MMA News
Alex Pereira shows final preparations for Israel Adesanya rematch with Chuck Liddell and Glover Teixeira (VIDEO)
Josh Evanoff - March 28, 2023
UFC middleweight champion Alex Pereira is getting some all-star assistance ahead of his return. ‘Poatan’ has been out of action since his clash with Israel Adesanya last November. While the bout was the first time the middleweights competed in the cage, they shared the kickboxing ring twice prior. In their two matchups, the Brazilian picked up the victory.
Colby Covington reveals hopes to return on undercard of Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic: "How funny that would be?"
Josh Evanoff - March 28, 2023
UFC welterweight contender Colby Covington is hoping to see his old buddy, Jon Jones, again soon. ‘Chaos’ has been out of action since his decision victory over Jorge Masvidal last March. Weeks following their UFC 272 main event, ‘Gamebred’ allegedly assaulted Covington outside a Miami steakhouse. Over a year on from that incident, the former interim champion is closing in on a return.
Charles Oliveira plans to "hunt" Beneil Dariush the entire fight at UFC 288: “You’ll see me get knocked down, dropped, and get back up”
Cole Shelton - March 28, 2023
Charles Oliveira is expecting a wild and chaotic fight at UFC 288. Oliveira is set to take on Beneil Dariush at UFC 288 in his first fight since losing the lightweight title to Islam Makhachev at UFC 280. It’s an intriguing fight on paper and one Oliveira is expecting to be a wild back and forth affiar. ‘Do Bronx’ plans on marching forward the entire time, which he knows will likely lead to him getting dropped at some point.
The UFC parts ways with four more fighters
Cole Shelton - March 28, 2023
The UFC continues to part ways with fighters and trim its roster. On Tuesday, the Twitter account UFC Roster Watch which tracks the UFC roster and who has been added and removed – revealed four fighters have been let go. According to the account, Rafael Alves, Augusto Sakai, Leonardo Santos, and Mana Martinez have all been removed from the promotion’s active roster.
Conor McGregor plays tweet and delete with latest jab at UFC lightweight contender Justin Gaethje
Fernando Quiles Jr. - March 28, 2023
Conor McGregor continues his tweet and delete antics, and this time he’s taking aim at Justin Gaethje. McGregor caught wind of a Twitter post, which featured a clip from season 26 of “The Ultimate Fighter.” Gaethje served as a coach during that season, and the clip shows him giving advice to Gillian Robertson. “The Highlight” urged Robertson to utilize her striking more because focusing solely on jiu-jitsu wasn’t going to cut it.
MMA Fighters take aim at Paddy Pimblett for his post-surgery callout of former opponent Jared Gordon: “This man is a clown”
Fernando Quiles Jr. - March 28, 2023
Some MMA fighters have made it quite clear that they’re not impressed by Paddy Pimblett’s recent callout of Jared Gordon. Pimblett’s late 2022 victory over Gordon has left a sour taste in the mouths of many within the MMA community. While Paddy Pimblett scored a unanimous decision victory, most MMA media members and many fans felt Gordon should’ve had his hand raised.
Gamebred Boxing 4: ‘Jones Jr. vs. Pettis’ fight card now official with twelve total bouts
Fernando Quiles Jr. - March 28, 2023
Jorge Masvidal’s Gamebred Boxing 4 event has taken shape, as the full 12-fight card has been revealed. The boxing event is set to feature the likes of International Boxing Hall of Famer Roy Jones Jr., UFC Hall of Fame inductee Jose Aldo, Vitor Belfort, and many more notable names. Gamebred Boxing has announced the full card for its fourth show, which will be taking place inside the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin this Saturday night (April 1).
Just Scrap Radio Ep. 116 with Thiago Santos, Marlon Moraes, and Brendan Loughnane
Cole Shelton - March 28, 2023
The 116th episode of Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com with host Cole Shelton is live ahead of PFL 1 2023. We’re first joined by former UFC light heavyweight title challenger and current PFL light heavyweight Thiago Santos (1:18). Next, former UFC bantamweight title challenger and now PFL featherweight Marlon Moraes (12:54) stops by. Closing out the program is reigning PFL featherweight champ Brendan Loughnane (23:01).
Jorge Masvidal says the best middleweight fighter in the world competes outside of the UFC: “He’s just a beast”
Harry Kettle - March 28, 2023
UFC star Jorge Masvidal has named a fighter outside of the promotion as the best middleweight on the planet. Across the entirety of his mixed martial arts career, Jorge Masvidal has competed against some of the best fighters in the world. In addition to that, he’s also trained alongside a lot of absolute killers, too.
