MMA News
UFC 296 suffers another late hit
Jeffrey Walter - December 14, 2023
UFC 296 has suffered another late hit as a welterweight bout between Randy Brown and Muslim Salikhov has been canceled. It was just yesterday when news broke that a highly anticipated main card welterweight bout between Ian Garry and Vicente Luque was scratched from Saturday’s fight card due to the Irish standout catching pneumonia.
Martin Nguyen to square off against Garry Tonon at ONE 165 in Japan
BJPENN.COM Staff - December 14, 2023
Martin Nguyen and Garry Tonon will finally get an opportunity to settle their differences with each other. Both men are set to collide in a featherweight MMA bout at ONE 165. The event will emanate from the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan, live on January 28.
WATCH | Colby Covington and Tony Ferguson go from enemies to friends in bizarre back-and-forth at UFC 296 press conference
Cole Shelton - December 14, 2023
Colby Covington and Tony Ferguson had a bizarre back-and-forth at the UFC 296 press conference. Covington is set to headline UFC 296 where he challenges Leon Edwards for the promotion’s coveted welterweight title. Meanwhile, Tony Ferguson is looking to snap his six-fight losing streak against Paddy Pimblett on the main card. Both are intriguing matchups, but even though they aren’t fighting one another, the two had a back-and-forth at today’s press conference.
UFC 296 | Pro fighters make their picks for Alexandre Pantoja vs. Brandon Royval 2 title fight
Cole Shelton - December 14, 2023
In the co-main event of UFC 296, the flyweight title is up for grabs as Alexandre Pantoja takes on Brandon Royval in a rematch of their 2021 fight. Heading into the fight, Pantoja is a -205 favorite while the challenger is a +158 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 296. The pros lean towards Pantoja retaining his flyweight title and likely doing so by submission as he did in the first fight.
WATCH | Vicente Luque and Kevin Holland exchange videos verbally agreeing to UFC 296 bout
Josh Evanoff - December 14, 2023
UFC welterweight contenders Vicente Luque and Kevin Holland might get to fight each other after all. The Brazilian was slated to return to the ring this Saturday night at UFC 296 against Ian Garry. However, that battle between teammates was derailed due to ‘The Future’ coming down with an illness. As a result, he pulled out of his fight with Vicente Luque late last night. However, it didn’t take long for Kevin Holland to answer the call.
Leon Edwards plans to treat Colby Covington like the "clown" he is at UFC 296
Cole Shelton - December 14, 2023
Leon Edwards says Colby Covington is a clown and plans to treat him like one at UFC 296. Edwards is set to defend his welterweight title for the second time in the main event of UFC 296 on Saturday night in Las Vegas against Covington. In the lead-up to the fight, Covington has been full of trash-talk and has been taking shots at Edwards, which isn’t a surprise to the Brit as he expected ‘Chaos’ to act like “a clown” on fight week, which he says he has.
Tony Ferguson explains why he's glad that he trained with David Goggins: "One of the hardest things I've done"
Josh Evanoff - December 14, 2023
UFC lightweight contender Tony Ferguson is happy that he took time to train with David Goggins. ‘El Cucuy’ is currently slated to return to the octagon this Saturday night at UFC 296. There, Tony Ferguson is expected to meet the rising Paddy Pimblett. ‘The Baddy’ enters the matchup undefeated in the UFC, last defeating Jared Gordon by decision last December.
Colby Covington believes Kamaru Usman would have “destroyed” Khamzat Chimaev in a five-round fight
Susan Cox - December 14, 2023
Colby Covington believes Kamaru Usman would have ‘destroyed’ Khamzat Chimaev in a five-round fight. It was this past October, at UFC 294, where Kamaru Usman (20-4 MMA) was defeated by Khamzat Chimaev (13-0 MMA) by majority decision.
Colby Covington reveals the real reason why he wants to fight 'amateur jabroni' Sean Strickland: "Can you all not relate?"
Josh Evanoff - December 14, 2023
UFC welterweight contender Colby Covington wants to fight Sean Strickland over his comments about women. ‘Chaos’ is currently slated to return to the octagon this Saturday night in the main event of UFC 296 against Leon Edwards. For Colby Covington, the bout will be his first since a decision win over Jorge Masvidal last March. Following that victory, he was assaulted by ‘Gamebred’ in a Miami steakhouse.
