MMA News
Marijuana exemption denied for Nate Diaz ahead of Jake Paul boxing bout
Lewis Simpson - May 12, 2023
Bellator middleweight champion Johnny Eblen is confident he would “destroy” UFC title holder Israel Adesanya: “He really exposed himself when he fought Pereira”
Susan Cox - May 12, 2023
Bellator middleweight champion Johnny Eblen is confident he would ‘destroy’ UFC title holder Israel Adesanya. Apparently, Johnny Eblen (13-0 MMA) believes he has what it takes to defeat UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya.
Daniel Cormier reacts to Francis Ngannou’s “fumbling the bag” post on social media: “Maybe Francis isn’t hurting as much as we think”
Susan Cox - May 12, 2023
Daniel Cormier is reacting to Francis Ngannou’s ‘fumbling the bag’ post on social media. Ngannou recently took to ‘Instagram’ with a picture of himself, sitting on his Mercedes, on the phone, with the caption:
Aljamain Sterling addresses "aged gracefully" comments from Anthony Smith regarding the illegal knee incident: "When you've got a bone to pick with somebody, you kinda got to call it how it is"
Lewis Simpson - May 12, 2023
UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling has addressed Anthony Smith’s “aged gracefully” comments regarding his illegal knee incident with Petr Yan. Back in 2021, at UFC 259, Sterling’s championship reign began, but the way the championship was attained caused a massive uproar in the community. Sterling had challenged Yan in a highly-anticipated matchup at the top of the division, and after cruising his way to victory, before making a crucial mistake that would cost him his world title.
Fabian Edwards doesn't view Bellator Paris opponent Gegard Mousasi as being a legend: “He is just another man”
Susan Cox - May 12, 2023
Fabian Edwards doesn’t view Bellator Paris opponent Gegard Mousasi as being a legend. Bellator Paris takes place today, Friday May 12th, at the Accor Arena in Paris, France.
UFC light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill responds to critics suggesting 205 is a weak division: “That’s insane to me”
Harry Kettle - May 12, 2023
UFC light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill has slammed critics who believe the division is weaker than most in the promotion. At the start of the year, Jamahal Hill defeated Glover Teixeira to become the new king at light heavyweight. It concluded a monumental rise for the 31-year-old, and one that few saw coming so quickly.
Demetrious Johnson believes Henry Cejudo would have defeated Aljamain Sterling under ONE Championship rule set: “Oh, 1,000 percent”
Harry Kettle - May 12, 2023
Demetrious Johnson believes Henry Cejudo would’ve gotten his hand raised over Aljamain Sterling if it was fought under ONE Championship rules. At UFC 288 last weekend, Aljamain Sterling defeated Henry Cejudo. He did so via split decision, following an incredibly tight main event for the UFC bantamweight championship. When it was all said and done, many felt as if it was one of the tightest UFC title fights in recent years.
Nate Diaz shares high praise for former opponent and current UFC champion Leon Edwards: “He’s great”
Harry Kettle - May 12, 2023
Former UFC star Nate Diaz has praised former opponent Leon Edwards for his work ethic, almost two years on from their UFC 263 collision. On August 5, former UFC sensation Nate Diaz will return to combat sports. However, as opposed to mixed martial arts, he’ll be venturing into the squared circle for a boxing match. When he does, he’ll go head to head with Jake Paul in a meeting that has been years in the making.
UFC star Sean O’Malley expresses interest in future boxing matches with Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia: “I truly believe I could beat one of those guys”
Harry Kettle - May 12, 2023
UFC star Sean O’Malley has revealed that he’d be interested in boxing Gervonta Davis or Ryan Garcia at some point in the future. Right now, Sean O’Malley is easily one of the biggest names in mixed martial arts. In addition to his flamboyant personality and fight style, he’s also the number one contender in the bantamweight division.
Gabe Green plans to pressure Bryan Battle early and often at UFC Charlotte to get stoppage win: "I've knocked out guys who have never been knocked out before"
Cole Shelton - May 11, 2023
Gabe Green is just ready to fight. Green is coming off a decision loss to Ian Garry back at UFC 276 last July and since then, he’s taken some time off to add some size. He is a former lightweight that moved up to welterweight so he wanted to add some mass before his next bout. Unfortunately, once he had added the desired weight, he suffered an injury that kept him on the sidelines until now as he is finally set to return at UFC Charlotte.
