MMA News
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.
Kamaru Usman vows to “stop” Leon Edwards at UFC 278 to prove he's pound-for-pound best
Cole Shelton - August 18, 2022
Kamaru Usman is confident he will prove to Leon Edwards and everyone else that he is the pound-for-pound best fighter in the UFC on Saturday. Usman is looking to defend his welterweight title in the main event of UFC 278 as he rematches Edwards. Ahead of the fight, Edwards has been vocal in saying Usman isn’t as good as people say he is.
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.
Nate Quarry says Luke Rockhold's comments about the UFC using 'mafioso tactics' are spot on: "We found emails from managers to the UFC brass saying their fighters will actually take LESS money than offered"
Susan Cox - August 18, 2022
Nate Quarry says Luke Rockhold’s comments about the UFC using ‘mafioso tactics’ are spot on. The 50 year old former UFC fighter, Quarry, has responded to recent comments Luke Rockhold made on fighter pay in the organization.
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.
Demetrious Johnson applauds Khabib Nurmagomedov for getting out “unscathed” at 29-0: “If Khabib had of continued to keep on fighting, he would have lost”
Harry Kettle - August 18, 2022
Demetrious Johnson has applauded Khabib Nurmagomedov for managing to retire undefeated from mixed martial arts. Just under two years ago at UFC 254, Khabib Nurmagomedov walked away from MMA following his submission win over Justin Gaethje. ‘The Eagle’ was able to leave the sport with an unbeaten 29-0 record, serving as one of the only elite champions to ever do so.
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.