MMA News
Alex Pereira dismisses facing Khamzat Chimaev after UFC 287 rematch with Israel Adesanya: "He ran from everybody"
Josh Evanoff - April 6, 2023
UFC middleweight champion Alex Pereira doesn’t seem interested in facing Khamzat Chimaev. ‘Poatan’ has been out of action since UFC 281 in November. In the main event, Pereira faced his longtime rival, Israel Adesanya. With ‘The Last Stylebender’ winning on the cards heading into the fifth and final round, the Brazilian scored a come-from-behind knockout win.
VIDEO | Dana White halts UFC 287 press conference due to question about Jorge Masvidal and Kevin Holland's altercation
Josh Evanoff - April 6, 2023
The UFC 287 press conference was briefly halted earlier today due to questions about Jorge Masvidal and Kevin Holland. ‘Gamebred’ and Trail Blazer’ are set to return this Saturday night, but not against each other. In the co-main event of UFC 287, Masvidal is expected to face Gilbert Burns. Meanwhile, Holland is slated to face Santiago Ponzibbio on the main card in a welterweight showcase.
Michael Bisping believes Francis Ngannou has mismanaged his post-UFC future: "If you're not fighting you're not making money"
Josh Evanoff - April 6, 2023
UFC commentator Michael Bisping believes Francis Ngannou has mismanaged his UFC exit. ‘The Predator’ left the MMA company in January as heavyweight champion. At the time, Ngannou stated that issues with Dana White and the UFC’s restrictive contracts forced the exit. As a result, the promotion later booked Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane for the vacant title.
Gilbert Burns isn't buying into Jorge Masvidal's retirement talk ahead of UFC 287: "He's going to be the new Nate Diaz"
Josh Evanoff - April 6, 2023
UFC welterweight contender Gilbert Burns doesn’t believe Jorge Masvidal’s on the verge of retirement. ‘Durinho’ has been out of action since his clash with Neil Magny in January. On the UFC 283 main card in his home country of Brazil, Burns dominated. The former title challenger got an early takedown in the first and wound up getting the submission victory early.
Dana White shares his thoughts on the UFC - WWE merger: “There’s a lot of things that we can add to WWE”
Susan Cox - April 6, 2023
Dana White is sharing his thoughts on the UFC – WWE merger. The announcement came on Monday, April 3rd that the UFC and WWE were joining forces as a new company under the control of the Endeavor Group.
Jorge Masvidal takes aim at Conor McGregor ahead of UFC 287: “That midget ain’t coming up to fight me”
Susan Cox - April 6, 2023
Jorge Masvidal is taking aim at Conor McGregor ahead of UFC 287. UFC 287 takes place this weekend, on Saturday, April 8th at the Miami-Dade Arena in Miami, Florida.
Robert Whittaker has no issue with Colby Covington receiving another welterweight title shot: “Colby does deserve it”
Susan Cox - April 6, 2023
Robert Whittaker has no issue with Colby Covington receiving another welterweight title shot. The UFC and its president, Dana White, have voiced it’s their intention to have the welterweight champion, Leon Edwards, defend his title against Colby Covington next.
Gamebred Boxing 4 Fighter Salaries revealed: Roy Jones Jr. pockets $700K
Susan Cox - April 6, 2023
The Gamebred Boxing 4 fighter salaries have been revealed. It was just last Saturday, April 1st, that Gamebred Boxing took place at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
UFC 287 | Pro fighters make their picks for Gilbert Burns vs. Jorge Masvidal
Cole Shelton - April 6, 2023
In the co-main event of UFC 287, an intriguing welterweight scrap goes down as Gilbert Burns takes on Jorge Masvidal. Heading into the fight, Burns is a sizeable -530 favorite while ‘Gamebred’ is a +360 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. To no surprise, the pros believe Burns will get it done by using his wrestling and grappling, but some think Masvidal will be able to get the KO win.
PFL President Ray Sefo optimistic that his organization will land former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou: “It’s all positive”
Harry Kettle - April 6, 2023
PFL president Ray Sefo has said that things are looking positive regarding the promotion potentially signing Francis Ngannou. Earlier this year, Francis Ngannou decided to take the biggest risk of his career by leaving UFC. At the time, he was the company’s undisputed heavyweight champion – but that wasn’t enough.
