MMA News
Japanese MMA legend Shinya Aoki hopes to put forth dazzling performance against Mikey Musumeci
BJPENN.COM Staff - September 22, 2023
Shinya Aoki stands on the precipice of an extraordinary encounter against Mikey Musumeci. Both men will collide in an openweight submission grappling contest at ONE Fight Night 15 on Prime Video. The match airs live in U.S. primetime from the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, October 6.
Tyron Woodley reveals the one opponent he would return to the UFC to fight: “The only person I would just want to beat the f—k out of”
Harry Kettle - September 22, 2023
Tyron Woodley has revealed the one UFC fighter he’d return to face if he were given the opportunity to do so. In his prime, Tyron Woodley was one of the best fighters in the Ultimate Fighting Championship – and perhaps mixed martial arts as a whole. He had the kind of fight style that ensured he could take on all comers, and he was the UFC welterweight champion. Unfortunately, he didn’t end his UFC career in the best way, losing four straight fights before leaving the promotion.
Bellator star Aaron Pico shares some advice for young up and coming fighters
Harry Kettle - September 22, 2023
Bellator fighter Aaron Pico has shared some advice with young prospects as he prepares to return to the cage. This weekend, Aaron Pico will return to action when he locks horns with Pedro Carvalho at Bellator 299 in Dublin. He’s currently on a 7-1 run, with the one defeat in question coming via shoulder injury against Jeremy Kennedy. Prior to that, however, he began his career in less than ideal circumstances.
Alex Pereira believes he caught Jiri Prochazka “off guard” with UFC 295 booking: “You can't just wing things”
Harry Kettle - September 22, 2023
Alex Pereira believes that he caught Jiri Prochazka off guard by agreeing to fight him as early as UFC 295. Back in the summer, Alex Pereira edged out a split decision win over Jan Blachowicz in his light heavyweight debut. Following a victory of that magnitude, many felt as if ‘Poatan’ would be next in line for a shot at the UFC light heavyweight championship. As it turns out, that’s exactly what will happen, as the Brazilian prepares to lock horns with Jiri Prochazka at UFC 295 in New York City.
Bryan Battle hopes to "answer some questions" with a stoppage win over AJ Fletcher at UFC Vegas 79
Cole Shelton - September 21, 2023
Bryan Battle is ready to prove to everyone just how good he is. Battle won TUF 30 at middleweight and is 5-1 in the UFC, but is 3-1 since dropping down to welterweight. Last time out, he returned to the win column with a 14-second knockout win over Gabe Green.
Michelle Waterson-Gomez plans to build off the "really great moments" she had against Marina Rodriguez in rematch at UFC Vegas 79
Cole Shelton - September 21, 2023
Michelle Waterson-Gomez is set for the first rematch of her carer. Waterson-Gomez is set to take on Marina Rodriguez at UFC Vegas 79, as the two fought back in May of 2021. The fight was put together on short notice and was a five-round main event at 125lbs.
Mateusz Gamrot plans to make a "statement" against Rafael Fiziev at UFC Vegas 79 to prove he's "real deal"
Cole Shelton - September 21, 2023
Mateusz Gamrot is ready to prove he’s a legit title contender at lightweight at UFC Vegas 79. Gamrot is set for his second UFC main event as he takes on Rafael Fiziev on Saturday night from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. In his first UFC main event, Gamrot edged out a split decision against Arman Tsarukyan. With the win, he got a chance to fight a top-five opponent in Beneil Dariush, but he lost by a decision.
Colby Covington says no one at welterweight is "deserving" of a title shot, eyes first title defense against Islam Makhachev
Cole Shelton - September 21, 2023
Colby Covington doesn’t think anybody at welterweight deserves a title fight. Covington is set to fight Leon Edwards in the main event of UFC 296 for the welterweight title on Dec. 16. It’s a big fight and in the lead-up, ‘Chaos’ is confident he will become the champ with a stoppage win over Edwards.
Tyson Fury's manager defends his physique ahead of Francis Ngannou fight: "They're taking this very seriously"
Josh Evanoff - September 21, 2023
Tyson Fury’s manager Spencer Brown wants fans to know that he’s taking his boxing match with Francis Ngannou seriously. ‘The Gypsy King’ and ‘The Predator’ are slated to face-off next month in Saudi Arabia. For Tyson Fury, the fight will be his first since a knockout win over Derek Chisora last year. Meanwhile, the boxing match will be the first of Francis Ngannou’s combat sports career to date.
