MMA News
Kevin Lee removed from UFC rankings pool following suspension for Adderall
Adam D Martin - October 27, 2021
Current UFC welterweight and former lightweight fighter Kevin Lee was removed from the UFC rankings pool following a suspension for Adderall. Lee was recently suspended indefinitely following a positive test for Adderall following his unanimous decision loss to Daniel Rodriguez this past summer. Lee had been given a prescription for the drug by his doctor, but he did not inform the Nevada Athletic Commission about it and did not apply for a TUE (therapeutic use exemption). Because Lee did not follow the protocols correctly, he is now suspended. He has accepted full responsibility for the situation, though he has denied trying to cheat.
Khabib Nurmagomedov praises Islam Makhachev ahead of UFC 267: "He's top-10 in pound-for-pound right now"
Adam D Martin - October 27, 2021
Former UFC lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov praised Islam Makhachev ahead of UFC 267, saying “he’s top-10 in pound-for-pound right now.” Nurmagomerdov and Makhachev are longtime friends as well as training partners at American Kickboxing Academy. Nurmagomedov was the former UFC lightweight champion and is considered by many to be one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time. But he retired earlier this year, and he essentially passed the torch on to Makhachev to continue the legacy of Russian lightweight champions. There have been many who have said that Makhachev has what it takes to be the next Nurmagomedov.
UFC 267 | Pro fighters make their picks for Jan Blachowicz vs. Glover Teixiera title fight
Cole Shelton - October 27, 2021
In the main event of UFC 267, Jan Blachowicz is set to defend his light heavyweight title for the second time as he battles Glover Teixeira. Ahead of the fight, Blachowicz is a -310 favorite while the challenger is a +245 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The majority of pros believe we will hear ‘And Still’ as Blachowicz will be too much for Teixeira.
Volkan Oezdemir plans to KO Magomed Ankalaev and shut up Aleksandar Rakic again next time out
Cole Shelton - October 27, 2021
Volkan Oezdemir didn’t think he would be off for this long after his last fight. Back at UFC 251 last July, Oezdemir suffered a KO loss to Jiri Prochazka and since then, he has not been able to fight due to a variety of different reasons. However, he will finally make his return on the main card of UFC 267 against Magomed Ankalaev.
Thiago Santos shares advice with Glover Teixeira on how to beat Jan Blachowicz at UFC 267
Adam D Martin - October 27, 2021
Thiago Santos shared advice with Glover Teixeira on how to beat UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz at Saturday’s UFC 267 event. Santos is a common opponent of both Blachowicz and Teixeira, who meet in the main event of this weekend’s numbered UFC event. In February 2019, Santos became the last man to hand Blachowicz a loss when he knocked him out in the Czech Republic to become the No. 1 contender at 205lbs. That win over Blachowicz set up Santos with a title fight against Jon Jones at UFC 239, and he came super close to winning the belt, ultimately losing a split decision. In Santos’ next fight after the loss to Jones, he was submitted by Teixeira in a back-and-forth fight. So he knows both men very well.
Dana White doubles down on Paulo Costa moving up to light heavyweight: "He's a 205lbs fighter"
Adam D Martin - October 27, 2021
UFC president Dana White doubled down on Paulo Costa moving up to light heavyweight, saying that “he’s a 205lbs fighter now.” Costa showed up heavy to fight week last week and his planned middleweight bout against Marvin Vettori was moved up to light heavyweight after Costa couldn’t make the 185lbs middleweight limit. The fight turned out to be a war between two very tough and durable fighters, but ultimately, it was Vettori earning the decision. Either way, there was some thought that because Costa performed so well in the fight, and since it was his first time missing weight in the UFC, that White could cut him some slack and give him another chance to make the middleweight limit. Apparently not so.
Marvin Vettori "absolutely makes sense" as backup for upcoming UFC title fight, says Dana White
Adam D Martin - October 27, 2021
UFC middleweight contender Marvin Vettori “absolutely makes sense” as the backup for the upcoming 185lbs title fight, says Dana White. Vettori defeated Paulo Costa via unanimous decision in the main event of this past Saturday’s UFC Vegas 41 card. The fight actually took place at 205lbs because Costa struggled to make weight, but it was at its heart a matchup between two elite 185lbs fighters. Vettori got the job done by decision, and overall he has won six of his last seven fights, with his only recent loss coming to UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya during that stretch. Currently, Vettori is ranked No. 2 overall at 185lbs.
Dana White reacts to Oron Kahlon calling Afghani fighter Javid Basharat a ‘terrorist’ during their faceoff on Contender Series
Harry Kettle - October 27, 2021
UFC president Dana White has given his thoughts on Oron Kahlon calling Afghani opponent Javid Basharat a “terrorist”. During the weigh-ins for last night’s Contender Series, Kahlon missed weight and proceeded to label Basharat a terrorist in front of UFC officials and the media. It doesn’t appear as if anything came of it in terms of official punishment, but when they got inside the Octagon, Basharat made him pay with a dominant performance that was capped off by a nice submission victory.
