UFC News
Conor McGregor reacts after USADA states he will need to be tested for 6 months prior to UFC return
Cole Shelton - March 16, 2023
Conor McGregor has responded after USADA confirmed he would need six months of testing in order to return. After the Irishman broke his leg in his trilogy match against Dustin Poirier, it was revealed McGregor withdrew from the USADA testing pool. McGregor had said he wanted to focus on rehabbing but many fighters wondered if he was using PEDs to speed up his return.
Stipe Miocic responds after heavyweight champion Jon Jones casts doubt on UFC 290 title fight: “See you in July”
Josh Evanoff - March 16, 2023
Former UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic has responded to Jon Jones. ‘Bones’ called out the former titleholder after submitting Ciryl Gane earlier this month at UFC 285. The victory handed Jones his first in the weight class, and also the heavyweight title. Francis Ngannou famously vacated the championship after parting ways with the UFC in January.
Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman have heated back and forth at UFC 286 press conference (Video)
Josh Evanoff - March 16, 2023
UFC welterweights Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman had a heated back-and-forth earlier today. ‘Rocky’ and ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ are slated to headline UFC 286 in London this Saturday. The bout will be the third time that they’ve clashed, and the first since their historic welterweight title fight last August. In that outing, Usman appeared to be on his way to a second unanimous decision win over Edwards.
Conor McGregor reveals only two fights left on UFC deal, but not open to free agency: "They've changed my life"
Josh Evanoff - March 16, 2023
Former UFC double-champion Conor McGregor is planning on retiring in the promotion. ‘The Notorious’ has been out of the cage since his trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier in July 2021. Near the end of the first round, the Irishman broke his leg. Due to the injury, he’s been on the shelf for well over a year.
Jon Jones casts doubt on Stipe Miocic fight happening at UFC 290 in July: "Bro it’s simple, either you believe in yourself or you don’t"
Cole Shelton - March 16, 2023
Jon Jones may not be fighting Stipe Miocic after all. Jones took to Twitter on Thursday to accuse Miocic of ducking him all last year and now revealed their fight in July may not be happening after all. Of course, after Jones submitted Ciryl Gane at UFC 285, he called out Miocic and all signs pointed to that fight happening on International Fight Week this summer.
USADA issues statement following Conor McGregor’s recent comments about his eligibility to fight in UFC
Susan Cox - March 16, 2023
The USADA has issued a statement following Conor McGregor’s recent comments about his eligibility to fight in the UFC. Conor McGregor (22-6 MMA) is expected to return to the Octagon for the first time in two years to take on Michael Chandler (23-8 MMA) after the two coaches face-off at TUF 31.
Aljamain Sterling is open to fighting training partner Merab Dvalishvili if the UFC offers up “NFL money”
Susan Cox - March 16, 2023
Aljamain Sterling is open to fighting training partner Merab Dvalishvili if the UFC offers up ‘NFL money’. Sterling (22-3 MMA) is currently on an eight-fight winning streak, his latest victory coming via TKO against T.J. Dillashaw (17-5 MMA) in October of last year at UFC 280.
Conor McGregor questions Francis Ngannou’s decision to part ways with the UFC: “I wasn’t sure why he did that to be honest”
Susan Cox - March 16, 2023
Conor McGregor is questioning Francis Ngannou’s decision to part ways with the UFC. Francis Ngannou (17-3 MMA) parted ways with the UFC in January of this year. Following a lengthy contract dispute, the heavyweight champion refused the most recent offer from the UFC and left the promotion. With the departure, ‘The Predator’ was stripped of his belt.
UFC 286 | Pro fighters make their picks for Justin Gaethje vs. Rafael Fiziev
Cole Shelton - March 16, 2023
In the co-main event of UFC 286, a banger of a lightweight bout takes place as Justin Gaethje takes on Rafael Fiziev. Heading into the fight, Gaethje is a +190 underdog while Fiziev is a -225 favorite. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. The pros slightly lean towards the underdog in Gaethje getting his hand raised. But, all the fighters are expecting it to be a very entertaining scrap for however long it lasts.