Michael Bisping offers official prediction for Leon Edwards vs. Colby Covington: "I don't think it's going to be easy"
Josh Evanoff - December 14, 2023
Former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping believes Leon Edwards will defeat Colby Covington. ‘Rocky’ has been out of the octagon since his trilogy with Kamaru Usman in March. There, Leon Edwards scored his second-straight win over ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ by majority decision. Cageside that night was the returning Colby Covington, who was quickly named the next title challenger by Dana White.
Leon Edwards believes Colby Covington will retire or go to lightweight after UFC 296
Cole Shelton - December 14, 2023
Leon Edwards believes UFC 296 will be the final time Colby Covington fights at welterweight. Edwards is set to defend his welterweight title in the main event of UFC 296 against Covington in a highly-anticipated matchup. It’s a pivotal fight for both of their careers, especially for Covington as there is a lot of talk that this will be his final chance to become the undisputed welterweight champion, as he is 0-2 in undisputed title fights, and at age 35 time is running out for his career.
UFC 296 | Pro fighters make their picks for Paddy Pimblett vs. Tony Ferguson
Cole Shelton - December 14, 2023
On the main card of UFC 296, an intriguing lightweight bout goes down as Paddy Pimblett takes on Tony Ferguson. Heading into the fight, Pimblett is a sizeable -330 favorite while ‘El Cucuy’ is a +240 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 296. Many of the pros made it clear they are rooting for Ferguson to turn back the clock to get the win, but don’t think it will happen.
ONE Championship lands massive broadcast deal with Sky Sports
BJPENN.COM Staff - December 14, 2023
In a groundbreaking move, ONE Championship has officially joined forces with Sky Sports. This exclusive partnership ensures that ONE Championship’s premium live events and ancillary programming will now find a new home on Sky Sports’ broadcast and digital platforms across the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Paddy Pimblett shares advice to the “crabs in the UFC” being paid 12/12: “Work a bit harder, show a bit of personality”
Harry Kettle - December 14, 2023
UFC star Paddy Pimblett has given his thoughts on the ongoing debate regarding fighter pay in the promotion. This weekend, Paddy Pimblett will make his return to the Octagon. He’s set to take on fan favorite Tony Ferguson, with many believing the Liverpudlian should get the job done. Either way, though, he needs to put in a positive performance, largely due to how public opinion has changed on him in the last twelve months.
Ian Machado Garry issues statement after being forced out of UFC 296 bout with Vicente Luque: "This annoys me more than anyone"
Harry Kettle - December 14, 2023
UFC welterweight Ian Machado Garry has released a statement after being forced out of his UFC 296 fight against Vicente Luque. Just a matter of hours ago, UFC president Dana White confirmed the news that Ian Machado Garry is out of his scheduled bout with Vicente Luque this weekend. It was said that he initially had the flu, which turned into pneumonia. This comes at the end of a tumultuous few weeks for the youngster with fighters and fans trolling him constantly on social media.
Tony Ferguson still holds ill will towards Khabib Nurmagomedov: “I scared the f**k out of that Dagestani guy”
Harry Kettle - December 14, 2023
UFC star Tony Ferguson still isn’t a fan of rival Khabib Nurmagomedov, even all these years later. This weekend, Tony Ferguson returns to the Octagon to battle Paddy Pimblett at UFC 296. It’s one of the featured bouts of the evening, with many excited to see how the two match up with one another on the big stage.
Dana White on Conor McGregor's planned return to UFC: "It's all up to him"
Zain Bando - December 13, 2023
UFC CEO Dana White sat down with TNT Sports to preview UFC 296, taking place Saturday night, headlined by Leon Edwards vs. Colby Covington, and various other MMA topics, including former UFC double champion Conor McGregor. McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) has been out of action since July 2021, suffering a fight-ending ankle break against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264.
Ian Machado Garry vs. Vicente Luque removed from UFC 296
Cole Shelton - December 13, 2023
UFC 296 has taken a hit as a welterweight bout between Ian Machado Garry and Vicente Luque is off the card. Machado Garry missed media day on Wednesday, but his wife told a reporter the Irishman would be at the press conference on Thursday. However, rumors started to swirl that Garry had fallen ill and his fight against Luque was in danger of being off.