MMA News
Chatri Sityodtong names Qatar as host for ONE 165
BJPENN.COM Staff - September 18, 2023
ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong recently took to Facebook to announce some massive news. The world’s largest martial arts organization will make history when it holds its first-ever event in Qatar — ONE 165.
What's next for Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko after Noche UFC?
Cole Shelton - September 18, 2023
In the main event of Noche UFC on Saturday, the women’s flyweight title was up for grabs as Alexa Grasso was rematching Valentina Shevchenko. Grasso entered the fight coming off the fourth-round submission win over Shevchenko back in March to become the new champ. To earn the title shot, Grasso was on a four-fight win streak, which was the beginning of her move to 125lbs, as she had notable wins over Viviane Araujo and Maycee Barber. Shevchenko, meanwhile, suffered her first loss since 2017 as she had defended her title seven times.
Ciryl Gane explains why he's not interested in fighting Tom Aspinall his next time out
Cole Shelton - September 18, 2023
Ciryl Gane isn’t interested in fighting Tom Aspinall his next time out. After Aspinall beat Marcin Tybura at UFC London, he said he was going to fight the winner of Ciryl Gane vs. Serghei Spivac in the main event of UFC Paris. Aspinall was in attendance for the event that saw Gane return to the win column with a second-round TKO win.
Valentina Shevchenko takes aim at 'unfair' 10-8 scorecard leading to Alexa Grasso draw: "Live with that mistake forever"
Josh Evanoff - September 18, 2023
UFC women’s flyweight contender Valentina Shevchenko has taken aim at the judges after her draw with Alexa Grasso. ‘Bullet’ returned to the octagon in the main event of UFC Noche on Saturday. There, she faced Alexa Grasso in a rematch of their UFC 235 classic from March. That night earlier this year, the Mexican fighter won by third-round submission, ending Valentina Shevchenko’s lengthy title reign.
Valentina Shevchenko calls for Alexa Grasso trilogy fight to be held in Kyrgyzstan: "It has to be equal"
Josh Evanoff - September 18, 2023
Former women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko has an idea for a hypothetical trilogy fight with Alexa Grasso. ‘Bullet’ returned to the cage on Saturday night for the first time since her loss to Alexa Grasso in March. Last weekend, the two women flyweight contenders went head-to-head in the main event of UFC Noche. In what will likely become a yearly tradition, the event was held on Mexican Independence Day.
Ovince Saint Preux accepts suspension for second USADA violation
Cole Shelton - September 18, 2023
Ovince Saint Preux has been suspended by USADA for his second violation. USADA announced that Saint Preux accepted a six-month sanction for his second violation after testing positive for a prohibited substance. Saint Preux tested positive for 3α-hydroxy-5α-androst-1-en-17-one (a long-term metabolite of 1-Androstenedione and/or 1-Testosterone) as the result of urine samples collected out-of-competition on June 17, 2023, and July 11, 2023.
New UFC and WWE merger results in massive layoffs
Susan Cox - September 18, 2023
The new UFC and WWE merger is resulting in massive layoffs. In April of 2023 the announcement came that the UFC parent company Endeavor would be combining the world’s leading MMA organization with the WWE.
Erin Blanchfield willing to fight Manon Fiorot next following controversial Valentina Shevchenko vs. Alexa Grasso rematch at Noche UFC: “I thought Valentina won”
Susan Cox - September 18, 2023
Erin Blanchfield says she’s willing to fight Manon Fiorot next following the controversial Valentina Shevchenko vs Alexa Grasso rematch at Noche UFC. Noche UFC took place this past Saturday, September 16th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Headlining the event was flyweight title bout between Valentina Shevchenko (23-4 MMA) and Alexa Grasso (16-3 MMA). The end result was a split draw in their title fight rematch.
Islam Makhachev's coach reveals what improvements they expect from Charles Oliveira at UFC 294
Harry Kettle - September 18, 2023
Islam Makhachev’s head coach Javier Mendez has revealed what improvements they expect to see from Charles Oliveira at UFC 294. Last year, Islam Makhachev became the UFC lightweight champion by submitting Charles Oliveira at UFC 280. Now, one year later, the two will run it back as ‘Do Bronx’ attempts to reclaim the gold he lost.
Mike Perry taunts Darren Till in hopes of securing bare knuckle boxing match: “Wouldn’t it be something if I rawdogged those cheeks”
Harry Kettle - September 18, 2023
Mike Perry has taunted Darren Till with his hope being that he can secure a bare-knuckle boxing match against him in the future. Right now, it’s pretty clear to see that Mike Perry is the king of bare-knuckle boxing. His transition over from mixed martial arts has been incredible, with many noting that he’s quickly become the face of BKFC. He’s willing to take on all challengers, and he’s made a real name for himself as a result of it.
