MMA News

Adam D Martin - July 21, 2021

Fellow UFC fighter Anthony Smith blasted Conor McGregor for making excuses following his loss to Dustin Poirier, saying “we are all injured.” McGregor lost via first-round TKO (doctor stoppage) to Poirier in their trilogy match at UFC 264, and afterwards, it has come out that he had a leg injury heading into the fight. Speaking on Sirius XM’s Fight Nation, Smith was asked about the reports of McGregor being hurt coming into the fight. For Smith, being injured is something that all MMA fighters have to deal with, and he believes that it’s not a valid excuse for McGregor.

Adam D Martin - July 21, 2021

UFC flyweight champion Brandon Moreno promises not to become a jerk now that he is a UFC champion, saying that “I don’t want to be that guy.” Moreno defeated rival Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 263 last month in a rematch to claim the promotion’s 125lbs title. In the lead-up to the fight, Moreno was not complimentary towards Figueiredo, who he accused of changing as a person once he became the champion. Now that Moreno himself is holding UFC gold around his waist, he is promising the fans that he will not change and, in his words, turn into what he calls an “asshole.”

Harry Kettle - July 21, 2021

Conor McGregor has received his customized Lamborghini yacht nine months after initially beginning the process. While he may not have been able to get his hand raised at UFC 264, McGregor still rules the mixed martial arts landscape when it comes to just how much he earns. In addition to being a competitive combat sports star, he also has several businesses that have been thriving over the course of the last few years.

Harry Kettle - July 21, 2021

UFC bantamweight Andre Ewell has told the story of how he saved his friend’s life by stopping a moving car. We tend to hear plenty of crazy stories within the world of mixed martial arts because, well, that’s just the nature of the sport. Some of them are negative but we also get some truly inspiring tales that restore our faith in combat sports as a whole – and the fighters within it.

Cole Shelton - July 20, 2021

TJ Dillashaw is finally set to return on Saturday night in the main event of UFC Vegas 32 against Cory Sandhagen. After Dillashaw suffered a quick TKO loss to Henry Cejudo for the flyweight title, he was flagged and suspended by USADA for two years for a positive drug test. After the news came public, Dillashaw was honest with what he did and accepted the suspension.

Cole Shelton - July 20, 2021

Jeremy Stephens believes the fight to make is him vs. Conor McGregor. Stephens and McGregor have a history at the UFC 205 press conference where Stephens said he would be the toughest fight because he’s the real hardest hitter at 145lbs. Of course, the Irishman followed it up with the famous, “who the f**k is that guy line” which went viral.

Adam D Martin - July 20, 2021

UFC welterweight contender Stephen Thompson revealed that he vomited before the UFC 264 ceremonial weigh-ins two weeks ago in Las Vegas. Thompson lost a unanimous decision to fellow contender Gilbert Burns in the co-main event of the UFC 264 pay-per-view card. It was a disappointing showing by Thompson, who could have earned a title shot had he emerged victoriously. However, he instead was ground out for three rounds and lost a decision. But while it was a tough night at the office for Thompson on Saturday night, he admits he also had a rough one at the weigh-ins Friday.

Cole Shelton - July 20, 2021

Ian Heinisch wanted a quick turnaround after he lost to Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 258, but that didn’t come to fruition. Following the loss to Gastelum, Heinisch moved down to Florida to start training at Sanford MMA full-time. After a short time there, he was offered to fight Jacare Souza at UFC 262 in Houston. However, he turned it down as Henri Hooft wanted him to just focus on training.

Adam D Martin - July 20, 2021

UFC commentator Joe Rogan revealed his “very weird” encounter with former United States President Donald Trump at the recent UFC 264 event. Rogan was the analyst working the commentary desk alongside play-by-play man Jon Anik and former UFC champion Daniel Cormier. Because UFC 264 was such a big event featuring UFC superstar Conor McGregor and rival Dustin Poirier in the main event, a number of celebrities took in the event, including Trump, who was a personal guest of UFC president Dana White’s. Trump entered the building to a great effect, though the UFC production staff blew it and didn’t get his face on the television, which White called a big mistake.

Adam D Martin - July 20, 2021

Heavyweight MMA fighter Matt Mitrione has been released by Bellator following his third straight knockout loss this past weekend. MMAFighting.com confirmed with promotional officials that Mitrione received his walking papers from Bellator after tapping out to strikes against Tyrell Fortune at last Friday’s Bellator 262 event. In addition to Mitrione, Bellator also confirmed that it has released Ronny Markes and Adil Benjilany. Markes was knocked out at Bellator 262, but Benjilany defeated Johnny Soto, marking his release as a strange one considering he just won.

