MMA News
Kirill Grishenko “ready to show the new and improved version” at ONE Fight Night 23
BJPENN.COM Staff - June 24, 2024
Kirill Grishenko begins his road to redemption at ONE Fight Night 23 on Prime Video. There, he squares off with Kang Ji Won in a heavyweight MMA clash. This U.S. primetime event emanates live from the fabled Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on July 5.
Joe Rogan defends Conor McGregor pulling out of UFC 303 due to toe injury
Harry Kettle - June 24, 2024
UFC commentator Joe Rogan has defended Conor McGregor for pulling out of UFC 303 due to a recent toe injury. As we now know, Conor McGregor won’t be competing against Michael Chandler at UFC 303. That’s because of an injury he sustained in training, ruling him out of the high stakes showdown. As of this writing, it’s not yet known whether or not the fight will happen at a later date.
Johnny Walker issues statement following KO loss to Volkan Oezdemir
Harry Kettle - June 24, 2024
Johnny Walker has issued a statement following his knockout defeat against Volkan Oezdemir last weekend. At UFC Saudi Arabia, Johnny Walker went head to head with Volkan Oezdemir. His hope was to get back on the winning trail in the light heavyweight division, but unfortunately, that didn’t pan out for him. Instead, he was beaten by Oezdemir, who managed to finish him in the very first round.
Brian Ortega confirms plans for move up to lightweight following UFC 303
Harry Kettle - June 24, 2024
UFC featherweight contender Brian Ortega has confirmed that he’s interested in a move up to lightweight after UFC 303. At UFC 303, Brian Ortega will take on a huge short notice assignment. He will go head to head with Diego Lopes, attempting to build off of his tremendous win over Yair Rodriguez earlier this year.
Prajanchai can’t wait to get his hands on Jonathan Di Bella: “I’m just waiting for fight day to come”
BJPENN.COM Staff - June 23, 2024
Prajanchai PK Saenchai is eagerly anticipating the chance to finally face Jonathan Di Bella. Both men clash in the main event of ONE Friday Fights 68 on June 28, airing live in Asia primetime from the legendary Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Ikram Aliskerov issues statement following UFC Saudi Arabia loss to Robert Whittaker
Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 23, 2024
Ikram Aliskerov has spoken out following his first-round knockout loss to Robert Whittaker at UFC Saudi Arabia. Aliskerov was a late replacement opponent, as Khamzat Chimaev fell ill and was forced out of the matchup with Whittaker. Many felt that Aliskerov would post an interesting challenge for “Bobby Knuckles,” but the former UFC middleweight champion didn’t give his opponent a chance to get comfortable.
Michael Bisping scolds Kelvin Gastelum following UFC Saudi Arabia Weight Fiasco: "He clearly wasn't dieting"
Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 23, 2024
UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping is calling Kelvin Gastelum’s professionalism into question. Gastelum may have emerged victorious in a good scrap with Daniel Rodriguez, but the talk surrounding Kelvin has been on his weight. Gastelum once again could not make the contracted weight for a welterweight matchup, thus his bout with D-Rod was changed to a middleweight contest just prior to fight night.
Alexander Volkov reacts to post-fight incident with Sergei Pavlovich following UFC Saudi Arabia fight
Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 23, 2024
Alexander Volkov and Sergei Pavlovich aren’t likely to be chummy again, or at least not for quite some time. Volkov and Pavlovich were once sparring partners, but the two have had a falling out. They ended up fighting one another on the UFC Saudi Arabia card this past Saturday. Volkov was effective in maintaining his distance, making it difficult for Pavlovich to land anything substantial. Volkov had his way with the jab, as well as kicks to the calf and body.
Robert Whittaker wants to run it back with Dricus Du Plessis following UFC Saudi Arabia: “Since that fight, I’ve only improved”
Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 23, 2024
Robert Whittaker likes his chances in a potential rematch with the current UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis. Whittaker might get that opportunity as soon this August. While du Plessis is set to put his 185-pound gold at stake against Israel Adesanya at UFC 305, Whittaker made a strong case to serve as a backup fighter in case something goes awry. “The Reaper” handed Ikram Aliskerov his first loss under the UFC banner with a first-round knockout.
