MMA News
Just Scrap Radio Ep. 42 with Artem Lobov, Tim Johnson, Renato Moicano, and Ike Villanueva
Cole Shelton - June 22, 2021
The 42nd episode of Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN with Cole Shelton is here ahead of UFC Vegas 30 and Bellator 261. We’re first joined by former UFC featherweight and now BKFC fighter Artem Lobov (3:13). Next, Bellator heavyweight Tim Johnson (25:23) comes on. UFC lightweight contender Renato Moicano (37:15) joins the show. Closing out the program is UFC heavyweight Ike Villanueva (51:11).
Photo | Kanako Murata shares x-ray of nasty arm injury suffered at UFC Vegas 29
Harry Kettle - June 22, 2021
UFC strawweight Kanako Murata has shared an x-ray image of the horrific arm injury she suffered at UFC Vegas 29 last weekend. Murata, who is now 12-2 in her professional mixed martial arts career, was beaten by Virna Jandiroba via arm injury on a gruesome night at the office for the Japanese star. It brought a humbling end to an eight-fight win streak and, in the process, left her arm in tatters.
Jake Paul wants to drag Tyron Woodley to the deep waters in their boxing match: "We will see how well Tyron can swim"
Cole Shelton - June 21, 2021
Jake Paul is hoping his upcoming boxing match against Tyron Woodley will last longer than his other pro bouts. Paul, who’s currently 3-0 as a pro and has two first-round TKO’s and one second-round KO, will have his toughest test on August 28 against Woodley. It’s an intriguing matchup and both men have promised fairly early KOs as the brash YouTuber doesn’t think Woodley will be able to handle his power. Yet, if he does, he says he’s excited for that as he knows he has what it takes to box eight hard rounds.
Belal Muhammad puts Colby Covington on blast: 'The hatred I have for that guy is levels above Leon Edwards'
Drake Riggs - June 21, 2021
Belal Muhammad is not at all a fan of former UFC interim welterweight champion Colby Covington. UFC President Dana White has let it be known that “Chaos” is next in line to rematch current champion, Kamaru Usman. After seeing Covington lose via fifth-round TKO in their December 2019 clash, Muhammad believes he should be next for Covington instead.
Sean O'Malley unimpressed by Marlon Vera's win over Davey Grant: "He looked so slow"
Cole Shelton - June 21, 2021
Sean O’Malley didn’t think Marlon Vera looked all that good on Saturday night against Davey Grant. Vera returned at UFC Vegas 29 on the main card to rematch Grant in an anticipated bout. Ultimately, it was “Chito” who got his hand raised winning a clear-cut decision as he battered Grant for the final two rounds. Yet, for O’Malley, he says he didn’t think Vera looked that impressive.
UFC 263 salaries revealed with Israel Adesanya leading the way and Nate Diaz pocketing $250k
Cole Shelton - June 21, 2021
The UFC 263 salaries have been revealed with Israel Adesanya making the most amount of money. UFC 263 took place in Glendale, Arizona on June 12 and the Arizona Department of Gaming was able to reveal the payouts for the fighters to MMAJunkie. To no surprise, Adesanya, who defeated Marvin Vettori in the main event to defend his middleweight belt made the most money as he cashed $500,000. Vettori, meanwhile, made $350,000 which was the second-highest on the card.
Robert Whittaker dubs Israel Adesanya’s UFC 263 performance as average, ‘Stylebender’ responds
Adam D Martin - June 21, 2021
Robert Whittaker dubbed UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya’s UFC 263 performance as average, and “The Last Stylebender” responded. Adesanya defeated rival Marvin Vettori in the pair’s rematch as last weekend’s UFC 263 pay-per-view event in Glendale, Arizona. Adesanya was able to utilize his superior striking and showed improvements in his grappling as he was able to win a unanimous decision over the Italian. Vettori, of course, only got the title shot against Adesanya after Whittaker was forced to decline it due to the fight’s close proximity to his matchup against Kelvin Gastelum in April. With Whittaker unable to take the fight at that time, Vettori stepped up and got the title shot instead, only Adesanya was able to go in there and win handily.
Jiri Prochazka wants to get back into the Octagon as soon as possible: "Ready to jump in"
Adam D Martin - June 21, 2021
UFC light heavyweight contender Jiri Prochazka says he wants to get back into the Octagon soon to continue his quest towards the 205lbs belt. Prochazka is coming off of back-to-back knockout wins over Dominick Reyes and Volkan Oezdemir to kick off his UFC career. The Czech Republic native has looked absolutely phenomenal so far in the UFC and it’s possible that he could even fight for the title in his next fight. But instead of sitting around and waiting for a title shot, it looks like Prochazka is hoping to get back into the cage soon so he can continue to solidify his UFC resume.
Anderson Silva praises boxing star Canelo Alvarez following win over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.: "I can't believe Canelo spoke to me"
Adam D Martin - June 21, 2021
Anderson Silva praised boxing star Canelo Alvarez following his win over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., saying “I can’t believe Canelo spoke to me.” Silva won a split decision over Chavez Jr. in his return to the boxing ring for the first time in 16 years. “The Spider” looked fast and elusive in the fight and showed off his trademark striking skills, leading him to pick up the upset win. Though Chavez Jr. is a Mexican-based fighter and Alvarez is as well, following the fight the boxing superstar entered the Octagon and gave his respects to Silva for picking up the biggest win of his boxing career. You can tell there is a lot of mutual respect between these two. Check out the video below.
What's next for Korean Zombie and Dan Ige after UFC Vegas 29?
