MMA News
Michelle Waterson-Gomez plans to build off the "really great moments" she had against Marina Rodriguez in rematch at UFC Vegas 79
Cole Shelton - September 21, 2023
Michelle Waterson-Gomez is set for the first rematch of her carer. Waterson-Gomez is set to take on Marina Rodriguez at UFC Vegas 79, as the two fought back in May of 2021. The fight was put together on short notice and was a five-round main event at 125lbs.
Mateusz Gamrot plans to make a "statement" against Rafael Fiziev at UFC Vegas 79 to prove he's "real deal"
Cole Shelton - September 21, 2023
Mateusz Gamrot is ready to prove he’s a legit title contender at lightweight at UFC Vegas 79. Gamrot is set for his second UFC main event as he takes on Rafael Fiziev on Saturday night from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. In his first UFC main event, Gamrot edged out a split decision against Arman Tsarukyan. With the win, he got a chance to fight a top-five opponent in Beneil Dariush, but he lost by a decision.
Colby Covington says no one at welterweight is "deserving" of a title shot, eyes first title defense against Islam Makhachev
Cole Shelton - September 21, 2023
Colby Covington doesn’t think anybody at welterweight deserves a title fight. Covington is set to fight Leon Edwards in the main event of UFC 296 for the welterweight title on Dec. 16. It’s a big fight and in the lead-up, ‘Chaos’ is confident he will become the champ with a stoppage win over Edwards.
Jared Cannonier reveals how close he was to stepping into UFC 293 main event: "Would have been funny as hell"
Josh Evanoff - September 21, 2023
UFC middleweight contender Jared Cannonier was pretty close to stepping in at UFC 293. ‘Killa Gorilla’ has been out of action since a unanimous decision win over Marvin Vettori in June. That was Jared Cannonier’s second victory in a row, previously defeating Sean Strickland in December. That winning streak, but a 2022 loss to Israel Adesanya, led to ‘Tarzan’ getting a title shot at UFC 293.
Colby Covington planning to put Leon Edwards' "lights out" at UFC 296 to win welterweight title: "Complete domination"
Cole Shelton - September 21, 2023
Colby Covington has a ton of confidence heading into his fight against Leon Edwards. Covington is set to face Edwards in the main event of UFC 296 on Dec. 16 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas for the welterweight title. Although the fight just got officially made, Colby Covington has been preparing for Leon Edwards for months. With that, he expects to be too much for the champ and will get a stoppage win.
Jason 'Mayhem' Miller releases introspective statement following latest arrest: "I'm doing everything I can to change"
Josh Evanoff - September 21, 2023
Jason ‘Mayhem’ Miller has released a public statement following his arrest last month. The 42-year-old was famously one of the earliest stars to come from MMA. Fighting from 2001 to 2016, he fought everywhere from the UFC to DREAM. Furthermore, signature wins over names such as Kazushi Sakuraba and Tim Kennedy saw Jason Miller earn a mainstream following.
Report | Paul Felder to end brief retirement for UFC 300 return
Josh Evanoff - September 21, 2023
Former UFC lightweight contender Paul Felder is eyeing a return. ‘The Irish Dragon’ is still working for the UFC in a commentary capacity. However, following back-to-back losses to Rafael dos Anjos and Dan Hooker in 2020, Paul Felder openly began discussing retirement. The following May, the lightweight contender formally announced his retirement from fighting.
Bryce Mitchell claims his loss to Ilia Topuria "don't count" because he was sick: "Wasn’t even me in there"
Cole Shelton - September 21, 2023
Bryce Mitchell says he shouldn’t have fought Ilia Topuria as he was too sick. Mitchell suffered his first career defeat back in December as he lost by second-round submission to Topuria at UFC 282. It was a lopsided performance from Topuria and after the fight, Mitchell revealed he was sick and should have pulled out.
UFC bantamweight contender Marlon Vera explains why it’s so easy to beat USADA: “You need like 20 grand”
Susan Cox - September 21, 2023
UFC bantamweight contender Marlon Vera is explaining why it’s so easy to beat the USADA. Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera (21-8 MMA) recently fought and defeated Pedro Munhoz (20-8 MMA) this past August at UFC 292.
