MMA News
Anthony Smith reveals front kicks from Jon Jones left him with a dead spot: “It killed the nerves”
Harry Kettle - February 9, 2022
UFC light heavyweight Anthony Smith has revealed front kicks from Jon Jones gave him a dead spot at UFC 235. Back in March 2019, Anthony Smith put up a valiant effort but ultimately fell short in his attempt to capture the 205-pound title from Jon Jones. “Lionheart” just wasn’t able to get into any kind of rhythm, although he did earn praise from fans and pundits for not opting to win the belt via disqualification following an illegal shot from the champion.
Manimal! Israel Adesanya is absolutely shredded for UFC 271 (Photo)
Christopher Taylor - February 8, 2022
Israel Adesanya appears to be in the best shape of his career ahead of Saturday’s main event rematch with Robert Whittaker at UFC 271. Adesanya (21-1 MMA) will be taking on Whittaker (24-5 MMA) in the much anticipated headliner at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas this Saturday.
Jake Paul aiming for Conor McGregor boxing match in Ireland
Josh Evanoff - February 8, 2022
Jake Paul hasn’t taken his sight off of Conor McGregor just yet. The YouTuber-turned-boxer has called out the MMA superstar ever since his win over Nate Robinson in November 2020. McGregor has never really answered to any of Paul’s callouts, but that hasn’t stopped him from trying.
Julianna Pena apologizes for previous COVID-19 comments: "I am just angry and frustrated"
Josh Evanoff - February 8, 2022
Julianna Pena has apologized for her previous comments about COVID-19 on the Joe Rogan Experience. Last month, the UFC bantamweight champion went on the show to discuss her victory over Amanda Nunes. During the podcast, the topic of COVID-19 came up, and Pena said that she believed that the virus is a “money grab“.
Chris Weidman targeting June return: "I am coming back"
Josh Evanoff - February 8, 2022
Chris Weidman has confirmed that he’s looking for a return to the Octagon. It’s also coming a lot sooner than a lot of fans might’ve anticipated. Weidman is coming off a brutal leg injury sustained last year at UFC 261 in April. Facing off against Uriah Hall in a highly-anticipated rematch, they were only seconds into the fight when it ended. The former UFC middleweight champion shattered his leg after Hall checked his kick, ending the bout.
Renato Moicano says he no longer cares about rankings, only focused on making money ahead of UFC 271: "This is sad but this is true"
Cole Shelton - February 8, 2022
Renato Moicano says he no longer cares about fighting ranked opponents as all he cares about is making money. Moicano is set to return to the Octagon at UFC 271 against Alexander Hernandez in a really intriguing fight that he’s looking forward to.
Coach Javier Mendez sees potential comeback for Cain Velasquez: "Money talks most of the time"
Josh Evanoff - February 8, 2022
Coach Javier Mendez has given his take on a potential comeback for Cain Velasquez. Mendez coached the former UFC heavyweight champion during his time at AKA. During their time together, the Mexican captured UFC gold on two different occasions. During his peak, Velasquez was considered one of the greatest heavyweights of all time.
Jorge Masvidal says the UFC will release Colby Covington after the beating he puts on him: "I’m gonna f**k you up"
Cole Shelton - February 8, 2022
Jorge Masvidal has sent a violent warning to Colby Covington. The former roommates and best friends turned enemies, are set to headline UFC 272 on March 5 in a highly-anticipated fight. The two have made it clear they are looking to finish one another and now less than a month away from the fight, Masvidal took to social media to release a heated warning to Covington.
Robert Whittaker believes "no one expects me to win" but says Israel Adesanya "looks beatable" ahead of UFC 271
Cole Shelton - February 8, 2022
Robert Whittaker says the pressure is off him for his UFC 271 main event title rematch against Israel Adesanya. Whittaker and Adesanya are set to run it back after “The Last Stylebender” scored a second-round TKO win back in 2019 to become the new champ. Since then, Whittaker has won three fights to earn the rematch and for him, he’s glad he had the chance to fight multiple times before running it back with Adesanya.
Former US President Donald Trump weighs in on the Joe Rogan controversy: “He’s got to stop apologizing to the fake news”
Susan Cox - February 8, 2022
The lastest ‘celebrity’ to comment on the Joe Rogan saga is none other than former US President, Donald Trump. While musicians, doctors and medical professionals, actors and the like have weighed in on the controversy surrounding Joe Rogan and his podcast ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’, Donald Trump felt the need to make his own thoughts known.
