UFC News
Dana White shuts down Ilia Topuria's talk of challenging Islam Makhachev at lightweight: "This is his first title defense"
Josh Evanoff - October 25, 2024
UFC President Dana White doesn’t want to see Ilia Topuria vs. Islam Makhachev just yet. ‘El Matador’ is set to return to the octagon in the main event of UFC 308 this Saturday night. Back for the first time since winning featherweight gold against Alexander Volkanovski in February, Ilia Topuria will face Max Holloway. ‘Blessed’ earned the title opportunity with a knockout win over Justin Gaethje in April.
Umar Nurmagomedov says reported Song Yadong fight is canceled, reacts to Merab Dvalishvili's "Scared" comments
Curtis Calhoun - October 25, 2024
UFC bantamweight contender Umar Nurmagomedov didn’t take long to respond to Merab Dvalishvili’s recent outburst at a fan Q+A event. Nurmagomedov is the presumptive No. 1 bantamweight contender after defeating Cory Sandhagen at UFC Abu Dhabi earlier this year. The undefeated Dagestani seemed destined to face Dvalishvili following the latter’s title win over Sean O’Malley at UFC 306.
Francis Ngannou issues cold response to "Bully" Dana White's latest attacks
Curtis Calhoun - October 25, 2024
Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou responded to UFC CEO Dana White’s latest claims and accusations regarding the rocky end to his promotional tenure. Ngannou’s long-awaited return to the cage went according to plan, as he finished 2023 PFL title winner Renan Ferreira earlier this month. He was making his PFL debut after almost three full years away from the cage.
WATCH | Robert Whittaker and Khamzat Chimaev have intense final faceoff before UFC 308 fight
Cole Shelton - October 25, 2024
Robert Whittaker and Khamzat Chimaev had an intense final faceoff ahead of their highly-anticipated UFC 308 fight. Whittaker and Chimaev are set to fight in a five-round co-main event in a crucial scrap for the middleweight division. The winner of the bout could get the next title shot and this fight is a long time coming.
Khamzat Chimaev makes weight for UFC 308 with just minutes remaining
Harry Kettle - October 25, 2024
UFC star Khamzat Chimaev just about managed to make weight earlier today for his clash with Robert Whittaker. As we know, Khamzat Chimaev is a pretty unpredictable guy. In the cage, he’s an undefeated monster. Outside of it, however, it’s often hard to predict what he’s going to do next. From missing weight to long periods of time on the shelf, it’s a far cry from the man who first burst onto the scene during the pandemic with two wins in less than two weeks.
Dana White reveals conversation with Mark Zuckerberg over UFC rankings
Harry Kettle - October 25, 2024
UFC president Dana White has revealed that he’s had conversations with Mark Zuckerberg over changing the promotion’s rankings system. As we know, Dana White is the man in charge at the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He’s been the face of the company fheor a long time now and beyond that, he’s also managed to take the promotion to unbelievable new heights. Of course, that doesn’t mean things are perfect – as there are still a few tidbits that he’d like to change.
UFC 308 | Pro fighters make their picks for Robert Whittaker vs Khamzat Chimaev
Cole Shelton - October 24, 2024
In the co-main event of UFC 308, a pivotal middleweight bout goes down as Robert Whittaker takes on Khamzat Chimaev. Heading into the bout, Whittaker is a +200 underdog while the undefeated fighter is a -265 favorite on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the pivotal middleweight fight. The pros believe Whittaker will be able to pull off the upset as they think he can drag the fight into the later rounds and get the win.
Khamzat Chimaev claims he's getting paid more than most champions at UFC 308: "I’m happy with the money"
Cole Shelton - October 24, 2024
Khamzat Chimaev is getting paid at UFC 308. Chimaev is set to return to the Octagon in the co-main event of UFC 308 against Robert Whittaker. It’s a highly-anticipated bout and one that is key for the division. Although Chimaev is not the champion or a former champion for that matter, he claims he’s making more than most champions are for this fight and going forward.
REPORT | UFC champion Alex Pereira is in talks to join 'Onslaught' film in production at A24
Josh Evanoff - October 24, 2024
UFC light-heavyweight champion Alex Pereira could soon be entering showbusiness. ‘Poatan’ has been out of the cage since his clash against Khalil Rountree Jr. earlier this month at UFC 307. Back for the first time since dominating Jiri Prochazka in June, the Brazilian went down on the scorecards early. ‘The War Horse’ scored a shocking second-round knockdown, and brought the fight to Alex Pereira.
