MMA News

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.

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.

BJPENN.COM Staff - December 8, 2023

ONE Light Heavyweight Kickboxing World Champion Roman Kryklia understands the rarity of the chance he has in his upcoming bout. The Ukrainian powerhouse battles Alex Roberts for the inaugural ONE Heavyweight Muay Thai World Title in the main event of ONE Fight Night 17 on Prime Video. The event emanates live from the legendary Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on Friday, December 8.

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.

Cole Shelton - December 7, 2023

Conor McGregor dropped a sparring partner with his patented left hand. Training footage was recently released of McGregor sparring with someone ahead of his UFC return. In the clip, the two are getting good work in with one another as they worked on movement and landing light shots.

Cole Shelton - December 7, 2023

Anthony Smith believes he could get a title shot with a win at UFC Vegas 83. Smith stepped up on short notice to face Khalil Rountree in the co-main event on Saturday. It’s a key fight for the division, and although Jamahal Hill is likely to be next in line, Smith thinks he can make it clear he’s next in line with a great performance on Saturday.

Josh Evanoff - December 7, 2023

Former UFC champion Daniel Cormier nearly went full Mike Tyson against Jon Jones during their infamous scuffle. ‘DC’ and ‘Bones’ famously had one of the most heated feuds in MMA history. In the cage, the two met on two different occasions. On both occasions, Jon Jones emerged with a win over Daniel Cormier. However, his UFC 214 victory in July 2017 was overturned to a no-contest due to a failed drug test.

Josh Evanoff - December 7, 2023

Former Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler is a bit sad to see their recent sale to the PFL. ‘Iron’ is now one of the UFC’s biggest stars and most entertaining fighters. Although, Michael Chandler hasn’t been seen in the cage since a submission loss to Dustin Poirier well over a year ago. Now, the former Bellator champion has been stuck on the sidelines, waiting for a long-awaited fight with Conor McGregor.

Josh Evanoff - December 7, 2023

It appears that UFC light heavyweights Jiri Prochazka and Aleksandar Rakic will be fighting at some point in 2024. ‘Rocket’ has been out of action since a third-round stoppage loss at the hands of Jan Blachowicz over a year ago. That bout saw Aleksandar Rakic suffer an injury, which has kept him out of action for most of this year. However, he later booked a rematch with Blachowicz, slated for UFC 297 in January.

Josh Evanoff - December 7, 2023

UFC welterweight contender Vicente Luque has discussed his upcoming fight with Ian Garry. ‘The Silent Assassin’ and ‘The Future’ are currently slated to clash at UFC 296 later this month. For Vicente Luque, the bout will be his first since a unanimous decision win over Rafael dos Anjos in August. Meanwhile, Ian Garry has been out of action since a victory over Neil Magny in August.

Cole Shelton - December 7, 2023

UFC 297 has taken a hit as Jan Blachowicz is out of his rematch with Aleksandar Rakic. Blachowicz and Rakic were set to rematch on Jan. 20 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in a pivotal fight for the division. The winner was immediately in the title conversation, and the fight was one many fans were looking forward to, given the first fight ended due to an injury.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - December 7, 2023

UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski doesn’t exactly agree with others who say that Ilia Topuria is already on an elite level. Topuria will be in for the biggest fight of his pro MMA career when he takes on Volkanovski for the UFC Featherweight Championship at UFC 298 on February 17, 2024. Up to this point, Topuria has garnered a pro MMA record of 14-0. He’s coming off a unanimous decision victory over Josh Emmett, which earned him a “Fight of the Night” bonus.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - December 7, 2023

Anthony Smith doesn’t feel Jon Jones should be stripped of the UFC Heavyweight Championship. Interim titleholder Tom Aspinall has been calling for Jones to vacate the gold due to suffering a torn pectoral muscle, which forced his planned title defense against Stipe Miocic off the UFC 295 card. Aspinall ended up knocking out Sergei Pavlovich in just over one minute to lay claim to the interim gold.

Harry Kettle - December 7, 2023

BKFC president David Feldman has revealed that over a million unique IP addresses streamed BKFC 56: Mike Perry vs Eddie Alvarez. Bare-knuckle boxing has taken off in the last few years and BKFC have been at the forefront of that. They have worked incredibly hard to put on some blockbuster events and last weekend, we saw another one. BKFC 56 went down in Salt Lake City with the main event pitting Mike Perry against Eddie Alvarez. In what proved to be an incredible bout, it was BKFC regular Mike Perry who got his hand raised in victory.

Harry Kettle - December 7, 2023

UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland has detailed the run-in he had with fellow fighter Ian Garry at the UFC PI. Over the course of the last few weeks, Ian Garry has been taking a lot of heat. Between stories of why he left Leon Edwards’ gym and fans hating on his wife, it’s been a tricky road for the Irishman. Now, he has to focus his attention on Vicente Luque, who he’ll battle next weekend at UFC 296.

Harry Kettle - December 7, 2023

UFC featherweight contender Bryce Mitchell is set to step in on short notice to face Josh Emmett at UFC 296. At UFC 296, Josh Emmett was set to go head to head with Giga Chikadze in a major featherweight showdown. Unfortunately, as a result of a torn groin, Chikadze will no longer be able to compete in Las Vegas.

BJPENN.COM Staff - December 7, 2023

Shamil Gasanov and Oh Ho Taek are gearing up for a pivotal clash at ONE Fight Night 18 on Prime Video this January 12. This bout emanates live in U.S. primetime from the world-renowned Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Cole Shelton - December 6, 2023

Drakkar Klose was relieved to finally make the walk to the Octagon again. Klose was returning to action for the first time since tearing his ACL and when he squared off with Joe Solecki at UFC Austin. Heading into the fight, he said he wasn’t worried about the ring rust as he had full confidence in his training camp.