MMA News
Matt Brown reveals Carlos Condit fight "could be my last"
Cole Shelton - January 13, 2021
Matt Brown knows the end is near for his career. The 40-year-old is set to be the co-main event of UFC Fight Island 7 against Carlos Condit. It is a fight that has been booked two times previously, but Brown was forced to pull out with injuries both times.
Khabib Nurmagomedov retirement talk will take five minutes, says Dana White
Tom Taylor - January 13, 2021
UFC President Dana White says his retirement talk with unbeaten lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov should only take five minutes. Nurmagomedov last fought in October, when he elevated his pro record to 29-0 with a second-round submission of Justin Gaethje. In his post-fight interview with Jon Anik, he shocked viewers by announcing his retirement from mixed martial arts.
Dana White sends another warning to illegal streamers: "I look forward to the crying and the begging"
Tom Taylor - January 13, 2021
UFC President Dana White has sent another ominous warning to those that take part in the piracy and illegal streaming of UFC events. Earlier this month, White took to Instagram where he vowed to catch and punish illegal streamers.
Dana White breaks down Carlos Condit vs. Matt Brown: "Two legendary savages"
Adam Martin - January 13, 2021
UFC president Dana White broke down this weekend’s welterweight bout between “two legendary savages” Carlos Condit and Matt Brown. Condit and Brown are two of the most exciting welterweights of the past decade and this dream fight has been one that the UFC has tried to book twice in the past, both times unsuccessfully. The fight was booked in both 2013 and 2018, with the bout falling off each time. The promotion then booked this fight for the third time, and it’s set to take place as the co-main event of this Saturday’s UFC on ABC 1 event. The hope is that with the fight just a few days away, fans will finally get to see this fight.
Commentary teams set for UFC Fight Island triple-header
Tom Taylor - January 13, 2021
The commentary teams for the UFC’s upcoming three-event stint on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi have been made official. The UFC is set to promote three events on Fight Island starting this weekend. The first will be UFC Fight Island 7, headlined by a featherweight fight between Max Holloway and Calvin Kattar, on Saturday, January 16. Next up will be UFC Fight Island 8, headlined by a welterweight clash between Neil Magny and Michael Chiesa, on Wednesday, January 20. The fun will conclude on Saturday, January 23 with the stacked UFC 257 pay-per-view, headlined by a lightweight clash between top-5 contenders Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier.
Dana White says brain injury is "just part of the gig" in MMA
Tom Taylor - January 13, 2021
UFC President Dana White says brain injury is “just part of the gig” for those who compete in combat sports like mixed martial arts. Brain injury has been a widely discussed topic inside the MMA bubble this year. Earlier this month, the UFC donated $1 million to the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas. Then, earlier this week, MMA Fighting published an in-depth long-form article on UFC veteran Spencer Fisher’s struggle with CTE. In the article, Fisher detailed problems with dizzy spells, reduced motor function, memory loss, depression, and more. He and his wife also discussed their struggle to find and pay for the treatment he needs.
Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Ciryl Gane slated for heavyweight showdown on March 13
Tom Taylor - January 13, 2021
A heavyweight clash between top-10 contenders Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Ciryl Gane has been booked for March 13, according to French publication La Seuer. Gane, a former Muay Thai kickboxer, will enter this fight with the No. 7 spot in the UFC heavyweight rankings—a position he earned with a knockout of former heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos in his last fight. Prior to that, the Frenchman picked up wins over Tanner Boser, Don’Tale Mayes and Raphael Pessoa in his first three appearances in the Octagon. Before joining the UFC roster, he enjoyed a brief reign as the TKO heavyweight champion in Canada.
Tony Ferguson reflects on foiled matchups with "fathead" Khabib Nurmagomedov
Tom Taylor - January 13, 2021
Tony Ferguson recently took a trip down memory lane, reminiscing on the times he was scheduled to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov. Ferguson was scheduled to battle Nurmagomedov a ridiculous five times to no avail, with the matchup falling through due to last-minute injuries, pandemic-related travel restrictions, and more.
