MMA News
Manny Pacquiao officially "out of retirement", targets Conor McGregor fight: "Two of the biggest names together"
Josh Evanoff - February 2, 2024
Boxing legend Manny Pacquaio is out of retirement, and he wants to face Conor McGregor. ‘PacMan’ retired from professional boxing following a 2021 unanimous decision loss to Yordenis Ugas. However, almost as soon as Manny Pacquiao retired from boxing, he began to tease a comeback. Many figured that the boxer retired from fighting, mainly to focus on his run for President of the Philippines.
Dricus du Plessis is determined to get UFC South Africa: "If I have to wait it out a couple of months, I'm willing to do that"
Josh Evanoff - February 2, 2024
Middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis badly wants to get the UFC to his home country. ‘Stillknocks’ is fresh off his return to the cage last month at UFC 297 in Canada. There, Dricus du Plessis fought in his first title fight, against middleweight champion Sean Strickland. For ‘Tarzan’, the title defense was his first since capturing the championship with an upset win over Israel Adesanya last September.
Joe Rogan renews contract with Spotify to stream podcast, deal reportedly worth $250 million
Josh Evanoff - February 2, 2024
It’s a good time to be UFC commentator Joe Rogan. The longtime color commentator is one of the most famous MMA personalities and has been for years. Thanks to the success of his ‘Joe Rogan Experience’ podcast, his popularity has only grown. Starting in 2009, the comedian and UFC analyst began interviewing everyone from politicians to fighters. Over the following decade, the show exploded in popularity.
Urijah Faber gives his side of the story as to why Sage Northcutt didn't fight at ONE 165: "There’s a lot of miscommunication"
Cole Shelton - February 2, 2024
Urijah Faber has opened up on why Sage Northcutt didn’t fight at ONE 165 last weekend. Northcutt was booked to face MMA legend Shinya Aoki on the card in a highly-anticipated matchup. However, the night before the fight, two of Northcutt’s cornermen couldn’t get visas and weren’t allowed to be in his corner, so he opted not to fight without his core team being with him.
Bellator champion Johnny Eblen claims the UFC announced ‘Poirier vs. Saint-Denis’ without “even a verbal agreement” in place
Susan Cox - February 2, 2024
Bellator champion Johnny Eblen is claiming the UFC announced the ‘Poirier vs. Saint-Denis’ without ‘even a verbal agreement’ in place. It was UFC CEO Dana White who, on January 10th, made the announcement of Poirier (29-8 MMA) vs. Saint-Denis (13-1 MMA) in the co-main lightweight event at UFC 299 which takes place on March 9th at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida.
UFC Vegas 85: ‘Dolidze vs. Imavov’ Weigh-in Results - 1 Fighter Misses Weight
Susan Cox - February 2, 2024
UFC Vegas 85 takes place tomorrow, Saturday, February 3rd at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The UFC weigh-ins took place today at the UFC Apex.
Daniel Cormier names his favorite fight on the current UFC 300 lineup
Susan Cox - February 2, 2024
Daniel Cormier is naming his favorite fight on the current UFC 300 lineup. The former UFC dual champion is sharing his own favorite fight coming into the historic UFC 300 which takes place on Saturday, April 13th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“Wondergirl” faces Dayane Cardoso in mixed rules contest at ONE Fight Night 19
BJPENN.COM Staff - February 2, 2024
Nat “Wondergirl” Jaroonsak makes her return to the ring in a hybrid-style matchup on February 16. This time, she faces Dayane Cardoso in a women’s strawweight mixed rules contest 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.
Geoff Neal says Colby Covington should be removed from the UFC rankings if he turns down Shavkat Rakhmonov: “He's like bottlenecking the top of the division”
Harry Kettle - February 2, 2024
Geoff Neal has given his thoughts on Colby Covington’s future if he chooses not to fight Shavkat Rakhmonov. In the final PPV event of 2023, Colby Covington came up short. He failed in his attempt to capture the UFC welterweight championship from Leon Edwards, dropping a convincing decision loss.
