UFC News

UFC 299 | Pro fighters make their picks for Gilbert Burns vs. Jack Della Maddalena
Cole Shelton - March 7, 2024
On the main card of UFC 299 on Saturday, a welterweight bout goes down as Gilbert Burns takes on Jack Della Maddalena. Heading into the fight, Burns is a +136 underdog while the Aussie is a -174 favorite on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to make their picks for the welterweight contest. The pros are going with the underdog in Gilbert Burns to beat Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 299 as they believe it is too much of a step up in competition for the Aussie.

Sean O'Malley trashes several bantamweights at UFC 299 presser: "Petr Yan's one fight away from bare knuckle boxing"
Cole Shelton - March 7, 2024
UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley took aim at several bantamweights during the UFC 299 press conference. O’Malley is set to headline UFC 299 on Saturday in Miami against Vera in a fight he’s the betting favorite in. However, during today’s press conference O’Malley took the time to blast a couple of other fighters, including former opponent Petr Yan and No. 1 contender Merab Dvalishvili.

Francis Ngannou reveals he borrowed $200k from Kamaru Usman while he was UFC champion because he was "broke"
Cole Shelton - March 7, 2024
Francis Ngannou will make millions of dollars on Friday to box Anthony Joshua, but while he was in the UFC he says he was broke. Ngannou made his UFC debut in 2015 and became the heavyweight champion in 2021 when he knocked out Stipe Miocic. He defended his belt once as he scored a decision win over Ciryl Gane. However, while he was fighting, Ngannou says he was broke and it got so bad he had to borrow $200k from his friend and UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.

UFC 299 | Pro fighters make their picks for Dustin Poirier vs. Benoit Saint-Denis
Cole Shelton - March 7, 2024
In the co-main event of UFC 299, a five-round lightweight bout goes down as Dustin Poirier takes on Benoit Saint-Denis. Heading into the fight, Poirier is a +164 underdog while the Frenchman is a sizeable -215 favorite on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to make their picks for the lightweight fight. The pros are nearly unanimous in thinking Dustin Poirier can pull off the upset and return to the win column in a big way.

Michael Page responds after Ian Machado Garry predicts he will get “crushed” by Kevin Holland at UFC 299
Harry Kettle - March 7, 2024
Michael Page has given his thoughts on Ian Machado Garry suggesting he will lose to Kevin Holland this weekend. On Saturday night, UFC 299 will emanate from Miami, Florida. In one of the featured bouts of the evening, Michael ‘Venom’ Page will make his long-awaited debut for the promotion when he collides with Kevin Holland. In the eyes of many, this is a fun test for MVP as he begins the latest chapter in his MMA story.

Robert Whittaker explains why squaring off with Sean Strickland “has more perks” than fighting Khamzat Chimaev
Harry Kettle - March 7, 2024
Robert Whittaker has explained why he’s more interested in a fight against Sean Strickland than Khamzat Chimaev. Last month, Robert Whittaker got back in the win column as he overcame a tough test in the form of Paulo Costa. Now, as you can imagine, he has his sights set on a middleweight title shot. Before he can get there, though, many believe he needs to get another win under his belt.

Petr Yan claims UFC 299 headliners Sean O’Malley and Marlon Vera were “gifted” their title opportunities: “He got gifted the decision in that fight against me”
Harry Kettle - March 7, 2024
UFC bantamweight Petr Yan has claimed that Sean O’Malley and Marlon Vera were gifted their title opportunities. This weekend, we’re set to see a couple of really important bantamweight collisions at UFC 299. In the main event of the evening, Sean O’Malley will defend his UFC bantamweight championship against Marlon Vera. Prior to that, though, we’ll see the return of Petr Yan as he takes on Song Yadong.

Dustin Poirier believes he's a "win away from a title shot" if he beats Benoit Saint-Denis at UFC 299
Cole Shelton - March 6, 2024
Dustin Poirier knows he’s still in the title picture despite losing his last fight. Poirier is coming off a KO loss to Justin Gaethje in July for the BMF title and will now face Benoit Saint-Denis at UFC 299 in a highly-anticipated matchup. It is a step-down in competition for Poirier as he is fighting down in the rankings, but ‘The Diamond’ thinks a win over Saint-Denis at UFC 299 can set him up to get in a title eliminator fight next.

Marlon Vera claps back at Aljamain Sterling for claiming his UFC 299 camp wasn't good
Cole Shelton -

Michael Page lays out path to potential UFC title shot: "I'm here to get the bling"
Josh Evanoff - March 6, 2024
UFC welterweight Michael Page believes he only needs two wins to get a title shot. The man known to many fans simply as ‘MVP’ is set to make his UFC debut this Saturday night. Michael Page hasn’t competed in nearly a year, last defeating Goiti Yamaguchi in the Bellator cage last March. That was his last fight on his deal with the Scott Coker-led promotion, and he became a free agent afterward.

WATCH | Katlyn Chookagian gets emotional at UFC 299 media day revealing she had two miscarriages during time off
Cole Shelton - March 6, 2024
Katlyn Chookagian has had a rough time off, which is why she’s excited to be returning to the Octagon at UFC 299. Chookagian hasn’t fought since UFC 280 in October of 2022 when she suffered a decision loss to Manon Fiorot. After the fight, Chookagian took time off as she was a free agent, and wanted to start a family. However, during her time off, Katlyn Chookagian revealed at UFC 299 media day she had two miscarriages, and she is returning to help get her mind off of that.

UFC 299 | Pro fighters make their picks for Sean O'Malley vs. Marlon Vera 2 title fight
Cole Shelton - March 6, 2024
In the main event of UFC 299, the bantamweight title is on the line as Sean O’Malley defends his strap in a rematch against Marlon Vera. Heading into the fight, O’Malley is a -280 favorite while the the challenger is a +210 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to make their picks for the bantamweight title fight. The pros are actually going with the underdog in Vera to get his hand raised and become the bantamweight champion.

Tom Aspinall goes to bat for “misunderstood” Paddy Pimblett amidst online hate
Susan Cox - March 6, 2024
Tom Aspinall is going to bat for ‘misunderstood’ Paddy Pimblett amidst online hate. Paddy ‘The Baddy’ Pimblett (21-3 MMA) last fought and defeated Tony Ferguson (25-10 MMA) by unanimous decision this past December at UFC 296.