MMA News

Chris Taylor - January 27, 2024

Joe Rogan has called for Canada to “get their sh*t together” after fans were chanting “F**k Trudeau” at UFC 297 in Toronto. The Ultimate Fighting Championship made its highly anticipated return to Canada earlier this month for the UFC 297 pay-per-view event. Headlining the card was a middleweight title fight between Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis.

Chris Taylor - January 27, 2024

Frankie Edgar has weighed in on the rumored middleweight fight between Michael Chandler and Conor McGregor. It was on New Year’s Eve that ‘Notorious’ took to ‘X‘ with a video announcement stating that he would be returning to action on June 29 at International Fight Week for a middleweight bout with Michael Chandler.

Chris Taylor - January 27, 2024

Former UFC champion Ronda Rousey has reacted after her former employer Vince McMahon announced his resignation from WWE. McMahon, the longtime face of the WWE, was appointed TKO Group Holding’s Executive Chairman and board member following the company’s merger with the UFC. However, Vince’s position within the company drew heavy scrutiny after the Wall Street Journal shared a story regarding a lawsuit filed by Janel Grant, that insinuates Vince McMahon was abusing her sexually for years and even pimping her to other men.

Chris Taylor - January 27, 2024

Dillon Danis found it comical that Sean Strickland would have the gull to criticize UFC commentator Jon Anik. Anik made headlines two days ago when he hinted at a career change, suggesting he was growing tired of the ever-toxic MMA space.

Chris Taylor - January 27, 2024

UFC commentator Jon Anik has issued an apology to the MMA fan base for the recent comments he made on his podcast. It was just two days ago that Anik, a long-time play-by-play man for the UFC, made headlines when he told Kenny Florian that he was growing tired of the MMA space.

Chris Taylor - January 26, 2024

Sean Strickland has reacted after UFC commentator Jon Anik hinted at a possible career change due to toxic MMA fans. It was just yesterday that Anik, a long-time play-by-play man for the UFC, made headlines when he told Kenny Florian that he was growing tired of the MMA space.

Zain Bando - January 26, 2024

Sean O’Malley is a little over a month away from his first bantamweight title defense against Marlon Vera at UFC 299, which headlines the event from Miami, Fla., March 9 on ESPN+ pay-per-view. O’Malley, who won the title against Aljamain Sterling in August at UFC 292 in Boston, MA, at TD Garden, became one of just two DWCS alumni to win a championship since the show was established in 2017.

Cole Shelton - January 26, 2024

Dricus Du Plessis says Sean Strickland admitted defeat after their middleweight title fight at UFC 297 went the distance. Strickland was looking to defend his title for the first time against Du Plessis and their highly anticipated bout resulted in a back-and-forth scrap. When the final bell rang many were torn on who won, as it likely came down to the second round.

Josh Evanoff - January 26, 2024

46-year-old Yoel Romero believes that his age is somewhat of an advantage ahead of his return at PFL vs. Bellator next month. ‘Soldier of God’ has been out of the cage since a clash with Vadim Nemkov at Bellator 297 in June. That bout was a major one for Yoel Romero, as it was his first title bout since a 2020 decision loss to Israel Adesanya. To earn the bout, he scored dominant knockout wins over Melvin Manhoef, and Alex Polizzi.

Josh Evanoff - January 26, 2024

Former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland is ready to join the likes of Tito Ortiz. ‘Tarzan’ recently returned to the octagon at UFC 297 over the weekend. For Sean Strickland, the bout was his first since an upset title win over Israel Adesanya last September. For his first title defense, he faced the rising Dricus du Plessis. In Toronto on Saturday night, the two middleweights went to war across 25 minutes.

Josh Evanoff - January 26, 2024

Middleweight contender Jared Cannonier is the latest to show interest in fighting at UFC 300 in April. ‘The Killa Gorilla’ has been out of action since a unanimous decision win over Marvin Vettori in June. That victory was the second in a row for Jared Cannonier, previously defeating Sean Strickland in December 2022. After Paulo Costa withdrew, the seemingly ageless middleweight also got a call to face Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294 last October.

Josh Evanoff - January 26, 2024

The decision for Justin Gaethje to not fight rising UFC lightweight contender Benoit Saint-Denis was a simple one. ‘The Highlight’ recently booked his return to the cage for April, at the milestone UFC 300 event. There, Justin Gaethje will face former featherweight champion Max Holloway in a defense of his ceremonial ‘BMF’ title. The lightweight famously captured the gold with a second-round knockout win over Dustin Poirier last July.