Jorge Masvidal explains why he’s not concerned with his current UFC ranking: “They don't matter for PPV kings like me”
Harry Kettle - April 6, 2023
UFC star Jorge Masvidal has explained why he isn’t too worried about his current ranking in the welterweight division. Back in 2019, Jorge Masvidal enjoyed the best year of his career. He finished Darren Till, Ben Askren and Nate Diaz to establish himself as a top contender at 170 pounds.
Kelvin Gastelum says he “went through the valley of the shadow of death” ahead of return at UFC 287
Harry Kettle - April 6, 2023
UFC fighter Kelvin Gastelum has spoken candidly about his journey back to the Octagon ahead of his return this weekend. While he may only be 31, Kelvin Gastelum has been around for a long time. From his Ultimate Fighter days to becoming a middleweight contender, he’s been involved in some incredible moments over the years.
Raul Rosas Jr. responds to criticism surrounding his main card placement at UFC 287
Zain Bando - April 5, 2023
Raul Rosas Jr. didn’t mince words ahead of his UFC 287 bantamweight bout against Christian Rodriguez. The 18-year-old Rosas Jr. lived up to his billing with a quick first-round win against Jay Perrin in December, and now, he’s letting everyone in the know that he’s here to stay. “I don’t know who said that, but at the end of the day, they’re all just hating,” Rosas said Wednesday during media day. “They should take some notes if they want to be on the pay-per-view card. They should take some notes and learn some stuff from me. I already got in the UFC and I’m already on the pay-per-view, not like other regular fighters that are prelim fighters. I don’t want to say names, but yeah.”
Alexander Volkanovski and Robert Whittaker dress up as pro wrestling icons Stone Cold and Hulk Hogan after UFC-WWE Merger
Susan Cox - April 5, 2023
Alexander Volkanovski and Robert Whittaker dressed up as pro-wrestling icons Stone Cold and Hulk Hogan following the UFC-WWE merger. It was just this past Monday, April 3rd, that the announcement was made that UFC’s parent company, Endeavor, bought a majority share in WWE (World Wresting Entertainment) to combine the two promotions into one publicly traded sports and entertainment entity.
Jorge Masvidal questions how Colby Covington can fight for the belt while claiming he has a "brain injury": "I didn’t do s**t to him"
Cole Shelton - April 5, 2023
Jorge Masvidal doesn’t understand how Colby Covington can get the next title shot. After Leon Edwards defended his belt at UFC 286, Dana White announced Covington would be next and the fight is now targeted to happen in London in July. Yet, Masvidal is confused about how ‘Chaos’ can even fight as Covington is claiming that Masvidal gave him a brain injury in an alleged assault last year.
Adrian Yanez hopes to secure Sean O'Malley fight after "starching" Rob Font at UFC 287
Cole Shelton - April 5, 2023
Adrian Yanez is ready to show the mainstream just how good he is. Yanez is set to make his pay-per-view debut on Saturday in the featured fight right before the main and co-main events. It’s a massive opportunity as he will also be facing the sixth-ranked bantamweight in Rob Font who is someone Yanez knows likes to bring the fight.
Gilbert Burns calls for opportunity to slap Brock Lesnar after WWE-UFC merger made official: "He cannot push DC like that"
Josh Evanoff - April 5, 2023
UFC welterweight contender Gilbert Burns is ready to get revenge for Daniel Cormier. ‘Durinho’ is slated to return this weekend at UFC 287 against Jorge Masvidal. The bout will be the Brazilian’s first since January when he submitted Neil Magny. Meanwhile, ‘Gamebred’ enters the contest riding a three-fight losing streak with losses to Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington.
Kayla Harrison reveals that uncertainty with tournament and Cris Cyborg's future could lead to missing all of 2023: "Just trying to stay patient"
Josh Evanoff - April 5, 2023
Former PFL women’s lightweight tournament winner Kayla Harrison is unsure of her future. The Judoka has been out of action since her trilogy bout with Larissa Pacheco last November. While the pair headlined PFL’s maiden voyage on pay-per-view, few expected the matchup to be competitive. In their previous two matchups, Harrison dominated and won every single round.