MMA News

Cole Shelton - December 6, 2023

Brandon Moreno will be the backup fighter for the UFC 296 flyweight title fight between Alexandre Pantoja and Brandon Royval. In the co-main event of UFC 296, Pantoja is looking to defend his flyweight title for the first time when he rematches Royval on Dec. 16 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Although that fight is official, MMA journalist Marcel Dorff revealed Moreno will be the backup fighter for the title fight.

BJPENN.COM Staff - December 6, 2023

When the new year kicks off, fans will be in for a treat when ONE Fight Night 18 on Prime Video features the pivotal bantamweight MMA showdown between Artem Belakh and Enkh-Orgil Baatarkhuu. The bout takes place at the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, and it airs live in U.S. primetime on January 12.

Cole Shelton - December 6, 2023

Tim Elliott has opened up on why he decided to sponsor Tony Soto ahead of his BKFC fight against UFC veteran Kevin Croom. Elliott and Croom used to be teammates and close friends, but earlier this year, the former UFC flyweight title challenger claimed Croom allegedly slept with his wife, Gina Mazany on their wedding night. The two got a divorce but Elliott kept quiet about what happened until people kept continuously asking him about Gina and when she may be fighting again.

Cole Shelton - December 6, 2023

Chris Gutierrez says he is scared to fight and is afraid of his upcoming fight against Song Yadong in the main event of UFC Vegas 83 on Saturday. Gutierrez is set for his first UFC main event against the seventh-ranked bantamweight contender in Yadong. It’s a crucial fight for the division as the winner will likely get a top-five opponent next. Although Gutierrez has full confidence in himself that he will get the win, he admits he is scared to fight Yadong. But, it isn’t just Yadong as he is scared whenever he fights.

Josh Evanoff - December 6, 2023

Dan Henderson has no doubts about how his UFC 151 light-heavyweight title fight with Jon Jones would’ve gone. ‘Hendo’ and ‘Bones’ were famously slated to clash well over a decade ago. As the story goes, Dan Henderson was fresh off his incredible fight with Shogun Rua at UFC 139. That victory, as well as a three-fight winning streak coming over from Strikeforce, was enough to earn a title shot against Jon Jones.

Josh Evanoff - December 6, 2023

UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski is willing to give Aljamain Sterling a title shot if he beats Max Holloway. ‘The Great’ is currently slated to return at UFC 298 next February against Ilia Topuria. For Alexander Volkanovski, the bout will be his first since a knockout loss to Islam Makhachev in October. It also comes at a time, when the division is welcoming a former champion in the form of Aljamain Sterling. He made the announcement late last month, ending speculation about his future.

Josh Evanoff - December 6, 2023

Former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez hopes fighters pay attention to Nate Diaz. The Stockton slugger has been out of the ring since a loss to Jake Paul in the boxing ring in August. For Nate Diaz, the first was his first outside of the UFC in over a decade. Famously, he submitted Tony Ferguson in the final fight of his stint last September, fighting ‘El Cucuy’ after Khamzat Chimaev missed weight.

Cole Shelton - December 6, 2023

Mya Lesnar, the daughter of former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar set the shot put record at Colorado State. Mya is in her junior season on the track and field team at Colorado State. Recently, Mya Lesnar revealed she broke the school record in indoor shot put while competing at the Mines Alumni Classic, where she finished first in weight throw with a mark of 21.11m last weekend.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - December 6, 2023

Gilbert Burns remains firm in his prediction that Leon Edwards will defeat Colby Covington at UFC 296. Covington will challenge Edwards for the UFC Welterweight Championship on December 16. It’ll be the UFC’s final event of 2023, and a live feed will air on ESPN+ PPV in the United States. Also featured on the card will be a flyweight title fight between champion Alexandre Pantoja and Brandon Royval.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - December 6, 2023

UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier has an idea for Arman Tsarukyan in terms of what his next fight could be. Tsarukyan is fresh off a brutal knockout victory over Beneil Dariush in just over a minute to cap off UFC Austin. It’s the Georgian’s third win a row. Ever since his competitive loss to the current UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev back in 2019, Tsarukyan has gone 8-1. He is the number four-ranked UFC lightweight, ahead of the man who last beat him, Mateusz Gamrot.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - December 6, 2023

Mike Perry holds Jorge Masvidal in high regard, but he wouldn’t hesitate to fight “Gamebred.” Perry has somewhat become the face of bare-knuckle boxing. “Platinum” has gone 4-0 under the BKFC banner, defeating Julian Lane, Michael Page, Luke Rockhold, and most recently former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez.

Harry Kettle - December 6, 2023

John McCarthy has given his thoughts on UFC president Dana White’s recent comments regarding PFL purchasing Bellator. The MMA community has had a few weeks to digest the news that PFL has purchased Bellator. As you can imagine, there have been plenty of opinions flying around regarding what it means for the sport and for both brands moving forward.

Harry Kettle - December 6, 2023

Sean O’Malley has given his thoughts on the controversial referee stoppage in the fight between Jalin Turner and Bobby Green. Last weekend, Jalin Turner took on Bobby Green on short notice. While Green was the one who had a full training camp, it was Turner who got the job done with an incredibly violent knockout win. However, while the victory was celebrated, many couldn’t help but feel like the stoppage was late.

Harry Kettle - December 6, 2023

UFC prospect Raul Rosas Jr has given his thoughts on Sean O’Malley being the bantamweight champion. Right now, Sean O’Malley is on top of the world. He is the king of the bantamweight division in the wake of his incredible knockout win over Aljamain Sterling earlier this year. Now, the big question is whether or not he can keep hold of it, as he prepares to defend the strap against Marlon Vera at UFC 299 next year.

Josh Evanoff - December 5, 2023

Former UFC champion Conor McGregor seemingly might leave the cage for the political arena. ‘The Notorious’ recently re-enrolled in the USADA testing pool to clear the path for his UFC return. Famously, Conor McGregor coached the latest season of The Ultimate Fighter against Michael Chandler this summer. That bout with the former Bellator champion is currently expected for sometime next year.

Josh Evanoff - December 5, 2023

UFC lightweight contender Michael Chandler has given his side of training with Ian Garry. ‘The Future’ has found himself in a bit of hot water at the moment. The Irishman is currently slated to face Vicente Luque at UFC 296 later this month. While some might not be aware, Ian Garry is teammates with the Brazilian at Kill Cliff FC alongside names such as Brendan Allen and Michael Chandler.

Josh Evanoff - December 5, 2023

UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski is out to prove a point against Ilia Topuria. ‘The Great’ has been out of the cage since a short-notice rematch with Islam Makhachev in October. There, Alexander Volkanovski suffered his second loss to the lightweight champion, this time by stoppage. Following the bout, he called for a fast turnaround against Ilia Topuria in January.

Zain Bando - December 5, 2023

Cris “Cyborg” Justino is at a crossroads. The former UFC women’s featherweight champion and current Bellator featherweight champion, Cyborg wants to be part of the newly minted PFL-Bellator merger.