MMA News

Harry Kettle - October 31, 2023

PFL founder Donn Davis has accused Nate Diaz of hiding behind a rock and avoiding an MMA fight with Jake Paul. Earlier this year, Nate Diaz went head to head with Jake Paul in a boxing match. In the end, after a strange encounter, it was Paul who was able to get his hand raised in victory.

BJPENN.COM Staff - October 31, 2023

Magomed Abdulkadirov is on a mission to put the submission grappling world on notice, and his opportunity to do so comes on November 3. He faces Tye Ruotolo for the inaugural ONE Welterweight Submission Grappling World Title. The bout takes place at ONE Fight Night 16 on Prime Video and broadcasts live from the legendary Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

BJPENN.COM Staff - October 31, 2023

Zhang Peimian knows that he cannot afford to slip up in his next assignment. The Chinese kickboxer is booked to slug it out with Rui Botelho in a three-round strawweight duel at ONE Fight Night 16 on Prime Video. This event airs live in U.S. primetime from the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on November 3.

Susan Cox - October 30, 2023

Robert Whittaker is weighing in on the proposed Khamzat Chimaev vs. Sean Strickland match-up. Khamzat Chimaev (13-0 MMA) is hot off a majority decision victory over Kamaru Usman (20-4 MMA) which took place on October 21st at UFC 294.

Cole Shelton - October 30, 2023

Jon Jones has shared his thoughts on Francis Ngannou’s split decision loss to Tyson Fury on Saturday. Jones and Ngannou have been linked to a fight for quite some time as ‘Bones’ talked about moving up to heavyweight for years. When he finally did make the move to heavyweight, Ngannou was a free agent and the UFC couldn’t come to terms with him and he ended up signing with a PFL.

Cole Shelton - October 30, 2023

Francis Ngannou would be the betting underdog once again if he rematches Tyson Fury. Ngannou was a massive underdog against Fury, as the Brit was an above -1000 favorite. Many expected Fury to cruise to a win given it was Ngannou’s boxing debut. However, the fight was much closer as Ngannou even dropped Fury, and when the final bell rang, people were split on who won.

Josh Evanoff - October 30, 2023

Mike Tyson doesn’t necessarily believe that Francis Ngannou was robbed in his boxing match with Tyson Fury. ‘The Predator’ made his boxing debut over the weekend against ‘The Gypsy King’ in Saudi Arabia. For his part, Francis Ngannou entered the matchup a massive underdog, despite his all-star corner, including Mike Tyson, Eric Nicksick, and Dewey Cooper. Meanwhile, Tyson Fury was a 14-to-1 favorite for the bout.

Josh Evanoff - October 30, 2023

UFC bantamweight contenders Henry Cejudo and Merab Dvalishvili will reportedly meet next year. ‘Triple C’ has been out of action since his long-awaited return in May against Aljamain Sterling. The fight was Henry Cejudo’s first in over three years and he suffered a close decision defeat. Following the defeat, he called out ‘The Funk Master’s teammate, Merab Dvalishvili, for a title-eliminator bout. However, the former champion was later booked for a canceled fight with Marlon Vera.

BJPENN.COM Staff - October 30, 2023

John Lineker firmly believes that Jonathan Haggerty will give Fabricio Andrade a run for his money in their upcoming clash. Haggerty and Andrade square off for the vacant ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Title. This bout headlines ONE Fight Night 16 on Prime Video, airing live in U.S. primetime from the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on November 3.

Josh Evanoff - October 30, 2023

It seems that the PFL’s sale with Bellator might be going through after all. As most MMA fans are aware, the Scott Coker-led company has had its troubles in 2023. For most of this year, Bellator has been linked to a potential sale to the PFL. The news was first reported by Todd Atkins earlier this summer. For the most part, the million-dollar deal has been played out in public, as Viacom confirmed their plans to drop combat sports from Showtime.

Cole Shelton - October 30, 2023

Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou is interested in knowing what Dana White thought of his boxing match against Tyson Fury. Earlier this year, the UFC announced that Ngannou would be released from his deal, as the two sides did not see eye-to-eye. Throughout Ngannou’s contract negotiation, he and White were not getting along, and when he became a free agent, the UFC CEO wasn’t thrilled with his former champ.

Susan Cox - October 30, 2023

Conor McGregor is saying he can ‘relate’ to Alexander Volkanovski’s comments about needing to stay active. It was a week ago, at UFC 294, that Alexander Volkanovski (26-3 MMA) took a fight (on late notice) with Islam Makhachev (25-1 MMA) and was defeated by KO at 3:06 of Round 1.  While not the outcome the 35 year old had hoped for, he spoke about how important it is for him to stay active in the cage.

Harry Kettle - October 30, 2023

Francis Ngannou has explained why he plans to continue competing in both MMA and boxing after his fight with Tyson Fury. Last Saturday night, Francis Ngannou shocked the world. He went toe to toe with Tyson Fury in his pro boxing debut, and he came incredibly close to beating him. While he ultimately lost via split decision, many feel as if he did enough to get the job done.

Harry Kettle - October 30, 2023

Khamzat Chimaev reportedly suffered a torn ligament as opposed to a broken hand in his fight against Kamaru Usman at UFC 294. Earlier this month, Khamzat Chimaev went to war with Kamaru Usman at UFC 294. While Usman put in an incredible effort, Chimaev was the one who ultimately walked away as the winner.

Harry Kettle - October 30, 2023

Lineal heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury believes ring rust played a big role in his performance against Francis Ngannou. Last weekend, Tyson Fury defeated Francis Ngannou via split decision in their boxing showdown in Saudi Arabia. However, that doesn’t even come close to telling the full story. ‘The Gypsy King’ was dropped by ‘The Predator’ in the third round, with many believing that Ngannou did enough to get the nod on the scorecards. In the end, though, it simply wasn’t meant to be for the former UFC champion.

Harry Kettle - October 30, 2023

MMA analyst Chael Sonnen has explained why he was ‘heartbroken’ over the result of Tyson Fury vs Francis Ngannou. Last weekend in Saudi Arabia, Francis Ngannou shocked the world. While he didn’t get his hand raised at the conclusion of his battle with Tyson Fury, he was able to put in a performance that few could’ve fathomed. He took Fury to the limit and even dropped him, only losing via controversial split decision.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - October 29, 2023

Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou went from being a massive underdog in a boxing match with Tyson Fury, to being a top 10 WBC heavyweight. Ngannou stunned the boxing world when he gave Fury a world of trouble in their clash on Saturday night (October 28). Fury found himself on the canvas, and struggled with Ngannou’s pressure at times. In the end, Fury did enough in the eyes of two of the ringside judges to earn the split nod after 10 rounds of action.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - October 29, 2023

Ex-boxing world champion Carl Frampton has some high praise for Francis Ngannou following his impressive showing against Tyson Fury. Ngannou was expecting to fold against Fury in their boxing match, but stunned fight fans despite not leaving Saudi Arabia with a win. Ngannou was competitive against the general consensus best heavyweight in the world, and even scored a knockdown. Ultimately, Ngannou fell short via split decision.