MMA News
Mario Bautista confident he can "put out" Ricky Simon at UFC Vegas 84 to send a "statement" to the bantamweight division
Cole Shelton - January 11, 2024
Mario Bautista is excited to finally get his chance to fight a ranked opponent. Bautista is coming off a decision win over Da’Mon Blackshear in August, in a fight where he was originally supposed to take on Cody Garbrandt, but the former bantamweight champion was forced out of the bout due to an injury. After the win over Blackshear, Bautista wanted a ranked opponent next, and he got his wish as he will take on Ricky Simon at UFC Vegas 84.
Fabricio Andrade predicts Kwon Won Il vs. Shinechagtga Zoltsetseg at ONE Fight Night 18
BJPENN.COM Staff - January 11, 2024
As the excitement builds for ONE Fight Night 18 on Prime Video, Fabricio Andrade will be keeping a close eye on a pivotal bantamweight MMA bout slated for this Friday, January 12. On the card, #3-ranked Kwon Won Il squares off against the hard-hitting Shinechagtga Zoltsetseg. This three-round encounter could determine the next contender for Andrade’s ONE Bantamweight MMA World Title.
Michael Bisping warns Jon Jones of the “forever narrative” that will exist if he doesn’t fight Tom Aspinall
Harry Kettle - January 11, 2024
UFC commentator Michael Bisping has given his thoughts on the ongoing situation involving Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall. We all know that Tom Aspinall wants to fight Jon Jones for the undisputed UFC heavyweight championship. Given his position as interim champion, that bout would make a lot of sense.
Coach explains why Charles Oliveira is “very happy” with the Arman Tsarukyan fight despite previous title talks
Harry Kettle - January 11, 2024
Charles Oliveira’s coach Diego Lima has given his thoughts on their upcoming bout against Arman Tsarukyan. At UFC 300, Charles Oliveira will make his long-awaited return to the Octagon. He’ll do so by squaring off against Arman Tsarukyan, one of the most exciting prospects in all of mixed martial arts. The two will meet in a number one contender fight, with the winner going on to face Islam Makhachev for the UFC lightweight championship.
Chris Weidman admits upcoming fight with Bruno Silva at UFC Atlantic City could be his last: “It might be”
Harry Kettle - January 11, 2024
UFC veteran Chris Weidman has admitted that his upcoming fight against Bruno Silva could well be his last. At the age of 39, Chris Weidman has done it all in mixed martial arts, with his headline-making moment being his dramatic title win over Anderson Silva all those years ago. Now, in the present day, the landscape looks a bit different.
Shamil Gasanov expresses admiration for opponent Oh Ho Taek ahead of ONE Fight Night 18
BJPENN.COM Staff - January 11, 2024
Shamil Gasanov is fully aware that his upcoming bout against Oh Ho Taek will be no walk in the park. Both men are set to go head-to-head in the marquee featherweight MMA matchup at ONE Fight Night 18 on Prime Video. The event broadcasts live in U.S. primetime from the fabled Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, this Friday, January 12.
Dana White announces strawweight title fight for UFC 300
Cole Shelton - January 10, 2024
UFC CEO Dana White has announced the first title fight for UFC 300. White teased some fight announcements for UFC 300 on Tuesday but ended up pushing it back until Wednesday. Taking to his Instagram, White announced that Zhang Weili will defend her strawweight title against Yan Xiaonan at UFC 300, which goes down on April 13 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The UFC CEO also revealed that he will announce two more fights for UFC 300 on Thursday.
Jim Miller believes he could "kimura" Brock Lesnar after Anthony Smith says that hypothetical fight is 50-50
Cole Shelton - January 10, 2024
Jim Miller is confident he would beat Brock Lesnar in a potential fight. On Wednesday on the Believe You Me podcast, Anthony Smith and Michael Bisping were talking about Jim Miller and potential UFC 300 opponents. Out of the blue, Lesnar’s name got brought up and Smith claimed that the fight would be 50/50 despite the massive size difference. Smith argued that Miller could catch Lesnar with a submission, but avoiding the power shots on the feet would be questionable.
