MMA News
Vadim Nemkov announces move to heavyweight, will likely vacate the Bellator light heavyweight title
Harry Kettle - August 11, 2023
Vadim Nemkov has confirmed his desire to make the move up to heavyweight following a successful run at 205 pounds. For the longest time now, Vadim Nemkov has been the dominant force at light heavyweight in Bellator MMA. He won the title in the summer of 2020, and has held it ever since. In that time, he’s defended it on five occasions, winning four bouts with one being deemed a no contest. Many were wondering what was left for him in the division and as it turns out, the answer is “not a lot”.
UFC President Dana White shares his thoughts on the five greatest UFC fighters of all time: “Matt Hughes would have to make the list”
Harry Kettle - August 11, 2023
UFC president Dana White has given his thoughts on who would be in the top five conversation for greatest UFC fighters of all time. It’s a conversation that fans love to have from time to time: who is the greatest of all time? In mixed martial arts, it’s a pretty complicated discussion, and even more so in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. There are so many great athletes who have come through the promotion’s doors over the years, and Dana White knows that better than anyone.
Coach claims Dricus Du Plessis may not receive a title shot after failing to step up against Israel Adesanya at UFC 293
Harry Kettle - August 11, 2023
City Kickboxing’s Eugene Bareman has questioned whether or not Dricus du Plessis will end up receiving a title shot. After his win over Robert Whittaker earlier this summer, it seemed like a certainty that Dricus du Plessis would challenge Israel Adesanya for the UFC middleweight championship. It was also suggested that it would take place at UFC 293, which takes place in Sydney, Australia next month.
Tye Ruotolo open to facing twin brother in grappling bout: "For sure, I’m open to it"
BJPENN.COM Staff - August 11, 2023
Tye Ruotolo is willing to compete against anyone, including family members. From the Williams sisters dominating tennis courts to the Manning brothers commanding football fields in the NFL, sibling rivalries have long captivated sports enthusiasts.
Joshua Pacio praises rival Jarred Brooks: "You can’t really sleep on that guy"
BJPENN.COM Staff - August 10, 2023
Heated rivals Joshua Pacio and Jarred Brooks have never really seen eye to eye. But despite their differences, the Filipino phenom graciously acknowledged the courageous effort that the ONE Strawweight MMA World Champion displayed in his most recent outing. Brooks entered uncharted territory to challenge ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Champion Mikey Musumeci for his belt at ONE Fight Night 13 last week.
Jorge Masvidal open to transitioning to WWE as long as "the compensation makes sense"
Cole Shelton - August 10, 2023
Jorge Masvidal is open to becoming a pro wrestler for the WWE. Masvidal announced his retirement from MMA back in April following a decision loss to Gilbert Burns at UFC 287. It was his fourth straight defeat and ‘Gamebred’ said he felt like he could no longer compete at the highest level.
Bryce Hall lays out three-fight plan to return to influencer boxing that ends with KSI bout
Cole Shelton - August 10, 2023
Bryce Hall isn’t done fighting in influencer boxing. Hall made his influencer boxing debut back in June of 2021 when he took on YouTuber Austin McBroom. In the lead-up to the fight, Hall was oozing with confidence, but it was McBroom who wound up winning by third-round TKO.
Dustin Jacoby believes he made a "statement" with first-round knockout over Kennedy Nzechukwu at UFC Nashville
Cole Shelton - August 10, 2023
Dustin Jacoby says his back was against the wall at UFC Nashville. Jacoby was taking on Kennedy Nzechukwu in a pivotal fight for his career, as the former Glory kickboxer was on a two-fight losing skid. Although Jacoby was still in the light heavyweight rankings, he believed he was likely fighting for his job on Saturday.
Vicente Luque details recovery from brain bleed ahead of Rafael dos Anjos fight: "That was definitely unfortunate"
Josh Evanoff - August 10, 2023
UFC welterweight contender Vicente Luque has discussed his return against Rafael dos Anjos. ‘The Silent Assassin’ has been out of action since a knockout loss to Geoff Neal last August. The fight was hard to watch, as the Brazilian took a lot of damage in the stoppage defeat. As it turns out, Vicente Luque suffered a brain bleed as a result of his knockout loss at UFC Vegas 59 last summer.