Colby Covington planning to put Leon Edwards' "lights out" at UFC 296 to win welterweight title: "Complete domination"
Cole Shelton - September 21, 2023
Colby Covington has a ton of confidence heading into his fight against Leon Edwards. Covington is set to face Edwards in the main event of UFC 296 on Dec. 16 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas for the welterweight title. Although the fight just got officially made, Colby Covington has been preparing for Leon Edwards for months. With that, he expects to be too much for the champ and will get a stoppage win.
Jason 'Mayhem' Miller releases introspective statement following latest arrest: "I'm doing everything I can to change"
Josh Evanoff - September 21, 2023
Jason ‘Mayhem’ Miller has released a public statement following his arrest last month. The 42-year-old was famously one of the earliest stars to come from MMA. Fighting from 2001 to 2016, he fought everywhere from the UFC to DREAM. Furthermore, signature wins over names such as Kazushi Sakuraba and Tim Kennedy saw Jason Miller earn a mainstream following.
Report | Paul Felder to end brief retirement for UFC 300 return
Josh Evanoff - September 21, 2023
Former UFC lightweight contender Paul Felder is eyeing a return. ‘The Irish Dragon’ is still working for the UFC in a commentary capacity. However, following back-to-back losses to Rafael dos Anjos and Dan Hooker in 2020, Paul Felder openly began discussing retirement. The following May, the lightweight contender formally announced his retirement from fighting.
Daniel Cormier believes Stipe Miocic is carrying a chip on his shoulder ahead of UFC 295: “This is one of the most dangerous men on the planet”
Susan Cox - September 21, 2023
Daniel Cormier believes Stipe Miocic is carrying a chip on his shoulder ahead of UFC 295. UFC 295 takes place on Saturday, November 11th at the Madison Square Garden in New York City.
UFC bantamweight contender Marlon Vera explains why it’s so easy to beat USADA: “You need like 20 grand”
Susan Cox - September 21, 2023
UFC bantamweight contender Marlon Vera is explaining why it’s so easy to beat the USADA. Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera (21-8 MMA) recently fought and defeated Pedro Munhoz (20-8 MMA) this past August at UFC 292.
Pro fighters make their picks for Rafael Fiziev vs. Mateusz Gamrot
Cole Shelton - September 21, 2023
In the main event of UFC Vegas 79 at the UFC Apex on Saturday, a battle of top-10 lightweights goes down as Rafael Fiziev takes on Mateusz Gamrot. Heading into the fight, Fiziev is a -166 favorite while the Pole is a +130 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to make their picks for the fight. The pros lean towards Fiziev getting his hand raised, but they do believe it will be a close fight. The pros expect Fiziev will be able to piece up Gamrot on the feet and either get a late stoppage or a clear-cut decision.
Video | Colby Covington reacts after booking Leon Edwards title fight at UFC 296: “America’s champ is back!”
Susan Cox - September 21, 2023
Colby Covington is reacting after booking Leon Edwards title fight at UFC 296. It was announced just yesterday by UFC CEO, Dana White, that the UFC 296 main event welterweight title fight will feature Colby Covington (17-3 MMA) vs Leon Edwards (21-3 MMA). UFC 296 will take place on Saturday, December 16th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Dana Whites announces three title fights, including Colby Covington vs. Leon Edwards to headline UFC 296
Cole Shelton - September 20, 2023
UFC CEO Dana White has announced some major fights for the last two pay-per-views of the year. White announced on the UFC’s social media the co-main event for UFC 295 on Nov. 11 at Madison Square Garden while also announcing the main and co-main event for UFC 296 in December.
Israel Adesanya says he'll be fighting "just for fun" after losing middleweight title at UFC 293
Cole Shelton - September 20, 2023
Israel Adesanya will be fighting for fun now as he says the belt doesn’t matter to him. At UFC 293, Adesanya lost his middleweight title as he dropped a decision to Sean Strickland in a rather one-sided fight. It was a disappointing performance for Izzy, and since then, many have wondered what would be next for Adesanya, as there were talks of running it back.