at UFC 300. Although he lost that fight, Brundage believes it was a good learning experience for him.
Dustin Poirier questions Conor McGregor's UFC 303 withdrawal: "Doesn't seem like a reason to pull out"
Curtis Calhoun - July 10, 2024
Dustin Poirier thinks there may be more to the story when it comes to Conor McGregor’s scratched comeback at UFC 303. McGregor was supposed to face Michael Chandler in the UFC 303 main event before withdrawing due to a toe injury. He hasn’t fought in the Octagon since shattering his leg against Poirier at UFC 264.
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.
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.
Rafael dos Anjos has two particular names in mind for his next UFC appearance: “I see Stephen Thompson, he doesn’t have a fight”
Harry Kettle - July 10, 2024
UFC veteran Rafael dos Anjos has a few potential opponents in mind for his next Octagon appearance. For those who don’t know, Rafael dos Anjos is a mixed martial arts legend. He’s been around the game for years and at the age of 39, he’s seen as someone that can still make some noise across two divisions. He’s also a former UFC lightweight champion, and although the chances of him winning the belt again are slim, you can bet that’s what he’ll be pushing for until he finally decides to retire.
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.
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.
Anthony Smith claims he and Alex Pereira squashed their apparent beef during UFC 303 fight week: "Very cool relationship"
Curtis Calhoun - July 9, 2024
UFC light heavyweight contender Anthony Smith’s tense banter with Alex Pereira has turned over a new leaf. Pereira and Smith both took on short-notice endeavors at UFC 303 last month. In the main event, Pereira defended his UFC light heavyweight title against Jiří Procházka after stepping up following Conor McGregor’s sudden withdrawal from the card due to injury.
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.
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’.
Michael Bisping believes Jake Paul loss motivated Nate Diaz: "That was a wake-up call"
Josh Evanoff - July 9, 2024
UFC commentator Michael Bisping believes Nate Diaz’s loss to Jake Paul in the boxing ring was a massive wake-up call. Over the weekend, the former UFC title challenger returned to the boxing ring. Nearly a year after suffering a loss to Jake Paul, Nate Diaz faced former rival Jorge Masvidal. ‘Gamebred’ previously handed him a stoppage loss in the octagon five years ago in the main event of UFC 244. However, the rematch was much different.
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’.
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.