MMA News
Dana White reveals the demands made by Conor McGregor ahead of TUF 31
Harry Kettle - March 10, 2023
UFC president Dana White has revealed the demands made by Conor McGregor for the latest season of The Ultimate Fighter. Later this year, the 31st season of The Ultimate Fighter will air. The two head coaches will be none other than Conor McGregor and his next opponent Michael Chandler.
VIDEO | Merab Dvalishvili confronts Petr Yan in hotel lobby just days before UFC Las Vegas main event: "Let's talk now"
Cole Shelton - March 9, 2023
Merab Dvalishvili and Petr Yan went face-to-face just days before their UFC Las Vegas main event. Dvalishvili and Yan are set to headline the card from The Theater at Virgin Hotel in Las Vegas in a crucial fight for the bantamweight division. The winner could be a win away from a title shot, and in the lead-up, Dvalishvili has said this fight is personal.
Petr Yan open to rematching Sean O'Malley next if he beats Merab Dvalishvili: "If I have to do it again, I will do it more convincingly"
Cole Shelton - March 9, 2023
Petr Yan is open to running it back with Sean O’Malley should he defeat Merab Dvalishvili on Saturday night. Yan is set to headline UFC Las Vegas against Merab Dvalishvili as the Russian is coming off a controversial split decision loss to O’Malley. It was his second straight loss and he is just 1-3 in his last four – with the other two losses coming by another split decision to Aljamain Sterling and a DQ against ‘Funkmaster’.
Former UFC welterweight contender Mike Swick announces he's cancer free after beating stage four lymphoblastic lymphoma
Josh Evanoff - March 9, 2023
Former UFC welterweight contender Mike Swick is officially cancer free. ‘Quick’ has been out of the octagon since a unanimous decision defeat to Alex Garcia in July 2015. That bout ended his UFC career, and he wound up retiring for good as well. Sitting at a professional record of 15-6, he defeated names such as Joe Riggs, Marcus Davis, and Ben Saunders in his MMA career.
Pro fighters make their picks for Petr Yan vs. Merab Dvalishvili
Cole Shelton - March 9, 2023
In the main event of UFC Las Vegas, Petr Yan is looking to snap his two-fight losing skid as he takes on Merab Dvalishvili. Heading into the fight, Yan is a -290 favorite while the Georgian is a +215 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. The pros slightly lean towards Yan getting it done, and possibly by stoppage.
Petr Yan believes Merab Dvalishvili's style poses little danger in bantamweight main event: "I hold all the keys to victory"
Josh Evanoff - March 9, 2023
Former UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan doesn’t believe he’s in much danger this Saturday. ‘No Mercy’ has been out of the octagon since his clash with Sean O’Malley last October. At UFC 280, the bantamweights put on a show for 15 minutes, but many felt the Russian did much of the better work. Nonetheless, Yan lost his second straight bout by split decision.
Benson Henderson reveals plans to retire at end of Bellator lightweight tournament as champion: "That would be a dream come true"
Josh Evanoff - March 9, 2023
Former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson is planning on ending his career soon. ‘Smooth’ has been out of action since his win over Peter Queally last September. That victory was a big one for the former champion, as it was his second in a row. Henderson had previously upset the massively favored Islam Mamedov earlier in the year.
Dana White announces Power Slap has been extended for two more seasons, will take place on Fight Island
Cole Shelton - March 9, 2023
Dana White has announced Power Slap will continue for at least two more seasons. On Saturday, Power Slap will have its season one finale at the UFC Apex and throughout the season, there have been mixed opinions. Many have been critical of it – including a former NSAC chairman, while some fighters have been vocal in their support of it.
Daniel Cormier responds to backlash over his reaction to Jon Jones winning the UFC heavyweight title: “Not bitter at all”
Harry Kettle - March 9, 2023
UFC commentator Daniel Cormier has defended his immediate reaction to Jon Jones’ win over Ciryl Gane at UFC 285. Last Saturday night at UFC 285, Jon Jones won the UFC heavyweight championship. He did so by submitting Ciryl Gane in just two minutes, making it look relatively easy in the process.
