MMA News

Cole Shelton - August 16, 2023

Aljamain Sterling thinks Sean O’Malley has an overrated resume and he plans to expose that. Sterling is set to defend his bantamweight title in the main event of UFC 292 against O’Malley in a highly-anticipated matchup. To earn the title shot, O’Malley edged out a split decision win over Petr Yam and before that, he had a No Contest against Pedro Munhoz, which are the only two ranked opponents O’Malley has ever fought.

Cole Shelton - August 16, 2023

Andre Petroski admits it was difficult to withdraw from his fight in Newark back in May. The fight in Newark was pretty much a hometown fight for Petroski, so having to withdraw was tough. However, he says it was required as he had a nagging injury that he needed to let rest and rehab.

BJPENN.COM Staff - August 16, 2023

Combat sports fans are in for a treat when Timofey Nastyukhin meets Zhang Lipeng at ONE Fight Night 15 on Prime Video. The bout is scheduled for Friday, October 6, and takes place at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. The two grizzled veterans boast years of experience and a penchant for explosive finishes. So, this lightweight MMA fight is guaranteed fireworks from start to finish.

Cole Shelton - August 16, 2023

Pedro Munhoz says he has unfinished business with Sean O’Malley. Munhoz and O’Malley fought back in July 2022 in what served as a major step-up in competition for ‘Suga’. Early on, Munhoz had some success on the feet and out landed O’Malley 19-to-15 in the first round. In the second round, Sean O’Malley started to have more success but he accidentally eye-poked Pedro Munhoz and the Brazilian couldn’t continue so the fight was called off.

Josh Evanoff - August 16, 2023

UFC lightweight Michael Chandler believes Dustin Poirier should think twice about welterweight. ‘The Diamond’ is fresh off his rematch opposite Justin Gaethje at UFC 291 last month. Over five years after Dustin Poirier scored a knockout win, ‘The Highlight’ returned the favor. In the pay-per-view main event, the former interim lightweight champion suffered a second-round knockout loss.

Josh Evanoff - August 16, 2023

UFC welterweight Ian Garry believes that the fans are tuning in for him on Saturday night. ‘The Future’ has been out of the cage since a knockout win over Daniel Rodriguez in May. That was the victory that many needed to see to believe the hype. While undefeated at 12-0, Ian Garry’s win earlier this year was the biggest of his career to date, sending him into the rankings.

Josh Evanoff - August 16, 2023

ONE Championship flyweight titleholder Demetrious Johnson really wants to fight Bradley Martyn. The bodybuilding YouTuber has made several headlines over the last few months. While never having trained for a sustained amount of time, let alone fight, Bradley Martyn has been vocal about his fighting ability. In a recent interview with Brendan Schaub, he even argued that he could beat Demetrious Johnson in a street fight.

Josh Evanoff - August 16, 2023

Don’t expect to see Canelo Alvarez boxing former UFC champion Conor McGregor anytime soon. ‘The Notorious’ is currently on the comeback trail, having been out of action for over two years. Suffering a broken leg in his July 2021 trilogy with Dustin Poirier, Conor McGregor has recently coached The Ultimate Fighter. While he coached the show opposite Michael Chandler, he’s been admittedly uninterested in that bout.

BJPENN.COM Staff - August 16, 2023

ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion Jonathan Haggerty’s ascent through the sport has been remarkable. But in a few months, his journey will take an unexpected turn in Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium. Haggerty faces reigning ONE Bantamweight MMA World Champion Fabricio Andrade for the division’s vacant kickboxing title at ONE Fight Night 15 on Prime Video on Friday, October 6.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - August 16, 2023

Joanna Jedrzejczyk has decided to make her UFC retirement official. The once-dominant UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion had announced her retirement following a knockout loss against Zhang Weili back in June 2022. Things weren’t made official up to this point, however. That’s because Jedrzejczyk remained in the USADA testing pool and was going back-and-forth on whether or not to pump the brakes on leaving pro MMA competition.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - August 16, 2023

UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski has high praise for both Aljamain Sterling and Sean O’Malley, and he’s made his pick for the UFC 292 headliner. Sterling will be putting the UFC Bantamweight Championship at stake against O’Malley on August 19. For the “Funk Master,” he’s hoping to extend his record for the most successful consecutive UFC bantamweight title defenses. He also told Ariel Helwani on “The MMA Hour” that he plans to move up to featherweight following UFC 292.

