Category: Radio Highlight

Julianna Peña sheds light on timing of UFC title fight vs. Raquel Pennington

Julianna Peña says she will likely challenge UFC bantamweight champion Raquel Pennington in October.

[autotag]Julianna Peña[/autotag] says she will likely challenge UFC bantamweight champion [autotag]Raquel Pennington[/autotag] in October.

Peña (11-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC) will look to reclaim her bantamweight title when she faces fellow Season 18 “Ultimate Fighter” alum Pennington (16-8 MMA, 13-5 UFC). Peña says the current timing for their title fight is UFC 307 on Oct. 5 in Salt Lake City.

“I think it’s going to be in the fall for sure,” Peña told MMA Junkie Radio. “That’s all I know. I think maybe they were looking towards October. I don’t know if it’s been announced yet, and I don’t want to be that person that leaks the fight, but I’m definitely hearing October. I think it’s going to be in Salt Lake City if I’m not mistaken.”

After Amanda Nunes retired and vacated her belt, Pennington rallied to outlast Mayra Bueno Silva to claim the vacant bantamweight title at UFC 297. Peña credits Pennington for her toughness – an attribute she’s proven to have, as well.

“I think that Raquel’s biggest strength is her durability,” Peña said. “Just being strong and being able to fight anywhere, and that’s kind of what my strength and skillset is as well. It doesn’t matter who we’re fighting. We’re going to be always in the fight, and you can never count either one of us out. So I love that about Raquel, and I think that’s her strong suit, that she’s just extremely durable.”

Peña hasn’t competed since losing her bantamweight title to Nunes at UFC 277 in July 2022. The pair were scheduled for a trilogy bout at UFC 289, but Peña pulled out due to broken ribs. Nunes faced Irene Aldana instead and retired after defeating her.

Peña was in attendance for Nunes’ retirement and received plenty of flack for booing her. “The Venezuelan Vixen” plans on beating Pennington then luring Nunes (23-5 MMA, 16-2 UFC) out of retirement.

“I was booing, and I had every right to boo because I know that she’s not done,” Peña said. “I know that she’s going to come back, so when I win the title, I absolutely will be making that fight. I definitely think that a trilogy fight with me and Amanda far proceeds any fight that I can make with any other woman in the division.”

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Logan Storley: Michael Page vs. Ian Machado Garry will be a ‘very close fight’

Familiar with both Michael Page and Ian Machado Garry, Logan Storley gave his take on their UFC 303 showdown.

Familiar with both [autotag]Michael Page[/autotag] and [autotag]Ian Machado Garry[/autotag], [autotag]Logan Storley[/autotag] gave his take on their fight.

Page (22-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) takes on Garry (14-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) in Saturday’s main card opener at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+).

Storley defeated Page by split decision in their interim welterweight title fight in May 2022. He also spent time training with Garry at Kill Cliff FC before the undefeated contender left for Chute Boxe in Sao Paulo.

Having gone five rounds with Page, Storley praised his speed. He resorted to his decorated wrestling background, landing eight takedowns to edge out the win.

“Obviously, Ian trained with us at Kill Cliff, I spent 25 minutes in the cage with MVP,” Storley told MMA Junkie Radio. “I think it’s going to be a very close fight. That’s what I see, but I think MVP’s speed is different. But Ian’s got good length, got really good kicks, good calf kicks, which could slow MVP down, and they’re both long and rangy.

“So, I don’t know who’s going to win that fight. I just know it’s going to be very technical, and they’re both going to have to deal with different problems. Ian controls the distance well, and MVP’s speed is just different.”

Storley (15-3) will be in action this week himself when he takes on short-notice replacement Luca Poclit (10-1) in Friday’s 2024 PFL 6 (ESPN/ESPN+) co-main event at Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D.

During his Bellator tenure, Storley picked up wins over Page and Joaquin Buckley, both who are now ranked UFC welterweights.

“I’m glad that they’re doing well,” Storley said. “It speaks to the level that was at Bellator to see those guys go over there and compete really well in the UFC, and you respect them. You shared time with them in the cage. So yeah, they’re both doing really well, and it’s exciting to see.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 303.

Jorge Masvidal blasts ‘cowards’ in Nate Diaz’s crew for attacking his coach in brawl

Jorge Masvidal vows to make Nate Diaz pay after his coach was tangled in a brawl.

[autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag] vows to make [autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag] pay after his coach was tangled in a brawl.

All hell broke loose after the end of the Masvidal and Diaz’s press conference earlier this month in Anaheim, Calif., when Diaz refused another faceoff with Masvidal. The pair are scheduled to box July 6 in a Fanmio pay-per-view headliner at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

Masvidal and Diaz’s teams exchanged words, leading to a brawl which Masvidal got caught up in. “Gamebred” took exception with Diaz’s team going after his coach.

