MMA News
Amanda Nunes vs. Julianna Pena scratched from UFC 265
Adam D Martin - July 29, 2021
UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes has been forced to withdraw from the Julianna Pena matchup at UFC 265 next weekend. ESPN’s Mike Coppinger broke the news on Thursday that Nunes has tested positive for COVID-19 and her upcoming title defense against Nunes has been canceled. It was scheduled to be the co-main event for UFC 265. According to UFC exec Hunter Campbell, the promotion is hoping to re-book the fight for later this year once Nunes is good to go.
Ray Cooper III blasts MMA judges ahead of PFL semifinals: "They don’t know what the hell they’re doing"
Adam D Martin - July 29, 2021
Welterweight contender Ray Cooper III blasted MMA judges ahead of the PFL semifinals, saying “they don’t know what the hell they’re doing.” The winner of the $1 million grand prize in the PFL season two welterweight tournament, Cooper takes on Rory MacDonald in the semifinals of the promotion’s third season in August. The only reason the bracket is the way it is is that MacDonald lost a controversial split decision to Gleison Tibau in his second regular-season fight. It was an extremely controversial call by the judges, and MacDonald has publicly blasted the judges himself. Now, his opponent Cooper is coming to his defense as well following the bad decision.
Sean Strickland fires back at critics after Orlando Sanchez incident: "People are f*cking dumb, dude"
Adam D Martin - July 29, 2021
UFC middleweight Sean Strickland fired back at his critics after the Orlando Sanchez incident, saying that “people are f*cking dumb, dude.” Strickland and Sanchez got involved in a viral incident last month after a video was released of Strickland hitting Sanchez after the BJJ ace tried to crank his arm. Speaking to MMA reporter James Lynch, Strickland fired back at his critics following the viral incident.
Pro fighters make their picks for Uriah Hall vs. Sean Strickland
Cole Shelton - July 29, 2021
In the main event of UFC Vegas 33, top-15 middleweights collide as Uriah Hall takes on Sean Strickland. Ahead of the fight, Hall is a +180 underdog while the 11th ranked middleweight is a -220 favorite. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The majority of pros believe Hall will go the job done by knockout.
Colby Covington shares prediction for Tyron Woodley vs. Jake Paul boxing match
Adam D Martin - July 29, 2021
UFC welterweight contender Colby Covington shared his prediction for the upcoming Tyron Woodley vs. Jake Paul boxing match. Woodley and Paul meet on August 29 in a professional boxing match that is expected to be one of the most highly-anticipated fights of the year. Ahead of the fight, one of Woodley’s past opponents in the Octagon, Covington, spoke to MMA reporter James Lynch and offered his prediction on the fight.
Chris Daukaus tells the UFC to "pull him from the rankings" after Shamil Abdurakhimov withdraws from fight
Adam D Martin - July 29, 2021
UFC heavyweight Chris Daukaus told the UFC to “pull him from the rankings” after Shamil Abdurakhimov withdrew from their upcoming fight. The heavyweight matchup pitting Daukaus vs. Abdurakhimov was expected to be the co-main event of this weekend’s UFC Vegas 33 card, but the fight was canceled when Abdurakhimov was forced out due to COVID-19 protocols with his camp. For Abdurakhimov, this was yet another canceled fight for the Russian, who hasn’t fought since a TKO loss to Curtis Blaydes at UFC 242: Nurmagomedov vs. Poirier in September 2019. Since then, Abdurakhimov’s last five fights have all be canceled. But despite having not fought in nearly two years, for some reason, Abdurakhimov is still ranked in the top-10.
Gilbert Burns admits he's a fan of Nate Diaz despite trash talk: "I like him. He's freaking funny"
Adam D Martin - July 29, 2021
Despite their back-and-forth trash talk, Gilbert Burns admitted that he’s a fan of Nate Diaz, saying “I like him. He’s freaking funny.” Burns was critical of Leon Edwards’ performance against Diaz at UFC 263 in June, which led to Diaz taking a direct shot at Burns, referencing his prior KO loss to Dan Hooker in it.
Aspen Ladd vs. Macy Chiasson rescheduled following last-minute scratch at UFC Vegas 32
Adam D Martin - July 29, 2021
A women’s bantamweight bout pitting Aspen Ladd vs. Macy Chiasson has been rescheduled following its last-minute scratch at UFC Vegas 32. Ladd vs. Chiasson was scheduled to be the co-main event at last weekend’s TJ Dillashaw vs. Cory Sandhagen card, but the fight was scratched at the last minute after Chiasson suffered an injury prior to her final weight cut. With no time to find a replacement opponent, the UFC was forced to pull Ladd from the card as well, which was a major disappointment for a fighter who hasn’t fought in the Octagon since December 2019.
