MMA News
Paige VanZant vs. Charisa Sigala at BKFC London in August
Josh Evanoff - July 8, 2022
BKFC women’s flyweight contender Paige VanZant will return in August. ’12 Gauge’ signed to BKFC in August 2020, in a shocking move. While she was a star in the UFC, she had never competed in boxing, bare-knuckle, or otherwise to that point. She was set for her debut Britain Hart in February 2021.
Carla Esparza gives injury update, confirms she'll fight by end of 2022
Josh Evanoff - July 8, 2022
UFC strawweight champion Carla Esparza will be in the octagon by the end of the year. ‘Cookie Monster’ faced off against Rose Namajunas at UFC 274 in May. It was a rematch of their showdown in December 2014, where Esparza won via submission. At UFC 274, the latter moved to 2-0 in the series, as she defeated ‘Thug Rose’ by a split decision.
Cody Brundage believes Tresean Gore is "a regional level fighter," confident he will find the finish at UFC Vegas 58
Cole Shelton - July 8, 2022
Cody Brundage is looking to extend his win streak to two when he faces Tresean Gore at UFC Vegas 58. Gore was supposed to face Josh Fremd who is Brundage’s teammate, but Fremd got hurt and was forced out of the bout. Once that happened, Brundage offered to step up and the promotion quickly made the fight.
Islam Makhachev accepts “easy money” fight with Michael Chandler
Susan Cox - July 8, 2022
Islam Makhachev is accepting an ‘easy money’ fight with Michael Chandler. Makhachev (22-1 MMA) has a stellar record of 10 wins in a row, the latest being against Bobby Green (29-13 MMA) in February of this year.
Luke Rockhold reacts to Sean Strickland’s knockout loss to Alex Pereira at UFC 276: “I think he got conned by the system”
Susan Cox - July 8, 2022
Luke Rockhold has reacted to Sean Strickland’s knockout loss to Alex Pereira at UFC 276. It was Sean Strickland (25-4 MMA) vs Alex Pereira (6-1 MMA) in a middleweight bout last Saturday, July 2nd at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada. The result was Pereira thrusting a devastating left hook dropping Strickland to the canvas at 2:36 of the first round.
Alexander Volkanovksi set for surgery after suffering a broken thumb in trilogy fight with Max Holloway (Photo)
Susan Cox - July 8, 2022
Alexander Volkanovski is set to have surgery after suffering a broken thumb in the trilogy fight with Max Holloway. Volkanovski (25-1 MMA) vs Holloway (23-7 MMA) took place last Saturday, July 2nd at UFC 276. It was to be a victory for ‘The Great’ by unanimous decision. Although Volkanovski retained his featherweight title, he did suffer an injury during the bout.
Islam Makhachev responds to Michael Chandler callout: "Easy money"
Josh Evanoff - July 7, 2022
UFC lightweight Islam Makhachev seems interested in a showdown with Michael Chandler. Earlier this week, ‘Iron’ called out the Russian earlier this week. With the UFC lightweight title being vacant, Chandler called for the fight to be a championship bout. The main reasoning is that former champion Charles Oliveira wants to fight Conor McGregor.
Tony Kelley removed from UFC roster following knockout loss to Adrian Yanez
Josh Evanoff - July 7, 2022
UFC bantamweight Tony Kelley is officially out of the UFC. The 35-year-old is fresh off his knockout loss to Adrian Yanez last month at UFC Austin. Prior to the bout, he missed weight. The defeat ended his two-fight winning streak heading into the bout. Furthermore, the loss was apparently enough for the UFC to cut ties with Kelley.
Sean O'Malley calls out Henry Cejudo after recent altercation: "Sept 10th to soon fat ass or you all talk"
Cole Shelton - July 7, 2022
Sean O’Malley is looking to fight Henry Cejudo his next time out. After O’Malley had a No Contest against Pedro Munhoz at UFC 276, Cejudo interrupted ‘Suga’s’ backstage interview and was heckling them. Since then, the two have taken shots including Cejudo saying O’Malley was studdering his words and is confident he would dominate the bantamweight prospect.