Pro fighters make their picks for Rafael Fiziev vs. Mateusz Gamrot
Cole Shelton - September 21, 2023
In the main event of UFC Vegas 79 at the UFC Apex on Saturday, a battle of top-10 lightweights goes down as Rafael Fiziev takes on Mateusz Gamrot. Heading into the fight, Fiziev is a -166 favorite while the Pole is a +130 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to make their picks for the fight. The pros lean towards Fiziev getting his hand raised, but they do believe it will be a close fight. The pros expect Fiziev will be able to piece up Gamrot on the feet and either get a late stoppage or a clear-cut decision.
Video | Colby Covington reacts after booking Leon Edwards title fight at UFC 296: “America’s champ is back!”
Susan Cox - September 21, 2023
Colby Covington is reacting after booking Leon Edwards title fight at UFC 296. It was announced just yesterday by UFC CEO, Dana White, that the UFC 296 main event welterweight title fight will feature Colby Covington (17-3 MMA) vs Leon Edwards (21-3 MMA). UFC 296 will take place on Saturday, December 16th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Tyson Fury explains why Francis Ngannou's body is "too good" ahead of boxing superfight
Harry Kettle - September 21, 2023
WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury has given his thoughts on Francis Ngannou’s physique ahead of their boxing showdown next month. On October 28 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia we will see Tyson Fury square off with Francis Ngannou in a blockbuster boxing match. Ngannou will be making his first combat sports appearance since leaving the UFC, whereas Fury will not be putting his world championship on the line. It will be contested over 10 rounds, with many fans not really knowing what to think when it comes to how ‘The Predator’ will look once he gets in there.
Israel Adesanya says he'll be fighting "just for fun" after losing middleweight title at UFC 293
Cole Shelton - September 20, 2023
Israel Adesanya will be fighting for fun now as he says the belt doesn’t matter to him. At UFC 293, Adesanya lost his middleweight title as he dropped a decision to Sean Strickland in a rather one-sided fight. It was a disappointing performance for Izzy, and since then, many have wondered what would be next for Adesanya, as there were talks of running it back.
Dillon Danis gets restraining order after no-showing Nina Agdal hearing
Cole Shelton - September 20, 2023
Dillon Danis did not show up for his hearing on Tuesday for the restraining order filed by Logan Paul’s fiancee Nina Agdal. According to MMAFighting, Danis didn’t show up which forced the judge to enforce its conditions. Also, Danis “and all persons in active concert or participation with him” are forbidden from posting “sexually explicit photographs” of Agdal without her permission, New Jersey federal judge Madeline Cox Arleo ordered.
Dana White to keep Mexican Independence Day tradition going: “I’ll go into an opposing arena and go head-to-head”
Zain Bando - September 20, 2023
Despite being on vacation, UFC CEO Dana White was plugged into the rematch between Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko. Although the fight was declared a split draw, White, 54, is keen on seeing the trilogy in 2024. So much so that he is already planning future installments of Noche UFC in the years to come.
Bryce Mitchell declares himself the UFC's "cash cow" ahead of return fight against Dan Ige
Cole Shelton - September 20, 2023
Bryce Mitchell believes he’s the UFC’s cash cow and the biggest draw in the featherweight division. Mitchell is set to return to the Octagon in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 79 against Dan Ige. It’s his first fight since December when he lost to Ilia Topuria by second-round submission.
AEW's Jake Hager announces retirement from MMA: "Bellator was jerking me off, so I retired"
Josh Evanoff - September 20, 2023
Bellator heavyweight contender Jake Hager has announced his retirement from MMA. The former WWE champion famously signed with Bellator in November 2017. Now, a star for AEW, Jake Hager was previously a pretty great collegiate wrestler. He was an All-American at the University of Oklahoma and felt confident enough in his wrestling skills that he could step into the cage.
Patricio Pitbull interested in UFC signing as Bellator-PFL deal looms: "My career deserves it"
Josh Evanoff - September 20, 2023
Former Bellator two-weight champion Patricio Pitbull is interested in heading to the UFC. The Brazilian has been out of action since a short-notice clash with Chihiro Suzuki in July. Stepping up on just a few days’ notice at Bellator X RIZIN 2, Patricio Pitbull suffered a first-round knockout loss. The defeat was the second in a row for the champion, previously losing to Sergio Pettis in June.