MMA News
Anthony Smith slams Jake Paul for recent CTE claims: "He’s exactly as stupid and careless as we all thought"
Christopher Taylor - April 15, 2021
Anthony Smith absolutely went off on Jake Paul after the YouTuber turned boxer claimed that he is already showing “early signs of CTE”. Paul (2-0), who is set to square off with former MMA champion Ben Askren on Saturday night, told media members on Thursday that he was already suffering the effects of being a professional boxer.
Bellator matchmaker Rich Chou steps down from role after six year run
Drake Riggs - April 15, 2021
It’s been a good run for longtime Bellator matchmaker Rich Chou, but now he’s moving on to work with Wimp 2 Warrior. Revealed on Thursday just ahead of tomorrow night’s big Bellator 257 event, the promotion informed the public of Chou’s coming departure as their matchmaker.
Jake Paul says a Conor McGregor fight is closer to happening "than anyone thinks"
Cole Shelton - April 15, 2021
Jake Paul believes he will fight Conor McGregor within the next two years. After Paul had a highlight-reel KO over Nate Robinson he called out several MMA fighters including McGregor. He began taking shots at the Irishman and on Saturday night, he will face Ben Askren, and many believe if he wins, he will call out McGregor again.
Santiago Ponzinibbio set to return to the Octagon against top prospect Miguel Baeza
Adam Martin - April 15, 2021
UFC welterweight contender Santiago Ponzinibbio is set to return to the Octagon in the coming months when he faces top prospect Miguel Baeza. Marcelo Barone of Combate was the first to report the Ponzinibbio vs. Baeza fight, which will take place at a UFC Fight Night card set for June 5. That event currently does not have the main event set for it, but other bouts scheduled for the card include Roman Dolidze vs. Alessio Di Chirico, Ilir Latifi vs. Tanner Boser, and Muslim Salikhov vs. Francisco Trinaldo.
Tony Ferguson analyzes the mistakes he made against Charles Oliveira
Adam Martin - April 15, 2021
UFC lightweight contender Tony Ferguson analyzed the mistakes he made on the ground against Charles Oliveira last December at UFC 256. In that fight, Ferguson was the betting favorite but was completed dominated by Oliveira, who took “El Cucuy” down at will and controlled him on the mat for three full rounds en route to a lopsided victory. With Ferguson now preparing to fight another ground ace in Beneil Dariush at UFC 262, he’s been hard at work drilling his grappling so what happened against Oliveira won’t happen again. Taking to his social media, Ferguson explained what technical mistakes me made on the ground that didn’t allow for him to score a finish.
Jake Paul claims he has "early signs of CTE" ahead of Ben Askren fight
Cole Shelton - April 15, 2021
Jake Paul is already showing the effects of being a professional boxer. Paul, the former Disney Channel host and YouTube star, has made the transition to boxing. He had his first pro fight in January of 2020 and he scored a first-round TKO win over AnEsonGib who is also a YouTuber. He then returned in November and scored a highlight-reel KO win over Nate Robinson.
Amanda Nunes to defend bantamweight title at UFC 265 against Julianna Pena
Cole Shelton - April 15, 2021
Amanda Nunes will attempt to defend her bantamweight title for the first time since 2019 this summer. According to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, Nunes will defend her 135-pound strap against Julianna Pena at UFC 265. The date or the location of the event is no certain, but August 7 is the most likely date.
Frank Mir believes his daughter, Bella "checks off every box to be a world champion, a Hall of Famer"
Cole Shelton - April 15, 2021
Frank Mir believes his daughter Bella has all the capabilities to be one of the best fighters ever. Bella is 2-0 as a pro and at just 18-years-old has shown some promise. According to Frank Mir, he says he tried to talk his daughter out of being a fighter due to how little fighters make. However, after some time, he liked the idea of her following in his footsteps and after two wins, Mir is confident she has what it takes to be a world champion one day.
MLB star Christian Yelich names his stakes for accepting disc golf challenge from Ben Askren
Adam D Martin - April 15, 2021
MLB star Christian Yelich named his stakes for accepting the disc golf challenge presented to him by MMA fighter-turned-boxer Ben Askren. In addition to being a wrestler, MMA fighter, and now a boxer, Askren also has a passion for disc golf. He is quite an athlete and one of the sports that he excels at is disc golf.