VIDEO | Dana White shockingly signs 9-0 fighter who asked for a contract at UFC 308 press conference
Josh Evanoff - October 24, 2024
It appears that Dana White was in a generous mood at today’s UFC 308 press conference. This Saturday night in Abu Dhabi, the UFC will put on one of their last pay-per-view cards of the year. For what it’s worth, the card is an excellent one. In the main event, featherweight champion Ilia Topuria will look to make his first title defense against Max Holloway. ‘Blessed’ earned the title opportunity with a knockout win over Justin Gaethje in April.
Dana White rips PFL's Donn Davis over latest event comparisons: "Talks a lot, but says nothing!"
Curtis Calhoun - October 24, 2024
UFC CEO Dana White quickly responded to PFL founder Donn Davis’s latest claims, comparing the two top MMA organizations. White and the UFC are hours away from one of their biggest cards of the year in Abu Dhabi. UFC 308 is headlined by a featherweight title clash between Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway.
Dana White takes aim at Francis Ngannou, claims the UFC nearly cut 'The Predator' after loss to Derrick Lewis
Cole Shelton - October 24, 2024
UFC CEO Dana White has continued to take aim at Francis Ngannou. White and Ngannou hadn’t seen eye-to-eye well before ‘The Predator’ left the UFC to sign with the PFL and box. But, following the Power Slap event on Thursday, White was speaking to the media and claimed he nearly cut Ngannou before he became the heavyweight champ.
Belal Muhammad dismisses Ilia Topuria's three-division champion claim: "Short guys always act like they’re tough"
Fernando Quiles Jr. - October 24, 2024
Belal Muhammad finds humor in Ilia Topuria’s plan to become a three-division UFC champion. Topuria is the reigning UFC featherweight champion. He will be putting his title at stake against Max Holloway in the main event of UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi this Saturday. It’s “El Matador’s” first attempt at a successful title defense.
Coach: Kayla Harrison brings excitement back to UFC women's bantamweight division
Fernando Quiles Jr. - October 24, 2024
Kayla Harrison’s coach, Matt Brown, believes his fighter is bringing buzz back to the women’s bantamweight division. Since Amanda Nunes walked away from pro MMA competition, some feel the women’s 135-pound division has been missing a spark. More recently, Julianna Pena defeated Raquel Pennington to recapture the bantamweight gold. Fans have scoffed at the current state of the division, however.
Joaquin Buckley reveals his frustration at UFC welterweight division
Harry Kettle - October 24, 2024
UFC fighter Joaquin Buckley has explained why he’s frustrated with the current state of the welterweight division. Over the course of the last few years, Joaquin Buckley has really put everything together. He has become a genuine contender at welterweight and, in the process, has developed quite the persona outside of the cage.
Shara Magomedov explains why Michael Bisping is his MMA inspiration
Harry Kettle - October 24, 2024
UFC star Shara Magomedov has explained why he views former champion Michael Bisping as an inspiration. As many of you know, Shara Magomedov is viewed by many as the next big thing. The 30-year-old is 14-0 in his professional mixed martial arts career and he’s 3-0 since arriving in the UFC. This weekend, he’ll attempt to extend that record when he goes head to head with Armen Petrosyan in what promises to be an electric bout.
Jake Hadley opens up on recent UFC departure
Harry Kettle - October 24, 2024
Former UFC fighter Jake Hadley has opened up on his recent departure from the promotion. For the longest time, it felt as if Jake Hadley had the potential to become a real player in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, things never quite clicked into place for him. Following a run of 3-4 in the promotion, including a loss to Cameron Smotherman last weekend, he was not re-signed to a new contract.
Dan Ige expecting a "fun fight" against Lerone Murphy at UFC 308, hopes for a big fight next: "It lines me up for something big"
Cole Shelton - October 23, 2024
Dan Ige is expecting a fun fight against Lerone Murphy at UFC 308. Ige is coming off a decision loss to Diego Lopes back at UFC 303 in a fight he took on only a couple of hours’ notice. It was a hectic day for the Hawaiian and he says he was glad he did it as he proved to everyone just how good he is.