MMA News
Sean O’Malley explains how Henry Cejudo “shot himself in the foot” with premature retirement
Susan Cox - November 9, 2022
Sean O’Malley is explaining how Henry Cejudo ‘shot himself in the foot’ with premature retirement. Henry Cejudo, 35, (16-2 MMA) has not stepped foot in the Octagon since May of 2020 at UFC 249, where he defeated Dominick Cruz (24-4 MMA) via knockout in round 2. It was following that bantamweight title bout that Cejudo announced his retirement from the sport. Cejudo’s career ended with six consecutive wins and the flyweight and bantamweight championships.
Israel Adesanya shares his pick for best knockout of the year: “Everyone counted him out”
Susan Cox - November 9, 2022
Israel Adesanya is sharing his pick for best knockout of the year. UFC 281 takes place this coming weekend, Saturday November 12th at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
UFC 281 | Pro fighters make their picks for Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira title fight
Cole Shelton - November 9, 2022
In the main event of UFC 281, the middleweight title is up for grabs as Israel Adesanya takes on Alex Pereira. Heading into the fight, Adesanya is a -210 favorite while the challenger is a +162 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro-fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The pros slightly lean towards Pereira winning once again by KO as they think Adesanya will fight too emotionally and get caught.
Conor McGregor expresses interest in purchasing Liverpool FC: “I WOULD LOVE IT! I requested my information on this”
Harry Kettle - November 9, 2022
Conor McGregor has expressed his interest in potentially purchasing Liverpool Football Club as his next business venture. For the longest time now, Conor McGregor has been thriving outside of the Octagon. The Irishman has a string of businesses to his name and in addition to that, you could argue he’s still the ‘face of the fight game’.
Read the letter the Judge read to Cain Velasquez when he granted him bail: "I hope you don’t prove me wrong"
Cole Shelton - November 8, 2022
Cain Velasquez was officially granted bail on Wednesday after previously being denied three times. Velasquez has been in jail since February on attempted murder charges among others. Although he had been denied bail three times, Velasquez’s lawyer continued to press on, and on Tuesday, Judge Arthur Bocanegra granted the former heavyweight champ his request. Velasquez’s bail is set at $1 million. He will also have to wear GPS tracking; he must also comply with a protective order 300 yards away from the victims in the case.
Renato Moicano says he has no game plan for Brad Riddell, but plans to "put on a show" at UFC 281 to earn a fight with Tony Ferguson or Dan Hooker next: "I'm going to call out names"
Cole Shelton - November 8, 2022
Renato Moicano was hoping to fight Brad Riddell after his short-notice loss to Rafael dos Anjos back in March. After Moicano submitted Alexander Hernandez at UFC 271, he stepped up on just days’ notice on the next pay-per-view to face dos Anjos. The fight did not go his way but he showed a ton of heart and after the loss, he called for a scrap with Riddell.
Israel Adesanya believes he's the reason Alex Pereira got signed to the UFC and fighting for the belt: "I cleared the way for him to get to the top"
Cole Shelton - November 8, 2022
Israel Adesanya thinks he is the reason why Alex Pereira even got signed to the UFC and is fighting for the title so soon in his career. Adesanya and Pereira fought twice in kickboxing with the Brazilian winning twice including one by KO. The KO defeat was the last time Adesanya fought in kickboxing as he transitioned to MMA and had a ton of success. Just 14 months after signing with the promotion he won the interim belt and has been the undisputed champion since October 2019.
Carla Esparza relishing in underdog role ahead of UFC 281 title defense against Weili Zhang: "It’s always great to win, but to silence all the doubters"
Josh Evanoff - November 8, 2022
UFC women’s strawweight champion Carla Esparza is happy to be the underdog this weekend. ‘Cookie Monster’ is set to return for the first time since her controversial win over Rose Namajunas in May. While their first outing eight years prior was a dominant win for Esparza, the second encounter wasn’t.
Cain Velasquez freed on bail, must wear GPS tracking device
Cole Shelton - November 8, 2022
Cain Velasquez has been granted bail. The former UFC heavyweight champion has been in jail since February 28 and has been denied bail three times since. He is facing 10 charges but has pled not guilty to all of them which include attempted murder; shooting at an occupied motor vehicle or aircraft; three counts of assault with a firearm; three counts of assault with a deadly weapon; willfully discharging a firearm from a vehicle, and carrying a loaded firearm with intent to commit a felony. If he is found guilty of attempted murder he faces a minimum of 20 years and up to life in prison, with additional time being added for the other charges, if found guilty.
