MMA News
Casey Kenney plans to "throw down" with Song Yadong at UFC 265 en route to a stoppage win
Cole Shelton - August 3, 2021
Casey Kenney had a feeling he would be fighting Song Yadong after his last fight. Kenney will make the walk to the Octagon on the main card of UFC 265 in Houston, Texas. The bantamweight contender is coming off a split decision loss to Dominick Cruz in March and after the loss, Kenney says he wanted to be active.
Just Scrap Radio Ep. 46 with Vicente Luque, Casey Kenney, Alonzo Menifield, and Ode Osbourne
Cole Shelton - August 3, 2021
The 46th episode of Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN with Cole Shelton is here ahead of UFC 265. We’re first joined by sixth-ranked UFC welterweight, Vicente Luque (2:31) joins the show. Next, UFC bantamweight, Casey Kenney (14:32) comes on. UFC light heavyweight, Alonzo Menifield (25:56) then joins the program. Closing out the show is UFC flyweight, Ode Osbourne (36:23).
Dustin Poirier hints that a win over UFC champion Charles Oliveira could result in his retirement
Christopher Taylor - August 2, 2021
Dustin Poirier is expected to be the first fighter to challenge newly crowned UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira. After falling short in his effort to dethrone former lightweight kingpin Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 242, ‘The Diamond’ has since gone on to win three fights in a row.
Rafael dos Anjos set to take on Islam Makhachev in October, 'Islam doesn't want to fight five rounds'
Drake Riggs - August 2, 2021
Islam Makhachev is officially set for his biggest fight yet as he and Rafael dos Anjos have been rebooked for an October showdown. ESPN broke the news on Monday that the pair of ranked lightweights are set to compete at UFC 267 on October 30 in Abu Dhabi. They were originally scheduled to clash twice in 2020. The first being for October only to fall through due to dos Anjos contracting COVID-19. Makhachev was then forced out with an injury when rebooked for a month later.
Cody Garbrandt set to make flyweight debut in December against Kai Kara-France
Cole Shelton - August 2, 2021
Cody Garbrandt will be making the drop to flyweight after all. After Garbrandt lost to Rob Font in May he hinted at a drop to flyweight. He was supposed to fight Deiveson Figueiredo for the belt at UFC 255 last year but was forced out of the bout. Now, according to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, the former bantamweight champion will face Kai Kara-France on December 11. At this time, it’s uncertain whether that will be a pay-per-view event or just a Fight Night. The location of the event is also unknown.
Paulo Costa set to headline Fight Night card against Marvin Vettori in October
Cole Shelton - August 2, 2021
Paulo Costa will make his return to the Octagon in October. Costa was supposed to fight Jared Cannonier in August but he withdrew from the fight due to undisclosed reasons. Since then, he has been taking shots at Marvin Vettori and according to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, the two have agreed to headline a Fight Night card on October 23. There is no location listed, but it’s likely it will take place at the UFC Apex.
Dustin Poirier after checking Conor McGregor's kicks at UFC 264: "Never before have I left fight week and been sore on my actual bone"
Chris Taylor - August 2, 2021
Dustin Poirier admittedly felt the effects of Conor McGregor’s leg kicks after UFC 264, suggesting that he had never left a fight week so sore. Poirier and McGregor collided for a third time in the headliner of last months UFC pay-per-view event, with ‘The Diamond’ once again emerging victorious. While the fight only last one round, ‘The Diamond’ says the leg kicks he received from ‘Notorious’ during their trilogy definitely left a mark.
What's next for Sean Strickland and Uriah Hall after UFC Vegas 33?
Cole Shelton - August 2, 2021
In the main event of UFC Vegas 33, top-15 middleweights collided as Sean Strickland took on Uriah Hall. Strickland entered the fight riding a four-fight winning streak including being 3-0 since making his return to middleweight after a motorcycle accident. He also was 17-0 at middleweight entering the fight. Hall, meanwhile, was also on a four-fight winning skid and he was looking to cement himself as a legit middleweight contender once again.
Marina Mokhnatkina is the PFL's new queen of Sambo
Drake Riggs - August 2, 2021
Russia’s Marina Mokhnatkina is on her way to the PFL. After achieving everything she could in Sambo, her intentions are clear: conquer MMA. Mokhnatkina made the move to Florida’s Sanford MMA in February 2021 after initially negotiating with the neighboring American Top Team. The male-dominated gym originally greeted the 33-year old with skepticism, but she was quickly welcomed after her skills were displayed. Now, Mokhnatkina is the lone woman training at the gym daily.
Showtime announces undercard for Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley
Chris Taylor - August 2, 2021
Showtime officials announced the undercard for Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley on Monday, a lineup which includes Tommy Fury vs. Anthony Taylor. Paul (3-0), a famous YouTuber turned boxer, and Woodley (0-0), a former UFC welterweight champion, will square off in a boxing match on August 29 at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio.
Video | 3 on 1 MMA match in Poland turns out exactly how you would expect
Harry Kettle - August 2, 2021
If you want to watch something utterly mad happen in the world of mixed martial arts (MMA), heading to Poland is probably a good idea. In addition to KSW, often regarded as one of the best MMA promotions in Europe, Poland is the home of some really wacky events. From celebrities squaring off to new innovations previously never seen before at the elite level, they’re always looking to find interesting ways of reinventing the sport.
