MMA News

Cole Shelton - November 9, 2023

Tom Aspinall says he’s scared of Sergei Pavlovich but believes he does his best work when he is afraid. Aspinall is set to face Pavlovich on two weeks’ notice in the co-main event of UFC 295 for the interim heavyweight title. It’s an intriguing matchup and a fight that many fans have wanted to see, as the two look like the future of the heavyweight division.

Cole Shelton - November 9, 2023

Jessica Andrade has opened up on why she fought so often in 2023. Andrade started the year off in January with a decision win over Lauren Murphy. She then returned in February and lost by second-round submission to Erin Blanchfield. After the setback, she fought for the third time in 2023 in May and suffered a first-round TKO loss to Yan Xiaonan. After the loss to Xiaonan, she returned in August and suffered a second-round submission loss to Tatiana Suarez, putting her on a three-fight losing streak.

Susan Cox - November 9, 2023

Daniel Cormier is claiming he has received flak from teammates for his biased UFC commentary. It was during an interview with ‘MMA Fighting’, that Cormier revealed that he has indeed had pushback in the past from former teammates for being too critical of their performances. One in particular was former UFC heavyweight contender Blagoy Ivanov. Cormier went on to share the conversation the two had:

Susan Cox - November 9, 2023

Henry Cejudo is sharing his prediction for the newly announced Sean O’Malley vs. Marlon Vera title fight at UFC 299. UFC 299 will take place on Saturday, March 9, 2024, at a yet to be disclosed location. Sean O’Malley (17-1 MMA) will defend his bantamweight title in a rematch with Marlon Vera (23-8 MMA).

Susan Cox - November 9, 2023

Anthony Smith claims Alex Pereira’s ‘stoic serial killer’ look is just an act. This Saturday, November 11th will see Alex Pereira (8-2 MMA) facing former UFC light heavyweight champion Jiří  Procházka (29-3 MMA) in the main event for the vacant light heavyweight belt at UFC 295 which takes place at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Harry Kettle - November 9, 2023

Georges St-Pierre’s head coach Firas Zahabi has revealed his concern for the future after UFC’s split with USADA. Last month, it was announced that the Ultimate Fighting Championship would be parting ways with USADA, starting in January 2024. It appeared to be quite a bitter split, with USADA releasing a statement that noted their frustration with Conor McGregor and when he’d be cleared to compete again.

BJPENN.COM Staff - November 9, 2023

Ben Tynan proudly displayed his love for Pokemon after his remarkable win at ONE Fight Night 16 on Prime Video this past Friday, November 3. The undefeated American authored a promotional debut to remember, beating Kang Ji Won by way of third-round submission in a scintillating heavyweight MMA showdown. The chaos happened at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Harry Kettle - November 9, 2023

UFC commentator Daniel Cormier has posted a video of him taking low kicks from UFC contender Alex Pereira. This Saturday night, Alex Pereira will lock horns with Jiri Prochazka as they battle it out over the UFC light heavyweight championship. The bout will serve as the main event of UFC 295, with Pereira having the chance to become the latest two-weight world champion.

Cole Shelton - November 8, 2023

Loopy Godinez didn’t think she would fight again this year but was thrilled when she was offered to return at UFC 295. After Godinez submitted Elise Reed in the second round at Noche UFC, a week later she got the call to face Tabatha Ricci at UFC 295. It was an exciting opportunity and for Godinez, she’s honored to be able to fight at Madison Square Garden.

Cole Shelton - November 8, 2023

Mackenzie Dern is still dealing with the aftermath of her divorce ahead of her UFC 295 fight against Jessica Andrade. Dern revealed she got a divorce ahead of her last fight against Angela Hill, which she won by decision back in May. It was a dominant performance, but Dern admitted there were a lot of mental struggles ahead of the fight.

Cole Shelton - November 8, 2023

Sergei Pavlovich doesn’t think he’s fighting for the interim heavyweight title on Saturday. Pavlovich is set to fight Tom Aspinall in the co-main event of UFC 295 from Madison Square Garden on Saturday. Originally, the card was supposed to be headlined by a heavyweight title fight between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic. However, just over two weeks out from the event, Jones tore his pec so the promotion made an interim title fight between Pavlovich and Aspinall.

Josh Evanoff - November 8, 2023

PFL’s World Championship card has taken a bit of a turn, as Kayla Harrison will now face Aspen Ladd. The former tournament winner has been out of action for a year, last competing at PFL 10 last Fall. That night, Kayla Harrison suffered the first loss of her career in her trilogy bout with Larissa Pacheco. While the former Judoka had hoped for a future bout with Cris Cyborg, that was blown up for the moment.

Cole Shelton - November 8, 2023

UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley had his first faceoff with Marlon Vera since their rematch became official. Earlier this week, UFC CEO Dana White announced that O’Malley would defend his bantamweight title in the main event of UFC 299 against Vera. It serves as a rematch of their 2020 fight that Vera won by first-round TKO in a bout that O’Malley hurt his ankle.

Cole Shelton - November 8, 2023

In the main event of UFC 295, the vacant light heavyweight title is up for grabs as Jiri Prochazka takes on Alex Pereira. Heading into the fight, Prochazka is a +100 underdog while the Brazilian is a -128 favorite on FanDuel. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the title fight. The pros slightly lean towards Prochazka becoming the light heavyweight champion again at UFC 295, but all expect this to be a very exciting scrap.

Josh Evanoff - November 8, 2023

Former heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder is serious about potentially facing Francis Ngannou in the cage. ‘The Bronze Bomber’ is currently awaiting his next opponent, defeating Robert Helenius last year. Following the win, Deontay Wilder was ordered to face Andy Ruiz Jr. by the WBC. However, talks with ‘Destroyer’ as well as Anthony Joshua fell apart, leaving the former champion without an opponent.

Josh Evanoff - November 8, 2023

UFC light-heavyweight Anthony Smith is still backing Jon Jones if he ever faces Francis Ngannou. ‘The Predator’ returned to action late last month in Saudi Arabia in the boxing ring against Tyson Fury. There, Francis Ngannou turned in a spirited effort, knocking down ‘The Gypsy King’ in round three. However, it wasn’t enough to earn a win, as the boxer instead scored a split-decision victory.

Cole Shelton - November 8, 2023

Alex Pereira is rooting for Dillon Danis to get a UFC deal and fight in the Las Vegas-based promotion. Danis was recently released from his contract with Bellator after boxing Logan Paul. Since then, he has been vocal on social media that he wants to fight in the UFC. Although Danis hasn’t fought in MMA since 2019, Alex Pereira believes ‘El Jefe’ would have success in the promotion as he’s a very talented fighter.

Susan Cox - November 8, 2023

Daniel Cormier believes a lengthy layoff ‘is going to hurt’ Jiri Prochazka in title fight with Alex Pereira at UFC 295. UFC 295 will take place this coming Saturday, November 11th at Madison Square Garden in New York City.