MMA News
Maycee Barber sees herself challenging for UFC gold within two years: "I want to make sure I'm fully prepared for that"
Josh Evanoff - July 13, 2022
UFC women’s flyweight contender Maycee Barber sees herself fighting for gold soon. ‘The Future’ is fresh off a unanimous decision victory over Jessica Eye at UFC 276 earlier this month. The win moved her current winning streak to three. Barber had previously captured victories over Montana De La Rosa and Miranda Maverick.
Yair Rodriguez believes "it’s going to be important to have a really good strategy and stick to it" against Brian Ortega at UFC Long Island
Cole Shelton - July 13, 2022
Yair Rodriguez knows Brian Ortega will be a tough out at UFC Long Island on Saturday. Rodriguez and Ortega are set to headline the card in a pivotal fight for the featherweight division as the winner could get a title shot. Although the Mexican is coming off a loss to Max Holloway last time out, he says that fight taught him a lot including having a good strategy.
Jan Blachowicz open to Kamaru Usman showdown: "Why not?"
Josh Evanoff - July 13, 2022
Jan Blachowicz is open to a fight with UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. The Poland-native is fresh off a TKO victory over Aleksandar Rakic at UFC Vegas 54 in May. Blachowicz hopes that the win was enough to secure a title shot next time out. However, if he doesn’t end up fighting Jiri Prochazka, he’d be fine with another fight.
Darren Till says he would've finished Marvin Vettori in the first round when they were booked in 2021: "He just wouldn’t have been able to take my shots"
Cole Shelton - July 13, 2022
Darren Till believes he would’ve finished Marvin Vettori when they were scheduled to fight in April of 2021. Till and Vettori were set to headline UFC on ABC 2 but unfortunately just a few weeks before the event, the Brit broke his collarbone and was forced out of the fight. Vettori then fought Kevin Holland who he beat and proceeded to get a title shot against Israel Adesanya in the fight after.
Chael Sonnen goes to bat for UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya: “We’re seeing greatness and we’re trying to beat him the only way we know how: verbally”
Susan Cox - July 13, 2022
Chael Sonnen has a message for fighters and fans critical of UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. It was Israel Adesanya (23-1 MMA) who retained his title for a fifth time when he defeated Jared Cannonier (15-6 MMA) at UFC 276 on July 2nd of this year.
Diego Ferreira out of UFC 277 fight against Drakkar Klose
Cole Shelton - July 13, 2022
Diego Ferreira will no longer be fighting in front of his adopted home of Dallas, Texas. Multiple sources informed BJPENN.com that Ferreira has been forced to pull out of his UFC 277 fight against Drakkar Klose due to an injury. The UFC is actively searching for an opponent to replace Ferreira and face Klose, the sources said, but it is uncertain if one will be found on two weeks’ notice.
UFC fighters react after Dana White surprises Kyle from Nelk Boys with $250,000 in cash for his birthday
Susan Cox - July 13, 2022
UFC fighters have reacted after Dana White surprises Kyle from Nelk Boys with $250,000 in cash for his birthday. The Nelk Boys, is a Canadian-American YouTube channel and entertainment company. They are known for their prank videos, vlogs, and their brand ‘Full Send Entertainment’.
Felice Herrig explains why she ended retirement to sign with BKFC, reveals they "tripled my UFC contract"
Cole Shelton - July 13, 2022
Felice Herrig ended her retirement rather quickly. After Herrig suffered a submission loss to Karolina Kowalkiewicz in June she announced her retirement from MMA. Yet, she recently signed with BKFC, and according to Herrig, she retired from MMA, not from fighting.
Nate Diaz slams Khabib Nurmagomedov following UFC Hall of Fame induction: “You are a scared fighter”
Harry Kettle - July 13, 2022
Nate Diaz has taken a shot at Khabib Nurmagomedov and his Hall of Fame induction as the cold war between the two continues. Over the course of the last few years there hasn’t exactly been much ‘peace’ between Nate Diaz and his UFC rivals. The Stockton king enjoys going after them both physically and on social media, and while he hasn’t fought as often as many fans would’ve liked, he still knows how to keep us entertained.
