MMA News
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.
Max Holloway reveals the Navy Blue Angels have ended his streak: “Sadly my ‘never been KO’d’ streak came to an end”
Harry Kettle - August 18, 2022
UFC star Max Holloway has finally experienced his first knockout defeat – but not in the way you might have imagined. While things may not have gone his way at UFC 276 as he fell to a third loss against Alex Volkanovski, it’s safe to say that Max Holloway still serves as one of the most upbeat and entertaining guys in mixed martial arts. Many aren’t sure what his next move in the sport is going to be, but one thing we know to be true is that ‘Blessed’ isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
Jay Perrin is expecting a "war" against Aoriqileng, but plans to "make a statement” and make sure everyone knows he’s here to stay
Cole Shelton - August 17, 2022
Jay Perrin is expecting to look like a completely new fighter at UFC 278. Perrin is coming off a loss to Mario Bautista in his Octagon debut, a fight which he took on short notice. Although he lost the fight, Perrin says he learned a lot from it and believes he proved he belongs with his performance.
Francis Ngannou echoes Luke Rockhold's fighter pay complaints: "Fighters are ripped off"
Cole Shelton - August 17, 2022
Francis Ngannou agrees with Luke Rockhold that fighters need to be paid more. Ngannou has been vocal about his displeasure with his UFC contract and it has been reported that he has just one fight left on his current deal. He has been disappointed with the promotion’s pay, as well as their refusal to let him take boxing fights.
Daniel Cormier advocates for Rory MacDonald to be inducted into the Hall of Fame for Robbie Lawler fight: "I don't know why it's not in already"
Josh Evanoff - August 17, 2022
Former UFC dual-weight champion Daniel Cormier believes Rory MacDonald should join him in the Hall. ‘Red King’ is fresh off his knockout defeat to Dilano Taylor at PFL 8 last weekend. The defeat was MacDonald’s fourth in the last five contests. Following the loss, the former UFC title challenger decided to hang up the gloves and retire.
Luke Rockhold confronts Full Send reporter over Marlon Vera interview: 'Do your f*cking homework"
Josh Evanoff - August 17, 2022
UFC middleweight Luke Rockhold has come to the defense of his friend Marlon Vera. Last Saturday night at UFC San Diego, ‘Chito’ scored the biggest win of his career. In the fourth round of the main event, Vera scored a massive knockout over Dominick Cruz. The bout was only the second time the former UFC champion was stopped by strikes.
Leon Edwards doesn't believe Kamaru Usman is the pound-for-pound best ahead of UFC 278: "I don’t see it"
Cole Shelton - August 17, 2022
Leon Edwards doesn’t think Kamaru Usman is the pound-for-pound best fighter in the UFC. Edwards is set to rematch Usman in the main event of UFC 278 as he looks to end the championship reign of ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’. Although Usman has been dominant in the UFC, Edwards doesn’t think the champ is the pound-for-pound best.
Stephen Thompson calls for a rematch with Jorge Masvidal: "The NMF versus the BMF"
Josh Evanoff - August 17, 2022
UFC welterweight contender Stephen Thompson wants to face Jorge Masvidal next. ‘Wonderboy’ has been out of action since his decision loss to Belal Muhammad in December 2021. The defeat was the second in a row for the former UFC title challenger. Thompson previously lost to Gilbert Burns by decision at UFC 264 last July.
Dana White reacts after UFC lightweight Paddy Pimblett reveals he currently weighs over 200 lbs: "It makes it tough for us too"
Susan Cox - August 17, 2022
Dana White is reacting after UFC lightweight Paddy Pimblett revealed he currently weighs over 200 lbs. Paddy ‘The Baddy’ Pimblett (19-3 MMA) spoke about his weight when he attended UFC on ESPN 41 in San Diego saying:
John Dodson explains why he signed with BKFC, confident he will KO Ryan Benoit at BKFC 28: "He will want to quit in the first 10 seconds"
Cole Shelton - August 17, 2022
John Dodson never expected to sign with BKFC but when they gave him an offer he couldn’t refuse. Dodson went to a BKFC open tryout near his hometown solely for his brother as his brother has wanted to do bare-knuckle for quite some time. Yet, at the tryout, BKFC was talking to him about signing and when he got an offer, it was something he couldn’t turn down.
