MMA News
Pat Miletich fired as LFA commentator after attending Capitol riot
Tom Taylor - January 12, 2021
Former UFC welterweight champion Pat Miletich has been fired from his commentary job with LFA after attending last week’s Capitol riot. Miletich was among the throngs of Donald Trump supporters in Washington, DC last week, some of whom ultimately stormed the Capitol building in an attempted insurrection that left several people dead.
Just Scrap Radio Ep. 24 with Matt Brown, Tyson Nam, Ike Villanueva, and Brendan Fitzgerald
Cole Shelton - January 12, 2021
The 24th episode of Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com with Cole Shelton is here ahead of UFC Fight Island 7 and UFC Fight Island 8. var _bp = _bp||[]; _bp.push({ "div": "Brid_22658022", "obj": {"id":"22947","width":"100%","height":"","video":"701682"} });
Gilbert Burns admits he thought UFC might give Khamzat Chimaev his title shot
Adam Martin - January 12, 2021
UFC welterweight contender Gilbert Burns admitted that he thought the UFC might have given Khamzat Chimaev his title shot. Burns was originally set to fight Kamaru Usman for the welterweight title back at UFC 251 on the first Fight Island card, but he tested positive for COVID-19 and the fight fell apart. The two were then set to fight at UFC 256, but Usman needed more time to heal from injuries. The two are now set to fight at UFC 258 in February, but the fight took months to get signed. It was taking so long to get done that Burns was starting to worry the UFC might give his title shot to Chimaev instead.
Deiveson Figueiredo challenges Henry Cejudo to bantamweight fight
Tom Taylor - January 12, 2021
Reigning UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo is hoping to fight the division’s former champ Henry Cejudo—at bantamweight. Figueiredo has not fought since December, when he defended the flyweight strap in a thrilling draw against Brandon Moreno. While UFC President Dana White has stated he intends to book a rematch between Figueiredo and Moreno, the champ is fixated on a fight with Cejudo, who previously ruled over the flyweight and bantamweight divisions—and he wants to do it at 135 pounds.
Conor McGregor could compete for boxing title with one win, says WBC president
Tom Taylor - January 12, 2021
WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman believes Conor McGregor could be fighting for a major boxing title after just one professional win. McGregor, who formerly held the UFC lightweight and featherweight titles, has boxed once previously, coming up short in a blockbuster showdown with Floyd Mayweather in 2017. Despite losing that fight, McGregor performed better than most pundits anticipated, and has been linked to many high-profile boxing matches since, most notably a rematch with Mayweather and a fight with Manny Pacquiao.
ONE Championship announces next fights for Shinya Aoki, Stamp Fairtex, more
Tom Taylor - January 12, 2021
ONE Championship has announced a host of high-profile matchups for its next three events on January 22, January 29, and February 5. The promotion’s first event of the year, titled ONE: Unbreakable, will go down on January 22. That event, it’s been announced, will be topped by a bantamweight kickboxing title fight between champion Alaverdi Ramazanov and challenger Capitan Petchyindee Academy, and co-headlined by a welterweight clash between former title challenger James Nakashima, and former lightweight champion Shinya Aoki. The card will also feature appearances from former ONE welterweight champ Zebaztian Kadestam, and atomweight contender Meng Bo—the only woman to defeat UFC strawweight champ Zhang Weili.
Amanda Ribas: BKFC will be "really good" for Paige VanZant
Tom Taylor - January 12, 2021
UFC strawweight contender Amanda Ribas believes her former opponent, Paige VanZant, will do well as a bare-knuckle fighter in BKFC. Ribas and VanZant fought in the Octagon in July, 2020, with the former winning by submission. The fight marked the final obligation on VanZant’s UFC contract. After a period of free agency, she signed with BKFC, and is slated to debut against Britain Hart on February 5.
Daniel Cormier encourages Chandler, Hooker to take advantage of fighting on McGregor card
Tom Taylor - January 12, 2021
Daniel Cormier believes Michael Chandler and Dan Hooker need to take full advantage of fighting on the same card as UFC superstar Conor McGregor. Chandler, the former Bellator lightweight champion, will make his Octagon debut against Hooker in the co-main event of UFC 257 on January 23.
Corey Anderson gives edge to Bellator light heavyweight division over UFC
Drake Riggs - January 11, 2021
To close out 2020, a hot topic was Bellator vs. UFC at 205-pounds. Having competed for both promotions, Corey Anderson leans towards his new home. Winning season 19 of The Ultimate Fighter in 2014, Anderson would go on to enjoy a 10-5 tenure inside the Octagon (14-5 overall). After suffering an early 2020 defeat in his rematch with the now-champion, Jan Blachowicz, “Overtime” departed from the UFC in mid-2020 to sign with Bellator. Thus bolstering a continuously growing division.