Beneil Dariush takes aim at UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev for “trying to run off to other divisions”
Harry Kettle - March 28, 2023
UFC lightweight Beneil Dariush has taken a shot at Islam Makhachev for contemplating a move up to welterweight. Following his win over Charles Oliveira last year, Islam Makhachev became the new UFC lightweight champion. Back in February, Makhachev defeated Alexander Volkanovski to successfully retain the strap.
Li Jingliang forced out of UFC 287 due to spine injury
Harry Kettle - March 28, 2023
UFC welterweight Li Jingliang has reportedly been forced to withdraw from his fight at UFC 287 due to injury. Next month, UFC 287 is set to emanate from Miami, Florida. While Gilbert Burns vs Jorge Masvidal is the welterweight match-up everyone is talking about, many fans were also excited to see Li Jingliang vs Michael Chiesa.
What's next for Cory Sandhagen and Marlon Vera after UFC San Antonio?
Cole Shelton - March 27, 2023
In the main event of UFC San Antonio, a battle of top-five bantamweights went down as Cory Sandhagen took on Marlon Vera. Sandhagen was coming off a TKO doctor stoppage win over Song Yadong back in September, this after losing back-to-back fights to Petr Yan for the interim belt and a controversial split decision loss to TJ Dillashaw. Vera, meanwhile, was riding a four-fight winning streak and was coming off a KO win over Dominick Cruz.
Former PFL tournament winner Larissa Pacheco admits fourth fight with Kayla Harrison unlikely for 2023
Josh Evanoff - March 27, 2023
Former PFL women’s lightweight tournament winner Larissa Pacheco doesn’t expect to face Kayla Harrison for a while. The two last faced off at PFL 10 last November, in the company’s first offering on pay-per-view. While it was the first time the company was on pay-per-view, it wasn’t the first time that Harrison and Pacheco clashed. In fact, they had fought on two prior occasions, with the Judoka winning every single round.
Luke Rockhold gets into brief wrestling match with former NBA champion Tim Duncan (VIDEO)
Josh Evanoff - March 27, 2023
Former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold got more than he bargained for with Tim Duncan. The former titleholder has been out of action since his decision defeat to Paulo Costa last August. Following the defeat to ‘The Eraser’, Rockhold announced his retirement. However, the retirement was short-lived, as he was released from the UFC in January.
Marvin Vettori believes Alex Pereira defeats Israel Adesanya at UFC 287, remains "very confident" he would beat 'The Last Stylebender' in a potential trilogy
Cole Shelton - March 27, 2023
Marvin Vettori believes he will fight Israel Adesanya again. Vettori is currently 0-2 against Adesanya with the two having most recently fought back in June of 2021 with ‘The Last Stylebender’ winning a decision to defend his belt. Since then, Adesanya went on to lose his belt to Alex Pereira at UFC 281 and as the two are set to rematch at UFC 287, Vettori believes the Brazilian will once again get the better of Izzy.
Jorge Masvidal slams Khamzat Chimaev after calling for UFC title shot: "You missed weight by 8.5 pounds get the f*ck out of here"
Josh Evanoff - March 27, 2023
UFC welterweight contender Jorge Masvidal has a message for Khamzat Chimaev. The welterweight division is currently in a state of flux. Earlier this month in the main event of UFC 286, Leon Edwards defeated Kamaru Usman by a majority decision. With the victory, ‘Rocky’ retained his welterweight gold, but there wasn’t any time for celebrating.
Jorge Masvidal doubts Colby Covington will get the next title shot after he "breaks" Gilbert Burns' face at UFC 287: "Colby is only a champion of calling cops"
Cole Shelton - March 27, 2023
Jorge Masvidal doesn’t expect Colby Covington to get the next title shot, regardless of what Dana White has said. After Covington weighed in as the backup fighter at UFC 286, Dana White said ‘Chaos’ would be next for Leon Edwards. Yet, the Brit has continuously said Covington doesn’t deserve it and he won’t take the fight. But, even after those comments from Edwards, White has doubled down on Covington getting the next title shot.
Dana White speaks out on Fury FC officiating fiasco: 'You shouldn't be a ref if that happens, in my opinion.'
Zain Bando - March 27, 2023
Dana White has had his fair share of opinions on bad reffing jobs in combat sports. From Mario Yamasaki to Steve Mazzagatti, White pulls no punches when he sees an official potentially dictate the outcome of a fight. The UFC had an event in San Antonio, Texas, Saturday night, and the night before, Fury FC hosted an event on UFC Fight Pass, which also took place in Texas. One of the fights on the card saw a flyweight bout that ended in immense controversy as Edgar Cháirez took on Gianni Vazquez.