MMA News

BJPENN.COM Staff - November 30, 2023

After nearly five years since its last event in Japan, ONE Championship is set to make a triumphant return to “The Land of the Rising Sun” for ONE 165 on January 28. This was personally confirmed by ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong during a press conference held in Tokyo on Thursday, November 30.

Susan Cox - November 30, 2023

Dricus Du Plessis is saying he could be fighting at light heavyweight shortly after UFC 297. UFC 297 will take place on Saturday, January 20th at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario.

Cole Shelton - November 30, 2023

Kelvin Gastelum believes he has always been a welterweight. Gastelum is set to return to the welterweight division for the first time since 2016 when he fought Johny Hendricks. Since then, he has been competing at middleweight and had a very up-and-down career going 5-6 with one No Contest, and after going 2-5 in his last seven he decided to make the move back to welterweight against Sean Brady at UFC Austin.

Cole Shelton - November 30, 2023

Joe Solecki is excited to fight a well-known guy like Drakkar Klose at UFC Austin. After Solecki picked up a submission win back in February, he said he likely needed some time off to deal with some nagging injuries and the pending birth of his second child.

Josh Evanoff - November 30, 2023

UFC commentator Daniel Cormier knows he’s biased, but he doesn’t see how the PFL can compete. Earlier this month, the Professional Fighters League completed their purchase of Bellator. Following the sale, Donn Davis and other executives stated that the move made them the number two company in the world. Furthermore, they see themselves as a future co-leader of MMA, alongside the UFC.

Cole Shelton - November 30, 2023

Jalin Turner says he didn’t have much of a choice but to accept the short-notice fight against Bobby Green at UFC Austin. Green was originally supposed to fight Dan Hooker in a five-round co-main event. But, less than two weeks before the fight, it was revealed Hooker suffered an arm injury and was forced out of the bout. Then, on nine days’ notice, it was revealed that Jalin Turner stepped up on short notice and the fight will remain at 155lbs.

Harry Kettle - November 30, 2023

UFC fighter Kevin Holland has claimed that he has not been offered a fight with Michael ‘Venom’ Page, also known as MVP. In the last few days, rumors have been circulating regarding Michael Page signing for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Page himself has teased the idea, whereas a recent interview revealed that Dana White has Michael Page vs Kevin Holland as a possible fight for UFC 297 in his war room. Of course, up to this point, there’s been no official announcement on the matter.

Harry Kettle - November 30, 2023

Former UFC fighter Paige VanZant isn’t a big fan of the love story between music sensation Taylor Swift and NFL star Travis Kelce. While she may no longer compete in the UFC, Paige VanZant is still a pretty big name. She’s an enigma in so many ways, but she also keeps her foot in the combat sports door – at the moment, through BKFC. She has a large fanbase and millions of followers across social media, and that’s likely to continue being the case for months and years to come.

BJPENN.COM Staff - November 30, 2023

Edgar Tabares firmly believes that his experience will play a pivotal factor in his upcoming battle against Johan Ghazali. Both men are set to collide in a flyweight Muay Thai bout at ONE Fight Night 17 on Prime Video. The event airs live in U.S. primetime from the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on December 8.

Harry Kettle - November 30, 2023

Alex Pereira has confirmed that he would be interested in training with his longtime rival Israel Adesanya in the future. Right now, Alex Pereira is on top of the world. He’s the UFC light heavyweight champion, just months after he previously held the middleweight title. As we know, of course, the man who took that belt from him is none other than Israel Adesanya. The two men have fought four times across kickboxing and mixed martial arts and to this point, Pereira holds a 3-1 lead. Despite that, he’s made it clear that he’s hungry to run it back at some point – perhaps at 205 pounds.

BJPENN.COM Staff - November 30, 2023

“Smokin’” Jo Nattawut is gearing up for what could be his last explosive push toward ONE World Title contention. After over a decade of trading blows with elite strikers, he finds himself at the tail end of a storied career.

Cole Shelton - November 29, 2023

Drakkar Klose is no stranger to dealing with injuries and layoffs. Klose was supposed to fight last October against Mark O. Madsen but he tore his ACL which forced him on the sidelines for over a year. Although Klose was able to return to training six months after the surgery, he says he was extra cautious to make sure he was 100 percent before returning to action.

Cole Shelton - November 29, 2023

Bobby Green and Arman Tsarukyan reportedly had an altercation at the fighter hotel ahead of UFC Austin on Wednesday. Tsarukyan is set to headline the card against Beneil Dariush, while Green will face Jalin Turner in the co-main event. However, in the lead-up to the event, Green has taken shots at Tsarukyan calling him a boring and terrible fighter and someone he would never fight.

Josh Evanoff - November 29, 2023

Karate Combat is now in talks with former UFC welterweight title challenger Darren Till. ‘The Gorilla’ has been out of action since a third-round submission loss to Dricus du Plessis in December. Surprisingly, that defeat might go down as the last fight of Darren Till’s UFC career. Post-fight, he requested his release from the company but vowed to return.

Josh Evanoff - November 29, 2023

Former UFC champion Miesha Tate’s fight with Julia Avila this Saturday could be her last. ‘Cupcake’ has been out of the octagon since a unanimous decision loss to Lauren Murphy last July. That was Miesha Tate’s first down at flyweight, and she quickly announced plans to return to bantamweight post-fight. That loss to ‘Lucky’ put the former champion at 1-2 since her 2021 return.

Josh Evanoff - November 29, 2023

UFC middleweight contender Brendan Allen is frustrated by Ian Garry’s recent decisions. ‘The Future’ is currently slated to face Vicente Luque at UFC 296 next month. While some might not be aware, it’s a welterweight clash between teammates. For the bout, Ian Garry has decided to leave Kill Cliff FC for the time being and later trained at Leon Edwards’ Team Renegade.

Cole Shelton - November 29, 2023

Colby Covington has named his dream fights he wants before his career is over. Covington is set to fight Leon Edwards in the main event of UFC 296 on Dec. 16 for the welterweight title in a highly-anticipated matchup. Although his focus is on that fight and becoming the world champion, he has been vocal in saying he wants Islam Makhachev as his first title defense, and he told UFC.com that the lightweight champ is his dream fight.

Susan Cox - November 29, 2023

Olivier Aubin-Mercier has confirmed his retirement from MMA with a heartfelt message. It was following his second consecutive PFL lightweight world championship title win that Aubin-Mercier announced he was retiring from MMA and has now confirmed it on social media.