MMA News
Henry Cejudo walks back retirement talk following UFC 298 loss to Merab Dvalishvili: "I'm not f*cking leaving!"
Josh Evanoff - February 23, 2024
Former UFC bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo isn’t going anywhere. ‘Triple C’ is fresh off his return to the cage at UFC 298 over the weekend. Back for the first time since a loss to Aljamain Sterling nearly a year ago, Cejudo faced the rising Merab Dvalishvili. ‘The Machine’ was on a tear heading into the bout, hoping to receive a title shot with a win over the former champion.
Tommy Fury offered a two-fight deal against Jake Paul, which includes a third fight in the PFL
Cole Shelton - February 23, 2024
Tommy Fury and Jake Paul could be fighting again, but this time in MMA. Fury and Paul boxed last February with the Brit winning by split decision. Since then, Paul has been adamant he wants the rematch, and his team has reportedly offered Fury a two-fight rematch, but it has a unique clause.
Jake Paul tells UFC fighters to “wake up” after Donald Cerrone reveals his fight purse from Conor McGregor bout
Susan Cox - February 23, 2024
Jake Paul is telling UFC fighters to ‘wake up’ after Donald Cerrone revealed his fight purse from Conor McGregor bout. ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone (36-17 MMA) retired from the UFC in July of 2022 after going down to defeat against Jim Miller (37-17 MMA) at UFC 276. Prior to that loss, the veteran fighter had been on a turbulent losing streak for the past three years, going down to defeat against the likes of Tony Ferguson, Justin Gaethje, Conor McGregor, Anthony Pettis and Alex Morono.
Khamzat Chimaev explains why he turned down UFC 300 main event slot, details timeline for return
Susan Cox - February 23, 2024
Khamzat Chimaev is explaining why he turned down the UFC 300 main event slot and has shared a timeline for his return to the Octagon. UFC 300 takes place on Saturday, April 13th at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada.
UFC Mexico City: ‘Moreno vs. Royval 2’ Weigh-in Results: Headliners on point, 2 fighters miss weight
Susan Cox - February 23, 2024
UFC Mexico City takes place tomorrow, Saturday February 24th at the Arena CDMX in Mexico City, Mexico. The flyweight main event will see former champion Brandon Moreno (21-7 MMA) face rival Brandon Royval (15-7 MMA).
Rodtang wants trilogy with Jonathan Haggerty: “We can see who the real G is”
BJPENN.COM Staff - February 23, 2024
Rodtang Jitmuangnon has publicly expressed his desire for another encounter with Jonathan Haggerty. The Thai megastar made his intentions clear in an Instagram post following Haggerty’s successful defense of his ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title against Felipe Lobo.
Ilia Topuria to honored for UFC title win at upcoming Real Madrid football match in Spain
Harry Kettle - February 23, 2024
UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria will be celebrated at an upcoming Real Madrid match this weekend. Earlier this month, Ilia Topuria became the new king at 145 pounds. He did so by knocking out Alexander Volkanovski – something that nobody in the UFC had been able to do at featherweight. He’s undefeated, he’s getting better with every fight, and his star power is growing rapidly. At this rate, the promotion may have their next big European sensation.
Charles Oliveira says he’s been assured a title shot is next with a win over Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 300
Harry Kettle - February 23, 2024
Charles Oliveira has said that he’s been assured of a lightweight title shot if he can defeat Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 300. In one of the featured bouts of UFC 300, Charles Oliveira will go head to head with Arman Tsarukyan. The two will battle it out in what is, in more ways than one, a blockbuster showdown at 155 pounds.
Alex Pereira takes aim at Jamahal Hill’s credentials ahead of UFC 300: “I don’t know which position I’d put him, but at least fourth”
Harry Kettle - February 23, 2024
UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira has questioned the credentials of his upcoming opponent Jamahal Hill. In the main event of UFC 300, Alex Pereira will lock horns with Jamahal Hill with the UFC light heavyweight championship on the line. It will serve as his first defense of the crown after defeating Jiri Prochazka last year.
Paulo Costa calls out Kamaru Usman after loss to Robert Whittaker: "Looks interesting"
Cole Shelton - February 22, 2024
Paulo Costa has his eyes set on former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman for his next fight. Costa is coming off a decision loss to Robert Whittaker at UFC 298 in a very competitive fight, which also served as Paulo’s first scrap since August of 2022. Although the Brazilian didn’t get his hand raised, his stock went up in the loss and now he’s already campaigning for his next fight.
