MMA News
Daniel Cormier says ‘Puppet master’ Conor McGregor is playing Michael Chandler like ‘Pinocchio’
Harry Kettle - January 2, 2024
UFC commentator Daniel Cormier has given his thoughts on Conor McGregor’s recent announcement. To kickstart 2024, Conor McGregor revealed that he plans on returning to the Octagon this summer to take on Michael Chandler. It’s a fight that has been over a year in the making, with the Irishman making it clear that he ideally wanted to return earlier than June.
Leon Edwards announces he will be defending his welterweight title at UFC 300
Harry Kettle - January 2, 2024
UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards has revealed that he will be defending his belt at UFC 300. Last month, Leon Edwards successfully defended his belt for the second time. He did so by defeating Colby Covington, confirming his status as the best 170-pounder on the planet. In the immediate aftermath, many called for him to take on either Belal Muhammad or Shavkat Rakhmonov in his next outing.
Tawanchai PK Saenchai open to challenging Chingiz Allazov for kickboxing crown
BJPENN.COM Staff - January 2, 2024
Tawanchai PK Saenchai is considering the prospect of facing Chingiz Allazov for the ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Championship. The 24-year-old featherweight Muay Thai king has developed a fondness for Allazov, who has undeniably had a stellar 2023.
Phetjeeja targets unification bout against Janet Todd after ONE interim world title win
BJPENN.COM Staff - January 2, 2024
It’s safe to assume that “The Queen” Phetjeeja is not resting on her laurels after her latest victory in Bangkok, Thailand. Fresh off her win over Anissa Meksen at ONE Friday Fights 46 on December 22 to clinch the ONE Interim Atomweight Kickboxing World Title, the Thai sensation has set her sights on a unification bout against lineal champion Janet Todd.
Conor McGregor announces opponent and date for "the greatest comeback of all time"
Cole Shelton - December 31, 2023
Conor McGregor will be returning to the Octagon in 2024. McGregor recently revealed he would be revealing his return date and opponent on New Year’s Eve, and he did just that. Taking to X, McGregor sent out a video revealing he will return at International Fight Week in June against Michael Chandler.
Conor McGregor reveals announcement date for his next fight
Harry Kettle - December 30, 2023
UFC star Conor McGregor has revealed that he will make an announcement regarding his next fight on New Year’s Day. For the longest time now, fight fans have been waiting for some kind of announcement regarding the return of the Irishman. It’s been well over two years since we’ve seen him in the Octagon, with many believing 2023 would be the year that he made his comeback.
RIZIN champion Juan Archuleta calls for rematch with Bellator's Patchy Mix: "Only guy to beat him"
Josh Evanoff - December 29, 2023
RIZIN bantamweight champion Juan Archuleta is ready for a rematch with Bellator titleholder Patchy Mix. ‘The Spaniard’ is slated to make the first title defense of his bantamweight title reign this Saturday. In the co-main event of RIZIN 45, Juan Archuleta will face former titleholder Kai Asaukra. If he can get through the Japanese fighter this weekend, he hopes to meet Patchy Mix in the near future.
Paul Felder implores Islam Makhachev to stay at lightweight amid double-champ talk: "Stay in your freaking division"
Josh Evanoff - December 29, 2023
UFC analyst Paul Felder sees no reason why Islam Makhachev needs to challenge Leon Edwards, yet. ‘Rocky’ is fresh off his return earlier this month at UFC 296 against Colby Covington. There, Edwards turned in a dominant performance, scoring a unanimous decision win over ‘Chaos’. While his second title defense was an impressive one to many, Islam Makhachev didn’t exactly feel threatened.
Bo Nickal explains AI use for his UFC 300 training camp: "Give me the perfect gameplan for him"
Josh Evanoff - December 29, 2023
UFC middleweight contender Bo Nickal is turning to ChatGPT for his return next year. The 27-year-old has been out of the cage since a knockout win over Val Woodburn in July. The victory was Bo Nickal’s fifth in the cage, all coming by way of finish. While the former collegiate wrestler has been effortlessly dominant, he’s had some help. Well, kind of.
