MMA News
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.
Manny Pacquiao wants to box Conor McGregor: "I want to experience fighting an MMA fighter"
Cole Shelton - January 12, 2021
Manny Pacquiao is looking to box Conor McGregor in the very near future. Ever since McGregor lost to Floyd Mayweather, there have always been talks about the Irishman boxing Pacquiao. However, there hasn’t been much talk of it since, but according to the boxer, he wants to compete against McGregor.
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.
Dustin Poirier reveals game plan for Conor McGregor rematch
Tom Taylor - January 12, 2021
Dustin Poirier has revealed his game plan for his rematch with Conor McGregor, which will headline the UFC 257 card on January 23. Poirier and McGregor first met in 2014, in the featherweight division. McGregor won that first encounter via knockout in just 1:46.
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.
UFC 257: 'McGregor vs Poirier 2' Fight Card and Start Times
Harry Kettle - January 12, 2021
The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to pay-per-view on Fight Island with a blockbuster main event at UFC 257 as Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier meet inside the Octagon for the second time. Event: UFC 257: Poirier vs. McGregor 2 Date: Saturday, 23rd January 2021 Location: Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Broadcast: ESPN+ – 10pm EST (Main card)
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.
Dana White reveals getting lone loss removed from Jon Jones' record is "not looking good"
Cole Shelton - January 11, 2021
UFC president, Dana White has revealed he is having a hard time getting the lone loss removed from Jon Jones’ record. The former UFC light heavyweight champion has never truly lost, as his only loss on his record came in his 10th fight as he was disqualified due to illegal elbows. However, it was a controversial DQ and since the event, White has made it clear he wanted to get the loss overturned to a no-contest.
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.