Israel Adesanya plans to unveil “new weapons” in UFC 271 rematch with Robert Whittaker: “I'm not even lying. He's f*cked”
Susan Cox - February 8, 2022
With UFC 271 only days away, Israel Adesanya plans to unveil ‘new weapons’ in his rematch with Robert Whittaker. Adesanya (21-1 MMA) will be taking on Whittaker (24-5 MMA) in the much anticipated headliner at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas on Saturday, February 12th.
John McCarthy shares his thoughts on a potential Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic matchup: “Stipe is getting older”
Susan Cox - February 8, 2022
John McCarthy weighed in on what a Jon Jones vs Stipe Miocic matchup might look like. McCarthy, ‘Big John’, is a former professional MMA referee and currently a broadcaster for Bellator MMA. Co-hosting the ‘Weighing In’ podcast with former world champion Josh ‘The Punk’ Thomson the two provide listeners with forty plus years of experience and lots of insight and banter.
Just Scrap Radio Ep. 66 with Robert Whittaker, Renato Moicano, Roxanne Modafferi, Kyler Phillips, and Jared Vanderaa
Cole Shelton - February 8, 2022
The 66th episode of Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com with host Cole Shelton is here ahead of UFC 271. We’re first joined by one-half of the main event in the top-ranked middleweight contender and former middleweight champion, Robert Whittaker (2:53). UFC lightweight, Renato Moicano (15:35) then stops by. 12th-ranked women’s flyweight, Roxanne Modafferi (28:06) joins the show. UFC bantamweight, Kyler Phillips (38:30) then comes on. Closing out the show is UFC heavyweight, Jared Vanderaa (49:28).
Michael Bisping would “love the opportunity” to get in the ring or the cage with one of the Paul brothers
Harry Kettle - February 8, 2022
UFC commentator Michael Bisping has said he would love the opportunity to fight either Logan Paul or Jake Paul. The last few years have seen the Paul brothers, and Jake especially, vault into relevancy within the combat sports space. From fighting Floyd Mayweather to knocking out former UFC champions, it’s been a rollercoaster ride that shows no signs of slowing down just yet.
Rumble CEO offers Joe Rogan a no-censorship deal worth $100 million to switch platforms
Harry Kettle - February 8, 2022
The CEO of Rumble has offered Joe Rogan a deal worth $100 million over four years to switch to their platform from Spotify. The last few weeks have been a whirlwind for Joe Rogan after a video compilation of him saying the N-word went viral. Understandably, this caused quite the backlash on social media, with many fans being split between supporting him and tearing him down.
Chael Sonnen condemns Daniel Cormier for his middleweight GOAT assessment
Harry Kettle - February 8, 2022
Chael Sonnen has questioned Daniel Cormier for suggesting recency bias has played a role in people comparing Israel Adesanya to Anderson Silva. While Anderson Silva is often regarded as the middleweight GOAT by the MMA masses, some have argued that Israel Adesanya could be sneaking his way into the conversation. Alas, Daniel Cormier recently rejected that notion, indicating that he believed Adesanya still has work to do if he wants to be put on the same pedestal as “The Spider”.
Julianna Pena explains excitement behind Amanda Nunes rematch: "I want to silence the naysayers"
Josh Evanoff - February 7, 2022
Julianna Pena is currently set to face Amanda Nunes later this year in a highly-anticipated rematch. The UFC bantamweight champion has given her reason why she’s so excited to fight ‘The Lioness’ again. Pena and Nunes are currently coaching the 30th season of The Ultimate Fighter. During media day for the show, ‘The Venezuelan Vixen’ shared excitement over facing her rival once again.
Jorge Masvidal eager to "expose" Colby Covington at UFC 272: "He’s very limited"
Cole Shelton - February 7, 2022
Jorge Masvidal plans to expose Colby Covington at UFC 272. Masvidal and Covington are set to headline the pay-per-view in a highly-anticipated bout. The two are former roommates and best friends but had a massive falling out. They don’t like each other and ‘Gamebred’ says he’s excited to be able to get paid to punch Covington in the face and expose him to the world.