MMA News

Josh Evanoff - September 12, 2023

UFC women’s flyweight champion Alexa Grasso is confident that she’ll once again defeat Valentina Shevchenko. The Mexican fighter has been out of the octagon since her first clash with ‘Bullet’ earlier this year in March. Moreover, in the co-main event of UFC 285, Alexa Grasso pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the year. In the fourth round, she found Valentina Shevchenko’s back, quickly locking up a submission win.

Cole Shelton - September 12, 2023

Dana White used to be very close with Tito Ortiz but the two had a major falling out, which the UFC boss claims was Ortiz’s fault. White used to manage Ortiz and when he became the president of the UFC, the two continued to have a solid relationship. However, as White got more and more experience with being a promoter and the company got bigger, he says Ortiz began to get selfish which ruined their relationship.

BJPENN.COM Staff - September 12, 2023

John Lineker foresees another wild battle when he returns to action at ONE Fight Night 14 on Prime Video this September 29. The former ONE Bantamweight MMA World Champion and current No. 1 contender faces No. 2-ranked Stephen Loman in a match that could determine reigning titleholder Fabricio Andrade’s next challenger.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - September 12, 2023

Israel Adesanya’s head coach Eugene Bareman believes the Sean Strickland tale will soon come to a close. Strickland put on a brilliant performance against Israel Adesanya to snag the UFC Middleweight Championship in Sydney, Australia. From the first round until the final horn, fight fans were left stunned by how effective Strickland’s game plan was against “The Last Stylebender.” Strickland’s unanimous decision victory is already considered to be one of MMA’s greatest upsets.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - September 12, 2023

UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski thinks a rematch against lightweight titleholder Islam Makhachev is in order. Makhachev is preparing for a rematch against Charles Oliveira. The current 155-pound champion defeated Oliveira to capture the gold via second-round submission last year. Makhachev followed that up with a close, but unanimous decision victory over Volkanovski earlier this year.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - September 12, 2023

Sean Strickland brilliantly executed an effective game plan against Israel Adesanya, and the UFC rankings have been thrown in a tailspin as a result. Strickland was effective in getting out of the way of Adesanya’s kicks and stifling his counter-striking at UFC 293. His pressure game was also too much for “The Last Stylebender,” who had no answer after suffering a first-round knockdown. Strickland took the unanimous decision victory and the UFC middleweight gold.

Cole Shelton - September 12, 2023

The 139th episode of Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com with host Cole Shelton is live ahead of Noche UFC this Saturday. We’re first joined by UFC flyweight Jasmine Jasudavicius (1:39). Next, UFC lightweight Christos Giagos (13:39) comes on. Closing out the program is UFC featherweight Kyle Nelson (26:20).

Harry Kettle - September 12, 2023

UFC fighter Ian Machado Garry wasn’t overly impressed with the nature of Sean Strickland’s win over Israel Adesanya at UFC 293. Last weekend at UFC 293, Sean Strickland put on a show. He defeated Israel Adesanya via unanimous decision to capture the UFC middleweight championship. In doing so, he produced one of the biggest upsets in the history of mixed martial arts. It was the kind of win that sent shockwaves through the sport and, as you can imagine, there are plenty of opinions flying around.

Harry Kettle - September 12, 2023

UFC commentator Michael Bisping has given his thoughts on who Sean Strickland will probably fight first when defending his new UFC title. Last weekend, Sean Strickland shocked the world. He defeated Israel Adesanya via unanimous decision to capture the UFC middleweight championship. In the eyes of many, it’s one of the biggest upsets in UFC history – and that probably stretches to all of mixed martial arts, too. It’s the kind of fight that will live long in the memory, but for now, it’s time to look ahead to the future.

Harry Kettle - September 12, 2023

UFC star Robert Whittaker wasn’t too pleased after seeing his fellow fighters use homophobic slurs at UFC 293. As was the case for many of us, Robert Whittaker sat and watched UFC 293 last weekend and enjoyed the drama on display throughout. It was a fun, competitive card, with lots of big moments – especially in the middleweight division.

Cole Shelton - September 11, 2023

Sean Strickland has already broken his UFC belt. Strickland became the UFC’s new middleweight champion on Saturday night – Sunday afternoon in Australia – as he cruised to a decision win over Israel Adesanya. It was one of the biggest upsets in UFC history, and Strickland even nearly finished the fight as he dropped Adesanya in the first round.

BJPENN.COM Staff - September 11, 2023

ONE Championship’s top-ranked atomweight MMA contender Stamp Fairtex is gearing up for a monumental showdown on September 29. In the main event of ONE Fight Night 14 on Prime Video, she faces Ham Seo Hee for the ONE Interim Women’s Atomweight MMA World Title.

Cole Shelton - September 11, 2023

UFC fighter Khusein Askhabov was arrested in Thailand for allegedly forcing his way into an Italian man’s house and then robbing, kidnapping, and torturing him. Askhabov and his twin brother Khasan were arrested on Sept. 5 according to The Phuket News. According to the report, the brothers allegedly forced their way into a villa at a resort in Cherng Talay, where they gagged and beat a man across an extended period of time for information.

Josh Evanoff - September 11, 2023

Chael Sonnen believes UFC middleweight Dricus du Plessis could be forgotten after this weekend. In the main event of UFC 293 on Saturday, Israel Adesanya returned to face Sean Strickland. While he was first expected to face Dricus du Plessis, ‘Stillknocks’ was still recovering from his win over Robert Whittaker in July. As a result, ‘Tarzan’ stepped up, and pulled off one of the biggest upsets ever.

Josh Evanoff - September 11, 2023

UFC lightweight contender Michael Chandler is even down to face Conor McGregor at middleweight. ‘Iron Mike’ and ‘The Notorious’ famously coached the latest season of The Ultimate Fighter earlier this summer. Tensions were high when filming, with the two nearly getting into a brawl on one occasion. However, even during the show’s filming, Conor McGregor stated that he didn’t want to fight Michael Chandler.

Cole Shelton - September 11, 2023

Alex Pereira says he deserves no credit for Sean Strickland defeating Israel Adesanya at UFC 293. Pereira and Strickland fought back in July 2022, and it was the Brazilian who won by first-round knockout to earn a title shot. Alex Pereira eventually went on to win the UFC middleweight championship but ended up losing the belt back to Israel Adesanya in their rematch. Shortly after that, ‘Poatan’ and Strickland trained with one another for a few weeks.

Josh Evanoff - September 11, 2023

UFC welterweight contender Ian Garry is eyeing a future clash with Colby Covington. ‘The Future’ is fresh off his return opposite Neil Magny at UFC 292 last month. Heading into the bout, it was viewed as the biggest challenge of Ian Garry’s career thus far. However, the Irishman easily dominated, scoring a unanimous decision win over the longtime contender last month.

Cole Shelton - September 11, 2023

Israel Adesanya has opened as a small favorite in a potential rematch with Sean Strickland. Adesanya and Strickland headlined UFC 293 in Australia and heading into the fight, ‘The Last Stylebender’ was a massive betting favorite. However, in the first round, Strickland dropped Adesanya and had him hurt at the end of the round. Strickland ended up cruising to a clear-cut decision to pull off one of the biggest upsets in UFC history to become the new middleweight champion.