UFC News
Retired fan-favorite Chris Leben to make Nevada judging debut at UFC Vegas 79: "Grateful"
Josh Evanoff - September 22, 2023
Former UFC veteran Chris Leben has taken his talents to the side of the cage. ‘The Crippler’ is one of the more colorful characters in MMA history. The inaugural WEC middleweight champion, he later signed to the UFC in 2005. Over the next nine years, Chris Leben would face some of the biggest names in the sport, including Anderson Silva, Wanderlei Silva, and more.
Stephen Thompson verbally agrees to face Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 296: "Can't wait"
Josh Evanoff - September 22, 2023
UFC welterweight contenders Stephen Thompson and Shavkat Rakhmonov will clash in December. ‘Wonderboy’ seemingly targeted Kamaru Usman after his canceled bout with Michel Pereira earlier this summer. At the time, Stephen Thompson stated that he was uninterested in facing up-and-comers such as Shavkat Rakhmonov. Instead, he would prefer to face former champions such as ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’. The bout was targeted for December after the former titleholder showed interest.
Tracy Cortez details the backstory behind viral Paulo Costa selfie
Susan Cox - September 22, 2023
Tracy Cortez is detailing the backstory behind the viral selfie she took with UFC middleweight Paulo Costa. It was just last Saturday, September 16th, at Noche UFC that Tracy Cortez (11-1 MMA) defeated Jasmine Jasudavicius (9-3 MMA) in a flyweight bout.
Daniel Cormier praises Leon Edwards for his improvements, but warns him not to underestimate Colby Covington
Susan Cox - September 22, 2023
Daniel Cormier is praising Leon Edwards for his improvements, but warns him not to underestimate Colby Covington. It was announced earlier this week that UFC 296 would feature Colby Covington (17-3 MMA) vs Leon Edwards (21-3 MMA) in a welterweight title fight. UFC 296 takes place on Saturday, December 16th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Rampage Jackson reveals Nate Diaz was suffering from a pinched nerve in boxing match with Jake Paul
Susan Cox - September 22, 2023
Rampage Jackson has revealed that Nate Diaz was suffering from a pinched nerve in his boxing match with Jake Paul. Nate Diaz faced Jake Paul in a professional boxing match, billed ‘Ready 4 War’, at the American Airlines Center in Dallas on Saturday August 5th.
Tyron Woodley reveals the one opponent he would return to the UFC to fight: “The only person I would just want to beat the f—k out of”
Harry Kettle - September 22, 2023
Tyron Woodley has revealed the one UFC fighter he’d return to face if he were given the opportunity to do so. In his prime, Tyron Woodley was one of the best fighters in the Ultimate Fighting Championship – and perhaps mixed martial arts as a whole. He had the kind of fight style that ensured he could take on all comers, and he was the UFC welterweight champion. Unfortunately, he didn’t end his UFC career in the best way, losing four straight fights before leaving the promotion.
Alex Pereira believes he caught Jiri Prochazka “off guard” with UFC 295 booking: “You can't just wing things”
Harry Kettle - September 22, 2023
Alex Pereira believes that he caught Jiri Prochazka off guard by agreeing to fight him as early as UFC 295. Back in the summer, Alex Pereira edged out a split decision win over Jan Blachowicz in his light heavyweight debut. Following a victory of that magnitude, many felt as if ‘Poatan’ would be next in line for a shot at the UFC light heavyweight championship. As it turns out, that’s exactly what will happen, as the Brazilian prepares to lock horns with Jiri Prochazka at UFC 295 in New York City.
Cris Cyborg reveals the recent conversation she had with UFC CEO Dana White: “I already forgave him”
Harry Kettle - September 22, 2023
Bellator star Cris Cyborg has revealed that he has made amends with UFC president Dana White following their feud. At Bellator 300, Cris Cyborg will return to the cage to battle Cat Zingano as she defends her Bellator featherweight championship. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen her compete for the promotion, but that doesn’t take away from her position as a legend – both for Bellator and mixed martial arts in general.
Michelle Waterson-Gomez plans to build off the "really great moments" she had against Marina Rodriguez in rematch at UFC Vegas 79
Cole Shelton - September 21, 2023
Michelle Waterson-Gomez is set for the first rematch of her carer. Waterson-Gomez is set to take on Marina Rodriguez at UFC Vegas 79, as the two fought back in May of 2021. The fight was put together on short notice and was a five-round main event at 125lbs.
