MMA News
Sam Alvey announces he’s “not under contract” with the UFC anymore, calls out Jake Paul
Cole Shelton - August 9, 2022
Sam Alvey is no longer on the UFC roster. Following Alvey’s first-round TKO loss to Michal Oleksiejczuk, he fought out his UFC contract and it was likely that was going to be it for him. Prior to the fight, he told BJPENN.com’s Just Scrap Radio that the UFC was allowing him to fight out his deal.
Brendan Schaub confused by Jake Paul's callout of KSI: "You were about to fight a legit guy"
Josh Evanoff - August 9, 2022
Brendan Schaub isn’t a fan of Jake Paul calling out KSI for a boxing match. ‘The Problem Child’ was set to face Hasim Rahman Jr. at Madison Square Garden in New York City this month. However, the fight was canceled, as the two men argued about the weight allowance for the heavyweight. Rahman Jr. famously took the bout on short notice.
Cris Cyborg reveals she's a free agent, targeting move to boxing: "It's one of my dreams"
Josh Evanoff - August 9, 2022
Bellator women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg is currently a free agent. The Brazilian is fresh off her decision victory over Arlene Blencowe at Bellator 279 in April. The victory was Cyborg’s fourth title defense, as she captured the 145-pound title in January 2020. That win over Blencowe could go down as her last championship defense.
Henry Cejudo explains why he thinks Alex Pereira KO's Israel Adesanya at UFC 281: "There are a couple of things that Israel does wrong"
Cole Shelton - August 9, 2022
Henry Cejudo not only thinks we will hear ‘And New’ at UFC 281, but believes Alex Pereira will become the new middleweight champ by knocking out Israel Adesanya. Adesanya and Pereira have fought twice in kickboxing with the Brazilian winning both, including one by KO. Although MMA is much different, Cejudo believes we will see the same result at UFC 281 as he believes Pereira’s striking is on another level, and will KO Adesanya.
Devin Clark expects to "break" Azamat Murzakanov at UFC San Diego: "Every person can be broken so it will come"
Cole Shelton - August 9, 2022
Devin Clark finally got his first UFC finish his last time out and now wants to build off of that. Clark scored a TKO win over William Knight back in April in his heavyweight debut. After the win, there was some thought about staying at heavyweight. Yet, given he trains with Curtis Blaydes he realized he wasn’t big enough to stay at heavyweight.
Paulo Costa is looking lean and mean ahead of his middleweight return at UFC 278
Susan Cox - August 9, 2022
Paulo Costa is looking lean and mean ahead of his middleweight return at UFC 278. It will be Paulo Costa (13-2 MMA) vs Luke Rockhold (16-5 MMA) in the middleweight co-main event on Saturday, August 20th at the Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah.
UFC Rankings Update: Jamahal Hill and Geoff Neal make big leaps in respective divisions
Susan Cox - August 9, 2022
The UFC Rankings have been updated and Jamahal Hill and Geoff Neal have made big leaps in their respective divisions. Hill, (11-1 MMA) is hot off a victory over Thiago Santos (22-11 MMA) this past Saturday, August 6th in the light heavyweight main event. ‘Sweet Dreams’ defeated Santos by TKO (strikes) at 2:31 of Round 4.
Artem Lobov explains why he refused to accept social welfare despite being jobless in Ireland: “I didn’t want it to be some safety cushion or nothing for me”
Susan Cox - August 9, 2022
Artem Lobov is explaining why he refused to accept social welfare despite being jobless in Ireland. Artem Lobov, 35, (13-15 MMA), is a former professional MMA fighter and boxer who is based in Ireland. ‘The Russian Hammer‘ competed in the featherweight division for the UFC and has most recently competed in the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship.
UFC champion Kamaru Usman explains why he tapped instead of being choked unconscious in his lone career MMA defeat
Harry Kettle - August 9, 2022
Kamaru Usman has explained why he tapped out instead of going unconscious in his only pro defeat in mixed martial arts. For many MMA fans across the globe, Kamaru Usman is the pound-for-pound best in the sport right now. ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ is the UFC welterweight champion and after successfully defending his belt five times, there are very few individuals who would dispute just how good he is.
