MMA News
Tyson Fury saddened by Mike Tyson coaching Francis Ngannou: "Should be in my corner, not the losing corner"
Josh Evanoff - September 14, 2023
Tyson Fury is a little saddened by Mike Tyson training Francis Ngannou for their boxing match. In October, ‘The Gypsy King’ and ‘The Predator’ will collide in Saudi Arabia. For Francis Ngannou, the boxing match will be the first of his combat sports career thus far. To help prepare for his fight against Tyson Fury, the PFL heavyweight has brought Mike Tyson into his camp.
Kevin Holland uninterested in future UFC title fight: "Why are you guys so focused on the f*cking belt all the time?"
Josh Evanoff - September 14, 2023
UFC welterweight contender Kevin Holland isn’t exactly eyeing a title fight anytime soon. ‘Big Mouth’ has been out of the octagon since a first-round submission win over Michael Chiesa in July. That was Kevin Holland’s second stoppage victory in a row, previously knocking out Santiago Ponzibbio in April at UFC 287. Now, he’s set for his third fight of the year opposite Jack Della Maddalena this Saturday.
PHOTO | 'Robbed' John Makdessi shows detailed UFC 293 payout from loss to Jamie Mullarkey
Josh Evanoff - September 14, 2023
UFC lightweight contender John Makdessi isn’t happy following his loss to Jamie Mullarkey. ‘The Bull’ made his return to the octagon on the prelims of UFC 293 earlier this month. Coming off a unanimous decision loss to Nasrat Haqparast last September, John Makdessi returned to face Jamie Mullarkey. For his part, the Australian entered the contest off a June knockout loss to Muhammad Naimov.
Robert Whittaker questions if the UFC will keep letting Israel Adesanya get title rematches: "Relax, that's the fight game"
Fernando Quiles Jr. - September 14, 2023
Robert Whittaker isn’t so sure the UFC would set a good precedent for the middleweight division if Israel Adesanya keeps receiving title rematches. It has been talked about ad nauseam, but “The Last Stylebender” recently suffered one of the biggest upsets in MMA history. He was outclassed by Sean Strickland to the point where “Izzy” only had one round in the bag. Strickland flustered Adesanya in a way very few expected, and it led to him capturing the UFC Middleweight Championship via unanimous decision.
Alexa Grasso fires back at Valentina Shevchenko ahead of Noche UFC: "We know that there are no accidents"
Fernando Quiles Jr. - September 14, 2023
UFC women’s flyweight champion Alexa Grasso has responded to Valentina Shevchenko’s comments on their first encounter. Back in March, Grasso challenged Shevchenko for the 125-pound gold at UFC 285. “Bullet” lost the championship after being submitted in the fourth round via face crank. Since that fight, Shevchenko has been adamant that the loss was due to a mistake she made, rather than Grasso’s skill and preparation.
Coach Javier Mendez names the fight that “could be as big as Conor McGregor vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov” for Sean O’Malley
Fernando Quiles Jr. - September 14, 2023
American Kickboxing Academy coach Javier Mendez thinks there’s one fighter who can challenge Sean O’Malley that’ll bring in as much hype as Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor. Fight fans haven’t forgotten about the nasty feud between “The Eagle” and the “Notorious” one. Back in October 2018, Nurmagomedov and McGregor settled their differences (not really) inside the Octagon. In the main event of UFC 229, Nurmagomedov forced McGregor to tap out in the fourth round. “The Eagle” then infamously hopped the cage and went after McGregor’s teammate Dillon Danis in the crowd.
Kamaru Usman shares some advice for Israel Adesanya following his title loss to Sean Strickland at UFC 293
Harry Kettle - September 14, 2023
Kamaru Usman has offered some advice to Israel Adesanya following his shocking loss to Sean Strickland at UFC 293. Last weekend at UFC 293, Israel Adesanya was beaten by Sean Strickland. It served as a huge upset, with Strickland taking home the UFC middleweight championship as a result of his triumph. In terms of what’s next, nobody really knows for sure, but the popular opinion is that ‘Stylebender’ will receive an immediate rematch at some stage.
Henry Cejudo explains why Israel Adesanya will “one hundred percent” get a rematch with Sean Strickland: “When you’re Dana White’s boy”
Harry Kettle - September 14, 2023
Henry Cejudo has explained why Israel Adesanya will end up receiving a rematch against Sean Strickland. Last weekend at UFC 293, Israel Adesanya was beaten by Sean Strickland. It served as one of the biggest upsets in UFC history, with Adesanya losing his middleweight championship as a result. In more ways than one, it was the kind of outcome that sent shockwaves through the sport of mixed martial arts.
