MMA News
Tai Tuivasa booked to return in the co-main event of UFC Orlando against Sergei Pavlovich
Cole Shelton - October 11, 2022
Tai Tuivasa will look to return to the win column in December. Tuivasa took on Ciryl Gane in the main event of UFC Paris in September and lost by TKO. After the loss, it was uncertain when he would return or who he would fight but according to MMAJunkie, Tuivasa has now been booked as the co-main event of UFC Orlando against Sergei Pavlovich, which does down on December 3. The event will be headlined by a welterweight scrap between Stephen Thompson and Kevin Holland.
Former title challenger Alexander Gustafsson set to return against Ovince Saint Preux at UFC 282 in December
Josh Evanoff - October 11, 2022
Former light-heavyweight title challenger Alexander Gustafsson has been added to UFC 282. ‘The Mauler’ has been out of action since his fight with Nikita Krylov in July. The matchup was Gustafsson’s return to 205-pounds, as he previously had a one-off heavyweight fight with Fabricio Werdum. In that outing, the Brazilian won by first-round submission.
Tyron Woodley warns Anderson Silva from underestimating Jake Paul in boxing match: "He's training his a*s off"
Josh Evanoff - October 11, 2022
Tyron Woodley hopes that Anderson Silva isn’t taking Jake Paul lightly. ‘The Spider’ and ‘The Problem Child’ are set to faceoff on Showtime pay-per-view later this month. It’ll be Silva’s third boxing match since exiting the UFC in 2020. Since then, he’s captured lopsided victories in the ring over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Tito Ortiz.
Islam Makhachev says Michael Chandler’s claims for a title shot are ridiculous: “Fight with young and hungry guys like Tsarukyan or Dober first”
Susan Cox - October 11, 2022
Islam Makhachev is saying Michael Chandler’s claims for a title shot are ridiculous. Michael Chandler, 36, has one thing on his mind and that is getting another shot at the UFC lightweight belt.
Just Scrap Radio Ep. 96 with Brandon Royval, Jonathan Martinez, Mike Jackson, and Victor Henry
Cole Shelton - October 11, 2022
The 96th episode of Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com with host Cole Shelton is live ahead of UFC Vegas 62. We’re first joined by fifth-ranked UFC flyweight Brandon Royval (2:11). Next, UFC bantamweight Jonathan Martinez (20:36) comes on. UFC welterweight Mike Jackson (28:20) then stops by. Closing out the program is UFC bantamweight Victor Henry (49:21).
Paulo Costa dubs ‘The Axe Murderer’ as his favorite fighter of all time
Harry Kettle - October 11, 2022
UFC fighter Paulo Costa has named mixed martial arts legend Wanderlei Silva as his favourite fighter of all time. Over the course of the last few months, Paulo Costa has seemingly gone from one of the biggest villains in the Ultimate Fighting Championship to one of the biggest heroes – and he’s done so by showing off his incredibly unique personality.
Scott Coker explains what it would take for Bellator to add a 165lbs division
Harry Kettle - October 11, 2022
Bellator president Scott Coker has explained what it would take for the promotion to add a 165lbs division. For the longest time now, a lot of fans, fighters and pundit have been discussing the possibility of a 165-pound division being added across mixed martial arts. Alongside this being implemented, it would also probably shift the welterweight limit from 170 up to 175, largely to maintain the 10-pound gap between so many of the weight classes.
Islam Makhachev is confident he will be able to score a knockdown against Charles Oliveira: “His last three or four opponents, they knock him down”
Harry Kettle - October 11, 2022
Islam Makhachev believes he’ll be able to knock Charles Oliveira down when they collide in the main event of UFC 280. Next weekend at UFC 280, Islam Makhachev will finally get the chance to become UFC lightweight champion when he challenges Charles Oliveira in Abu Dhabi. While the Brazilian isn’t technically the champ, his insane 11-fight win streak – as well as the names he’s beaten since first competing for the gold – has left many believing that he is the best 155-pounder in the world right now.
Hasbulla set to corner Islam Makhachev for his lightweight title fight against Charles Oliveira at UFC 280
Cole Shelton - October 10, 2022
Hasbulla will be in the corner of Islam Makhachev at UFC 280. Makhachev is set to headline the pay-per-view card on October 22 in Abu Dhabi for the vacant lightweight title against Charles Oliveira. It’s a massive fight for Makhachev and he will have an interesting addition to his corner. Although Javier Mendez and Khabib Nurmagomedov will be in his corner, as usual, he will also have Hasbulla, according to his manager Ali Abdelaziz.