Conor McGregor set to compete in charity wheelchair boxing match on September 11th
Harry Kettle - August 2, 2021
Conor McGregor is set to return to his Dublin roots in order to compete in a charity wheelchair boxing match. Just a few short weeks ago McGregor competed in the main event of UFC 264 against Dustin Poirier as their thrilling trilogy came to an end. Despite the Irishman coming forward with real purpose, he ultimately came up short as a result of a broken leg in the dying seconds of the first round.
Uriah Hall reacts following decision loss to Sean Strickland at UFC Vegas 33: "This one hurts"
Adam Martin - August 1, 2021
Veteran UFC middleweight Uriah Hall reacted following his decision loss to Sean Strickland at UFC Vegas 33, saying that “this one hurts.” Hall was outpointed for five rounds by Strickland en route to a unanimous decision loss on the judges’ scorecards in the main event of Saturday’s UFC Vegas 33. Although Hall landed over 100 significant strikes in the fight, he was out-volumed by Strickland, who landed nearly 200 significant strikes, and the result was a mostly decisive victory for Strickland.
Scott Coker challenges Dana White to UFC and Bellator cross-promotion fight with AJ McKee
Adam Martin - August 1, 2021
Bellator president Scott Coker challenged UFC president Dana White to a UFC and Bellator cross-promotion fight with AJ McKee. McKee finished Patricio Pitbull in the main event of Bellator 263 on Saturday night to become the promotions new’s 145lbs champion and the winner of the $1 million grand prize. Just 26 years old, McKee is now a perfect 18-0 in MMA. By taking out Pitbull, who is one of the best featherweights in the world, it showed that “The Mercenary” is one of the best at 145lbs regardless of promotion. McKee is so good, in fact, that Coker believes he matches up well against the best featherweights that the UFC has to offer, including current UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski and past champ Max Holloway.
Quinton Jackson could make MMA comeback, hints Bellator champ AJ McKee
Adam Martin - August 1, 2021
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton Jackson could make an MMA comeback, hinted Bellator new Bellator featherweight champ, AJ McKee. McKee defeated Patricio Pitbull via first-round submission on Saturday night in the main event of Bellator 263 to claim the promotion’s 145lbs title, and the $1 million grand prize for winning the Bellator Featherweight World Grand Prix sixteen-man tournament. Now a perfect 18-0 in MMA, McKee appears to be a superstar for Bellator for years to come. It hasn’t come out of anywhere either, as the son of former UFC fighter Antonio McKee was always considered a natural in mixed martial arts, training under his veteran father.
Sean Strickland breaks down potential future UFC middleweight title fight against Israel Adesanya
Adam Martin - August 1, 2021
Top-ranked contender Sean Strickland broke down how a potential future UFC middleweight title fight against champion Israel Adesanya would go. Strickland defeated Uriah Hall in the main event of UFC Vegas 33 via unanimous decision to earn the biggest win of his career and jump into the top-10 at 185lbs. Ever since returning from a potentially life-threatening motorcycle accident last fall as a middleweight, Strickland has looked absolutely exceptional. He defeated Jack Marshman in his middleweight debut in a memorable fight that involved plenty of trash-talking, then he knocked out top prospect Brendan Allen, beat veteran Krzysztof Jotko, and then beat Hall to pick up the biggest win of his career and get one step closer to fighting for the belt.
Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor rematch shot down by Ali Abdelaziz: "Conor is not even a high-level fighter anymore"
Adam Martin - August 1, 2021
A Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor rematch was shot down by Ali Abdelaziz, who says “Conor is not even a high-level fighter anymore.” Nurmagomedov and McGregor were involved in the biggest pay-per-view blockbuster fight in UFC history when they met back at UFC 229 in October 2018, as the fight sold a UFC record 2.4 million pay-per-view buys. But despite the fight being a complete blowout for Nurmagomedov, there have always been suggestions that a rematch could happen one day just because of how much money is involved. However, with Nurmagomedov now retired from MMA and with McGregor coming off of back-to-back losses to Dustin Poirier, we have never seen these two legends of the sport farther apart, and a rematch seems unlikely.
Sean Strickland says it would make him "super happy" to kill someone in the UFC
Adam D Martin - August 1, 2021
Top-ranked middleweight contender Sean Strickland says it would make him “super happy” to kill someone in the UFC during one of his fights. Strickland defeated former teammate Uriah Hall via unanimous decision in the main event of UFC Vegas 33 on Saturday night. In the first five-round fight of his UFC career, Strickland used his jab to piece up Hall over the course of 25 minutes, while also mixing up power strikes and takedowns to seal the deal and pick up the biggest win of his career. With five straight victories, including a perfect 4-0 record in the UFC middleweight division, it is clear that Strickland is one of the best fighters in the world at his weight class, and he hopes to continue fighting bigger and better opponents. But for Strickland, what really makes him happy more than anything is just going in the Octagon and hurting people.