“I definitely didn’t want my good friend and trainer – he’s an older man, it’s not he’s a young fighter, getting attacked by three guys,” Masvidal told MMA Junkie Radio. “That was never part of the script, but Nate and his crew are cowards. They went after a coach which is like below low blow.

“This is just f*cking pathetic. It really bothered me. I really want to f*cking take it out on Nate so, I’m just staying very under control and doing all the things I got to do to really f*cking hurt Nate, and hurt anybody that comes along with it.”

Masvidal recounted getting involved in the brawl himself.

“I didn’t know because I grabbed this f*cker by the hair, I thought it was some fat lesbian,” Masvidal recalled. “I grabbed him by the hair and I could have kneed his f*cking face in. Everyone knows I have decent knees, right? I could have kneed the living sh*t out of the guy but I didn’t because I’m thinking I’m going to go back to jail again. I just got out, I don’t need another case, I don’t need all this bullsh*t.

“So, I just take him off my coach and then I come to find out later as I do some digging, this guy is a f*cking pro fighter. So, you and your other two buddies attacked a f*cking coach that you guys know is my coach. If you want to go down that route, let’s go. I’m all for it. We’ll see what happens because I’m going to take care of business July 6. I’m going to put all this bullsh*t to the side but, I’m going to take care of business July 6 and then whatever else comes with it.”

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Jason Jackson plans on cleaning out Bellator and PFL before hopeful move to the UFC

Jason Jackson wants to prove he’s the best welterweight across all organizations.

[autotag]Jason Jackson[/autotag] wants to prove he’s the best welterweight across all organizations.

Jackson (18-4 MMA, 8-1 BMMA) defends his welterweight title against Ramazan Kuramagomedov (12-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) in the Bellator Champions Series: Dublin main event June 22 at 3Arena in Dublin.

The former Ultimate Fighter alum is enjoying his best career run having won eight straight – including back-to-back stoppages of Yaroslav Amosov and Ray Cooper III. However, Jackson still feels like he doesn’t get the credit he deserves.

“I just feel like they still doubting me because I haven’t been on the UFC level to really make it look easy as I’m making it look right now,” Jackson told MMA Junkie Radio. “I’ve beat former UFC champions and UFC competitors and contenders, so once I get there, they will realize they’ve been sleeping on me.”

With PFL recently acquiring Bellator and Bellator’s future uncertain, Jackson hopes to eventually make his way to the octagon to stake his claim as the No. 1 welterweight.

“I think I’m going to clean out Bellator and clean out PFL to where they’re like, ‘Man, we need to let this guy go do something else and continue on building his legacy,'” Jackson said. “And I want to go to the UFC and become champion there and clean out the division, as well, before I hang it up.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator Champions Series: Dublin.

Extra expenses not ideal, but Garrett Armfield makes case for early UFC fights overseas

Garrett Armfield has a cautionary tale for fighting overseas – but not one that comes with any regrets.

[autotag]Garrett Armfield[/autotag] has a cautionary tale for fighting overseas – but not one that comes with any regrets.

While the specifics vary based on country, it’s long been known that fighting internationally is not always all it’s cracked up to be – particularly from a financial standpoint. Whether fighters from outside America are coming to the States, or American fighters are taking bouts overseas, they’re going to be hit with additional income taxes.

Additionally, in most cases, the UFC only pays expenses for the fighter and one corner for an international fight. So if Armfield wants his full normal team with him outside the country, he’s out of pocket for the excess.

Along with what often can be a difficult task on fight night in enemy territory, the financial hurdles make taking international fights hard, particularly for fighters early in their careers. But Armfield thinks of it as an investment in his career.

After a short-notice UFC debut loss to David Onama nearly two years ago, a pair of cancellations had Armfield in need of a fight a year later – and he took one against Toshiomi Kazama in Singapore so he could get back to work.

“I think they support us 100 percent: Go fight in a beautiful city and go on a cool resort and they pay for you and one (other) flight,” Armfield recently told MMA Junkie Radio. “But to be transparent, I did pay for my other corner to go with, and that was a pretty pricey thing. And then Singapore did take 15 percent. So I did have a lot of expenses with that fight, but I think it was a huge moment for my career – and I hadn’t fought in a year, either.

“When I first got the Singapore call, Trey was like, you know, it’s not a bad fight, but we can go fight in Vegas. It’s way easier and puts you on a different card. But for some reason, I was like, ‘Nope. Nope. We’ve got to do this.’ So I’m glad I took that.”

Armfield knocked out Kazama in the first round. In January this year, he won his second straight with an upset of two-time “Ultimate Fighter” winner Brad Katona in Canada.

And while that fight was in Toronto, meaning just a few hours in the air from Armfield’s Florida base compared to Singapore, it still was international. That almost certainly means Armfield (10-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC) will be glad to be in Las Vegas next week when he takes on Brady Hiestand (7-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) at UFC on ESPN 58.

