MMA News
Michael Bisping previews Khamzat Chimaev vs. Nate Diaz: "He's going to run over him"
Josh Evanoff - July 21, 2022
Former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping isn’t very interested in Khamzat Chimaev fighting Nate Diaz. The Stockton-native has been very vocal about his want to leave the UFC. Diaz last competed against Leon Edwards at UFC 263 last June. The bout saw him lose via unanimous decision, however, not before nearly finishing his foe in the last round.
Daniel Cormier shoots down idea of Frankie Edgar retirement fight with Dominick Cruz: "I don't need to see him fight against a contender"
Josh Evanoff - July 21, 2022
Former UFC dual-weight champion Daniel Cormier isn’t a fan of the proposed Frankie Edgar vs. Dominick Cruz fight. ‘The Answer’ has been out of the cage since his knockout loss to Marlon Vera at UFC 268 last November. The defeat was the fourth, in the last five contests for Edgar. Recently, the 40-year-old announced that he would retire later this year.
Jonathan Pearce confident he'll finish Makwan Amirkhani at UFC London: "He doesn't have the will to win like I do"
Cole Shelton - July 21, 2022
Jonathan Pearce was excited when he got the call about fighting Makwan Amirkhani at UFC London. Pearce is 3-1 in the UFC but is 3-0 at 145lbs after losing to Joe Lauzon in his promotional debut. He will now get another big-name opponent in Amirkhani, who Pearce is excited to fight.
Brendan Schaub encourages Conor McGregor to fight Tony Ferguson next: "You gotta get a win"
Josh Evanoff - July 21, 2022
Brendan Schaub believes former UFC dual-weight champion Conor McGregor should fight Tony Ferguson next. ‘The Notorious’ has been out of the cage since his loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 last July. The fight saw him lose via TKO due to injury, as McGregor broke his leg. Due to the injury, the former champion has been on the shelf for over a year.
Jon Jones responds to criticism from UFC heavyweight Curtis Blaydes: “Bro you literally sound ridiculous”
Susan Cox - July 21, 2022
Jon Jones has responded to the recent criticism he received from UFC heavyweight Curtis Blaydes. Curtis Blaydes (16-3 MMA) will be entering the Octagon this coming Saturday, July 23rd in the heavyweight main event with Tom Aspinall (12-2 MMA).
Darren Till plans to take a more controlled relaxed approach over the next 10 years: “My body is brittle through years of hard torment day in day out”
Cole Shelton - July 21, 2022
UFC fighter Darren Till has opened up on his career as he continues to deal with injuries. Till was set to face Jack Hermansson in the co-main event of UFC London, but he had to pull out due to an injury. He was replaced by Chris Curtis and it was later revealed that the Brit planned to help corner his replacement. However, in a statement on Twitter, Till confirmed he won’t be cornering Curtis and also offered some details on the injuries hindering his career.
Michael Chandler is still focused on fighting Conor McGregor his next time out: “That Poirier fight is going to be there forever”
Susan Cox - July 21, 2022
Michael Chandler is still focused on fighting Conor McGregor his next time out. Michael Chandler (23-7 MMA) is just coming off a knockout victory over Tony Ferguson (25-7 MMA) at UFC 274 in May of this year. Prior to the win, ‘Iron’ had 2 losses in a row, to Justin Gaethje (23-4 MMA) and Charles Oliveira (33-8 MMA) respectively.
Pro fighters make their picks for Curtis Blaydes vs. Tom Aspinall
Cole Shelton - July 21, 2022
In the main event of UFC London, an intriguing heavyweight clash headlines the card as Curtis Blaydes takes on rising contender Tom Aspinall. Heading into the fight, Blaydes is a +114 underdog while the Brit is a -146 favorite on FanDuel. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. Heading into the fight, the pros are slightly leaning towards Aspinall to get the win at home and prove he’s a legit contender.
Alexander Gustafsson explains why he decided to return to the UFC’s light heavyweight division: “That’s my division. So I’m back.”
Cole Shelton - July 21, 2022
Alexander Gustafsson will be making his return to the UFC’s light heavyweight division at Saturday’s event in London. Gustafsson has not fought since July of 2020 when he moved up to heavyweight and was submitted by Fabricio Werdum. Prior to that setback, ‘The Mauler’ lost by TKO to Jon Jones for the belt and after his submission loss to Anthony Smith, he announced his retirement from the sport. However, he ended up coming back for the Werdum fight at heavyweight which ultimately didn’t go his way.
