MMA News
ONE Championship lands expansive deal with DirecTV
BJPENN.COM Staff - September 22, 2023
ONE Championship has made a groundbreaking move that will revolutionize the world of combat sports broadcasting. The world’s largest martial arts organization has just inked a partnership with DirecTV.
Retired fan-favorite Chris Leben to make Nevada judging debut at UFC Vegas 79: "Grateful"
Josh Evanoff - September 22, 2023
Former UFC veteran Chris Leben has taken his talents to the side of the cage. ‘The Crippler’ is one of the more colorful characters in MMA history. The inaugural WEC middleweight champion, he later signed to the UFC in 2005. Over the next nine years, Chris Leben would face some of the biggest names in the sport, including Anderson Silva, Wanderlei Silva, and more.
Francis Ngannou explains why he signed with PFL over other promotions: "It was day and night"
Josh Evanoff - September 22, 2023
Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou has explained how he found himself in the PFL. ‘The Predator’ has been out of the cage for well over a year, last defeating Ciryl Gane last January. That was famously the last fight on Francis Ngannou’s contract, as he became a free agent following the bout. Quickly, he got into talks with PFL, Bellator, ONE Championship, as well as professional boxers.
Stephen Thompson verbally agrees to face Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 296: "Can't wait"
Josh Evanoff - September 22, 2023
UFC welterweight contenders Stephen Thompson and Shavkat Rakhmonov will clash in December. ‘Wonderboy’ seemingly targeted Kamaru Usman after his canceled bout with Michel Pereira earlier this summer. At the time, Stephen Thompson stated that he was uninterested in facing up-and-comers such as Shavkat Rakhmonov. Instead, he would prefer to face former champions such as ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’. The bout was targeted for December after the former titleholder showed interest.
Daniel Cormier praises Leon Edwards for his improvements, but warns him not to underestimate Colby Covington
Susan Cox - September 22, 2023
Daniel Cormier is praising Leon Edwards for his improvements, but warns him not to underestimate Colby Covington. It was announced earlier this week that UFC 296 would feature Colby Covington (17-3 MMA) vs Leon Edwards (21-3 MMA) in a welterweight title fight. UFC 296 takes place on Saturday, December 16th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Colby Covington expresses interest in fighting “f**king punk” Sean Strickland following UFC 293
Susan Cox - September 22, 2023
Colby Covington is expressing his interest in fighting ‘f**king punk’ Sean Strickland following UFC 293. It was on Saturday, September 10th at UFC 293 at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia that saw Sean Strickland (28-5 MMA) defeat Israel Adesanya (24-3 MMA) to become the newly crowned UFC middleweight champion.
Rampage Jackson reveals Nate Diaz was suffering from a pinched nerve in boxing match with Jake Paul
Susan Cox - September 22, 2023
Rampage Jackson has revealed that Nate Diaz was suffering from a pinched nerve in his boxing match with Jake Paul. Nate Diaz faced Jake Paul in a professional boxing match, billed ‘Ready 4 War’, at the American Airlines Center in Dallas on Saturday August 5th.
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.
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.
Cris Cyborg reveals the recent conversation she had with UFC CEO Dana White: “I already forgave him”
Harry Kettle - September 22, 2023
Bellator star Cris Cyborg has revealed that he has made amends with UFC president Dana White following their feud. At Bellator 300, Cris Cyborg will return to the cage to battle Cat Zingano as she defends her Bellator featherweight championship. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen her compete for the promotion, but that doesn’t take away from her position as a legend – both for Bellator and mixed martial arts in general.
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.
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.
Jared Cannonier reveals how close he was to stepping into UFC 293 main event: "Would have been funny as hell"
Josh Evanoff - September 21, 2023
UFC middleweight contender Jared Cannonier was pretty close to stepping in at UFC 293. ‘Killa Gorilla’ has been out of action since a unanimous decision win over Marvin Vettori in June. That was Jared Cannonier’s second victory in a row, previously defeating Sean Strickland in December. That winning streak, but a 2022 loss to Israel Adesanya, led to ‘Tarzan’ getting a title shot at UFC 293.
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.
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.