MMA News

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.

Zain Bando - October 30, 2023

Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn said he liked what he saw from former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou Saturday night in a losing effort to Tyson Fury. Although Ngannou did not possess prior boxing experience before facing the WBC heavyweight champion, Hearn said Ngannou’s fights would generate more and more attention moving forward.

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.

Josh Evanoff - October 30, 2023

PFL heavyweight Francis Ngannou might end up welcoming Deontay Wilder to the cage in 2024. ‘The Predator’ is fresh off his boxing debut over the weekend in Saudi Arabia against Tyson Fury. Despite entering the contest a massive underdog, Francis Ngannou nearly upset ‘The Gypsy King’. While he suffered a split-decision loss, he was praised by many, including Eddie Hearn, Mike Tyson, and more.

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.

Susan Cox - October 30, 2023

Dricus Du Plessis is reacting to talk of Khamzat Chimaev receiving the next title shot against Sean Strickland. The undefeated Chimaev (13-0 MMA) is hot off a majority decision win over Kamaru Usman (20-4 MMA) at UFC 294.

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.

BJPENN.COM Staff - October 30, 2023

Anatoly Malykhin fully believes that Kang Ji Won is more than capable of raining on Ben Tynan’s parade at ONE Fight Night 16 on Prime Video on November 3. Kang and Tynan face each other in a heavyweight MMA clash. The bout airs live in U.S. primetime from the legendary Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

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.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - October 29, 2023

UFC middleweight king Sean Strickland thinks it would be wise for parents to not support their kids’ dream of becoming an MMA fighter. Strickland is known for going against the status quo, and isn’t afraid to speak his mind. Strickland recently turned some heads, advising aspiring MMA fighters to spend their youth doing something else to build their lives. It’s a take that not many top MMA fighters have, but Strickland isn’t like many.