MMA News
Michael Bisping reacts to Eric Nicksick’s preferred choice for Sean Strickland’s first title defense: “That might be the easiest fight”
Susan Cox - September 15, 2023
Michael Bisping is reacting to Eric Nicksick’s preferred choice for Sean Strickland’s first title defense. Following Sean Strickland’s (28-5 MMA) impressive victory over Israel Adesanya (24-3 MMA) last weekend at UFC 293, the newly crowned middleweight champion will be looking to search out his next opponent.
Derek Brunson turns his attention to Jake Paul following UFC release
Susan Cox - September 15, 2023
Derek Brunson is turning his attention to Jake Paul following his UFC release. Brunson (23-9 MMA), parted ways with the UFC following an 11 year run with the promotion. During that tenure, the 39 year old beat the likes of Kevin Holland, Darren Till, and Uriah Hall to name a few. It was Brunson’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, of Dominance MMA, who confirmed the news just yesterday, September 14th.
Noche UFC: ‘Grasso vs. Shevchenko 2’ Weigh-in Results
Susan Cox - September 15, 2023
Noche UFC takes place tomorrow, Saturday, September 16th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main event will feature a re-match between Alexa Grasso (16-3 MMA) and Valentina Shevchenko (23-4 MMA) in a flyweight title bout.
Cris Cyborg takes aim at Ali Abdelaziz for making comments that border on sexual harassment: “I hope you have that same energy when I see you in person”
Susan Cox - September 15, 2023
Cris Cyborg is taking aim at Ali Abdelaziz for making comments that border on sexual harassment. Abdelaziz’s top PFL fighter, Kayla Harrison (15-1 MMA), will return to the cage to take on Julia Budd (17-6 MMA) at the 2023 PFL World Championship on November 24th of this year in Washington, D.C. Harrison has not fought since her loss at the final PFL 2022 event against Larissa Pacheco (22-4 MMA) last November and was not included in this year’s featherweight season.
Amir Khan promises to knock out Eduard Folayang in rematch: "I will get a finish by the second round"
BJPENN.COM Staff - September 15, 2023
Amir Khan finds himself in a fortunate position to rewrite history on September 29. He’s slated to face former ONE Lightweight MMA World Champion Eduard Folayang in a long-awaited rematch. The lightweight MMA bout goes down at ONE Fight Night 14 on Prime Video. It airs live in U.S. primetime from the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
Chael Sonnen rips Ian Machado Garry for his “insane” analysis of Israel Adesanya vs. Sean Strickland: “It starts with an R to describe somebody's stupidity”
Harry Kettle - September 15, 2023
MMA analyst Chael Sonnen has torn into Ian Machado Garry for his analysis of Israel Adesanya vs Sean Strickland. One thing we know to be true about Ian Machado Garry is that he’s outspoken. That’s been the case since his days with Cage Warriors but in the last couple of months, he’s ramped things up a fair bit. In terms of confidence, he certainly isn’t short on that, with many believing he has the potential to become a world champion one day.
Dricus Du Plessis explains why he was not cageside for Israel Adesanya vs. Sean Strickland at UFC 293: “If you knew anything about living in Africa”
Harry Kettle - September 15, 2023
yDricus du Plessis has explained why he was not present at UFC 293 for the main event between Israel Adesanya and Sean Strickland. Following his win over Robert Whittaker earlier this year, Dricus du Plessis squared off with Israel Adesanya in the cage at UFC 290. It served as a clear message from the UFC, seemingly, that du Plessis was next in line for a title shot.
Not Legal! John McCarthy says Israel Adesanya should have been forced to trim his fingernails at UFC 293
Harry Kettle - September 15, 2023
Former MMA referee John McCarthy believes Israel Adesanya should’ve been forced to trim his fingernails before UFC 293. Last weekend at UFC 293, Israel Adesanya lost the UFC middleweight championship. He was beaten by Sean Strickland in a one-sided unanimous decision, leaving many fans and pundits stunned. It was one of the biggest upsets in MMA history, with many just not being able to fathom that Strickland was able to get the job done.
Three fighters removed from the UFC active roster including Derek Brunson
Cole Shelton - September 14, 2023
Derek Brunson is among three fighters who have been removed from the UFC active roster. According to the UFC Roster Watch Account on X, Derek Brunson, Tecia Torres, and Zarah Fairn have been removed from the roster. It’s uncertain if this means the fighters, retired, fought out their contracts, or were released, but both are no longer on the UFC roster.
Pro fighters make their picks for Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko 2 title fight
Cole Shelton - September 14, 2023
In the main event of Noche UFC, the women’s flyweight title is up for grabs as Alexa Grasso rematches Valentina Shevchenko in her first title defense. Heading into the fight, Grasso is a +140 underdog while the challenger is a -180 favorite on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to make their picks for the fight. The pros are leaning towards Shevchenko reclaiming her belt at Noche UFC, as most seem to think she wins a decision.
Jared Cannonier calls for rematch against Sean Strickland for the UFC middleweight title: "Here’s your chance to redeem your man card"
Cole Shelton - September 14, 2023
Jared Cannonier is hoping to fight Sean Strickland his next time out. Cannonier and Strickland headlined UFC Vegas 66 in the final event of the year last December and it was ‘The Killa Gorilla’ who won a split decision in a very competitive fight. After the fight, Strickland claimed he won, but it ended up working out for the better as after winning two more fights, he got a title shot and beat Israel Adesanya to become the new champion.
UFC Hall of Famer Pat Miletich arrested on third DUI charge
Cole Shelton - September 14, 2023
Pat Miletich, a UFC Hall of Famer, has been arrested on his third drunk driving charge. According to a report from KWQC, Miletich was taken into custody by Bettendorf Police Department after a call came in for a driver driving the wrong way. The report states that Pat Miletich crossed an embankment and stopped at a Shell station when the Police officer got to him and told Miletich to put his idling car in park while he was asleep.
Raul Rosas Jr. still hoping to become the youngest UFC champion ever despite loss: "Nothing has changed"
Josh Evanoff - September 14, 2023
UFC bantamweight contender Raul Rosas Jr. still believes that he’ll hold championship gold soon. ‘El Nino Problema’ has been out of the octagon since a clash with Christian Rodriguez at UFC 287 in April. There, Raul Rosas Jr. suffered the first loss of his career by unanimous decision. Despite talk of a future title fight with then-champion Aljamain Sterling, those plans were quickly blown up.
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.
Marvin Vettori thinks Sean Strickland vs. Israel Adesanya 2 would flop: "He doesn’t deserve a f*cking rematch"
Fernando Quiles Jr. - September 14, 2023
Marvin Vettori is clearly not a fan of the idea of Israel Adesanya getting an immediate rematch against Sean Strickland. Adesanya recently lost the UFC Middleweight Championship to Strickland in Sydney, Australia. Strickland winning the fight was shocking enough, but the consistent success he was having throughout the fight is what truly surprised MMA fans and experts. While he hasn’t made anything official, UFC CEO Dana White has expressed interest in an immediate rematch.
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.