MMA News
Matt Frevola hopes Benoit Saint-Denis tries to grapple him at UFC 295, believes it's a "perfect fight" for him
Cole Shelton - November 7, 2023
Matt Frevola always knew his next fight would be at Madison Square Garden. Frevola started the year off with an upset first-round TKO win over Drew Dober in May. After the victory, Frevola knew he would be fighting at home at Madison Square Garden but wasn’t sure if he’d be able to sneak in another fight before then.
Jason Knight expects to make Randy Costa "quit" at Gambred Bareknuckle MMA, hopes UFC call comes next
Cole Shelton - November 7, 2023
Jason Knight will be fighting for the first time since he competed on The Ultimate Fighter. Knight lost in the semi-finals of TUF 21 to the eventual winner Kurt Holobaugh in a back-and-forth war. Although Knight lost by second-round TKO, Dana White called it the fight of the season, so ‘Hick Diaz’ was hopeful to get a UFC deal which unfortunately never came.
Mayra Bueno Silva claims news of her being cut is "bullshit," says UFC 297 title fight still on
Cole Shelton - November 7, 2023
Mayra Bueno Silva says she will still be fighting for UFC gold on January 20 at UFC 297. It was announced that Bueno Silva will face Raquel Pennington for the vacant women’s bantamweight title in the co-main event of UFC 297 on Jan. 20 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. However, on Tuesday, X account UFC Roster Watch sent out a tweet that revealed Bueno Silva was removed from the roster.
Tom Aspinall admits knee injury made him want to "quit" MMA: "I didn’t want to carry on"
Cole Shelton - November 7, 2023
Tom Aspinall admits he wanted to quit MMA after he tore his ACL during his UFC London main event against Curtis Blaydes. Aspinall was set for his second UFC headliner spot back in July of 2022 when he took on Blaydes. It was a pivotal fight as had the Brit won he likely would have gotten a title shot. However, just 15 seconds into the fight, Aspinall blew his knee out and needed to be stretched out of the Octagon.
Alex Pereira doesn't buy Israel Adesanya's hiatus talk: "He needs a bit more motivation"
Josh Evanoff - November 7, 2023
Former UFC middleweight champion Alex Pereira believes Israel Adesanya is just lacking some motivation. ‘The Last Stylebender’ has been out of action since a title defense against Sean Strickland at UFC 293. Despite heading into the matchup a massive favorite, Israel Adesanya was dominated that night earlier this year. ‘Tarzan’ dropped the champion in round one, eventually winning by unanimous decision on the scorecards.
WATCH | Tony Ferguson trains with David Goggins ahead of UFC 296 return against Paddy Pimblett
Josh Evanoff - November 7, 2023
Former UFC interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson is pulling out all the stops ahead of his return against Paddy Pimblett. ‘El Cucuy’ has been out of the octagon since a clash with Bobby Green in July at UFC 291. Despite dropping ‘King’ in the first round, Tony Ferguson suffered a third-round submission defeat. The loss was the former champion’s sixth in a row, and he received many calls to retire post-fight.
REPORT | Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou did better PPV numbers than first believed
Josh Evanoff - November 7, 2023
According to Ariel Helwani, Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou’s boxing match was far more successful than first thought. ‘The Gypsy King’ and ‘The Predator’ faced off in a high-profile boxing match last month in Saudi Arabia. The two headlined an ESPN pay-per-view offering, with Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou in the main event. Despite the boxer heading into the matchup a massive favorite, it didn’t look that way on fight night.
Dustin Poirier says he needs an opponent that "really, really motivates me" for him to return
Cole Shelton - November 7, 2023
Dustin Poirier isn’t sure when or who he will fight in his return. Poirier is coming off a KO loss to Justin Gaethje in July for the vacant BMF title. It was a rematch of their 2018 fight which Poirier had won by fourth-round TKO in one of the best scraps of the year.
The UFC parts ways with three more fighters, including Mayra Bueno Silva?
Susan Cox - November 7, 2023
The UFC has parted ways with three more fighters according to recent reports from @UFCRosterWatch on ‘X’. It should be noted that it has not been confirmed if all of these moves were outright releases, contracts which were not renewed or suspensions.
