MMA News
Thiago Santos expecting "fireworks" against Rob Wilkinson at PFL 1 but confident he will finish him: "I can finish anyone, so it's what I'm going to do"
Cole Shelton - March 28, 2023
Thiago Santos is set to make his PFL debut on Saturday against the reigning champion Rob Wilkinson. Santos asked for his UFC release and was granted it so he could sign with the PFL. The news caught many by surprise but at 39 years old, the Brazilian said he wanted a new challenge given he doesn’t have much time left.
Colby Covington believes Gilbert Burns will defeat “broken man” Jorge Masvidal at UFC 287: “He’s not the same fighter after I destroyed him”
Cole Shelton - March 28, 2023
Colby Covington expects Jorge Masvidal’s current losing streak to continue next month. Masvidal is set to take on Gilbert Burns at UFC 287 in a fight that the Brazilian is listed as a sizeable betting favorite. It marks the first time Masvidal will be competing since he lost to Colby Covington last March and ‘Chaos’ believes his win took something out of Masvidal.
Valentina Shevchenko concerned about potential bias by having Alexa Grasso rematch in Mexico: "Leaning towards one side"
Josh Evanoff - March 28, 2023
Former UFC women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko has given her thoughts on competing in Mexico next. ‘Bullet’ last competed at UFC 285 earlier this month against Alexa Grasso. The current women’s flyweight champion was a massive favorite heading into the bout, but it didn’t play out that way. Shevchenko wound up getting a lot more than she expected from Grasso.
Sean O'Malley admits he was surprised by Marlon Vera's one-sided loss to Cory Sandhagen: "He just outclassed him"
Josh Evanoff - March 28, 2023
UFC bantamweight contender Sean O’Malley was surprised by Marlon Vera’s performance over the weekend. ‘Chito’ returned to the octagon in the main event of UFC San Antonio on Saturday. Heading into the contest, Vera was riding a four-fight winning streak with knockout wins over names such as Frankie Edgar and Dominick Cruz in that stretch. Sadly for the bantamweight contender, that streak ended over the weekend.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.