Michael Chandler hunting for a finish against Dustin Poirier at UFC 281: "He's not a crazy hard puzzle to solve"
Josh Evanoff - November 8, 2022
UFC lightweight contender Michael Chandler is hunting for a finish this weekend. ‘Iron’ has been out of action since his knockout victory over Tony Ferguson in May. The win was an important one for the former Bellator champion, as it snapped a two-fight losing streak. Chandler was previously defeated by Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje.
Brendan Schaub praises Mark Hunt's final knockout victory in boxing: "Top five toughest human being to ever compete in combat sports"
Josh Evanoff - November 8, 2022
Brendan Schaub has heaped praise on Mark Hunt after his retirement victory. ‘The Super Somoan’ has long been a fan favorite in the MMA community. Originally getting into kickboxing and boxing, he made the jump to PRIDE in 2004. There, he pulled off massive victories, defeating names such as Wanderlei Silva and Mirko Cro Cop.
Joanna Jedrzejczyk reveals she nearly ended retirement and returned to fighting: "I was about to call Dana"
Cole Shelton - November 8, 2022
Joanna Jedrzejczyk thought about ending her retirement less than six months after calling it a career. Jedrzejczyk announced her retirement from MMA following her KO loss to Zhang Weili at UFC 275 in June of this year in Singapore. Had Jedrzejczyk won, she likely would’ve gotten a title shot, but when she came up short, she put her gloves in the Octagon and announced she was done with the sport.
Frankie Edgar says he'll have "goosebumps" when he walks out for final time, expects to wrestle Chris Gutierrez often at UFC 281: "It's no secret I always look for takedowns"
Cole Shelton - November 8, 2022
Frankie Edgar knew he wanted his retirement fight to happen at UFC 281 at Madison Square Garden. Edgar last fought back at UFC 268 in November last year at MSG against Marlon Vera. He had success early on but in the third round, he suffered a KO loss. After the defeat, Edgar took some time off and this summer, he realized he wanted to fight one more time and wanted it at MSG.
Fedor Emelianenko calls for the IMMAF to end Russia’s suspension from future events: “Russian athletes are hostages of socio-political problems”
Susan Cox - November 8, 2022
Fedor Emelianenko is calling for the IMMAF to end Russia’s suspension from future events. The MMA legend and president of the Russian MMA Union, Emelianenko, wants the IMMAF (International Mixed Martial Arts Federation) to allow Russians to compete at next year’s European Championships.
Firas Zahabi shares his thoughts on Israel Adesanya's "incredibly strange" and “very suspicious” gyno: “In my mind, there's only one reason for this”
Lewis Simpson - November 8, 2022
World-famous MMA coach Firas Zahabi gave his take on the rumours surrounding Israel Adesanya and his gyno. With many claiming it occurred due to steroid use and similar theories, Zahabi explained that a doctor indicated that receiving punches to the chest causing tissue damage could be the reason behind the swollen pectoral muscle.
Chito Vera issues fiery response following latest insults from former UFC champion Henry Cejudo
Susan Cox - November 8, 2022
Chito Vera has issued a fiery response following the latest insults from former UFC champion Henry Cejudo. Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera, (20-7 MMA) most recently defeated Dominick Cruz (24-4 MMA) in August of this year via knockout. The 29 year old bantamweight is currently sporting 4 wins in a row inside the Octagon.
Israel Adesanya admits he was really upset with his UFC 276 performance against Jared Cannonier: “I cried backstage”
Harry Kettle - November 8, 2022
Israel Adesanya has spoken about how upset he was following his win over Jared Cannonier at UFC 276 this summer. In the main event of UFC 276, Israel Adesanya defeated Jared Cannonier via unanimous decision. However, while he successfully defended his middleweight crown once again, ‘Stylebender’ wasn’t pleased with his performance.
Ian Garry the latest victim of Leon Edwards head kick: “There’s no avoiding telling the truth”
Harry Kettle - November 8, 2022
UFC newcomer Ian Garry is the latest man to taste a nasty head kick from UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards. Since entering the UFC, Ian Garry has been pretty flawless. In addition to marketing himself as the next great Irish star, the 24-year-old is also 3-0 in the promotion.