Aljamain Sterling discusses his relationship with UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones: “We aren't as cool as we once were”
Susan Cox - November 7, 2023
Aljamain Sterling is discussing his relationship with UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones. Sterling (23-4 MMA) and Jones (27-1 MMA) were junior college wrestling teammates at SUNY Morrisville.
Islam Makhachev takes over top spot in UFC pound for pound rankings
Susan Cox - November 7, 2023
Islam Makhachev has taken over top stop in the UFC pound-for-pound rankings. The reigning lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev (25-1 MMA) has taken the No. 1 spot away from the current heavyweight champion Jon Jones (27-1 MMA) on the pound-for-pound official UFC rankings.
Dricus Du Plessis taunts Team Adesanya after receiving title shot against Sean Strickland at UFC 297: “A fumble never looked this good”
Susan Cox - November 7, 2023
Dricus Du Plessis is taunting Team Adesanya after receiving title shot against Sean Strickland at UFC 297. It was not that long ago that City Kickboxing head coach, and coach for former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, Eugene Bareman, told the media that Dricus Du Plesis would have to ‘fight someone else’ after passing on the UFC 293 headliner.
Seksan eager to compete on U.S. soil after ONE Fight Night 16 win: "It's one of my dreams"
BJPENN.COM Staff - November 7, 2023
Following his U.S. primetime debut at ONE Fight Night 16 on Prime Video last Friday, November 3, Seksan Or Kwanmuang harbors a strong desire to showcase his skills in front of a live American audience. His triumphant outing against Karim Bennoui in a 140-pound catchweight Muay Thai contest was not just another win in his illustrious career. It also marked his 200th victory.
Stephen Thompson says the UFC “settled” pay dispute from cancelled Michel Pereira fight
Harry Kettle - November 7, 2023
Stephen Thompson has revealed that his financial dispute with the Ultimate Fighting Championship is now over. Next month, Stephen Thompson will take on top welterweight contender Shavkat Rakhmonov. It serves as a huge opportunity for the veteran as he attempts to make one final title push before walking away from mixed martial arts.
Israel Adesanya explains why he wants to see Francis Ngannou fight in MMA next: “I just want to see him use all f*cking limbs”
Harry Kettle - November 7, 2023
Israel Adesanya has explained why he wants to see his close friend Francis Ngannou compete in MMA for his next fight. Last month, Francis Ngannou went toe to toe with Tyson Fury in his first pro boxing match. It was an intriguing, competitive affair, and in the end, Fury was the one who edged out a decision win. In equal measure, though, Ngannou put forward a sensational showing and even managed to drop ‘The Gypsy King’ in the third round.
Opening odds released for newly announced title fights at UFC 297, UFC 298 and UFC 299
Harry Kettle - November 7, 2023
A string of odds have been released in the wake of an announcement made by Dana White regarding UFC’s first three PPV main events of the year. Last night, Dana White made a string of blockbuster announcements regarding the first few pay-per-view events of the year for the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Cory Sandhagen reacts to news that Sean O’Malley will be fighting Marlon Vera at UFC 299: “That’s a bummer. March? Damn.”
Harry Kettle - November 7, 2023
UFC bantamweight Cory Sandhagen has given his thoughts on the announced title showdown between Sean O’Malley and Marlon Vera. Last night, UFC president Dana White announced that Sean O’Malley and Marlon Vera will battle it out over the UFC bantamweight championship at UFC 299. While many are excited about their rematch, others wonder whether or not Vera has earned the right to get such a fight. While he did beat Pedro Munhoz in his last outing, it wasn’t overly convincing, and he lost fairly convincingly to Cory Sandhagen prior to that.
What's next for Jailton Almeida and Derrick Lewis after UFC Sao Paulo?
Cole Shelton - November 6, 2023
In the main event of UFC Sao Paulo, top-10 heavyweights collided as Jailton Almeida took on Derrick Lewis who accepted the fight on short notice. Almeida entered the fight coming off a first-round stoppage over Jairzinho Rozenstruik back in May in his first UFC headlining spot. He was a perfect 5-0 in the UFC coming into his second headling spot at UFC Sao Paulo. Lewis, meanwhile, had snapped his three-fight losing streak back in July with a first-round KO over Marcos Rogerio de Lima.