MMA News

Cole Shelton - July 4, 2023

Cris Lencioni has started to walk again. Lencioni – who fights for Bellator – recently had a cardiac arrest while he was practicing which resulted in brain damage. After being in a coma, he was released from ICU as he started to get healthier. It was massive news that Lencioni was starting to get healthy – as doctors told Lencoini’s wife only around 10 percent of people survive what happened to him.

Cole Shelton - July 4, 2023

Dan Hooker has a ton of confidence heading into his UFC 290 fight against Jalin Turner. Hooker is coming off a TKO win over Claudio Puelles back in November and was supposed to face Turner in March. However, ‘The Hangman’ broke his hand and the fight was off. After Turner lost to Mateusz Gamrot in March, the two are set to rematch at UFC 290 in a pivotal fight for both men.

Cole Shelton - July 4, 2023

Alexander Volkanovski doesn’t think Robert Whittaker vs. Dricus Du Plessis will be all that competitive. Whittaker is set to take on Du Plessis on the main card of UFC 290 as the fight serves as a title eliminator. It’s a crucial fight and one the Aussie is a sizeable betting favorite in. However, Dricus Du Plessis is confident he has all the tools to beat Robert Whittaker and finish him.

Zain Bando - July 4, 2023

After two years of speculation, the truth is finally out about why Khabib Nurmagomedov, the former UFC lightweight champion from 2018-2021, retired from the sport of MMA. Khabib Nurmagomedov left the UFC early on in 2021 after Dustin Poirier exacted revenge on Conor McGregor. There were hints that he might return if a McGregor rematch materialized, as UFC president Dana White hinted at the possibility in a ’Dana White: Lookin’ For a Fight’ episode a week ahead of McGregor-Poirier 2. Obviously, it never did.

Josh Evanoff - July 4, 2023

Logan Paul badly wants to fight Paddy Pimblett on the undercard of a UFC event featuring Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg. Over the last few weeks, the two billionaires have been going back and forth over a potential fight. For his part, Dana White has repeatedly confirmed that he plans to stage the contest in the UFC. Furthermore, both Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg have shown videos and images of themselves training for the potential bout.

Josh Evanoff - July 4, 2023

UFC lightweight contender Dan Hooker has explained why he disapproved of a fight with Tony Ferguson. ‘The Hangman’ has been out of the cage since a knockout win over Claudio Puelles last Fall. That victory was a massive one for the New Zealander, as it snapped a two-fight losing streak. Previously, Dan Hooker suffered lopsided defeats at the hands of Arnold Allen and Islam Makhachev.

Josh Evanoff - July 4, 2023

Former UFC heavyweight title challenger Alistair Overeem has decided to hang up the gloves for good. ‘The Reem’ has been out of action since a return to the Glory kickboxing ring last October. There, he faced Badr Hart in a long-awaited trilogy bout, where the UFC veteran won by unanimous decision. Months later, Alistair Overeem’s victory was overturned to a no-contest due to a positive drug test.

Susan Cox - July 4, 2023

Bo Nickal has received a new opponent for UFC 290, this after Tresean Gore was forced to withdraw from the event. UFC 290 takes place this coming Saturday, July 8th at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada.

Susan Cox - July 4, 2023

Paulo Costa is attempting to clear the air after starting online tension between Tracy Cortez and Brian Ortega. It all began last Friday night when Paulo Costa  (14-2 MMA) posted a picture of himself and the 29 year old UFC flyweight Tracy Cortez (10-1 MMA).

Cole Shelton - July 4, 2023

In the main event of UFC 290, the featherweight title is up for grabs as Alexander Volkanovski looks to defend his strap against Yair Rodriguez. Heading into the fight, Volkanovski is a massive -400 favorite while the Mexican is a +285 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the fight at UFC 290, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. To no surprise, the pros are unaninmous in picking Volkanovski to defend his belt as they believe he is too good at featherweight.

Susan Cox - July 4, 2023

Chael Sonnen is revealing that he was previously ‘catfished by Aspen Ladd’. Chael Sonnen proclaimed last week that Mark Zuckerberg contacted him sharing news he had booked a fight against Elon Musk in a battle of the billionaires at UFC 300.

Harry Kettle - July 4, 2023

Sean O’Malley has, perhaps jokingly, suggested he could become the new pound-for-pound number one fighter in the UFC if he beats Aljamain Sterling. At UFC 292, Sean O’Malley’s chance at glory arrives. He will battle Aljamain Sterling with the UFC bantamweight championship on the line. If he wins, he will finally become a world champion at the highest level – something he’s promised to do for years. It’s a quick turnaround for Sterling, of course, who faced Henry Cejudo back in May.

Cole Shelton - July 4, 2023

The 129th episode of Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com with host Cole Shelton is live ahead of UFC 290 this Saturday. We’re first joined by fifth-ranked UFC middleweight Dricus Du Plessis (2:00). Next, fourth-ranked UFC flyweight Brandon Royval (16:33) comes on. UFC lightweight Kamuela Kirk (32:32) then joins the show. Closing out the program is UFC flyweight, Shannon Ross (46:01).

Harry Kettle - July 4, 2023

Alex Pereira has taken a shot at Abus Magomedov for having what he deems to be a fake record after his loss last weekend. If there’s one man who knows what it takes to succeed at middleweight, and do so quickly, it’s Alex Pereira. The Brazilian sensation was able to rapidly rise up through the ranks of the division, eventually becoming champion. So, then, when he saw Abus Magomedov get a huge opportunity to take on Sean Strickland last Saturday night, he was understandably intrigued.

Harry Kettle - July 4, 2023

Yair Rodriguez has explained what makes him a difficult match-up for Alex Volkanovski as they prepare to collide this weekend. At UFC 290, Yair Rodriguez faces the fight of his life. He will battle Alex Volkanovski in an attempt to capture the UFC bantamweight championship, a belt of which he already holds the interim version. Most fans and pundits consider him to be the underdog, as you’d imagine would be the case. Still, that isn’t going to stop him from putting his best foot forward.

Cole Shelton - July 3, 2023

In the main event of UFC Vegas 76, Sean Strickland was taking on unranked Abus Magomedov. Strickland entered the fight coming off a decision victory over Nassourdine Imavov, in a scrap he took on short notice. That fight got him back into the win column after suffering back-to-back losses to Jared Cannonier and Alex Pereira. Magomedov, meanwhile, was coming off a 19-second KO win over Dustin Stoltzfus in his UFC debut to earn a main event spot.

Josh Evanoff - July 3, 2023

UFC President Dana White recently took some time to discuss Kobe Bryant. In the summer of 2016, the UFC completed was bought out by WME-IMG. While many executives left the company during this timeframe, Dana White famously decided to stay around. Ultimately, when the purchase was made final, Endeavor had a meeting with all of their clients, where they would be able to buy a share of the UFC.

Cole Shelton - July 3, 2023

Aljamain Sterling has taken aim at Sean O’Malley. Sterling is set to defend his bantamweight title in the main event of UFC 292 against O’Malley. It’s a highly-anticipated bout as it marks Suga’s first chance to become a UFC champ, this after receiving a strong push from the promotion. O’Malley has also been vocal in saying he won’t just win but will finish Aljamain Sterling early to become the champ. He has also taken aim at ‘Funkmaster’ for complaining about the scrap taking place in August.