MMA News
Israel Adesanya explains why he is fighting Marvin Vettori next
Adam D Martin - April 29, 2021
UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya explained why he is fighting Marvin Vettori next and not Robert Whittaker as many expected him to. Adesanya was widely expected to fight Whittaker in a rematch after the Aussie had a stellar performance at UFC Vegas 24 recently to pick up his third straight win. However, the UFC instead chose to go with Vettori for the title shot, which surprised a lot of people. According to the champ himself, it was a matter of timing as to why Vettori is getting the title shot.
Henry Cejudo explains why Jake Paul is becoming such a big star in boxing
Adam D Martin - April 29, 2021
Former UFC champion Henry Cejudo explained why YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul is becoming one of the biggest stars in the sport of boxing. Despite not having a boxing background, Paul has become one of the sport’s pay-per-view stars following back-to-back wins over Ben Askren and Nate Robinson on Triller Fight Club pay-per-view. Although Paul doesn’t get a ton of respect from those in the combat sports community, it’s hard to find fault in how much money he is making for himself and for his opponents. According to “The Problem Child,” the pay-per-view with Askren sold over 1.3 million pay-per-view buys, making everyone involved in that show a ton of money.
Jeff Molina admits he "was f****d up" after getting rocked in final 10 seconds: "I was hurt for like 10 minutes after the fight"
Cole Shelton - April 29, 2021
Jeff Molina promised he would put on a show at UFC 261 and he did just that. Molina made his UFC debut against Aoriqileng in the second fight of the night. In the lead-up to the scrap, the Contender Series winner thought he would be able to finish Aoriqileng. The game plan was to use leg kicks to eventually get his hands down and land something up top. Yet, Molina knew after the first round he had to make some big adjustments.
UFC Vegas 25: Reyes vs. Prochazka full betting odds
Cole Shelton - April 29, 2021
Check out the complete betting odds for this Saturday’s UFC Vegas 25 card featuring a pivotal light heavyweight fight between Dominick Reyes and Jiri Prochazka. The UFC Vegas 25 main event features Reyes looking to get back into the win column after two straight losses as he faces Prochazka. Reyes is coming off a TKO loss to Jan Blachowicz for the vacant belt after dropping a close decision to Jon Jones for the belt. Prochazka, meanwhile, is the former RIZIN champ and made good of his UFC debut as he KO’d Volkan Oezdemir at UFC 251.
Pro fighters make their picks for Dominick Reyes vs. Jiri Prochazka
Cole Shelton - April 29, 2021
In the main event of UFC Vegas 25 on May 1, Dominick Reyes is looking to snap his two-fight losing streak as he battles Jiri Prochazka. Entering the fight, Reyes is a +110 underdog while the former RIZIN champ is a -130 favorite. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. The pros are split on this one but the slight majority lean towards Prochazka picking up his second UFC win.
Kevin Holland stumps for short-notice opportunity against Donald Cerrone
Adam D Martin - April 29, 2021
UFC middleweight Kevin Holland is stumping to take on veteran Donald Cerrone on short notice next weekend in a 175lbs catchweight bout. Holland has lost his last two fights to Marvin Vettori and Derek Brunson after being taken down and controlled for 25 minutes in both of those bouts. “Trailblazer” was expected to take some time off to work on his wrestling skills, but it appears as though he wants to step back into the Octagon as soon as possible for a short-notice fight with Cerrone.
MMA legend Shinya Aoki takes a shot at Sage Northcutt
Harry Kettle - April 29, 2021
ONE Championship’s Shinya Aoki left a short and sweet message for Sage Northcutt after calling him out on the ONE on TNT 4 broadcast. The controversial Aoki has long since been viewed as one of the most unpredictable men in mixed martial arts, whether that be with ONE Championship or elsewhere.
Beneil Dariush ready to step up in case anything happens to Michael Chandler or Charles Oliveira at UFC 262
Adam D Martin - April 29, 2021
UFC lightweight Beneil Dariush says he is willing to step up to fight if anything happens to Charles Oliveira or Michael Chandler at UFC 262. Dariush steps back into the Octagon on May 15 at UFC 262 when he takes on Tony Ferguson in the biggest fight of his career to date. And while Dariush is absolutely not looking past Ferguson by any means, he is aware that he could step in and fight for the belt should anything happen to Oliveira or Chandler before their fight. If anything does happen to Oliveira or Chandler, Dariush is preparing to fight for five rounds or less.
ONE on TNT 4 Results: Reinier de Ridder becomes double champ, Eddie Alvarez suffers defeat
Harry Kettle - April 29, 2021
Another hectic night of ONE on TNT action saw Reinier de Ridder win another belt and Eddie Alvarez lose an incredibly close fight. It marked the end of ONE Championship’s first run of events on the TNT platform at ONE on TNT 4, with the show taking place at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore.