Former NSAC Chairman says he made a “mistake” sanctioning Power Slap: “I’m not happy about it”
Harry Kettle - March 9, 2023
Former NSAC chairman Stephen J. Cloobeck believes he made a mistake in helping to sanction the Power Slap league. Ever since it was announced by UFC president Dana White, there have been plenty of questions surrounding Power Slap. In addition to how popular it would be, the general safety of the slappers – or athletes – involved.
Jon Jones reacts to footage of Daniel Cormier’s live reaction to his title win at UFC 285: “My man couldn’t even pretend to smile”
Harry Kettle - March 9, 2023
Jon Jones has laughed off footage of Daniel Cormier’s live reaction to his win over Ciryl Gane at UFC 285. At UFC 285, Jon Jones shocked the world. The fact he won the UFC heavyweight championship wasn’t the shocking part – but instead, it was the way he did it.
Henry Cejudo reveals the “only way” Stipe Miocic can defeat Jon Jones at UFC 290: “Good luck with that”
Harry Kettle - March 9, 2023
Henry Cejudo has given his thoughts on Stipe Miocic’s best route to victory when he fights Jon Jones at UFC 290. While it hasn’t been officially announced, the UFC has heavily teased that Jon Jones will defend his UFC heavyweight championship against Stipe Miocic during International Fight Week. Jon captured the belt last weekend when he submitted Ciryl Gane in just two minutes at UFC 285.
Jamie Pickett will no longer appeal UFC 285 loss to Bo Nickal, rep reveals
Cole Shelton - March 8, 2023
Jamie Pickett has decided not to appeal his UFC 285 loss to Bo Nickal. Opening up the pay-per-view main card, Pickett took on Nickal in a highly-anticipated fight as it was Bo’s UFC debut. Right away, Nickal closed the distance and appeared to land a low blow that was not called. Seconds later, Nickal got Pickett down to the ground and submitted him.
Dan Hooker reveals he's had more USADA visits since accusing Islam Makhachev of cheating: "You think that’s a coincidence?"
Cole Shelton - March 8, 2023
Dan Hooker says USADA has been testing him more frequently since he came out and accused Islam Makhachev of cheating at UFC 284. After Makhachev beat Alexander Volkanovski by decision, Hooker accused Makhachev of using an IV to rehydrate after weigh-ins. However, there has been no proof of anything, and Hooker expects the UFC will try and punish him with some tough matchups going forward. Along with that, Hooker says USADA has been testing him more frequently since his comments.
Tyson Nam expecting "a car accident right from the get-go" against Bruno Silva at UFC Las Vegas: "We will see whose right-hand lands first"
Cole Shelton - March 8, 2023
Tyson Nam is excited about his UFC Las Vegas matchup against Bruno Silva as he knows it is will be a fun one. After Nam knocked out Ode Osbourne in August, the hope was to return in January against David Dvorak but that didn’t come to fruition. Instead, he was booked to face Silva at UFC Las Vegas on March 11 which he’s excited about.
Jonathan Martinez hopeful the judges are not needed for his UFC Las Vegas fight against Said Nurmagomedov: "I'm excited to prove that I should be ranked"
Cole Shelton - March 8, 2023
Jonathan Martinez wasn’t sure who he would be fighting next. Martinez picked up the biggest win of his career last time out as he scored a stoppage victory over Cub Swanson. It was a big win for Martinez who is now set to return at UFC Las Vegas against the 14th-ranked bantamweight in Said Nurmagomedov.
UFC middleweight Sean Strickland sends out video message for International Women’s Day: “For the women!”
Josh Evanoff - March 8, 2023
UFC middleweight contender Sean Strickland has released a passionate video message for International Women’s Day. ‘Tarzan’ has been out of action since his short-notice clash with Nassourdine Imavov in January. The bout took just one month after Strickland’s split-decision defeat to Jared Cannonier, but he was undeterred. He wound up defeating ‘Russian Sniper’ by unanimous decision in the five-round main event.
Jon Jones explains why Ciryl Gane tapped out so quickly at UFC 285: “I could hear his spine popping”
Josh Evanoff - March 8, 2023
UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones has explained why Ciryl Gane tapped so quickly last Saturday. ‘Bones’ made his long-awaited return to the octagon at UFC 285 against ‘Bon Gamin’. The bout was Jones’ first in over three years, and it was also his heavyweight debut. While the former champion long teased he’d move to the weight class, he finally made the move up last weekend.