MMA News

Jeffrey Walter - August 10, 2023

The UFC has parted ways with another three fighters according to recent reports from @UFCRosterWatch on ‘Twitter’. It should also be noted that it has not been confirmed if all of these moves were outright releases or simply contracts which were not renewed.

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.

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.

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.

BJPENN.COM Staff - August 10, 2023

In a heart-pounding clash of hard-hitting bantamweights that left MMA fans on the edge of their seats, John Lineker staged a remarkable come-from-behind victory at ONE Fight Night 13 this past Friday. Lineker, the former ONE Bantamweight MMA World Champion and current #1-ranked contender, had a lackluster start to the fight. However, he rallied back to shut off Kim Jae Woong’s lights with just four seconds remaining in their 151-pound catchweight MMA bout at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

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.

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.

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.

Cole Shelton - August 10, 2023

Derrick Lewis will remain a UFC heavyweight. At UFC 291, Lewis returned to the win column with a 33-second TKO win over Marcos Rogerio de Lima. He immediately landed a flying knee that dropped the Brazilian and then finished him off with ground-and-pound shots.

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.

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.

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:

Cole Shelton - August 10, 2023

In the main event of UFC Vegas 78, Vicente Luque is set to return after a year-long layoff due to a brain hemorrhage as he takes on Rafael dos Anjos, who’s moving up in weight. Heading into the fight, Luque is a slight -105 underdog while the former lightweight champion is -115. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the fight. The pros actually lean towards Vicente Luque getting it done as many think the size and strength will be a big difference as Rafael dos Anjos moves up from lightweight.

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.

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.

Harry Kettle - August 10, 2023

Sean O’Malley has called Aljamain Sterling the “bantamweight GOAT” ahead of their title showdown at UFC 292. Later this month, Sean O’Malley will challenge Aljamain Sterling for the UFC bantamweight championship. It comes in the wake of Sterling’s win over Henry Cejudo in May, which marked the third time he has successfully defended the strap. Now, he’s set his sights on ‘Suga’, as he attempts to cement himself as the best bantamweight of all time.

Harry Kettle - August 10, 2023

Bare-knuckle boxer Mike Perry has signed a new multi-fight deal with BKFC as his hot run with the company continues. Across the last few years, you could argue that very few fighters in combat sports have been as entertaining as Mike Perry. From his antics outside of the ring to what he’s done in it, this is the kind of guy you can rely on to put on fun bouts.

BJPENN.COM Staff - August 9, 2023

ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion Jonathan Haggerty has a chance to win a second belt. But so does his upcoming opponent. The British striker will face reigning ONE Bantamweight MMA World Champion Fabricio Andrade for the promotion’s vacant bantamweight kickboxing strap at ONE Fight Night 15 on Prime Video. It goes down live on Friday, October 6, in U.S. primetime.