Paul Felder explains why he doubts Paddy Pimblett can beat any ranked lightweight after his UFC 296 performance
Cole Shelton - December 29, 2023
Paul Felder doesn’t think Paddy Pimblett would have success against any of the ranked lightweights in the UFC. Pimblett improved to 5-0 in the UFC with a one-sided decision win over Tony Ferguson at UFC 296. With that said, the Brit wasn’t able to finish the aging veteran and actually started to gas in the third round.
Michael Chandler provides update on possible Conor McGregor fight
Harry Kettle - December 29, 2023
UFC star Michael Chandler has provided an update on his possible showdown with Conor McGregor. For the longest time now, fight fans have been waiting to hear an announcement regarding a fight between Michael Chandler and Conor McGregor. The two men coached opposite one another on the most recent season of The Ultimate Fighter, with the expectation being that they’d meet inside the Octagon after their collision.
Chael Sonnen doesn’t think Conor McGregor is trying to duck Michael Chandler
Harry Kettle - December 29, 2023
MMA analyst Chael Sonnen has said that he doesn’t think Conor McGregor is trying to “duck” Michael Chandler. For the longest time now, fans have been waiting for more information regarding the return of Conor McGregor. It’s been two and a half years since his nasty leg injury against Dustin Poirier, with many believing he would come back in 2023. Alas, that hasn’t come to fruition, as the masses continue to get frustrated over this stalemate between the promotion and McGregor.
New details released for UFC’s Anti-Doping Program as USADA partnership ends
Harry Kettle - December 29, 2023
The Ultimate Fighting Championship has released details of their new Anti-Doping Program after separating from USADA. Ever since the news was announced that the company would be parting ways with USADA, many questions arose regarding what their next steps would be. It caused concern for some, whereas others were excited to see what they would bring into the mix.
Tyron Woodley alleges that Georges St-Pierre turned down a "dumb bag" to fight him: "Eight figures"
Josh Evanoff - December 28, 2023
Former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley has alleged that Georges St-Pierre turned down a massive payday against him. ‘The Chosen One’ hasn’t been seen in combat sports since a sixth-round knockout loss to Jake Paul in the boxing ring in December 2021. Since then, Tyron Woodley has been quiet about a potential return. However, he did show interest in facing ‘The Problem Child’ in his PFL debut, slated for late 2024.
Chael Sonnen reveals Israel Adesanya's return fight at UFC 300
Cole Shelton - December 28, 2023
Chael Sonnen believes he knows who and when Israel Adesanya will be making his return to the Octagon. Adesanya hasn’t fought since September when he suffered a lopsided decision loss to Sean Strickland to lose his middleweight title. Since then, Adesanya jokingly said he wouldn’t return until 2027, which he has walked back on and claimed he will be back sooner rather than later.
RIZIN's Nobuyuki Sakakibara open to PFL co-promotion after Bellator sale: "Doors always open"
Josh Evanoff - December 28, 2023
RIZIN President Nobuyuki Sakakibara is open to working with PFL and Donn Davis, but it will take some time. The annual New Year’s event for RIZIN is slated for this weekend. Headlined by Kyoji Horiguchi’s rematch against Makoto Takahashi, the card also features high-profile names such as Juan Archuleta, Kai Asakura, John Dodson, and more. While a fun event, this year’s event will look radically different than last year’s.
Paige VanZant rules out retirement, but admits BKFC return is far from set: "I don’t know if it’s down the road"
Josh Evanoff - December 28, 2023
It appears that Paige VanZant isn’t fully done with competing in BKFC. ‘12 Gauge’ hasn’t been seen in combat sports since a rematch with Rachel Ostovich in July 2021. That bout took place just two and a half years after Paige VanZant defeated the Hawaiian in the UFC cage. However, their bare-knuckle boxing match looked radically different.
Alex Pereira believes heavyweight move has to happen "the right way," shuts down rumors of Tom Aspinall fight
Cole Shelton - December 28, 2023
Alex Pereira isn’t ruling out a move up to heavyweight but says he will need to make the jump in weight the right way. Pereira moved up to light heavyweight after losing his middleweight title in April after suffering a KO loss to Israel Adesanya. He ended up beating Jan Blachowicz in his light heavyweight debut and then scored a knockout win over Jiri Prochazka in November to become the promotion’s new light heavyweight champion.