MMA News
Demetrious Johnson hits back at critics who believe Francis Ngannou made a mistake leaving the UFC: "I've been successful"
Josh Evanoff - April 19, 2023
ONE Championship flyweight titleholder Demetrious Johnson knows you don’t need to be in the UFC to have success. ‘Mighty Mouse’ is currently slated to face Adriano Moraes next month at ONE Fight Night 10. The two flyweights will headline the promotion’s maiden voyage to America, as the event will go down in Colorado. In their first outing in 2021, the Brazilian won by knockout. However, Johnson repaid the favor last year to win the gold.
Paulo Costa calls out Jan Blachowicz for UFC 288, but the Pole claims 'Borrachina' turned down the fight: "How much juice does he need?"
Cole Shelton - April 19, 2023
Paulo Costa was looking to get a short-notice fight at light heavyweight. With Charles Oliveira vs. Beneil Dariush pushed off of UFC 288, the May 6 pay-per-view card is in need of a co-main event and Costa appeared ready to take that slot. The Brazilian took to social media to call out Jan Blachowicz for a light heavyweight fight as he looked to not cut much weight on short notice.
Eddie Hearn hints at possible Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou fight materializing: "I had lunch with Francis Ngannou"
Lewis Simpson - April 19, 2023
Eddie Hearn has hinted at a possible boxing bout between Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou materializing. Ngannou underwent months upon end trying to negotiate a deal with the UFC to stay. However, after failing to agree on terms, the then UFC heavyweight champion made the decision to ultimately part days with the company and test free agency.
Pro fighters make their picks for Sergei Pavlovich vs. Curtis Blaydes
Cole Shelton - April 19, 2023
In the main event of UFC Vegas 71, a battle of top-five heavyweights goes down as Sergei Pavlovich takes on Curtis Blaydes. Heading into the scrap, Pavlovich is a +134 underdog while the American is a -172 favorite on FanDuel. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. The pros believe Blaydes will use his wrestling – similar to what Alistair Overeem did – to beat up Pavlovich and get a ground-and-pound TKO.
UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya scorches his former girlfriend on Instagram
Susan Cox - April 19, 2023
UFC middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya, recently scorched his former girlfriend on Instagram. Adesanya, 33, is hot off a knockout victory over Alex Pereira earlier this month.
Sean Strickland explains why he won’t move back down to welterweight despite “legitimate” belief he could win the 170lbs title
Susan Cox - April 19, 2023
Sean Strickland is explaining why he won’t move back down to welterweight despite his ‘legitimate’ belief he could with the 170lb title. Sean Strickland has 2 losses in his last four fights in the Octagon. ‘Tarzan’ (26-5 MMA) most recently defeated Nassourdine Imavov (12-4 MMA) by unanimous decision this past January. Prior to that victory, Strickland had lost 2 in a row to Jared Cannonier (16-6 MMA) in December of 2022 and Alex Pereira (7-2 MMA) in July of 2022 at UFC 276.
Julianna Pena explains why her “back hurts” ahead of trilogy fight with Amanda Nunes at UFC 289: “From carrying this fight and from making her relevant again”
Susan Cox - April 19, 2023
Julianna Pena is explaining why her ‘back hurts’ ahead of her trilogy fight with Amanda Nunes at UFC 289. It was announced on April 9th that UFC 289 will feature Nunes vs. Pena 3 in the upcoming mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship which takes place on Saturday, June 10, 2023, at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, B.C. The bantamweight title bout will see Nunes (22-5 MMA) taking on Peña (11-5 MMA) in the Octagon.
Bryce Mitchell believes Conor McGregor will receive special treatment for Michael Chandler fight: “I don't think they are gonna test this properly”
Harry Kettle - April 19, 2023
UFC fighter Bryce Mitchell doesn’t think Conor McGregor will be tested properly for his upcoming fight against Michael Chandler. Later this year, fans are expecting to see the return of Conor McGregor. He’s set to square off with Michael Chandler, the man who he will coach opposite in the new season of The Ultimate Fighter. At this time, it’s not quite clear what weight the two will fight at.
Chael Sonnen dismisses talk of Israel Adesanya having a trilogy fight with Robert Whittaker: “How many times does he have to prove and re-prove”
Harry Kettle - April 19, 2023
MMA analyst Chael Sonnen has dismissed talk of Robert Whittaker getting a third fight against UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. Following Israel Adesanya’s win over Alex Pereira, he is once again the king of the middleweights. As such, there’s been a whole lot of talk about what could be next for him in the division.
