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Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

Female strawweight title challenger Weili Zhang feels confident ahead of her bout against Jessica Andrade.

To be able to fight in our country can be a tricky situation. Although athletes do feel more comfortable when performing in front of their family, friends and fellow countrymen, the pressure to put on a good performance for your people can also hinder a fighter’s flow in the Octagon.

For China’s Weili Zhang, who will challenge champion Jessica Andrade for the strawweight title, the pressure is nowhere to be found so far, though. In an interview with Combate, ‘Magnum’ reveals to be just thankful for the opportunity to fight in her own turf and hopes to walk out of the Octagon a champion on August 31.

“I thank Jessica for the opportunity, for coming all the way to China to fight me. It’ll be special to fight at home. I’ll have the support of Chinese fans, family, everybody in China. But I feel no extra pressure because of that, or the possibility of becoming the first ever Chinese champion. It’s the fighter who brings the pressure with themselves, it’s emotional, I don’t let it get to me. I worked on my focus and my technique during my training camp, now I just need to enter the Octagon and do my best.”

Andrade, who became the champion after knocking out Rose Namajunas in highlight reel fashion, with a power slam, back in May, impressed MMA fans around the world with the finish. For Zhang, though the fight was a learning experience, as she studied Rose’s performance and learned what no to do to find herself in a similar situation against Jessica.

“I’m confident for this fight. It’s easy for me to deal with Jessica’s strong suits. I’m well prepared for any situation that can occur in this fight, including her power slam, I saw what Rose brought against Jessica in their last fight and I know what not to do. I’ll try not to repeat the same mistakes and walk out victorious.”

Undefeated in the Octagon, Weili Zhang (19-1) earned her title shot after putting together a three-fight winning streak in the UFC, defeating the likes of Danielle Taylor, Jessica Aguilar and most recently, in March, Tecia Torres. Magnum has not lost a fight since her MMA debut, back in November 2013.

Now, Weili Zhang is expected to meet Jessica Andrade at UFC Fight Night 157’s main event, in Shenzhen, China, on August 31.

Photo by Buda Mendes/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

A couple of videos obtained by TMZ Sports shows former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Lightweight and Welterweight champion, B.J. Penn, involved in a street fight in Hawaii.

The first video that surfaced (see it here) shows “The Prodigy” on top of the individual raining down haymakers, while the second clip ( watch that one here) shows the man knocking Penn down with a two-piece.

According to a close friend of Penn’s, Gary Levitt, B.J. was not the instigator in the fight, saying that the UFC legend was blindsided by the man and then tagged with a few more punches before Penn was forced to do anything.

“I spoke to B.J., and B.J.’s like, ‘No, I did nothing,’” Levitt said via a statement obtained by MMA Junkie. The unidentified man who went toe-to-toe with Penn, however, says it was him who was hit with the cheap shot from B.J.

A claim Levitt shot down.

“He said the guy punched him, and many, many people saw it, and (the guy) punched him again, and he went, ‘Stop, what are you doing?’” Levitt said while explaining that the first video that surfaced shows what happened after Penn was sucker punched.

“And he said (the man) must have punched him at least four times, and some people are saying it was more like seven or eight times. B.J. did not do anything, meaning (he) didn’t fight back. He was just backing up and saying, ‘Hey.’”

Ultimately, Penn did do something, as the second video shows him hitting the man four times in the head. Still, Levitt says it was simply self defense after being attacked by a man he says is an acquaintance of B.J.’s.

Furthermore, Levitt says that Penn told him that he was not intoxicated during the brawl.

According to the report, a Hawaii Police Department spokesperson said the incident was diffused and most of the people were gone by the time units arrived, which means no arrests were made. And since anyone who was there claimed to have not seen anything, there wasn’t much police could do at the time.

Still, the spokesperson, said if an official complaint is made, there will be a forthcoming investigation, which could potentially put Penn’s proposed fight against Nik Lentz later this year in jeopardy.

