MMA News
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.
VIDEO | Kevin Holland gets into verbal altercation with Jorge Masvidal at fighter hotel ahead of UFC 287
Cole Shelton - April 5, 2023
Kevin Holland had plenty to say when he saw Jorge Masvidal at the fighter hotel at UFC 287. Holland is set to face Santiago Ponzinibbio on the pay-per-view main card while Masvidal is in the co-main event against Gilbert Burns. Although the welterweights aren’t fighting one another, that didn’t stop them from getting into a verbal altercation at the fighter hotel.
Justin Gaethje reveals when he plans to retire from MMA: "Ultimately it is the backend of my career in this sport"
Josh Evanoff - April 5, 2023
Former UFC interim lightweight champion Justin Gaethje only has a few more years left in him. ‘The Highlight’ is fresh off his lightweight showcase with Rafael Fiziev last month in London. In the co-main event of UFC 286, the two put on a classic. Ultimately, it was Gaethje who earned the win by majority decision after 15 minutes of action.
Kevin Holland "unfortunately" believes Colby Covington will win UFC gold in his return: "Does anyone really actually like Colby?"
Josh Evanoff - April 5, 2023
UFC welterweight contender Kevin Holland has chimed in on Colby Covington’s return. ‘Trail Blazer’ has been out of the octagon since his fight night main event with Stephen Thompson in December. In that outing, ‘Wonderboy’ dominated en route to a fourth-round stoppage victory. The defeat was Holland’s second in a row, having previously lost by submission to Khamzat Chimaev.
Anthony Pettis expresses interest in fighting Anderson Silva following his recent victory over Roy Jones Jr.: "That was supposed to happen in the UFC”
Susan Cox - April 5, 2023
Anthony Pettis is expressing interest in fighting Anderson Silva following his recent victory over boxing Hall of Famer Roy Jones Jr. It was at Gamebred Boxing 4, at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin last Saturday night, that featured Anthony Pettis’ boxing debut against Roy Jones Jr. in the main event.
Daniel Cormier praises Conor McGregor for his ability to turn opponents into stars: “He has elevated two of my best friends”
Susan Cox - April 5, 2023
Daniel Cormier is praising Conor McGregor for his ability to turn opponents into stars. Conor McGregor (22-6 MMA) joined the UFC in 2013 and will be marking his tenth anniversary with the promotion this August. ‘Notorious’ has not fought in the Octagon since July of 2021 where he went down to defeat against Dustin Poirier (29-7 MMA) via way of TKO.
UFC 287 | Pro fighters make their picks for Alex Pereira vs. Israel Adesanya 2 title fight
Cole Shelton - April 5, 2023
In the main event of UFC 287, the middleweight title is up for grabs as Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya have their rematch in MMA. Heading into the fight, Pereira is a +114 underdog while the challenger is a -146 favorite on FanDuel. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. The pros have a slight lean towards Adesanya getting the belt back but many think Pereira’s power will be too much for the former champ.
Jorge Masvidal says he feels amazing after escaping dark chapter in his life: “A lot of the time, when you're in these dark places, you don't come out”
Harry Kettle - April 5, 2023
UFC fighter Jorge Masvidal has spoken candidly about coming out of what he describes as a dark chapter in his life. This Saturday night, Jorge Masvidal will return to the Octagon for the first time in over a year. When he does so, he’ll lock horns with Gilbert Burns in a major grudge match.
Chael Sonnen says it’s time for Francis Ngannou to “wake up” and call Dana White: “Everyday he’s not signed, he’s losing”
Harry Kettle - April 5, 2023
MMA analyst Chael Sonnen has given Francis Ngannou some advice as he continues to play the field in free agency. Ever since leaving the UFC earlier this year, many have wondered what Francis Ngannou’s next move will be. The popular opinion, given he wants to be paid well, is that he’ll enter the world of professional boxing.
Eddie Alvarez calls out Nate Diaz for BKFC fight to settle 2015 incident: “We’re not in the third grade here dude”
Harry Kettle - April 5, 2023
Former UFC star Eddie Alvarez has called out Nate Diaz for a fight in BKFC to settle an incident that happened eight years ago. Ever since leaving the UFC, Nate Diaz has been one of the hottest free agents out there alongside Francis Ngannou. Everyone, and we mean everyone, wants to get in there and mix it up with the king of Stockton.
