MMA News
Israel Adesanya plans on "dominating from start to finish" against Alex Pereira at UFC 287: "I don’t get paid by the round"
Cole Shelton - April 4, 2023
Israel Adesanya is extremely confident he will get his belt back this Saturday at UFC 287. Adesanya is set to rematch Alex Pereira in the main event of UFC 287 from Miami. The two previously fought twice in kickboxing, with ‘Poatan’ winning both of those contests. The rivals collided for a third time at UFC 281 last November, with the Brazilian winning by fifth-round TKO to become the new middleweight champ.
Chris Weidman shares advice to Israel Adesanya on facing criticism from the media: "You have to answer all those questions"
Lewis Simpson - April 4, 2023
Former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman shares some friendly advice to Israel Adesanya as he prepares to reclaim the title he lost in November last year. This Saturday, at UFC 287, in Miami, Florida, Adesanya will look to avenge his first middleweight loss in MMA against a longtime foe, Alex Pereira. Pereira snatched Adesanya’s middleweight crown in the fifth round of their third combat sports encounter at UFC 281 in Maddison Square Garden.
Michael Bisping shares his thoughts on last weekend’s Vitor Belfort vs. Jacare Souza boxing match: “He looked like a soggy teabag that’d been used about 50 times”
Susan Cox - April 4, 2023
Michael Bisping is sharing his thoughts on last weekend’s Vitor Belfort vs Jacare Souza boxing match. Gamebred Boxing 4 took place on Saturday, April 1st at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The result was Belfort defeating Souza via unanimous decision.
Belal Muhammad turns his attention to former UFC champion Kamaru Usman: “I think that fight makes all the sense in the world”
Susan Cox - April 4, 2023
Belal Muhammad is turning his attention to former UFC champion Kamaru Usman. Muhammad (22-3 MMA) is on an eight-fight winning streak, his last victory coming via way of TKO against Sean Brady (15-1 MMA) in October of last year at UFC 280.
Just Scrap Radio Ep. 117 with Michelle Waterson-Gomez, Rob Font, Adrian Yanez, and Loopy Godinez
Cole Shelton - April 4, 2023
The 117th episode of Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com with host Cole Shelton is live ahead of UFC 287. We’re first joined by 10th-ranked UFC strawweight Michelle Waterson-Gomez (3:07). Next, we are joined by sixth-ranked UFC bantamweight Rob Font (18:27). 12th-ranked UFC bantamweight Adrian Yanez (36:10) then stops by. Closing out the program is UFC strawweight Loopy Godinez (1:03:16).
Tyron Woodley rips Instagram post for ranking Nick Diaz and Robbie Lawler ahead of him in GOAT welterweights: “I smashed him. Nick never won a title”
Harry Kettle - April 4, 2023
Former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley has torn into an Instagram post ranking the best 170-pounders of all time. While he may have most recently been in the boxing ring, Tyron Woodley is best known for his mixed martial arts career. Towards the end of his run with UFC, as we know, he lost four straight.
Ari Emanuel confirms Dana White and Vince McMahon will continue key roles in UFC and WWE: “That’s pretty unstoppable”
Harry Kettle - April 4, 2023
Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel has confirmed that Dana White and Vince McMahon will continue to have key roles in UFC and WWE. Earlier this week, Endeavor made the blockbuster announcement that they had purchased a 51% stake in WWE. In addition to that, it was revealed that WWE and UFC would be forming a new publicly listed company together.
Dustin Poirier set to make desk analyst debut at UFC 287
Harry Kettle - April 4, 2023
UFC star Dustin Poirier is set to make his debut as a desk analyst for the company this weekend at UFC 287. In terms of fan favourites, there are few fighters as beloved as Dustin Poirier. Throughout the course of his time with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, he’s built quite a legacy for himself.
Alex Pereira explains how an Israel Adesanya interview motivated him to go into MMA and join the UFC: "I felt challenged"
Cole Shelton - April 3, 2023
Alex Pereira didn’t plan on going into MMA until he saw an interview with Israel Adesanya. The interview took place in 2020 with Sporting News Australia and Adesanya was dismissive of Pereira. He took aim at the Brazilian for always re-posting his KO win after Adesanya did something in the UFC.
