MMA News
Ben Askren reacts to Jake Paul defeating Tyron Woodley
Adam D Martin - September 1, 2021
Former UFC fighter Ben Askren reacted to Jake Paul defeating his longtime friend and teammate Tyron Woodley in their recent boxing match. Askren, of course, fought Paul back in April and he was TKOed quickly in the first round. Following that fight, Woodley — Askren’s longtime teammate — got into a rivalry with Paul that culminated in them fighting this past Sunday in Cleveland, Ohio, with Paul taking home a narrow split decision over the former UFC welterweight champion. While most thought Paul did enough to win the fight, Askren believes that Woodley deserved the nod.
Sean O’Malley accuses TJ Dillashaw of turning down SUG fight
Harry Kettle - September 1, 2021
UFC prospect Sean O’Malley has accused TJ Dillashaw of turning down a fight against him in Submission Underground. It’s no secret that O’Malley is one of the most intriguing rising stars the UFC has right now and in equal measure, it’s also not a surprise that many of his fellow bantamweights aren’t big fans of him.
Dana White praises Laura Sanko after first night on Contender Series commentary team
Drake Riggs - August 31, 2021
UFC President Dana White isn’t always the easiest critic to satisfy. Season 5 of Dana White’s Contender Series officially got underway on Tuesday night and it made history in multiple ways. Concluding with five UFC contracts handed out despite there only being four fights, fan-favorite broadcaster Laura Sanko also made her commentary debut on a UFC program.
Sean O'Malley shares reason for declining a fight with Frankie Edgar
Drake Riggs - August 31, 2021
Sean O’Malley was recently offered his biggest fight yet. This past weekend the UFC revealed the first batch of fights set to take place at UFC 268 on Nov. 6 in Madison Square Garden. Among the bunch was a bantamweight tilt between Frankie Edgar and Marlon “Chito” Vera.
CM Punk officially informs UFC of retirement from MMA as he returns to pro wrestling
Cole Shelton - August 31, 2021
CM Punk won’t be competing in MMA anymore. Punk, the former WWE star, turned to MMA in 2016 and made his UFC debut at UFC 203 in Cleveland. It was a massive debut due to his star status in wrestling but he got submitted in the first round to Mickey Gall.
Nate Diaz claims Khabib and Poirier are scared to fight, spawns online feud with Conor McGregor
Cole Shelton - August 31, 2021
Nate Diaz has taken shots at Khabib Nurmagomedov, Dustin Poirier, and Conor McGregor on social media on Tuesday. Diaz took to Twitter and blasted Nurmagomedov and Poirier for being scared to fight him. Of course, he and Poirier were supposed to fight at UFC 230, but the fight never came to fruition, and both men claim the other pulled off the bout first.
Nate Diaz seemingly accepts Vicente Luque's callout
Cole Shelton - August 31, 2021
Nate Diaz appears to have accepted Vicente Luque’s callout. After Luque’s past couple of wins, he has said he wanted to fight Diaz next but the Stockton, native has yet to respond. However, the Brazilian continues to call his shot as he says it’s a fight that makes sense and a scrap he wants.
Dustin Poirier anoints himself the "undisputed world champion"
Adam D Martin - August 31, 2021
Although Charles Oliveira is the current UFC lightweight champion, Dustin Poirier anointed himself the “undisputed world champion.” Poirier is coming off of back-to-back knockout wins over Conor McGregor and is considered by many to be the No. 1 lightweight in the world right now. The problem is, he’s not the champion, it’s Oliveira, who defeated Michael Chandler back at UFC 262 to claim the vacant 155lbs title. Remember, Poirier was offered the title fight at UFC 262 against Oliveira but he turned it down to take a trilogy money fight against McGregor. While that decision paid off for Poirier financially as he made a lot more money fighting against McGregor than he would have to fight Oliveira, it still wasn’t the win he needed to earn the UFC 155lbs title.
Paddy Pimblett will be 'very disappointed' if he doesn't finish Luigi Vendramini in the first, plans to 'steal the show'
Cole Shelton - August 31, 2021
Paddy Pimblett is ready to finally make his UFC debut. Pimblett was offered UFC contracts when he was 21 and 23 but he turned them down as he didn’t feel he was ready. Now, he believes he is ready to compete and make a run to the top of the lightweight division. The fan-favorite will make his Octagon debut at UFC Vegas 36 on Saturday against Luigi Vendramini. Although Vendramini has fought a couple of times in the UFC, Pimblett says he didn’t know who he was.
