MMA News
Tyron Woodley says the UFC pressed former fighters Sage Northcutt and Paige VanZant too quickly: “I was his training partner, I’m telling you, he wasn’t ready”
Cole Shelton - June 17, 2022
Tyron Woodley believes the UFC pushes fighters too quickly and Sage Northcutt and Paige VanZant are the perfect examples. The UFC often signs young, up-and-coming prospects but the problem with them fighting in the UFC so young is the fact they are fighting the best in the world, which is a problem according to Woodley. Along with that, the promotion has to carefully matchmake them which they didn’t do to both Northcutt and VanZant as both struggled and ultimately left the UFC.
Jiri Prochazka reveals the “main mistake” he made in UFC 275 title fight with Glover Teixeira
Cole Shelton - June 17, 2022
Jiri Prochazka believes he made a key mistake against Glover Teixeira in their UFC 275 title fight. Prochazka and Teixeira had a back-and-forth war as both men had moments in the fight and they both nearly finished the fight. Late in the fifth round, Prochazka was able to get ahold of Teixeira’s back and eventually got the submission win with 28 seconds left to become the new champ.
Cory Sandhagen vs. Song Yadong targeted to headline UFC Fight Night card in September
Cole Shelton - June 16, 2022
Cory Sandhagen will finally be making his return to the Octagon. According to MMA reporter Marcel Dorff, the UFC is working on making Sandhagen vs. Song Yadong to headline a Fight Night card on September 17. The fight is not a done deal, per the report but this is the fight the promotion wants to make. The location of the event is still to be determined.
Floyd Mayweather not worried ahead of return to RIZIN against Mikuru Asakura: "I'm special"
Josh Evanoff - June 16, 2022
Undefeated professional boxer Floyd Mayweather isn’t stressing ahead of his return against Mikuru Asakura. ‘Money’ retired from the sport of boxing following a 2017 knockout of Conor McGregor. Sitting at 50-0 in his professional career, Mayweather has cemented his place as one of the greatest to ever put on the gloves. However, while he’s retired from pro contests, he’s not retired from exhibitions.
Jeremy Stephens forced to shave his head and beard to make weight for PFL fight (Photo)
Cole Shelton - June 16, 2022
Jeremy Stephens appeared to have a tough weight cut ahead of his PFL 4 fight against Myles Price on Friday. Throughout fight week in Atlanta, Stephens was full of energy – especially now that he is at lightweight – but when he came into weigh-in he surprised many as he was completely bald. The fan-favorite was forced to shave his hair and beard to make weight as he weighed in at 156lbs on the dot.
Irene Aldana eyeing title fight against the winner of Julianna Pena vs. Amanda Nunes 2: "I'm ready"
Josh Evanoff - June 16, 2022
UFC women’s bantamweight contender Irene Aldana believes it’s her turn to get a title shot. Later this year, Julianna Pena and Amanda Nunes are set to meet in a rematch for the women’s bantamweight title. Their first outing at UFC 269 last December, saw ‘The Lioness’ submitted in the second round. The bout was one of the biggest upsets in MMA history.
Donald Cerrone hits back at Anthony Smith accusing him of kicking his family out of seats: "It's strange to me"
Josh Evanoff - June 16, 2022
UFC lightweight Donald Cerrone is confused by Anthony Smith’s recent accusation against him. Last month, ‘Lionheart’ revealed on the Believe You Me podcast a run-in his family had with ‘Cowboy’ at UFC 235. While Smith was fighting in the main event against Jon Jones, his family was reportedly dealing with other issues.
Aljamain Sterling details why he hasn't signed a contract to fight TJ Dillashaw, hopes for a "pay bump": "There’s no fight until there’s ink on paper"
Cole Shelton - June 16, 2022
Aljamain Sterling says his title defense against TJ Dillashaw is not a done deal. On late Wednesday night, it was reported that Sterling was set to fight Dillashaw at UFC 279 on September 10 at a location TBD. However, on Thursday he took to his YouTube channel to reveal he hasn’t signed his contract and is holding out for more money.
Sean Strickland shares his thoughts on current UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya: “The guy probably jerks off to cartoons”
Susan Cox - June 16, 2022
Sean Strickland is sharing his thoughts on the current UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. Stickland, no stranger to controversial comments, and stirring the pot as it were, has now taken aim at Israel Adesanya.
