MMA News
Tyson Nam says he "needed" KO win over Ode Osbourne in a "bad way" after long layoff: "There wasn't one good thing in my favor"
Cole Shelton - August 19, 2022
Tyson Nam knew there was a lot of pressure on him heading into his UFC San Diego fight against Ode Osbourne. Nam was making the walk to the Octagon for the first time since January of 2021 after dealing with multiple injuries. Heading into the fight, Nam admits he didn’t know how he’d do or feel, as he is now 38-years-old and was coming off a major injury.
Michael Page believes Mike Perry is feeling the pressure ahead of Saturday’s BKFC 27 event: “I think it’s a massive show of nerves”
Harry Kettle - August 19, 2022
Michael Page thinks the fact Mike Perry being a fan of his is a sign of him ‘feeling the pressure’ heading into their BKFC 27 fight. When the bare-knuckle boxing match between Michael ‘Venom’ Page and Mike Perry was first announced, many couldn’t quite wrap their heads around it. Now, though, that we’re just over 24 hours away from it actually taking place, there’s a lot of excitement in the air with a lot of fans not really knowing what to expect.
Fight fans react after Carla Esparza books first title defense opposite Weili Zhang: “Well, that reign didn’t last long”
Harry Kettle - August 19, 2022
Fight fans have reacted to the news that Carla Esparza will defend the UFC strawweight championship against Weili Zhang. Ever since her controversial win over Rose Namajunas earlier this year, fans have been wondering what the next step is going to be for Carla Esparza. The veteran, who was the first ever champion in the weight class, is a legend in the strawweight division and is now a two-time champ as a result of her second triumph against ‘Thug Rose’.
Gilbert Burns confirms he will be fighting Jorge Masvidal in December or January: “He verbally agreed. I did too”
Harry Kettle - August 19, 2022
Gilbert Burns has confirmed that he will be fighting fellow contender Jorge Masvidal in either late 2022 or early next year. The welterweight division will be watching this weekend as Kamaru Usman defends his crown against challenger Leon Edwards. Beyond that, though, there are still plenty of questions surrounding who the next challenger will be, with Khamzat Chimaev leading the charge in the lead-up to his showdown with Nate Diaz next month.
Kamaru Usman claims no additional weight is needed to compete at 205 lbs: "People don’t understand what my death grip is like"
Chris Taylor - August 18, 2022
UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman claims he wouldn’t need to put on any weight to compete against the promotions top 205lbs fighters. Usman (20-1 MMA) is set to defend his 170lbs title in a rematch against Leon Edwards in the headliner of Saturday’s UFC 278 pay-per-view event. Should he once again emerge victorious over the Birmingham native, ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ has flirted with the idea of making the jump up to light heavyweight (205lbs) for his next fight.
Paulo Costa plans to "retire" Luke Rockhold at UFC 278: "You are too old"
Cole Shelton - August 18, 2022
Paulo Costa believes UFC 278 will be the last time Luke Rockhold fights. Costa and Rockhold have taken shots at one another ever since their fight was announced. Most recently, at Thursday’s press conference, the two continued to trade barbs, including Costa planning on retiring Rockhold.
Leon Edwards downplays Kamaru Usman boxing Canelo Alvarez: "This guy’s deluded"
Josh Evanoff - August 18, 2022
UFC welterweight Leon Edwards doesn’t fancy his chances against Canelo Alvarez. He doesn’t believe Kamaru Usman would do well either. ‘Rocky’ is set to face ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ this Saturday in the main event of UFC 278. The bout is a rematch of a previous encounter at UFC on Fox 17 in December 2015. Usman won the first matchup by unanimous decision.
Kamaru Usman states he'd be willing to fight Jon Jones for right amount: "I'll try my luck"
Josh Evanoff - August 18, 2022
UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman would be willing to fight Jon Jones if the price was right. ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ is set to return this Saturday night in the main event of UFC 278. In the headliner, Usman will look to defend his welterweight strap against Leon Edwards. The bout is a rematch of their previous outing in December 2015, where the champion picked up the victory.
Kayla Harrison reacts to PFL offering Cris Cyborg millions for clash: "PFL is here to make some big moves"
Josh Evanoff - August 18, 2022
PFL women’s lightweight Kayla Harrison wasn’t surprised to see Cris Cyborg get a big offer from the promotion. The Judoka is set to face Martina Jindrová later this month at PFL 9. The bout is the semifinals of the 2022 PFL women’s lightweight tournament. If Harrison wins, she’ll move on to the chance to become a three-time tournament winner for the promotion.
