MMA News
John Dodson "wasn't surprised" with 40-second KO over Ryan Benoit in BKFC debut, hopes for quick turnaround in bare knuckle or MMA
Cole Shelton - August 31, 2022
John Dodson said he was going to KO Ryan Benoit in his BKFC debut and he did just that. In the co-main event of BKFC 28, Dodson scored a 40-second KO win against Benoit and although it was a sub-minute KO, he still was a bit disappointed with it. The only reason why Dodson was disappointed is due to the fact his brother Eric also made his BKFC debut on the card and got a 23-second KO on the prelims.
UFC President Dana White reveals Khabib Nurmagomedov recently turned down grappling match offer: “I don’t think Khabib ever comes back”
Susan Cox - August 31, 2022
UFC President, Dana White has revealed that Khabib Nurmagomedov recently turned down a grappling match offer. Khabib, 33, competed in the lightweight division of the UFC, where he was the longest-reigning UFC Lightweight Champion, having held the title from April 2018 to March 2021.
UFC legend Donald Cerrone featured in new “Project Legion” movie trailer (Video)
Susan Cox - August 31, 2022
UFC legend Donald Cerrone is being featured in a new ‘Project Legion’ movie trailer. The 39 year old Cerrone, (36-17 MMA), who announced his retirement after July’s UFC 276 event, will return to the big screen this coming Fall.
Pro fighters make their picks for Ciryl Gane vs. Tai Tuivasa
Cole Shelton - August 31, 2022
In the main event of UFC Paris, a heavyweight bout between top contenders goes down as Ciryl Gane takes on Tai Tuivasa. Heading into the fight, Gane is a massive -530 favorite while the Aussie is a +360 underdog on FanDuel. Heading into the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The pros slightly lean towards Gane getting it done but some think Tuivasa can keep his streak going with another surprise KO.
UFC signs the 'Russian Ronda' Irina Alekseeva following Bellator release
Harry Kettle - August 31, 2022
UFC has reportedly signed Irina Alekseeva, also known as ‘Russian Ronda‘, to a deal following her release by Bellator. For many years now the UFC has had a blossoming women’s roster across a handful of weight classes, but even through the likes of Amanda Nunes and Valentina Shevchenko, they haven’t quite had a female fighter reach the same kind of superstardom as Ronda Rousey.
Islam Makhachev believes Leon Edwards got “lucky” with head kick KO of Kamaru Usman
Harry Kettle - August 31, 2022
Islam Makhachev has given his thoughts on Leon Edwards‘ fantastic knockout win over Kamaru Usman at UFC 278. This October at UFC 280, Islam Makhachev will take part in the biggest fight of his career as he prepares to battle Charles Oliveira for the UFC lightweight championship. The contest is set to go down in Abu Dhabi and while Makhachev has been tipped to become a world champion for a long time, Oliveira will almost certainly serve as the toughest test he’s faced to date inside the Octagon.
Dana White reacts to rumored Jake Paul vs Anderson Silva matchup: “If that's true, it's about time. He's got a real fight on his hands there”
Harry Kettle - August 31, 2022
UFC president Dana White has reacted to the rumoured upcoming boxing match between Jake Paul vs Anderson Silva. In the last few days, reports have been flooding in that suggest Jake Paul will take on his toughest boxing challenge yet on October 29 in the form of Anderson Silva. The former UFC middleweight champion has surprised a lot of people since making his transition over into the squared circle and despite being 47 years old, he’s long since been seen as the toughest available challenge for Paul in this strange sub-genre of the sport.
Darren Till arrested by Stockholm police for alleged DUI back in July
Cole Shelton - August 30, 2022
Darren Till has reportedly been arrested by the Stockholm police for an alleged DUI (drunk driving) back in July. According to the Swedish national newspaper Expressen, Till was arrested on July 31 after he was pulled over for speeding in a silver Audi with English registration plates. All the information is cited from a police report the newspaper was able to obtain.
Weili Zhang prepared to fight fearlessly against Carla Esparaza at UFC 281: "I don't care about win or lose anymore"
Josh Evanoff - August 30, 2022
UFC women’s strawweight contender Weili Zhang is prepared for her fight with Carla Esparza. ‘Magnum’ has been out of action since June. At UFC 275, Zhang faced Joanna Jędrzejczyk in a rematch of their famous brawl in March 2020. In that outing, the Chinese fighter won by split decision after five rounds of pure chaos.
