MMA News

Cole Shelton - February 15, 2024

In the co-main event of UFC 298, a pivotal middleweight bout between Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa goes down on Saturday in Anaheim. Heading into the fight, Whittaker is a -265 favorite while the Brazilian is a +200 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to make their picks for the fight at UFC 298. The pros are expecting Whittaker to return to the win column in a big way as the fighters think he’s too technical for Costa.

Cole Shelton - February 15, 2024

Paulo Costa has no interest in fighting Khamzat Chimaev after the two were supposed to fight back in October in Abu Dhabi. Costa and Chimaev were supposed to fight at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi but while the Brazilian was there he had a nasty elbow infection which forced him out of the bout. Costa ended up being replaced by Kamaru Usman who Chimaev beat by majority decision in a very competitive fight.

Josh Evanoff - February 15, 2024

PFL founder Donn Davis believes that Francis Ngannou will likely be back in the cage in 2024. ‘The Predator’ has had a good last few years. Following a unanimous decision victory over Ciryl Gane in January 2022, Francis Ngannou became a free agent. As the first reigning UFC champion to leave the company in over two decades, the heavyweight made the decision to sign with Donn Davis and the PFL.

Josh Evanoff - February 15, 2024

Dana White believes that former UFC champion Henry Cejudo should’ve stayed retired. ‘Triple C’ is set to return to the cage this Saturday night at UFC 298 in California. For Henry Cejudo, the bout with Merab Dvalishvili will be the second of his comeback. Last May, the former dual-weight champion ended a three-year retirement to return to the cage against Aljamain Sterling.

Cole Shelton - February 15, 2024

Ian Machado Garry has said he will bring the UFC back to Ireland, but ahead of his fight at UFC 298, he isn’t sure that will happen. The last time the UFC was in Ireland was when Conor McGregor headlined the card against Diego Brandao in 2014. Since then, the promotion hasn’t returned as the arena in Dublin is small and only holds around 10,000 fans which is smaller than what the UFC is used to for attendance.

Cole Shelton - February 15, 2024

Ilia Topuria decided to have the UFC title wrapped around his waist before his title fight in the main event of UFC 298 against Alexander Volkanovski. Topuria has been oozing with confidence in the lead-up to his first crack at the UFC title on Saturday night. The Georgian-Spaniard has already crowned himself as the UFC champion in his Instagram bio, also claiming he’s 15-0, even though he’s only 14-0 heading into Saturday.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - February 15, 2024

Sean O’Malley doesn’t approve of Sean Strickland’s actions during a spar with social media influencer Sneako. Strickland has been known to be unhinged at times. During a recent “spar” with Sneako, Strickland was clearly trying to hurt the social media figure inside the cage before finally walking away from the untrained Sneako. It’s not something you typically see from a former UFC champion, but Strickland certainly isn’t like most.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - February 15, 2024

Brian Ortega has responded to Ilia Topuria’s claim that he won’t give him a title shot if he defeats Alex Volkanovski for the UFC Featherweight Championship. Topuria will be challenging Volkanovski for the 145-pound gold in the main event of UFC 298 this Saturday night. Topuria has been rather brash in the buildup for this title fight. He has already declared himself as the true UFC featherweight champion. He even said he wouldn’t give, Ortega, Max Holloway, or Yair Rodriguez a title opportunity.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - February 15, 2024

Ian Machado Garry has no regrets over wearing a T-shirt with a mugshot of his UFC 298 opponent Geoff Neal. Garry was expected to share the Octagon with Neal at UFC 292 back in August 2023. Neal was removed from the bout and replaced by Neil Magny. Garry defeated Magny via one-sided unanimous decision. Prior to Neal being removed from the UFC 292 card, Garry took photos of himself wearing a T-shirt with an image of Neal’s mugshot front and center.

Harry Kettle - February 15, 2024

UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski has spoken candidly about his motivation heading into his battle with Ilia Topuria. On Saturday night, Alexander Volkanovski will defend his belt in the main event of UFC 298. He’ll do so against Ilia Topuria, in an encounter that has the potential to be one of the best title fights in UFC history.

Harry Kettle - February 15, 2024

UFC star Merab Dvalishvili has issued a big warning to Henry Cejudo ahead of their bantamweight showdown. On Saturday night, UFC 298 will take place at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. In one of the featured bouts of the evening, Merab Dvalishvili and Henry Cejudo will collide in what promises to be an all-action affair.

BJPENN.COM Staff - February 15, 2024

Luke Lessei has found a meaningful reason to prevail over Eddie Abasolo in their upcoming clash this Friday, February 16. Both men face each other in a featherweight Muay Thai bout at ONE Fight Night 19 on Prime Video. The event airs live in U.S. primetime from the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Cole Shelton - February 14, 2024

Brian Ortega has had a long road to return from the injury he sustained in his UFC Long Island main event fight in July of 2022 against Yair Rodriguez. Ortega was taking on Rodriguez in a pivotal matchup for the featherweight division as the winner was expected to get a title shot. In the first round, however, ‘T-City’ dislocated his shoulder and the fight was stopped. Since then, Ortega has dealt with a couple more injuries as he revealed he’s had multiple surgeries during the time off, and not just on his shoulder.

Cole Shelton - February 14, 2024

Israel Adesanya is ready to return to the Octagon according to his head coach Eugene Bareman. Following Adesanya’s decision loss to Sean Strickland to lose his middleweight title he said he would be taking some time off. The former champ had been one of the most active champions in the UFC, so Adesanya said he would be taking time off as he wanted time off to refresh his mind.

Josh Evanoff - February 14, 2024

Boxing legend Mike Tyson is still utterly terrifying well into his late 50s. ‘Iron Mike’ hasn’t been seen in the ring since an exhibition boxing match with Roy Jones Jr. in November 2020. That fight was Mike Tyson’s first in over 15 years, and he looked great. While the two men fought to a draw that night on pay-per-view, the former heavyweight champion looked like he hadn’t missed a step.

Josh Evanoff - February 14, 2024

Reigning featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski is down to fight at UFC 300 in April. ‘The Great’ is currently slated to return to the cage this Saturday night at UFC 298. Back for the first time since a knockout loss to Islam Makhachev in October, Alexander Volkanovski is back at featherweight. This time around, he will look to defend his gold against the rising undefeated phenom, Ilia Topuria.

Josh Evanoff - February 14, 2024

Paige VanZant is back in the fighting world, but it’s not in BKFC. ‘12 Gauge’ has had a strange last few years. Following a loss to Amanda Ribas in July 2020, Paige VanZant decided to part ways with the UFC. Despite offers from Bellator and other companies, she instead opted to sign with the David Feldman-led BKFC organization.

Cole Shelton - February 14, 2024

Former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya has shared his prediction for the UFC 298 co-main event between Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa. Adesanya has fought both men, defeating Whittaker twice, once by decision and once by knockout, while also beating Costa by knockout. Given his familiarity with both fighters, ‘The Last Stylebender’ seems to have a good idea of how the bout will play out on Saturday night in Anaheim, as he expects Whittaker to wrestle the Brazilian.