UFC bantamweight Julia Avila reveals she had to take a second job just to make ends meet: “It’s a dog and pony show. I’m just as replaceable as anyone else on the roster”
Josh Evanoff - August 18, 2022
UFC women’s bantamweight contender Julia Avila has discussed her fighting career in a series of tweets. ‘Raging Panda’ has been out of the octagon since her victory over Julia Stoliarenko in June 2021. The bout was a solid rebound for Avila, as she was previously coming off a loss to Sijara Eubanks. Since joining the promotion, the 34-year-old has gone 3-1 inside the cage.
Geoff Neal hopes for main event fight against Gilbert Burns in a title eliminator bout: "I match up really well against him"
Cole Shelton - August 18, 2022
Geoff Neal is hoping to headline a Fight Night card his next time out with Gilbert Burns standing across the Octagon from him. Neal is coming off a third-round TKO over Vicente Luque back at UFC Vegas 59 and after the win, he called out Gilbert Burns. The Fortis MMA fighter believes the scrap makes sense and it’s also a contest he thinks will favor him as well.
Khamzat Chimaev claims Kamaru Usman is "scared" to fight him, believes he will "retire" instead of facing him
Cole Shelton - August 18, 2022
Khamzat Chimaev doesn’t think Kamaru Usman will ever fight him. In the main event of UFC 278, Usman will be defending his welterweight title against Leon Edwards. Meanwhile, next month’s UFC 279 pay-per-view event is headlined by Khamzat Chimaev taking on Nate Diaz.
Carla Esparza set to defend her strawweight title against Weili Zhang at UFC 281
Susan Cox - August 18, 2022
Carla Esparza in set to defend her strawweight title against Weili Zhang at UFC 281. Esparaza took to ‘Twitter‘ this morning announcing the bout:
Gilbert Burns explains why he’s rooting for Luke Rockhold over fellow Brazilian Paulo Costa at UFC 278: “I think he’s a clown”
Susan Cox - August 18, 2022
Gilbert Burns is explaining why he’s rooting for Luke Rockhold over fellow Brazilian Paulo Costa at UFC 278. It will be Costa (13-2 MMA) vs Rockhold(16-5 MMA) in the co-main middleweight event at UFC 278 this coming Saturday, August 20th, at the Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah.
UFC President Dana White responds to Luke Rockhold's title talk: “I mean, this is normal Rockhold babble”
Susan Cox - August 18, 2022
UFC President, Dana White, is responding to Luke Rockhold’s title talk. It will be this coming Saturday, August 20th, that Luke Rockhold (16-5 MMA) will meet Paulo Costa (13-2 MMA) at UFC 278 in the co-main middleweight event.
UFC 278 | Pro fighters make their picks for Paulo Costa vs. Luke Rockhold
Cole Shelton - August 18, 2022
In the co-main event of UFC 278, an intriguing middleweight bout goes down as Paulo Costa takes on the returning Luke Rockhold. Heading into the fight, Costa is a sizeable -340 favorite while the former UFC middleweight champ is a +250 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The majority of pros believe Costa will eventually land something big and KO Rockhold.
TJ Dillashaw says Sean O’Malley is “good for the sport” but expects Petr Yan will be able to “run through him” at UFC 280
Harry Kettle - August 18, 2022
TJ Dillashaw has explained why he thinks Petr Yan will be able to defeat Sean O’Malley when they clash at UFC 280. Later this year in Abu Dhabi, Petr Yan and Sean O’Malley will meet in a huge grudge match at bantamweight. The two have been going back and forth at one another for quite some time and despite how far apart they are in the rankings, the UFC has decided to strike while the iron is hot by booking them against one another.
Kamaru Usman responds to critics who say he’s gone “Hollywood” ahead of UFC 278
Harry Kettle - August 18, 2022
Kamaru Usman has responded to those who say he’s gone ‘Hollywood’ heading into UFC 278 this weekend. On Saturday night, Kamaru Usman will look to maintain his place at the top of the food chain when he defends the UFC welterweight championship against Leon Edwards. ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ has already successfully defended the strap five times and as he aims to make it six, many wonder whether or not a victory in Salt Lake City would vault him into the GOAT conversation.