MMA News
Former UFC heavyweight Roy Nelson set to headline Jorge Masvidal's bareknuckle MMA promotion on May 5
Cole Shelton - April 20, 2023
Roy Nelson will be fighting for the first time since 2020. On Thursday, Jorge Masvidal took to his Instagram to announce he is promoting Gamebred FC – which is a bareknuckle MMA promotion – on May 5 and they have its main event. According to Masvidal, Nelson, who’s 46-years-old, will take on Dillon Cleckler in the headliner from the FLA Live Arena. It also serves as the first sanctioned bareknuckle MMA event in the state of Florida.
Demetrious Johnson says Jon Jones could have been another champ-champ if he really wanted: “I didn’t think he needed to put on that weight”
Susan Cox - April 20, 2023
Demetrious Johnson is saying Jon Jones could have been another champ-champ if he had really wanted. Jones vacated the light heavyweight belt in 2020 to transition to the heavyweight division.
Paddy Pimblett provides injury update, reveals he will be lucky to fight this year: “It was a lot worse than we thought”
Susan Cox - April 20, 2023
Paddy Pimblett is providing an injury update, revealing he will be lucky if he’s able to fight again this year. It was at UFC 282 in December of last year that Paddy Pimblett (20-3 MMA) met up with and defeated Jared Gordon (19-6 MMA) via unanimous decision in a lightweight bout.
Brandon Royval responds to challenge from Muhammad Mokaev: “Maybe once you stop struggling with unranked opponents”
Susan Cox - April 20, 2023
Brandon Royval has responded to the challenge from Muhammad Mokaev. The 22 year old rising UFC flyweight contender Mokaev sent out a challenge to Brandon Royval.
Brandon Royval reveals personal frustration behind his UFC prelim slot: “I have a brother who is incarcerated, and they have ESPN”
Harry Kettle - April 20, 2023
UFC fighter Brandon Royval has revealed his frustration at being put on the prelims for his fight against Matheus Nicolau last weekend. In a win that earned him Performance of the Night honors, Brandon Royval knocked Matheus Nicolau out in Kansas City. He did so thanks to a vicious knee, followed by a string of nasty elbows. As a result of his win, he’s now considered to be the number one contender for the UFC flyweight championship. He’s also set to serve as the back-up fighter for the upcoming Brandon Moreno vs Alexandre Pantoja title collision.
Jared Gordon dismisses the idea of rematching Paddy Pimblett if he defeats Bobby Green at UFC Vegas 71: “That’s fighting backwards”
Harry Kettle - April 20, 2023
Jared Gordon has played down the idea of him having a rematch with Paddy Pimblett following his upcoming fight this weekend. Last December, Paddy Pimblett fought Jared Gordon in a bout that was intended to raise his star power. Ultimately, though, he didn’t put in the kind of performance he’d hoped for. Pimblett got his hand raised via decision, but many fans and pundits believed Gordon should’ve been the one to come out on top.
Alexander Volkanovski not looking past “dangerous” Yair Rodriguez at UFC 290: “He’s been dominating and looking good in his last few”
Harry Kettle - April 20, 2023
Alexander Volkanovski has said that he isn’t looking past the challenge of Yair Rodriguez when they collide at UFC 290 this summer. Following on from his dramatic collision with Islam Makhachev, Alexander Volkanovski is ready to dive right back into the Octagon. On July 8, ‘The Great’ is set to defend his UFC featherweight championship when he goes up against interim champion Yair Rodriguez.
Ricky Glenn vows to finish Christos Giagos early at UFC Vegas 71 and prove he deserves "a top-15 guy" next
Cole Shelton - April 19, 2023
Ricky Glenn is finally healthy again and ready to be active. Glenn returned in June of 2021 after not fighting since 2018 and knocked out Joaquim Silva in 37 seconds. He then squared off with Grant Dawson that October and fought him to a draw after nearly finishing Dawson in the final round. He was then booked to face Drew Dober in March but just two weeks before the fight he tore a tendon in his groin that has kept him out for over a year.
Watch former UFC title challenger Thiago Alves unload low kicks on the boys from Back Breakers and Bites (Video)
Cole Shelton - April 19, 2023
Thiago Alves showed off his strong leg kicks during a recent sit-down with the boys from Back Breakers and Bites. Alves fought in the UFC from 2005 to 2019, competing against the who’s who of the welterweight division. That included a fight with Georges St-Pierre for the welterweight title, a bout that ‘Pitbull’ ultimately lost be unanimous decision at UFC 100. Throughout his career, Alves was known for his striking and heavy leg kicks, which he once again showcased following a recent interview with Back Breakers and Bites. Check out the video below:
Curtis Blaydes reveals plans to wait for title shot no matter how long it takes: "They bring in Brock Lesnar, I’ll wait"
Josh Evanoff - April 19, 2023
UFC heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes might be spending some time on the sidelines after Saturday. ‘Razor’ has been out of the cage since his clash with Tom Aspinall last July. In the heavyweight main event of UFC London, the Brit suffered a knee injury. As a result, Blaydes won by first-round stoppage, his third victory in a row. He had previously scored lopsided wins over Chris Daukaus and Jairzinho Rozenstruik in that stretch.
Conor McGregor pleads with fighters to stop doing Jake Paul-style purse bets: "It never happens and it’s stupid"
Josh Evanoff - April 19, 2023
Former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion Conor McGregor is tired of your bets. Earlier this week, Ryan Garcia and Gervonta Davis appeared on a live stream together. This Saturday, the two are set to headline a massive pay-per-view card in Las Vegas. Furthermore, the bout is expected to be one of the biggest boxing matches of the year, and they seemingly tried to make it even bigger.
Daniel Cormier signs off on Max Holloway's recent callout of The Korean Zombie: "That's fun!"
Josh Evanoff - April 19, 2023
UFC commentator Daniel Cormier is down for Max Holloway vs. The Korean Zombie. ‘Blessed’ returned to the octagon over the weekend to face Arnold Allen. The bout was Holloway’s first since his destructive defeat at the hands of Alexander Volkanovski in their trilogy bout last July. In this outing, the former champion put on a show against the ‘Almighty’.
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.
Daniel Cormier explains why he’s giving Nate Diaz a chance in upcoming boxing match with Jake Paul: “He’s not as good as we originally thought”
Susan Cox - April 19, 2023
Daniel Cormier is explaining why he’s giving Nate Diaz a chance in his upcoming boxing match with Jake Paul. It was recently announced that Jake Paul (6-1) will take on former UFC star Nate Diaz (0-0) in an eight-round boxing match on Saturday, August 5th at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
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.