Vitor Belfort calls out Anthony Pettis after losing Roy Jones Jr. fight to 'Showtime': "It was supposed to be legendary guys"
Josh Evanoff - April 3, 2023
Former UFC light-heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort seemingly wants to continue boxing. ‘The Phenom’ returned to the boxing ring over the weekend at Gamebred Boxing 4. In the co-main event, the Brazilian faced Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza. The bout was a rematch of sorts, as the latter defeated Belfort by first-round TKO back at UFC 198 in May 2016.
Belal Muhammad explains why he's not interested in Shavkat Rahkmonov fight: "I’m only looking upwards"
Cole Shelton - April 3, 2023
Belal Muhammad isn’t too interested in fighting Shavkat Rakhmonov next time out. After Leon Edwards defended his welterweight title at UFC 286, Dana White announced the Brit would face Colby Covington next and Muhammad would take on Rakhmonov. Both fights caught many by surprise, including Muhammad who thought he was either getting a title shot or someone in front of him next.
PFL's Loren Mack confirms Jake Paul will "absolutely" make MMA debut in 2023: "He’s gonna really develop into a superstar in the sport"
Josh Evanoff - April 3, 2023
Fear not, PFL’s Jake Paul is still set for his MMA debut this year. ‘The Problem Child’ made headlines in January when he signed with the PFL. At the time, there was little known beyond that Paul would both work and fight for the company. The YouTuber also stated that the deal wouldn’t interfere with his boxing career.
Nick Diaz admits he was "backed into" return fight against Robbie Lawler: "I didn't go in there to win"
Josh Evanoff - April 3, 2023
Over a year and a half on from his return, Nick Diaz has discussed all the controversy behind it. In September 2021, the former Strikeforce champion made his return to the cage against Robbie Lawler. The bout was a rematch of their prior encounter at UFC 47 in 2004. In that outing, Diaz won by first-round knockout.
Michael Chiesa reveals he won't fight at UFC 287 after injury to Li Jingliang, eyes Gunnar Nelson in London
Cole Shelton - April 3, 2023
Michael Chiesa won’t be fighting this Saturday at UFC 287. Chiesa was set to take on Li Jingliang in his first fight since November of 2021, as he had been dealing with an injury. However, last week it was revealed Jingliang was forced out of the fight and Chiesa confirmed no replacement opponent was found.
Thiago Santos issues statement after suffering defeat in his PFL debut
Susan Cox - April 3, 2023
Thiago Santos has issued a statement after suffering defeat in his PFL debut. The 39-year-old ‘Marreta’ parted ways with the UFC last Fall and subsequently signed with the PFL to compete in its 205-pound division starting in 2023.
WWE CEO Nick Kahn expects UFC crossovers to continue under new Endeavor deal: “We will be looking to collaborate with them when appropriate”
Susan Cox - April 3, 2023
WWE CEO Nick Kahn expects UFC crossovers to continue under new Endeavor deal. It was announced today, Monday, April 3rd that the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is set to merge with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) to form a new publicly traded company under the umbrella of the Endeavor Group.
Free agent Anthony Pettis confirms plans of returning to mixed martial arts following recent boxing debut: “I’m not done with MMA”
Harry Kettle - April 3, 2023
Anthony Pettis has confirmed his desire to return to mixed martial arts following his successful pro boxing debut. Last weekend, Anthony Pettis succeeded in his pro boxing debut against Roy Jones Jr. He defeated the legendary figure, outworking him over the course of their contest.
UFC champion Jamahal Hill shares footage of a former opponent experiencing police brutality: “Yo this wild asf”
Harry Kettle - April 3, 2023
Jamahal Hill has shared footage of a former opponent of his experiencing police brutality back in 2012. UFC light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill has been on quite the journey. From his childhood all the way up to the present day, he’s had to face some real adversity. Now, though, he sits at the top of the mountain as the king of the 205 pound division.