MMA News
UFC 266 | Pro fighters make their picks for Nick Diaz vs. Robbie Lawler 2
Cole Shelton - September 23, 2021
On the main card of UFC 266, Nick Diaz is set to make his highly-anticipated return as he rematches Robbie Lawler in a middleweight bout. Diaz is a +120 underdog while the former UFC welterweight champ is a -140 favorite. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The pros are nearly unanimous in thinking Robbie Lawler wins due to activity but the pros admit this is a tough one to call.
Jake Paul shares DMs to Dillon Danis while issuing a final warning to Tommy Fury
Adam D Martin - September 23, 2021
YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul shared the DMs he sent to Bellator fighter Dillon Danis while issuing a final warning to rival Tommy Fury. Paul took to his social media on Wednesday to release a two-minute clip of him talking about both Danis and Fury. Check out what “The Problem Child” said in the video below.
Dana White reacts to Conor McGregor’s botched first pitch at Chicago Cubs Game: “I’ll never do it. Never.”
Adam D Martin - September 23, 2021
UFC president Dana White reacted to Conor McGregor’s botched first pitch at the recent Chicago Cubs Game, saying “I’ll never do it. Never.” McGregor was a special guest earlier this week at Wrigley Field in Chicago and he threw out the first pitch ahead of the Cubs’ game, which turned out to be a terrible throw that saw the ball completely miss the plate. It was an awful throw by McGregor and he has been getting flak on the internet from fans about how bad his arm is, but as far as White goes, McGregor’s terrible throw just shows you that throwing a pitch is a lot hard than it looks.
Bellator 266 Fighter Salaries: Yoel Romero banks largest payday
Adam D Martin - September 23, 2021
The Bellator 266 fighter salaries have been officially released to the public, and light heavyweight Yoel Romero banked the largest payday. MMAjunkie.com was the first to report the salaries for Bellator 266 after obtaining the information from the California State Athletic Commission. The highest-paid fighter on the card was Romero, who took home $150,000 flat for his split decision loss to Phil Davis in the main event of Bellator 266. Despite the fact that Davis was the one who won the fight, he received only $100,000 for the victory. That’s because Bellator has a flat pay system for many of its top fighters and not the traditional show and win bonuses for them. So in the case of Romero and Davis, they would have been guaranteed those purses win or lose.
Jon Jones bulking up to 275lbs in quest to become the biggest and baddest heavyweight the UFC has ever seen
Harry Kettle - September 23, 2021
Richard Schaefer has revealed that Jon Jones is hoping to hit 275 lbs as he continues to prepare for his heavyweight debut. While some fans may be getting impatient, there’s no way of denying just how much hype there is behind Jon Jones finally making the shift up to heavyweight. He’s been out of the Octagon for over 18 months now and all that seems to be left is for the two parties to come to terms on the right sum for a UFC title showdown.
Nick Diaz on watching his brother Nate fight Leon Edwards at UFC 263: "I took harder punches watching that than I ever did in sparring"
Christopher Taylor - September 22, 2021
Nick Diaz says he “took harder punches watching” his little brother fight Leon Edwards at UFC 263 than he ever has in sparring or any fights. Diaz will make his highly anticipated return to the Octagon on Saturday when he squares off in a rematch with Robbie Lawler at UFC 266. The pair originally collided seventeen years ago in a welterweight bout at UFC 47, with the Stockton native emerging victorious by way of second round knockout.
Miesha Tate forced out of slated UFC main event with Ketlen Vieira
Christopher Taylor - September 22, 2021
Former women’s bantamweight champion Miesha Tate has been forced to withdraw from her slated UFC main event with Ketlen Vieira. Tate (19-7 MMA) and Vieira (11-2 MMA) were scheduled to clash in the headliner of UFC Fight Night 195 on October 16. However, according to a recent report from Sherdog, ‘Cupcake’ has been forced out of the contest after contracting Covid-19.
Nick Diaz unsure why he is rematching Robbie Lawler at UFC 266: "I don’t know why I’m doing this. This should not happen."
Christopher Taylor - September 22, 2021
Nick Diaz will make his highly anticipated return to the Octagon on Saturday when he squares off in a rematch with Robbie Lawler at UFC 266. The pair originally collided seventeen years ago in a welterweight bout at UFC 47, with the Stockton native emerging victorious by way of second round knockout. This time around Diaz and Lawler will compete at middleweight, a decision that was made earlier this week.
Robbie Lawler says it's 'going to be nice' to KO Nick Diaz at UFC 266: 'I can't wait to go in there and do some damage'
Cole Shelton - September 22, 2021
Robbie Lawler not only expects to beat Nick Diaz but expects to finish him. In a five-round middleweight bout on the main card of UFC 266, Diaz is set to return to the Octagon for the first time since 2015 when he rematches Lawler. The two first met in 2004 with Diaz winning the fight by KO but this time, the former UFC welterweight champion is confident he will KO Diaz this time around.
Robbie Lawler reacts to Nick Diaz changing their fight to a middleweight bout
Cole Shelton - September 22, 2021
Robbie Lawler didn’t seem to mad that Nick Diaz asked for their UFC 266 fight to be at middleweight. Diaz is set to return to the Octagon in a highly-anticipated rematch against Lawler. Although both men are known for their time as welterweights, on Tuesday, it was revealed their fight was changed to a middleweight fight due to Diaz asking for it. For Lawler, he says he’s a little light but he’s ready to fight.
