MMA News
Former UFC standout Chris Leben hospitalized with COVID-19
Harry Kettle - February 8, 2022
Former UFC middleweight Chris Leben has announced that he’s been hospitalized as a result of a bout with COVID-19. Leben, 41, has been heralded as a true MMA veteran by many fans after the years of commitment he gave to the sport. His time in the UFC featured a lot of ups and downs, including a highlight reel loss to Anderson Silva and big knockout wins over the likes of Wanderlei Silva and Mike Swick.
Just Scrap Radio Ep. 66 with Robert Whittaker, Renato Moicano, Roxanne Modafferi, Kyler Phillips, and Jared Vanderaa
Cole Shelton - February 8, 2022
The 66th episode of Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com with host Cole Shelton is here ahead of UFC 271. We’re first joined by one-half of the main event in the top-ranked middleweight contender and former middleweight champion, Robert Whittaker (2:53). UFC lightweight, Renato Moicano (15:35) then stops by. 12th-ranked women’s flyweight, Roxanne Modafferi (28:06) joins the show. UFC bantamweight, Kyler Phillips (38:30) then comes on. Closing out the show is UFC heavyweight, Jared Vanderaa (49:28).
Michael Bisping would “love the opportunity” to get in the ring or the cage with one of the Paul brothers
Harry Kettle - February 8, 2022
UFC commentator Michael Bisping has said he would love the opportunity to fight either Logan Paul or Jake Paul. The last few years have seen the Paul brothers, and Jake especially, vault into relevancy within the combat sports space. From fighting Floyd Mayweather to knocking out former UFC champions, it’s been a rollercoaster ride that shows no signs of slowing down just yet.
Rumble CEO offers Joe Rogan a no-censorship deal worth $100 million to switch platforms
Harry Kettle - February 8, 2022
The CEO of Rumble has offered Joe Rogan a deal worth $100 million over four years to switch to their platform from Spotify. The last few weeks have been a whirlwind for Joe Rogan after a video compilation of him saying the N-word went viral. Understandably, this caused quite the backlash on social media, with many fans being split between supporting him and tearing him down.
Dana White shares graphic picture of Kamaru Usman's hand surgery (Photo)
Cole Shelton - February 7, 2022
Kamaru Usman went under the knife for his hand and Dana White has shared a graphic photo of the procedure. Usman had the surgery to repair a ligament after suffering a broken hand in his UFC 268 fight against Colby Covington. The hope for the welterweight champ is that he will be ready to return at International Fight Week in July, but the process of the surgery was not a pretty sight.
Julianna Pena explains excitement behind Amanda Nunes rematch: "I want to silence the naysayers"
Josh Evanoff - February 7, 2022
Julianna Pena is currently set to face Amanda Nunes later this year in a highly-anticipated rematch. The UFC bantamweight champion has given her reason why she’s so excited to fight ‘The Lioness’ again. Pena and Nunes are currently coaching the 30th season of The Ultimate Fighter. During media day for the show, ‘The Venezuelan Vixen’ shared excitement over facing her rival once again.
Jorge Masvidal eager to "expose" Colby Covington at UFC 272: "He’s very limited"
Cole Shelton - February 7, 2022
Jorge Masvidal plans to expose Colby Covington at UFC 272. Masvidal and Covington are set to headline the pay-per-view in a highly-anticipated bout. The two are former roommates and best friends but had a massive falling out. They don’t like each other and ‘Gamebred’ says he’s excited to be able to get paid to punch Covington in the face and expose him to the world.
Anthony Pettis reveals "Showtime Kick" bonus for his new promotion
Josh Evanoff - February 7, 2022
Showtime Fighting Championship’s inaugural show is this Friday. Ahead of the event, its creator Anthony Pettis has revealed a fun bonus on the table. Last year, the former UFC lightweight champion announced that he was starting his own promotion. Dubbed “Showtime FC”, the first show was set for February 11th. Now just days out from the event, ‘Showtime’ has announced that the promotion will have a unique bonus structure.
Julian Erosa says he "took more money off" Steven Peterson than his entire purse, eyes Alex Caceres or Hakeem Dawodu next
Cole Shelton - February 7, 2022
Julian Erosa made a lot more money than he expected on Saturday. Erosa opened up the UFC Vegas 47 main card against Steven Peterson in a highly anticipated bout. The fight exceeded expectations as the combatants went to war for the full fifteen minutes. In the end, it was Erosa who won the contest by split decision. Although the plan was for Erosa to be more technical, he is happy that the fight was entertaining.