Conor McGregor expects Michael Chandler fight will be made soon, says he’s not worried about USADA: “The six months thing, what they had said was two clean tests and off I go”
Harry Kettle - March 16, 2023
UFC star Conor McGregor is not concerned about the USADA testing pool as he prepares for his return fight against Michael Chandler. Later this year, Conor McGregor is expected to return to the Octagon for the first time in two years. When he does, he’ll take on Michael Chandler, the man he’s coaching against in the latest season of The Ultimate Fighter.
Gunnar Nelson expects teammate Conor McGregor to shine in his UFC return if he comes prepared: “He’ll kick the sh*t out of him”
Harry Kettle - March 16, 2023
UFC welterweight Gunnar Nelson expects Conor McGregor to shine when returning to the Octagon – if he trains properly. It’s been well-documented that Conor McGregor has a pretty tight circle of friends in mixed martial arts. One person who has been there for the majority of his journey is none other than Gunnar Nelson.
UFC star Conor McGregor defends Dillon Danis from recent backlash: “He’s good for the game”
Harry Kettle - March 16, 2023
Conor McGregor has defended his friend Dillon Danis following recent backlash directed towards the controversial fighter. For many years now, Conor McGregor has had a pretty tight circle within his friendship group. While things have gone a bit sour with Artem Lobov, it seems as if he’s still good pals with Dillon Danis.
Davey Grant believes ref standing him and Raphael Assuncao up was fair but understands why his team was mad: "I was just squeezing for dear life"
Cole Shelton - March 15, 2023
Davey Grant knew Raphael Assuncao would be a tough out at UFC Las Vegas but admits it was a harder fight than he thought. Grant knew Assuncao was a good wrestler but the Brit was confident he would have his way on the feet and eventually get the KO. But, after ten minutes that wasn’t the case as Assuncao had won both rounds.
Conor McGregor reveals he was originally supposed to coach TUF 31 against Nate Diaz: "I'm not sure what went down on that end"
Cole Shelton - March 15, 2023
Conor McGregor has revealed that Michael Chandler wasn’t the first choice to coach TUF 31 opposite him. McGregor and Chandler were announced as the head coaches of TUF 31 and the two will fight later this year. It’s a massive fight and a highly-anticipated scrap but the Irishman revealed he originally agreed to coach TUF 31 against Nate Diaz.
Leon Edwards says he'll "open the door" for Kamaru Usman to retire after UFC 286, 'The Nigerian Nightmare' fires back
Cole Shelton - March 15, 2023
Leon Edwards believes once he beats Kamaru Usman at UFC 286, the former champ will retire from MMA. Edwards and Usman are set for their trilogy match in the main event of UFC 286 on Saturday in London. The two fought back in August with Edwards becoming the new welterweight champ with a fifth-round head kick KO.
Muhammad Mokaev reveals Jake Hadley nearly got physical: ‘He didn’t say one word and his dad started backing him up’
Zain Bando - March 15, 2023
Muhammad Mokaev’s UFC 286 fight week already got interesting as he revealed that another event participant, Jake Hadley, wanted a piece of him. During media day, according to Mokaev, things nearly got physical between he and Hadley. The only thing missing, however, is a fight between the two. Mokaev is scheduled to face Jafel Filho, who is making his Octagon debut. As for Hadley, his third UFC flyweight bout will see him fight Malcom Gordon. Both bouts will take place on the preliminary portion of the event, airing on ESPN+ and ESPN News stateside.
Conor McGregor names Nate Diaz the toughest opponent he's had in his career: "I look forward to completing that trilogy"
Josh Evanoff - March 15, 2023
While they might be rivals, Conor McGregor still holds a lot of respect for Nate Diaz. ‘The Notorious’ is currently preparing for his return to the octagon. McGregor has been out of action since a broken leg in his trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier in July 2021. Due to the injury, he’s been on the shelf for over a year and a half.
Justin Gaethje argues that he's the most exciting fighter in UFC history: "It's not on purpose it's just who I am"
Josh Evanoff - March 15, 2023
Former UFC interim lightweight champion Justin Gaethje believes he’s the most exciting fighter ever. ‘The Highlight’ has been out of the cage since his title bid against Charles Oliveira last May. Prior to the bout, ‘Do Bronx’ missed weight and was stripped of his lightweight gold. As a result, only Gaethje was eligible to win the championship at UFC 274 last year.