MMA News
Vitor Belfort reveals he was orignally supposed to box Roy Jones Jr. at Gamebred Boxing 4, vows to KO Jacare Souza: "When I come to the ring, I come to knock people out"
Cole Shelton - March 14, 2023
Vitor Belfort was hoping to box Roy Jones Jr. at Gamebred Boxing 4. When Belfort was first offered to box on the card, the Brazilian says he was going to headline the card against Jones Jr. in a massive fight for both men. Yet, the former UFC light heavyweight champion revealed Jones Jr. turned him down as he wanted an easier matchup.
Conor McGregor believes Michael Chandler hasn't fought anyone like him, plans to be active once he returns: "I hope for 100 more fights"
Cole Shelton - March 14, 2023
Conor McGregor is hoping to remain active once he returns from his broken leg. Ever since McGregor boxed Floyd Mayweather, the Irishman hasn’t been as active as he wanted to be for a variety of reasons. Yet, he is set to return later this year against Michael Chandler after the two coach TUF. When the two do fight, McGregor is confident he will be too skilled and slick for him, in large part because he thinks Chandler has never fought anyone like him.
Justin Gaethje believes UFC 286 scrap against Rafael Fiziev is "bound to be" the Fight of the Year
Cole Shelton - March 14, 2023
Justin Gaethje is expecting another barn burner of a fight at UFC 286. Gaethje is set to return to the Octagon for the first time in nearly a year in the co-main event of UFC 286 against Rafael Fiziev. On paper, it looks to be a fun fight as both men are strikers and like to stand and trade. With that being considered, Gaethje expects it to be a potential the ‘Fight of the Year’ affair.
Recently released Darren Till reportedly in-talks to face Logan Paul in boxing match
Josh Evanoff - March 14, 2023
Former UFC middleweight contender Darren Till might not be returning to the MMA promotion after all. ‘The Gorilla’ has been out of action since his clash with Dricus du Plessis last December. The two fought on the main card of UFC 282 and put on a show. Ultimately, Till lost by third-round submission, but was given ‘Fight of the Night’ honors for his performance.
Francis Ngannou slams Jon Jones for saying he avoided fighting him: "I wanted that fight, but where was Jon Jones at that time?"
Josh Evanoff - March 14, 2023
Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou appears unhappy with Jon Jones. ‘The Predator’ famously walked out of the MMA promotion in January, after failing to come to terms on a new deal. At the time, Ngannou stated that low fighter pay, restrictive contracts, and lack of healthcare led to his exit. He later stated his intention to transition to the boxing ring.
Former UFC fighter Jay Hieron discusses being KO'd by Jake Gyllenhaal during UFC 285 'Road House' filming: "He went for it"
Josh Evanoff - March 14, 2023
Former UFC welterweight Jay Hieron enjoyed his time back in the octagon. ‘The Thoroughbred’ had a lengthy MMA career, competing from 2003 to 2013. A few years of that time was spent in the UFC octagon, as Hieron made his debut for the promotion in 2004. That year, he lost to Georges St-Pierre at UFC 48 by first-round knockout.
Alistair Overeem receives 12 month suspension for failed drug test, win over Badr Hari overturned to a no-contest
Cole Shelton - March 14, 2023
Alistair Overeem has failed a drug test from his GLORY Kickboxing fight back in October. According to VechtsportInfo, which has since been confirmed by GLORY, Overeem failed a drug test from his October decision win over Badr Hari. With that, Overeem has been suspended for one year along with having his win overturned to a No Contest and he has been removed from the GLORY rankings and has been asked to turn over a percentage of his winnings from the fight.
Luke Rockhold believes Mike Perry is in for a rude awakening at BKFC 41: “He’s so f**king dumb, it makes him effective”
Lewis Simpson - March 14, 2023
Luke Rockhold believes Mike Perry is in for a rude awakening at BKFC 41. Two weeks ago, it was announced that Rockhold would make his bare-knuckle boxing debut against Mike Perry at 185lbs. Many believed Rockhold would return to some form of combat sports competition, but the confirmation of the matchup came as a surprise.
Islam Makhachev doesn’t think unhealthy Conor McGregor will end up fighting Michael Chandler: “He just can’t”
Susan Cox - March 14, 2023
Islam Makhachev doesn’t think unhealthy Conor McGregor will end up fighting Michael Chandler. TUF 31 debuts on May 30th on ESPN. It will feature Team McGregor vs. Team Chandler in the UFC produced reality television series. Following The Ultimate Fighter, Conor McGregor (22-6 MM) is slated to meet Michael Chandler (23-8 MMA) in the Octagon, with a date, time and place yet to be determined.
