MMA News
Colby Covington becomes the latest fighter to take issue with Ian Garry: “The guy's a f**king joke”
Harry Kettle - December 9, 2023
Colby Covington has become the latest fighter to take a shot at Ian Garry as the public scrutiny against the Irishman continues. It’s been a rough few weeks for Ian Garry. While the youngster has been solid so far in the Octagon, things have been tricky outside of the cage. Between stories about him in the gym to accusations against his wife, he’s had to deal with some real adversity. Despite that, he’s still deep in preparation mode for his upcoming showdown with Vicente Luque at UFC 296.
Irish politicians react after Conor McGregor hints at running for President of Ireland: “I wouldn’t nominate him to wash dishes”
Harry Kettle - December 9, 2023
Irish politicians have reacted to the news that Conor McGregor is interested in running for the Irish presidency. If there’s one thing we know to be true about Conor McGregor, it’s that he does things his own way. He’s controversial, he’s eccentric, and he’s incredibly successful. In recent weeks, however, he’s been causing quite a stir by giving his political opinions on social media.
Mike Perry says a fight with Nate Diaz “makes sense” but doubts the former UFC title challenger will do BKFC: “These guys are afraid to do no gloves”
Harry Kettle - December 9, 2023
BKFC star Mike Perry has given his thoughts on a potential showdown with Nate Diaz in the future. Last weekend, Mike Perry continued his phenomenal run in bare-knuckle boxing with a win over Eddie Alvarez. At this point, there’s no denying that he’s the biggest star in BKFC, and one of the biggest combat sports athletes outside of the UFC.
Ilia Topuria is predicting a “masterpiece” against Alex Volkanovski at UFC 298: “It will be one of the easier fights of my career”
Harry Kettle - December 9, 2023
UFC contender Ilia Topuria has predicted a masterpiece of a performance ahead of his fight against Alexander Volkanovski. At UFC 298 in February, Ilia Topuria will challenge Alexander Volkanovski for the UFC featherweight championship. While some feel as if this is too quick, others expect him to put up a really good showing against the champion.
Daniel Cormier praises Colby Covington's incredible work ethic: "No one has done more with less"
Josh Evanoff - December 8, 2023
Play-by-play Commentator Daniel Cormier believes Colby Covington might be the hardest-working fighter in the UFC today. ‘Chaos’ has been out of action since a unanimous decision win over Jorge Masvidal last March at UFC 272. While that victory was massive, he was later kept out of action due to being assaulted by ‘Gamebred’ later that month. However, Colby Covington is now set to return later this month in a welterweight title fight against Leon Edwards.
OKTAGON's Vladimir Lengal compares boxing vs. MMA: "It really is a different sport"
Zain Bando - December 8, 2023
Vladimir Lengal has had an interesting combat sports career thus far. Before transitioning to MMA entirely in February, the undefeated Lengal (12-0, 6-0 MMA) took up boxing and became a Czech world champion, further showcasing his skills as a prospect to look out for moving forward.
Shavkat Rakhmonov wants title shot with UFC 296 win, but admits: "Belal Muhammad also deserves"
Josh Evanoff - December 8, 2023
Shavkat Rakhmonov believes that either he or Belal Muhammad is likely next for a UFC welterweight title shot. ‘Nomad’ has been out of the cage since a submission win over Geoff Neal in March at UFC 285. That victory put the welterweight to a perfect 16-0 in his MMA career. Now, Shavkat Rakhmonov will return to the cage later this month to face Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson. The Karate-based fighter is coming off a knockout win over Kevin Holland last December.
Colby Covington endorses Conor McGregor to be President of Ireland: "Would be a great leader"
Cole Shelton - December 8, 2023
Colby Covington is endorsing Conor McGregor to be the President of Ireland. McGregor has recently been vocal on social media saying that he wants to run for President of Ireland. The former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion believes he would be a good fit for the role.
Deontay Wilder reveals what he needs in order to accept mixed rules bout with former UFC champion Francis Ngannou
Fernando Quiles Jr. - December 8, 2023
Deontay Wilder has listed what to be done in order for a mixed rules bout with Francis Ngannou to come to fruition. Ngannou has forced his way into the boxing conversation thanks to his performance against WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury. Despite losing the 10-round heavyweight tilt via split decision, Ngannou was praised for scoring a knockdown on Fury and nearly pulling off a massive upset.
