MMA News

Josh Evanoff - October 12, 2023

The UFC is heading to Saudi Arabia next year, and Conor McGregor is already a fan of the deal. The country’s PIF is infamously being used to help boost its economy. Already, Saudi Arabia has massive deals with the PGA, and the WWE, and has also attracted multiple boxing matches there. Later this month, Francis Ngannou will travel to the country to face Tyson Fury, for example.

Josh Evanoff - October 12, 2023

A California MMA bill supported by Ronda Rousey and others has now been passed. Fighter pay and benefits for MMA athletes have been a discussion for the last few years now. The ongoing antitrust lawsuit threatens the UFC itself and is expected to potentially kick off next year. The suit was led by names such as Nate Quarry and Cung Lee and could get billions in damages from the company.

Josh Evanoff - October 12, 2023

UFC middleweight prospect Bo Nickal is admittedly disappointed by Khamzat Chimaev vs. Kamaru Usman. ‘Borz’ was scheduled to face Paulo Costa at UFC 294 later this month on pay-per-view. The fight was set to be Khamzat Chimaev’s first in over a year, submitting Kevin Holland last September. However, as many fans are likely aware, the Brazilian was forced out of action due to an elbow injury.

Josh Evanoff - October 12, 2023

Dillon Danis cut Logan Paul’s face at the press conference ahead of their high-profile boxing match. ‘El Jefe’ and ‘The Maverick’ are set to clash this Saturday night on DAZN pay-per-view. The boxing match will be Logan Paul’s first since 2021, and the first of Dillon Danis’ career. They will clash in the co-main event of KSI vs. Tommy Fury, another influencer bout that has captured a lot of attention.

Harry Kettle - October 12, 2023

Former two-weight UFC champion Henry Cejudo has continued to go after divisional rival Merab Dvalishvili. It’s safe to say that when it comes to trash talking, Henry Cejudo is as prolific as anyone. From the start of the ‘Triple C’ era to the present day, there’s always been a lot of intrigue surrounding the Olympian and what he’s going to say next. After his narrow defeat to Aljamain Sterling earlier this year, some felt as if he may slow down a bit – but that isn’t the case.

Harry Kettle - October 12, 2023

Dillon Danis had some fun at his Misfits Boxing open workout this week ahead of his clash with Logan Paul. For months now, Dillon Danis and Logan Paul have been going back and forth ahead of their highly anticipated boxing showdown in Manchester. On Saturday night, the two will finally lock horns, with many wondering what exactly Danis is going to look like when he steps into the squared circle. We’ve seen Paul compete before, but Dillon has been out of action in any combat sport for a while.

Harry Kettle - October 12, 2023

UFC commentator Daniel Cormier has given his thoughts on Conor McGregor possibly headlining next year’s UFC 300 card. As we now know, Conor McGregor is getting closer and closer to an Octagon return. Many questioned whether or not it’d ever happen, and some still won’t believe it until we see him inside the cage. Either way, there’s a lot of talk and excitement surrounding the Irishman right now, as you can imagine.

Harry Kettle - October 12, 2023

A parade of fighters have reacted to the news that UFC’s partnership with USADA has come to a dramatic end. As many fans are now aware, the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s association with USADA is no more. The news broke last night, with a scathing statement being issued by USADA, which served as the official confirmation. At the heart of the matter was the status of Conor McGregor, who has been a hot topic when it comes to the testing pool for months now.

Cole Shelton - October 11, 2023

Adrian Yanez knows he’s still a top-15 bantamweight despite losing to Rob Font back in April. Yanez suffered a first-round knockout loss and after the defeat, he knew what went wrong. The plan was to stay patient with Font, but after he rocked him, Yanez said he got too reckless, which was a good learning lesson.

Cole Shelton - October 11, 2023

The UFC returns to Abu Dhabi next Saturday for UFC 294 and the card has changed quite a bit, but Islam Makhachev will remain atop the bill. Makhachev was originally supposed to defend his lightweight title at UFC 294 in a rematch against Charles Oliveira. The co-main event was supposed to be a middleweight fight between Paulo Costa and Khamzat Chimaev. However, in the past 24 hours, it was revealed that Makhachev will now be rematching Alexander Volkanovski in the main event for the lightweight title. Also, in the co-main event, Kamaru Usman has replaced Paulo Costa and will now face Khamzat Chimaev.

Cole Shelton - October 11, 2023

UFC CEO Dana White has upped the stakes for the UFC 294 fight between Khamzat Chimaev and Kamaru Usman. On Wednesday, it was revealed that Paulo Costa would not be medically cleared to face Chimaev next weekend at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi after having surgery. However, White and the UFC quickly found a replacement as former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman has agreed to step up on short notice to face Chimaev at middleweight.

Cole Shelton - October 11, 2023

USADA will no longer be working with the UFC. USADA has been partnered with the UFC since 2015 administering drug tests, and Dana White has said it has been a huge help in cleaning up and legalizing the sport. However, in shocking news, USADA took to social media to announce that their partnership with the Las Vegas-based promotion is over, starting on Jan. 1, 2024, and it has to do with Conor McGregor.

Cole Shelton - October 11, 2023

Paulo Costa claims the doctors have pulled him from his UFC 294 fight against Khamzat Chimaev. Costa took to Instagram earlier this week to announce he had surgery three weeks out but still was adamant he would fight. However, on Tuesday following the Contender Series, UFC CEO Dana White revealed that it was possible the fight was off and he would know in a few hours.

Cole Shelton - October 11, 2023

Sodiq Yusuff is thrilled to be headlining his first UFC main event. Yusuff hasn’t fought since October of last year when he beat Don Shainis by submission in 30 seconds. After the win, Sodiq wanted a quick turnaround. But unfortunately, just a week or two after the fight he suffered a serious back injury.

Susan Cox - October 11, 2023

Khabib Nurmagomedov is reacting after Alex Volkanovski accepted a short notice rematch with Islam Makhachev at UFC 294. It was to have been Islam Makhachev (24-1 MMA) vs Charles Oliveira (34-9 MMA) in a lightweight title bout on Saturday October 21st at UFC 294, which takes place at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

Susan Cox - October 11, 2023

UFC CEO Dana White has announced he has hired a new matchmaker to book fights. White posted to ‘Instagram’ a message along with a video of himself and Joe with the caption:

Susan Cox - October 11, 2023

Jon Jones is saying he feels ‘strong like a lion’ despite having been thrown some ‘wild distractions’ by the enemy ahead of UFC 295. UFC 295 will take place on Saturday, November 11th at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Headlining the event is a heavyweight title fight between Jon Jones (27-1 MMA) and Stipe Miocic (20-4 MMA).

BJPENN.COM Staff - October 11, 2023

Joshua Pacio is riding a wave of momentum following his recent victory over Mansur Malachiev. Both men squared off against each other at ONE Fight Night 15 on Prime Video last Friday, October 6. In front of a capacity crowd at Bangkok’s Lumpinee Boxing Stadium, Pacio prevailed by unanimous decision.