MMA News
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 While Kamaru Usman has previously even helped coach Francis Ngannou, one has to imagine that he’s been replaced by Mike Tyson for this one.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.
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.
Kamaru Usman on Leon Edwards trilogy fight: "I probably should have taken a little bit more time off"
Fernando Quiles Jr. - September 13, 2023
Former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman believes he shouldn’t have rushed fighting Leon Edwards a third time. Usman looked dominant during his run as the 170-pound kingpin. He defeated the likes of Tyron Woodley, Gilbert Burns, Colby Covington (twice), and Jorge Masvidal (twice). On August 20, 2022, Usman was well on his way to securing his sixth successful UFC welterweight title defense when a late head kick from Leon Edwards ended the championship run.
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.
Dana White opens up on the new UFC-WWE merger: “We're so much more powerful than we were yesterday”
Harry Kettle - September 13, 2023
Dana White has given his thoughts on the merger between UFC and WWE, which became official yesterday. After the initial announcement back in April, the merger between UFC and WWE finally went through yesterday with all of the big players being present for the unveiling at the New York Stock Exchange. Dana White was also there, proudly standing alongside the likes of Vince McMahon, Triple H and his fellow UFC representatives.
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.
Jasmine Jasudavicius expecting Tracy Cortez matchup to be a "back-and-forth fight," but confident she'll "shock the world" again
Cole Shelton - September 12, 2023
Jasmine Jasudavicius is no stranger to being the betting underdog and being counted out. Jasudavicius has been the underdog in three of her four UFC fights and has won all three of them. Last time out, she was a big underdog against Miranda Maverick at UFC 289 and pulled off the upset at home in Canada.
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.
WATCH | Dillon Danis and Logan Paul agree to bizarre bet ahead of their boxing match which includes being the Best Man at a wedding
Cole Shelton - September 12, 2023
Dillon Danis and Logan Paul agreed to a rather strange bet ahead of their boxing match on October 14. Ever since the fight has been made, Dillon Danis has taken to social media to take aim at Paul and his fiance. It’s been quite the build-up so following the press conference the two had a face-to-face and the trash talk continued. Not only did the two trash-talk one another, but they made a unique bet.
Anderson Silva laughs off Israel Adesanya comparisons after UFC 293: "I'm the one in charge of this s*it here"
Josh Evanoff - September 12, 2023
Former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva has reacted to Israel Adesanya’s upset loss. ‘The Last Stylebender’ returned to the octagon over the weekend in the main event of UFC 293. There, he faced Sean Strickland, who entered the event on a two-fight winning streak. Leading into the main event, many were calling Israel Adesanya the middleweight ‘GOAT‘ over Anderson Silva.
Jared Cannonier tells UFC President Dana White to “f**k the rematch” and let him fight Sean Strickland next: “I've already beaten your champion”
Josh Evanoff - September 12, 2023
UFC middleweight contender Jared Cannonier wants the first crack at Sean Strickland. ‘Tarzan’ returned to the octagon in the main event of UFC 293 in Australia on Saturday. There, Sean Strickland recieved the first title shot of his career, facing Israel Adesanya. ‘The Last Stylebender’ entered a massive favorite for his title defense, having defeated the likes of Alex Pereira, Jared Cannonier, and more.