UFC 296: Colby Covington accuses Leon Edwards of being a cheater: "This guy makes ‘Marty’ look like a freakin’ saint"
Fernando Quiles Jr. - December 8, 2023
Colby Covington thinks he has reason to believe his UFC 296 opponent Leon Edwards is a cheater. Covington will be challenging Edwards for the UFC Welterweight Championship on December 16. The title fight will headline UFC 296 inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. It’ll be Covington’s first bout since March 2022 when he defeated Jorge Masvidal via unanimous decision.
UFC 296 fighter Ian Machado Garry defends his trash talk: "I’m absolutely going to sit there and hound you about that"
Fernando Quiles Jr. - December 8, 2023
Ian Machado Garry doesn’t believe his trash talk ever crossed a line. Garry has received criticism from some fans for the way he handled his pre-fight builds for Neil Magny and Geoff Neal. Magny has never been known to engage in pre-fight banter with his opponents, but a fire was certainly lit under him before the Garry bout. Ultimately, “The Future” defeated Magny via unanimous decision and even flipped the bird at him.
Gilbert Burns has had enough of Ian Garry drama about his wife: "Do whatever you want"
Fernando Quiles Jr. - December 8, 2023
Gilbert Burns isn’t interested in the drama going on with Ian Garry and his wife. As word began to spread that Garry’s wife, Layla Machado, wrote a book on how to be WAG, UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland made a public video urging Garry to leave his wife. A WAG is a wife or girlfriend who links up with their partner solely for status and money.
Anthony Pettis reacts to Mike Perry’s callout from BKFC 56
Harry Kettle - December 8, 2023
Anthony Pettis has given his thoughts on a potential showdown with Mike Perry after the latter called him out. Last weekend, Mike Perry improved his unbeaten record in BKFC with a stoppage win over Eddie Alvarez. It was another violent affair and in the end, Alvarez’s corner intervened and deemed him unable to continue. As for Perry, this is another big victory that he has to his name as his superstardom continues to grow.
Aljamain Sterling turns his attention to Calvin Kattar after Max Holloway fight fizzles out: “I just think he has bigger opportunities”
Harry Kettle - December 8, 2023
Aljamain Sterling has called for a fight against Calvin Kattar after plans for a bout with Max Holloway seemingly fell through. Ever since his loss to Sean O’Malley earlier this year, Aljamain Sterling has been looking for fresh opportunities. At the top of that list, seemingly, is a move to featherweight.
Daniel Cormier believes Anthony Smith “let pride get in the way” by not allowing DQ in 2019 title fight with Jon Jones
Harry Kettle - December 8, 2023
UFC commentator Daniel Cormier believes Anthony Smith allowed his pride to get in the way during his fight against Jon Jones in 2019. In the eyes of many, Jon Jones is the greatest of all time. He built that reputation by running through numerous light heavyweight stars, which included a run between 2018 and 2020 after making his long-awaited return. One of his opponents was Anthony Smith, who he battled at UFC 235.
Mohamed Younes Rabah steps in to face Saemapetch Fairtex at ONE Fight Night 17
BJPENN.COM Staff - December 8, 2023
Saemapetch Fairtex will clash with a new opponent at ONE Fight Night 17 on Prime Video this Friday, December 8. He was originally slated for a bantamweight Muay Thai rematch against Felipe Lobo. However, he found himself in need of a new dance partner when his Brazilian rival withdrew from the bout due to injury.
Text messages emerge showing Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta celebrating “cut throat” negotiations with Eddie Alvarez and Gilbert Melendez
Harry Kettle - December 8, 2023
A string of released text messages have shown Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta celebrating the “cut throat” nature of their business dealings. The ongoing antitrust lawsuit is something to keep a real eye on heading into 2024. While business is booming for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, this class action could hit them hard – and we don’t say that lightly. The potential damages could enter the billions if they lose in court, with the main claim being that they purposefully bought out competitors while driving down fighter pay.
Sean O'Malley says one trait drives him: "Meditation"
Zain Bando - December 7, 2023
Current UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley has remained relaxed since knocking out Aljamain Sterling in August. O’Malley, 29, is already thinking about his long-term goals and what he hopes to achieve before the end of his career, which may include a trial run in boxing.