UFC CEO Dana White confirms Paige VanZant will be competing in Power Slap: “I said this would happen”
Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 23, 2024
UFC CEO Dana White is once again in the Paige VanZant business. VanZant surprised fight fans when she first stepped into the world of bare-knuckle boxing under the BKFC banner. She has once again turned some heads, this time by dipping her toes in the slap fighting waters.
Nicolas Dalby reacts to tight decision loss at UFC Saudi Arabia
Harry Kettle - June 23, 2024
UFC fighter Nicolas Dalby has given his thoughts on his tight decision loss to Rinat Fakhretdinov at UFC Saudi Arabia. Last night, Nicolas Dalby and Rinat Fakhretdinov went to war. Unfortunately for Dalby, he was on the wrong end of a decision defeat. Alas, while he may not have had his hand raised, many believed that he did more than enough to get the job done. Officially, he didn’t, but at the age of 39, he’s still bringing the heat in a division that’s incredibly competitive.
UFC champion Ilia Topuria lashes out at "mentally broken" Conor McGregor
Harry Kettle - June 23, 2024
UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria has lashed out at Conor McGregor as talk of a potential superfight continues. As the king of the featherweight division, Ilia Topuria is on top of the world right now. He knocked out Alexander Volkanovski and now, he has a lot of directions he could head in. With that being said, he’s also rubbing a lot of people the wrong way. Of course, that’s also drawing a lot of attention to him and what he brings to the table.
Michael Chandler throws a shot at Conor McGregor as rivalry intensifies
Harry Kettle - June 23, 2024
UFC star Michael Chandler has thrown a shot at Conor McGregor as their rivalry continues to intensify. As we know, Michael Chandler and Conor McGregor will not be facing off in the main event of UFC 303. This is due to an injury sustained by McGregor, with there being no word on when he’ll be able to return.
Dana White says he would love to have Robert Whittaker serve as the backup for Du Plessis vs. Adesanya at UFC 305
Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 23, 2024
UFC CEO Dana White is all ears when it comes to the idea of Robert Whittaker serving as a backup for an upcoming headliner in Perth. Whittaker flashed in the UFC’s debut in Saudi Arabia, knocking out Ikram Aliskerov in the first round. After rocking Aliskerov, the former UFC middleweight champion landed a clean uppercut and some follow-up punches to seal the deal. With the victory, Whittaker has ended the seven-fight winning streak of Aliskerov.
UFC CEO Dana White reacts after Conor McGregor hints at an August or September return: "He's not ready"
Chris Taylor - June 22, 2024
UFC CEO Dana White has reacted after Conor McGregor hinted that he plans to return to the Octagon in August or September. McGregor (22-6 MMA) was slated to return in the headliner of next weekend’s UFC 303 event for a welterweight bout with Michael Chandler (23-8 MMA). Unfortunately for fight fans, a broken toe suffered in training camp forced ‘Notorious’ to withdraw from the highly anticipated matchup.
Khamzat Chimaev reacts to Robert Whittaker's KO win over Ikram Aliskerov at UFC Saudi Arabia: "We are not done!"
Chris Taylor - June 22, 2024
Khamzat Chimaev sent Robert Whittaker a message following his first-round KO victory over Ikram Aliskerov at UFC Saudi Arabia. Chimaev (13-0 MMA) and Whittaker (27-7 MMA) were originally slated to collided in today’s UFC Fight Night main event at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh.
Pros react after Robert Whittaker KO's Ikram Aliskerov at UFC Saudi Arabia
Chris Taylor - June 22, 2024
Today’s UFC Saudi Arabia event was headlined by a middleweight bout featuring Robert Whittaker taking on Ikram Aliskerov. Whittaker (27-7 MMA) was returning to action for the first time since scoring a unanimous decision win over Paulo Costa this past February at UFC 298. The victory was of course preceded by a TKO loss to reigning middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 290.
UFC Saudi Arabia Results: Robert Whittaker KO's Ikram Aliskerov (Video)
Chris Taylor - June 22, 2024
We have you covered for all of today’s UFC Saudi Arabia results, including the main event between Robert Whittaker and Ikram Aliskerov. Whittaker (27-7 MMA) will be returning to action for the first time since scoring a unanimous decision win over Paulo Costa this past February at UFC 298. The victory was of course preceded by a TKO loss to reigning middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 290.