MMA News

BJPENN.COM Staff - January 18, 2024

ONE 165 on January 28 will play host to the sixth encounter between pound-for-pound featherweight kickboxing greats Marat Grigorian and Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong. Both men will go head-to-head in a catchweight kickboxing clash, one of the confirmed attractions in ONE Championship’s much-awaited return to Japan. This spectacle takes place at Tokyo’s Ariake Arena.

Zain Bando - January 17, 2024

Former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping is familiar with big fights, as he won the title from Luke Rockhold on under two weeks’ notice at UFC 199 in June 2016. Eight years later, Bisping, now a UFC color commentator and analyst for the U.K.-based television network TNT Sports, broke down the UFC 297 middleweight championship main event between Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis on the event’s preview show.

Cole Shelton - January 17, 2024

Dricus Du Plessis has revealed that Sean Strickland sent him a DM after their altercation at UFC 296. Du Plessis and Strickland sat a few rows in front of each other at UFC 296, where some trash-talking led to an eventual physical altercation. Shortly after their cage side skirmish, Strickland revealed on his podcast that he sent a message to Du Plessis, and at UFC 297 media, the South African opened up on what was said in the text.

Zain Bando - January 17, 2024

The famed boxing promoter and former Golden Boy mainstay, Oscar De La Hoya, still hates UFC CEO Dana White’s disdain for fair fighter compensation. De La Hoya, whom MMA Mania recently interviewed, gave his thoughts on how the UFC and White do business, why boxing is thriving in its current environment and the myths White has about the other side of combat sports.

Cole Shelton - January 17, 2024

Sean Strickland doesn’t think Dricus Du Plessis is better than Israel Adesanya but does think he will be a harder fight. Strickland pulled off arguably the biggest upset of 2023 as he beat Adesanya in a lopsided fashion to become the new middleweight champion. It was a stunning performance, and heading into his first title defense at UFC 297 against Du Plessis, Strickland thinks this fight could be more challenging, despite him thinking Adesanyais a better fighter.

Cole Shelton - January 17, 2024

Sean Strickland has blasted Ian Machado Garry after the Irishman said he wanted to fight him. In the lead-up to UFC 296, Strickland trash-talked Garry and his wife, which the Irishman wasn’t happy about. After Garry was forced out of his fight, the middleweight champ continued to trash-talk him, which resulted in the Irishman calling out Strickland.

Josh Evanoff - January 17, 2024

HBO has announced plans to release a documentary about UFC women’s strawweight contender Tatiana Suarez. The 33-year-old wrestler has had a rough few years, to put it mildly. Following a 2019 win over Carla Esparza, Tatiana Suarez was forced to undergo a lengthy hiatus. Over the next four years, she missed out on fight after fight, opportunity after opportunity, due to a multitude of injuries. Most of them are neck-related.

Josh Evanoff - January 17, 2024

If Dricus du Plessis wins the middleweight title on Saturday, he’s down to face Israel Adesanya at UFC 300 in April. ‘Stillknocks’ is currently set to face Sean Strickland in the main event of UFC 297 this Saturday night. In the first title shot of his career, the South African will face the newly crowned champion, Sean Strickland. ‘Tarzan’ famously captured the title last September, with a unanimous decision win over Israel Adesanya.

Josh Evanoff - January 17, 2024

Julianna Pena believes that Raquel Pennington and Mayra Bueno Silva are fighting for the chance to face her at UFC 297. ‘The Venezuelan Vixen’ has been out of action since her rematch with Amanda Nunes in July 2022. That night saw Julianna Pena absolutely battered, and lose her UFC bantamweight gold. The following year, ‘The Lioness’ retired following a win over Irene Aldana. In the process, leaving the women’s bantamweight division without a champion.

Cole Shelton - January 17, 2024

Dricus Du Plessis has responded to Sean Strickland’s threat. Du Plessis and Strickland are set to headline UFC 297 on Saturday in Toronto for the middleweight title. It’s an intriguing matchup, and ahead of the fight, Strickland said he would stab Du Plessis if he brought any of his childhood trauma that he talked about on Theo Von’s podcast.

Susan Cox - January 17, 2024

Check out the current lineup for April’s historic UFC 300 event as well as some rumored fights for the blockbuster event. The current UFC 300 Fight Card reads as follows:

Susan Cox - January 17, 2024

Israel Adesanya has taken aim at Sean Strickland for getting ‘triggered’ over the trash talk from Dricus Du Plessis. UFC 297 is taking place on Saturday, January 20th at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

BJPENN.COM Staff - January 17, 2024

Stamp Fairtex will make the first defense of her ONE Women’s Atomweight MMA World Title against Denice Zamboanga. The bout will be one of the co-feature attractions at ONE 166: Qatar. This will air live from the Lusail Sports Arena on March 1.

Cole Shelton - January 17, 2024

In the main event of UFC 297 in Toronto on Saturday, the middleweight title is up for grabs as Sean Strickland looks to defend his belt for the first time against Dricus Du Plessis. Heading into the fight, Strickland is a small -138 favorite while the South African is a +108 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to make their picks for the title fight at UFC 297. The pros believe Strickland will get it done, as they think the American can edge out a decision win, as his pressure will be too much for Du Plessis to deal with.

Harry Kettle - January 17, 2024

UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley has expressed his surprise at Cody Garbrandt calling for a fight with Deiveson Figueiredo. For the longest time now, Cody Garbrandt has been facing an uphill battle. While he’s a former champion at 135 pounds, he’s had to deal with a lot of setbacks in the form of big defeats in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. However, after a return to knockout form last year, ‘No Love’ made it crystal clear that he believes he has another title run in him in the near future.

Harry Kettle - January 17, 2024

As per The Orange County Register, Mackenzie Dern will replace the injured Tatiana Suarez in a showdown with Amanda Lemos at UFC 298. Many fans were excited to see the return of Tatiana Suarez next month with the belief being that it’s just a matter of time before she becomes a number one contender. Alas, that isn’t going to happen, with an injury ensuring that her contest with Amanda Lemos will not go ahead – for now.

Harry Kettle - January 17, 2024

UFC fighters Paddy Pimblett and Molly McCann are set to star in their own TV show, the BBC has announced. Over the course of the last few years, Paddy Pimblett and Molly McCann have become two of the most recognizable faces in English mixed martial arts. The two Liverpudlians have been riding a huge wave of momentum, to the point where they’ve become ever-present members of the UFC roster.

BJPENN.COM Staff - January 17, 2024

Tye Ruotolo will put his ONE Welterweight Submission Grappling World Title on the line for the first time in what promises to be a gripping showdown against Izaak Michell. This matchup is scheduled to be one of the main attractions at ONE 166: Qatar. The event emanates live from Lusail Sports Arena on March 1.