MMA News
UFC 299 | Pro fighters make their picks for Sean O'Malley vs. Marlon Vera 2 title fight
Cole Shelton - March 6, 2024
In the main event of UFC 299, the bantamweight title is on the line as Sean O’Malley defends his strap in a rematch against Marlon Vera. Heading into the fight, O’Malley is a -280 favorite while the the challenger is a +210 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to make their picks for the bantamweight title fight. The pros are actually going with the underdog in Vera to get his hand raised and become the bantamweight champion.
Tom Aspinall goes to bat for “misunderstood” Paddy Pimblett amidst online hate
Susan Cox - March 6, 2024
Tom Aspinall is going to bat for ‘misunderstood’ Paddy Pimblett amidst online hate. Paddy ‘The Baddy’ Pimblett (21-3 MMA) last fought and defeated Tony Ferguson (25-10 MMA) by unanimous decision this past December at UFC 296.
Matt Brown believes the UFC is squeezing all the juice they can out of Sean O’Malley: “Before Merab comes in and empties that cup out”
Susan Cox - March 6, 2024
Matt Brown believes that the UFC is squeezing all the juice they can out of current bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley. UFC veteran welterweight Matt Brown (24-19 MMA) believes that Merab Dvalishvili (17-4 MMA) will replace Sean O’Malley on the bantamweight throne in the near future.
MMA legend Urijah Faber returns to headline A1 Combat 21
Susan Cox - March 6, 2024
MMA legend Urijah Faber is returning to headline A1 Combat 21. Faber (35-11 MMA) retired from MMA in 2016 after defeating Brad Pickett (25-14 MMA) by unanimous decision. Making a comeback in 2019, ‘The California Kid’ fought and defeated Ricky Simon (20-5 MMA) by TKO. That same year, Faber got in the cage with Petr Yan (16-5 MMA) at UFC 245 but lost by a third round TKO.
ONE Fight Night 20: Full card and where to watch on March 8
BJPENN.COM Staff - March 6, 2024
As the world gears up to celebrate International Women’s Day, ONE Championship is taking the festivities to a whole new level with ONE Fight Night 20 on Prime Video. This U.S. primetime event emanates live from the legendary Lumpinee Bangkok Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on Friday, March 8.
Ilia Topuria's coach advises Alexander Volkanovski to take a tuneup fight before rematching ‘El Matador’
Harry Kettle - March 6, 2024
Ilia Topuria’s coach Jorge Climent has given his thoughts on Alexander Volkanovski getting a rematch for the title. Just a few weeks ago, Ilia Topuria knocked out Alexander Volkanovski to become the new UFC featherweight champion. In doing so, he brought an end to the Australian’s incredible reign as the king at 145 pounds.
Merab Dvalishvili booked as the official backup fighter for Saturday’s UFC 299 event
Harry Kettle - March 6, 2024
UFC bantamweight Merab Dvalishvili is officially stepping up as the backup fighter for Saturday’s UFC 299 event. Just a matter of weeks ago, Merab Dvalishvili defeated Henry Cejudo. In doing so, he set himself up nicely for a future shot at the UFC bantamweight championship. As we know, two men will be competing for that belt this weekend. Sean O’Malley will be defending the strap against Marlon Vera in the main event of the utterly incredible UFC 299 showcase.
Cory Sandhagen responds after being called out by Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC Vegas 87
Harry Kettle - March 6, 2024
UFC bantamweight Cory Sandhagen has revealed that he’s open to a showdown with Umar Nurmagomedov. Last summer, Cory Sandhagen and Umar Nurmagomedov were set to meet in the Octagon. However, due to injury, Umar was forced to withdraw, with Rob Font taking his place. Sanhdagen was able to extend his win streak to three, whereas Nurmagomedov returned this past weekend. He was able to defeat Bekzat Almakhan, stretching his unbeaten record to 17-0 in the process.
Sean O’Malley admits he is just a “causal fan” when it comes to UFC: “I didn’t watch one fight on the card last week”
Harry Kettle - March 6, 2024
UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley has revealed that he sees himself as more of a casual fan of the promotion. This weekend, the masses will be tuning in to see Sean O’Malley defend his UFC bantamweight championship against Marlon Vera. Between his personality outside of the cage and his fun style in it, ‘Suga’ has turned himself into a real superstar in recent years.