Pineapple Dojo MMA - August 16, 2023

UFC 292 is the final UFC Pay-Per-View of the summer with a huge Bantamweight title fight in Boston, Massachusetts.  Aljamain “Funk Master” Sterling is set to compete against “Sugar” Sean O’Malley in Sterling’s 4th potential title defense while he rides a 9-fight win streak.  The fight week odds declare Sterling (-130) to be the favorite over O’Malley (+100) given the Funk Master’s strength of schedule combined with his heavy grappling advantage. Sean O’Malley’s fast rise to the top of the Bantamweight rankings can certainly be attributed to his viral knockouts, Twitch streaming, as well as his affinity for cannabis.  Despite O’Malley’s controversial win over former champion Petr “No Mercy” Yan, some analysts, including former UFC welterweight Dan Hardy, believe O’Malley’s team has more than a puncher’s chance to get the job done on Saturday night.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - August 16, 2023

Former UFC fighter and current BKFC bare-knuckle boxer Mike Perry has called out Robbie Lawler. Lawler retired from pro MMA competition following his vintage knockout victory over Niko Price at UFC 290. Many fans and experts believe that the win was a great way for “Ruthless” to leave the sport. Now, “Platinum” is trying to lure Lawler back in the competitive fight game.

Harry Kettle - August 16, 2023

The Ultimate Fighting Championship has announced the departure of three more fighters, including James Krause. The wicked nature of mixed martial arts, and the UFC, often means that fighters get released. It happens all the time with the promotion making moves that they believe will benefit them in the long run. There are some instances in which the fans and media agree with the decision, and others whereby it leads to some extended questioning.

Harry Kettle - August 16, 2023

Alex Pereira has explained why he believes Jiri Prochazka won’t be as tough as his recent opponent Jan Blachowicz. Back at UFC 291, Alex Pereira fought Jan Blachowicz in his light heavyweight debut. It was a pretty close bout but in the end, the Brazilian sensation was able to edge out a victory over the man behind Polish Power. Now, he’s largely expected to face Jiri Prochazka in a bout for the vacant UFC light heavyweight championship.

Harry Kettle - August 16, 2023

Ian Garry has explained his decision to sign a deal with Jake Paul’s media company Betr, despite his admiration for fellow countryman Conor McGregor. This weekend, Ian Garry will return to the Octagon to take on Neil Magny. In doing so, he’ll attempt to continue his unbeaten run in the UFC, and move a step closer to a welterweight title shot.

Cole Shelton - August 15, 2023

John Dodson has been taking over BKFC and he finally got a chance to fight for a world title at BKFC 48. Dodson was fighting for the inaugural flyweight title against JR Ridge and entering the fight, he had a ton of confidence that he would score a finish. He knew Ridge would try to be technical, so he wasn’t surprised when he caught Ridge by surprise with his speed and power.

Zain Bando - August 15, 2023

Although UFC president Dana White isn’t directly involved in boxing, that isn’t to say that he has his favorites. This observation can be noted when discussing “King” Callum Walsh, one of the brightest young prospects in the sport. Dana White has been an avid supporter of Callum Walsh since the middle of 2022, where he has been regularly seen attending Walsh’s fights, including his most recent stoppage of Wesley Tucker in the spring. The victory makes Walsh unbeaten in his last seven fights, and White is keen on ensuring the 21-year-old’s trajectory stays consistent.