MMA News
Julianna Pena relishing in underdog role against Amanda Nunes at UFC 277: "They said she slipped on a banana peel and that's why I won"
Josh Evanoff - July 29, 2022
UFC women’s bantamweight champion Julianna Pena is out to prove her win over Amanda Nunes wasn’t a fluke. The two champions are set to meet in the main event of UFC 277 this Saturday night. It’ll be the second time that they’ve crossed paths, as they first clashed last December. Prior to that outing, Nunes was a massive betting favorite.
Anthony Pettis admits complacency led to submission loss to Stevie Ray: "I don’t think it will happen again"
Josh Evanoff - July 29, 2022
PFL lightweight star Anthony Pettis has discussed his loss to Stevie Ray last month at PFL 5. Heading into the main event, ‘Showtime’ had already secured its spot in the playoffs. One month prior, he defeated Myles Price by first-round submission, handing him a bid. With that playoff spot in mind, Pettis decided to take the safe approach at PFL 5.
Sean O’Malley explains why he acts as his own manager: “No middleman, no one taking a random percentage for being a middleman”
Susan Cox - July 29, 2022
Sean O’Malley is explaining why he acts as his own manager. ‘Sugar’ is not only a successful UFC fighter but a podcaster, YouTuber and streamer as well. One would expect for all those ventures, O’Malley would need to have a team of managers to handle the business aspects of his career. It has been revealed that is in fact not the case, O’Malley handles that part of his career himself – he’s his own manager.
Drew Dober welcomes the opportunity of fighting Paddy Pimblett after UFC 277: “I want to collide with that hype train for sure”
Susan Cox - July 29, 2022
Drew Dober (24-11 MMA) is set to take on Rafael Alves (20-10 MMA) tomorrow, Saturday July 29th at UFC 277, at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. Dober will be entering the Octagon coming off a thrilling first round TKO of Terrance McKinney (12-4 MMA) in March of this year.
UFC 277: ‘Pena vs. Nunes 2’ Weigh-in Results: Two fighters miss weight
Susan Cox - July 29, 2022
The UFC 277 weigh-in results are in. Two fighters did not make their respective weights and are highlighted below. UFC 277 takes place tomorrow, Saturday, July 29th at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
Aljamain Sterling responds after UFC 280 opponent TJ Dillashaw suggests that he’s not a “dangerous” fighter: “I think you would be ill-advised to overlook my striking”
Harry Kettle - July 29, 2022
Aljamain Sterling has issued a warning to TJ Dillashaw after he claimed that the champion wasn’t a dangerous fighter. At UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi, Aljamain Sterling will defend the UFC bantamweight championship for the second time when he goes head to head with TJ Dillashaw. The bout has been a long time coming and in the last couple of weeks, we’ve seen the intensity ramp up between these two with some back and forth remarks over social media.
Jordan Leavitt says he was “very surprised by the negativity” he received from Paddy Fanboys at UFC London: “I got more hostility than I bargained for”
Harry Kettle - July 29, 2022
Jordan Leavitt has noted that he was surprised by the negativity he received from Paddy Pimblett’s fans at UFC London. Last Saturday night in the English capital, Jordan Leavitt went head to head with fan favourite Paddy Pimblett in one of the featured bouts of the evening. Leavitt was considered to be a notable step up in competition for Paddy in comparison to his first two UFC fights and, in the first round, it certainly seemed as if Pimblett was having some problems.
Curtis Blaydes says he is “down” to fight Jon Jones following recent comments: “Bro, you know I’m not tiny”
Harry Kettle - July 29, 2022
Curtis Blaydes has confirmed that he’d be interested in fighting Jon Jones following their recent back and forth. For many years now Curtis Blaydes has been hovering around the top five of the UFC’s heavyweight division, just waiting for his chance to really break into the title conversation. He’s suffered setbacks against big hitters like Francis Ngannou and Derrick Lewis but aside from that, he’s been fairly consistent – to the point where many are calling for him to get a big name in his next fight.
Tom Aspinall says he's "been down in the dumps" since knee injury, announces he's having surgery next week
Cole Shelton - July 28, 2022
Tom Aspinall will be having surgery on his knee next week. Aspinall was headlining UFC London last Saturday against Curtis Blaydes in what was a big step-up in competition for the Brit. Although Blaydes has been around the top-five for years, it was Aspinall as the betting favorite heading into the fight. Unfortunately, just 15 seconds into the contest, the Brit went down in pain as it appeared his knee blew out.
