MMA News

Jeffrey Walter - May 4, 2023

UFC President Dana White has shared his thoughts on Conor McGregor squaring off with Mike Perry at last weekend’s BKFC 41 event. McGregor was in the crowd for last weekend’s Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship event in Denver, Colorado.

Lewis Simpson - May 4, 2023

Sean O’Malley has highlighted the large scar on Henry Cejudo’s face ahead of his bantamweight title fight against Aljamain Sterling at UFC 288 in New Jersey on May 6. While preparing to challenge for the 135-pound strap that was once his, a large gash that required stitches appeared on his face during a video uploaded to his Youtube Channel one month ago, which concerned fans ever so slightly. However, the former two-weight division champion didn’t reveal how the gash occurred, but O’Malley has his own simple conspiracy about how it got there.

Cole Shelton - May 4, 2023

In the co-main event of UFC 288, a five-round welterweight bout goes down on short notice as Belal Muhammad takes on Gilbert Burns. Heading into the scrap, Burns is a -132 favorite while ‘Remember The Name’ is a +104 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the fight at UFC 288, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. All seven pros asked are picking Burns to get the job done on short notice, and many think it will be by decision, even though it is five rounds and both took it on short notice.

Susan Cox - May 4, 2023

Muhammad Usman doesn’t believe Leon Edwards beat his brother Kamaru in their trilogy fight at UFC 286. It is Mohammed Usman’s belief that the most recent fight between his brother, Kamaru Usman, and Leon Edwards would have had a much different ending had it taken place in the United States.

Susan Cox - May 4, 2023

Conor McGregor is reacting after Paradigm Sports Management won $5.1 million in a breach of contract case with Manny Pacquiao. Paradigm Sports Management, who also represent Conor McGregor, won a legal battle against boxing legend Manny Pacquiao. The civil case was filed in the Superior Court of Orange County, California.

Susan Cox - May 4, 2023

Daniel Cormier believes Francis Ngannou should just ‘bite the bullet’ and return to the UFC. Ngannou (17-3 MMA) has not fought in the Octagon since January of 2022 at UFC 270. The former UFC heavyweight champion last defeated Ciryl Gane (11-2 MMA) via unanimous decision. Following the victory and unable to come to terms on his UFC contract, the fighter was released from the promotion in January of this year and stripped of his title in the process.

Susan Cox - May 4, 2023

Drew Dober says Paddy Pimblett and his ‘protectors’ shot down a potential fight. Drew Dober (26-11 MMA) is preparing for his upcoming lightweight bout with Matt Frevola (10-3 MMA) this coming Saturday, May 6th at UFC 288 which takes place at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 4, 2023

UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier has weighed in on Jon Jones hinting at retirement. Jones is widely considered to be one of the best fighters to have ever stepped foot inside the Octagon. His lone career defeat is a late 2009 disqualification against Matt Hamill. His pro MMA record is a stellar 27-1, 1 NC, and he’s held UFC gold in the light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 4, 2023

UFC Hall of Famer Rich Franklin doesn’t think Israel Adesanya can lay claim to being the best, or even second-best, middleweight of all time. Adesanya is the reigning UFC Middleweight Champion. He’s a two-time 185-pound titleholder in the UFC, and he had five successful title defenses during his first run with the gold. He recaptured the UFC title in April, knocking out Alex Pereira, who had gone 3-0 against him in combat sports prior to “The Last Stylebender’s” huge victory.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 4, 2023

Number-five-ranked UFC welterweight Gilbert Burns has shared why he took a fight with Belal Muhammad despite being promised another crack at the 170-pound gold. Burns and Muhammad are set to collide in the co-main event of UFC 288. It’s a pivotal clash in the welterweight division. Both men believe the winner should be next in line for a UFC Welterweight Championship opportunity. While UFC President Dana White has insisted that Colby Covington is next in line to challenge Leon Edwards, perhaps an impressive showing from the winner of Burns vs. Muhammad could sway the UFC brass into reversing course.

Cole Shelton - May 3, 2023

Devin Clark has an interesting wrinkle ahead of his UFC 288 fight against Kennedy Nzechukwu. Clark is coming off an upset win over Da Un Jung in February and will now face Nzechukwu in an intriguing light heavyweight fight. Clark is well aware of how dangerous Nzechukwu can be, but he believes the Fortis light heavyweight is overlooking him.

Cole Shelton - May 3, 2023

Robert Whittaker believes Israel Adesanya doesn’t want to fight him again. After Adesanya reclaimed his middleweight title with a KO victory over Alex Pereira at UFC 287, it was uncertain who would be next for him. Yet, Dana White announced Robert Whittaker would face Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 290, and the winner of that fight would get the next title shot.

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.

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.

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.

Susan Cox - May 3, 2023

Belal Muhammad is sharing his pick for the most overhyped welterweight in the UFC. Muhammad (22-3 MMA) is currently preparing for his fight with Gilbert Burns (22-5 MMA) this coming weekend, Saturday, May 6th at UFC 288 which takes place at the Prudential Center, in Newark, New Jersey.

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.

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.