9:00 AM ET There is a constant debate in MMA about when fighters may enter their prime. Some people believe it’s the late 20s. Others feel it’s early- to mid-30s. But none of that stops fans from looking for the best up-and-coming talent to follow, and, ultimately, see where they land. ESPN’s fourth annual ranking
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UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski has liked what he’s seen so far from lightweight Paddy Pimblett’s UFC career. Pimblett will face Jared Gordon in the UFC 282 co-main event this Saturday in Las Vegas. It’s the first pay-per-view appearance for the English star, who has won each of his first three UFC fights by finishes.
In the main event of UFC 282, the vacant light heavyweight title is up for grabs as Jan Blachowicz takes on Magomed Ankalaev. Heading into the fight, Blachowicz is a +200 underdog while the Russian is a -265 favorite on FanDuel. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their
James Krause is in deep doo doo. The former UFC welterweight is currently banned from cageside and under investigation for his role in a betting scandal at UFC Vegas 64, one serious enough to prompt a promotion-wide block on gambling, as well as wagering bans in places like Ontario and New Jersey. UFC middleweight Sean
Paddy Pimblett is banned from Twitter UFC lightweight star Paddy Pimblett has a substantial following on social media with millions of followers on Instagram, but he can’t post on Twitter. Pimblett’s Instagram account is currently active and has 2.3 million followers, but has had two Instagram accounts terminated. “I can’t say nothing back anymore,” Pimblett
4:01 PM ET UFC star Israel Adesanya is likely to be cleared of charges after he was arrested last month in New York for possession of a weapon. The former UFC middleweight champion was given an “adjournment in contemplation of dismissal” Tuesday, according to a spokesperson for the Queens County District Attorney’s Office. That means
Ariel Helwani has issued a thoroughgoing response to Dana White and Paddy Pimblett’s insults, and he did so bearing receipts. Ariel Helwani is without question the most recognized journalist in the MMA media. For over a decade, he has been a leading source in breaking news, long-form interviews, and yes, the occasional beef. When it
Ariel Helwani has been on the wrong side of a handful of fighters during his time covering the sport. This time, he’s the topic of conversation between Paddy Pimblett and UFC president Dana White. Helwani has covered the sport of mixed martial arts magnificently for over ten years. The MMA journalist has provided an excellent
Welcome to Midnight Mania! It’s no secret that Paulo Costa is looking beyond his current UFC contract. The Brazilian has not kept quiet about his pay complaints. Despite rising through the ranks and becoming one of his division’s top contenders and bigger draws, Costa remains on an old contract, meaning his fight purses haven’t risen
Ilia Topuria on rivalry with Paddy Pimblett: ‘F*** him!’ Undefeated UFC featherweight Ilia Topuria isn’t a big fan of rising lightweight star Paddy Pimblett. The two had a physical altercation at UFC London in March. The friction between the two began after comments Pimblett made about Topuria’s countrymen. During the incident, Topuria can be seen
8:51 AM ET Paddy Pimblett made his UFC debut in September 2021. Two months later, the MMA prospect out of England traveled to the United States. Pimblett was accosted for photos in places like Times Square in New York and Yard House restaurant in San Diego. Fast-forward a little more than a year, and “The
MMA fighter Bogdan Guskov took just 30 seconds to send Alireza Vafaei slumping face-first into the canvas at MMA Series 61. Light heavyweights Guskov and Vafaei met on the main card of the event late last month in Yerevan, Armenia. The far more experienced Guskov was hoping for his third straight win, while Vafaei was
Nate Diaz has taken a shot at Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier as their three-way rivalry on social media continues. In recent years, Nate Diaz hasn’t exactly been the most active fighter. Still, even with that being the case, you could certainly make the argument that he’s been one of the most popular athletes in
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will hold a special pre-fight media day for select combatants competing on the upcoming UFC 282 pay-per-view (PPV) fight card, locked and loaded for this Sat. night (Dec. 10, 2022) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The LIVE stream gets underway promptly at 1 p.m. ET in the embedded video
Dustin Poirier wants Nate Diaz to come back for one more fight so he can ‘beat the sh*t’ out of him Former interim UFC lightweight champion Dustin Poirier and Nate Diaz never got to square off inside the octagon, although they were scheduled to fight in 2018. The two were slated to face each other
2:09 PM ET James Krause, the MMA coach at the center of a UFC betting controversy, is barred from attending or cornering any fighters at the Fighting Alliance Championship event on Friday in Independence, Missouri, sources told ESPN. Krause-trained fighters Gauge Young, Gina Mazany and Alexa Culp are on the card for FAC 17. The
Former two-division UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen was not a fan of how Kevin Holland approached his recent fight with Stephen Thompson. This past weekend, Holland headlined in the UFC for the third time overall and the first as a welterweight. Three months after being decimated by Khamzat Chimaev on late notice, “Trailblazer” was handed
Paddy Pimblett believes Jake Paul was bluffing with his sparring challenge. During an interview last week, Pimblett, while acknowledging Jake Paul is a good boxer, believes his fights are ‘fixed’. Jake Paul took notice of the commentary and offered the Liverpudlian $1 million if he could beat him in a sparring session. However, should Pimblett