Cristina Morales aims to inspire in world title pursuit: "If you do it, it will come true"
BJPENN.COM Staff - March 6, 2024
A historic clash will unfold at ONE Fight Night 20 on Prime Video this Friday, March 8, when Cristina Morales faces Allycia Hellen Rodrigues at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. The encounter promises to be an epic battle for Rodrigues’ ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Title. However, Morales believes it carries a more profound message that extends beyond the realm of sports.
AJ McKee says he was "always keen on" re-signing with Bellator, open to returning to featherweight for Patricio Pitbull trilogy
Cole Shelton - March 5, 2024
AJ McKee always knew he was going to re-sign with Bellator. McKee is the former Bellator featherweight champion and was recently a free agent but opted to re-sign with the promotion. McKee says he is a loyal person and wanted to continue to be the face of Bellator going forward.
Kyler Phillips expects to be "too fast" for Pedro Munhoz at UFC 299
Cole Shelton - March 5, 2024
Kyler Phillips believes his speed and striking will be too much for Pedro Munhoz to handle at UFC 299. Phillips is coming off a decision win over Raoni Barcelos back in August and after the victory, he figured a ranked opponent would be next. Phillips is on a two-fight winning streak and is 5-1 in the UFC, so he’s eager to face someone like Munhoz who has fought some of the who’s who of the bantamweight division.
Kevin Holland thinks Michael Page is just focused on getting "paid" ahead of UFC debut
Cole Shelton - March 5, 2024
Kevin Holland thinks Michael Page only cares about getting paid ahead of his UFC debut. Page signed with the UFC last year and it was announced he would be making his debut at UFC 299 against Kevin Holland. It was a bit of a surprise that ‘MVP’ had signed with the UFC as he is about to turn 37 next month. Yet, Holland thinks Page finally signed with the UFC because he knows his career is coming to an end and he wanted to get paid as much as possible.
Islam Makhachev names Anatoly Malykhin as “most dangerous guy on the planet”
BJPENN.COM Staff - March 5, 2024
Anatoly Malykhin has earned the respect and admiration of Islam Makhachev following the Russian hard-hitter’s historic milestone. The unprecedented feat unfolded in his epic rematch against Reinier de Ridder at ONE 166: Qatar last Friday, March 1.
Sean O'Malley's coach takes blame for loss to Marlon Vera at UFC 252: "That was definitely a mistake"
Cole Shelton - March 5, 2024
Tim Welch, the head coach of Sean O’Malley is taking the blame for ‘Suga’s’ UFC 252 loss to Marlon Vera. O’Malley’s lone career loss came by first-round TKO to Vera in a fight that ‘Suga’ hurt his ankle in the first round. O’Malley entered the fight as a sizeable betting favorite but in the scrap, he rolled his ankle several times and ended up not being able to get back to his feet.
Conor McGregor blames UFC's "lack of action" as reason for return delay: "I need a decision"
Josh Evanoff - March 5, 2024
Former two-weight UFC world champion Conor McGregor badly wants to fight in June. ‘The Notorious’ hasn’t competed since a July 2021 trilogy bout against Dustin Poirier. As the story goes, Conor McGregor broke his leg in the final seconds of the first round. As a result, he lost the bout and was forced onto the sidelines for nearly three years. However, according to McGregor, he’s ready to return.
Dricus Du Plessis details why he rejected Israel Adesanya fight offer for UFC 300
Susan Cox - March 5, 2024
Dricus Du Plessis is detailing why he rejected the offer to fight Israel Adesanya at April’s historic UFC 300 event. UFC 300 takes place of Saturday, April 13th, at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada.
Khabib Nurmagomedov opens up on life after stepping back from MMA: "I like fighting more than talking"
Josh Evanoff - March 5, 2024
Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov is retired from fighting, but not coaching. ‘The Eagle’ is one of the more interesting figures in MMA history. Holding a 29-0 undefeated record, Khabib Nurmagomedov is the rare athlete to retire in his prime. Due to the death of his father, the Russian retired after a second-round submission win over Justin Gaethje in 2020.