MMA News
Conor McGregor pays tribute to Tom Brady following his retirement announcement: “No finer Irish American football legend!”
Susan Cox - February 2, 2023
Conor McGregor is paying tribute to Tom Brady following his retirement announcement. NFL star quarterback, Tom Brady, who won a record seven Super Bowls for New England and Tampa Bay, has announced his retirement.
Ariel Helwani responds to criticism from UFC commentator Joe Rogan: “Especially rich coming from the guy who was pushing false narratives”
Susan Cox - February 2, 2023
Ariel Helwani is responding to criticism from UFC commentator Joe Rogan. The two very popular YouTube podcasters, Ariel Helwani on ‘The MMA Hour’ and Joe Rogan on ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’ are apparently coming to heads.
UFC veteran Matt Brown sends a warning to Jake Paul ahead of his planned crossover to MMA: “It’s a different beast”
Harry Kettle - February 2, 2023
MMA veteran Matt Brown has issued a warning to Jake Paul as he plans to make the move into mixed martial arts with PFL. Last month, Jake Paul announced that he had signed a deal to compete under the Professional Fighters League umbrella. Some were surprised, whereas others saw it as a natural progression from his time in the boxing ring.
Daniel Cormier discusses the possibility of Conor McGregor and Tony Ferguson coaching the next season of TUF
Harry Kettle - February 2, 2023
UFC commentator Daniel Cormier has given his thoughts on Conor McGregor and Tony Ferguson coaching the next season of The Ultimate Fighter. As per a variety of reports, it seems as if Conor McGregor and Tony Ferguson may finally be on a collision course with one another. They’ve been linked with a fight against one another since back in 2016/2017, and now, it might actually happen.
Scott Coker reveals he’s in discussions with former Strikeforce champion and current free agent Luke Rockhold
Harry Kettle - February 2, 2023
Bellator president Scott Coker has revealed that he’s in talks with Luke Rockhold over possibly working together again. Following his decision loss to Paulo Costa last summer, Luke Rockhold appeared to walk away from mixed martial arts. At the very least, it was clear to see he wouldn’t be fighting for the Ultimate Fighting Championship anymore.
Kyle Nelson believes he's got Doo Ho Choi "beat pretty much everywhere", expects to put him "to sleep" at UFC Vegas 68
Cole Shelton - February 1, 2023
Kyle Nelson will be dropping back down to featherweight. After Nelson lost by third-round KO to Billy Quarantillo, he said he would be moving up to lightweight for good. He then took on Jai Herbert at 155lbs but lost a decision. With that, he will now be returning to 145lbs at UFC Vegas 68 to face Doo Ho Choi.
Derrick Lewis reveals COVID-19 forced the cancellation of Serghei Spivac fight back in November: "It was a bummer"
Cole Shelton - February 1, 2023
Derrick Lewis has opened up as to why his fight against Sergehi Spivac in November was canceled. On the day of the fight, it was revealed Lewis was not feeling well and the fight was scratched. With the scrap now getting rebooked at UFC Vegas 68 on Saturday, Lewis opened up on the cancelation and revealed it is due to him catching COVID-19.
Alexander Volkanovski "surprised" Khabib won't be in Islam Makhachev's corner at UFC 284, but doesn't want that as an excuse when he wins
Cole Shelton - February 1, 2023
Alexander Volkanovski admits he was surprised to hear that Khabib Nurmagomedov wouldn’t be cornering Islam Makhachev at UFC 284. Makhachev will be looking to defend his lightweight belt for the first time when he takes on the promotions reigning featherweight champ in Volkanovski at UFC 284. In the lead-up to the highly anticipated super-fight, it was revealed that Khabib Nurmagomedov had decided to step away from MMA and wouldn’t be in the corner of Makhachev in Australia.
Islam Makhachev not worried about fighting without Khabib at UFC 284
Andrew Whitelaw - February 1, 2023
When the cage door slams shut on Islam Makhachev for his UFC 284 clash with Alexander Volkanovski in Perth this month, the Dagestani will be without Khabib Nurmagomedov in his corner. ‘The Eagle’ has mentored the UFC lightweight champion for the majority of his career and has helped oversee the 31-year-old’s incredible 11-fight winning streak that culminated in Makhachev sealing the 155 lb title at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi.