Cole Shelton - June 21, 2021
In the main event of UFC Vegas 29, Korean Zombie was looking to get back into the win column against streaking contender, Dan Ige. Zombie entered the scrap coming off a decision loss to Brian Ortega that had he won, he likely would’ve gotten a title shot. Ige, meanwhile, got back into the win column last time as he knocked out Gavin Tucker in 22-seconds.
Tyron Woodley eyeing third-round knockout over Jake Paul in summer boxing match
Adam D Martin - June 21, 2021
Former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley says he is eyeing a third-round knockout over Jake Paul in the pair’s summer boxing match. Woodley makes his professional boxing debut when he takes on Paul on August 28. It’s Woodley’s first fight since he was let go by the UFC following four straight losses, but even despite his struggles as of late, he is confident he has the skills to go in there and hand Paul his first loss in boxing. Speaking to Michael Bisping on the “Believe You Me” podcast, Woodley called his shot and said that he expects a third-round knockout over Paul.
Sean Sherk says UFC should be "extremely embarrassed" about fighter pay: "The fighters need to unionize"
Adam D Martin - June 21, 2021
Former UFC lightweight champion Sean Sherk says the UFC should be “extremely embarrassed” about fighter pay, suggesting a union is important. Sherk was one of the top fighters in MMA from 1999 to 2010, racking up a 36-4-1 record in the sport during that time period, including a win over Kenny Florian at UFC 64 in 2006 that saw Sherk claim the vacant UFC lightweight title. “The Muscle Shark” has been retired ever since an upset win over Evan Dunham in 2010 and he is now 47 years old, but he keeps up to date with what’s going on with the UFC and he’s not happy with the climate.
Jake Paul sends Father’s Day wishes to his five “sons”, including Conor McGregor, Daniel Cormier and Kamaru Usman
Adam D Martin - June 21, 2021
YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul sent Father’s Day wishes to his five “sons”, including Conor McGregor, Daniel Cormier, and Kamaru Usman. Sunday was Father’s Day and Paul took to his social media to wish several UFC fighters all the best, only he trolled them hard. The YouTuber sensation Paul posted a collage of photos that included Usman getting choked out by Jose Caceres (with Paul photoshopped into the picture), McGregor sleeping after Dustin Poirier knocked him out at UFC 257, Daniel Cormier crying after Jon Jones knocked him out, Ben Askren just before Paul dropped him, and then Tyron Woodly, who Paul will be fighting next. Check it out below.
Giga Chikadze says the UFC called him to replace Max Holloway but “pussy” Yair Rodriguez has not accepted the bout
Harry Kettle - June 21, 2021
UFC featherweight Giga Chikadze has claimed the UFC has offered him the chance to replace Max Holloway against Yair Rodriguez. The fight between Holloway and Rodriguez was initially scheduled to take place on July 17 but after Holloway pulled out due to an undisclosed injury, Rodriguez was left without an opponent for his July showdown.
Matt Brown interested in big fights with Nick or Nate Diaz following KO win at UFC Vegas 29: “I respect them”
Harry Kettle - June 21, 2021
Matt Brown is interested in a fight against Nick Diaz or Nate Diaz following his knockout win on Saturday night. Brown, who turned 40 earlier this year, managed to get himself back in the win column in Las Vegas with an absolutely monstrous knockout win over Dhiego Lima. Brown was able to get one over on father time and, in doing so, established that he’s still very much a viable threat in the UFC’s welterweight division.
Gleison Tibau admits it was a "big surprise" to defeat Rory MacDonald in PFL
Adam Martin - June 20, 2021
Former UFC lightweight contender Gleison Tibau admitted that it was a “big surprise” for him that he defeated Rory MacDonald in PFL. Tibau earned one of the biggest upsets of the year so far in MMA when he won a controversial split decision over MacDonald at PFL 5 last Thursday in New Jersey. The decision was extremely controversial, with many fans and media declaring it a “robbery” after two of the three judges scored the bout in favor of the Brazilian. Most thought that MacDonald did enough to win at least two of the three rounds and earn the decision, but the judges had other plans as they awarded the longtime UFC veteran Tibau the decision.
Aleksandar Rakic believes he matches up well stylistically with Jan Blachowicz: "It's going to be a very good fight"
Adam Martin - June 20, 2021
Aleksandar Rakic believes he matches up well stylistically with UFC 205lbs champ Jan Blachowicz, saying “it’s going to be a very good fight.” Rakic is coming off of a decision win over Thiago Santos at UFC 259, the same night that Blachowicz defeated Israel Adesanya to defend the UFC light heavyweight title. Blachowicz takes on No. 1 contender Glover Teixeira in his next title defense at UFC 266 in September, but Rakic and Jiri Prochazka are right behind Teixeira in the title picture, and Blachowicz is well aware that both of these young fighters are quickly moving up the ladder for his belt.
Anderson Silva issues statement following win over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in boxing: "No one but you can dictate the rules of your journey"
Adam Martin - June 20, 2021
Former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva issued a statement following his split decision win over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in boxing. Silva made his return to the squared circled for the first time since 2005 against Chavez Jr. in Mexico. The oddsmakers pegged Silva as a sizeable underdog to beat Chavez Jr., who has nearly 60 boxing matches to his credit compared to just two for Silva, but it was “The Spider” who got the upper hand throughout the majority of the bout, and two of the three judges scored the fight in his favor. It was an exceptional win for Silva, and one made all the sweeter after he was unceremoniously cut by UFC president Dana White last year.