MMA News

Jeffrey Walter - March 2, 2023

Alexander Volkanovski is not ready to relinquish his pound-for-pound spot to Jon Jones ahead of UFC 285. Volkanovski (25-2 MMA) maintained his top pound-for-pound ranking despite being on the wrong end of the judges’ scorecards in last month’s UFC 284 main event title fight against Islam Makhachev.

Zain Bando - March 2, 2023

David Kozma aims to regain his OKTAGON MMA welterweight strap starting Saturday night, as he will be competing in the Tipsport Gamechanger tournament on March 4. The 30-12 Czech Republican is looking to bounce back from his one-thousand-plus day reign as champion, as he’ll take on Łukasz Siwiec (8-1) in his first bout of 2023. Ahead of his fight, BJPenn.com‘s Zain Bando spoke with “Pink Panther” about his future goals and a potential dream fight later in his career.

Cole Shelton - March 2, 2023

Mana Martinez was happy when he was offered to fight Cameron Saaiman at UFC 285. When Saaiman won on the Contender Series, Dana White declared him the future of the division. Then, the South African cruised to a stoppage win in his debut and will now take on Martinez at UFC 285 who expects to be too much of a veteran for him.

Josh Evanoff - March 2, 2023

Jake Paul‘s loss to Tommy Fury didn’t come as a surprise to Luke Rockhold. ‘The Problem Child’ returned to the boxing ring over the weekend to face ‘TNT’. The fight was the culmination of nearly two years of build-up, as Fury withdrew from two previous bookings. While the Brit was the underdog heading into the contest, it didn’t look that way.

Josh Evanoff - March 2, 2023

Bo Nickal and Jon Jones decided to have a little wrestling session at the UFC Performance Institute this week. The two superstars are slated to compete on UFC 285 this Saturday. In the main event, ‘Bones’ will face Ciryl Gane in his first fight in over three years. Furthermore, it’ll also be Jones’ first fight up at heavyweight, as he’ll attempt to win the vacant title. Francis Ngannou famously left the promotion in January, leaving the championship behind in the process.

Josh Evanoff - March 2, 2023

Former UFC middleweight contender David Branch has retired from MMA. The 41-year-old had two stints in the Dana White-led promotion. He first fought in the UFC from 2010 to 2011, going 2-2 in that stretch. While he did score two unanimous decision wins in the promotion, it was bookended by stoppage defeats to Rousimar Palhares and Gerald Harris.

Lewis Simpson - March 2, 2023

Dricus Du Plessis has questioned the authenticity of the former African UFC champions. Du Plessis looks to make it seven-straight consecutive wins this weekend at UFC 285 in Las Vegas. The South African native has the opportunity to leap closer to middleweight gold when he takes on the No.5 ranked Derek Brunson.

Lewis Simpson - March 2, 2023

UFC President Dana White believes people are against his newly formed Power Slap League because they dislike him, not the sport itself. Since the launch of White’s new project in January, the Slap League has received mixed reactions, but most of the feedback has been negative. The UFC boss found an interest in Slap Fighting and then turned his newfound interest into a successful business model.

Lewis Simpson - March 2, 2023

Jon Jones has responded to the recent feedback about his new heavyweight physique. Jones, who many believe to be the greatest mixed martial artist of all time, hasn’t fought since his controversial victory over Dominick Reyes at UFC 274 in 2020.

Harry Kettle - March 2, 2023

Former UFC champion Eddie Alvarez has given his thoughts on the upcoming clash between Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler. There’s been a lot of talk surrounding Eddie Alvarez’s future lately after it was announced that he’ll be debuting for BKFC next month. On that card, he’ll lock horns with Chad Mendes in what promises to be an absolute war.

Harry Kettle - March 2, 2023

Alexander Volkanovski has given his thoughts on Saturday night’s co-main event between Valentina Shevchenko and Alexa Grasso. At UFC 285, Valentina Shevchenko will attempt to extend her historic reign as UFC women’s flyweight champion. She’ll put the strap on the line against Alexa Grasso, an incredibly worthy contender in the division.

Harry Kettle - March 2, 2023

MMA analyst Chael Sonnen has yet another theory regarding Jon Jones ahead of his return to the Octagon at UFC 285. In the lead-up to his return this weekend, Jon Jones hasn’t been under too much scrutiny. Sure, people are wondering what he’ll look like after three years away, but not many folks have been bringing up his past.

Cole Shelton - March 1, 2023

Bruce Buffer didn’t know what to think when the New York State Athletic Commission was changing the scorecard in the Octagon at UFC 281. Before the scorecard between Karolina Kowalkiewicz and Silvana Gomez Juarez was read, the commission came into the Octagon to change the score in front of everybody. According to Buffer, he says he couldn’t read the score so told the commission to write it better, but instead of writing it in private, they changed it while inside the Octagon cage.

Josh Evanoff - March 1, 2023

Former UFC dual-weight champion Conor McGregor has responded to Charles Oliveira. ‘The Notorious’ is currently occupied filming the latest season of The Ultimate Fighter. While the fight between the two hasn’t been scheduled, McGregor is expected to face Michael Chandler at the end of the season. The bout will be the Irishman’s first since his trilogy with Dustin Poirier nearly two years ago.

Josh Evanoff - March 1, 2023

Former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira isn’t worried about Conor McGregor getting a title shot over him. ‘The Notorious’ is currently filming the latest season of The Ultimate Fighter. While the former dual-weight champion is yet to re-enter the USADA testing pool, his return is expected for later this year. Coaching alongside McGregor is former Bellator lightweight titleholder, Michael Chandler.

Josh Evanoff - March 1, 2023

UFC heavyweight contender Ciryl Gane is advising Jon Jones to stay focused during fight week. ‘Bon Gamin’ has been out of action since his clash with Tai Tuivasa at UFC Paris last November. In that outing, Gane had to survive an early knockdown, but wound up winning by third-round knockout. The win was an important one for the Frenchman, as it helped him rebound from his loss to Francis Ngannou prior in the year.

Josh Evanoff - March 1, 2023

Jake Paul vs. Tommy Fury reportedly pulled in upwards of 500,000 pay-per-view buys according to the YouTuber. ‘The Problem Child’ returned to the boxing ring over the weekend to finally face ‘TNT’. The two celebrity boxers had been signed to fight each other on two prior occasions. However, Fury withdrew from both matchups, resulting in a lot of bad blood heading into fight night.

Cole Shelton - March 1, 2023

Eddie Alvarez claims Michael Chandler does not want to fight him again. After Alvarez was granted his release from ONE Championship, he mentioned the possibility of having a trilogy match with Chandler. It would’ve been a big fight, but Alvarez says he tried to get the fight made multiple times in different promotions but Chandler had no interest.