MMA News
Gilbert Burns reveals Belal Muhammad turned him down at UFC 283, wants to know "how the f**k" Muhammad passed him in the rankings
Cole Shelton - January 18, 2023
Gilbert Burns claims Belal Muhammad turned him down to fight at UFC 283. Burns had been calling for a fight for quite some time and wanted to return at UFC 283 in Brazil. Yet, he had a difficult time in getting a fight as he claims Muhammad turned him down which is why he is now fighting Neil Magny.
Cody Stamann plans to show Luan Lacerda "there are levels to this game" at UFC 283: "I'm going to set this kid down early and eventually get him out of there"
Cole Shelton - January 18, 2023
Cody Stamann didn’t want to go to Brazil to fight a UFC newcomer, but that’s the fight he was offered. After Stamann knocked out Eddie Wineland in June in less than a minute, he wanted a quick turnaround. Yet, for different reasons, it never came to fruition and he was then offered UFC newcomer, Luan Lacerda at UFC 283 which he accepted.
Darren Till believes “it’s probably the end” for Conor McGregor despite still being the “biggest name in the sport”
Cole Shelton - January 18, 2023
Darren Till believes it’s likely the end of Conor McGregor as a top MMA fighter. McGregor has been one of the best fighters in the sport – and the most popular – for the last several years but has been out for over a year now due to his broken leg. It appears he is getting closer to a return, but Till doesn’t think it will go well for him if he returns.
UFC parts ways with 11 fighters
Cole Shelton - January 18, 2023
The UFC has parted ways with eleven more fighters according to recent reports from @UFCRosterWatch on ‘Twitter’. It should also be noted that it has not been confirmed whether all of these moves were outright releases or contracts that were not renewed.
Stipe Miocic reveals he was intending on fighting Jon Jones at UFC 285 prior to Ciryl Gane announcement: "It’s not my decision"
Josh Evanoff - January 18, 2023
Former UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic was surprised to learn Jon Jones will be fighting Ciryl Gane. The former champion has been out of action since UFC 260 in March 2021. In that outing, Miocic looked to defend his heavyweight gold against Francis Ngannou. ‘The Predator’ was previously defeated in his first title bid in January 2018 at UFC 220.
Former flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson casts light on his negotiations with the UFC: "They tried to stiff-arm me"
Josh Evanoff - January 18, 2023
ONE flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson has reflected on his own negotiations with the UFC. Francis Ngannou recently made headlines for joining the rare club of champions to leave the UFC on their own accord. The last fighter to accomplish that feat was the legendary B.J. Penn. ‘The Prodigy’ left the promotion in 2004, having just become welterweight champion by defeating Matt Hughes.
Valentina Shevchenko vs. Alexa Grasso added to UFC 285 in March
Josh Evanoff - January 18, 2023
The undercard to UFC 285 continues to build, as women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko has been added. ‘Bullet’ has been out of action since her clash with Taila Santos at UFC 275 last June. In that outing, the Brazilian brought the fight to the champion, who was a heavy favorite. Despite early success from Santos, Shevchenko rallied in the championship rounds.
Jamahal Hill open to waiting for Jiri Prochazka as his first title defense if he beats Glover Teixeira at UFC 283: "I want that fight"
Cole Shelton - January 18, 2023
Jamahal Hill is hopeful Jiri Prochazka can return to action this summer. Prochazka was supposed to defend his light heavyweight title against Glover Teixeira in December but had to pull out of the fight and vacate the belt due to a major shoulder injury.
UFC 283 | Pro fighters make their picks for Glover Teixeira vs. Jamahal Hill title fight
Cole Shelton - January 18, 2023
In the main event of UFC 283, the vacant light heavyweight title is up for grabs as Glover Teixeira takes on Jamahal Hill. Heading into the fight, Teixeira is a +104 underdog while the American is a -132 favorite on FanDuel. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The pros slightly lean towards Hill getting his hand raised and likely doing so by knocking out Teixeira.
