MMA News
Joe Rogan reflects on legendary career of 'special guy' BJ Penn: "I put him against any 155 pounder that's ever lived"
Josh Evanoff - May 24, 2023
UFC commentator Joe Rogan has paid respect to former champion BJ Penn. On a recent edition of his podcast, the comedian discussed MMA alongside Bas Rutten. Naturally, the two shifted the conversations to the older day of the sport. There, they discussed some of the greatest fighters of all time, and began praising ‘The Prodigy’.
Jimmie Rivera says four opponents - including Chad Mendes - turned him down in BKFC, expects to fight for the belt next time out
Cole Shelton - May 24, 2023
Jimmie Rivera finally got his first win in BKFC. Rivera made his BKFC debut last June against Howard Davis and they fought to a draw. Since then, he has been campaigning for a fight but he says numerous fighters turned him down, including Chad Mendes, which was frustrating for Rivera as he wanted to be more active than this.
Robin Black responds to Dana White after being slammed by the UFC President
Cole Shelton - May 24, 2023
Robin Black has issued a response to Dana White. At the post-fight press conference following UFC Vegas 73, White was asked about Francis Ngannou signing with the PFL when he took aim at Black who is an MMA analyst for TSN about his comments saying the UFC no longer has the best fighters in the world.
Francis Ngannou's manager believes fans will be shocked by former UFC champion's first boxing match
Josh Evanoff - May 24, 2023
Francis Ngannou’s manager, Marquel Martin, believes fans will be shocked by his boxing debut. ‘The Predator’ made headlines earlier this month by ending his high-profile free agency. In January, Ngannou walked out of the UFC, becoming the first reigning champion since BJ Penn in 2004 to do so. At the time, the heavyweight stated that issues with pay, restrictive contracts, an inability to box, and more, triggered his move.
UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling takes aim at Dana White: "You made a fight, the night of the fight"
Lewis Simpson - May 24, 2023
UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling has taken aim at UFC President Dana White. Sterling and White’s war of words continues following White’s initial jab at his bantamweight kingpin. White previously stated that Sterling was an individual who “couldn’t get out of his own way.” From there, the pair have pursued to poke at one another to the media and the general public.
Joe Rogan heaps praise on UFC welterweight Ian Garry: "He's on his way up"
Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 24, 2023
UFC color commentator Joe Rogan has high hopes for rising UFC 170-pounder Ian Garry. There is a lot of buzz surrounding the Irishman Garry. “The Future” has gotten off to a red hot start in his pro MMA career with an undefeated 12-0 record. He is 5-0 under the UFC banner. Garry is fresh off an impressive first-round TKO victory over Daniel Rodriguez at UFC Charlotte. Garry earned a “Performance of the Night” bonus for his efforts. The win also earned Garry a spot in the top 15 UFC welterweight rankings.
Francis Ngannou's manager says they got "very close" to re-signing with the UFC at certain points
Cole Shelton - May 24, 2023
Marquel Martin, the manager of Francis Ngannou, says the former UFC heavyweight champion got close to re-signing with the Las Vegas-based promotion. Ahead of UFC 270, it was well-known that Ngannou was fighting out his contract when he was defending his heavyweight title against Ciryl Gane. He had been vocal about his displeasure with the UFC at times, but many expected him to eventually re-sign with the promotion.
Khamzat Chimaev believes Colby Covington is receiving another title shot because he’s an American
Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 24, 2023
Khamzat Chimaev has one theory on why the UFC is giving Colby Covington the next crack at welterweight gold. Covington is expected to challenge Leon Edwards for the UFC Welterweight Championship later this year. Edwards has said he’d like the fight to take place in Abu Dhabi this October. Belal Muhammad waits in the wings as he has been promised a shot at the winner following his unanimous decision victory over Gilbert Burns at UFC 288.
Brendan Schaub responds to Dana White’s criticism of Francis Ngannou’s new PFL deal: “Gimmicks? You own the slap fight league”
Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 24, 2023
Brendan Schaub believes UFC President Dana White is being hypocritical when addressing Francis Ngannou’s PFL signing. Ngannou and the UFC parted ways back in January. The two sides couldn’t come to terms on a new deal, and Ngannou, who was the UFC Heavyweight Champion, was free to sign with another promotion. He recently inked a deal with the PFL, and he will be allowed to have a boxing match later this year.
