MMA News
Jon Jones opens up as significant favorite for UFC 290 showdown with Stipe Miocic
Harry Kettle - March 8, 2023
Jon Jones has opened as a sizeable favourite ahead of his proposed fight against Stipe Miocic at UFC 290. Ever since his win over Ciryl Gane at UFC 285, Jon Jones has been focused on one man – Stipe Miocic. In his post-fight interview, he made it crystal clear that he wants to take on the man who is widely regarded as the greatest UFC heavyweight of all time.
Nick Diaz reveals he’s asked to fight “as soon as possible”, hints at two potential opponents for UFC return
Harry Kettle - March 8, 2023
UFC veteran Nick Diaz has revealed that he wants to make his return to the promotion at some point later this year. For many years now, Nick Diaz has been viewed as a real fan favourite in mixed martial arts. He may not always end up in the win column, in fact, he hasn’t won since October 2011. Still, he has the kind of personality that will always leave him looking good in the eyes of his supporters.
Mario Bautista "surprised" to be fighting Guido Cannetti, vows to finish him and prove he belongs "at the top"
Cole Shelton - March 7, 2023
Mario Bautista was surprised when he was offered to face Guido Cannetti on March 11 at UFC Las Vegas. Bautista extended his current win streak to three last time out with a first-round submission win over Benito Lopez. After the win, he thought he could get someone ranked but was offered Cannetti which was surprising.
Michael 'Venom' Page blasts UFC over treatment of Francis Ngannou: "Heavyweight champion of the world and you're complaining about finances"
Josh Evanoff - March 7, 2023
Bellator welterweight Michael ‘Venom’ Page believes Francis Ngannou‘s UFC exit is concerning for MMA fighters. ‘The Predator’ famously walked out of the UFC in January after fighting out his contract. He vacated his heavyweight title, and the promotion quickly announced Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane for the gold. ‘Bones’ defeated ‘Bon Gamin’ by first-round submission at UFC 285 last weekend to win the vacant championship.
Davey Grant eyes KO win over Raphael Assuncao at UFC Las Vegas to earn a spot in the rankings: "I'm here for exciting fights"
Cole Shelton - March 7, 2023
Davey Grant thought he would’ve been fighting a lot sooner. After Grant scored a third-round KO win over Louis Smolka last May, he thought he would get at least another two fights in 2022. Yet, for whatever reason, Grant did not get another fight offer until he was called to step in on short notice against Raphael Assuncao at UFC Las Vegas.
Chael Sonnen reveals jaw-dropping largest career fight purse: "The numbers are bigger than people think they are"
Josh Evanoff - March 7, 2023
According to Chael Sonnen himself, ‘The Bad Guy’ made a lot of money fighting Anderson Silva. The two middleweights clashed in the main event of UFC 117 in August 2010. Despite ‘The Spider’ being a massive favorite to defend his middleweight title, Sonnen came out firing and kept up the pressure. The wrestler dominated the first four rounds, and the champion needed a hail-mary finish.
Aljamain Sterling believes Jon Jones could fall into similar pitfall Daniel Cormier had in title reign: "You gotta keep that same energy"
Josh Evanoff - March 7, 2023
UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling believes Jon Jones should keep the same energy. ‘Bones’ returned to the octagon over the weekend in the main event of UFC 285. The return ended a three-year layoff for the former champion, as he hadn’t competed since a controversial decision win over Dominick Reyes in 2020. Upon his return last Saturday, Jones wasted no time returning to his winning ways.
Dan Hooker expects the UFC will punish him for the accusations he made against Islam Makhachev
Lewis Simpson - March 7, 2023
Dan Hooker expects to be punished after his allegations towards lightweight champion Islam Makhachev at UFC 284. Last month in Perth, Australia, Makhachev made the first defence of his lightweight championship in front of a hostile crowd. After being pushed by featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovsk for five rounds, the Dagestani was made to work for the victory.
Just Scrap Radio Ep. 113 with Davey Grant, Mario Bautista, Jonathan Martinez, Tyson Nam, Austin Lingo
Cole Shelton - March 7, 2023
The 113th episode of Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com with host Cole Shelton is live ahead of UFC Las Vegas. We’re first joined by UFC bantamweight Davey Grant (1:48). Next, UFC bantamweight Mario Bautista (14:27) stops by. UFC bantamweight Jonathan Martinez (28:09) then comes on. UFC flyweight Tyson Nam (35:24) stops by. Closing out the program is UFC featherweight Austin Lingo (50:24).