Robert Whittaker hoping to "dominate" Kelvin Gastelum, but expects "an absolute war"
Cole Shelton - April 15, 2021
Robert Whittaker is expecting a tough fight with Kelvin Gastelum on Saturday night. Whittaker and Gastelum are set to headline UFC Vegas 24 in a very intriguing middleweight bout. Originally, Whittaker was set to face Paulo Costa but a month out, the Brazilian pulled out of the fight and Gastelum stepped in on short notice.
Ticket prices for UFC 264: ‘McGregor vs Poirier 3’ are sky high
Harry Kettle - April 15, 2021
The ticket prices for UFC 264 have been released – and fans have noticed that the higher bracket of tickets could set them back by up to five figures. The event on July 10 is set to mark the UFC’s return to Las Vegas in style. UFC president Dana White announced yesterday that Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier III will headline the blockbuster card, with the expectation being that there will be a full crowd of fans in attendance at the T-Mobile Arena.
Michael Page returns at Bellator 258 against Derek Anderson
Adam D Martin - April 15, 2021
Bellator welterweight contender Michael Page will return to the cage when he takes on Derek Anderson at Bellator 258 in May. ESPN’s Ariel Helwani was the first to report this Page vs. Anderson fight. It’s actually a re-booking of a fight that Bellator tried to book twice previously in 2017 and 2019. The hope is that in 2021 both men will stay healthy and make it to the fight. When they do meet at Bellator 258 on May 7, it will be a battle between two top-10 fighters in Bellator’s welterweight division. Page is the No. 2 ranked welterweight in Bellator while Anderson is ranked at No. 6. The winner of this fight would surely be in play for a title shot at 170lbs.
Boxing legend Freddie Roach shares extremely bold prediction for Ben Askren vs. Jake Paul fight
Adam D Martin - April 15, 2021
Boxing legend Freddie Roach has shared his extremely bold prediction for this Saturday’s Ben Askren vs. Jake Paul fight on Triller. Roach is one of the greatest boxing trainers of all time, having worked with Manny Pacquiao for years, not to mention MMA fighters such as Georges St-Pierre and Tony Ferguson. In addition, Roach did some work with Askren for this camp, as UFC president Dana White hooked the two up. During their one week of training together at Wild Card Boxing in Los Angeles, Roach said he was impressed by the skills that Askren showed him.
Corsica officials dismiss sexual assault case involving UFC star Conor McGregor
Harry Kettle - April 15, 2021
Officials on the island of Corsica have dismissed the sexual assault claim aimed at Conor McGregor due to insufficient evidence. The claim stems back to September 2020 when McGregor “allegedly exhibited his private parts to the young woman without her consent as she made her way into the bar toilets.”
Invicta FC sold to Anthem, gets new television deal
Adam D Martin - April 15, 2021
All-women MMA promotion Invicta FC has been sold to Anthem Sports & Entertainment and the organization now has a new television deal. As part of the new deal, Invicta FC will now be aired on AXS TV in the United States and on The Fight Network in Canada. It was previously aired on UFC Fight Pass. The first event under the new partnership will be Invicta FC 44, which takes place on May 21. The card features Invicta FC atomweight champion Alesha Zappitella taking on Jessica Delboni.
Pro fighters make their picks for Robert Whittaker vs. Kelvin Gastelum
Cole Shelton - April 15, 2021
In the main event of UFC Vegas 24, Robert Whittaker and Kelvin Gastelum are finally set to meet. Whittaker enters the fight as a -265 favorite while the eighth-ranked middleweight is a +210 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The majority believe Whittaker will get the job done as he is the better mixed martial artist.
Daniel Rodriguez down to fight Robbie Lawler next: "I'll make him look like Mike Perry"
Adam D Martin - April 15, 2021
UFC welterweight Daniel Rodriguez says he is open to fighting former champ Robbie Lawler next, saying he’ll make him look like Mike Perry. Rodriguez is coming off of the biggest win of his UFC career to date, a lopsided unanimous decision win over Perry at last weekend’s UFC Vegas 23 card. In that fight, Rodriguez showed off his technical boxing skills and defensive grappling chops as he was able to keep the fight upright and batter Perry’s face for 15 minutes. The win over Perry improves Rodriguez’s record in the UFC to 4-1, and he seems likely to fight a ranked opponent next.
Henry Cejudo fires back at Sean O'Malley over short joke: "Too bad the steroids you took couldn’t give you a strong ankle"
Christopher Taylor - April 14, 2021
Henry Cejudo was not happy that Sean O’Malley referenced him in a “short joke” during his recent exchange with Petr Yan on social media. O’Malley (13-1 MMA) has been trying to lockdown a big fight ever since scoring a third round knockout victory over Thomas Almeida last month at UFC 260.