MMA News

Tom Taylor - February 3, 2021

Former UFC champion Tito Ortiz will keep his position as Mayor Pro Tem of Huntington Beach, California. Ortiz was elected onto Huntington Beach City Council last year, and was subsequently selected to serve as the city’s Mayor Pro Tem, a role that puts him in position to serve as the city’s next mayor. Regrettably, his time in office has been marred by several high-profile blunders, primarily related to his refusal to wear a mask and his spreading of conspiracy theories.

Cole Shelton - February 3, 2021

In the main event of UFC Vegas 18, Alistair Overeem is looking to continue his final run to a heavyweight title shot as he battles Alexander Volkov. Heading into the fight, Overeem is a +155 underdog while the Russian is a -190 favorite. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. Maybe to some surprise, nearly all the pros have Overeem edging it out as he will mix in his striking and wrestling.

Harry Kettle - February 3, 2021

Raphael Assuncao has been forced out of his scheduled UFC Vegas 20 fight against fellow bantamweight Raoni Barcelos, MMA Junkie reports. The report in question indicates that Assuncao has withdrawn for unknown reasons, marking just the second time he has pulled out of a scheduled fight since 2013.

Harry Kettle - February 3, 2021

Petr Yan has discussed his planned strategy for his highly anticipated title fight against Aljamain Sterling at UFC 259. The two men are set to meet for the UFC Bantamweight Championship in March on a card that will feature three title fights, although you could argue that this is the most personal out of the three.

Drake Riggs - February 2, 2021

Justin Gaethje (22-3) suffered his third career defeat in his last outing against Khabib Nurmagomedov (29-0). Now, “The Highlight” is ready to regroup. The encounter with “The Eagle” saw the 32-year-old Gaethje succumb to the lightweight king’s pressure thus leading to a second-round submission loss. When addressing the possibility of who could be next, Gaethje is aware of what would be most lucrative.

Andrew Whitelaw - February 2, 2021

Alistair Overeem knows Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou well, having fought both of them. Ngannou will again look to wrench the UFC heavyweight title from Miocic when the pair meet at UFC 260 next month.

Adam Martin - February 2, 2021

A bantamweight bout between Sean O’Malley and Thomas Almeida is the latest addition to the upcoming UFC 260 pay-per-view in March. UFC 260 takes place on March 27 and is headlined by a heavyweight title fight rematch between Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou. Also on the card is a co-main event featherweight title fight between champion Alexander Volkanvoski and challenger Brian Ortega. O’Malley vs. Almeida could open up the main card or it could be placed on the prelims for this event. Regardless of where it lands on the card, this is a very fun fight that is likely going to be a stand-up war based on their styles.

Cole Shelton - February 2, 2021

Diego Ferreira is excited to rematch Beneil Dariush. At UFC 179 in October of 2014, Dariush edged out a decision against Ferreira in a fight the Brazilian took on short notice. Since then, however, both men have become top-15 lightweights and the Fortis MMA product believes the rematch just makes sense.

Cole Shelton - February 2, 2021

Frankie Edgar knew he would end up fighting Cory Sandhagen. At UFC Raleigh in January of 2020, Edgar was booked to make his bantamweight debut against Sandhagen. However, the former lightweight champion ended up accepting a short notice fight against Korean Zombie and the bout against Sandhagen was canceled.

Cole Shelton - February 2, 2021

James Vick has announced his retirement from MMA. After Vick lost four straight fights in the UFC and was released many wondered if he would fight again. Yet, after a year away from the sports, Vick returned to headline an XMMA event last Saturday night. Unfortunately for Vick, he suffered a second-round TKO loss to PFL veteran, Andre Fialho.

Adam Martin - February 2, 2021

UFC superstar Nate Diaz told Dustin Poirier to “f*ck a class” following a video showing “The Diamond” using some very strong “fighting words.” After Poirier knocked out Conor McGregor at UFC 257, one of the first fighters to call him out was Diaz, who took to social media to post a mock photo of the two in a staredown before UFC president Dana White. With Poirier currently on the sidelines and waiting for the right opportunity to come up before he jumps back into the Octagon, Diaz is once again putting his hand up and making sure Poirier knows that he wants the fight. He made that clear in a series of tweets posted on Tuesday.

Adam Martin - February 2, 2021

Former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis and PFL star Lance Palmer are among the class of the PFL season-three 155lbs and 145lbs roster. After taking 2020 off due to COVID-19 concerns, PFL is set to kick off its third season this April. The promotion promised that the roster would be completely overhauled heading into this new season, and they weren’t joking. There are plenty of fresh faces on this season’s upcoming lightweight and featherweight rosters, such as Pettis, in addition to PFL stalwarts like Palmer. Take a look at the rosters below.

Tom Taylor - February 2, 2021

ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith is back with another terrible take, this time expressing his disinterest in women competing in mixed martial arts. Smith, whose gimmick relies heavily on intentionally controversial sound bites, made his comments about women in combat sports during an appearance on the latest episode of the “Black on the Air” podcast. 

Cole Shelton - February 2, 2021

The 26th episode of Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com with Cole Shelton is here ahead of UFC Vegas 18. var _bp = _bp||[]; _bp.push({ "div": "Brid_22657921", "obj": {"id":"22947","width":"100%","height":"","video":"711792"} });

Adam Martin - February 2, 2021

A lightweight bout between veterans Jim Miller and Bobby Green is the latest addition to the upcoming UFC 258 pay-per-view card. MMAjunkie.com was the first to report that UFC 258 will receive the Miller vs. Green bout. The card takes place on February 13 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event is headlined by UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman vs. Gilbert Burns. The co-main event was originally a middleweight rematch between Uriah Hall and Chris Weidman, and after that fight fell apart, the promotion scrambled to get a new addition added to the card, and the Miller vs. Green bout was the fight added.

Tom Taylor - February 2, 2021

Surging UFC welterweight contender Michael Chiesa is still hoping to fight Colby Covington next, but he’d also be up for a fight with Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson. Chiesa last fought at UFC Fight Island 8 in January, when he picked up an impressive decision victory over Neil Magny. After that fight, he set his sights on Colby Covington, a dedicated Donald Trump supporter, with a politicized callout.

Tom Taylor - February 2, 2021

Darren Till has gone to bat for UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya after a recent criticism from his fellow contender Uriah Hall. Hall, the UFC’s No. 8-ranked middleweight, recently expressed his belief that Adesanya has been competing against subpar opposition of his own volition.

Tom Taylor - February 2, 2021

Javier Mendez says Khabib Nurmagomedov should hold out for a blockbuster fighter with Georges St-Pierre or retire from mixed martial arts. Nurmagomedov, the reigning UFC lightweight champion, announced his retirement from competition after choking out Justin Gaethje in October. Despite his retirement announcement, he still hasn’t vacated the lightweight throne, as UFC President Dana White has been attempting to convince him to fight one last time.