UFC welterweight contender Belal Muhammad extends offer to Nate Diaz following Khamzat Chimaev fight booking: “Hit my line”
Cole Shelton - July 21, 2022
Belal Muhammad has offered to train Nate Diaz ahead of his UFC 279 main event fight against Khamzat Chimaev. After Chimaev beat Gilbert Burns at UFC 273, Muhammad made it known he wanted to fight the Swede next time out. Yet, the promotion decided to go with the Diaz fight, and now after the bout has been made, Muhammad has made it clear that he would be willing to train with Diaz and hopes the Stockton native wins.
Brian Ortega issues statement following loss to Yair Rodriguez at UFC Long Island: “Sorry to keep you guys waiting just been a rough couple of days”
Susan Cox - July 21, 2022
Brian Ortega has issued a statement following his loss to Yair Rodriguez at UFC Long Island. It was just last Saturday, July 16th when Brian Ortega (15-3 MMA) fought Yair Rodriguez (15-3 MMA) in the featherweight main event at UFC Long Island.
Alexander Volkanovski reveals he politely asked Max Holloway to “get the f**k out of my division” immediately following their trilogy fight at UFC 276
Cole Shelton - July 21, 2022
Alexander Volkanovski shared some advice to Max Holloway following UFC 276. In the lead-up to the fight, Volkanovski and Holloway seemed to be getting angry at one another as they exchanged heated jabs at the press conference. It was to be a massive fight for both men’s legacy and in the fight, Volkanovski pitched a shutout as he won all five rounds convincingly.
Read the letter UFC President Dana White sent to the judge overseeing the Cain Velasquez case
Jeffrey Walter - July 20, 2022
UFC President Dana White sent the judge of the Santa Clara Superior Court a letter supporting former heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez. Velasquez (14-3 MMA) was arrested in California on charges of attempted murder back in February. The 39-year-old was reportedly chasing after and shooting at Harry Goularte, a man accused of molesting Cain’s 4-year-old son. During the chaos Velasquez accidently shot another passenger of Harry’s vehicle in the arm. The former heavyweight champion was later arrested and could now face up to twenty years in prison for his actions.
Beneil Dariush vs. Mateusz Gamrot added to UFC 280
Cole Shelton - July 20, 2022
Beneil Dariush will be making his return in October. According to ESPN, Dariush is set to fae Mateusz Gamrot at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi on October 22. It’s a pivotal fight for the lightweight division and according to Dariush, it is a title eliminator. The main event of the card sees the lightweight title up for grabs as Charles Oliveira takes on Islam Makhachev.
Sean O'Malley opens as betting underdog for the first time in his career against Petr Yan
Cole Shelton - July 20, 2022
Sean O’Malley will be in unfamiliar territory when he faces Petr Yan. On Wednesday, O’Malley surprised many as he announced he would be fighting Yan at UFC 280 on October 22 in Abu Dhabi. It’s a fight he has wanted for quite some time but it is a massive step-up in competition for ‘Suga’ and should he win, he would likely get a title shot.
Sean O'Malley reacts after booking fight with Petr Yan at UFC 280: "I'm better than Petr at what we're going to do, and that's f*cking fighting"
Josh Evanoff - July 20, 2022
UFC bantamweight star Sean O’Malley is confident ahead of his showdown with Petr Yan. ‘Sugar’ is fresh off his no-contest outing against Pedro Munhoz at UFC 276 earlier this month. The bout was hyped as the biggest test of his career so far, the fight sadly ended in the second round after an eye poke. For his part, O’Malley later claimed victory over Munhoz on Twitter.
Ben Askren reflects on boxing match with Jake Paul: "Turning it down would have been both cowardly and limiting my opportunity"
Josh Evanoff - July 20, 2022
Ben Askren is glad he took a boxing match with Jake Paul. ‘Funky’ retired from MMA in November 2019, following a loss to Demian Maia. With that, he also ended his UFC stint, holding a 1-2 record. While he debuted with a win over Robbie Lawler, he then suffered subsequent defeats to Jorge Masvidal and the aforementioned Maia.
Valentina Shevchenko decides against bantamweight move: "At this moment, it's not happening"
Josh Evanoff - July 20, 2022
Despite her previous comments, UFC women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko will remain at 125-pounds. ‘The Bullet’ is fresh off her split-decision victory over Talia Santos at UFC 275 last month. Despite entering the contest as a big favorite, Shevchenko faced the biggest challenge of her flyweight run. The champion was taken down multiple times in the opening rounds.