Mateusz Gamrot plans to make a "statement" against Rafael Fiziev at UFC Vegas 79 to prove he's "real deal"
Cole Shelton - September 21, 2023
Mateusz Gamrot is ready to prove he’s a legit title contender at lightweight at UFC Vegas 79. Gamrot is set for his second UFC main event as he takes on Rafael Fiziev on Saturday night from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. In his first UFC main event, Gamrot edged out a split decision against Arman Tsarukyan. With the win, he got a chance to fight a top-five opponent in Beneil Dariush, but he lost by a decision.
Colby Covington says no one at welterweight is "deserving" of a title shot, eyes first title defense against Islam Makhachev
Cole Shelton - September 21, 2023
Colby Covington doesn’t think anybody at welterweight deserves a title fight. Covington is set to fight Leon Edwards in the main event of UFC 296 for the welterweight title on Dec. 16. It’s a big fight and in the lead-up, ‘Chaos’ is confident he will become the champ with a stoppage win over Edwards.
Jared Cannonier reveals how close he was to stepping into UFC 293 main event: "Would have been funny as hell"
Josh Evanoff - September 21, 2023
UFC middleweight contender Jared Cannonier was pretty close to stepping in at UFC 293. ‘Killa Gorilla’ has been out of action since a unanimous decision win over Marvin Vettori in June. That was Jared Cannonier’s second victory in a row, previously defeating Sean Strickland in December. That winning streak, but a 2022 loss to Israel Adesanya, led to ‘Tarzan’ getting a title shot at UFC 293.
Jason 'Mayhem' Miller releases introspective statement following latest arrest: "I'm doing everything I can to change"
Josh Evanoff - September 21, 2023
Jason ‘Mayhem’ Miller has released a public statement following his arrest last month. The 42-year-old was famously one of the earliest stars to come from MMA. Fighting from 2001 to 2016, he fought everywhere from the UFC to DREAM. Furthermore, signature wins over names such as Kazushi Sakuraba and Tim Kennedy saw Jason Miller earn a mainstream following.
Report | Paul Felder to end brief retirement for UFC 300 return
Josh Evanoff - September 21, 2023
Former UFC lightweight contender Paul Felder is eyeing a return. ‘The Irish Dragon’ is still working for the UFC in a commentary capacity. However, following back-to-back losses to Rafael dos Anjos and Dan Hooker in 2020, Paul Felder openly began discussing retirement. The following May, the lightweight contender formally announced his retirement from fighting.
Bryce Mitchell claims his loss to Ilia Topuria "don't count" because he was sick: "Wasn’t even me in there"
Cole Shelton - September 21, 2023
Bryce Mitchell says he shouldn’t have fought Ilia Topuria as he was too sick. Mitchell suffered his first career defeat back in December as he lost by second-round submission to Topuria at UFC 282. It was a lopsided performance from Topuria and after the fight, Mitchell revealed he was sick and should have pulled out.
Daniel Cormier believes Stipe Miocic is carrying a chip on his shoulder ahead of UFC 295: “This is one of the most dangerous men on the planet”
Susan Cox - September 21, 2023
Daniel Cormier believes Stipe Miocic is carrying a chip on his shoulder ahead of UFC 295. UFC 295 takes place on Saturday, November 11th at the Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Pro fighters make their picks for Rafael Fiziev vs. Mateusz Gamrot
Cole Shelton - September 21, 2023
In the main event of UFC Vegas 79 at the UFC Apex on Saturday, a battle of top-10 lightweights goes down as Rafael Fiziev takes on Mateusz Gamrot. Heading into the fight, Fiziev is a -166 favorite while the Pole is a +130 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to make their picks for the fight. The pros lean towards Fiziev getting his hand raised, but they do believe it will be a close fight. The pros expect Fiziev will be able to piece up Gamrot on the feet and either get a late stoppage or a clear-cut decision.
Video | Colby Covington reacts after booking Leon Edwards title fight at UFC 296: “America’s champ is back!”
Susan Cox - September 21, 2023
Colby Covington is reacting after booking Leon Edwards title fight at UFC 296. It was announced just yesterday by UFC CEO, Dana White, that the UFC 296 main event welterweight title fight will feature Colby Covington (17-3 MMA) vs Leon Edwards (21-3 MMA). UFC 296 will take place on Saturday, December 16th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.