MMA News
Alex Pereira taunts rapper Drake ahead of his UFC 287 rematch with Israel Adesanya: “I hope this time you bet on the right person”
Harry Kettle - March 15, 2023
UFC middleweight champion Alex Pereira has taunted superstar Drake ahead of his rematch with Israel Adesanya. Last November, Alex Pereira shocked the world by finishing Israel Adesanya in the fifth round of their UFC 281 main event. In doing so, he captured the middleweight title and took his series lead over ‘Stylebender’ to 3-0 in combat sports.
Conor McGregor is still not listed in the USADA testing pool
Harry Kettle - March 15, 2023
UFC star Conor McGregor has reportedly still not re-entered the USADA testing pool ahead of his return to the cage this year. In 2023, we’re expected to see Conor McGregor compete in the Octagon for the first time in two years. His opponent is set to be Michael Chandler, one of the most exciting fighters in all of mixed martial arts.
Conor McGregor talks about "issue" with Michael Chandler during TUF filming: "Tempers are flaring"
Cole Shelton - March 14, 2023
Conor McGregor says he still respects Michael Chandler despite the altercation that happened on TUF. Currently, McGregor and Chandler are coaching TUF and the two will fight later this year. With that, many were interested in seeing how the two would deal with one another on the show. And, during UFC 285 post-fight press conference we got an answer as Dana White revealed something went down between the two that shouldn’t have happened.
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.
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.
Kamaru Usman feels Leon Edwards forgot he "was taking his soul" prior to shocking knockout loss
Josh Evanoff - March 14, 2023
Former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman feels Leon Edwards needs to remember that he took his soul. ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ and ‘Rocky’ faced off in the main event of UFC 278 last August. The bout was a rematch of their prior outing at UFC on Fox 17 in December 2015. On that night, Usman earned the victory by unanimous decision.
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.
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.
Michael Bisping comes to bat for Dana White amidst Power Slap criticism: “Dana never invented that. It was already a thing”
Susan Cox - March 14, 2023
Michael Bisping is coming to bat for Dana White amidst the Power Slap criticism. Former UFC middleweight champion, Bisping, provided color commentary during Power Slap’s first season finale.
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.
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).
Leon Edwards believes aging Kamaru Usman will have a difficult time responding to his KO loss at UFC 286: “What does he change?”
Harry Kettle - March 14, 2023
UFC welterweight king Leon Edwards has questioned what Kamaru Usman can do to avenge his knockout loss. Last summer, Leon Edwards shocked the world by knocking out Kamaru Usman. In doing so, he captured the UFC welterweight championship.
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.
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.