MMA News

Cole Shelton - July 7, 2023

Kamuela Kirk is finally back in action. Kirk has not fought since March of 2022 when he suffered a submission loss to Damon Jackson in his second UFC fight. In his debut, he beat Makwan Amirkhani after stepping up on short notice. After the loss, Kirk realized it was time to move to lightweight. Once he made the move, he was booked to face Esteban Ribovics at UFC 285 in March.

Cole Shelton - July 7, 2023

Shannon Ross is looking to prove to the doubters that he belongs in the UFC. Ross suffered a TKO loss to Vinicius Salvador on the Contender Series, but it was revealed he fought with appendicitis, so Dana White signed him. In his debut, he suffered a 59-second knockout loss to Kleydson Rodrigues and wasn’t sure what would be next after the setback.

Cole Shelton - July 7, 2023

Grant Dawson knows he sent a message to the lightweight division with his win over Damir Imsagulov. Dawson was taking on Ismagulov in the co-main event, and the ATT fighter dominated Ismagulov over all three rounds to get the decision win. Although Grant Dawson wanted the stoppage win, he says he is happy with his performance as he dominated Ismagulov more than Arman Tsarukayn did.

Susan Cox - July 7, 2023

Sean Strickland is responding after being told to ‘carry yourself with class’ by UFC announcer Bruce Buffer. It was just last Saturday, July 1st that Sean Strickland (27-5 MMA) defeated Abus Magomedov (25-5 MMA) via TKO in the main event. That win moved Strickland to #7 in the UFC middleweight rankings.

Susan Cox - July 7, 2023

UFC 290 takes place tomorrow, Saturday July 8th, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Headlining the event is the battle between champion Alexander Volkanovski (25-2 MMA) and interim champion Yair Rodriguez (16-3 MMA).

Harry Kettle - July 7, 2023

MMA analyst and former UFC fighter Brendan Schaub isn’t sure the Mexican stars on the UFC 290 card will have much joy on Saturday night. In the mixed martial arts sphere, Brendan Schaub is an interesting character. While some respect and enjoy his analysis of the sport, others feel like he doesn’t contribute anything substantial. Either way, though, he certainly knows how to make some noise, especially if he has controversial opinions.

Harry Kettle - July 7, 2023

Islam Makhachev has laughed off claims from Dan Hooker that he used an IV prior to their UFC 267 showdown in October 2021. Back in late 2021, Dan Hooker opted to take on Islam Makhachev on short notice. In the end, the contest went how many were expecting, with Makhachev picking up a quick submission win. His road to immortality, of course, would eventually end in him capturing the UFC lightweight championship.

Harry Kettle - July 7, 2023

Former UFC referee John McCarthy has dismissed the idea of Ronda Rousey making a sensational return to the UFC. As many fans know, Ronda Rousey built quite a legacy for herself in mixed martial arts. She holds a 12-2 record, and served as the first major female star the UFC had seen. She became a global phenomenon and while she did lose her last two bouts to Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes, she also had a lot of great moments along the way.

Cole Shelton - July 6, 2023

Deiveson Figueiredo will be moving up to bantamweight. According to Brazilian outlet Quinto Quarto, Figueiredo has verbally agreed to move up to bantamweight to face former UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz in September. The exact date of the fight is not known at this time, but that should be finalized in the next few days, according to Figueiredo.

Cole Shelton - July 6, 2023

Nate Diaz has scoffed at the suggestion that he has brain damage or CTE. Diaz has always talked a bit slower and has slurred a bit, but according to the Stockton, native, he says that is the way he has talked since he was a kid. With that, he doesn’t get why some fans accuse him of having brain damage or CTE ahead of his boxing debut against Jake Paul in August.

Josh Evanoff - July 6, 2023

Former UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler is ready to give back to MMA. ‘Ruthless’ has been out of the cage since a knockout loss to Bryan Barberena last July at UFC 276. Nearly a year on from that defeat, the former champion is set to return this Saturday. At UFC 290, Robbie Lawler will face fellow action fighter, Niko Price. ‘The Hybrid’ is coming off a knockout loss to Phillip Rowe last December.

Josh Evanoff - July 6, 2023

Former UFC welterweight and middleweight champion Georges St-Pierre is back on the mats. ‘Rush’ has been out of competition since his 2017 comeback against Michael Bisping. That was the Canadian’s first fight in over four years. He previously took a hiatus after a split-decision win over Johny Hendricks. In his middleweight comeback, Georges St-Pierre submitted ‘The Count’ to win UFC gold.

Josh Evanoff - July 6, 2023

UFC commentator Jon Anik believes Mark Hunt vs. Bigfoot Silva needs to be in the Hall of Fame. Later today, the UFC will hold its yearly Hall of Fame ceremony, honoring the legends of the past. This year, it is an extremely stacked class, with names such as Anderson Silva, Jose Aldo, Jens Pulver, and more all set to be inducted. In a recent interview with MMAJunkie, Jon Anik discussed his excitement for the ceremony.

Susan Cox - July 6, 2023

Jorge Masvidal is reacting after the UFC booked Dustin Poirier vs. Justin Gaethje for the vacant BMF title. Dana White and the UFC have made it official, the return of the ceremonial BMF title will take place at UFC 291 on Saturday, July 29th at the Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Cole Shelton - July 6, 2023

In the featured fight of UFC 290, a middleweight title eliminator goes down as Robert Whittaker takes on Dricus Du Plessis. Heading into the fight, Whittaker is a sizeable -400 favorite while the South African is a +300 underdog. Ahead of the fight at UFC 290, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. The pros are in favor of the odds as they are unanimous in thinking Whittaker gets the job done.

Cole Shelton - July 6, 2023

Tai Tuivasa will be getting a hometown fight. According to MMAJunkie, Tuivasa is set to return to the Octagon at UFC 293 in Sydney, Australia against Alexander Volkov. The fight has been signed, according to the report. UFC 293 goes down on Sept. 9 at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney. The headliner for the event is not yet official, but the hope is Israel Adesanya will defend his belt in the main event.

Susan Cox - July 6, 2023

UFC champions Israel Adesanya and Jon Jones appeared quite chummy during their recent meetup. The UFC Middleweight Champion and the UFC Heavyweight Champion have apparently ended their feud.

Susan Cox - July 6, 2023

Former BMF champion Jorge Masvidal is revealing that he was involved in a bathroom brawl during a UFC China event. Masvidal (35-17 MMA) retired from the UFC in April of this year.  The 38-year-olds last fight in the Octagon was against Gilbert Burns at UFC 287. It was to be ‘Gamebred’s’ 4th loss in a row.