Leon Edwards says Conor McGregor has given more than he’s taken in MMA: “He’s great for the sport”
Harry Kettle - February 2, 2024
UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards has given his thoughts on Conor McGregor’s legacy in mixed martial arts. Over the course of the last decade or so, Conor McGregor has firmly established himself as the biggest star in the history of MMA. He has won championships, and he has sold millions of pay-per-views; he has become quite the entrepreneur outside of the cage.
Anthony Smith questions Paulo Costa’s status as heavy-hitting knockout artist: “He hasn’t knocked out anybody in a while”
Harry Kettle - February 2, 2024
Anthony Smith has questioned Paulo Costa’s status as a knockout artist given his record in recent years. At UFC 298, Paulo Costa will finally make his return to the Octagon. He’ll do so when he collides with Robert Whittaker, with many believing a big win could get him right back into title contention. Of course, with just one win in the last three and a half years, there’s a lot of work to be done.
Muay Thai Legend Mehdi Zatout steps out of retirement for explosive boxing match at ONE 166: Qatar
BJPENN.COM Staff - February 2, 2024
Mehdi Zatout has decided to make a comeback for ONE Championship’s historic debut in Qatar on March 1. The Algerian kickboxer takes on Arab pugilist Zuhayr Al-Qahtani in a 147-pound boxing bout at ONE 166: Qatar. The event broadcasts live on pay-per-view from the Lusail Sports Arena.
Dominick Reyes reveals he's "lucky to be alive" after dealing with blood clots
Cole Shelton - February 1, 2024
Dominick Reyes says he’s lucky to be alive. Reyes was scheduled to face Carlos Ulberg at UFC 297 in Toronto on Jan. 20, but the fight was scratched after Ulberg suffered an injury. The two were then rebooked to fight on March 30 at UFC Atlantic City, but Reyes was forced to withdraw, due to an undisclosed reason.
Jon Anik walks back on comments about leaving the UFC after fan controversy: "This is my life's work"
Josh Evanoff - February 1, 2024
Don’t expect to see UFC commentator Jon Anik going anywhere, anytime soon. The UFC 297 main event featuring Sean Strickland and Dricus du Plessis was as controversial as it gets. While the fight itself was very close, many fans were angry at ‘Stillknocks’ getting the judges’ nod. Many on social media slammed those who agreed with the decision, including Jon Anik.
Daniel Cormier explains why he would "love" to see Tom Aspinall defend interim heavyweight title
Josh Evanoff - February 1, 2024
UFC commentator Daniel Cormier wants to see Tom Aspinall defend his interim heavyweight gold. The British heavyweight has famously been out of the cage since an interim heavyweight title bout last November. Following Jon Jones’s withdrawal against Stipe Miocic, the promotion scrambled to book Tom Aspinall against Sergei Pavlovich. They put an interim title on the line, as ‘Bones’ was expected to be out of action for quite a while.
Sean O'Malley offers Cory Sandhagen advice on UFC fame: "Face tat might help"
Josh Evanoff - February 1, 2024
UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley has some advice for Cory Sandhagen. Earlier this week, ‘The Sandman’ appeared on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani. In the interview, Cory Sandhagen maligned some of the treatment that his peers receive. The bantamweight contender stated that the likes of Umar Nurmagomedov have “famous guy leverage”. In the interview, he also took somewhat of a shot at Sean O’Malley.
Dustin Poirier says UFC 299 fight against Benoit Saint-Denis is back on after a "misunderstanding"
Cole Shelton - February 1, 2024
Dustin Poirier and Benoit Saint-Denis will be fighting at UFC 299 after all. Back in January, UFC CEO Dana White announced that Poirier will face Saint-Denis in the co-main event of UFC 299, which will also be a five-round fight. It’s a highly-anticipated scrap and a massive fight for the lightweight division, but on Thursday morning, ‘The Diamond’ took to social media to claim the fight was off.
Israel Adesanya teases potential return at UFC 300: "The gods must be crazy"
Cole Shelton - February 1, 2024
Former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya is teasing a return at UFC 300. Adesanya is coming off a decision loss to Sean Strickland in September to lose his middleweight title and after the fight, he said he would be taking some much-needed time off. ‘The Last Stylebender’ originally joked he would be off until 2027, but clarified he’s focusing on quality fights and not quantity in the back-end of his career.