“I feel like there’s two ways of looking at it. They could definitely financially (support us more). There’s other ways – like, they could pay for a second equipment or whatever,” Armfield said. “But at the same time, I really believe in the thing that this is an opportunity, not a career. I really agree with that statement, so I’m here to take every opportunity that I can.

“It doesn’t matter how much money it’s going to cost. I know everything’s going to be OK in the end. If you love what you’re doing, you’re good at it, you’re going to make some real money one day. So if I’ve got to pay the expenses up front now to go show my burn out to the world, it’s investments for now for a bigger payout whenever I am a top-five fighter. Whatever it may be, wherever my prime is, that I know the money will follow, so I’m here to invest myself and fight wherever against whoever. (I’ll) go to Australia and (taxes can) take 40 percent of my money. I don’t care. I’m here to be a fighter’s fighter.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 58.

Vicente Luque: Leon Edwards has ‘great wrestling cardio,’ more versatile striking than Belal Muhammad

Vicente Luque leans towards Leon Edwards beating Belal Muhammad at UFC 304, and explains why.

[autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag] leans towards [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] beating [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] at UFC 304.

Edwards (21-3 MMA, 13-2 UFC) defends his welterweight title in a rematch against Muhammad (23-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) in the July 27 main event at Co-op Live in Manchester, England.

Luque thinks Muhammad has made many improvements since his Round 2 no contest against Edwards in 2021. Having fought both Muhammad and Edwards – Muhammad twice, Luque gave insight into the title fight rematch.

“It’s a crazy fight,” Luque told MMA Junkie Radio. “If I go from their first fight which ended with that eye poke, I thought Leon was looking much better and he was beating Belal in that fight. But since then, I feel like Belal went building up a great streak. He’s been really, really sharpening up his tools and he knows the kind of fighter he is right now. He’s not a guy that makes many mistakes inside that octagon.”

Luque knocked out Muhammad in their first meeting in 2016, but Muhammad avenged his loss by outgrappling Luque when they ran things back in 2022.

Luque was also outgrappled by Edwards when they fought in 2017. He thinks the champion’s striking will eventually make the difference against Muhammad.

“For me, I’d say it’s really tied up,” Luque said. They both can really take the win. I would almost put it 50-50, but I’ll go a little bit with Leon just because I think Leon has more versatile striking and he does have some really precise shots, and that can change a fight. I know both of them wrestle really good. I feel like Leon has great wrestling cardio.

“In my fight, we wrestled a lot, and that’s how I ended up getting tired. After that he was just throwing his hands, boxing, and mixing it up with wrestling so, I think that little bit of experience, of ability from Leon, I would put him as a little bit of a favorite. But still, very close fight for me.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 304.

UFC 302: Makhachev vs. Poirier watch-along live stream with MMA Junkie Radio

Join MMA Junkie Radio’s “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” for a live-streamed watch-along of UFC 302 in New Jersey.

The UFC is back in New Jersey with UFC 302 on Saturday, headlined by a lightweight title fight and a middleweight banger, and MMA Junkie Radio’s “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” will host a live-streamed watch-along right here, which kicks off at 8 p.m. ET.

In the main event, lightweight champion [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) puts his title on the line against former interim champ [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] (30-8 MMA, 22-7 UFC). In the co-main event, former middleweight champion [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] (28-6 MMA, 15-6 UFC) faces former title challenger [autotag]Paulo Costa[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC).

UFC 302 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) takes place Saturday at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

Below is the complete lineup of fights:

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)

  • Champ Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier – for lightweight title
  • Paulo Costa vs. Sean Strickland
  • Kevin Holland vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk
  • Alex Morono vs. Niko Price
  • Randy Brown vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN/ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)

  • Cesar Almeida vs. Roman Kopylov
  • Jailton Almeida vs. Alexandr Romanov
  • Grant Dawson vs. Joe Solecki
  • Jake Matthews vs. Phil Rowe

EARLY PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 6 p.m. ET)

  • Bassil Hafez vs. Mickey Gall
  • Joselyne Edwards vs. Ailin Perez
  • Andre Lima vs. Mitch Raposo

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 302.

Daniel Cormier on Ronda Rousey’s concussion history revelation: ‘All she’s doing is telling her truth’

Daniel Cormier believes Ronda Rousey’s words were misconstrued to mean something she may not have itended.

So what if [autotag]Ronda Rousey[/autotag] waited until years later to open up about her history with concussions? That’s essentially [autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag]’s take on the situation surrounding his fellow UFC Hall of Famer.

Rousey raised eyebrows in March when she admitted that too many concussions was the primary reason for her abrupt MMA retirement. A few weeks later, Rousey followed up to specify that she was concussed before her 2015 fight with Holly Holm in which she was stunningly knocked out to lose the bantamweight title at UFC 193.