Reug Reug gets ONE Championship debut vs. Alain Ngalani
Drake Riggs - January 11, 2021
Senegalese wrestling sensation, Oumar “Reug Reug” Kane (1-0) is on his way to ONE Championship. It was initially reported in late December that Reug Reug had signed with the Singapore-based promotion. For his likely debut, he was expected to face off with BJJ wizard, Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida.
Dana White explains why Floyd Mayweather talks went nowhere: "The world imploded"
Adam Martin - January 11, 2021
UFC president Dana White gave an update on the lack of talks with boxing legend Floyd Mayweather, saying it’s because “the world imploded.” White and Mayweather were famously photographed sitting courtside at an LA Clippers vs. Boston Celtics NBA game in Los Angeles. But that was back in December 2019, well before COVID-19 caused a global pandemic. White had said at the time of the meeting that he had an agreement with Mayweather to work together in 2020, but that never happened. White said last summer that he had some talks going on with Mayweather, but so far, those talks have gone nowhere.
Zabit Magomedsharipov will fight in the next three months, says Dana White
Adam Martin - January 11, 2021
UFC president Dana White said that featherweight contender Zabit Magomedsharipov will fight again within the next three months. The Russian had a nightmarish 2020 as he didn’t fight at all due to a proposed bout with Yair Rodriguez falling through on two occasions. The UFC keeps trying to book this awesome matchup, but it keeps falling apart. The promotion actually tried to book it way back at UFC 228: Woodley vs. Till in September 2018, but Rodriguez withdrew due to injury. The two were re-booked to fight at UFC Vegas in August 2020, but Rodriguez once again withdrew due to injury. The UFC was hoping to match them up for an event this past October, but that fight also fell through.
Max Holloway sends a warning to Calvin Kattar for saying he's the better striker: "Come find out"
Cole Shelton - January 11, 2021
Max Holloway doesn’t buy all the talk that Calvin Kattar is the best striker in the featherweight division. In the main event of UFC Fight Island 7, Holloway is set to return to the Octagon against rising contender, Calvin Kattar, which should be a phenomenal fight. Both men are elite strikers, with many saying Kattar has the best boxing at featherweight. However, for Holloway, he believes he is still the guy at 145-pounds and is still the best striker in the division.
Dana White updates on Leon Edwards vs. Khamzat Chimaev bout: "I love that fight"
Tom Taylor - January 11, 2021
UFC President Dana White is still determined to book a fight between welterweight stars Leon Edwards and Khamzat Chimaev. Edwards and Chimaev have been scheduled to fight twice now to no avail. The pair were first slated to collide on December 19 in Las Vegas, but the matchup fell through when Edwards was sidelined with COVID-19.
Dana White not ruling out immediate title shot for TJ Dillashaw
Adam Martin - January 11, 2021
UFC president Dana White says he is not ruling out an immediate title shot for former UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw. Dillashaw is set to return from his two-year suspension by USADA in January 2019 for performance-enhancing drugs. The former bantamweight kingpin recently shared photos of his current physique, and he looks like he’s ready to come back and dominate. Considering he’s a big name in the division and a former champion, we’ve seen fighters such as Jose Aldo and Rob Font call him out. They are both top-10 opponents, but it’s possible Dillashaw is chasing after even bigger fish.
Alessio Di Chirico expects to derail the hype of Joaquin Buckley and remain a UFC fighter
Cole Shelton - January 11, 2021
Alessio Di Chirico knows his UFC Fight Island 7 fight against Joaquin Buckley is do-or-die for his UFC career. Di Chirico is on a three-fight losing streak and many were surprised he was fighting Buckley who is on a winning streak. However, the Italian was excited when he got the call to fight Buckley.
Jon Jones vs. Israel Adesanya should happen at light heavyweight, says Dana White
Tom Taylor - January 11, 2021
UFC President Dana White believes a potential fight between Jon Jones and Israel Adesanya should happen in the light heavyweight division, not at heavyweight. Jones and Adesanya are two of the biggest stars in MMA at present, and White has made no secret of his interest in a fight between them. That being said, it’s unclear what weight class this potential superfight would occur in.
Brandon Moreno has a question for Deiveson Figueiredo: "How you want to be a BMF if you can’t beat a little Mexican kid?"
Adam Martin - January 11, 2021
Brandon Moreno questioned UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo’s BMF title talks after the two fought to a majority draw at UFC 256. Moreno and Figueiredo put on one of the best fights of 2020 back in December when the two fought in a 25-minute war that served as the main event of UFC 256. At the end of five rounds, the judges couldn’t decide on a winner, with a point deduction due to a Figueiredo low blow leading to the bout being scored a majority draw. UFC president Dana White has since confirmed there will be a rematch this year, and there have been talks that the UFC could run this fight back in April or May.