MMA News
James Krause claims he's requested Joaquin Buckley fight twice, manager responds
Tom Taylor - November 26, 2020
James Krause says he’s requested a matchup with surging UFC middleweight prospect Joaquin Buckley on two separate occasions. After consecutive highlight reel knockouts of Impa Kasanganay and Jordan Wright, Buckley is one of the hottest prospects in MMA at present. Krause, however, isn’t impressed by the middleweight, and has made no secret of that fact, repeatedly sharing criticisms on social media and in interviews.
Scott Coker calls Cris Cyborg the female Mike Tyson, wants Amanda Nunes rematch
Adam Martin - November 26, 2020
Bellator president Scott Coker called Cris Cyborg the female Mike Tyson and said he wants to book a cross-promotion bout with Amanda Nunes. Coker has promoted Cyborg for years in Strikeforce and now in Bellator and he has always called her the greatest women’s fighter of all time. For many years it was hard to argue that, but when Cyborg was KOed by Nunes at UFC 232, most believe that Nunes took the title of female GOAT. Coker, however, has remained steadfast that Cyborg is still the best in the world. But the only way we would find that out is if she fought Nunes again and beat her, and that won’t happen with Nunes still in the UFC.
Rachael Ostovich wary that she could be cut with UFC Vegas 15 loss
Tom Taylor - November 26, 2020
UFC flyweight star Rachael Ostovich recognizes that she could be cut from the promotion is she comes up short in her next fight. Ostovich is slated to return to the Octagon at UFC Vegas 15 this weekend when she takes on Gina Mazany. The Hawaiian will enter this fight having not fought since she was submitted by Paige VanZant all the way back in January 2019. That loss, meanwhile, was preceded by a submission loss to Montana De La Rosa.
Anthony Smith explains what he's changed to correct two-fight skid
Tom Taylor - November 26, 2020
Anthony Smith has made a few changes heading into his UFC Vegas 15 co-headlining battle with fellow light heavyweight contender Devin Clark. Smith, who was previously ranked among the top-5 in the UFC light heavyweight division, has recently fallen on hard times, losing back-to-back fights. The first of those two losses occurred in May, when he was thrashed to a fifth-round TKO loss by Glover Teixeira. The second occured in August, when he was thumped to a decision loss by Aleksandar Rakic.
Kayla Harrison reveals advice she received from Ronda Rousey: "You need to have thicker skin"
Tom Taylor - November 26, 2020
PFL star Kayla Harrison has revealed a crucial piece of advice she received from former UFC champ Ronda Rousey earlier in her career. Like Rousey, Harrison is a former Olympic judoka who later turned her attention to mixed martial arts.
Derrick Lewis explains why he wants to fight Conor McGregor next: “Every interview he’s been calling me out”
Harry Kettle - November 26, 2020
UFC heavyweight Derrick Lewis has jokingly suggested that he will be calling out none other than Conor McGregor for his next fight after this weekend. It’s safe to say that Lewis is one of the most entertaining fighters in the Ultimate Fighting Championship today, and as we look ahead to his future, it doesn’t appear as if that trend is going to stop anytime soon.
Video | Reddit MMA poster reveals behind-the-scenes look at being in the corner of Mike Perry at UFC 255
Adam Martin - November 25, 2020
A poster on Reddit MMA revealed himself to be in the corner of Mike Perry at UFC 255 and shared a behind-the-scenes look at the experience. In October, Perry took to social media to announce that he would be auctioning off one of his corner spots at UFC 255 to the highest bidder. UFC middleweight Darren Till was among those who tried to get in on the action, but eventually, Perry found a private seller and sold his corner spot. Although UFC president Dana White said that Perry wouldn’t be allowed to sell his spot in the corner, it turns out that he did it anyway.
Curtis Blaydes believes Derrick Lewis "only has one punch, almost like Ngannou"
Cole Shelton - November 25, 2020
Curtis Blaydes believes Derrick Lewis is very predictable. In the main event of UFC Vegas 15, Blaydes and Lewis will finally meet after trash-talking each other for quite some time. It is a very intriguing matchup and one many are looking forward to. For many pundits, they believe it will either be Lewis by knockout or Blaydes will use his wrestling to dominate the fight, yet Blaydes is not impressed by Lewis’ skill.
AJ McKee says Dana White will owe him lunch for bet made in 2008
Adam Martin - November 25, 2020
Bellator featherweight contender AJ McKee vowed that UFC president Dana White will owe him lunch for a bet made all the way back in 2008. At the time, McKee was just 13 years old and his father Antonio was the one who was a professional fighter. According to McKee, he was once behind the scenes at a youth wrestling event in 2008 that White also attended with former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. McKee says that he met White that day and told him that one day he would be a world champion. If he won the world title, White would owe him lunch. Fast forward to 2020 and it looks like McKee wants to collect on lunch.
Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship "not interested" in signing Anderson Silva
Cole Shelton - November 25, 2020
Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship will not be trying to sign Anderson Silva. Back on Halloween night, Silva made the walk to the Octagon for the final time and lost by TKO to Uriah Hall. Since the event, Dana White has been adamant that was the last time the Brazilian would compete for the UFC. It was then revealed he was released from his contract. With him now being a free agent, the former middleweight champion made it clear he was looking to fight again.
Video | Dana White hands Deiveson Figueiredo 50k in cash, admits he "f*cked up" not giving bonus for UFC 255
Adam Martin - November 25, 2020
UFC president Dana White handed UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo $50,000 in cash and admitted he snubbed him of a bonus at UFC 255. Figueiredo had an incredible performance at UFC 255 last weekend as he submitted challenger Alex Perez in the first round with a guillotine choke for his first official title defense. Following the event, the UFC handed out its customary post-fight bonuses. Winning “Performance of the Night” was Antonina Shevchenko and Joaquin Buckley, and “Fight of the Night” went to Sasha Palatnikov and Louis Cosce. Somehow, White didn’t give Figueiredo a bonus despite having a great finish in a title fight. He was snubbed.
Francis Ngannou says heavyweight division is "stuck" due to lack of title fights
Tom Taylor - November 25, 2020
Francis Ngannou is frustrated by the lack of title fights in the UFC heavyweight division, and the log jam of contenders it has created. Ngannou, who is riding four-straight knockout wins over Curtis Blaydes, Cain Velasquez, Junior dos Santos and Jairzinho Rozenstruik, is expected to get the next crack at UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic in early 2021—most likely in March.
Joaquin Buckley has no plans to quit his job at Walgreens just yet
Adam Martin - November 25, 2020
Rising UFC middleweight contender Joaquin Buckley says he has no plans of quitting his job working at Walgreens just yet. Buckley has turned heads since joining the UFC over the summer. After losing by knockout to Kevin Holland as a short-notice replacement in his debut in August, Buckley has since become a star in the UFC with back-to-back KO wins over Impa Kasanganay and Jordan Wright, both of which earned him a $50,000 bonus for “Performance of the Night.”
Tim Means reveals how much extra money he got when Mike Perry missed weight: "He gave me $27,000"
Tom Taylor - November 25, 2020
Tim Means got a significant chunk of unexpected cash when his latest opponent “Platinum” Mike Perry missed weight for their fight. Means and Perry collided on the main card of UFC 255 last Saturday in Las Vegas. While Perry missed the contracted 171-pound welterweight limit by a significant 4.5 pounds, Means wasn’t too bothered, as the scale fail meant he’d receive 30% of his rival’s purse.
BKFC fighter Sheena Starr under fire after controversial Paige VanZant comments
Tom Taylor - November 25, 2020
BKFC fighter Sheena Starr is under fire after a controversial comment about former UFC fighter and new BKFC signee Paige VanZant. Starr, who is 1-1 as a bare knuckle fighter, recently shared her belief that VanZant’s hype train will be derailed in the BKFC ring. Regrettably, her trash talk included a comment that immediately stood out as extremely distasteful given VanZant’s history of sexual abuse.
UFC rankings update: Champs climb p4p lists, Shogun exits
Tom Taylor - November 25, 2020
The official UFC rankings have been updated after last weekend’s UFC 255 card, and as expected, there have been some big changes. Most notably, men and women’s flyweight champions Deiveson Figueiredo and Valentina Shevchenko have both climbed up their respective pound-for-pound lists, while former UFC light heavyweight champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua has exited his division’s rankings.
Pro fighters make their picks for Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr.
Cole Shelton - November 25, 2020
On Saturday night, Mike Tyson will return to the ring to battle a fellow legend in Roy Jones Jr. in an exhibition match. Heading into the fight, Tyson is the -185 favorite while the comeback on Jones Jr. is +158. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro boxers and MMA fighters to get their prediction for the bout. The majority of pros believe it will be Mike Tyson winning the fight but all are hoping both men come out of it safely.
Confident Arjan Bhullar wants "Buchecha" and Aliakbari after he takes out Brandon Vera
Tom Taylor - November 25, 2020
He’s expected to challenge ONE Heavyweight World Champion Brandon “The Truth” Vera sometime in 2021, but already, former UFC star Arjan “Singh” Bhullar is salivating at the possible matchups to be had in the newly-revamped heavyweight division in ONE Championship. The 34-year-old is 10-1 overall in his career, with impressive wins over Marcelo Golm and Juan Adams, and a recent three-round unanimous decision victory over former ONE heavyweight title challenger and Cage Warriors heavyweight champ Mauro Cerilli.