MMA News

Chris Taylor - November 27, 2021

A massive fight between top UFC lightweight contenders Islam Makhachev and Beneil Dariush has been booked for February. That news comes from ESPN’s Brett Okamoto who reported the following on Twitter:

Adam D Martin - November 26, 2021

Newly-crowned Bellator lightweight champion Patricky Pitbull pointed out the next challengers for his Bellator lightweight title. Pitbull recently won Bellator’s vacant 155lbs title when he knocked out Peter Queally. The belt was recently vacated by his brother Patricio Pitbull, who let go of his lightweight belt in order to focus on his rematch with AJ McKee for the featherweight crown.

Adam D Martin - November 26, 2021

Former UFC middleweight contender Kevin Holland has announced that he will be dropping down to the welterweight division in 2022. Holland took to his social media this week to officially confirm that he is indeed dropping down to 170lbs next year. For Holland, he has competed in the welterweight division on the regional circuit in the past, but since joining the UFC he has competed at 185lbs.

Cole Shelton - November 26, 2021

In the main event of UFC Vegas 44 on December 4, top-five bantamweights are set to throw down as Rob Font will take on Jose Aldo. Heading into the fight, Font is a -145 favorite while the former featherweight king is a +125 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The majority of pros are picking the underdog in Aldo to be able to outstrike Font and continue his winning ways at bantamweight.

Adam D Martin - November 26, 2021

UFC legend and fan-favorite Diego Sanchez provided a health update on his social media, saying that he has “blood clots in both my legs.” Sanchez took to his social media on Thursday night to let his fans know how he is feeling after contracting COVID-19. According to “The Nightmare,” who posted a photo from his hospital bed, he has both pneumonia and COVID-19, and both ailments have affected his body in a very negative way. According to the former Ultimate Fighter winner, he is now battling blood clots, and he says he has blood clots in both of his legs, which is frightening.

Adam D Martin - November 26, 2021

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton Jackson and boxing legend Shannon Briggs had a backstage encounter at the Triller presser. Jackson and Briggs were both guests ahead of the Triller Triad Combat promotion’s first event this weekend. The organization held its pre-fight press conference this week, and both Jackson and Briggs were on hand for the festivities. The two then ran into each other backstage and got into a war of the words, potentially setting up a future boxing matchup.

Adam D Martin - November 26, 2021

Michael Chandler defended Conor McGregor, saying “anybody who discredits him because he’s lost fights is just either a casual or a hater.” Chandler lost a decision in an all-out war to Justin Gaethje earlier this month at UFC 268, but just days later he was on social media calling out McGregor for his comeback fight next year. It appears McGregor is also interested in the matchup, and there is a very real possibility that we see this fight sometime next year. Speaking on the Bussin with the Boys podcast, Chandler explained why he is so intrigued by a fight against his rival McGregor.

Harry Kettle - November 26, 2021

UFC light heavyweight contender Jiri Prochazka has spoken about his unusual new training partner – a tree. It’s safe to say that there are very few individuals on the face of the planet quite like Jiri Prochazka. The former Rizin star is 2-0 in the UFC after wins over Volkan Oezdemir and Dominick Reyes and at this point, it feels like just a matter of time before he’s given a shot at the 205-pound title.

Cole Shelton - November 25, 2021

Paul Felder has two scenarios in which he ends his retirement and fights again. Felder announced his retirement earlier this year, but it is something he has been hitting about for quite some time. He talked about it after his loss to Dan Hooker, and again after his loss to Rafael dos Anjos. Yet, recently there have been talks about Felder returning, but he says there are only two scenarios in which that happens. One is the Conor McGregor fight while the other is a hometown fight in Philadelphia.

Cole Shelton - November 25, 2021

A fantastic featherweight fight has been added to an upcoming card in March as Edson Barboza will take on Bryce Mitchell. According to MMAJunkie, Barboza and Mitchell have verbally agreed to fight one another on March 5. The event does not have a location or main event, and it’s uncertain if it will be a Fight Night card at this time. No other fights have also been announced or reported for the card.

