MMA News
Beneil Dariush is contemplating his UFC future following KO loss to Arman Tsarukyan: “Do I go forward or am I done”
Harry Kettle - December 11, 2023
UFC lightweight Beneil Dariush has admitted that he’s contemplating his future in MMA after his recent knockout loss. Earlier this month, Beneil Dariush suffered a pretty bad knockout loss at the hands of Arman Tsarukyan. The defeat came in the first round, and it served as the second loss of the year for Dariush following his defeat to Charles Oliveira in June. Now, at the age of 34, it appears as if Dariush is questioning his future in the sport of mixed martial arts.
Leon Edwards sheds light on Ian Machado Garry gym KO rumors: “He got a little taste for sure”
Harry Kettle - December 11, 2023
Leon Edwards has shed some light on the rumors that he knocked out Ian Machado Garry in training. This weekend, Leon Edwards will return to the Octagon at UFC 296. In the main event of the evening, he will defend his UFC welterweight championship against Colby Covington, the former interim champ. Many believe Colby doesn’t deserve a crack at the belt, but either way, he’s getting one.
Early bird tickets to ONE 166: Qatar now on sale
BJPENN.COM Staff - December 10, 2023
ONE Championship will make history with its first-ever live event in Qatar on March 1. The much-anticipated spectacle — ONE 166: Qatar — happens at the state-of-the-art Lusail Sports Arena in Doha.
Johan Ghazali dreams of facing Rodtang Jitmuangnon in ONE Championship: "I'll still try to beat him up"
BJPENN.COM Staff - December 10, 2023
Johan Ghazali harbors a fervent desire to someday share the same stage with none other than ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon. For the Malaysian-American teenage phenom, Rodtang is a source of inspiration. The 17-year-old passionately reveres “The Iron Man” as one of the pound-for-pound greats in Muay Thai today.
Alexandre Pantoja feels Brandon Royval deserves UFC 296 title opportunity: "He's fought with everybody in the top 10"
Fernando Quiles Jr. - December 10, 2023
UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja isn’t going to downplay Brandon Royval as a challenger. Pantoja and Royval are no strangers to one another. Back in August 2021, Pantoja submitted Royval via rear-naked choke in the second round. Since that fight, Royval has gone on a three-fight winning streak. In that span, he’s beaten Rogério Bontorin, Matt Schnell, and Matheus Nicolau. The streak has earned Royval the number two spot on the official UFC flyweight rankings, and a championship opportunity.
Henry Cejudo vs. Merab Dvalishvili scheduled for UFC 298 in Anaheim
Fernando Quiles Jr. - December 10, 2023
A massive bantamweight clash with title implications has been booked between Henry Cejudo and Merab Dvalishvili. Cejudo made the announcement in a video on his YouTube channel. Cejudo vs. Dvalishvili will be featured on the same card headlined by a featherweight title fight between champion Alexander Volkanovski and Ilia Topuria. UFC 298 has been shaping up with the event taking place two months from now.
Belal Muhammad serving as backup fighter for UFC 296 main event: “I think obviously they know Colby and Leon are the two most inactive welterweights in the division"
Fernando Quiles Jr. - December 10, 2023
Belal Muhammad will be an emergency backup in the event that something goes awry with the planned UFC 296 headliner. The scheduled main event for UFC 296 is a UFC Welterweight Championship fight between titleholder Leon Edwards and Colby Covington. It certainly isn’t unusual for the UFC to have backup fighters for title bouts. In this case, however, Muhammad believes he’s been chosen because the UFC doesn’t trust Edwards or Covington to make it to fight night.
Khalil Rountree explains why fighting UFC champion Alex Pereira would make sense: "You have two explosive, dynamic fighters"
Fernando Quiles Jr. - December 10, 2023
Khalil Rountree isn’t pounding the table to fight UFC lightweight champion Alex Pereira this second, but he does believe the fight would have some juice to it. Rountree has been rolling inside the Octagon as of late. He recently extended his winning streak to five by stopping Anthony Smith via TKO in the third round. “The War Horse” earned his second “Performance of the Night” bonus as a result of his handiwork at UFC Vegas 83.
Song Yadong fires back at Petr Yan following UFC Vegas 83 win: "His last fight was boring, too"
Fernando Quiles Jr. - December 10, 2023
Song Yadong is having none of Petr Yan’s emojis. Yadong took center stage in the main event of UFC Vegas 83 on December 9. He shared the Octagon with Chris Gutierrez inside the UFC Apex. Yadong was able to take a unanimous decision victory after the fight went all five rounds.