Jake Paul reacts to brother Logan's PRIME drink getting UFC sponsorship deal: "I hope UFC will share the revenue it receives with fighters"
Josh Evanoff - February 1, 2023
Jake Paul is hopeful that UFC fighters will see some of the proceeds from their recent sponsorship announcement. Earlier this week, Dana White announced that PRIME was the official drink of the UFC. While sponsorship announcements aren’t all that uncommon for the promotion, this one caught fans by surprise. The recent being that the company is owned and operated by two YouTubers.
Derrick Lewis responds to Daniel Cormier saying he's "done at the top": "You gotta say that when you've got high cholesterol, f*ck him"
Josh Evanoff - February 1, 2023
UFC heavyweight contender Derrick Lewis doesn’t care much for Daniel Cormier’s recent comments. ‘The Black Beast’ is slated to return this Saturday night in the main event of UFC Vegas 68. Lewis will face Sergey Spivac in the five-round headliner, with ‘Polar Bear’ entering the matchup having won five of his last six octagon appearances.
Eddie Hearn confirms talks underway with Francis Ngannou to make Anthony Joshua clash: "Is just probably one of the biggest fights that could be made"
Josh Evanoff - February 1, 2023
Matchroom Boxing’s Eddie Hearn has confirmed that he’s in discussions with Francis Ngannou. ‘The Predator’ exited the UFC last month after fighting out his deal with the promotion. As a result, he was stripped of his heavyweight gold and looked for greener pastures. For their part, the UFC quickly booked Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane for the vacant title in March.
Daniel Cormier believes Derrick Lewis is no longer a viable contender in the UFC’s heavyweight division: “I think Derrick’s absolutely done at the top
Lewis Simpson - February 1, 2023
Daniel Cormier, a former opponent of Derrick Lewis, believes “The Black Beast” is no longer a contender among the UFC heavyweight elites. However, he does back Lewis when competing against the lower echelon of the division. The heavyweight knockout artist is set to face Serghei Spivac in Saturday’s UFC Vegas 68 main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Dana White’s Power Slap Finals set to air on pay-per-view this March from the UFC Apex
Susan Cox - February 1, 2023
Dana White’s Power Slap Finals are set to air on pay-per-view this March from the UFC Apex. The Power Slap Finals will air and crown its first champions on Saturday, March 11th in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Pro fighters make their picks for Ryan Bader vs. Fedor Emelianenko 2 title fight
Cole Shelton - February 1, 2023
In the main event of Bellator 290, the heavyweight title is up for grabs as Ryan Bader rematches Fedor Emelianenko, in the Russian’s retirement fight. Heading into the fight, Bader is a -330 favorite while the Russian is a +275 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The pros are unanimous in thinking Bader gets his hand raised again but many are rooting for Emelianenko to get the win.
Hasbulla makes prediction for Islam Makhachev vs Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284
Andrew Whitelaw - February 1, 2023
Hasbulla has had his say on Islam Makhachev’s upcoming UFC lightweight title defence against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284. The bout will be the Dagestani’s first defence of his title since he won it at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi by submitting Charles Oliveira. The 31-year-old has been close to Hasbulla for a long-time, “He’s my neighbour. He was really very close with me. I know him like, more than 10 years,” Makhachev told BT Sport in 2021.
Sean O’Malley is not a fan of Dana White’s Power Slap League: “I know how bad it is to do that to your brain”
Susan Cox - February 1, 2023
Sean O’Malley is making it known that he is not a fan of Dana White’s Power Slap League. “Power Slap: Road to the Title” airs on Wednesdays on TBS. The reality series debuted on January 18th and is filmed at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Ben Askren believes Jorge Masvidal was pressured into accepting fight with Gilbert Burns at UFC 287: “He doesn’t think he’s gonna win either”
Harry Kettle - February 1, 2023
Ben Askren has explained why he doesn’t believe Jorge Masvidal will defeat Gilbert Burns when they meet at UFC 287. It’s no secret that Ben Askren and Jorge Masvidal don’t like each other. After all, ‘Gamebred’ was the one who knocked Askren out cold when they met back in 2019.