MMA News
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.
Corey Anderson suggests Jan Blachowicz is "jealous" about how much money he makes in Bellator
Adam D Martin - October 27, 2021
Corey Anderson suggested that UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz is “jealous” about how much money he makes fighting in Bellator. Anderson left the UFC as a free agent last year following a knockout loss to Blachowicz at UFC Rio Rancho, and he soon found himself in Bellator under the terms of a new, lucrative contract. Since joining Bellator, Anderson is 3-0 with three knockouts, and in his next fight, he will battle Bellator light heavyweight champion Vadim Nemkov for the belt and the $1 million prize for the Grand Prix tournament winner. But even before actually winning the tournament, Anderson says that he has already made more money fighting just three times in Bellator than he did in his entire career with the UFC. He believes that it makes Blachowicz jealous knowing how much he earns.
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.
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.
Paige VanZant will return early next year in final fight of BKFC contract, says president David Feldman
Cole Shelton - October 26, 2021
Paige VanZant will indeed fight out the final fight of her Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship contract. VanZant surprised many and signed with BKFC last year and came up short in her debut to Britain Hart. She then dropped a decision to Rachael Ostovich in her second fight and after the fight, BKFC president, David Feldman said he wasn’t sure if VanZant would fight the final fight of her deal.
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.
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.
UFC Vegas 41 rankings update: Jon Jones slips in men's P4P ranks
Adam D Martin - October 26, 2021
The UFC rankings have been updated following this past Saturday’s UFC Vegas 41 card, and Jon Jones has slipped in the men’s P4P rankings. Jones did not fight at UFC Vegas 41, but he was recently in the news for a legal issue. Jones also hasn’t fought since he defeated Dominick Reyes via unanimous decision at UFC 257 in February 2020. With Jones being so inactive, the UFC rankings panelists have decided that he should be moved down in the rankings. In the latest edition of the UFC’s P4P rankings, Jones has slipped down to No. 4 behind Kamaru Usman, Alexander Volkanovski, and Israel Adesanya. Jones could always move back up in the rankings, but he would have to take a fight first, and that won’t be happening until his legal issues are all cleared up. So for now, Jones is the No. 4 P4P men’s UFC fighter.
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.
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.
Mason Jones calls for UFC to cut Alan Patrick following scratched rematch at UFC Vegas 41
Adam D Martin - October 26, 2021
UFC lightweight fighter Mason Jones called for UFC to cut Alan Patrick following their scratched rematch at UFC Vegas 41. Jones and Patrick met earlier this year and Jones was completely dominating the fight before it was stopped due to an accidental eye poke that left Patrick unable to continue. The UFC wasted no time booking the immediate rematch due to the circumstances of the stoppage, and the fight was supposed to take place last weekend at UFC Vegas 41. But Patrick pulled out of the fight with just over a week to go, and he was replaced on short notice by UFC newcomer David Onama. Although Onama fought very well in his UFC debut, it was ultimately Jones who won the decision.
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.
Kevin Lee "less embarrassed" now after being suspended for Adderall
Adam D Martin - October 26, 2021
Just Scrap Radio Ep. 56 with Jan Blachowicz, Jiri Prochazka, Volkan Oezdemir, and Marcin Tybura
Cole Shelton - October 26, 2021
The 56th episode of Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com with host Cole Shelton is here ahead of UFC 267. We’re first joined by one-half of the main event and current UFC light heavyweight champion, Jan Blachowicz (2:11). Next, second-ranked light heavyweight and the backup fighter for the main event, Jiri Prochazka (17:59) stops by. Eighth-ranked light heavyweight, Volkan Oezdemir (30:28) then comes on. Closing out the program is ninth-ranked heavyweight, Marcin Tybura (43:32).
Derek Brunson continues to troll Paulo Costa over his UFC Vegas 41 weight debacle
Harry Kettle - October 26, 2021
Derek Brunson is one of many UFC fighters who continues to tease Paulo Costa over his weight issues at UFC Vegas 41. In one of the most bizarre weight cut situations in the recent history of the UFC, Paulo Costa announced during a fight week interview that he wouldn’t be able to make it down to the middleweight limit. Instead, he wound up fighting Marvin Vettori at light heavyweight – 20 pounds higher.