Luke Rockhold slams the UFC for allowing 'degenerate' Nelk Boys to be associated with the company
Susan Cox - August 17, 2022
Luke Rockhold is slamming the UFC for it’s association with the popular online group the Nelk Boys. Rockhold (16-5 MMA) is preparing for his upcoming middleweight fight with Paulo Costa (13-2 MMA) this coming Saturday, August 20th at UFC 278 which is being held at the Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Terrance McKinney doubts UFC would give him Paddy Pimblett next: "I'm too dangerous for Paddy right now"
Cole Shelton - August 17, 2022
Terrance McKinney knows he and Paddy Pimblett will fight one day but doubts it will be booked next. McKinney returned to the win column at UFC Vegas 59 as he scored a first-round submission win over Erick Gonzalez. Although it was another first-round win, McKinney admits he wishes it was by KO.
Khamzat Chimaev shares his prediction for Kamaru Usman vs Leon Edwards 2
Susan Cox - August 17, 2022
Khamzat Chimaev has shared his prediction for Kamaru Usman vs Leon Edwards 2. It will be Usman (20-1 MMA) vs Edwards (19-3 MMA) this coming Saturday, August 20th at the UFC 278 main event taking place at the Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah.
UFC 278 | Pro fighters make their picks for Kamaru Usman vs. Leon Edwards 2 title fight
Cole Shelton - August 17, 2022
In the main event of UFC 278, the welterweight title is up for grabs as Kamaru Usman rematches Leon Edwards. Heading into the fight, Usman is a sizeable -430 favorite while the challenger is a +300 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The pros believe it will be ‘And Still’ as Usman is too well-rounded for Edwards and will continue to remain undefeated in the UFC.
Leon Edwards has one stipulation for potential Jorge Masvidal title fight: “That’s what I wanna do next after this… Imagine”
Harry Kettle - August 17, 2022
Leon Edwards has said Jorge Masvidal needs to win a fight before getting a title shot against him if he wins the belt at UFC 278. This Saturday night in Salt Lake City, Leon Edwards has the opportunity to become just the second British UFC champion ever when he challenges Kamaru Usman for the UFC welterweight championship. The overwhelming expectation from many pundits is that Usman will find a way to win, but counting out Edwards certainly doesn’t seem like the smartest idea in the world.
TJ Dillashaw believes “competitive guy” Dominick Cruz has a chip on his shoulder that could keep him fighting: “We'll see if he really can step away”
Harry Kettle - August 17, 2022
TJ Dillashaw has questioned whether or not Dominick Cruz is ready to walk away from the sport of mixed martial arts. Last Saturday night, Dominick Cruz’s hopes of regaining the UFC bantamweight championship took a huge blow when he was knocked out by Marlon Vera in their main event clash at UFC San Diego. While Cruz looked good in defeat, some have wondered just how motivated he’ll be to work his way back to the top of the mountain.
Jose Aldo explains why Aljamain Sterling should be a “big favorite” ahead of UFC 280 title fight with TJ Dillashaw: “When antidoping got more strict, he got punched twice and went down”
Harry Kettle - August 17, 2022
Jose Aldo has explained why he believes Aljamain Sterling should be the favourite in his fight against TJ Dillashaw. At UFC 280 later this year, Aljamain Sterling will defend his UFC bantamweight championship against TJ Dillashaw. The 135-pound division is as stacked as its ever been and with so many contenders hoping to make a splash, it’s no surprise that there are a lot of eyes on this bout – with veteran Jose Aldo being one of the many fighters who is intrigued to see how it all goes down.
Geoff Neal believes he "shut people up" by knocking out Vicente Luque, expects "everybody is going to try to wrestle me now"
Cole Shelton - August 16, 2022
Geoff Neal always knew he was going to fight Vicente Luque and he’s quite happy with how it played out. Neal and Luque were the co-main event of UFC Vegas 59 two weekends ago and Neal scored a third-round KO. However, in the first round, Neal appeared to have Luque hurt but he didn’t want to rush anything as he knew the Brazilian was still dangerous.