MMA News

Cole Shelton - March 2, 2021

The 30th episode of Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com with Cole Shelton is here ahead of UFC 259. var _bp = _bp||[]; _bp.push({ "div": "Brid_50564985", "obj": {"id":"22947","width":"100%","height":"","video":"730545"} });

Tom Taylor - March 2, 2021

Former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold is hoping to return to action in the summer—ideally for a “sexy” fight with Darren Till or Marvin Vettori. Rockhold has not fought since July, 2019, when he was knocked out by Jan Blachowicz in his first fight in the light heavyweight division.

Tom Taylor - March 2, 2021

Khabib Nurmagomedov has opened up on how his life will change now that he’s retired from mixed martial arts competition. Nurmagomedov announced his retirement after he defended the UFC lightweight title with a second-round submission of Justin Gaethje in October. UFC President Dana White has expressed optimism that the champ will end up fighting again, but from the sounds of it, he’s already easing into post-fighting life.

Tom Taylor - March 2, 2021

Former UFC welterweight title challenger Dan Hardy has reacted after Matt Brown accepted a June 19 fight with Dhiego Lima. At the height of his career, Hardy was known as one of the most dangerous and entertaining welterweights on the UFC roster. Regrettably, Hardy has been kept out of action since 2012, when it was discovered that he has a rare but generally innocuous heart condition called Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.

Harry Kettle - March 2, 2021

UFC middleweight king Israel Adesanya has issued a reaction to Paulo Costa’s claim he was hungover for the UFC 253 showdown. Adesanya put on a real show when he defended his UFC Middleweight Championship against Costa, dominating and finishing the Brazilian star to successfully retain his title. Now, this Saturday at UFC 259, he’ll attempt to become a two-weight world champion when he challenges Jan Blachowicz for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship.

Christopher Taylor - March 1, 2021

Dana White has weighed in after budding UFC star Khamzat Chimaev announced his sudden retirement from mixed martial arts. Chimaev (9-0 MMA) has been one of many unfortunate victims of the global pandemic and due to lingering symptoms he has been unable to compete since last fall.

Christopher Taylor - March 1, 2021

Daniel Cormier did not hold back while addressing Paulo Costa’s recent claim that he fought Israel Adesanya with a hangover at UFC 253. On Sunday, ‘The Eraser’ shocked fight fans when he suggested that the night before UFC 253, he downed an entire bottle of wine.

Cole Shelton - March 1, 2021

Kai Kara-France is excited to be on UFC 259. Although Kara-France is on the prelims, he will be competing with some of his teammates in Carlos Ulberg and Israel Adesanya, as well as his Tiger Muay Thai teammate in Petr Yan. It’s a massive event for the UFC and for City Kickboxing.

Cole Shelton - March 1, 2021

Khamzat Chimaev has apparently retired from MMA. Chimaev, who became a superstar in the UFC in 2020, was set to challenge Leon Edwards in December. However, the fight was postponed due to Edwards testing positive for COVID-19. The fight was rebooked for January but the Swede got COVID-19 and it was pushed back to March. However, due to the lingering effects of the virus, the fight was canceled again and now, it appears it has resulted in Chimaev announcing his retirement from MMA.

Cole Shelton - March 1, 2021

Amanda Nunes knows she can’t overlook Megan Anderson in the co-main event of UFC 259. Nunes is a massive -1200 favorite as many expect her to steamroll Anderson as she has done to her past opponents. At featherweight, the Brazilian has been unstoppable with a quick KO over Cris Cyborg and a dominant performance over Felicia Spencer. However, Nunes knows Anderson poses some problems with her size and reach advantage so she can’t overlook her.

Adam Martin - March 1, 2021

UFC featherweight superstar Max Holloway said that he’ll let the fans decide who he fights next, pointing out “that’s who we fight for.” Holloway is coming off of a record-setting performance over Calvin Kattar back on UFC Fight Island in January. It was one of the most incredible displays of striking we have ever seen inside the Octagon and it puts Holloway’s stock at an all-time high. UFC president Dana White has suggested that Holloway could fight the winner of UFC 260’s Alexander Volkanovski vs. Brian Ortega world title fight, but as of right now Holloway does not have his next fight booked. Although a title shot could be on the horizon, it’s possible that Holloway could shoot for potential money fights instead, coming off of the Kattar win.

Cole Shelton - March 1, 2021

Khabib Nurmagomedov believes no one will beat his pupil, Islam Makhachev. Makhachev is the main training partner of Nurmagomedov and many call him his protégé. Since “The Eagle” retired, he also passed along the torch to Makhachev who many inside AKA believe is destined to be a future champion. Although he is still ranked outside the top-10, Nurmagomedov believes his fellow Dagestani native will be the champion by the end of 2021.

Adam Martin - March 1, 2021

UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya said that he is excited to show off his BJJ purple belt skills in the Octagon at some point. Adesanya, the reigning UFC middleweight champion, will move up to 205lbs this Saturday night at UFC 259 when he takes on UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz. The expectation is that this fight between two talented strikers will take place on the feet, but Blachowicz has some ground skills and there is the chance the fight goes to the mat. If that’s what happens in the fight, then Adesanya is fully prepared. In fact, he wants to show off that side of his game, hinting that a submission victory could be coming soon.

Tom Taylor - March 1, 2021

Former UFC welterweight contender Ben Askren has shared some new sparring footage ahead of his boxing match with Jake Paul. Askren, who previously held welterweight gold in Bellator and ONE Championship, will meet the YouTube star Paul in an eight-round pro boxing match on April 17.

Adam Martin - March 1, 2021

UFC heavyweight contender Ciryl Gane believes that he has all the skills necessary to become the world champion by the end of next year. Gane improved to a perfect 8-0 in MMA when he defeated Jairzinho Rozenstruik via unanimous decision in the main event of UFC Vegas 20. “Bon Gamin” is 5-0 in the UFC and the win over Rozenstruik will elevate him into the top-five. He has a complete skillset and many analysts believe that the 30-year-old Frenchman is going to be a serious problem in the heavyweight division for many years to come. There are many people who believe that Gane has all the skills to make a run for the UFC heavyweight championship, which will be on the line at March’s UFC 260 when Stipe Miocic meets Francis Ngannou.

Cole Shelton - March 1, 2021

Petr Yan is confident he will remain the UFC’s bantamweight champion after Saturday night. In the first of three title fights on the stacked pay-per-view card, Yan is set to defend his belt against Aljamain Sterling. It’s a very intriguing matchup as the Russian is a striker while Sterling should have a grappling advantage. However, Yan isn’t worried about Sterling’s grappling.

Tom Taylor - March 1, 2021

UFC lightweight contender Alexander Hernandez feels he was robbed of a victory in his UFC Vegas 20 scrap with Thiago Moises. Hernandez and Moises met on the UFC Vegas 20 undercard. After three rounds, Moises was named the victor via unanimous decision.

Tom Taylor - March 1, 2021

It sounds like we can pump the brakes on talk of a welterweight title fight between Kamaru Usman and Jorge Masvidal. Masvidal, the UFC’s No. 4 welterweight contender, was on Spanish-language commentary duty for last weekend’s Canelo Alvarez vs. Avni Yildirim boxing match. After Canelo’s lopsided win, Masvial partook in an interview with Boxing Express, during which he claimed he’ll be challenging Usman for the UFC welterweight title in September.