Rousey’s remarks rubbed some people the wrong way, including Jimmy Smith. But that’s not the case with Cormier.

“Only Ronda knows about the concussions,” Cormier told MMA Junkie Radio. “If she (was) having these types of concussions, the only mistake she made, to me, is by saying it later. Because nobody knows if she had concussions, but I will also say this in defending Ronda: She’s always been one that people want to critique, even if it was unjust. So when she lost to Holly, it was almost like the world celebrated. They felt like everything got given to her when, in reality, she was winning those fights. She was beating people. And then for her to come back and lose to Amanda (Nunes at UFC 207)) the way she did, everybody celebrated and said ‘to hell with Ronda, go and be gone.’ So now when she comes back and says, ‘Well, I’ve had these issues over my life,’ I don’t know how she couldn’t.

“I understand how difficult it is to do this sport as she did Olympic level – the throwing, everything in the room. It’s hard, man. I couldn’t even count how many concussions I’ve probably had in my life. Ultimately only she knows. I don’t disagree with her as much as most might because all she’s doing is telling her truth.”

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For those critical of Rousey, the issue is a perceived case of making excuses for her demise, but Cormier doesn’t see it that way and said he wouldn’t if one of his former foes suddenly came out in a similar fashion.

“I would be thinking to myself on that night I was better – unless that person walked in there with a concussion,” Cormier said. “I don’t think it changes what happens in those fights unless she specifically goes, ‘The only reason I lost was because I had those concussions.’ And I don’t think that’s the case. I don’t think she said that. … If she flat-out said, ‘The only reason I lost is because I had concussions,’ now that’s a problem. That’s taking something from Holly. But if she’s just telling her story and concussions became part of it then it is what it is.”

Bellator champion Patchy Mix: ‘I can’t get the respect that Sean O’Malley has’

Bellator bantamweight champion Patchy Mix has a chip on his shoulder.

Bellator bantamweight champion [autotag]Patchy Mix[/autotag] has a chip on his shoulder.

Mix (19-1) defends his title in a rematch against Magomed Magomedov (20-3) in the Bellator Champions Series: Paris (Max) main event Friday at Accor Arena in Paris. Mix submitted Magomedov in their first fight, which took place in the Bellator bantamweight grand prix semifinal in December 2022.

Mix is confident he’s the best 135-pounder in the sport, but doesn’t think he gets the credit he deserves. The 30-year-old has finished 15 of his 19 professional wins, and thinks [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] gets more praise because he’s a champion in the UFC.

“I have most finishes in bantamweight history, I have the most submissions in bantamweight history, and I could go down as the best bantamweight champion in Bellator history. But for some reason, I can’t get the respect that O’Malley has,” Mix told MMA Junkie Radio.

“Even though he’s 18-1 and less than me in record and finishes, it seems I can’t really get the respect. So I think that’s what drives me every single day is just to wake up and prove that I’m as dominant as I believe I am.”

Mix has one loss on his resume, which came in a title fight against Juan Archuleta in September 2020. Mix thinks an undefeated record would have likely made people look at him in a better light.

“I’ve never been finished. My loss is razor close,” Mix said. “I’m one round removed from being undefeated. The one guy that beat me, he just kind of survived me. I’ve never had anyone finish me. I’ve never really had anyone come close.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event page for Bellator Champions Series: Paris.

Daniel Cormier: Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson will be fun as long as it lasts, but ‘Father Time is undefeated’

Daniel Cormier absolutely expects age to play a factor in Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson.

[autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] absolutely expects age to play a factor in [autotag]Jake Paul[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Mike Tyson[/autotag].

Paul (9-1) meets Tyson in an eight-round boxing match on July 20 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, home of the Dallas Cowboys. The event streams live on Netflix and will be officially sanctioned as a professional fight by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations.

Tyson (50-6) will be 31 years Paul’s senior when they step into the ring. While Cormier would love to see Tyson turn back the clock, he’s unsure if he’ll be able to.

“I don’t even know how to call this a fight,” Cormier told MMA Junkie Radio. “Honestly, I don’t even know how it’s a fight. It’s a weird, weird deal. But yeah, I think it’ll be fun. If Mike Tyson is free to fight, fight the way he wants to, he’s either going to knock him out or he’s going to get caught with something that’s going to get him knocked out. But hell, I’m watching it.

“It’ll be fun as long as it lasts because any time ‘Iron’ Mike fights, I’m such a massive fan – it don’t matter his age. Granted, it’ll be tough. Age wins, beats us all. Father Time is undefeated. There’s nothing said more true in the world than ‘Tather Time is undefeated.’ Mike looks great, but let’s see how he operates.”

Paul revealed it was Tyson who requested that their fight be a professional bout, not an exhibition. However, “The Problem Child” vows not to hold back against the boxing legend.

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