Report | September 4 UFC event originally slated for London expected to be moved to Las Vegas
Harry Kettle - July 29, 2021
The September 4 UFC event that was originally scheduled to take place in London is reportedly moving back to Las Vegas. Sin City has been home to the majority of UFC cards since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic but after more than 16 months away, the promotion had been hoping to make a long-awaited return to London – a city they tend to visit every single year.
Daniel Cormier condemns Conor McGregor for crossing the line with deleted tweet: "I immediately called Khabib"
Christopher Taylor - July 28, 2021
Daniel Cormier was quick to pick up the phone and check in on his longtime friend Khabib Nurmagomedov following a recent post by Conor McGregor. Earlier this week McGregor took to Twitter with a number of tweets that have since been deleted. During the online rampage, the Irishman not only took aim at Dustin Poirier and his wife Jolie, but also sent out a cryptic message that appeared to be aimed at his longtime nemesis Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Holly Holm to make featherweight return vs. Norma Dumont in October
Drake Riggs - July 28, 2021
Holly Holm has her next fight booked — but it won’t be at her usual weight of 135-pounds. MMA Fighting reported Wednesday that “The Preacher’s Daughter” has her next bout lined up and it will act as a return to the 145-pound featherweight division. Standing in Holm’s way on Oct. 16 will be Brazil’s Norma Dumont. The location for the event along with the headlining bout remains to be determined.
Nominees released for World MMA Awards
Andrew Whitelaw - July 28, 2021
Fighters Only have announced the nominees for the 2021 World MMA Awards. This will be the 13th edition of the annual ceremony and the official voting website is live at worldmmaawards.com.
Zhang Weili praises Rose Namajunas after internal battles, 'She's the champ, just like a god'
Drake Riggs - July 28, 2021
Zhang Weili is making it clear that she has accepted her first loss since her debut — but not without first overcoming the pain that came with it. The UFC’s first Chinese champion is currently in the middle of having a mini-documentary release where she’s gone into great detail about some moments in her career — including her most recent fight.
Chris Weidman announces his broken leg has not healed properly, set for second surgery
Cole Shelton - July 28, 2021
Chris Weidman will be going back under the knife. At UFC 261 in April, Weidman was rematching Uriah Hall in an anticipated fight. Unfortnately, on the first kick he threw, he broke his leg in a gruesome fashion. Weidman was rushed to the hospital and had emergency surgery.
PFL signs Marina Mokhnatkina and Martina Jindrova ahead of 2022 season
Drake Riggs - July 28, 2021
The PFL has added to their 155-pound weight class as they begin looking ahead to the 2022 season. Made official on Wednesday, the promotion announced that they have signed the likes of former 145-pound featherweight competitors Marina Mokhnatkina and Martina Jindrova.
Cory Sandhagen predicts how a rematch with TJ Dillashaw would go: "He'll probably get finished"
Adam D Martin - July 28, 2021
UFC bantamweight contender Cory Sandhagen predicted how a rematch with TJ Dillashaw would go, saying that “he’ll probably get finished.” Sandhagen lost a disputed split decision to his former teammate Dillashaw in the main event of last weekend’s UFC Vegas 32 card. The fight was very competitive and each round was decided on razor-thing margins, but the judges ultimately decided to go with Dillashaw for his control over Sandhagen’s striking advantage. While Sandhagen admitted it was a close fight, he has no doubt that if he gets the chance to fight Dillashaw again, it won’t be.
Colby Covington says Kamaru Usman has been "using EPO his whole career"
Adam D Martin - July 28, 2021
Ahead of their upcoming rematch at UFC 268, Colby Covington says that welterweight champ Kamaru Usman has been “using EPO his whole career.” Covington and Usman will meet on November 6 in the main event of UFC 268 with the world welterweight title on the line. The two rivals previously met in the main event of UFC 245 in December 2019, with Usman winning via fifth-round TKO. The two will now meet again with Usman’s gold on the line in one of the most highly-anticipated fights of 2021.
Adrian Yanez says he's "not happy" with his TKO win performance against Randy Costa, hopes a top-15 opponent is next
Cole Shelton - July 28, 2021
Adrian Yanez wasn’t happy with his TKO win over Randy Costa at UFC Vegas 32. Yanez and Costa opened up the main card in a highly-anticipated bout between two of the brightest prospects at bantamweight. In the first round, it appeared Costa would be the one getting his hand raised as he was jabbing Yanez and landing heavy shots. For the Texan, he says the way Costa fought the first round threw him off.