Cole Shelton - January 19, 2024

Bruce Buffer has seen it all throughout his time in the UFC. Buffer will have been the voice of the Octagon for 29 years next month, and when he first joined the company, MMA wasn’t very popular, and the UFC was struggling to stay afloat. However, Buffer had full confidence the UFC could become the biggest thing in combat sports, but also one of the biggest things in sports, period.

Cole Shelton - January 18, 2024

Jimmy Flick knows his UFC job is on the line this Saturday night in Toronto. Flick is set to face Malcolm Gordon in the first fight of the night at UFC 297. The flyweights are opening the card, which is thrilling for Flick who gets to fight in front of a crowd for the first time in his UFC career.

Cole Shelton - January 18, 2024

Gillian Robertson is eager to fight back home in Canada. Robertson hasn’t fought in Canada since July of 2019 at UFC 240, where she scored a first round TKO victory over Sarah Frota. After missing out on the UFC’s return to Vancouver last June, Robertson was ecstatic when she found out she’d be on UFC 297 in Toronto.

Cole Shelton - January 17, 2024

In the main event of UFC 297 in Toronto on Saturday, the middleweight title is up for grabs as Sean Strickland looks to defend his belt for the first time against Dricus Du Plessis. Heading into the fight, Strickland is a small -138 favorite while the South African is a +108 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to make their picks for the title fight at UFC 297. The pros believe Strickland will get it done, as they think the American can edge out a decision win, as his pressure will be too much for Du Plessis to deal with.

Cole Shelton - January 12, 2024

Marcus McGhee is ready to build off of his success in 2023. McGhee made his UFC debut in April of last year where he scored a second-round submission win over Journey Newson. He then followed that up with a first-round knockout over JP Buys in August. Although McGhee went 2-0 with two Performance of the Night Bonuses and is becoming more known, he says that doesn’t add any pressure to him.

Cole Shelton - January 11, 2024

In the first event of 2024, top-10 light heavyweights collide as Magomed Ankalaev rematches Johnny Walker in the main event of UFC Vegas 84. Heading into the fight, Ankalaev is a sizeable -590 favorite while the Brazilian is a +390 underdog on FanDuel. The two fought back at UFC 294 in October in Abu Dhabi, but the fight ended in a No Contest in the first round as Ankalaev landed an illegal knee to Walker and the doctor stopped the scrap. Ahead of their rematch, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to make their picks for the fight at UFC Vegas 84. The pros believe Ankalaev’s grappling will be the difference and will lead to the win over Walker.

Cole Shelton - January 11, 2024

Mario Bautista is excited to finally get his chance to fight a ranked opponent. Bautista is coming off a decision win over Da’Mon Blackshear in August, in a fight where he was originally supposed to take on Cody Garbrandt, but the former bantamweight champion was forced out of the bout due to an injury. After the win over Blackshear, Bautista wanted a ranked opponent next, and he got his wish as he will take on Ricky Simon at UFC Vegas 84.

Cole Shelton - January 9, 2024

Jim Miller always wanted to fight one more time before UFC 300. For years, Miller has been vocal that he wants to compete at UFC 300, given he has competed at both UFC 100 and 200. However, many were surprised when Miller was booked to fight at UFC Vegas 84 on Jan. 13, exactly three months before the historic event.

Cole Shelton - December 14, 2023

In the co-main event of UFC 296, the flyweight title is up for grabs as Alexandre Pantoja takes on Brandon Royval in a rematch of their 2021 fight. Heading into the fight, Pantoja is a -205 favorite while the challenger is a +158 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to make their picks for the title fight at UFC 296. The pros lean towards Pantoja retaining his flyweight title and likely doing so by submission as he did in the first fight.

Cole Shelton - December 14, 2023

On the main card of UFC 296, an intriguing lightweight bout goes down as Paddy Pimblett takes on Tony Ferguson. Heading into the fight, Pimblett is a sizeable -330 favorite while ‘El Cucuy’ is a +240 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to make their picks for the title fight at UFC 296. Many of the pros made it clear they are rooting for Ferguson to turn back the clock to get the win, but don’t think it will happen.

Cole Shelton - December 13, 2023

Dustin Jacoby will be getting a chance to end 2023 on a high note. Jacoby snapped his two-fight losing streak back in August with a first-round TKO over Kennedy Nzechukwu. After the win, Jacoby was hoping to fight one more time this year, and when he got the call to face Alonzo Menifield at UFC 296 he jumped at the chance.

Cole Shelton - December 13, 2023

Brian Kelleher is relieved to finally make the walk to the Octagon again. Kelleher hasn’t fought since June of 2022 when he suffered a submission loss to Mario Bautista. He was supposed to face Journey Newson in April of this year, but was removed from the scrap on fight week as he had a neck issue that needed to be fixed.