UFC lightweight Rafael Fiziev responds to recent accusations from Phuket Top Team: "My side of the story"
Susan Cox - January 18, 2023
UFC lightweight Rafael Fiziev is responding to recent accusations from Phuket Top Team. Former kickboxer Rafael Fiziev (12-1 MMA) made his UFC debut in April of 2019, losing to Magomed Mustafaev (14-3 MMA) via TKO. Since then, ‘Ataman’ has won six in a row in the Octagon, his most recent victory coming against Rafael dos Anjos (32-14 MMA) in July of last year.
Former heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic reacts to Francis Ngannou parting ways with the UFC
Susan Cox - January 18, 2023
Former heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic is reacting to the news of Francis Ngannou parting ways with the UFC. Stipe Miocic (20-4 MMA) last fought in March 2021 at UFC 260 where he lost the heavyweight title to Francis Ngannou (17-3 MMA) via KO. Prior to that loss Miocic had back-to-back victories against Daniel Cormier (22-3 MMA).
MMA analysts tip Francis Ngannou to get exposed in first boxing bout: "He’s an average puncher. He’s a below average boxer"
Lewis Simpson - January 18, 2023
Francis Ngannou is now officially a free agent after being released from the UFC. The former UFC heavyweight champion now has the freedom to negotiate new opportunities with other promoters across different sports. The 36-year-olds next likely move is to transition into boxing, a dream the Cameroon native has held close to his heart since childhood.
Amanda Nunes expected to return at UFC 285 on March 4 against Irene Aldana
Susan Cox - January 18, 2023
Amanda Nunes is expected to return at UFC 285 on March 4 against Irene Aldana. It was just last weekend that UFC President Dana White announced Jon Jones (26-1 MMA) vs Ciryl Gane (11-1 MMA) would be headlining UFC 285 for the vacant heavyweight belt.
Muhammad Mokaev explains why he agreed to fight unranked opponent at UFC 286: “Do you want me to sit and wait till September?”
Harry Kettle - January 18, 2023
UFC flyweight Muhammad Mokaev has explained why he agreed to fight unranked Jafel Filho in his next fight with the promotion. Ever since entering the Ultimate Fighting Championship last year, Muhammad Mokaev has been making waves. He’s 9-0 (1) as a pro in mixed martial arts and in the UFC, he holds a record of 3-0.
Gilbert Burns says he was told Khamzat Chimaev plans on fighting at middleweight going forward
Harry Kettle - January 18, 2023
UFC welterweight Gilbert Burns has claimed that he was told Khamzat Chimaev plans on moving up to middleweight. Last April, Gilbert Burns and Khamzat Chimaev went to war. The two men battled it out in a welterweight clash for the ages, with Chimaev being pushed to the limit more so than he ever has been before.
Jon Jones shares his thoughts on Francis Ngannou’s UFC release: “I do believe my path will cross with Francis”
Harry Kettle - January 18, 2023
Jon Jones has given his thoughts following Francis Ngannou‘s release ahead of his return to the Octagon at UFC 285. Last weekend, it was announced that Jon Jones will return to the UFC after three years away. He’ll do so in March, taking on Ciryl Gane for the UFC heavyweight championship.
Jon Jones won’t reveal how much he’ll weigh in heavyweight debut at UFC 285: “I want Ciryl to see me for the first time and it be a nice surprise”
Cole Shelton - January 17, 2023
Jon Jones won’t let anyone know his weight until he steps onto the scales. Jones is set to make his heavyweight debut for the vacant title in the main event of UFC 285 on March 4 against Ciryl Gane. The fight marks Jones’ heavyweight debut which is something he has teased for years but he won’t be telling anyone what he plans on weighing until he steps onto the scale on weigh-in day.
Terrance McKinney plans to silence the crowd at UFC 283 with a KO win over Ismael Bonfim: "I think it might be something crazy, fans should expect something insane"
Cole Shelton - January 17, 2023
Terrance McKinney has said his dream was to fight in Brazil and he now gets his wish at UFC 283. McKinney is set to face Ismael Bonfim at UFC 283 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Although McKinney is fighting a UFC newcomer, he says the reason he took this fight is because it is in Brazil, which has been his dream to fight there.