UFC Vegas 83 Results: Song Yadong defeats Chris Gutiérrez
Chris Taylor - December 9, 2023
We have you covered for all of tonight’s UFC Vegas 83 results, including the main event between Song Yadong and Chris Gutiérrez. Yadong (21-7-1 MMA) will be returning to action for the first time since scoring a fifth-round finish over Ricky Simon this past April. That victory was preceded by a TKO loss to Cory Sandhagen, a setback which snapped ‘The Kung Fu Kid’s’ three-fight winning streak.
Pros react after Khalil Roundtree Jr. TKO's Anthony Smith at UFC Vegas 83
Chris Taylor - December 9, 2023
Tonight’s UFC Vegas 83 event was co-headlined by a light heavyweight bout featuring Anthony Smith taking on Khalil Rountree Jr. Smith (37-19 MMA) was returning to action for the first time since earning a split decision win over Ryan Spann at August’s UFC Singapore event. That victory had snapped a two-fight losing skid for ‘Lionheart’, as the 35-year-old veteran had previously suffered setbacks to Johnny Walker and Magomed Ankalaev respectively.
UFC Vegas 83 Results: Khalil Roundtree Jr. stops Anthony Smith (Video)
Chris Taylor - December 9, 2023
We have you covered for all of tonight’s UFC Vegas 83 results, including the co-main event between Anthony Smith and Khalil Roundtree Jr. Smith (37-18 MMA) was last seen in action at August’s UFC Singapore event, where he earned a split decision win over Ryan Spann. That victory snapped a two-fight losing skid for ‘Lionheart’, as the 35-year-old veteran had previously suffered setbacks to Johnny Walker and Magomed Ankalaev.
Colby Covington becomes the latest fighter to take issue with Ian Garry: “The guy's a f**king joke”
Harry Kettle - December 9, 2023
Colby Covington has become the latest fighter to take a shot at Ian Garry as the public scrutiny against the Irishman continues. It’s been a rough few weeks for Ian Garry. While the youngster has been solid so far in the Octagon, things have been tricky outside of the cage. Between stories about him in the gym to accusations against his wife, he’s had to deal with some real adversity. Despite that, he’s still deep in preparation mode for his upcoming showdown with Vicente Luque at UFC 296.
Irish politicians react after Conor McGregor hints at running for President of Ireland: “I wouldn’t nominate him to wash dishes”
Harry Kettle - December 9, 2023
Irish politicians have reacted to the news that Conor McGregor is interested in running for the Irish presidency. If there’s one thing we know to be true about Conor McGregor, it’s that he does things his own way. He’s controversial, he’s eccentric, and he’s incredibly successful. In recent weeks, however, he’s been causing quite a stir by giving his political opinions on social media.
Mike Perry says a fight with Nate Diaz “makes sense” but doubts the former UFC title challenger will do BKFC: “These guys are afraid to do no gloves”
Harry Kettle - December 9, 2023
BKFC star Mike Perry has given his thoughts on a potential showdown with Nate Diaz in the future. Last weekend, Mike Perry continued his phenomenal run in bare-knuckle boxing with a win over Eddie Alvarez. At this point, there’s no denying that he’s the biggest star in BKFC, and one of the biggest combat sports athletes outside of the UFC.
Ilia Topuria is predicting a “masterpiece” against Alex Volkanovski at UFC 298: “It will be one of the easier fights of my career”
Harry Kettle - December 9, 2023
UFC contender Ilia Topuria has predicted a masterpiece of a performance ahead of his fight against Alexander Volkanovski. At UFC 298 in February, Ilia Topuria will challenge Alexander Volkanovski for the UFC featherweight championship. While some feel as if this is too quick, others expect him to put up a really good showing against the champion.
Daniel Cormier praises Colby Covington's incredible work ethic: "No one has done more with less"
Josh Evanoff - December 8, 2023
Play-by-play Commentator Daniel Cormier believes Colby Covington might be the hardest-working fighter in the UFC today. ‘Chaos’ has been out of action since a unanimous decision win over Jorge Masvidal last March at UFC 272. While that victory was massive, he was later kept out of action due to being assaulted by ‘Gamebred’ later that month. However, Colby Covington is now set to return later this month in a welterweight title fight against Leon Edwards.
OKTAGON's Vladimir Lengal compares boxing vs. MMA: "It really is a different sport"
Zain Bando - December 8, 2023
Vladimir Lengal has had an interesting combat sports career thus far. Before transitioning to MMA entirely in February, the undefeated Lengal (12-0, 6-0 MMA) took up boxing and became a Czech world champion, further showcasing his skills as a prospect to look out for moving forward.