Dusko Todorovic eager to hand Punahele Soriano his first loss and prove he's the better prospect
Cole Shelton - January 12, 2021
Dusko Todorovic was surprised with the name on his bout agreement. At UFC Fight Island 7, Todorovic, who is 10-0, will battle fellow undefeated prospect, Punahele Soriano. Although the fight was surprising to many fans, given both Todorvic and Soriano are top prospects, the Serbian no longer cares as he is now just focused on the task at hand and figured he would’ve fought Soriano eventually.
Stephen Thompson: 'I'm gonna have that belt around my waist' in 2021
Drake Riggs - January 12, 2021
Stephen Thompson looked better than ever in his last time out. With the momentum gained to close out 2020, “Wonderboy” targets a big 2021. The last UFC main event of the past year saw welterweight’s Geoff Neal presented with a big opportunity — a chance to leapfrog many of the division’s top contenders with a win over a former title challenger.
Cody Garbrandt targeting Jose Aldo fight for April return to the Octagon
Adam Martin - January 12, 2021
Former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt is targeting an April matchup with legend Jose Aldo for his return to the Octagon in 2021. Garbrandt snapped a three-fight losing skid at UFC 250 in June 2020 when he KO’d Raphael Assuncao in a devastating fashion. The UFC matchmakers then booked Garbrandt in his 125lbs debut against UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 255, but an injury to his arm combined with a rough battle with COVID-19 led to Garbrandt losing his flyweight title shot. Instead, Alex Perez fought Figueiredo and suffered a first-round stoppage loss while Garbrandt watched from home.
Michael Chandler: 'I can start calling some shots' after UFC 257
Drake Riggs - January 12, 2021
Michael Chandler has his UFC debut set. At UFC 257, the former three-time Bellator champion will be helping provide some clarity in the grand scheme of things at 155-pounds. In doing so, he’ll go to war with Dan “The Hangman” Hooker.
Photo | Urijah Faber looking shredded at age 41
Adam Martin - January 12, 2021
UFC Hall of Famer Urijah Faber is looking absolutely shredded at age 41 ahead of a potential return to the Octagon in 2021. Faber is the former WEC featherweight champion and he was a long-time star for the UFC during the 2010s. The California native first retired in 2016 following a decision win over Brad Pickett, but he returned to the Octagon in 2019 to make a comeback. In his return fight, Faber scored an incredible KO win over Ricky Simon in his native Sacramento. He was then booked against rising star Petr Yan but he got knocked out at UFC 245. Faber has not fought since then, and that fight was in December 2019.
UFC on ABC 1 loses another fight as Omari Akhmedov vs. Tom Breese postponed
Adam Martin - January 12, 2021
UFC on ABC 1 lost another fight as a middleweight bout between Omari Akhmedov and Tom Breese has been postponed for an extra four days. Akhmedov vs. Breese was supposed to go down this Saturday night at UFC on ABC 1 in Abu Dhabi. However, the UFC announced that fight has been moved to UFC Fight Island 8 on January 20 instead due to COVID-19 issues. It’s not clear who tested positive, but it likely appears to be a case of contact tracking that led the UFC to wait a few extra days to book the Akhmedov vs. Breese fight. The two are now on track to step into the Octagon next Wednesday on the Chiesa/Magny undercard.
Firas Zahabi shares a bold prediction for McGregor vs Poirier 2 at UFC 257
Cole Shelton - January 12, 2021
Firas Zahabi expects Conor McGregor to KO Dustin Poirier again. In the main event of UFC 257, McGregor is set to return to the Octagon against Poirier in a very intriguing bout. The first time they met, they fought at featherweight, and the Irishman won by first-round knockout.
Matt Brown expects to be the first person to KO Carlos Condit in dominant performance
Cole Shelton - January 12, 2021
Matt Brown is eager to finally share the Octagon with Carlos Condit. In the co-main event of UFC Fight Island 7, Brown and Condit will finally fight one another after two previous bookings in 2013 and 2018 feel through due to Brown hurting his back and tearing his ACL.
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"} });