MMA News
Jairzinho Rozenstruik on UFC Vegas 20 opponent Ciryl Gane: "This guy has a lot of hype"
Adam Martin - February 24, 2021
UFC heavyweight Jairzinho Rozenstruik commented on his upcoming UFC Vegas 20 opponent Ciryl Gane, saying that “this guy has a lot of hype.” There are many MMA analysts who believe Gane could be a future UFC heavyweight champion. Not only does he have the Muay Thai striking background, but he also has an absolutely phenomenal ground game to go along with it, which is a rarity for a big man of his size. There is so much hype behind Gane that, despite being ranked No. 7 in the UFC, he’s a huge betting favorite heading into this fight against Rozenstruik despite the fact “Bigi Boi” is ranked above Gane at No. 3. That right there shows how much hype there is right now behind Gane, hype that Rozenstruik hopes to steal.
Dominick Cruz says Dana White "doesn't care" about Henry Cejudo comeback talk
Tom Taylor - February 24, 2021
Dominick Cruz doesn’t believe UFC President Dana White cares about Henry Cejudo’s comeback talk. Cejudo, the former UFC bantamweight and flyweight champion, announced his retirement after defending the bantamweight belt with a TKO win over Cruz in 2020. Despite his retirement announcement, he continues to tease a comeback, most commonly campaigning for a fight with UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski.
Anthony Johnson shuts down notion that Bellator is inferior to UFC
Tom Taylor - February 24, 2021
Anthony Johnson has a message for anybody who believes Bellator is inferior to the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Johnson, who fought for the UFC from 2007 to 2017 and competed for the light heavyweight title two times in the stretch, migrated to Bellator to much fanfare earlier this year.
Sage Northcutt returns at ONE on TNT 4, meets Japanese legend Shinya Aoki
Tom Taylor - February 24, 2021
ONE Championship’s Sage Northcutt is finally slated to return to action. The former UFC star will take on Japanese MMA legend Shinya Aoki at ONE on TNT 4 on April 28. News of this matchup, which will occur in ONE’s 170-pound lightweight division, was given to ESPN by ONE officials. The promotion has since confirmed the fight on social media.
Max Holloway lays out plans for busy 2021
Tom Taylor - February 24, 2021
After fighting just once in 2020, former UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway is hoping for a much busier 2021. Holloway is already off to a good start in that regard, having kicked off the year with a dazzling decision victory over Calvin Kattar. With that win behind him, he’s hoping to stay busy and fight two more times by the end of the year.
Ben Askren reacts to Jake Paul’s latest MMA Chronicles troll job
Harry Kettle - February 24, 2021
Former UFC star Ben Askren has responded to Jake Paul’s latest MMA Chronicles skit in the build-up to their boxing fight on April 17. The two unlikely foes are set to meet inside the squared circle with Paul attempting to use this fight as a springboard towards an even bigger contest – potentially against Nate Diaz or Conor McGregor.
Daniel Cormier shares prediction for Jan Blachowicz vs. Israel Adesanya title fight at UFC 259
Harry Kettle - February 24, 2021
Daniel Cormier has given his thoughts on the upcoming Light Heavyweight Championship bout between Jan Blachowicz and Israel Adesanya. The two men will meet at UFC 259 in a fight that will see Blachowicz defend his newly won belt for the very first time. Adesanya, on the other hand, will be attempting to join an elite group of fighters to hold two belts in the UFC at the very same time.
400-pound Zuluzinho loses fight after nearly finishing opponent in Russia
Drake Riggs - February 23, 2021
In the typical fashion of a Zuluzinho fight, especially in 2021, there was some weirdness. Taking place in Russia, the PRIDE FC vet earned his 10th career loss. At AMC Fight Nights: Sochi after three rounds of action against unbeaten 5-0-1 Yusup Shuaev, the 400-pounder connected with a big punch to drop his opponent. Immediately celebrating, little did Zuluzinho know that the fight hadn’t been stopped.
TJ Dillashaw wants rematch with "lucky" Henry Cejudo to prove he's not "as good as he thinks he is"
Cole Shelton - February 23, 2021
TJ Dillashaw is hoping to lure Henry Cejudo out of retirement. In January of 2019, Dillashaw dropped down to flyweight to face Cejudo to try and become a champ-champ. Unfortunately for Dillashaw, the fight did not go his way as he was knocked out in 32 seconds and was then suspended for two years by USADA.