Magomed Ankalaev plans to prove Anthony Smith's time as a title contender "is over" at UFC 277
Cole Shelton - July 28, 2022
Magomed Ankalaev plans to end Anthony Smith’s time as a contender in the UFC on Saturday at UFC 277. Opening up the pay-per-view main card is a pivotal light heavyweight scrap as Ankalaev is set to face Smith in a potential title eliminator fight. Although Smith is on a three-fight winning streak and has won all three fights by stoppage, Ankalaev plans to end the impressive run and prove how much better he is.
Julianna Pena reveals what she'll do to defeat Amanda Nunes at UFC 277: "I'll gouge her eyeballs out if I have to"
Josh Evanoff - July 28, 2022
UFC women’s bantamweight champion Julianna Pena will do whatever it takes to beat Amanda Nunes at UFC 277. The two champions are set to face off in the main event of UFC 277 this Saturday night. The headliner is set to be a rematch of their December 2021 thriller. In that outing, Nunes headed into the bantamweight title defense as a huge favorite.
Dana White blasts reports of Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather 2: "It's all bulls*it"
Josh Evanoff - July 28, 2022
UFC president Dana White has shot down rumors of Conor McGregor returning to boxing. In August 2017, fans were treated to a super fight between two of the biggest combat sports stars ever. At the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, then-lightweight champion McGregor met undefeated professional boxer, Floyd Mayweather.
Daniel Cormier gives take on Khamzat Chimaev vs. Nate Diaz: "I do believe it's a mismatch"
Josh Evanoff - July 28, 2022
UFC commentator Daniel Cormier doesn’t believe the upcoming Khamzat Chimaev vs. Nate Diaz booking is very competitive. The two welterweight stars are set to collide in the main event of UFC 279 in September. The booking came after months of rumors that the two would faceoff. It also came after Diaz begged to fight out his UFC contract for over a year.
Amanda Nunes reflects on The Ultimate Fighter experience with Julianna Pena: "I just think she’s weird"
Josh Evanoff - July 28, 2022
UFC women’s featherweight champion Amanda Nunes has described her experience with Julianna Pena on The Ultimate Fighter. This Saturday night at UFC 277 in Dallas, Texas, the two are set to square off for the second time. Their rematch comes seven months after they fought the first time at UFC 269. The co-main event spot featured Nunes set to make another defense of her bantamweight title.
Orion Cosce wanted to "rebook" Blood Diamond fight, plans to "take him down and get the sub or ground and pound" finish at UFC 277
Cole Shelton - July 28, 2022
Orion Cosce wanted to rebook the Blood Diamond fight after the Kiwi being forced out of their scheduled contest at UFC 275. Cosce and Diamond were booked to fight at UFC 271 but ‘Galaxy’ was forced out of the fight due to COVID-19. Diamond ended up facing Jeremiah Wells and lost by submission.
Julianna Peña takes aim at Valentina Shevchenko ahead of UFC 277: “They had to create a whole other division at 125 because Valentina couldn’t beat Amanda”
Susan Cox - July 28, 2022
Julianna Peña has taken aim at Valentina Shevchenko ahead of UFC 277. Valentina Shevchenko (23-3 MMA) last fought Taila Santos (19-2 MMA) at UFC 275 on June 12th of this year. Shevchenko won via split decision.
Michael Bisping doesn’t believe Paddy Pimblett will receive his desired stadium event: “If Conor McGregor never got his stadium show, which he hasn't, I don't think Paddy is going to”
Susan Cox - July 28, 2022
Michael Bisping doesn’t believe Paddy Pimblett will receive his desired stadium event. Paddy Pimblett has a dream – a dream of competing in front of his hometown crowd at the Anfield Stadium in Liverpool.
UFC 277 | Pro fighters make their picks for Brandon Moreno vs. Kai Kara-France 2 interim title fight
Cole Shelton - July 28, 2022
In the co-main event of UFC 277, Brandon Moreno and Kai Kara-France are set to rematch for the interim flyweight title. Heading into the fight, Moreno is a -235 favorite while the Kiwi is a +180 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The pros are unanimous in thinking Moreno will win the rematch and become the new interim flyweight champion.