MMA News
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Former lightweight champion Benson Henderson hoping for UFC Hall of Fame induction: "I would definitely appreciate it"
Josh Evanoff - March 13, 2023
Former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson is hoping he’ll make the Hall of Fame. ‘Smooth’ returned to the cage over the weekend at Bellator 292. The former UFC champion faced the undefeated Usman Nurmagomedov in the main event, with the goal of handing him his first loss. Prior to the bout, Henderson revealed his plans to win the tournament, and then retire.
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.
Dana White’s Power Slap League accused of falsifying social media engagement
Harry Kettle - March 13, 2023
Dana White’s Power Slap league has been accused of exaggerating some of their recent social media engagement. Over the course of the last few months, Power Slap has been in the news a fair bit. From health & safety issues to fighter pay problems, it hasn’t been an easy first season for the new promotion.
UFC President Dana White extremely confident that Jon Jones would have beat Francis Ngannou “exactly” like he did Ciryl Gane
Harry Kettle - March 13, 2023
UFC president Dana White believes Jon Jones would defeat Francis Ngannou in a similar manner to how he defeated Ciryl Gane. It’s no secret that Dana White isn’t Francis Ngannou’s biggest fan. After all, the former UFC heavyweight champion did turn down a huge offer to stay with the promotion.
UFC strawweight Tabatha Ricci shares disturbing DMs she received on Twitter: “Step on my face”
Harry Kettle - March 13, 2023
UFC strawweight Tabatha Ricci has shared a screenshot of some disturbing direct messages she received from a fan on Twitter. In the last twelve months or so, Tabatha Ricci has really cemented herself as a contender at strawweight. After losing to Manon Fiorot at flyweight in her debut, she’s bounced back with three straight wins.
Islam Makhachev claims Michael Chandler “lost on purpose” to obtain Conor McGregor fight
Harry Kettle - March 13, 2023
Islam Makhachev believes Michael Chandler lost his last fight on purpose in order to get a fight with Conor McGregor. Later this year, Michael Chandler will fight Conor McGregor following the latest season of Th Ultimate Fighter. It’s a bout that he has been calling for and now, he’s finally got it.
Henry Cejudo suggests Merab Dvalishvili be on standby in case Aljamain Sterling backs out of UFC 288 title fight
Fernando Quiles Jr. - March 12, 2023
Henry Cejudo doesn’t appear to be sold on his UFC Bantamweight Championship match against Aljamain Sterling actually taking place on May 6. Cejudo is set to challenge Sterling for the top prize in the UFC’s male bantamweight division in the main event of UFC 288. The action will be held inside the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Cejudo took to his Twitter account to suggest to the UFC brass that Sterling’s teammate and close friend Merab Dvalishvili serve as a backup opponent in case Sterling pulls out of the fight (h/t MMAFighting).
Nikita Krylov seeks time off following submission win over Ryan Spann at UFC Las Vegas
Fernando Quiles Jr. - March 12, 2023
Nikita Krylov emerged victorious at UFC Las Vegas and he’s believes some rest is in order. Krylov and Ryan Spann went one-on-one inside The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas, Nevada. Krylov secured a first-round submission victory via triangle choke. It’s the third straight win for Krylov, who has, at the very least, maintained his number six spot on the official UFC light heavyweight rankings.