MMA News
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.
Beneil Dariush discusses the ongoing saga between Conor McGregor and USADA: “I think Conor is cheating”
Fernando Quiles Jr. - March 28, 2023
Beneil Dariush believes Conor McGregor is cheating the system. Much has been made over the fighting future of McGregor. While he’ll serve as a coach on season 31 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” and UFC has plans of booking him against Michael Chandler, McGregor finds himself in a dilemma with USADA. The two sides are at a standstill over McGregor’s eligibility and whether or not he is required to undergo six months of drug testing before he can have another bout.
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.
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).
Henry Cejudo rips Aljamain Sterling during their live interview with Daniel Cormier: “He won the belt via Academy Award”
Harry Kettle - March 28, 2023
Henry Cejudo and Aljamain Sterling went back and forth with one another during a recent interview with Daniel Cormier. At UFC 288, Henry Cejudo and Aljamain Sterling will finally collide. They’ll do so with the UFC bantamweight championship on the line, over two years after they first teased a collision for the strap.
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.
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.
Valentina Shevchenko explains how referee Jason Herzog played a role in her UFC 285 loss to Alexa Grasso: "This action is hard to understand for me"
Cole Shelton - March 27, 2023
Valentina Shevchenko believes referee Jason Herzog played a role in why she lost to Alexa Grasso at UFC 285. In the co-main event of the pay-per-view card, Shevchenko suffered an upset submission loss to Grasso to lose her belt. It was a big upset and a surprise, and although Grasso won fair and square, Shevchenko questions why Herzog stood her up after having Grasso on the ground.
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.
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.
Jared Gordon believes Paddy Pimblett's call for a rematch shows 'The Baddy' thought he won: "I get why he's angry"
Josh Evanoff - March 27, 2023
UFC lightweight contender Jared Gordon has a theory on why Paddy Pimblett wants a rematch. ‘The Baddy’ and ‘Flash’ faced off at UFC 282 in December as the co-main event. Heading into the contest, the British star was riding a wave of hype. Thanks to multiple finishes, as well as his partnership with Barstool Sports, Pimblett seemed on his road to stardom.
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.
Fight fans express concern after Jon Jones tweets and deletes several cryptic messages
Susan Cox - March 27, 2023
Fight fans are expressing concern after UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones tweeted and deleted several cryptic messages. Jon ‘Bones’ Jones (27-1 MMA) became the new UFC heavyweight champion after defeating Ciryl Gane (11-2 MMA) by submission at UFC 285 earlier this month.
Alex Pereira’s coach not ruling out an eventual move to heavyweight: “He can fight in any division”
Susan Cox - March 27, 2023
Alex Pereira’s coach is not ruling out an eventual move to heavyweight. For now, Middleweight Champion Alex Pereira is focused on his upcoming fight with Israel Adesanya.