MMA News
Belal Muhammad vows to not let anyone, even Conor McGregor, skip the line as champion: "Here to make a legacy"
Josh Evanoff - January 5, 2024
UFC welterweight contender Belal Muhammad doesn’t care if it’s Conor McGregor or anyone else, he wants to be a defending champion. ‘Remember The Name’ has been out of action since a title eliminator with Gilbert Burns in May. That night saw Belal Muhammad dominate the Brazilian, en route to a unanimous decision victory. The win moved him to a 10-fight undefeated streak and became a prime candidate to face welterweight champion, Leon Edwards.
Stipe Miocic responds to Tom Aspinall over recent Jon Jones comments: "Let's talk to unify the belts"
Josh Evanoff - January 5, 2024
Former UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic is down to face Tom Aspinall after Jon Jones. The British heavyweight famously won interim gold in November, with a knockout win over Sergei Pavlovich. While Tom Aspinall was first quiet about Jon Jones and his future, he’s been heavily targeting ‘Bones’ over the last few weeks. Famously, the undisputed heavyweight champion was slated to face Stipe Miocic at UFC 295 last year.
Michael Chandler vows to retire Conor McGregor in June: "It's been a great career"
Josh Evanoff - January 5, 2024
UFC lightweight contender Michael Chandler believes he will be the final opponent of Conor McGregor’s career. The long-awaited bout between ‘Iron’ and ‘The Notorious’ received something of a fight date earlier this month. Taking to social media, Conor McGregor announced plans to face Michael Chandler on June 29th, at International Fight Week. As of now, the fight is yet to be confirmed by the promotion, or Dana White, however.
Francis Ngannou releases first statement after booking Anthony Joshua boxing match
Josh Evanoff - January 5, 2024
PFL heavyweight contender Francis Ngannou is ready for his upcoming boxing match with Anthony Joshua. ‘AJ’ has been looking for an opponent after his long-awaited boxing match with Deontay Wilder was blown up last month. Both men competed in the high-profile DAZN event titled ‘Day of Reckoning’. In the main event, Anthony Joshua scored a knockout win over Otto Wallin, while Wilder suffered a loss to Joseph Parker in the co-main.
Dricus Du Plessis reacts to Sean Strickland’s emotional interview with Theo Von: “I’m glad he cried and he got it out”
Susan Cox - January 5, 2024
Dricus Du Plessis is reacting to Sean Strickland’s emotional interview with Theo Von on the ‘This Past Weekend’ podcast. It was during the interview that ‘Tarzan’ opened up about his own childhood trauma growing up with an abusive father.
Sean O’Malley challenges Ilia Topuria to bet on their upcoming PPV numbers: “100k cash whoever’s PPV is bigger”
Susan Cox - January 5, 2024
Sean O’Malley is challenging Ilia Topuria to bet on their upcoming PPV numbers. The current UFC bantamweight champion, O’Malley (17-1 MMA) is preparing to defend his title in a rematch against Marlon Vera (23-8 MMA) at UFC 299 which takes place on Saturday, March 9th at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida.
Sean Strickland reacts after former US President Bill Clinton is named in new Jeffrey Epstein documents: “Bring back the rope”
Susan Cox - January 5, 2024
Sean Strickland is reacting after former US President Bill Clinton is named in the new Jeffrey Epstein documents. Epstein, a millionaire known for his associations with celebrities, politicians, billionaires and academic stars, became the subject of a police investigation in Palm Beach, Florida back in 2005. Epstein was accused of paying a 14-year-old girl for sex.
Tang Kai to run it back with Thanh Le in world title unification bout at ONE 166: Qatar
BJPENN.COM Staff - January 5, 2024
ONE Championship’s first on-ground event in Qatar will play host to the much-awaited rematch between Tang Kai and Thanh Le. This ONE Featherweight MMA World Title unification bout will be one of the marquee attractions at ONE 166: Qatar. The event takes place at the Lusail Sports Arena on March 1.
Chael Sonnen shuts down talks of Jorge Masvidal fighting Leon Edwards at UFC 300, names the only opponent ‘Gamebred’ will take
Harry Kettle - January 5, 2024
MMA analyst Chael Sonnen has given his thoughts on who Jorge Masvidal could face at UFC 300. Earlier this week, Jorge Masvidal took to social media and appeared to announce that he was coming out of retirement. While there’s been no confirmation as to what exactly that means, many are speculating that he could be doing so in order to compete at UFC 300. It would make sense, given that he’s a blockbuster name in mixed martial arts, and the promotion clearly wants to make UFC 300 as stacked as possible.