Rob Font plans to "mix it up" and submit Adrian Yanez at UFC 287 to silence his doubters: "I want to get him down and get him out of there"
Cole Shelton - April 4, 2023
Rob Font is excited to remind everyone just how good he is at UFC 287. Font will be making his return to the Octagon for the first time in a year after losing a decision to Marlon Vera. The 35-year-old knew he needed to take some time off absorbing a lot of damage in back-to-back fights with ‘Chito’ and Jose Aldo.
VIDEO | Mike Perry picks nose, wipes it on Luke Rockhold's sweater in first faceoff ahead of BKFC 41
Cole Shelton - April 4, 2023
Mike Perry and Luke Rockhold had an interesting faceoff following a press conference to promote BKFC 41. Perry and Rockhold are set to headline the event on April 29 in a fight that caught many by surprise. On Tuesday, the two came face-to-face for the first time at the press conference and Perry decided to pick his nose and wipe it on Rockhold’s sweater when the former UFC champ wasn’t looking.
Paul Heyman warns "clown" Conor McGregor of "picking a fight" with Roman Reigns after UFC-WWE merger
Cole Shelton - April 4, 2023
Paul Heyman doesn’t see a fight between Conor McGregor and Roman Reigns ending well for the Irishman. After Endeavor bought WWE and merged them with the UFC, McGregor tweeted a photo of himself holding a UFC and WWE belt. Heyman then took a shot at him to which the Irishman fired back saying he would break his jaw in three different places.
BKFC's David Feldman reveals Francis Ngannou talks going poorly due to "unrealistic money" request: "He needs to make up his mind"
Josh Evanoff - April 4, 2023
Don’t expect to see Francis Ngannou in BKFC anytime soon. ‘The Predator’ is still searching for his next home in combat sports. Ngannou famously left the UFC in January after fighting out his contract with the company. In the process, he vacated the heavyweight title which was later won by Jon Jones last month at UFC 285.
Joe Rogan admits Conor McGregor's approach to the USADA testing pool after injury is what he would've done: "You're not just going to heal off eating mangos"
Josh Evanoff - April 4, 2023
UFC commentator Joe Rogan understands why Conor McGregor left the USADA testing pool. ‘The Notorious’ has been out of action since his trilogy with Dustin Poirier in July 2021. In that outing, ‘The Diamond’ won by first-round TKO after McGregor broke his leg in the final seconds of the round. Due to the injury, the Irishman has been out of action for nearly two years.
Michelle Waterson-Gomez plans to be "the dominant fighter" against Luana Pinheiro at UFC 287: "I wouldn't say she is a well-rounded fighter"
Cole Shelton - April 4, 2023
Michelle Waterson-Gomez is excited to stay with the UFC. ‘The Karate Hottie’ fought out her previous UFC contract last July, suffering a submission loss to Amanda Lemos. Despite the disappointing setback, the UFC re-signed her to a new eight-fight deal which Waterson-Gomez was obviously excited about.
Jorge Masvidal believes Colby Covington's legal case against him could prevent slated title shot: "How the f*ck are you going to compete if you've got a brain injury?"
Josh Evanoff - April 4, 2023
UFC welterweight contender Jorge Masvidal believes Colby Covington won’t fight for gold next. ‘Gamebred’ is slated to make his return to the octagon this Saturday against Gilbert Burns. For his part, ‘Durinho’ enters the contest off a first-round submission victory over Neil Magny in January. Meanwhile, Masvidal has been out of action since his loss to ‘Chaos’ last March.
UFC heavyweight's Derrick Lewis and Tai Tuivasa open as betting favorites to join WWE following Endeavor merger
Lewis Simpson - April 4, 2023
Following the news of the UFC and WWE joining forces as a new company under the control of the Endeavor Group, UFC heavyweight stars Derrick Lewis and Tai Tuivasa have opened up as betting favourites to make the transition into pro-wrestling. The news has sparked a debate across the mixed martial arts and wrestling scene, with a handful of questions still to be answered. What does this mean for the UFC and WWE?