Thiago Santos issues statement following TKO loss to Jamahal Hill at UFC Vegas 59: “I let everything there and still wasn’t enough, no shame about that”
Harry Kettle - August 9, 2022
Thiago Santos has posted a classy statement following his TKO defeat at the hands of Jamahal Hill last weekend. While he may have fought for the UFC light heavyweight championship once upon a time, it’s safe to say that Thiago Santos has been through some tough times in the last couple of years. From surgery to a parade of close losses against elite 205-pounders, the Brazilian has struggled to rediscover the form that got him to the big dance in the first place.
Jon Jones applauds Glover Teixeira for being the only fighter to have kept “kicking ass” after fighting him: “I’ve always found this interesting”
Harry Kettle - August 9, 2022
Jon Jones has applauded Glover Teixeira as being his only opponent to continue thriving after fighting him. While he may not be ‘undefeated’ in the traditional sense as a result of a DQ loss and a no contest, Jon Jones is considered by many to be one of the greatest fighters of all-time – and the only one of the modern era, alongside Khabib Nurmagomedov, who has technically never lost a fight.
Just Scrap Radio Ep. 90 with James Krause, Devin Clark, David Onama, Tyson Nam, and Ode Osbourne
Cole Shelton - August 9, 2022
The 90th episode of Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com with host Cole Shelton is live ahead of UFC San Diego. We’re first joined by MMA coach James Krause (1:48). Next, UFC light heavyweight Devin Clark (12:31) comes on. UFC featherweight David Onama (25:48) then stops by. Closing out the program are UFC flyweights Tyson Nam (36:07) and Ode Osbourne (47:40).
Dominick Cruz makes Rampage Jackson / Marlon Vera comparison ahead of UFC San Diego
Andrew Whitelaw - August 8, 2022
Dominick Cruz says he has respect for his upcoming opponent Marlon Vera despite the Ecuadorian seemingly not liking him. The pair will lock horns in the main event at UFC San Diego this weekend in what will be an important match-up for the top of the bantamweight division.
Anthony Smith discusses his loss to Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 277: “He wasn’t as good as I expected him to be”
Zain Bando - August 8, 2022
Anthony Smith suffered a critical loss at the hands of Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 277 on July 30. The former light heavyweight title challenger also endured a brutal injury in the form of a broken ankle. Smith, who burst on to the scene in 2018, has fought some of the best fighters in the sport. Names like Glover Texiera, Jon Jones, and Rashad Evans quickly come to mind as three of the best fighters that the division has ever seen.
The UFC parts ways with three more fighters
Christopher Taylor - August 8, 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.
Ilima-Lei Macfarlane eyes retirement fight against friend and mentor Liz Carmouche for the belt: "I have four fights left on this contract and that will be it for me"
Cole Shelton - August 8, 2022
Ilima-Lei Macfarlane will be looking to return to the win column in a big way at Bellator 284. Macfarlane ended her nearly year-and-a-half layoff back in April in Hawaii and suffered a decision loss to Justine Kish. After the loss, Macfarlane told Bellator she wanted to return as soon as possible and got her wish as she will face Bruna Ellen on Friday night.
Marlon Vera sends a strong message to UFC fighters complaining about pay: “Dana wasn’t born rich”
Josh Evanoff - August 8, 2022
UFC bantamweight contender Marlon Vera has given his take on the fighter pay debate. Over the last few years, the debate around UFC athlete pay has skyrocketed. Thanks to figures such as Jake Paul, many have attacked the promotion for their lackluster pay. While many sporting leagues such as the NFL and NBA split profits between players and executives, the UFC is different.
KSI and Jake Paul verbally agree to Wembley Stadium showdown in 2023: "Let's run it b*tch"
Josh Evanoff - August 8, 2022
YouTuber-turned-boxers KSI and Jake Paul are set to face off next year on a huge stage. ‘The Problem Child’ was set to face Hasim Rahman Jr. this month on Showtime pay-per-view. However, one week before the event, the fight was canceled. Both men have since blamed the other for the fight’s cancelation.