Aljamain Sterling eyes early 2022 return after 'life-changing' neck surgery, confident he defends his belt: 'I’ve made some serious gains'
Cole Shelton - October 26, 2021
Aljamain Sterling is happy he decided to have neck surgery, despite it meaning he couldn’t defend his bantamweight title at UFC 267. Sterling and Yan were supposed to have their rematch in the co-main event in a highly-anticipated bout. However, after Sterling had neck surgery he wasn’t medically cleared to fight, but for the bantamweight champ, he’s still glad he got the surgery.
Mike Perry is 'the perfect fit for BKFC,' says David Feldman, could be fast-tracked to a title shot
Cole Shelton - October 26, 2021
Mike Perry is the newest fighter of the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship roster. On Tuesday it was revealed Perry signed a multi-fight deal with the sans gloves promotion. The news caught many by surprise but BKFC president, David Feldman, says this is something that has been in the works for quite some time.
Dagestani MMA fighter scores a five-second KO after opponent fakes glove touch (Video)
Cole Shelton - October 26, 2021
Dagestani MMA fighter Umakhan Ibragimov made quick work at the office over the weekend. On the first-ever British Fighting Championship last Saturday in Middlesbrough, England, Ibragimov was set for his fifth professional fight as he fought Ben Doster, who was making his pro debut. The fight was serving as the co-main event of the event.
Mike Perry signs multi-fight deal with BKFC
Cole Shelton - October 26, 2021
Mike Perry is no longer on the UFC roster as he has signed a deal with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. MMAFighting was the first to report the news. BKFC confirmed the signing on Tuesday via a press release. According to the release, Perry signed a multi-fight deal with the promotion but details of the contract were not released.
Corey Anderson explains how using MMA math will prove he's the best light heavyweight in the world
Adam D Martin - October 26, 2021
Bellator light heavyweight contender Corey Anderson explained how using MMA math will prove he’s the best light heavyweight in the world. Anderson recently knocked out Ryan Bader in the semifinals of the Bellator Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix. Following the fight, he proclaimed himself as the best light heavyweight in the world despite the fact that Blachowicz KOed him just last year in the UFC. While it’s true that Anderson did beat Blachowicz the first time they met at UFC 191 in 2015, Blachowicz has since gone on to become the UFC light heavyweight champion. Since he is the champion, you have to give him the credit he deserves.
Jiri Prochazka eager to be the backup fighter for the UFC 267 main event, so he 'can smell the energy of my opponents and their power'
Cole Shelton - October 26, 2021
Jiri Prochazka is excited to possibly be fighting for UFC gold on Saturday in Abu Dhabi. In the main event of UFC 267, Jan Blachowicz is set to defend his light heavyweight title against Glover Teixeira. When the fight was announced, it was rumored Prochazka would serve as the backup fighter, which he says he confirmed right away.
Jan Blachowicz expects Glover Teixeira to wrestle him but confident he'll KO him to defend his belt
Cole Shelton - October 26, 2021
Jan Blachowicz is confident he will score another KO win to defend his light heavyweight for the second time. After Blachowicz defeated Israel Adesanya back in March to defend his belt for the first time, he knew his next fight would be against Glover Teixeira. The two will meet in the main event of UFC 267, and the Pole knows this will be the best Teixeira ever, due to the fact this is his final title shot.
Michael Bisping shares his thoughts on the Logan Paul vs. Mike Tyson boxing match
Adam D Martin - October 26, 2021
UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping shared his thoughts on the upcoming Logan Paul vs. Mike Tyson exhibition boxing match. It was recently announced that Paul would be fighting Tyson in an exhibition boxing match set for early 2022. For Paul, it will be his second straight high-profile boxing match against a legend of the sport following an exhibition fight with Floyd Mayweather earlier this year. There were no judges for that fight since it was an exhibition bout, but Paul would have lost the fight had there been scorecards. However, the fact that Paul was able to go the distance with Mayweather was impressive in its own right. But a guy like Tyson who is bigger and who hits harder is a completely different task and Paul is likely well aware of the power difference.
Paulo Costa says he is going back to middleweight following UFC Vegas 41 weight miss debacle
Adam D Martin - October 26, 2021
UFC contender Paulo Costa says he is going back to middleweight following this past weekend’s UFC Vegas 41 weight miss debacle. Costa was supposed to fight Marvin Vettori in the middleweight main event of this past Saturday’s UFC Vegas 41 card, but the fight was shifted to light heavyweight after Costa showed up heavy to fight week and did not make weight. Following the event, UFC president Dana White confirmed that he and the matchmakers would tell Costa that his next fight in the promotion must be at 205lbs rather than at 185lbs. But if you ask Costa, he believes that his next fight is actually going to be at middleweight.
Dan Hooker blasts Paulo Costa over giant weight miss: "That is just a massive 'F you' to the fans"
Adam D Martin - October 26, 2021
UFC lightweight Dan Hooker blasted middleweight Paulo Costa over his giant weight miss, saying “that is just a massive ‘F you’ to the fans.” Costa was set to fight Marvin Vettori in a middleweight bout that served as the main event of UFC Vegas 41, but Costa showed up heavy to fight week. Because he couldn’t make the 185lbs limit, the fight was then moved to a 195lbs catchweight, and then to the 205lbs light heavyweight limit. Costa was fined 30% of his purse and the fight went on at 205, with Vettori winning a unanimous decision in a back-and-forth fight.