Alexander Volkanovski believes we will see a fifth fight between Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira: “That would be pretty clever”
Harry Kettle - May 24, 2023
Alexander Volkanovski believes that Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira will compete against one another again in the future. Throughout the course of their rivalry, Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira have fought each other four times. The first two meetings came in kickboxing, and the third in mixed martial arts. While Pereira raced out to a 3-0 lead, Adesanya got a measure of revenge by knocking ‘Poatan’ out earlier this year, reclaiming the UFC middleweight championship in the process.
Urijah Faber explains why he’s leaning toward Conor McGregor defeating Michael Chandler: “Conor’s power is just too much and his precision’s too much”
Harry Kettle - May 24, 2023
Urijah Faber believes Conor McGregor has enough in his locker to get the job done in his upcoming fight against Michael Chandler. Later this month, the latest season of The Ultimate Fighter will air. Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler will serve as the head coaches, with the expectation being that they will compete against one another later this year. When exactly they do, though, remains to be seen as McGregor prepares to get back in the USADA testing pool.
Matt Brown discusses PFL’s “gamble” with former UFC champion Francis Ngannou: “I think the over/under looks pretty bad for them”
Harry Kettle - May 24, 2023
MMA veteran Matt Brown has discussed PFL’s gamble by making such a lucrative offer to former UFC champion Francis Ngannou. The MMA world now knows what Francis Ngannou’s next move is: to fight for PFL next year. Of course, that’s just in the cage because he also looks set to make his boxing debut later in 2023. ‘The Predator’ was able to secure a blockbuster deal with the promotion that may well be the most lucrative in the history of mixed martial arts.
Sean O'Malley weighs in on Henry Cejudo potentially stepping in for Aljamain Sterling
Andrew Whitelaw - May 23, 2023
Sean O’Malley has no qualms about Henry Cejudo stepping in as a replacement for Aljamain Sterling. During the post-fight press conference for UFC Vegas 73 last weekend, Dana White cast doubts over the champ’s participation in the proposed clash at UFC 292. The UFC president explained that Henry Cejudo has been offering to step in.
Joe Pyfer details "inspirational" documentary on his story from being abused as a kid to making the UFC
Cole Shelton - May 23, 2023
Joe Pyfer never thought he would have a documentary made about his life. Pyfer grew up in a troubled home as he dealt not only with poverty but also he and four sisters being abused by his father. During his childhood, Pyfer had run away from home numerous times and only his close friends knew how bad his childhood truly was, including Chandler Henry who went on to become a film director.
Gordon Ryan hospitalzed, forced to undergo another surgery
Andrew Whitelaw - May 23, 2023
Gordon Ryan continues to be plagued by health issues. The BJJ powerhouse has been sidelined for more than six months and is back in the hospital following a recent surgery. The 27 year old has had long-standing issues with his stomach but has recently been struggling with his throat.
PFL founder Donn Davis takes aim at Dana White over his criticism of Francis Ngannou's contract
Cole Shelton - May 23, 2023
Donn Davis, the founder of PFL, has fired back at Dana White. Last week, Francis Ngannou officially signed his contract with PFL and he is expected to debut in 2024, as well as getting to be an executive in PFL Africa among others. Although all the details weren’t out there, UFC president, Dana White was surprised by PFL’s deal as he doesn’t think the promotion knows what they are doing.
Dana White tells Tyson Fury "let’s start talking" if he's serious about fighting Jon Jones
Cole Shelton - May 23, 2023
UFC President Dana White is open to promoting Jon Jones vs. Tyson Fury. Recently, Fury and Jones took aim at one another and both called for a fight to happen. Despite their mutual interest, the super-fight seemed highly improbable as ‘Bones’ is currently under contract with the UFC and Dana White has made it clear that he doesn’t like “gimmick fights”. However, in surprising fashion, the UFC boss says he is interested in cross-promoting this potential fight.
PHOTO | 2nd Annual 'Aljamain Sterling Day' celebrated in New York
Josh Evanoff - May 23, 2023
UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling was celebrated in Nassau County earlier today. ‘The Funk Master’ is fresh off his return against Henry Cejudo earlier this month. The two headlined UFC 288, as ‘Triple C’ competed for the first time in over three years. In the pay-per-view main event, Sterling scored a split-decision victory over the former champion to retain his title.