MMA News

Cole Shelton - June 20, 2023

Shane Burgos knows his PFL 6 fight against Yamato Nishikawa is do-or-die for his season. Burgos left the UFC last year and proceeded to sign with PFL, competing at lightweight as part of their tournament format. Unfortunately, in his debut, ‘Hurricane’ suffered a decision loss to Olivier Aubin-Mercier. The setback was disappointing, but Burgos is just glad he gets to fight again so soon.

Cole Shelton - June 20, 2023

Josh Emmett thinks Ilia Topuria is a great matchup for him. Emmett is set to headline UFC Jacksonville on Saturday against Topuria in a very intriguing featherweight matchup. Emmett is coming off a stoppage loss to Yair Rodriguez for the interim featherweight title and although it was a tough loss, he is making a quick turnaround to face Topuria.

Cole Shelton - June 20, 2023

Kelvin Gastelum is ready to fight Shavkat Rakhmonov next time out. After Gastelum announced he would be making the move to welterweight, Rakhmonov quickly called him out on social media. Although Gastelum did not immediately respond as he was on vacation, the TUF 17 winner has said he wants that fight and hopes it can happen on the Mexican Independence card on September 16.

Cole Shelton - June 20, 2023

Sean O’Malley thinks Cory Sandhagen fighting Umar Nurmagomdov is a gangster move but isn’t a smart one. Sandhagen is set to headline UFC Nashville against Nurmagomedov in a crucial fight for the bantamweight division. It is Nurmagomedov’s first chance to fight a ranked opponent and he gets the fourth-ranked bantamweight in Sandhagen. With that, O’Malley says Sandhagen taking the fight is not smart as he isn’t following Chael Sonnen’s main rule of fighting.

Josh Evanoff - June 20, 2023

Francis Ngannou seemingly doesn’t care for the UFC’s attempt to make Jon Jones vs. Tyson Fury. Over the last few weeks ‘Bones’ and ‘The Gypsy King’ have been going back and forth. While the boxer first only showed interest in competing in the boxing ring, he’s changed his tune a little bit. In recent days, Tyson Fury has shown interest in facing Jon Jones in a potential two-fight deal.

Josh Evanoff - June 20, 2023

UFC flyweight contenders Kai Kara-France and Manel Kape are set to collide in September. ‘Don’t Blink’ is fresh off his return at UFC Vegas 74 earlier this month. The bout was Kai Kara-France’s first since coming up short against Brandon Moreno for interim gold last July. As the headliner, he faced Amir Albazi. In the flyweight main event, many felt that the New Zealander did much of the better work.

Josh Evanoff - June 20, 2023

Former UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway has opened as a massive favorite against The Korean Zombie. ‘Blessed’ has been out of the cage since his clash with Arnold Allen at UFC Kansas City in April. The two headlined the event, as the ‘Almighty’ entered on a lengthy winning streak. However, that momentum was halted earlier this year, as Max Holloway won by unanimous decision.

Cole Shelton - June 20, 2023

Jessica Andrade will be making the walk to the Octagon for the fourth time in 2023. The UFC announced in a press release on Tuesday that Andrade will face Tatiana Suarez at UFC Nashville at strawweight. Originally, Suarez was supposed to fight Virna Jandiroba, but the Brazilian has suffered an injury and will be replaced by the former champ in Andrade. The main event of UFC Nashville sees Cory Sandhagen taking on Umar Nurmagomedov.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 20, 2023

We now know the outcome of several PFL fighters who were flagged due to failed drug tests. Back in May, the Nevada State Athletic Commission revealed a slew of fighters who competed in the first set of PFL 2023 regular season bouts popped. At the time, some fighters received sanctions, while others were still be to determined. The punishments for those fighters have been finalized and publicly revealed.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 20, 2023

Top-ten-ranked UFC lightweight Arman Tsarukyan has been calling for a clash with Michael Chandler and he’s explaining why. The Armenian-Russian has found himself at the number eight spot on the official UFC 155-pound rankings. He’s fresh off a third-round TKO victory over Joaquim Silva at UFC Vegas 75. It’s the second straight win for Arman Tsarukyan. After the fight, Tsarukyan blasted Michael Chandler for thinking a lucrative fight with Conor McGregor will actually come to fruition.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 20, 2023

Charles Oliveira’s team certainly isn’t lacking confidence. Charles Oliveira pulled off a scintillating first-round TKO finish over Beneil Dariush at UFC 289 earlier this month. This was a pivotal bout in the lightweight division. The quick finish for “do Bronx” may have earned him a rematch against Islam Makhachev. Back in October 2022, Makhachev took the previously vacant UFC Lightweight Championship via second-round submission over Oliveira.

Cole Shelton - June 20, 2023

The 127th episode of Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com with host Cole Shelton is live ahead of 2023 PFL 6 and UFC Jacksonville aka UFC on ABC 5. We’re first joined by former UFC featherweight and current PFL lightweight Shane Burgos (1:38). Next, UFC welterweight Randy Brown (13:42) comes on. Closing out the program is UFC strawweight Gillian Robertson (28:26).

Harry Kettle - June 20, 2023

UFC commentator Michael Bisping believes Amanda Nunes retired from mixed martial arts at the perfect time. Earlier this month, Amanda Nunes announced her retirement from MMA, effective immediately. She did so after successfully defending her UFC bantamweight championship against Irene Aldana in Vancouver, Canada.

Harry Kettle - June 20, 2023

Islam Makhachev has explained what it felt like to train with Sergei Pavlovich as he continues his rise in the UFC. There’s always been a certain intrigue around the UFC’s heavyweight division. The baddest men on the planet have often fought there, including the likes of Francis Ngannou, Cain Velasquez, Stipe Miocic, and more.

Harry Kettle - June 20, 2023

Sean O’Malley has proposed testing the waters by separating the men’s and women’s fights in the UFC. Ten years ago, the first female fight in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship took place. Ever since then, we’ve seen women compete and thrive across four different weight classes. From Amanda Nunes to Rose Namajunas and beyond, the best of the best have fought in the UFC.

Cole Shelton - June 19, 2023

In the main event of UFC Vegas 75, top-five middleweights collided as Marvin Vettori took on Jared Cannonier. Vettori entered the fight coming off a decision win over Roman Dolidze at UFC 286 back in March which got him back into the win column after he lost to Robert Whittaker. Cannonier, meanwhile, was coming off a main event decision win over Sean Strickland back in December.

Cole Shelton - June 19, 2023

Marvin Vettori has released a statement following his lopsided decision loss to Jared Cannonier at UFC Vegas 75. Vettori was headlining the card at the UFC Apex on Saturday night and entered the fight as a small betting favorite. Right out of the gates, Vettori landed a nice shot that rocked Cannonier and had him stumbling. Yet, that was one of the only bright spots for the Italian as Cannonier took over and had Vettori hurt on numerous occasions to cruise to a unanimous decision victory. The judges scored the fight, 49-45, 49-45, and 48-46, as Cannonier outstruck Vettori 257-154, with ‘The Killa Gorilla’ landing 241 significant strikes in the fight.

Josh Evanoff - June 19, 2023

UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev will have to wait until the promotion’s trip to Abu Dhabi to fight. The Russian has been out of action since his clash with Alexander Volkanovski in February. The two champions headlined UFC 284 and put on an instant classic. At the end of the five-round bout, it was Makhachev who retained the lightweight title by unanimous decision.