Aljamain Sterling reacts to talk of Israel Adesanya possibly getting another immediate rematch: “How do you get it and I don’t?”
Harry Kettle - September 18, 2023
Aljamain Sterling has questioned why he shouldn’t get a rematch for the title if Israel Adesanya manages to receive one. Following his shocking loss to Sean Strickland, Israel Adesanya has been fairly quiet when it comes to talks of an immediate rematch. Nobody knows whether or not it’s going to happen, but the popular opinion is that Dana White would prefer to book that contest.
Daniel Cormier and Dominick Cruz weigh-in on controversial 10-8 scorecard from the Valentina Shevchenko vs. Alexa Grasso rematch: “There’s no consistency”
Harry Kettle - September 18, 2023
Daniel Cormier and Dominick Cruz have given their thoughts on the 10-8 scorecard in the Valentina Shevchenko vs Alexa Grasso rematch. Last weekend, Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko went to war in their Noche UFC main event. The two battled it out over the UFC flyweight championship and in the end, a split draw was the result, meaning Grasso successfully retained her title.
Daniel Cormier wants to see trilogy fight between Alexa Grasso & Valentina Shevchenko
Fernando Quiles Jr. - September 17, 2023
UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier would like to see Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko go toe-to-toe a third time. Grasso vs. Shevchenko 2 was an instant classic. The rematch headlined Noche UFC inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Grasso submitted Shevchenko to take the UFC flyweight title in their first encounter back in March. The rematch had many twists and turns that kept fans on the edge of their seats throughout the fight.
Kevin Holland issues statement following Noche UFC loss to Jack Della Maddalena
Fernando Quiles Jr. - September 17, 2023
Kevin Holland has released a brief statement on his Noche UFC defeat to Jack Della Maddalena. The two welterweights collided in the event’s co-headliner. Fans knew ahead of time that these two would be evenly matched and that hunch was correct. This one was scheduled for three rounds and it went the distance. One judge scored the fight for Holland, but that score was overruled by the other two judges who saw the fight going Maddalena’s way. Maddalena extended his winning streak to 16, while Holland’s two-fight streak was snapped.
Jack Della Maddalena explains what made Kevin Holland tricky in Noche UFC victory
Fernando Quiles Jr. - September 17, 2023
Jack Della Maddalena admits that getting past Kevin Holland was no easy task. Maddalena and Holland shared the Octagon inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada in the co-main event of Noche UFC. The bout was tough to score, as both men had success in the standup but were equally as effective with their defense. Ultimately, this one went the distance and ended in a split decision. Two of the three judges scored the fight for Maddalena, awarding him the win.
Raul Rosas Jr. thinks he can be massive star for the UFC following TKO over Terrence Mitchell: "I'm different"
Fernando Quiles Jr. - September 17, 2023
Raul Rosas Jr. believes he has the potential to be a big star under the UFC banner. Going into Noche UFC, many wondered how Rosas would perform after suffering the first loss of his pro MMA career against Christian Rodriguez back in April. “El Niño Problema” answered by turning in a stellar showing against Terrence Mitchell in Las Vegas. It only took Rosas 54 seconds to put Mitchell away via TKO.
Former UFC champion Junior Dos Santos feels rejuvenated following recent win over Fabricio Werdum: “I want to keep going”
Fernando Quiles Jr. - September 17, 2023
Former UFC heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos certainly isn’t thinking about retirement right now. Dos Santos recently shared the cage with an old foe under bare knuckle MMA rules. “Cigano” went one-on-one with fellow legend Fabricio Werdum earlier this month. It was Werdum’s chance to avenge his now-famous 2008 loss to Dos Santos, which was held under the UFC banner. Ultimately, “Vai Cavalo” once again fell short against Dos Santos, this time via split decision. After the fight, Dos Santos appeared to be quite happy with his handiwork. He didn’t look like someone on the verge of retirement, and he has confirmed plans to continue fighting.
Alexa Grasso feels she was close to finishing Valentina Shevchenko a few times at Noche UFC, would prefer a fresh opponent next
Fernando Quiles Jr. - September 17, 2023
Alexa Grasso isn’t opposed to a trilogy fight with Valentina Shevchenko, but she’d like a fresh face to share the Octagon with next. Grasso remains the UFC women’s flyweight champion after a thrilling five-round war with Shevchenko in their Noche UFC rematch. There were plenty of exciting moments in the fight such as Grasso dropping “Bullet” in the second round, and Shevchenko squeezing down on a guillotine choke before her opponent popped free.