Mayra Bueno Silva shares honest take on upcoming UFC 297 title bout with Raquel Pennington: “Nobody wants to watch this fight”
Harry Kettle - January 5, 2024
Mayra Bueno Silva has given her honest take on her upcoming UFC 297 title showdown with Raquel Pennington. In the co-main event of UFC 297, Mayra Bueno Silva will battle Raquel Pennington for the UFC women’s bantamweight championship. It will mark the dawn of a new era following the retirement of Amanda Nunes last year.
Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira 3 rumors swirl after ‘Stylebender’ shares photo of his updated physique
Harry Kettle - January 5, 2024
The rumor mill is in full swing after UFC star Israel Adesanya posted a photo of his new physique on social media. Following his loss to Sean Strickland, Israel Adesanya made it clear that he planned on taking some time off. He’d been one of the most active champions in mixed martial arts, and at the age of 34, it made sense for him to give his body a break. Either way, regardless of whether you love him or hate him, the UFC is a better place with Israel Adesanya being a consistent presence.
Former champion Chris Weidman reportedly booked to return at UFC Atlantic City
Cole Shelton - January 4, 2024
Former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman is reportedly set to return to the Octagon in March at UFC Atlantic City. According to MMA reporter, Laerte Viana, Weidman is booked to return on March 30 at UFC Atlantic City against Bruno Silva. The report indicates the fight has been agreed to but has not officially been signed. The event will take place at the Boardwalk Hall.
Sean O'Malley details plan to finish this year as biggest star in sports: "I will be as big as Conor"
Josh Evanoff - January 4, 2024
UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley believes that he will end this year as the biggest name in sports. ‘Sugar’ hasn’t been seen in the cage since his first career title shot in August, at UFC 292. Facing longtime bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling, he scored a second-round knockout victory. After years of hype, it seems that Sean O’Malley has finally arrived.
Current UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall wants his next fight to be for the undisputed title: “Come on”
Cole Shelton - January 4, 2024
UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall appears to be frustrated with how the division is playing out. Jon Jones won the vacant undisputed heavyweight title in March with a first-round submission win over Ciryl Gane. He was then booked to defend his belt against Stipe Miocic at UFC 295 in November in Madison Square Garden. Unfortunately, Jones suffered an injury, and the UFC salvaged the card by making Tom Aspinall vs Sergei Pavlovich for the interim heavyweight title.
Ilia Topuria lays out plan to fight Conor McGregor after beating Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298
Cole Shelton - January 4, 2024
Ilia Topuria is expecting to have a massive 2024. Topuria is set to headline UFC 298 on Feb. 17 in Anaheim, California against Alexander Volkanovski for the featherweight title. With still over a month to go to the fight, Topuria is a small +130 underdog, which implies a 43.5% chance of winning the fight.
Henry Cejudo believes Belal Muhammad is at risk of losing the UFC 300 welterweight title fight to Jorge Masvidal
Susan Cox - January 4, 2024
Henry Cejudo believes Belal Muhammad is at risk of losing the UFC 300 welterweight title fight to Jorge Masvidal. It was recently reported that Belal Muhammad (23-3 MMA) will battle reigning welterweight champion Leon Edwards (22-3 MMA) in a rematch on the upcoming UFC 300 card. However, there has been no confirmation by the UFC as of this writing.
Dana White sings high praise for Power Slap: "We're building another new combat sport"
Zain Bando - January 4, 2024
UFC CEO Dana White is already thinking long-term about the success of Power Slap, which began at the beginning of 2023. White spoke to Sports Illustrated (Wrestling on Fan Nation) about the instant growth of the league and its viral nature on social media. Despite its controversies across the combat sports landscape, White said it starts a new revolution.
Gilbert Burns comes to the defense of former training partner Paddy Pimblett: “He’s a legit fighter”
Susan Cox - January 4, 2024
Gilbert Burns is coming to the defense of former training partner Paddy Pimblett. Paddy Pimblett (21-3 MMA) is hot off a unanimous decision victory over Tony Ferguson (25-10 MMA) this past December at UFC 296.