Sean Strickland reveals his first fight was against an actual "terrorist"
Cole Shelton - October 10, 2022
Sean Strickland had an interesting opponent for his first fight. Before Strickland was a pro-MMA fighter, he and a lot of fighters had “smokers” which are unsanctioned fights in gyms. Fighters just show up and don’t know who they are fighting until an opponent shows up.
Coach: Sean O'Malley is ready "to die" in the Octagon against Petr Yan, but confident 'Suga' gets a KO win at UFC 280
Cole Shelton - October 10, 2022
Sean O’Malley is ready to go the entire 15 minutes with Petr Yan, but ‘Suga’ is confident he will get a KO win, according to his coach Tim Welch. O’Malley is set for the toughest test of his career as he’s set to face the former champ in Yan – who’s also ranked one at bantamweight, on October 22 at UFC 280. If O’Malley can get the win, he could get a title shot his next time out. The fight announcement also caught many by surprise but Welch revealed it was the UFC’s idea to make the bout.
Nate Diaz teases crossover with WWE after meeting with Triple H: "We'll see what's bout to happen next"
Josh Evanoff - October 10, 2022
Former UFC welterweight star Nate Diaz could be trading out the octagon for the squared circle. The Stockton native is fresh off his headlining role at UFC 279 last month. Diaz was originally slated to face Khamzat Chimaev in the main event. However, after ‘Borz’ badly missed weight, Tony Ferguson was elevated to the five-round affair.
Leon Edwards confirms intention to have trilogy Kamaru Usman, but on his terms: "He has to come here"
Josh Evanoff - October 10, 2022
UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards wants his trilogy fight with Kamaru Usman to take place in his home country. At UFC 278 in August, the two welterweights met in the main event. While not highly discussed, it was actually the second time they had faced one another. Usman first faced Edwards at The Ultimate Fighter Finale in December 2015.
Alexander Volkanovski confirms backup status for Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev at UFC 280: "We're locked in"
Josh Evanoff - October 10, 2022
Featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski is now the backup fighter for UFC 280’s headliner. ‘The Great’ has been out of action since his trilogy bout with Max Holloway at UFC 276 in July. In that outing, Volkanovski moved to 3-0 in his trilogy with the Hawaiian, as he won by unanimous decision.
Video | Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling meet in Abu Dhabi with an 'unexpected outcome'
Ryan Harkness - October 10, 2022
Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan engaged in a fiery feud over ownership of the UFC bantamweight title between 2020 and 2022. Their first fight ended with Yan being DQ’d over an illegal knee. Despite how blatant the foul was, Sterling was widely accused of faking the an injury to ‘steal’ Yan’s belt. One year later, Sterling won their rematch via a razor thin split decision to legitimize his reign as the undisputed 135 pound champion.
Jordan Leavitt finds it funny that homophobic UFC fans keep sending him dick pics
Ryan Harkness - October 10, 2022
Jordan Leavitt is definitely one of the more unique fighters on the UFC lightweight roster. He’s built a solid following of fans (and haters) off his tendency to dance and twerk in the cage following his victories. In the macho world of cage fighting, this sticks out. And it’s generated more than it’s fair share of homophobic feedback. Leavitt – who has been married to his wife Ashlie for three years – revealed that some users on social media have taken to sending him not just gay slurs but penis pictures as well.
Daniel Cormier explains altercation with Seth Rollins at WWE Extreme Rules: “I had to put him in his place because he’s being disrespectful”
Harry Kettle - October 10, 2022
UFC legend Daniel Cormier has explained the altercation he had with Seth Rollins during his Fight Pit match at WWE Extreme Rules. It’s well known that Daniel Cormier has always been a big fan of professional wrestling and on Saturday night, he got the chance to step foot inside a WWE ring for the first time at WWE Extreme Rules.
Frank Mir reveals plans to have his final fight occur next year on the same card as his daughter: “She can headline the card, I can open it”
Harry Kettle - October 10, 2022
Frank Mir has revealed his plan to fight one more time – and he wants to do so on the same card as his daughter. For so many years now, Frank Mir. has been viewed as one of the most iconic heavyweights of his generation. In addition to being a former UFC champion, he’s also been in there with some of the very best fighters in the history of the division – and that’s not an understatement.