Paige VanZant says she'd 'love to fight for Bellator'
Cole Shelton - September 22, 2021
Paige VanZant turned down a chance to fight for Bellator to sign with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship but she admits she’d love to fight for Bellator. VanZant has gone 0-2 in BKFC and her next fight could be do-or-die for her career with the sans gloves promotion. She says she only has one fight left on her deal and after that, she is open to signing with Bellator.
Canelo Alvarez shares his honest thoughts on Jake Paul: "Maybe it's good for boxing"
Adam D Martin - September 22, 2021
Pound-for-pound boxing great Canelo Alvarez shared his honest thoughts on YouTuber Jake Paul, suggesting that “maybe it’s good for boxing.” Alvarez is the top P4P boxer on the planet right now, and he next steps into the boxing ring when he fights the unbeaten Caleb Plant on November 6. Ahead of the fight, Alvarez and Plant took part in the pre-fight press conference. Following the presser, Alvarez spoke to reporters and he was asked questions on a number of topics, including the YouTuber Paul.
UFC 266 | Pro fighters make their picks for Alexander Volkanovski vs. Brian Ortega title fight
Cole Shelton - September 22, 2021
In the main event of UFC 266, the featherweight title is on the line as Alexander Volkanovski looks to defend his belt for the second time when he battles Brian Ortega. Ahead of the fight, the champ is a -165 favorite while the American is a +145 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The majority of pros expect Volkanovski to keep it standing and piece up Ortega to defend his belt.
Dana White explains why Nick Diaz vs. Robbie Lawler 2 will now take place at 185lbs
Adam D Martin - September 22, 2021
UFC president Dana White explained why this weekend’s highly-anticipated Nick Diaz vs. Robbie Lawler 2 fight will now take place at 185lbs. Diaz and Lawler will meet in a rematch 17 years after they first fought at UFC 47 in 2004, where Diaz scored a KO over a young Lawler. All these years later and these two are now set to rematch this Saturday night at UFC 266 in Las Vegas. Originally, the fight was set to take place in the welterweight division. But as we draw closer to the fight, Diaz now wants the fight to take place in the middleweight division. Remember, Diaz hasn’t fought since 2015 against Anderson Silva and that fight was at middleweight. The last time that Diaz fought at welterweight was way back in 2013 and he apparently doesn’t want to cut weight again, according to UFC president Dana White when speaking to reporters this week.
Nick Diaz will be in welterweight title contention with win at UFC 266, says teammate
Adam D Martin - September 22, 2021
UFC fan-favorite Nick Diaz will be in welterweight title contention with a big win at UFC 266, says his longtime teammate, Gilbert Melendez. Diaz takes on Robbie Lawler in a five-round, non-title welterweight rematch at UFC 266 this Saturday night. The two rivals previously met way back in 2004 at UFC 47, with Diaz knocking Lawler out 17 years ago. All these years later and the two will now rematch. While neither man is ranked right now, it’s a big enough fight that Diaz’s teammate believes that “The Stockton Bad Boy” will move into title contention at 170lbs with a win.
Cynthia Calvillo plans to finish Jessica Andrade at UFC 266: 'If I see the opening for the kill, I'll take it'
Cole Shelton - September 22, 2021
Cynthia Calvillo did something not many people do, call out Jessica Andrade and she got her wish. On the main card of UFC 266, Calvillo is set to return to the Octagon for the first time since she lost to Katlyn Chookagian at UFC 255 last year. When she does step into the Octagon on Saturday she’ll be facing Andrade who she called out as Calvillo says she wants to fight the best.
Dana White explains why the UFC booked Brandon Moreno vs. Deiveson Figueiredo 3
Adam D Martin - September 22, 2021
UFC president Dana White explained why the UFC booked Brandon Moreno vs. Deiveson Figueiredo 3 instead of Alexandre Pantoja instead. After Pantoja submitted Brandon Royval last month, he was fully expected to get the next title shot against Moreno. After all, Pantoja has two previous wins over Moreno — one in TUF, and one in the UFC — and after submitting Royval in devastating fashion, he deserved the chance to fight for the belt. However, the UFC chose to go a different route as the promotion recently announced that Moreno will not be fighting Pantoja next. Instead, Moreno will be fighting Figueiredo, and the two will meet at UFC 269 in a trilogy fight.
Modestas Bukauskas provides positive health update following recent knee injury
Adam D Martin - September 22, 2021
UFC light heavyweight Modestas Bukauskas provided a positive health update following the recent knee injury he suffered inside the Octagon. Bukauskas was the victim of one of the most brutal side kicks that we have ever seen in MMA after Khalil Rountree Jr. finished him with an oblique kick. It was initially feared that Bukauskas could have broken his leg, but ultimately it was determined that it was a knee injury. Still, it was a tough thing to watch, and for Bukauskas, he know that he will now be on the sidelines for at least several months recovering from the devastating injury. However, he is optimistic that he will be able to return and make a spectacular comeback.