Israel Adesanya avoids conviction for drunk driving charge, but receives fine among other penalties
Cole Shelton - January 10, 2024
Israel Adesanya avoided conviction for his drunk driving charge in New Zealand. Adesanya was charged on August 19 for drunk driving as he was operating a car with 87 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood, which is over the legal limit of 50 milligrams. The maximum penalty for the drunk driving charge is a term of imprisonment of three months or a fine of $4500. The incident happened just weeks before his title defense against Sean Strickland which he lost by decision.
Former strawweight champion Rose Namajunas added to UFC Vegas 88 in March
Josh Evanoff - January 10, 2024
Former UFC women’s strawweight champion Rose Namajunas will face Amanda Ribas in March. ‘Thug Rose’ has been out of the cage since a move to flyweight in September. For her first bout up at 125 pounds, Rose Namajunas faced the rising Manon Fiorot. The former champion hoped to hand the contender her first loss on home soil, at UFC Paris. Instead, she suffered yet another setback.
Anthony Smith explains why Brock Lesnar vs. Jim Miller is a 50/50 fight
Josh Evanoff - January 10, 2024
UFC light-heavyweight contender Anthony Smith doesn’t sound so hot on a Brock Lesnar return. Over the last few months, there have been murmurs of a return to the octagon for the WWE superstar. Brock Lesnar hasn’t competed since a decision win over Mark Hunt in July 2016. However, that hasn’t stopped fans from speculating that he could return in April, at the historic milestone event, UFC 300.
Mark Hunt interested in bare-knuckle boxing after brief retirement: "God has put me to be a fighter"
Josh Evanoff - January 10, 2024
Former UFC heavyweight title challenger Mark Hunt will be returning to combat sports. ‘The Super Samoan’ has had an odd last few years. Following a 2018 loss to Justin Willis, Mark Hunt parted ways with the UFC. The defeat was his third in a row, and his exit from the Dana White-led promotion was far from shocking. That partially has to deal with his lengthy lawsuit against them.
Michael Bisping confident Alex Pereira will be defending his light heavyweight title at UFC 300: “You know who it’s gonna be”
Susan Cox - January 10, 2024
Michael Bisping is confident Alex Pereira will be defending his light heavyweight title at UFC 300. Bisping, a former UFC middleweight champion, is making a big prediction for UFC 300.
Dana White books Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone in $100k challenge against his bull Twisted Steel
Susan Cox - January 10, 2024
Dana White has booked UFC legend Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone in a $100K challenge against his bull ‘Twisted Steel’. The UFC CEO Dana White has a passion that perhaps is not all that well known.
Ariel Helwani goes to bat for Tom Aspinall after recent criticism from UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones
Susan Cox - January 10, 2024
Ariel Helwani is going to bat for Tom Aspinall after the Brit received recent criticism from UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones. It was Tom Aspinall (14-3 MMA) who recently fought and defeated Sergei Pavlovich (18-2 MMA) by KO this past November at UFC 295 for the interim heavyweight title.
Daniel Cormier explains why he’s not interested in seeing Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal 2: “I don’t anticipate it going well for my boy”
Susan Cox - January 10, 2024
Daniel Cormier is explaining why he’s not interested in seeing Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal 2. Masvidal, who retired from the UFC in April of last year, recently announced that he was ‘unretired’ and fight fans wanted to know what the 39-year-old would do next.
Aljamain Sterling shuts down talk of having future UFC fights at bantamweight: “There’s no more 135”
Harry Kettle - January 10, 2024
Former UFC champion Aljamain Sterling has confirmed that he will never return to the bantamweight division. Over the course of the last few years, Aljamain Sterling has cemented his legacy at 135 pounds. He became a household name and held the championship high, successfully defending it on three occasions. Unfortunately, his run came to an end last summer when he was beaten via TKO by Sean O’Malley.
Jorge Masvidal opens as large favorite for rumored Nate Diaz rematch in boxing
Harry Kettle - January 10, 2024
Jorge Masvidal has opened as a large favorite over rival Nate Diaz ahead of a potential rematch in boxing. Back in late 2019 at UFC 244, Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz headlined Madison Square Garden for the UFC’s annual NYC show. They fought for the inaugural BMF championship, in what proved to be a strange matchup as Masvidal got the victory via doctor stoppage. It felt as if there was another chapter still to be written in this story, with the majority of fans wanting to see a rematch down the line.