MMA News
Henry Cejudo advises Bo Nickal to take “six more fights” before fighting anyone in the top ten
Harry Kettle - March 8, 2023
Henry Cejudo has advised Bo Nickal to take his time before taking on the truly elite middleweights in the UFC. While he may be just 4-0 in mixed martial arts, Bo Nickal is already quite the phenomenon. The former wrestling sensation has made a seamless transition over to MMA and in his UFC debut last weekend, he finished Jamie Pickett in the first round.
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.
Merab Dvalishvili discusses previous run-in with Petr Yan in Abu Dhabi: "He should be more humble"
Josh Evanoff - March 7, 2023
UFC bantamweight contender Merab Dvalishvili seemingly has bad blood with Petr Yan. ‘The Machine’ has been out of the octagon since his clash with Jose Aldo last August at UFC 278. Heading into the contest, the Brazilian was hoping to earn one final title shot, but those plans were blown up. Dvalishvili wound up winning by unanimous decision, the biggest victory of his career to date.
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.
Stephen Thompson responds after Shavkat Rakhmonov taunts him with “who’s grappler now?” comment on Twitter
Lewis Simpson - March 7, 2023
Stephen Thompson has responded after Shavkat Rakhmonov taunts him following his UFC 285 victory over Geoff Neal. At the tail-end of 2022, Thompson found his way back into the win column after a back-and-forth brawl with Kevin Holland.
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.
Jon Jones says he's "not going to compete" if he isn't allowed to tape his toes: "Hopefully the proper people hear me and I don’t run into the issue again”
Cole Shelton - March 6, 2023
Jon Jones had made it clear that he isn’t going to fight again if he isn’t allowed to tape his toes. As Jones was about to enter the Octagon at UFC 285, the commission stopped him and made him cut some tape off his foot, as he had his toe taped. It is something Jones has done ever since the Chael Sonnen fight so he was disappointed to have to cut part of the tape off.
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.
Stipe Miocic states there's "zero question" he will defeat Jon Jones in return: "Sucks that he's going to lose"
Josh Evanoff - March 6, 2023
Former UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic is confident ahead of his return. The former champion has been out of the cage for nearly two years. Miocic’s last bout came against Francis Ngannou in another defense of his heavyweight throne. However, ‘The Predator’ wound up winning by second-round knockout, taking the title in the process.
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.