Chris Pratt apologizes to Israel Adesanya following comments made after UFC 276 fight: "It makes me a hypocrite to do exactly that to you"
Cole Shelton - July 7, 2022
Actors Chris Pratt has apologized to Israel Adesanya following his comments after UFC 276. In the main event of the International Fight Week card, Adesanya was defending his middleweight title against Jared Cannonier. In the lead-up to the fight, Adesanya vowed to do something spectacular but it was far from that. Instead, Adesanya won a lackluster decision and after the fight, Pratt was on the post-fight show and was critical of the champ’s performance.
Henry Cejudo tells the UFC to “stop pushing” middleweight champion Israel Adesanya: “It was lame, dude. You gotta start giving, main events are special”
Susan Cox - July 7, 2022
Henry Cejudo is telling the UFC to ‘stop pushing’ middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. Adesanya (23-1 MMA) is just fresh off a win against Jared Cannonier (15-6 MMA) at UFC 276 last Saturday night. The victory was via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 50-45), resulting in ‘Izzy’ retaining his middleweight title.
Chris Curtis replaces Darren Till against Jack Hermansson at UFC London
Susan Cox - July 7, 2022
Chris Curtis is replacing Darren Till against Jack Hermansson at UFC London. UFC London takes place on Saturday, July 23rd at the O2 Arena in Peninsula Square, London, England.
Pedro Munhoz reveals he has received threats against his family following fight with Sean O’Malley at UFC 276
Susan Cox - July 7, 2022
Pedro Munhoz is revealing that he has received threats against his family following his fight with Sean O’Malley. Munhoz (19-7 MMA) and O’Malley (15-1 MMA) entered the Octagon last Saturday, July 2nd at UFC 276 in a bantamweight bout. The result was a no contest ruling at 3:09 of round 2.
XMMA 5 showcases seven former UFC fighters including Jesse Taylor
Cole Shelton - July 7, 2022
XMMA is set for its fifth show and has a plethora of former UFC fighters. XMMA 5 is set to take place at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina, and streams free on YouTube on July 23. The promotion has been known to have former UFC fighters as the previous four main events were Andre Fialho vs. James Vick at XMMA 1. XMMA 2 took place in July 2021 with a Ben Saunders vs. Ramsey Nijem main event. Their third event took place in October as XMMA 3 headlined by Cody Gibson vs. John Dodson. XMMA 4 took place on April 2, headlined by John Dodson vs. Francisco Rivera.
Henry Cejudo details UFC 276 confrontation with Sean O’Malley: “I should start calling him stuttering Sean how he tripped over his own damn words”
Cole Shelton - July 7, 2022
Henry Cejudo has opened up on his UFC 276 confrontation with Sean O’Malley after his fight. Cejudo was backstage at UFC 276 and after O’Malley’s fight against Pedro Munhoz was ruled a No Contest, ‘Triple C’ crashed his interview and had some words for O’Malley. The video then went viral and now Cejudo has opened up on the verbal altercation and ripped O’Malley.
Pro fighters make their picks for Rafael dos Anjos vs. Rafael Fiziev
Cole Shelton - July 7, 2022
In the main event of UFC Vegas 58, top-10 lightweights collide as Rafael dos Anjos takes on Rafael Fiziev. Heading into the fight, dos Anjos is a +186 underdog while Fiziev is a -245 favorite on FanDuel. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The pros are leaning towards Fiziev getting the job done as many think his striking will be too much.
James Krause says he has "no intention or desire" to fight again but would "if the perfect scenario was put in front of me"
Cole Shelton - July 6, 2022
James Krause won’t say he is retired but says it is unlikely he will fight again. Krause has not fought since October of 2020 when he beat Claudio Silva by decision. He took that fight and the fight prior on short notice as he has been busy coaching. Although he has not officially retired he says it is unlikely he will step into the Octagon again.
Darren Till out of UFC London fight with Jack Hermansson
Josh Evanoff - July 6, 2022
UFC middleweight contender Darren Till is officially out of UFC London. ‘The Gorilla’ was set to return later this month for the first time since his defeat to Derek Brunson last September. The loss was a derailing one, as Till hoped to secure a title shot with a victory.