MMA News
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.
WATCH | Jorge Masvidal makes debut as runway model in New York City
Josh Evanoff - September 13, 2023
Former UFC welterweight title challenger Jorge Masvidal was recently spotted in New York City. ‘Gamebred’ famously retired earlier this year after suffering his fourth loss in a row to Gilbert Burns. Prior to that defeat, Jorge Masvidal had suffered lopsided losses to names such as Colby Covington and Kamaru Usman. With that in mind, it was an easy answer for the Miami native to hang it up after UFC 287.
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.
Eric Nicksick reveals the UFC was close to pulling Sean Strickland from Israel Adesanya due to him punching the fan on the street
Cole Shelton - September 13, 2023
Sean Strickland was close to not fighting at UFC 293, according to his coach Eric Nicksick. Strickland was headlining UFC 293 in Australia against Israel Adesanya for the middleweight title, in a fight he got due to Dricus Du Plessis not being healthy enough to take the scrap.
Dana White clarifies UFC middleweight title picture: "Never once did I say we're going to do this f*cking rematch"
Fernando Quiles Jr. - September 13, 2023
The UFC middleweight division isn’t short on contenders, and Dana White is well aware of it. At the conclusion of UFC 293, the 185-pound division was turned upside down with one of the biggest upsets in MMA history. Sean Strickland defeated Israel Adesanya via unanimous decision to become the new UFC middleweight champion. With how dominant Strickland looked in the fight, it left many to wonder if the UFC would forgo an immediate rematch in favor of a fresh matchup.
Kyle Nelson expects to put on a striking "clinic" against Fernando Padilla at Noche UFC, eyes Cub Swanson in rumored Toronto card next
Cole Shelton - September 13, 2023
Kyle Nelson wanted a quick turnaround and he got his wish. Nelson returned to the win column back at UFC 289 in Vancouver as he pulled off an upset over Blake Bilder which saved his job. Just over three months later, Nelson is back as he will return at Noche UFC on Saturday against Fernando Padilla.
Dana White strongly disagrees with UFC executive on WWE crossover: "One of the dumbest statements of all time”
Fernando Quiles Jr. - September 13, 2023
UFC CEO Dana White has made it clear that he is not onboard with a recent statement from a top promotional executive. The UFC-WWE merger officially took effective with the announcement of the TKO sports entertainment company on Tuesday (September 12). UFC EVP and COO Lawrence Epstein told ESPN that one goal of the merger is to make every WWE fan a UFC fan and vice versa.
UFC CEO Dana White has "no clue" what's next for Conor McGregor
Fernando Quiles Jr. - September 13, 2023
If UFC CEO Dana White truly knows what’s going on with Conor McGregor, he isn’t letting the public know. McGregor has been out of action since fracturing his tibia and fibula in a July 2021 trilogy bout against Dustin Poirier. Since that time, McGregor has exited the USADA testing pool. The “Notorious” one bulked up considerably during his recovery time, and many have wondered if he’ll ever return to the lightweight division.
Danial Williams believes he has advantages over undefeated kickboxing champ Jonathan Di Bella: “I’m going to have more power”
BJPENN.COM Staff - September 13, 2023
When it comes to confidence, Danial Williams is not short of it. That’s a good thing, too. “Mini T” will need every ounce of self-belief when he challenges Jonathan Di Bella for the latter’s ONE Strawweight Kickboxing World Title.
Sean O’Malley weighs in on Sean Strickland’s title win over Israel Adesanya at UFC 293: “It didn't look like the Izzy that fought Alex Pereira”
Harry Kettle - September 13, 2023
UFC star Sean O’Malley has given his thoughts on Israel Adesanya’s loss to Sean Strickland at UFC 293. Last weekend, Sean Strickland shocked the world. He did so by defeating Israel Adesanya via unanimous decision to capture the UFC middleweight championship. While Strickland’s performance was incredible, it’s also worth noting that ‘Stylebender’ looked particularly poor on the night. In the eyes of many pundits, of course, this was due to the great work done by Strickland, but Adesanya’s shortcomings also need to be acknowledged.
Dricus Du Plessis responds to criticism from UFC President Dana White: “I don’t really understand”
Harry Kettle - September 13, 2023
Dricus du Plessis has given his thoughts on the criticism he’s received from UFC president Dana White. Earlier this summer, Dricus du Plessis put himself on the map in a big way at 185 pounds. He shocked the world by knocking out Robert Whittaker, establishing himself as a top middleweight contender. Following his face-off with Israel Adesanya after the bout, many felt as if he’d be next in line for a title shot at UFC 293 in Australia. Unfortunately, the South African sensation wouldn’t be healthy in time for the contest.
Leon Edwards vs. Colby Covington will take place at either UFC 295 or UFC 296: “It’ll be before the end of the year”
Harry Kettle - September 13, 2023
Leon Edwards vs Colby Covington will reportedly take place before the end of 2023, as per Edwards’ manager Tim Simpson. Right now, the king of the UFC’s welterweight division is none other than Leon Edwards. ‘Rocky’ captured the belt from Kamaru Usman via knockout last year, before retaining it against the same man in London. At this point, he’s an established star in the Ultimate Fighting Championship – but he wants more.
Thanh Le battles Ilya Freymanov for ONE's Interim Featherweight MMA World Title at ONE Fight Night 15
BJPENN.COM Staff - September 13, 2023
Thanh Le and Ilya Freymanov will go head-to-head for the ONE Interim Featherweight MMA World Championship. The bout takes place at ONE Fight Night 15 on Prime Video, which airs in U.S. primetime live from Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on Friday, October 6.
Conor McGregor dinner sold Dana White: “If he can even throw a punch, he’s gonna be a huge superstar”
Zain Bando - September 12, 2023
In 2023, Conor McGregor arguably remains the most popular fighter in MMA and the UFC. Despite having not fought in two years, UFC president Dana White still sings his praises over Conor McGregor’s impact on the sport.
Bryce Mitchell worried his ex-girlfriend is "gonna try to kill me" after she destroyed his fruit trees while he was away
Cole Shelton - September 12, 2023
Bryce Mitchell is concerned that his ex-girlfriend is going to try and kill him. Mitchell took to his social media to reveal his ex-girlfriend went and destroyed the fruit trees he had planted while he was in Las Vegas cornering his teammate on the Contender Series.
Dana White gets promotion following UFC and WWE merger
Cole Shelton - September 12, 2023
Dana White has gotten a promotion in his role with the UFC. On Tuesday, Endeavor – the parent company of the UFC – and the WWE completed the merger of the companies which puts them under the same ownership. They also have their own stock now which Ari Emanuel thinks will make both companies even bigger and better.