Pro fighters make their picks for Yair Rodriguez vs. Brian Ortega 2
Cole Shelton - February 22, 2024
In the co-main event of UFC Mexico City, a rematch between top-four featherweights goes down as Yair Rodriguez takes on Brian Ortega. Heading into the rematch, Rodriguez is a slight -158 favorite while ‘T-City’ is a +124 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to make their picks for the featherweight fight at UFC Mexico City. In their first fight back in July 2021 Rodriguez won in the first round due to a shoulder injury suffered by Ortega. However, in the rematch, the pros are actually going with the underdog in Ortega to pull off the upset.
Cory Sandhagen open to rebooking Umar Nurmagomedov fight as long as "he looks good" on March 2
Cole Shelton - February 22, 2024
Cory Sandhagen is open to fighting Umar Nurmagomedov his next time out. Sandhagen and Nurmagomedov were supposed to headline UFC Nashville last August, but an injury knocked the Dagestani fighter out of the fight. Sandhagen ended up getting a lopsided decision win over Rob Font on that card and hasn’t fought since. Nurmagomedov, meanwhile, is set to return to the Octagon on March 2 against UFC newcomer Bekzat Almakhan.
Aljamain Sterling previews future matchup against UFC champion Ilia Topuria: "That's not an easy fight"
Josh Evanoff - February 22, 2024
Aljamain Sterling is well aware that it’s going to take a lot to defeat UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria. ‘Funk Master’ has been out of action since a knockout loss to Sean O’Malley last August at UFC 292. The defeat ended Aljamain Sterling’s historic bantamweight title reign in spectacular fashion. After the defeat, he called for a rematch with ‘Sugar’, but Dana White and company instead booked the champion against Marlon Vera.
Jorge Masvidal opens up on plans for boxing return, potential Nate Diaz rematch
Josh Evanoff - February 22, 2024
Former UFC title challenger Jorge Masvidal wants to show boxing the respect it deserves. ‘Gamebred’ officially came out of retirement earlier this year. Now, that didn’t come as a huge shock, given the fact that Jorge Masvidal has teased a return to fighting for a while now. Last April, the former UFC title challenger retired after a lopsided unanimous decision defeat to Gilbert Burns in Miami.
Sean O'Malley changes tune as he calls for Merab Dvalishvili after Marlon Vera at UFC 299: "I’m knocking that dude out"
Cole Shelton - February 22, 2024
Sean O’Malley has changed his tune and is now interested in fighting Merab Dvalishvili. O’Malley said the plan was to fight Ilia Topuria for the featherweigh title if he gets past Marlon Vera. However, after hearing all the fans call for Dvalishvili get the next title shot, ‘Suga’ says he will grant that as he’s confident he would KO the Georgian.
WATCH | Former UFC champion Sean Strickland chokes out fan on snowy mountain
Josh Evanoff - February 22, 2024
Former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland just can’t help but fight. ‘Tarzan’ is fresh off his first title defense at UFC 297 last month in Toronto. For Sean Strickland, the fight was his first since his stunning upset win over Israel Adesanya in September. For his first title defense, he faced the rising South African, Dricus du Plessis. ‘Stillknocks’ previously earned the championship opportunity with a knockout win over Robert Whittaker.
Michael Chandler responds to critics suggesting he should walk away from Conor McGregor fight: “I have way too many assurances”
Harry Kettle - February 22, 2024
UFC star Michael Chandler has explained why he doesn’t want to walk away from the Conor McGregor fight. For the longest time now, Michael Chandler has been pushing for a fight against Conor McGregor. After their season of coaching The Ultimate Fighter, it seemed like just a matter of time before an official announcement was made. Alas, up to this point, nothing has been confirmed by the promotion.
Matched up! Who has the better lineup, UFC 299 or UFC 300?
Harry Kettle - February 22, 2024
The Ultimate Fighting Championship has two major PPVs coming up – UFC 299 and UFC 300. But which is better? Over the years, the UFC has established itself as the leading promotion in mixed martial arts. We’ve all known that to be the case for a long time, but it’s always nice when they remind us with some blockbuster events. Thankfully for casual and hardcore fans alike, we have two huge pay-per-views coming up in March and April.