MMA News
WATCH | Ilia Topuria snatches Alexander Volkanovski belt during UFC 298 press conference
Cole Shelton - February 15, 2024
Ilia Topuria has continued the trend of touching and wearing the UFC title before he has won it. Topuria did his UFC 298 photo shoot with the belt on and now during the press conference, he snatched the belt from Volkanovski and put it in the air like he won it. That got a reaction from Volkanovski who told him to touch it all he wanted as it would be going back to Australia after Saturday night in Anaheim.
UFC 298 | Pro fighters make their picks for Robert Whittaker vs. Paulo Costa
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.
Paulo Costa explains why he has no interest in rebooking Khamzat Chimaev fight: "F**k him"
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.
PFL's Donn Davis offers update on Francis Ngannou's MMA future: "Bo Jackson of combat sports"
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.
Ian Machado Garry vows to "thump the f*cking mouth" off of Sean Strickland because of wife comments: "That's the truth"
Josh Evanoff - February 15, 2024
UFC welterweight contender Ian Machado Garry will fight former champion Sean Strickland one day. ‘The Future’ is currently slated to return to the octagon this Saturday night at UFC 298. The Irishman has been out of action since a dominant decision victory over Neil Magny in August. That win was the biggest of Ian Machado Garry’s to date and saw him move to 14-0.
Ian Machado Garry believes he's become "too much of a star" to headline a potential UFC Dublin card
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.
WATCH | Ilia Topuria poses with UFC belt as Alexander Volkanovski crashes photo shoot ahead of UFC 298
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.
Sean O’Malley doesn't approve of Sean Strickland's "spar" with Sneako: "I thought it was f*cked up"
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.
Max Holloway doesn't care where his bout with Justin Gaethje ends up on UFC 300 card: "A fight is a fight"
Fernando Quiles Jr. - February 15, 2024
Max Holloway is not concerned with where his UFC 300 fight with Justin Gaethje ends up on the card. Holloway is set to challenge Gaethje for the BMF Championship on April 13. While Holloway was outgunned by Dustin Poirier in a bid for interim UFC lightweight gold back in 2019, he feels things will be different against “The Highlight” during the UFC’s most important event in 2024. With that said, UFC 300 figures to be a stacked card.
Ian Machado Garry remains unapologetic over Geoff Neal mugshot shirt: "That T-Shirt Was A F*cking Laugh"
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.
Alexander Volkanovski explains his motivation ahead of Ilia Topuria clash at UFC 298
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.
Merab Dvalishvili sends a big warning to Henry Cejudo ahead of UFC 298
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.
Geoff Neal wants a "slobber knocker" of a fight against Ian Machado Garry at UFC 298
Cole Shelton - February 14, 2024
Geoff Neal is looking to cause chaos at UFC 298 and make his fight against Ian Machado Garry a wild one. Neal is set to face Garry in a rescheduled bout after the two were supposed to fight back in August. Neal was forced to pull out of their initial booking with an injury, and according to ‘Handz of Steel’ the Irishman wasn’t originally keen on rebooking the fight.
Brian Ortega admits he wondered if fighting was "still worth it" after he underwent "multiple" surgeries during time off
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.
Eugene Bareman says Israel Adesanya is "finished his little hiatus" as return nears
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.
VIDEO | 57-year-old Mike Tyson demolishes the pads in stunning training session
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.
Antonio 'Bigfoot' Silva officially ends retirement, books March fight against UFC vet Juan Espino
Josh Evanoff - February 14, 2024
Antonio ‘Bigfoot’ Silva will return to fight fellow UFC veteran Juan Espino next month. The Brazilian has had an utterly brutal last few years. Antonio Silva was famously released from the UFC after dropping four of his last five fights, losing to the likes of Frank Mir and Mark Hunt. Since his release in 2016, the heavyweight has lost five straight fights inside the cage.
Paige VanZant announces boxing match expected for this summer: "F*ck it, let's go"
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.