MMA News
Henry Cejudo says beating Aljamain Sterling at UFC 288 secures him a spot on “The Mount Rushmore of MMA"
Cole Shelton - May 3, 2023
Henry Cejudo believes he will enter the conversation as the best ever after UFC 288. Cejudo is the former UFC flyweight and bantamweight champion and retired following the first defense of his bantamweight title against Dominick Cruz at UFC 249 in May of 2020. His retirement came to the surprise of many, but three years later he is ending his now returning to face Aljamain Sterling for the bantamweight title in the main event of UFC 288.
Alex Pereira calls for a third MMA fight with Israel Adesanya: “Be real with your fans”
Cole Shelton - May 3, 2023
Alex Pereira is hoping to fight Israel Adesanya for the third time in MMA. Back at UFC 287, Pereira was looking to defend his middleweight title for the first time as he rematched Adesanya in MMA. The two fought back at UFC 281 with Pereira winning by fifth-round TKO to become the new champ, but this time around, it was Adesanya winning by second-round KO to even their series in MMA at 1-1. Of course, the two also fought twice in kickboxing with Pereira winning both, including one by KO.
Michael Chandler believes Conor McGregor will "stain" his legacy if he doesn't make their fight happen: "That, to me, screams insecurity and trying to stay relevant"
Cole Shelton - May 3, 2023
Michael Chandler just wants his fight against Conor McGregor to get booked. Chandler and McGregor are the coaches of TUF 31 and the hope was that they would fight later this summer. Yet, the hold-up has been McGregor re-entering the USADA testing pool, but for Chandler, he says he doesn’t care if all the Irishman needs is just two clean tests. Instead, Chandler wants the fight to happen soon, but revealed it now might be the winter.
Henry Cejudo says his UFC 288 fight against Aljamain Sterling is "personal": "I do want to hurt him"
Cole Shelton - May 3, 2023
Henry Cejudo wants to hurt Aljamain Sterling at UFC 288. Cejudo is ending his three-year retirement to face Aljamain Sterling for the bantamweight title at UFC 288, as ‘Triple C’ is looking to reclaim the title he vacated after retiring. It’s an intriguing matchup and before the fight was made, the two were cordial with one another. However, since the scrap has been made official, the pair have been trash-talking one another to promote the fight.
Jon Jones not interested in fighting fellow UFC “star” Israel Adesanya, names the one opponent who can keep him from retiring
Susan Cox - May 3, 2023
Jon Jones is not interested in fighting fellow UFC ‘star’ Israel Adesanya and is naming the one opponent who can keep him from retiring. It was during a recent interview with ‘Fox Sports’ Australia that Jones opened up about a potential fight with UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya:
UFC 288 | Pro fighters make their picks for Aljamain Sterling vs. Henry Cejudo title fight
Cole Shelton - May 3, 2023
In the main event of UFC 288, the bantamweight title is up for grabs as Aljamain Sterling looks to defend his belt against former champion Henry Cejudo. Heading into the scrap, Sterling is -111 while ‘Triple C’ is -115 on FanDuel, making the fight to be a pick’em. Ahead of the fight at UFC 288, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. The majority of pros believe Sterling will get it done as many think the time off will be too much for Cejudo to overcome.
Coach says Francis Ngannou’s pay would have significantly dropped if he’d lost to Jon Jones: “It wasn’t 8 million PER fight”
Susan Cox - May 3, 2023
Coach Nicksick says Francis Ngannou’s pay would have significantly dropped if he’d lost to Jon Jones. Erick Nicksick is the head coach and general manager of Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Paul Craig calls out Sean Strickland after announcing move to the UFC’s middleweight division
Harry Kettle - May 3, 2023
Paul Craig has called out Sean Strickland after announcing plans to make a move to the UFC’s middleweight division. While he may not be the most consistent, Paul Craig is certainly entertaining. In addition to his fun personality, he also holds UFC wins over the likes of Magomed Ankalaev and Jamahal Hill. If that doesn’t prove his credentials, nothing will.
Cris Cyborg says she would be willing to fight in BKFC, would want to train with Mike Perry before debut
Harry Kettle - May 3, 2023
Cris Cyborg has revealed that she would be interested in competing in bare-knuckle boxing before she walks away from combat sports. Within the mixed martial arts realm, Cris Cyborg is easily one of the best female fighters of all time. She’s won belts in a handful of major organizations, and in recent times, she’s only lost to Amanda Nunes – a woman that many consider to be in the GOAT conversation.