Dricus du Plessis shoots down Kelvin Gastelum’s “title eliminator” fight proposal: “You screwed me out of a fight last time so no thanks”
Harry Kettle - April 19, 2023
Dricus du Plessis has shot down Kelvin Gastelum’s proposal for the two to compete in a title eliminator later this summer. Since entering the UFC, Dricus du Plessis has served as quite the attraction at middleweight. In two and a half years, he’s been able to put together a 5-0 record with four finishes to his name. Now, he’s got his sights set on trying to claim a title shot.
UFC announces three new fights for May 20 event, including Raquel Pennington vs. Irene Aldana 2 as the headliner
Cole Shelton - April 18, 2023
The UFC has found its main event for UFC Vegas 73 on May 20. The promotion announced in a press release that Raquel Pennington vs. Irene Aldana has been booked to headline the card on May 20 from the UFC Apex. The fight serves as a rematch of their fight back in July of 2019 in a scrap that Pennington won by split decision.
Rani Yahya says wrestling is key to success against Montel Jackson, expects to secure Cody Garbrandt fight with stoppage win at UFC Vegas 71
Cole Shelton - April 18, 2023
Rani Yahya is finally set to return to the Octagon. Yahya has not fought since November of 2021 when he beat Kyung-ho Hang by decision. He was then booked to fight Cody Garbrandt twice in 2022, but a neck injury forced him out of both fights. Now, after over a year away, he is finally set to return on Saturday at UFC Vegas 71.
Vitor Belfort calls to face Logan Paul on the undercard of Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz: "I promise I won't hurt you"
Josh Evanoff - April 18, 2023
Former UFC light-heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort wants to return to the boxing ring soon. ‘The Phenom’ has been out of the ring since his clash with Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza at Gamebred Boxing 4 earlier this month. The bout was a rematch of sorts, as the two had previously fought in MMA under the UFC banner. In May 2016, Souza defeated the former champion by first-round stoppage.
Anderson Silva expresses interest in fighting the winner of Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz
Cole Shelton - April 18, 2023
Anderson Silva is hoping to face the winner of the Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz boxing match. Silva and Paul fought back in October of last year, with ‘The Problem Child’ winning by decision. It was a highly anticipated bout as it served as the toughest test of Paul’s career, and one that he ended up passing. Yet, in his next fight, Paul suffered a decision loss to Tommy Fury, marking his first career loss.
Curtis Blaydes names himself Jon Jones' biggest challenge at heavyweight: "The odds are in my favor"
Josh Evanoff - April 18, 2023
UFC heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes believes he’s Jon Jones’ biggest challenge. ‘Razor’ has been out of the octagon since his UFC London showdown with Tom Aspinall last July. In that outing, the British star suffered a knee injury in the first round, giving Blaydes the victory by stoppage. The win was his third in a row, having already earned lopsided wins over Chris Daukaus and Jairzinho Rozenstruik.
Demetrious Johnson reveals retirement possible after trilogy with Adriano Moraes: "I don't want to fight for two more years"
Josh Evanoff - April 18, 2023
ONE Championship flyweight titleholder Demetrious Johnson won’t be around much longer. ‘Mighty Mouse’ has been out of the cage since his rematch with Adriano Moraes last August. In their first outing the previous April, the Brazilian scored a highlight-reel second-round knockout win. To his credit, Johnson repaid the favor last year, winning the flyweight title with a third-round stoppage.
Gilbert Burns believes two fighters could lure Jorge Masvidal back out of retirement
Susan Cox - April 18, 2023
Gilbert Burns believes two fighters could lure Jorge Masvidal back out of retirement. It was earlier this month that Gilbert Burns (22-5 MMA) took on Jorge Masvidal (35-17 MMA) at the co-main welterweight event at UFC 287 in Miami, Florida. The result was a unanimous decision win for ‘Durinho’.
Alexander Volkanovski believes Max Holloway is in a “tricky situation” following win over Arnold Allen at UFC Kansas City
Susan Cox - April 18, 2023
Alexander Volkanovski believes Max Holloway is in a ‘tricky situation’ following his win over Arnold Allen at UFC Kansas City. It was just last Saturday, April 15th at UFC Kansas City that Max Holloway (24-7 MMA) defeated Arnold Allen (19-2 MMA) in the featherweight main event. It was a unanimous decision win for ‘Blessed‘, which put him back in the win column.