Islam Makhachev states Charles Oliveira doesn't believe he can win at UFC 280: "I am terrible fight for everybody"
Josh Evanoff - August 30, 2022
Lightweight contender Islam Makhachev believes that Charles Oliveira isn’t confident heading into UFC 280. The two lightweights are set to square off in October with gold on the line. The Brazilian famously lost his titles back on the scale in May. Oliveira missed weight for his UFC 274 headliner against Justin Gaethje and was stripped of his championship.
Jake Paul now the betting underdog against Anderson Silva after opening as a sizeable favorite
Cole Shelton - August 30, 2022
Jake Paul is now the betting underdog for his rumored upcoming fight against Anderson Silva after he opened as the betting favorite. On Monday evening, news surfaced that Paul and Silva have agreed to headline a Showtime boxing pay-per-view on October 29. It is a massive fight and a big step-up in competition for Paul who hasn’t fought since he knocked out Tyron Woodley last December.
Brendan Schaub encourages Leon Edwards to fight Jorge Masvidal next: "Get it done"
Josh Evanoff - August 30, 2022
Brendan Schaub believes UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards should face Jorge Masvidal next. ‘Rocky’ is fresh off his fight with Kamaru Usman at UFC 278 earlier this month. The bout was a rematch of their prior outing at UFC on Fox 17 in December 2015. In that outing, Usman scored a unanimous decision victory.
Gilbert Melendez confirms he's not retired, willing to fight again for the right opportunity: "I will always be a fighter"
Josh Evanoff - August 30, 2022
Former UFC title challenger Gilbert Melendez isn’t done competing just yet. ‘El Nino’ hasn’t been in action since his fight with Arnold Allen at UFC 239 in July 2019. In that outing, Melendez lost by unanimous decision. The defeat was the fifth straight for the former title challenger.
Ben Askren reveals the only fight he would end his retirement for
Cole Shelton - August 30, 2022
Ben Askren is happily retired from MMA but admits there is one fight that would draw him back in. Askren retired following his submission loss to Demian Maia but then made his pro boxing debut and was knocked out by Jake Paul. After the loss, he confirmed his career would be over as he needed hip surgery and cited his age. However, ‘Funky’ says he would end his retirement and return to fighting to face Jorge Masvidal.
The UFC parts ways with three more fighters
Susan Cox - August 30, 2022
The UFC has parted ways with another three fighters according to recent reports from @UFCRosterWatch on ‘Twitter’. It should also be noted that it has not been confirmed if all of these moves were outright releases or simply contracts which were not renewed.
Sayif Saud "proud" of Uriah Hall's career and everything he accomplished following his retirement from MMA: "Uriah had a great run"
Cole Shelton - August 30, 2022
Sayif Saud is proud of everything he accomplished coaching Uriah Hall. Hall joined Fortis MMA back in 2019 ahead of his fight with Antonio Carlos Junior. He won that bout and then went on to defeat both Anderson Silva and Chris Weidman. However, Hall went on to suffer a decision loss to Sean Strickland in a main event contest and then lost to Andre Muniz by deicison.
Ciryl Gane says he's fighting "for my country" at UFC Paris, plans to "put on a show" against Tai Tuivasa to get the "finish"
Cole Shelton - August 30, 2022
Ciryl Gane is excited to headline the first UFC event in Paris, France. Gane, who was born and raised in France is excited to fight in front of his family and friends again. The Frenchman hasn’t fought at home since his muay Thai career and he knows the walkout and the moment will be special.
Kamaru Usman says he was attempting to finish Leon Edwards moments before head kick KO: “I didn’t land it, [who knows] how much damage it could’ve done”
Harry Kettle - August 30, 2022
Kamaru Usman has admitted that he was attempting to finish Leon Edwards in the fifth round of their title fight. Heading into the final round of the UFC 278 main event, Kamaru Usman seemed to be well on his way to successfully defending the UFC welterweight championship against Leon Edwards. He was 3-1 up on the judges’ scorecards, he was in full control, and Edwards appeared to be fading down the stretch.