Boxing champion Claressa Shields signs new multi-year contract to return to the PFL
Josh Evanoff - August 10, 2023
PFL has signed a multi-year agreement with women’s boxing champion Claressa Shields. The ‘GWOAT’ is one of the more colorful figures in the world of boxing. In the last few weeks, she’s called out both Jake Paul and Keith Thurman for intergender boxing matches. While the latter showed interest, it seems that Claressa Shields will now be returning to the world of MMA.
Court certifies billion dollar class action lawsuit against UFC as judge slams 'unfettered power' by company
Josh Evanoff - August 10, 2023
Former UFC fighters earned a massive victory in the courtroom earlier this week. In 2014, several former fighters began the process of filing a class action lawsuit against the company. Led by names such as Cung Le, and Nate Quarry, they accused the UFC of being a monopsony. The lawsuit alleged that the UFC purposefully bought out competitors while driving down fighter pay.
Rafael dos Anjos hopeful Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler doesn't happen: "Other guys deserve that fight"
Josh Evanoff - August 10, 2023
Former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos doesn’t believe Conor McGregor should fight Michael Chandler. ‘The Notorious’ and ‘Iron’ are currently coaching the latest season of The Ultimate Fighter. While the season is going smoothly, save for a dangerous coach challenge, fans wonder if they’ll actually see the two lightweights fight. In recent weeks, Conor McGregor has called for a fight with Justin Gaethje instead of Michael Chandler.
Dana White makes bold claim about new Power Slap mobile game: “We’re number one in all of sports”
Susan Cox - August 10, 2023
UFC President Dana White is making a bold claim about the new Power Slap mobile game. White has teamed up with developer Zynga for the first Power Slap mobile game.
Rafael dos Anjos explains why he won't ever fight for the BMF belt
Cole Shelton - August 10, 2023
Rafael dos Anjos believes he is overqualified to win the BMF title. Dos Anjos is the former UFC lightweight champion and has fought the who’s who at light and welterweight. His resume features names like Khabib Nurmagomedov, Nate Diaz, Anthony Pettis, Donald Cerrone, Eddie Alvarez, Tony Ferguson, Robbie Lawler, Colby Covington, Leon Edwards, and Kamaru Usman among others.
Ben Askren scoffs at Jorge Masvidal’s offer to have a rematch under boxing rules: “He’s scared of being embarrassed”
Susan Cox - August 10, 2023
Former Bellator and ONE champion Ben Askren is scoffing at Jorge Masvidal’s offer to have a rematch under boxing rules. It was when speaking with ‘TMZ Sports‘ this past July that the 38-year-old Masvidal called out Askren saying:
Demetrious Johnson shares his prediction for a future Israel Adesanya vs. Bo Nickal title fight
Susan Cox - August 10, 2023
Demetrious Johnson is sharing his prediction for a future Israel Adesanya vs. Bo Nickal title fight. It was on the first episode of ‘The GOATCast’ with Henry Cejudo and Demetrious Johnson, that the latter spoke about the state of the UFC middleweight division.
Anatoly Malykhin unimpressed by "Reug Reug's" performance against "Buchecha"
BJPENN.COM Staff - August 10, 2023
Two-division MMA World Champion Anatoly Malykhin wasn’t particularly enthused with “Reug Reug” Oumar Kane’s most recent outing. At ONE Fight Night 13 on Prime Video this past Friday, the Senegalese wrestler earned one of the biggest upsets of 2023 when he stunningly eked out a victory against previously unbeaten heavyweight star Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida.
Jake Paul claims Nate Diaz’s punches didn’t hurt at all: “I could have stood there with my chin out”
Harry Kettle - August 10, 2023
Jake Paul has claimed that Nate Diaz’s punches didn’t hurt at all during their boxing showdown last weekend. It’s safe to say that Jake Paul is feeling pretty good about himself. On Saturday night, he defeated Nate Diaz in a fairly one-sided decision, in what served as Diaz’s pro boxing debut. It wasn’t pretty at times, but ‘The Problem Child’ was still able to get the job done.