Francis Ngannou reveals he’s had “serious” conversations with two MMA promotions: “Not too much with Bellator”
Susan Cox - March 14, 2023
Francis Ngannou has revealed that he’s had ‘serious’ conversations with two MMA promotions, but ‘not too much with Bellator’. Ngannou parted ways with the UFC two months ago, after a lengthy contractual dispute between the promotion and the 36 year old heavyweight champion.
Brendan Schaub names the heavyweight “dark horse that can dethrone” UFC champion Jon Jones
Susan Cox - March 14, 2023
Brendan Schaub has named the heavyweight ‘dark horse that can dethrone’ UFC champion Jon Jones. It was just over a week ago that Jon Jones (27-1 MMA) defeated Ciryl Gane (11-2 MMA) in the heavyweight main event at UFC 285. Just two minutes and four seconds into the first round it was Jones who got Gane in a guillotine choke, forcing Gane to tap out.
Just Scrap Radio Ep. 114 with Vitor Belfort and Chris Duncan
Cole Shelton - March 14, 2023
The 114th episode of Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com with host Cole Shelton is live ahead of UFC 286 and an early look at Gamebred Boxing 4. We’re first joined by former UFC light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort (1:35). The other guest is UFC lightweight Chris Duncan (24:50).
Merab Dvalishvili reacts to UFC President Dana White’s warning about not fighting teammate Aljamain Sterling: “If he wants to do it, I will fight”
Harry Kettle - March 14, 2023
UFC bantamweight star Merab Dvalishvili has responded to a recent warning from Dana White about not fighting Aljamain Sterling. On Saturday night, Merab Dvalishvili stepped out of the shadows in the bantamweight division. He dominated Petr Yan in the main event of the latest UFC Fight Night, cementing himself as a top contender at 135 pounds.
TBS ends Power Slap experiment after just one season
Harry Kettle - March 14, 2023
TBS has reportedly brought an end to their relationship with Dana White’s Power Slap league, as per MMA Fighting. The ‘art’ of slap fighting has been a source of controversy since day one. Many don’t enjoy it, although there are a select few who believe it holds some value within the combat sports space. Oh, and there are also plenty of concerns about the health and safety of those involved.
What's next for Merab Dvalishvili and Petr Yan after UFC Las Vegas?
Cole Shelton - March 13, 2023
In the main event of UFC Las Vegas, Merab Dvalishvili headlined his first UFC event against former bantamweight champ, Petr Yan. Dvalishvili was coming off a decision win over Jose Aldo in August to extend his win streak to eight. Also on the win streak, he had wins over John Dodson, Cody Stamann, and Marlon Moraes among others. Yan, meanwhile, entered the fight losing back-to-back split decisions to Sean O’Malley and Aljamain Sterling and was 1-3 in his last four.
Tom Aspinall admits "GOAT" Jon Jones is his dream fight: "That's something special"
Josh Evanoff - March 13, 2023
UFC heavyweight contender Tom Aspinall has his sights set on the new champion. The British fighter has been out of action since his clash with Curtis Blaydes last July. Just seconds into Aspinall’s bout with ‘Razor’ he suffered a knee injury. As a result, he lost by first-round stoppage, ending his five-fight octagon winning streak. During the winning streak, Aspinall had picked up wins over names such as Alexander Volkov and Andrei Arlovski.
Alexander Volkanovski vs. Yair Rodriguez targeted for UFC 290
Cole Shelton - March 13, 2023
Alexander Volkanovski and Yair Rodriguez will be unifying the featherweight title this summer. According to Fox Sports Australia, Volkanovski is targeted to defend his title against the interim champ in Rodriguez at UFC 290 on July 8 which serves as International Fight Week. The event is set to take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Petr Yan releases statement after UFC Las Vegas loss to Merab Dvalishvili: "I couldn't think about canceling the fight, since I was already on the field"
Cole Shelton - March 13, 2023
Petr Yan has opened up on his UFC Las Vegas main event defeat to Merab Dvalishvili. Yan entered the fight on a two-fight losing skid and being 1-3 in his last four, including two losses to Aljamain Sterling to lose his bantamweight title and then in the rematch. The Russian was the betting favorite against Dvalishvili but Yan was dominated over all five rounds as he lost 50-45 on every scorecard.