Photo by Aaron Chown/PA Images via Getty Images

Get your fight week coverage here on Bloody Elbow, as Vasiliy Lomachenko takes on fellow Olympic goal medalist Luke Campbell for three of the four major titles at 135 lbs.

By far the biggest event this weekend is a lightweight title fight between Vasiliy Lomachenko (13-1, 10 KOs) and Luke Campbell (20-2, 16 KOs), with an expected sell-out crowd at The O2 Arena in London, England.

Lomachenko is widely considered the best boxer in the world, and his tremendous resume speaks for itself. Admittedly, his April KO of Anthony Crolla was not among his highest quality wins, but it got the mandatory title defense out of the way, and now the reigning WBA and WBO champion is seeking to gain the vacant WBC title. He’s won major world titles in three weight classes, and his mesmerizing offensive and defensive skills have wowed boxing fans for years. When you combine his professional success with his astonishing credentials as an amateur, which includes two Olympic gold medals, he’s well on his way to being remembered as one of the all-time greats.

Campbell is a 2012 Olympic gold medalist who’s a world-class fighter in his own right. His only defeats have come against Yvan Mendy and former champ Jorge Linares, who squeaked by Campbell in a split decision. You may remember Linares dropped Lomachenko in their May 2018 fight, but Loma rallied and won by body shot KO. Campbell is on a three-fight winning streak, with the Mendy loss avenged along the way. His notable wins include Darleys Perez, Argenis Mendez, and on the domestic scene he’s stopped Derry Mathews and Tommy Coyle.

Don’t let the odds fool you — Lomachenko is as high as 20-to-1 — Campbell is a legitimately good boxer and in addition to being a fellow southpaw, he will have a two-inch height advantage, as well as a 5 ¹?₂ inch edge in reach. Styles make fights and this should be a compelling boxing match. Lomachenko should be the rightful significant favorite, but don’t be surprised if Campbell proves to be a tougher opponent than expected. He’ll surely be way more competitive than Crolla.

ESPN+ has the entire card from 1 PM ET/10 AM PT. The main event is expected to start no later than 5 PM ET/2 PM PT, with Hughie Fury vs. Alexander Povetkin serving as the co-main event at approximately 4 PM ET/1 PM PT. MMA fans may also be curious to see veteran Ryan Ford (16-4, 11 KOs) serve as a litmus test for light heavyweight prospect Joshua Buatsi (11-0, 9 KOs). UK fans can watch the event on Sky Box Office PPV.

Bloody Elbow will have full fight week coverage of Lomachenko vs. Campbell, including play-by-play, analysis, highlights, and much more.

Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (UFC) is gearing up for another event, and this time the promotion is bringing out the big boys to play.

According to the press release via social media, former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweights, Gabriel Gonzaga and Antonio Silva, will headline the upcoming event on October 19, 2019 from inside Florida State Fairgrounds Entertainment Hall in Tampa, Florida.

Both men haven’t had the best of luck as of late in their mixed marital arts (MMA) careers, as “Bigfoot” has lost five straight, four via knockout. Going back a bit further, Silva is a disappointing 1-8-1 since 2013, going 3-7-1 inside the Octagon before being released in 2016. Silva was last seen getting his clock cleaned by Vitaly Minakov at Fight Nights Global 68 in 2017.

Gonzaga, meanwhile, hasn’t done that much better, losing five of his last six outings, going 3-6 since 2013. His last fight saw him get knocked out by Alexander Emelianenko at Russian Cagefighting Championship 2 in May of 2018 (see it again here). The former UFC 265-pound title contender competed 22 times inside the Octagon, racking up a 12-10 record.

That said, both men do have heavy hands, so when you take the gloves off, you can expect some damage to be done. Of course, since they are both susceptible to knockouts, don’t expect this fight to last very long.

Dare I ask for your predictions?