MMA News

Susan Cox - February 9, 2023

UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev is confirming his intentions of eventually competing at welterweight. The reigning lightweight champion is set to defend his title this coming Saturday, February 11th at UFC 284 which takes place at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.

Susan Cox - February 9, 2023

Alexander Volkanovski is discussing the potential of fighting Conor McGregor after UFC 284. UFC 284 takes place this coming weekend, Saturday, February 11th at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.

Susan Cox - February 9, 2023

Dan Hooker is requesting Dana White allow him to compete on the upcoming Power Slap pay-per-view. ‘Power Slap’ premiered on Wednesday, January 18th on TBS to a viewing audience of approximately 295,000.

Cole Shelton - February 9, 2023

In the co-main event of UFC 284, Yair Rodriguez is set to take on Josh Emmett for the interim featherweight title. Heading into the fight, Rodriguez is a -196 favorite while the American is a +152 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. The pros lean towards Rodriguez getting it done, likely by decision to become the interim featherweight champ.

Harry Kettle - February 9, 2023

Islam Makhachev has predicted that Michael Chandler will leave the UFC following his fight with Conor McGregor later this year. After months of waiting, the return of Conor McGregor was finally announced last week. The Irishman will be back in action later on in 2023, facing Michael Chandler, after the two coach opposite one another on The Ultimate Fighter.

Harry Kettle - February 9, 2023

UFC light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill has given Alex Pereira some advice ahead of his upcoming rematch with Israel Adesanya. Ever since capturing the belt at UFC 283, Jamahal Hill has been a man in high demand. ‘Sweet Dreams’ battered and bruised Glover Teixeira to become the new champion and now, plenty of potential challengers are lining up at his door.

Harry Kettle - February 9, 2023

Dana White has announced that starting in March, fans will be able to bet on events and fights from the Power Slap league. While it may be pulling in big numbers, Power Slap is still a source of great controversy in the world of combat sports. UFC president Dana White continues to push ahead with it, giving the show the kind of promotion that a lot of UFC events can only dream of.

Cole Shelton - February 8, 2023

Robert Whittaker has responded to Khamzat Chimaev. Chimaev has recently come out and said he wants to fight Whittaker in his return to middleweight. He believes it would be a fun fight for the fans where the winner would also get the next title shot, and now Whittaker has responded and is open to making it happen.

Cole Shelton - February 8, 2023

Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler won’t be fighting at welterweight after all. It was recently announced that McGregor and Chandler will coach TUF and will fight later this year. It was then reported the fight would be at welterweight, with even Chandler saying that will be the case, but now White says it will be at lightweight.

Josh Evanoff - February 8, 2023

UFC commentator Michael Bisping believes Conor McGregor had easier options for his return. ‘The Notorious’ has been out of action since his trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier in July 2021. In the main event of UFC 264, McGregor broke his leg in the waning seconds of the first round. As a result, the former dual-weight champion has been out of the cage for well over a year.

Cole Shelton - February 8, 2023

Dan Hooker will not be fighting at UFC 285. Hooker was set to return on March 4 in Las Vegas at UFC 285 against Jalin Turner in a very fan-friendly scrap. However, on Wednesday, MMAFighting reported that Hooker has suffered a broken hand and is out of his fight. The hope is to keep Turner on the card and have a replacement opponent found.

Josh Evanoff - February 8, 2023

Featherweight contenders will be headlining the UFC’s return to Kansas City, Missouri. Last month, there were reports that Max Holloway would face Arnold Allen next. ‘Blessed’ has been out of the cage since his trilogy bout with Alexander Volkanovski last July. In the co-main event at UFC 276, ‘The Great’ dominated en route to a lopsided decision victory.

Josh Evanoff - February 8, 2023

Former jiu-jitsu world champion Gabi Garcia is targeting a return to the cage. The 37-year-old had a lot of interest when she made her MMA debut back in 2015. A multiple-time jiu-jitsu champion, Garcia quickly signed to RIZIN. Given her stature at 6’2″ and 209 pounds, there weren’t many destinations for her to sign otherwise.

Cole Shelton - February 8, 2023

Rampage Jackson believes Jon Jones is the dirtiest fighter in MMA. Jackson and Jones fought at UFC 135 in 2011 for the light heavyweight title with ‘Bones’ winning by fourth-round submission. However, Jackson says he was frustrated with Jones’ knee kicks and after watching him progress in his career, he believes Jones is the dirtiest fighter in MMA.

Lewis Simpson - February 8, 2023

Former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos expects Alexander Volkanovski to do the unthinkable at UFC 284 this Saturday in Perth, Australia. Dos Anjos is hungry to return to the octagon after a successful leap back into the win column in December last year at UFC Orlando. The Brazilian scored a second-round submission over Bryan Barberena.

Cole Shelton - February 8, 2023

In the main event of UFC 284, Islam Makhachev looks to defend his lightweight title for the first time against featherweight champ, Alexander Volkanovski. Heading into the fight, Makhachev is a -400 favorite while the Aussie is a +285 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 Makhachev winning due to his size and strength but some do think Volkanovski can pull off the upset.

Lewis Simpson - February 8, 2023

Michael Chandler is anticipating a second-round knockout over Conor McGregor after the pair have finished filming the upcoming season of ‘The Ultimate Fighter‘. On Saturday past, UFC President Dana White announced that ‘TUF’ Season 31 coaches would feature McGregor and Chandler. In the wake of the season, the lightweight standouts are expected to collide towards the end of the year.

Susan Cox - February 8, 2023

Deontay Wilder has offered Francis Ngannou a boxing match followed by an MMA bout. Francis Ngannou recently parted ways with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and in doing so vacated his heavyweight title. The promotion and Ngannou could not come to terms on a new contract.