Watch Israel Adesanya’s live reaction to Jon Jones finishing Ciryl Gane at UFC 285: “F**k that’s impressive”
Harry Kettle - March 7, 2023
Israel Adesanya has released footage of him reacting to Jon Jones’ impressive win over Ciryl Gane at UFC 285. Last Saturday night, Jon Jones demolished Ciryl Gane in their UFC 285 main event. It took just over two minutes for ‘Bones’ to lock in a choke and become the new UFC heavyweight champion.
Sean Strickland slams Paulo Costa for his performance against Luke Rockhold: “He doesn’t even qualify as a training partner for me”
Christopher Taylor - March 6, 2023
Sean Strickland gave a harsh assessment of former UFC champion Luke Rockhold during his most recent exchange with Paulo Costa. Strickland and Costa have been going back and forth on Twitter about a potential showdown in the Octagon.
Daniel Cormier shares the two biggest regrets from his UFC career: "People still make fun of me"
Christopher Taylor - March 6, 2023
Former champ-champ Daniel Cormier has shared the two biggest regrets from his storied career with the UFC. Cormier (22-3 MMA) retired from the sport in 2020 following his second straight defeat at the hands of Stipe Miocic. Now almost three years removed from that setback, ‘DC’ admits that he wishes he would have hung up his gloves a bit sooner.
Daniel Cormier shocked Valentina Shevchenko has been "making consistent mistakes" in her past two title fights
Cole Shelton - March 6, 2023
Daniel Cormier is surprised that Valentina Shevchenko has been making plenty of mistakes in her past two title fights. In the co-main event of UFC 285, Shevchenko suffered a fourth-round submission loss to Alexa Grasso to lose her flyweight title. It was a massive upset, and in the fight, Shevchenko tried a spinning kick that resulted in her giving up her back and then geting submitted.
Francis Ngannou praises Jon Jones for his "great performance" at UFC 285, expresses disappointment that a fight with 'Bones' will likely "never happen now"
Jeffrey Walter - March 6, 2023
Francis Ngannou has praised Jon Jones for his great performance at UFC 285 but is admittedly disappointed that they will never fight. Jones (27-1 MMA) captured the UFC’s vacant heavyweight title this past Saturday night in Las Vegas, submitting former interim title holder Ciryl Gane (11-2 MMA) in the very first round (see that here).
What's next for the stars of UFC 285?
Cole Shelton - March 6, 2023
The UFC returned to the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday for UFC 285 which saw the heavyweight and women’s flyweight titles up for grabs. In the main event, Jon Jones was ending his three-year-long layoff and making his heavyweight debut against Ciryl Gane for the vacant title. The co-main event saw Valentina Shevchenko defending her flyweight strap against Alexa Grasso.
Cody Garbrandt declares passion for MMA is back after making successful return at UFC 285: "It's what I was born to do"
Josh Evanoff - March 6, 2023
Former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt has found his passion for MMA again. ‘No Love’ has had a rough last few years. After defeating Dominick Cruz at UFC 207 in December 2017, it seemed that Garbrandt was on his way to superstardom. Instead, he lost the title to T.J. Dillashaw in his next outing, and went 1-5 after his championship win.
Demetrious Johnson believes Jon Jones could've defeated Ciryl Gane without weight change: "He could've done that weighing 205!"
Josh Evanoff - March 6, 2023
Former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson wasn’t shocked by Jon Jones‘ successful return. ‘Bones’ made his long-awaited return to the octagon in the main event of UFC 285 over the weekend. While his return was long in the making, so was his move to heavyweight. On Saturday night, Jones competed in the weight class for the first time, facing Ciryl Gane.
Chael Sonnen claims Ciryl Gane was 'scared to death' in UFC 285 headliner with Jon Jones
Lewis Simpson - March 6, 2023
Chael Sonnen claims Ciryl Gane was scared in his UFC 285 title fight with Jon Jones. On Saturday, Jones transitioned to heavyweight after a three-year layoff to challenge Ciryl Gane for the UFC vacant heavyweight title. Fans witnessed the opposite in what many believed would be a closely contested matchup. Jones submitted Gane in the opening round relatively easily and cemented his legacy as the greatest mixed martial artist on the planet.