Matt Frevola admits he was "surprised" to get Drew Dober fight at UFC 288, vows to be the first person to KO him in the UFC: "He's never been hit by me before"
Cole Shelton - May 2, 2023
Matt Frevola didn’t expect to get a ranked opponent for his next fight, but was thrilled when he was offered Drew Dober at UFC 288. After Frevola picked up a KO win over Ottman Azaitar at UFC 281 last November, he thought he would be fighting someone like Michael Johnson or Clay Guida his next time out. Yet, he was offered Dober and couldn’t be more excited for the matchup.
Stephen Thompson vs. Michel Pereira removed from UFC 289
Cole Shelton - May 2, 2023
Stephen Thompson and Michel Pereira will no longer be fighting at UFC 289. Multiple sources informed BJPENN.com that the Thompson vs. Pereira bout has been scrapped from the pay-per-view event on June 10 in Vancouver, Canada. According to the sources, contracts were never officially sent out and the fight has now been postponed until July. No reason was given as to why the scrap has been postponed a month, but this is a fight ‘Wonderboy’ called for.
Julianna Pena out of UFC 289 with a broken rib, Amanda Nunes now defends title against Irene Aldana
Cole Shelton - May 2, 2023
The trilogy between Julianna Pena and Amanda Nunes will no longer be happening at UFC 289. UFC president, Dana White took to Instagram to announce that Pena has suffered a broken rib and is out of their scheduled main event fight. However, Irene Aldana has agreed to step up on short notice and will now headline the pay-per-view event for the bantamweight title against Nunes on June 10 in Vancouver, Canada.
ONE Championship's Chatri Sityodtong alleges Francis Ngannou turned down $20 million dollar payday: "The money wasn't enough"
Josh Evanoff - May 2, 2023
ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong has discussed his meeting with Francis Ngannou. ‘The Predator’ is reportedly in the process of ending his long-discussed free agency. Ngannou famously left the UFC in January due to a litany of complaints pertaining to a lack of health insurance, proper pay, and the ability to have a boxing match. He vacated the heavyweight title upon his departure but discussed his hope for a high-profile boxing match.
Aljamain Sterling questions if Henry Cejudo used banned substances during brief retirement: "I wouldn't put it past Henry"
Josh Evanoff - May 2, 2023
UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling has questions about Henry Cejudo’s time outside USADA. ‘The Funk Master’ has been out of action since his title defense against T.J. Dillashaw in October. In the co-main event of UFC 280, Sterling scored a second-round stoppage victory to retain the bantamweight gold. Just a few months removed from that win, he’s now eyeing a second straight win over a former champion.
Jake Paul defends Francis Ngannou amidst reports of impending PFL signing: "Best heavyweight MMA fighter in the world"
Josh Evanoff - May 2, 2023
PFL’s Jake Paul has taken to social media to defend Francis Ngannou. ‘The Predator’ is currently searching for his next home in MMA. In January, Ngannou left the UFC as the promotion’s reigning heavyweight champion, vacating the title in the process. Following his exit, the company quickly set Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane for the vacant championship in March.
Khaos Williams expects to add to his highlight-reel with KO win over Rolando Bedoya at UFC 288: "He's going to get put out, it's that simple"
Cole Shelton - May 2, 2023
Khaos Williams will finally be making the walk to the Octagon again. Williams hasn’t fought since May of last year when he suffered a split decision loss to Randy Brown. After the defeat, Williams says the plan was to take time off and just improve on his game, which is exactly what he did.
Bryce Mitchell forced out of UFC 288 fight against Movsar Evloev, replacement opponent found
Cole Shelton - May 2, 2023
UFC 288 has taken a hit as Bryce Mitchell is out of his scheduled fight. According to Carlos Contreras Legaspi of ESPN Deportes, Mitchell has suffered an undisclosed injury and was forced to pull out of his slated main card contest against Movsar Evloev.
Khamzat Chimaev responds to callout from former UFC champion Kamaru Usman
Susan Cox - May 2, 2023
Khamzat Chimaev is responding to the callout from former UFC champion Kamaru Usman. Chimaev (12-0 MMA) last fought and defeated Kevin Holland (24-9 MMA) at UFC 279 in September of last year.