UFC Vegas 35 rankings update: Daniel Rodriguez breaks into the welterweight top-15
Adam D Martin - August 31, 2021
The UFC’s official rankings have been updated following this past Saturday’s UFC Vegas 35 event, and Daniel Rodriguez broke into the top-15. Rodriguez defeated Kevin Lee this past weekend at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada in an impressive performance that announced “DRod” as a top contender at 170lbs. Since joining the UFC in February 2020, Rodriguez is 6-1 overall in the Octagon and he is currently riding a three-fight winning streak. He deserved to be ranked after beating Lee, though it comes at the expense of longtime veteran Robbie Lawler falling out of the ranks.
Conor McGregor still believes he can become a three-division champion in the UFC
Adam D Martin - August 31, 2021
Mixed martial arts superstar Conor McGregor still believes that he can accomplish his goal and become a three-division champion in the UFC. McGregor is the former UFC featherweight and UFC lightweight champion. In addition to competing at 145lbs and 155lbs during his career, he has also competed at 170lbs, where he holds a 2-1 record with wins over Nate Diaz and Donald Cerrone and a loss to Diaz. Despite the fact that McGregor is now getting a bit older and coming off of a horrendous leg break injury against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264, the Irishman remains convinced that he has what it takes to become a UFC champion still and in a third division this time around.
Conor McGregor confirms he has two fights left on his UFC contract
Adam D Martin - August 31, 2021
Mixed martial arts superstar Conor McGregor took to his social media where he confirmed that he has only two fights left on his UFC contract. Holding an impromptu Q&A session with fans on his social media on Monday evening, McGregor dropped a slew of knowledge about himself. When a fan asked McGregor about being a big-time PPV seller, McGregor gave out the information that he has only two UFC fights left on his deal. For the Irishman, he says he holds eight of the top-10 UFC PPV records right now, and he wants to use his last two fights to claim the entire top-10.
Jake Paul, Tyron Woodley bank $2 million each for boxing match
Adam D Martin - August 31, 2021
YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul and former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley banked $2 million each for their recent pro boxing match. MMAjunkie.com first reported the official salaries for the recent Paul vs. Woodley card, getting the numbers from the Ohio Athletic Commission. Check out the purses for the card below. Some of the numbers might surprise you, but some of them won’t. See below.
MMA community mourns after veteran fighter Kyle Reyes dies at age 30
Adam D Martin - August 31, 2021
The MMA community is in mourning after veteran fighter Kyle Reyes, who was a member of Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas, died at age 30. According to MMAjunkie.com’s report based on the GoFundMe for the fighter, “Reyes had reconstructive surgery on Aug. 27 to repair a torn left bicep. Over the span of the next 24 hours, ‘his health went downhill’ after was found unresponsive after an infection caused one of his lungs to collapse. At the time of the fundraiser kickoff, the infection spread to other organs but Reyes was in stable condition in an intensive care unit.” Unfortunately for Reyes, he ultimately did not make it, and he shockingly passed away at the age of 30.
Just Scrap Radio Ep. 49 with Paddy Pimblett, Alex Morono, Modestas Bukauskas, Julian Erosa, and Chidi Njokuani
Cole Shelton - August 31, 2021
The 49th episode of Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN with Cole Shelton is here ahead of UFC Vegas 36 and Week 2 of the Contender Series. We’re first joined by UFC lightweight, Paddy Pimblett (2:57). Next, UFC welterweight, Alex Morono (14:04) comes on. UFC light heavyweight, Modestas Bukauskas (30:07) joins the show. Then, UFC featherweight, Julian Erosa (43:52) comes on. Closing out the program is Bellator vet and now Contender Series middleweight, Chidi Njokuani (59:21).
Jake Paul shuts down potential fight with “fanboy” Nate Diaz: “Another loser talking up”
Harry Kettle - August 31, 2021
Jake Paul has laughed off an insult from Nate Diaz by implying he’s just interested in trying to get a payday out of him. This past Sunday night, Jake Paul maintained his unbeaten professional boxing record with a split decision win over Tyron Woodley. “The Problem Child” had to overcome some adversity in the form of a big right hand from Woodley but in the end, it was the YouTuber that managed to get his hand raised in Cleveland.
Lilya Shakirova handed two-year suspension from USADA
Drake Riggs - August 30, 2021
UFC fans won’t be seeing Lilya Shakirova on their screens until 2022. USADA announced on Monday that the UFC flyweight prospect had received a suspension for past usage of a banned substance.
Jake Paul claims he's 'retired' after defeating Tyron Woodley
Cole Shelton - August 30, 2021
Jake Paul has claimed he is now a retired boxer. Paul won his fourth professional bout on Sunday as he defeated former UFC welterweight champ, Tyron Woodley by split decision. Although it was ruled a split, most media members thought it was a clear win for Paul who threw more volume and landed more shots than Woodley. However, “The Chosen One” did rock Paul in the fourth and nearly dropped him but it wasn’t enough.