Jairzinho Rozenstruik plans to "shine" against "phenomenal" Ciryl Gane in UFC Vegas 20 main event
Cole Shelton - February 23, 2021
Jairzinho Rozenstruik has heard all the talk about Ciryl Gane being a future UFC heavyweight champion. Rozenstruik and Gane were originally supposed to be the co-main event on March 13 but were moved to the main event this weekend. It’s an intriguing matchup and for Rozenstruik fighting two weeks earlier isn’t that big of a deal.
Curtis Blaydes releases statement following nasty knockout loss to Derrick Lewis at UFC Vegas 19
Adam D Martin - February 23, 2021
UFC heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes released a statement following his nasty knockout loss to Derrick Lewis at Saturday’s UFC Vegas 19. Blaydes was a massive betting favorite heading into the UFC Vegas 19 main event against Lewis, and for the first round at least, he appeared to be the better fighter. Blaydes didn’t even need to use his wrestling in the first round as he was able to outstrike Lewis and take the first round. However, the second round would prove to be a different beast. After attempting a takedown, Lewis connected on a gigantic uppercut which knocked his opponent to the floor, where he landed two follow-up shots before the referee stepped in.
Alex Oliveira gets short-notice replacement opponent for UFC Vegas 20 as Ramazan Kuramagomedov fills in
Adam Martin - February 23, 2021
UFC welterweight Alex Oliveira will stay on Saturday’s UFC Vegas 20 card after all, with Ramazan Kuramagomedov stepping up on short notice. Oliveira was originally set to take on Randy Brown in what would have been an exciting bout between two fan favorites. Unfortunately for Oliveira, his status on this weekend’s card was up in the air while the UFC sought out a new opponent. Thankfully, the UFC matchmakers got Kuramagomedov to step up on short notice. The Russian will now make his UFC debut this Saturday against Oliveira, with MMAjunkie.com first reporting the news.
Alexa Grasso "very happy" with win over Maycee Barber, believes title shot isn't far off
Cole Shelton - February 23, 2021
Alexa Grasso picked up one of the biggest wins of her career as she beat Maycee Barber at UFC 258. Entering the fight, all the hype was around Barber making her return. However, as Grasso was quietly going about her business, in the co-main event, she proved to everyone just how good she is.
Photo | Dan Hooker finally back in New Zealand, but still not reunited with family
Adam Martin - February 23, 2021
UFC lightweight contender Dan Hooker is finally back home in his native New Zealand, but he has still not been reunited with his family. Hooker traveled to Fight Island in Abu Dhabi to fight Michael Chandler at UFC 257 on January 23. Unfortunately for Hooker, things did not go well for him that night as he suffered a brutal first-round knockout loss. To make matters worse, Hooker has still not been able to reunite with his family a month since that fight. His home country of New Zealand has very strict quarantine rules and right now Hooker is still waiting to get to hug his wife and daughter. Taking to his social media, “The Hangman” posted a very emotional photo of him standing outside of a fence while his family appears on the other side of it.
Just Scrap Radio Ep. 29 with Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Alexander Hernandez, and Dustin Jacoby
Cole Shelton - February 23, 2021
The 29th episode of Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com with Cole Shelton is here ahead of UFC Vegas 20. var _bp = _bp||[]; _bp.push({ "div": "Brid_22657760", "obj": {"id":"22947","width":"100%","height":"","video":"723957"} });
PFL announces first-round featherweight, lightweight matchups, including debut of Anthony Pettis
Tom Taylor - February 23, 2021
The Professional Fighters League (PFL) has announced the first-round matchups for its featherweight and lightweight seasons—including the league debut of former UFC and WEC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis. The league unveiled its first-round featherweight and lightweight fights, all of which will go down on the PFL 1 event on April 23, on Tuesday morning.
Tyron Woodley discusses training with Francis Ngannou: He made me feel like my "nose is gonna break"
Tom Taylor - February 23, 2021
Former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley recently did a bit of training with Francis Ngannou, and he seems to be pretty blown away by the heavyweight contender’s sheer strength. Ngannou, currently the No. 1 contender in the UFC heavyweight division, is widely viewed as one of the hardest hitters in mixed martial arts history—maybe the hardest hitter outright.
Daniel Cormier argues Derrick Lewis hits harder than Francis Ngannou
Tom Taylor - February 23, 2021
Former UFC heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier believes Derrick Lewis is potentially a harder puncher than Francis Ngannou. Lewis and Ngannou, the UFC’s No. 1 and 2-ranked heavyweights, are widely accepted as the hardest punchers in mixed martial arts at present. Deciding which man punches harder, however, has been the subject of much debate among fight fans.