MMA News
Dana White puts final nail in Mark Zuckerberg vs. Elon Musk: "Probably Not"
Josh Evanoff - September 7, 2023
UFC president Dana White has confirmed that Mark Zuckerberg vs. Elon Musk is off the table. Earlier this summer, the two billionaires began teasing that they would indeed fight. To his credit, Mark Zuckerberg has been a longtime fan of the sport, even training with names such as Israel Adesanya and Alexander Volkanovski. Meanwhile, Elon Musk isn’t as versed in combat but reportedly trained Judo as a teen.
Jake Paul and Nate Diaz go back-and-forth over rejected PFL rematch: "Go back to your daddy Dana"
Josh Evanoff - September 7, 2023
The saga between PFL star Jake Paul and former UFC title challenger Nate Diaz continues. ‘The Problem Child’ returned to the ring last month on DAZN pay-per-view. Back for the first time since a loss to Tommy Fury in February, he faced Nate Diaz. The Stockton slugger last defeated Tony Ferguson at UFC 279 last year, fighting out his deal with the promotion.
Tyson Fury open to MMA rematch with Francis Ngannou: "I'd knock him out in seconds"
Josh Evanoff - September 7, 2023
Tyson Fury is open to facing Francis Ngannou in the cage after their boxing match. ‘The Gypsy King’ and ‘The Predator’ are slated to face off in October. For Tyson Fury, the boxing match will be his first since a knockout win over Derek Chisora. While his WBC title won’t be on the line, it’ll still be a historic clash. Their ten-rounder will be the first time in combat sports history that boxing’s lineal heavyweight champion will face the UFC’s.
WATCH | Manel Kape and Israel Adesanya get into heated shouting match at UFC 293 press conference
Josh Evanoff - September 7, 2023
Things got heated between Manel Kape and Israel Adesanya at the UFC 293 presser earlier today. ‘The Last Stylebender’ is currently slated to return this Saturday night against Sean Strickland. For his part, Israel Adesanya enters the matchup fresh off his championship rematch with Alex Pereira at UFC 287. In April, he scored a second-round knockout win over ‘Poatan’ to win the gold.
UFC 293 | Pro fighters make their picks for Israel Adesanya vs. Sean Strickland title fight
Cole Shelton - September 7, 2023
In the main event of UFC 293, the middleweight title is up for grabs as Israel Adesanya looks to defend his belt against Sean Strickland. Heading into the scrap, Adesanya is a massive -720 favorite while the American is a +450 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. To no surprise, the majority of the pros are picking Adesanya to defend his belt with ease, although some are rooting for Strickland to pull off the upset.
Merab Dvalishvili reacts after Sean O’Malley claims he knocked him out at UFC 292
Susan Cox - September 7, 2023
Merab Dvalishvili is reacting after Sean O’Malley claims he knocked him out at UFC 292. It was in fact Sean O’Malley (17-1 MMA) vs Aljamain Sterling (23-4 MMA) this past August at UFC 292. The main event title fight saw O’Malley defeat ‘Funk Master’ by TKO at 0:51 of round 2 to claim the bantamweight belt.
Tai Tuivasa shares his prediction for UFC 293 title fight between Israel Adesanya and Sean Strickland: “Death”
Susan Cox - September 7, 2023
Tai Tuivasa is sharing his prediction for the UFC 293 title fight between Israel Adesanya and Sean Strickland. UFC 293 takes place this coming weekend, on Saturday, September 9th at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Michael Bisping shares his thoughts on the middleweight GOAT debate: “He’s got the better style so far”
Susan Cox - September 7, 2023
Former UFC champion Michael Bisping is sharing his thoughts on the middleweight GOAT debate. It was during a recent video uploaded to his YouTube channel that former UFC middleweight champion, Michael Bisping, articulated who he feels is deserving of GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) status in the middleweight division:
Xiong Jing Nan promises fireworks against "Wondergirl" Jaroonsak at ONE Fight Night 14: "I will knock her out"
BJPENN.COM Staff - September 7, 2023
ONE Women’s Strawweight MMA World Champion Xiong Jing Nan is gearing up for a unique challenge. She faces Muay Thai phenom Nat “Wondergirl” Jaroonsak in a special rules striking match at ONE Fight Night 14 on Prime Video. The bout airs live in U.S. primetime from the Singapore Indoor Stadium on September 29.
Jonathan Di Bella expects "a bloody war" with Danial Williams at ONE Fight Night 15
BJPENN.COM Staff - September 7, 2023
ONE Strawweight Kickboxing World Champion Jonathan Di Bella can’t wait for his next assignment. The Canadian-Italian striker defends his belt against Danial Williams at ONE Fight Night 15 on Prime Video. The matchup goes down at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on October 6, and airs live in U.S. primetime.