Zabit Magomedsharipov explains his decision to retire from mixed martial arts
Susan Cox - June 16, 2022
Zabit Magomedsharipov has explained his decision to retire from mixed martial arts. ‘ZaBeast’ as he is fondly known, has made the decision and informed the UFC that he is officially retired. There was speculation prior to the announcement that Zabit was finished with fighting for a variety of different reasons.
Henry Cejudo responds after Aljamain Sterling claims he could step to the plate and take TJ Dillashaw’s title shot: “You must be higher than gas prices”
Susan Cox - June 16, 2022
Henry Cejudo is responding after Aljamain Sterling claims he could step up to the plate and take T.J. Dillashaw’s UFC title shot. It was announced just yesterday that Aljamain Sterling will get into the Octagon with T.J. Dillashaw at UFC 279 on September 10th, 2022 in the bantamweight championship match. The venue and location is yet to be announced.
Pro fighters make their picks for Calvin Kattar vs. Josh Emmett
Cole Shelton - June 16, 2022
In the main event of UFC Austin, top-10 featherweights are set to headline the card as Calvin Kattar takes on Josh Emmett. Heading into the fight, Kattar is a massive -260 favorite on FanDuel while Emmett is a +196 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The pros expect this one to be a very fun and entertaining fight but the majority believe Kattar will get his hand raised as he is the better striker.
Katlyn Chookagian forced out of UFC Paris, Jessica Andrade steps in to face Manon Fiorot
Harry Kettle - June 16, 2022
Jessica Andrade will step in to face Manon Fiorot at UFC Paris later this year after Katlyn Chookagian was forced out of the fight. Within the context of women’s mixed martial arts, there are few fighters as fearsome as Jessica Andrade. The former strawweight queen continues to impress whenever she gets into the Octagon and with a two-fight win streak to her name, it’s no surprise that she’s making headlines once again – even after all these years of competing at the elite level.
Tony Kelley apologizes for ‘dirty Brazilians’ comment after bounty surfaces on social media: “Sorry if you got your feelings hurt”
Harry Kettle - June 16, 2022
Tony Kelley has clarified the comments he made about Brazilians ahead of his return to the Octagon this weekend. This Saturday night at UFC Austin, Tony Kelley will be part of the featured prelim as he prepares to go head to head with Adrian Yanez. The bout serves as an important crossroads moment for both men in their respective MMA careers, but in many ways, that isn’t the real story of the fight.
TJ Dillashaw vs. Aljamain Sterling slated for UFC 279
Harry Kettle - June 16, 2022
Aljamain Sterling is reportedly set to defend the UFC bantamweight title against TJ Dillashaw at UFC 279 on September 10. Ever since his upset win over Petr Yan at UFC 273, many fans have wondered what Aljamain Sterling would do next as UFC bantamweight champion. A handful of potential challengers have presented themselves to ‘Funk Master’ and while many of them are worthy of being in that position, it does feel as if one stands out above the rest – TJ Dillashaw.
Khamzat Chimaev says Nate Diaz is "scared" to fight him: "He won’t be the same Diaz anymore"
Cole Shelton - June 15, 2022
Khamzat Chimaev doesn’t think Nate Diaz will fight him. For months now, it has been made clear that the UFC is trying to book Chimaev vs. Diaz in what would be a massive fight as both men are big stars. However, it hasn’t come to fruition and according to the Swede it has never actually been close to happening. Chimaev says that is because Diaz is scared of him and if they do fight, he vows to smash him.
Charles Oliveira opines that Arizona State Athletic commission wanted Justin Gaethje to win at UFC 274: "They robbed me"
Josh Evanoff - June 15, 2022
Former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira believes he was fighting against more than just Justin Gaethje at UFC 274. ‘Do Bronx’ was in action last month against ‘The Highlight’. However, before the two men got in the cage, they had to make weight. While Gaethje made weight comfortably, the UFC lightweight champion didn’t.
Adrian Yanez wants to "starch" and "hurt" Tony Kelley at UFC Austin after his "bigotry" comments: "It makes it a lot easier for me to punch him in the face"
Cole Shelton - June 15, 2022
Adrian Yanez knows there will be a ton of people rooting for him on Saturday at UFC Austin. Yanez is set to face Tony Kelley, who previously made some bigotry comments while in the corner of Andrea Lee, which ultimately had provided Adrian with a lot of support. Although that adds intrigue to the fight, for Yanez the most exciting aspect is the fact he’s fighting back home in Texas.