MMA News
Aljamain Sterling shares X-ray photo of neck injury ahead of pending surgery
Harry Kettle - April 16, 2021
UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling has shared an X-ray photo of his neck injury as he awaits his impending surgery. Sterling has made it known that this surgery was coming after making a note of how badly damaged his neck has been for the last few years. In the same breath, he’s also tried to reassure fans that the reports of him being out of action for up to nine months are false.
Bellator 257: 'Nemkov vs. Davis 2' Live Results and Highlights
Chris Taylor - April 15, 2021
Tonight’s Bellator 257 event is headlined by a light heavyweight rematch between current champion Vadim Nemkov and former title holder Phil Davis. Nemkov (12-2 MMA) and Davis (22-5 MMA) originally collided at Bellator 209 in November of 2018, with the Russian emerging victorious by way of split decision.
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.
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 tells Khabib Nurmagomedov to "quit running" and "sign on the dotted line"
Cole Shelton - April 15, 2021
Tony Ferguson is still chasing the Khabib Nurmagomedov fight. Ferguson and Nurmagomedov have been scheduled to fight each other five times but due to fluke injuries, botched weight cuts, and a pandemic, the fight never took place. It is one of the fights many fans wanted to see and although Nurmagomedov is retired, Ferguson still hopes it happens.
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.
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.
Chase Sherman eager to fight "legend" Andrei Arlovski, but expects to "finish him early"
Cole Shelton - April 15, 2021
Chase Sherman has had a whirlwind of a year. Last May, Sherman was signed back into the UFC and got a TKO win over Ike Villanueva. After that, however, he was suspended by USADA for failing to disclose. He took a supplement months before he was with the UFC, and didn’t write it down on the sheet.
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.
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.
Ricardo Ramos issues statement after being pulled from UFC Vegas 24
Adam D Martin - April 15, 2021
This Saturday’s UFC Vegas 24 card has lost a fight due to COVID-19 protocols as featherweights Bill Algeo and Ricardo Ramos are off the card. Algeo vs. Ramos was expected to take place on the preliminary card for Saturday’s event, which is headlined by middleweights Robert Whittaker and Kelvin Gastelum. Unfortunately, the fight is now off after Ramos was pulled from the event due to COVID-19 protocols. The fighter himself announced on his social media in a video statement that he tested positive for COVID-19 and that’s why his fight with Algeo was canceled. Check out the video below.
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.”
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.
UFC Vegas 23 Rankings Update: Mackenzie Dern and Marvin Vettori break into the top-five
Adam D Martin - April 15, 2021
UFC women’s strawweight contender Mackenzie Dern has moved into the top-five of the division in the latest UFC rankings update. Dern defeated Nina Nunes via first-round submission at this past Saturday’s UFC Vegas 23 card. It was the most impressive performance of her career to date, and it improved her Octagon record to 6-1 overall. That was enough for Dern to move up significantly in the rankings. In the latest UFC rankings update, Dern moved up to No. 5 in the promotion at women’s 115lbs. In turn, Nunes dropped from No. 5 to No. 7, and Claudia Gadelha, Michelle Waterson, Tecia Torres, and Amanda Ribas all dropped a spot, as well.