Brian Ortega reveals he was going to "quit" MMA if he lost to Thiago Tavares in 2015: "I wasn't making money, I had 75 dollars to my name"
Cole Shelton - July 12, 2022
Brian Ortega nearly retired from MMA in 2015. Ortega agreed to fight Thiago Tavares on short notice after his UFC debut was overturned following him testing positive for drostanolone which saw him get suspended for nine months and fined $2500. Entering the fight, Ortega was the betting underdog and before the two weighed in, Tavares came up to Ortega and thanked him for taking the fight.
13 years after rematch, Frank Mir still hunting for Brock Lesnar trilogy fight: "I would be game"
Josh Evanoff - July 12, 2022
Former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir wouldn’t mind facing Brock Lesnar again. The two had one of the most high-profile rivalries in UFC history. Mir and Lesnar first faced off at UFC 81, in the latter’s first UFC appearance. Despite early success, the jiu-jitsu ace wound up catching the pro-wrestler in a submission to secure the victory.
Brendan Schaub hits back at fans criticizing Paige VanZant's BKFC return: "She doesn't have to do this s*it"
Josh Evanoff - July 12, 2022
Brendan Schaub isn’t a fan of those who criticize Paige VanZant’s fighting career. The 28-year-old was last seen in action against Rachel Ostovich at BKFC 19. She went on to lose that fight by unanimous decision, knocking her bare-knuckle record to 0-2. VanZant had previously lost her debut to Britain Hart in February 2021.
Kamaru Usman targets light-heavyweight move after Leon Edwards fight: "That's what we want"
Josh Evanoff - July 12, 2022
UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman is ready to move up in weight. ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ is set to face Leon Edwards in the main event of UFC 278 next month. The bout is a rematch of their December 2015 encounter. That bout wound up being won by Usman via unanimous decision.
Nate Diaz claims the UFC has offered him more money for his next fight but says he’s not interested: “I just want to depart and recover from this whole shit”
Cole Shelton - July 12, 2022
Nate Diaz has made it clear he wants out of the UFC. It has been well-documented that Diaz has one fight left on his contract and he has been vocal about wanting to fight it out and go to free agency. However, he has not got a fight booked as the UFC is trying to re-sign him but for Diaz he just wants out of his contract.
Charles Oliveira issues a warning to Alex Volkanovksi following talks of his possible move to lightweight
Susan Cox - July 12, 2022
Charles Oliveira has issued a warning to Alex Volkanovski following talks of his possible move to the UFC lightweight division. It’s true that Volkanovski (25-1 MMA) is just coming off a victory against Max Holloway (23-7 MMA) at UFC 276 on July 2nd. It was the third time the two featherweights had met in the Octagon and the third loss for ‘Blessed‘. Volkanovski seems to be impossible to beat, his only defeat was way back in 2013 against Corey Nelson (19-8 MMA).
Dustin Jacoby expecting a "15-minute war" against "durable" Da Un Jung at UFC Long Island: "I'm there to defend my spot"
Cole Shelton - July 12, 2022
Dustin Jacoby has been in talks to fight Da Un Jung to fight in the past, so he’s excited it’s finally coming to fruition at UFC Long Island. Jacoby is coming off a decision win over Michal Oleksiejczuk in a fight he barely threw any kicks due to an ankle injury. Given kicks are a big part of his game, he needed to take some time off and now that he’s healthy he’s excited to return on Saturday at UFC Long Island.
Coach Javier Mendez weighs in on a potential fight between Islam Makhachev and Alex Volkanovksi: “I don’t think he poses as big a threat to Islam as you would think”
Susan Cox - July 12, 2022
Coach Javier Mendez has weighed in on a potential fight between Islam Makhachev and Alex Volkanovski. Javier Mendez, 51, one of Makhachev’s coaches has weighed in on who might be a potential threat to his lightweight fighter.
UFC Long Island: ‘Ortega vs. Rodriguez’ Fight Card and Start Times
Susan Cox - July 12, 2022
The ‘UFC Long Island – Ortega vs Rodriguez’ fight card and start times have been announced. The UFC is headed to Long Island, the UBS Arena in Elmont, New York on Saturday July 16, 2022.