Michael Chandler responds to footage of Conor McGregor shoving him at TUF 31: “Barely felt it”
Cole Shelton - May 11, 2023
Michael Chandler says Conor McGregor’s shove wasn’t as bad as it looked. On Wednesday, the TUF 31 trailer dropped and at the end of the trailer, McGregor violently shoved Chandler and it appeared it sent him stumbling back. What caused the shove was uncertain but Dana White did say something went down that caused the two to not like one another.
Jake Paul eyes two-fight deal with Conor McGregor after he KO's Nate Diaz: "One boxing, one MMA in PFL"
Cole Shelton - May 11, 2023
Jake Paul is planning to secure a two-fight deal with Conor McGregor after he KO’s Nate Diaz. Paul is set to headline a DAZN boxing pay-per-view against Diaz on August 5 in Dallas, Texas. It’s an intriguing matchup and one the brash YouTuber-turned-boxer is confident he will win by KO. If he does knockout Diaz, he believes it will be a statement victory and leave McGregor no choice to fight him next as he KO’d the guy that he couldn’t.
Dana White pays tribute to late prospect Shalie Lipp after tragic passing: "I know your name"
Josh Evanoff - May 11, 2023
UFC president Dana White has reacted to the passing of Shalie Lipp. The 21-year-old was an aspiring prospect that had accumulated a 3-2 amateur record to this stage in her career. Lipp recently returned from a trip to Thailand, where she trained to prepare for her return. The young prospect was slated to face Natalie Gage at No Mercy 11 on May 20th.
Kayla Harrison hints at Bellator move to face rival Cris Cyborg: "My contract is up in December"
Josh Evanoff - May 11, 2023
PFL women’s lightweight star Kayla Harrison is still eyeing a fight against Cris Cyborg. The Judoka has been out of the cage since her trilogy bout against Larissa Pacheco last November. In their first two outings, Harrison dominated the Brazilian, not even losing a round. However, in a massive upset last year, Pacheco scored a unanimous decision victory. In the process, she handed Harrison the first defeat of her MMA career.
Colby Covington alleges that Jorge Masvidal was on steroids during their fight: "I used to watch him inject EPO"
Josh Evanoff - May 11, 2023
UFC welterweight contender Colby Covington continues to take shots at Jorge Masvidal. ‘Chaos’ and ‘Gamebred’ were close friends for years, even living together at one point. However, a few years ago, the two had a massive falling out. According to Masvidal, the feud began with Covington not paying their striking coach an amount they had agreed on. From there, the rivalry spiraled out of control.
Anthony Smith predicts second-round submission over Johnny Walker at UFC Charlotte: "In the scramble, I think he'll give up something easy"
Lewis Simpson - May 11, 2023
Anthony Smith is set to face Johnny Walker this Saturday in the UFC Charlotte co-headliner, and the light heavyweight standout predicts a second-round submission victory coming his way. The Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, will host 12 thrilling mixed martial arts contests. Heavyweight contenders Jailton Almeida and Jairzinho Rozenstruik top the bill, with Smith and Walker taking the co-main event slot.
Pro fighters make their picks for Anthony Smith vs. Johnny Walker
Cole Shelton - May 11, 2023
In the co-main event of UFC Charlotte, a light heavyweight bout goes down as Anthony Smith takes on Johnny Walker. Heading into the scrap, the fight is lined as a pick’em as both Smith and Walker are listed at -113 on FanDuel. Ahead of the fight at UFC Charlotte, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. Although the scrap is listed as a pick’em, the pros are nearly unanimous in thinking Smith gets the win by using his wrestling.
Sean O'Malley says Aljamain Sterling's awkward style will cost him in their UFC Bantamweight Championship fight
Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 11, 2023
Sean O’Malley believes that Aljamain Sterling’s awkward standup game will be his downfall. O’Malley appears to have punched his ticket for a shot at the UFC Bantamweight Championship. UFC officials had “Suga” enter the Octagon after Sterling’s successful title defense against Henry Cejudo at UFC 288 in Newark, New Jersey. O’Malley traded verbal jabs with Sterling, setting the stage for a future title fight at 135 pounds.
Alex Pereira believes there will be a “massacre” if UFC champion Israel Adesanya collides with Dricus du Plessis
Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 11, 2023
Former UFC Middleweight Champion Alex Pereira doesn’t think Israel Adesanya will have much problem in a potential clash with Dricus du Plessis. At the moment, du Plessis is the number six-ranked UFC middleweight. The former KSW Welterweight Champion is on a seven-fight winning streak. He hasn’t suffered a loss since October 2018. He’s in for a big middleweight clash with Robert Whittaker at UFC 290 on July 8.