MMA News
Tai Tuivasa discusses the heavy hands on UFC heavyweight contender Sergei Pavlovich: “The first hit and I knew I was f**ked”
Harry Kettle - August 11, 2023
Tai Tuivasa has spoken candidly about the explosive power he experienced when taking on Sergei Pavlovich in his last fight. When it comes to fan favorites, Tai Tuivasa is up there with the best of them. He’s a heavy hitter, he’s got a great personality, and he’s willing to put on great fights against just about anyone. In his last outing, however, things didn’t quite go his way.
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.
The UFC parts ways with three fighters
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.
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.
Kevin Belingon breaks down John Lineker's dramatic victory at ONE Fight Night 13, wants rematch
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.
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.
Derrick Lewis signs eight-fight deal with UFC as free agency is short-lived
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.
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:
Pro fighters make their picks for Vicente Luque vs. Rafael dos Anjos
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.
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.