Adam D Martin - November 25, 2021

UFC bantamweight contender Rob Font explained the “extra motivation” he has to beat the legend Jose Aldo at UFC Vegas 44. Font is coming off of an impressive five-round decision win over Cody Garbrandt at a UFC Fight Night card earlier this year. He is likely one more win away from getting a title shot, so when he meets Aldo at UFC Vegas 44, there is a lot on the line. Speaking to John Hyon Ko of The AllStar, Font explained the “extra motivation” he has to defeat the legend.

Cole Shelton - November 25, 2021

Vince Morales was surprised when he got the fight offer to face Louis Smolka at UFC Vegas 44 on December 4. Morales is Ricky Simon’s cousin, who is a training partner of Smolka. Although that has put Simon in a weird position, Morales does expect the fight to be a good one.

Adam D Martin - November 25, 2021

UFC welterweight Colby Covington commented on the state of Conor McGregor’s career, saying that “it’s sad to see, man. It’s a big downfall.” Covington is coming off of a close loss to UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman in their rematch at UFC 268 earlier this month. McGregor, meanwhile, hasn’t competed since breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier in their trilogy fight back at UFC 264 in August. He is hoping to step back into the Octagon in 2022, but despite being out on the sidelines with a broken leg, McGregor has continued to open his loud mouth from his seat on social media.

Adam D Martin - November 25, 2021

UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman commented on a potential Georges St-Pierre fight, suggesting that “I know he doesn’t want it.” Usman is currently the best welterweight in the sport. He is the UFC champion with a perfect 15-0 record in the world’s leading MMA promotion, and he is the No. 1 ranked pound-for-pound fighter in the sport. At this point, most people consider Usman to be the second-greatest welterweight fighter in UFC history, right behind GSP. Of course, these two could potentially fight and settle the debate for good on who the better man truly is. But if you ask Usman, he doesn’t believe that GSP actually wants to step into the cage with him.

Adam D Martin - November 25, 2021

MMA coach John Kavanagh joked that his pupil Conor McGregor has “got a hundred opponents lined up” for his upcoming UFC return in 2022. McGregor is coming off of back-to-back TKO losses to Dustin Poirier earlier this year, the second of which saw the Irishman suffer a nasty broken leg in his defeat. The hope is that McGregor will continue to make progress in his recovery from the broken leg and then return to fighting in 2022. When he does eventually step back into the Octagon, then his coach at SBG Ireland, Kavanagh, believes there will be no shortage of potential opponents.

Adam D Martin - November 25, 2021

UFC bantamweight contender Sean O’Malley reaffirmed his interest in fighting rising star Adrian Yanez, saying “that’s a sick fight.” O’Malley called out Yanez after his “Fight of the Night” victory over Davey Grant at UFC Vegas 43. Yanez, however, suggested that O’Malley wasn’t being serious about the callout. “Suga,” though, confirmed that he is in fact interested in this fight, and he is hoping the UFC sets this fight up for next March should O’Malley beat Raulian Paiva at UFC 269.

Drake Riggs - November 24, 2021

Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane shared an awkward moment backstage at UFC 268. However, the undisputed champ doesn’t believe it happened naturally. When walking out to find his seat to enjoy the card, Ngannou would walk past Gane and his team who were there cornering Nassourdine Imavov. Clearly ignoring the interim champion and his former head coach, Ngannou shared his side of the viral clip.

Cole Shelton - November 24, 2021

Dan Hooker already has his eyes on a possible opponent if he does indeed drop back down to featherweight. Hooker recently revealed he was thinking of dropping down to 145lbs and did a test cut where he made the weight with ease. Now, after the test cut was successful, he says it’s a very real possibility his next fight is at featherweight as he says it’s time to start doing what the rest of the fighters are doing and that is cutting weight.