Sean O’Malley claims he knocked out Merab Dvalishvili the same night he finished Aljamain Sterling: “They’re the same person”
Harry Kettle - September 7, 2023
Sean O’Malley has teased Merab Dvalishvili and Aljamain Sterling as he continues to enjoy life as champion. Last month, Sean O’Malley knocked out Aljamain Sterling to claim the UFC bantamweight championship. As you can imagine, this represented a seismic shift in the division, with ‘Suga’ taking over as the new king. Naturally, many other fighters in the top 10 have been calling for a showdown against the champ.
Marlon Vera reacts after UFC champion Sean O’Malley calls out boxing star Gervonta Davis
Harry Kettle - September 7, 2023
Marlon Vera has given his thoughts on Sean O’Malley once again calling out Gervonta Davis for a superfight. Last month, Sean O’Malley shocked the world by knocking out Aljamain Sterling to become the new UFC bantamweight champion. While some weren’t too surprised by the result, the manner of his victory was certainly memorable.
Israel Adesanya highly doubts Sean Strickland will follow through on “man dance” proclamation: “He’s selling wolf tickets when he talks about that”
Harry Kettle - September 7, 2023
Israel Adesanya doesn’t believe that Sean Strickland will do the “man dance” with him when they collide at UFC 293. This Saturday night, Israel Adesanya will defend his UFC middleweight championship when he goes head to head with Sean Strickland. It will serve as the first time he’s defended the strap in his second reign, following his knockout win over Alex Pereira earlier this year.
Alexa Grasso presented with custom belt from UFC President Dana White: "This will be her championship belt"
Zain Bando - September 6, 2023
“UFC Noche” is nearly a week away, and the promotion is pulling out all the stops to ensure the event captures the essence of Mexican Independence Day. Dana White admitted the UFC missed the boat on bringing the Mexican fanbase the best event possible. Still, it’s a near-perfect alternative with Alexa Grasso as the headliner in the highly-anticipated flyweight title rematch against Valentina Shevchenko. White posted a newly minted surprise for Alexa Grasso, who upset then-champion Shevchenko in March at UFC 285. A UFC champion is getting a custom-made country-themed belt for the first time in promotional history. Not to be confused with the lineal title; however, White revealed Alexa Grasso will get to keep the custom belt, win or lose.
Israel Adesanya explains why he believes Alexander Volkanovski is "the greatest fighter of all time"
Cole Shelton - September 6, 2023
Israel Adesanya believes Alexander Volkanovski has cemented himself as the GOAT. Volkanovski is the UFC’s current featherweight champion and is undefeated in the weight class. He has only two career losses on his record, one which came on the regional scene at welterweight and the other at 155lbs to Islam Makhachev for the UFC lightweight title. However, that fight was close and some thought Volkanovski did enough to get the win.
Roy Nelson vs. Alan Belcher announced for Gamebred bare-knuckle MMA heavyweight title in October
Josh Evanoff - September 6, 2023
Jorge Masvidal has announced that Roy Nelson vs. Alan Belcher is slated for Gamebred FC 6 next month. ‘Gamebred’ started his high-profile promotion company last year. At the time, he stated his plans to hold boxing, MMA, bare-knuckle, and even bare-knuckle MMA events. Shortly, he signed on legends such as Junior dos Santos, Fabricio Werdum, Roy Nelson, and more. ‘Big Country’ scored a first-round knockout win over Dillon Cleckler in May in his promotional debut.
Sean O'Malley claims he lost Marlon Vera fight "on purpose" to have the rematch be "my biggest fight"
Cole Shelton - September 6, 2023
Sean O’Malley says he lost to Marlon Vera back at UFC 252 on purpose as he knew it would set up a massive rematch. In the co-main event of UFC 252, O’Malley was set for the toughest test of his career as he was facing Vera in an intriguing matchup. O’Malley entered the fight as a sizeable betting favorite but a leg kick from Vera caused ‘Suga’ to keep rolling his ankle. ‘Chito’ eventually won the fight by ground-and-pound TKO.
WATCH | Sean Strickland spars a fan at UFC 293 open workouts as promised
Josh Evanoff - September 6, 2023
Ahead of his title shot on Saturday, Sean Strickland got work in with a fan at UFC 293 open workouts. ‘Tarzan’ is slated to face Israel Adesanya this weekend in the biggest fight of his career. For his part, Sean Strickland enters the first title fight of his career riding a two-fight winning streak. Earlier this year, he captured lopsided wins over Abus Magomedov and Nassourdine Imavov.