Dana White reveals the two fighters who “tried to destroy the company” during the early days of UFC: “Two of the worst guys to ever f**king deal with”
Harry Kettle - September 14, 2023
UFC president Dana White has revealed the two fighters who he believes attempted to destroy the company back in the day. It’s no secret that Dana White has made some enemies over the years. The boss isn’t afraid to be cut-throat when he feels the need to do so and in equal measure, he’s had plenty of fighters speak out against him in the past. Regardless of who you believe, White has certainly stuck to his guns on several occasions – for better or worse.
Christos Giagos expecting a "war" against Daniel Zellhuber at Noche UFC: “I'll bring it to him”
Cole Shelton - September 13, 2023
Christos Giagos is eager to finally fight in front of fans again. All three of His last fights have come at the UFC Apex with no crowd, which has been hard for him as Giagos says he is a crowd fighter who feeds off the energy of fans. However, he will not be the crowd favorite on Saturday as he’s booked to return at Noche UFC against Mexican Daniel Zellhuber.
Dana White praises newly crowned UFC champion Sean Strickland: "He's as hot as can be"
Zain Bando - September 13, 2023
Sean Strickland’s increased Instagram following post-UFC 293 has the world buzzing Less than a week after winning the UFC middleweight title in a one-sided unanimous decision against Israel Adesanya, Sean Strickland’s popularity has risen in droves, which drew the attention of UFC president and newly-minted CEO Dana White. 100,000 Instagram followers later, Strickland, who won 49-46 on all three judges scorecards, had White reflect upon the current state of the middleweight division, a potential immediate rematch for Strickland with Adesanya, and the unpredictable nature of MMA and upset-centric title fights.
UFC champion Sean Strickland shares his thoughts on Andrew Tate: “Here’s the thing…”
Cole Shelton - September 13, 2023
UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland has taken aim at Andrew Tate. Tate is a former kickboxer who became super famous on social media and claimed that he conquered the internet. However, he also has been in trouble with the law, as he is currently under investigation for human trafficking and rape, which he has denied.
Valentina Shevchenko vows to be the most "dangerous" version of herself at Noche UFC to reclaim her belt: "It's going to be no mercy"
Cole Shelton - September 13, 2023
Valentina Shevchenko is confident she will reclaim her flyweight title on Saturday at Noche UFC. Shevchenko is set to rematch Alexa Grasso on Saturday night in the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, which is the same place she lost the belt to the Mexican back in March in a massive upset. Heading into the rematch, Shevchenko is still the betting favorite and she has plenty of confidence that she will reclaim her belt.
Jonathan Haggerty-Fabricio Andrade World Title bout to main event ONE Fight Night 16
BJPENN.COM Staff - September 13, 2023
The massive clash between Jonathan Haggerty and Fabricio Andrade will now headline ONE Fight Night 16 on Prime Video. The pair will battle for the vacant ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Title at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. It was originally scheduled for ONE Fight Night 15 on October 6, but the match will now main event ONE Fight Night 16 in U.S. primetime on November 3.
Ilya Freymanov embraces World Title fight with Thanh Le: "I am the better man"
BJPENN.COM Staff - September 13, 2023
Third-ranked featherweight MMA contender Ilya Freymanov is ready for the most high-profile bout of his ONE Championship career. On October 6, he battles former divisional king and current #1 contender Thanh Le for the ONE Interim Featherweight MMA World Title. The bout takes place at ONE Fight Night 15 on Prime Video, which airs live in U.S. primetime from Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Bellator 301 set to take place November 17 in Chicago, will feature two title fights
Josh Evanoff - September 13, 2023
Bellator 301 has been announced, headlined by a pair of massive title fights. The Scott Coker-led company is currently in a bit of a weird spot. For the better part of 2023, there have been rumors that Bellator will be sold to the PFL. As of now, the two appear to still be in discussions over a nearly $900 million dollar deal, which would see the Viacom company sold.
Kamaru Usman believes in Francis Ngannou's chances against Tyson Fury: "There's something about him"
Josh Evanoff - September 13, 2023
Kamaru Usman believes that Francis Ngannou will be competitive against Tyson Fury in his boxing debut. ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ and ‘The Predator’ have been friends for years now. While Kamaru Usman has previously even helped coach Francis Ngannou, one has to imagine that he’s been replaced by Mike Tyson for this one. In October, the former heavyweight champion will face Tyson Fury.
Kayla Harrison announces November return against Julia Budd: "I'm back, but different"
Josh Evanoff - September 13, 2023
Former PFL tournament champion Kayla Harrison will return against Julia Budd later this year. The Judoka has been out of action since her trilogy with Larissa Pacheco last November. Despite winning the first two fights with ease, Kayla Harrison suffered the first loss of her career last year. In the main event of PFL 10, she lost by unanimous decision, on the company’s maiden voyage on pay-per-view.