Nick Maximov praises the Diaz Brothers: "I think Nick and Nate are the greatest martial artists to grace the Octagon"
Josh Evanoff - February 7, 2022
Nick Maximov has thrown praise towards his trainer partners’ direction. The middleweight prospect is coming off back-to-back victories inside the UFC Octagon. He’s received lots of attention thanks to his association with the famed Diaz brothers, as he’s trained with Nick and Nate for years.
What's next for Sean Strickland after Jack Hermansson after UFC Vegas 47?
Cole Shelton - February 7, 2022
In the main event of UFC Vegas 47, top-10 middleweights collided as Sean Strickland battled Jack Hermansson in a crucial fight for the division. Strickland entered the fight being undefeated since moving up to middleweight and coming off a decision win over Uriah Hall in a main event scrap in July. Hermansson, meanwhile, returned to the win column last time out with a decision win over Edmen Shahbazyan.
Rashad Evans unsure if he'll fight again after Eagle FC win: "I got the win I have been so desperate to get"
Cole Shelton - February 7, 2022
Rashad Evans always wanted to end his career on a win and he may have just done that. Evans ended his near four-year retirement to return at Eagle FC 44 where he fought Gabriel Checco. He entered the fight on a five-fight losing streak but he says the pandemic is a key reason as to why he even wanted to fight again.
CEO Daniel Ek says Joe Rogan’s comments are “incredibly hurtful” but he still has a home at Spotify
Susan Cox - February 7, 2022
It seems every day you read or watch the news, the headlines include Joe Rogan. While many say there’s no such thing as bad publicity, I’m sure even Joe is getting tired of all the controversy concerning his podcast ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’.
Michael Bisping on a potential interim heavyweight title fight between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic: “If anyone deserves it, it's Stipe”
Susan Cox - February 7, 2022
Michael Bisping on his YouTube ‘Believe You Me’ podcast discussed a potential interim heavyweight title fight between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic. Jon Jones, (26-1 MMA) only defeat was a controversial disqualification against Matt Hamill (12-8 MMA) back in December 2009. To this day, many in the MMA community, including Dana White, believe the fight should’ve been a KO/TKO win for Jon Jones.
Coach Eugene Bareman would like to see a “five-round whitewash” from Israel Adesanya in rematch with Robert Whittaker
Susan Cox - February 7, 2022
This coming Saturday, February 12th at UFC 271 in Houston will feature the much anticipated Adesanya vs Whittaker 2. The two fighters met up back at UFC 243 in October 2019 with Adesanya (21-1 MMA) beating Whittaker (24-5 MMA) by a second round knockout.
Dustin Poirier hints at possible retirement, plays down fighting Conor McGregor or Nate Diaz
Harry Kettle - February 7, 2022
Dustin Poirier has hinted at retiring from mixed martial arts whilst also playing down the idea of fighting Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz. Ever since his defeat to Charles Oliveira at UFC 269, questions have been circulating across the MMA sphere regarding the future of Dustin Poirier. While he’s quite clearly still an elite lightweight, the talk of him getting straight back into the Octagon against Nate Diaz appears to have died down.
Shavkat Rakhmonov is annoyed by comparisons to Khamzat Chimaev: “I’m saying wait, we’ll see when the time comes”
Harry Kettle - February 7, 2022
Shavkat Rakhmonov has spoken about his frustration at consistently being compared to fellow undefeated fighter Khamzat Chimaev. This past weekend, Shavkat Rakhmonov confirmed what many of us already knew – he’s a big problem for the UFC’s welterweight division. The 27-year-old tore through Carlston Harris like a hot knife through butter with a vicious first round knockout, taking his UFC record to 3-0 and his overall mixed martial arts record to 15-0.
Jon Anik explains why the UFC won’t take a chance on Jake Paul like they did with CM Punk: “We just don't need him”
Harry Kettle - February 7, 2022
Jon Anik has explained why he doesn’t believe the UFC will sign Jake Paul, in what would likely be a similar signing to CM Punk. It’s now become fairly common for mixed martial arts fans to hear the name “Jake Paul” in every other article they read, largely because “The Problem Child” can’t stay out of the spotlight. From his diss track about Dana White to his constant fighter pay talk, the YouTuber turned pro boxer certainly knows how to market himself.