MMA News

Harry Kettle - March 25, 2020

UFC president Dana White believes the sport of boxing is in big trouble as the future of Zuffa Boxing remains unknown. It’s no secret that Dana White’s first love was boxing, but thankfully for mixed martial arts fans all around the world, he was able to land on his feet in the UFC, building a fantastic organization and product in the process alongside the Fertitta brothers, Lorenzo and Frank.

Tom Taylor - March 25, 2020

According to UFC President Dana White, the UFC 249 card we end up with could be very different than the one we initially expected. On Wednesday, White appeared on an Instagram Live session with ESPN/UFC reporter Brett Okamoto. White divulged that the UFC 249 card will likely include several matchups originally scheduled for the card — including the Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson main event — in addition to a number of other matchups that were scheduled for the events that were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. One of those matchups is likely to be a rescheduled heavyweight fight between Francis Ngannou and Jairzinho Rozenstruik, which was originally expected to headline the UFC Columbus card.

Adam Martin - March 25, 2020

With little MMA going on at the moment due to the coronavirus outbreak, it’s time to get on our creative hats and ponder questions about the future of the sport. One of those questions is about who could be the next fighter to break through to the next stage of their career in the UFC. Someone always emerges from out of nowhere, but who exactly will that be? Below, I’ll list five fighters who are currently unranked and who could be UFC champions in 2021. The only rule is the fighter cannot currently be ranked in the top-15 of the UFC rankings. And without further ado, let’s take a look at the top five:

Tom Taylor - March 25, 2020

Francis Ngannou says he has been tested for the coronavirus — and that the test was facilitated by the UFC. Ngannou announced that he’s been tested for the virus on a recent episode of Submission Radio.

Adam Martin - March 25, 2020

Jose Aldo is training at home with his wife for his upcoming title fight against Henry Cejudo at UFC 250 due to his gym Nova Uniao being closed. Nova Uniao leader Andre Pederneiras was forced to close the gym due to the coronavirus pandemic. Aldo had been training at his long-time gym up until last week, but due to the severity of the coronavirus outbreak, Pederneiras had to shut the doors to the gym. That leaves Aldo without his training camp for his scheduled bantamweight title fight against Cejudo at UFC 250 in May. As of right now, the Sao Paulo card is still a go.

Tom Taylor - March 25, 2020

For many years, Mike Dolce served as the nutritionist for UFC welterweight champion Johny Hendricks. Speaking on a video posted on his YouTube channel on Wednesday morning, Dolce recounted one of the wilder moments of his work with Hendricks: nearly getting jumped by Nick Diaz and his entourage in a parking lot outside a UFC event. Dolce explained that this incident occurred around the weigh-ins for Hendricks’ first fight with Robbie Lawler. Hendricks initially missed weight for the fight by less than a pound, and was infamously taunted by Diaz while he was on the scale—but that’s apparently not where the trouble ended.

Tom Taylor - March 25, 2020

Yesterday afternoon, Conor McGregor sent an impassioned message to Ireland’s leaders, demanding a complete lockdown of the country to combat the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. “I know a good, tough fight when I see one, and we have one on our hands now,” McGregor stated in a video posted to Facebook. “I want to call upon my people: the great people of Ireland. This fight needs us all. We are all in the red corner together and awaiting the bell, so let’s gather together and ring the bell ourselves — including the people of the rest of the world.

Tom Taylor - March 25, 2020

Yesterday afternoon, former two-division UFC champ Conor McGregor made an impassioned address to Ireland’s leaders, demanding a full, mandatory lockdown of the country to combat the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. UFC President Dana White has now addressed that video. While McGregor is clearly taking the pandemic very seriously, White has caught quite a bit of criticism for his reaction to the situation. The UFC boss has fervently attempted to keep the UFC running as normal during the pandemic — despite the obvious risks of doing so — and has refused to share any information about COVID-19 testing for athletes.

Natasha Hooper - March 25, 2020

With the looming threat of Coronavirus causing everybody to isolate themselves, BJPENN.com has curated a list of the top MMA podcasts for you to listen to (in no particular order). Now, you can fill your brain with an unlimited stream of MMA information and keep boredom at bay.

Natasha Hooper - March 25, 2020

Leon Edwards’ trainer Jonathon Reynolds has devised a full-body MMA workout for you to do at home, with video instructions. The mastermind behind Velocity Training Club is responsible for top combat athletes, including Leon Edwards, Fabian Edwards, and boxer Callum Smith.

Harry Kettle - March 25, 2020

UFC president Dana White has refused to comment on whether or not UFC 249 fighters will be tested for the coronavirus prior to the event. There’s been a great deal of speculation surrounding the future of UFC 249, with fans around the world wondering whether or not they’ll finally get to see Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson square off for the UFC Lightweight Championship.

Adam Martin - March 24, 2020

UFC middleweight Darren Till slid into the direct messages of UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, sending the champ a fierce warning. Adesanya and Till are known to exchange DM’s with each other, and now Till has taken his DM game to the next level. On Tuesday, the champ shared on his Twitter a video message Till sent him in a DM, with “The Gorilla” making it clear he wants to step into the Octagon with “The Last Stylebender.”

Cole Shelton - March 24, 2020

Renato Moicano isn’t pleased with the way he handled himself following his win at UFC Brasilia. Moicano was moving up to lightweight after back-to-back losses and quickly submitted Damir Hazdovic in under a minute. Following the win, you could hear the Brazilain complaining on the broadcast as he wanted to fight longer given he was at home and wanted to really see how his body would do at lightweight.

Mike Pendleton - March 24, 2020

Francis Ngannou entered the UFC in 2015 just five fights into his professional career, and skyrocketed throughout the division due to his performances inside the Octagon. In just over two years upon entering the UFC, Ngannou would go on a six-fight winning streak which would lead him to get a title shot against Stipe Miocic. Although he would come up short in his attempt at UFC gold, Francis Ngannou showed he could still hang with the very best heavyweights in the world. Following his fight against Miocic, Ngannou would drop his second consecutive fight in a lackluster showing against Derrick Lewis, and then change followed shortly thereafter.

Cole Shelton - March 24, 2020

Joanna Jedrzejczyk would like to see Dan Lambert kick Colby Covington out of American Top Team. Lambert recently announced a new no trash-talking policy for the fighters at his gym, claiming he has had enough. The gym has recently seen Colby Covington feud with Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Jorge Masvidal, and Dustin Poirier.

Adam Martin - March 24, 2020

UFC president Dana White is confident UFC 249 will go on as planned, and a new report says the event could take place in Florida. On Monday, White said that UFC 249 was still a go for April 18 with a lightweight title fight between champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and top contender Tony Ferguson. White also said that the event will feature a full undercard. White said that he has a home for the event but is not ready to release that to the public. We now have an idea of where that may be.

Adam Martin - March 24, 2020

The sportsbooks have released the full card betting odds for UFC 249 after UFC president Dana White confirmed the event will still go on. White said on Monday to Kevin Iole of Yahoo! that the UFC will still hold UFC 249, which includes a main event featuring Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson for the UFC lightweight title. The event was originally set for Brooklyn, New York, but will be moved due to the coronavirus outbreak. The UFC president also confirmed it will be a full card and that the promotion knows where the card will take place, though he can’t announce it yet.

Tom Taylor - March 24, 2020

Hand sanitizer is currently in short supply. UFC heavyweight contender Francis Ngannou is here to help. Speaking on Instagram on Tuesday, Ngannou announced that he’s teamed up with a some business partners to begin producing and selling “affordable hand sanitizer.”