Adam D Martin - July 20, 2021

UFC bantamweight contender Cory Sandhagen called rival TJ Dillashaw’s past PED use “gross” ahead of their grudge match at UFC Vegas 32. Sandhagen and Dillashaw meet in the five-round headliner of this Saturday’s UFC Vegas 32 card. They are former teammates in Denver, Colorado and with both men at the top of the UFC bantamweight division, there are some who believe the winner of this fight could get a title shot at 135lbs. It’s a huge fight for the bantamweight division and it’s a fight that is so much more intriguing just because of the fact that these two men used to train together.

Cole Shelton - July 20, 2021

The 45th episode of Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN with Cole Shelton is here ahead of UFC Vegas 32. We’re first joined by 10th-ranked UFC heavyweight, Chris Daukaus to preview his fight against Shamil Abdurakhimov (3:14). The fight has since been postponed one week to UFC Vegas 33. Next, 14th ranked bantamweight, Kyler Phillips (17:14) comes on. UFC middleweight contender, Ian Heinisch (34:36) then joins the show. Rising UFC bantamweight contender, Randy Costa (45:37) comes on. Closing out the program is UFC bantamweight, Adrian Yanez (1:03:03).

Adam D Martin - July 20, 2021

UFC welterweight contender Belal Muhammad says that he is “very confident” he would beat divisional rival Leon Edwards in a future rematch. Muhammad and Edwards fought earlier this year and the fight ended early in the second round when Edwards accidentally poked Muhammad in the eye, causing an end to the fight. In the immediate aftermath of that bout, Muhammad was making noise and telling the UFC that he wanted the rematch, but the promotion gave both fighters different opponents. Instead, Muhammad fought and defeated Demian Maia at UFC 263, while Edwards beat Nate Diaz on the same card. And while Edwards is hoping that his win over Diaz is enough for him to get a title shot, Muhammad doesn’t agree with that sentiment.

Adam D Martin - July 20, 2021

UFC analyst Michael Bisping explained why he respects former UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw for admitting that he cheated. Dillashaw hasn’t fought in over two years since being handed a suspension in January 2019 after being caught with PEDs in his system following a knockout loss to Henry Cejudo. Dillashaw admitted that he cheated and was trying to gain an unfair advantage and he has served the suspension for the last two years on the sidelines. This Saturday night at UFC Vegas 32, Dillashaw finally returns to the cage when he takes on rival Cory Sandhagen.

Harry Kettle - July 20, 2021

UFC lightweight Dan Hooker has laid down a challenge to Islam Makhachev as their social media spat continues. This past Saturday night, Makhachev continued his rise up through the 155-pound ranks with a decisive win over Thiago Moises. He controlled the right all the way through until the fourth round when he was finally able to secure a strong submission victory, vaulting himself closer to a potential title shot in the near future.

Harry Kettle - July 20, 2021

WWE star Big E has said not every wrestler would welcome Conor McGregor with open arms in a possible crossover. Big E, who won the Money in the Bank contract on Sunday night, is known for being a big mixed martial arts fan. He regularly tweets about the latest goings-on in the UFC and beyond, keeping a close eye on the action alongside his busy WWE schedule.

Cole Shelton - July 19, 2021

Dana White believes Conor McGregor has chronic arthritis in his ankles which played a factor in his leg-breaking at UFC 264. In the main event of the pay-per-view card, McGregor and Dustin Poirier had their highly-anticipated trilogy match. Early on, the Irishman had success but “The Diamond” got him down and landed some heavy ground and pound. When McGregor got back up to his feet he threw a steep kick and after that, when he threw a punch his leg broke. According to White, that was due to the fact McGregor has chronic arthritis.

Adam D Martin - July 19, 2021

Mike Brown fired back after John Kavanagh said that Conor McGregor was doing well against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 before his injury. Poirier defeated McGregor via first-round TKO (doctor stoppage) after the Irishman suffered a broken leg that caused a stop to the contest. Even before the injury, however, Poirier was doing quite well in the fight and two of the three judges scoring the bout cage-side gave him the first round 10-8. So when Kavanagh recently came out and stated that he thought McGregor was doing well in the fight before the injury, there were a lot of fans who didn’t agree with his assessment of the fight, and Brown doesn’t agree with it, either.