MMA News

Cole Shelton - July 26, 2023

In the main event of UFC 291, the vacant BMF title is up for grabs as Dustin Poirier takes on Justin Gaethje in a highly-anticipated rematch. Heading into the scrap, Poirier is a -162 favorite while ‘The Highlight’ is a +126 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. The pros are nearly unanimous in thinking Poirier will get the win in a rematch but most, to no surprise, are expecting it to be a potential Fight of the Year contender.

Harry Kettle - July 26, 2023

UFC star Sean O’Malley has heaped praise on Israel Adesanya for being one of the greatest UFC champions of all time. Following his win over Alex Pereira, Israel Adesanya is once again the UFC middleweight champion. Later this year, he’s expected to defend the belt once again, reportedly against Sean Strickland. In the eyes of many, he’s one of the best to ever do it – and may have even surpassed Anderson Silva at 185 pounds.

Harry Kettle - July 26, 2023

MMA analyst and former fighter Brendan Schaub has explained the advantage he believes Dustin Poirier holds over Justin Gaethje. This Saturday night at UFC 291, the BMF title is on the line. In the main event of the evening, Dustin Poirier will battle Justin Gaethje for the second time. The two men will go to war at lightweight, with the hope being that we see another absolute classic unfold in Salt Lake City.

Harry Kettle - July 26, 2023

UFC commentator Jon Anik has spoken candidly about a light heavyweight dream fight that Mick Maynard wanted to book. For many years now, Jon Anik has served as the voice of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He’s one of the best commentators in combat sports, and perhaps the best of all time. In addition to that, he isn’t afraid to peel back the curtain every now and then for fans around the world.

Cole Shelton - July 25, 2023

Jan Blachowicz wanted some time off after his last fight. Blachowicz last competed back in December and fought Magomed Ankalaev to a draw for the vacant lightweight title. After the fight ended, Blachowicz wanted some time off to heal for some injuries, and he said the plan was to return in the summer.

Cole Shelton - July 25, 2023

Alex Pereira believes Jan Blachowicz is the perfect opponent for him to make his light heavyweight debut against. Pereira is set to move up to light heavyweight in the co-main event of UFC 291 against Blachowicz in an intriguing matchup. The Brazilian has always been a bigger middleweight and he said even before his KO loss to Israel Adesanya he was thinking about making the move to light heavyweight.

Cole Shelton - July 25, 2023

Paulo Costa expects to beat Khamzat Chimaev with relative ease. Costa and Chimaev are set to fight at UFC 294 in October in Abu Dhabi in a very intriguing middleweight matchup. The winner of the fight could very well earn a title shot, and the oddsmakers have Chimaev as a sizeable betting favorite.

Josh Evanoff - July 25, 2023

The saga between UFC middleweight contender Sean Strickland and Keith Lee continues. ‘Tarzan’ is fresh off his return at UFC Vegas 76 earlier this month against Abus Magomedov. In the main event, Sean Strickland scored a second-round knockout win, one that might net him a title shot against Israel Adesanya. Earlier on the undercard, Kevin Lee suffered a first-round loss, with his brother, Keith Lee, in his corner.

Josh Evanoff - July 25, 2023

UFC welterweight Vicente Luque had to undergo additional testing to face Rafael dos Anjos in August. ‘The Silent Assassin’ is currently slated to return opposite the former UFC champion next month. For his part, Rafael dos Anjos last submitted Bryan Barberena last December in his most recent appearance. As of now, the two are expected to headline UFC Vegas 79, in an important one for Vicente Luque.

Josh Evanoff - July 25, 2023

Almost four years on from his UFC 245 loss to Kamaru Usman, Colby Covington still blames Marc Goddard. ‘Chaos’ is currently on the sidelines, waiting for his fight with Leon Edwards to be booked. Last defeating Jorge Masvidal at UFC 272 last March, the potential title shot has been controversial. However, Dana White has been steadfast in booking Colby Covington vs. ‘Rocky’ later this year.

Josh Evanoff - July 25, 2023

Former UFC title challenger Nate Diaz has named his toughest opponent to date. The Stockton slugger is currently slated to face Jake Paul next month on DAZN pay-per-view. The bout will be Nate Diaz’s boxing debut, but he feels confident. Having spent years sparring names such as Andre Ward, the former UFC star feels that he’s the perfect MMA fighter to finally beat ‘The Problem Child’.

Susan Cox - July 25, 2023

Sean Strickland is slamming former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker for his UFC 290 loss to Dricus Du Plessis. It was earlier this month that Robert Whittaker (24-7 MMA) and Dricus Du Plessis (20-2 MMA) met in the Octagon at UFC 290. The result was a TKO loss for Whittaker at 2:23 of round 2.

Susan Cox - July 25, 2023

Ben Askren has shared direct messages with Dana White regarding a potential UFC rematch with Jorge Masvidal. Jorge Masvidal (35-17 MMA) and Ben Askren (19-2 MMA) met in the Octagon in July of 2019 at UFC 239. The result was a knockout victory for Masvidal at 0:05 of Round 1. It was to be the fastest KO in UFC history.

Cole Shelton - July 25, 2023

Tony Ferguson says he is now fighting for himself and no one else. Ferguson is set to return to the lightweight division at UFC 291 as he faces Bobby Green. It’s an intriguing matchup as ‘El Cucuy’ has struggled as of late. Ferguson has lost five in a row, but outside of Nate Diaz in his last fight, he has only lost to top-five fighters. Before losing to Diaz, he suffered losses to Justin Gaethje, Charles Oliveira, Beneil Dariush, and Michael Chandler.

Susan Cox - July 25, 2023

Tom Aspinall has taken over the No. 4 spot in the official UFC Heavyweight Rankings. It was just this past Saturday, July 22nd, that Tom Aspinall (13-3 MMA) defeated Marcin Tybura (24-8 MMA) in the heavyweight main event. In front of a hometown crowd at the O2 Arena in London, England, Aspinall KO’d Tybura at 1:13 of Round 1.

Susan Cox - July 25, 2023

Jon Jones is dismissing Tom Aspinall as being a legitimate threat to his UFC heavyweight title. It was Tom Aspinall (13-3 MMA) vs Marcin Tybura (24-8 MMA) featured in the heavyweight main event this past Saturday at UFC London. The result was a technical knockout victory for Aspinall at 1:13 of round 1.

Harry Kettle - July 25, 2023

Zabit Magomedsharipov has claimed that the Ultimate Fighting Championship offered him a title shot to try and get him out of retirement. In recent years, Zabit Magomedsharipov has been one of the biggest ‘what ifs’ in mixed martial arts. Beyond that, you could argue that claim extends to the entire history of the sport. With an 18-1 pro record and a 6-0 record in the UFC, it always felt as if Zabit was destined for a world title. Unfortunately, we haven’t seen him in the Octagon since November 2019 when he beat Calvin Kattar.

Harry Kettle - July 25, 2023

According to a recent report from Giorgi Kokiashvili, Derek Brunson and Roman Dolidze will collide at UFC 295. The middleweight division is certainly looking interesting right now. While Israel Adesanya may still be running the show as champion, there are plenty of hungry contenders hoping to make a push for a title shot.