Anthony Johnson: 'Yoel Romero is the most dangerous fighter I’ve actually faced'
Drake Riggs - April 28, 2021
Anthony Johnson has fought a who’s who of tough opponents throughout his career. But he expects his next to be the most dangerous. Set to make his Bellator MMA debut on May 7 as part of the light heavyweight Grand Prix at Bellator 258, “Rumble” squares off with a fellow former multi-time UFC title challenger. It’s “Rumble” vs. the “Soldier of God,” Yoel Romero.
Reug Reug suffers first career loss in bizarre fashion at ONE on TNT 4
Drake Riggs - April 28, 2021
Oumar “Reug Reug” Kane has fallen for the first time in his MMA career… but it wasn’t the most traditional of bout endings. Opening up the ONE on TNT 4 main card, Reug Reug took on Kirill Grishenko. At the end of the second round, the unbeaten Senegalese wrestling sensation absorbed a punch to the throat that forced him unable to continue. Thus resulting in a TKO loss.
Tyson Fury sends message to Francis Ngannou and 'UFC guys'
Drake Riggs - April 28, 2021
Francis Ngannou’s original intentions in combat sports were driven towards boxing. Now as UFC heavyweight champion, he’s gained Tyson Fury’s attention. As he’s progressed in MMA, Ngannou has remained interested in potential boxing matches. With Fury atop the throne as arguably the best heavyweight boxer in the world, it would only make sense for the best of the best to square off… in theory, of course.
Derrick Lewis says he will KO Francis Ngannou in the "first exchange"
Cole Shelton - April 28, 2021
Derrick Lewis believes he will beat Francis Ngannou again, but this time will do it in a more dramatic fashion. Lewis and Ngannou first met in the co-main event of UFC 226. It was a highly anticipated heavyweight scrap as they are to KO artists. However, the fight was a lackluster one as Lewis was dealing with a bad back and Ngannou was coming off being dominated by Stipe Miocic so his confidence wasn’t there. It resulted in the two barely throwing any punches and Lewis edging out a boring decision.
Video | Israel Adesanya reacts to Chris Weidman’s horrible leg break at UFC 261
Cole Shelton - April 28, 2021
Israel Adesanya had a similar reaction to many others when Chris Weidman broke his leg at UFC 261. On the main card of the stacked pay-per-view, Weidman and Uriah Hall were having a rematch over 10 years in the making. It was a crucial fight for both men, but unfortunately, on the first strike of the fight, Weidman threw a leg kick that was checked and his leg completely snapped.
Dustin Poirier makes prediction for UFC 264 main event: "I'm going to finish Conor McGregor again"
Cole Shelton - April 28, 2021
Dustin Poirier is confident he will finish Conor McGregor again on July 10. In the main event of UFC 264, Poirier and McGregor are set for their trilogy bout in what will be a highly anticipated fight. They first met back in 2014 at featherweight with McGregor winning by KO. They then had their rematch in January and Poirier exacted his revenge with a second-round knockout.
Report | Diego Sanchez out of May 8 fight against Donald Cerrone, replacement sought after
Cole Shelton - April 28, 2021
UFC Vegas 26 on May 8 has taken another hit as Diego Sanchez is reportedly out of his fight against Donald Cerrone. MMA reporter, C. Contreras Legaspi was first to report the news. It’s not known why Sanchez is out of the fight but the good news is, the UFC is searching for a replacement to face Cerrone.
Photos | Francis Ngannou shares pictures of victory tour in Cameroon
Adam Martin - April 28, 2021
UFC heavyweight Francis Ngannou shared photos of his victory tour as he headed back home to his native Cameroon with the heavyweight belt. Ngannou knocked out Stipe Miocic last month at UFC 260 to win the UFC heavyweight title for the first time. Following the victory, Ngannou has now gone back home to Cameroon. On Wednesday, “The Predator” took to his social media to share photos of the trip home.
Dustin Poirier thanks Conor McGregor for charitable donation: "Mission accomplished"
Adam Martin - April 28, 2021
UFC lightweight contender Dustin Poirier thanked rival Conor McGregor for his charitable donation to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Acadiana. Poirier recently took to his social media to reveal that McGregor’s $500,000 donation to “The Good Fight Foundation” never came through despite his team suggesting the money had been sent. McGregor then put Poirier on blast for his comments and threatened to break apart their fight at UFC 264. Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed and the fight remains intact. Still, there was that question about the charity money that McGregor promised floating out there. Now, we know McGregor has made good on his word.