MMA News

Chris Taylor - April 4, 2020

Dana White was named in a lawsuit filed Friday that alleged the UFC President was victimized in a $200,000 sex-tape extortion. According to a report from the Las Vegas Review-Journal, White was named in the Clark County District Court suit filed against the UFC boss by the man who served time for the sensational crime.

Chris Taylor - April 4, 2020

Earlier today former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley took to Twitter where he proclaimed that he had given his team permission to accept a fight at UFC 249. In the post, Woodley stated that his ideal opponent for the event would be bitter rival Colby Covington.

Chris Taylor - April 4, 2020

Former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley has given his management team permission to accept a fight on his behalf at UFC 249. The event is slated to take place on April 18 but a location and venue has yet to be determined by the promotion. UFC 249 was originally scheduled to take place in Brooklyn, however due to the Covid-19 pandemic that option is no longer available.

Chris Taylor - April 4, 2020

Former Ultimate Fighting Champions Jose Aldo and Shogun Rua were expected to compete at UFC 250 on May 9 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, next month’s pay-per-view event will have to be relocated. The report comes from Brazilian news outlet Combate who suggests that the UFC is now looking to move May’s highly anticipated event to the USA.

Chris Taylor - April 3, 2020

Former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor is doing everything in his power to assist his home country of Ireland during the Covid-19 pandemic. The Irish star has been vocal on social media in recent days, encouraging his countrymen to stay home and help others during the crisis. McGregor has also made multiple donations to help fight the Coronavirus and those suffering from the disease.

Cole Shelton - April 3, 2020

Conor McGregor will not be fighting on April 18 at UFC 249 according to his coach, John Kavanagh. After Khabib Nurmagomedov announced he would be off of UFC 249 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some thought McGregor could step in. A win over Ferguson would no doubt earn him another crack at the undefeated Dagestani champion. But, according to his coach, due to the Irish lockdown, that is not possible.

Mike Pendleton - April 3, 2020

Former flyweight title challenger Jessica Eye last competed at UFC 245 where she picked up a unanimous decision win over Viviane Araujo. Eye did end up missing weight at UFC 245 and although the promotion was looking at adding her to the UFC Columbus card in late March, Eye decided to take time off and get her body healthy and recovered. During an exclusive interview with BJPENN.com, Eye discussed her road back from elbow surgery and why she felt this was the right time to do so, especially with the COVID-19 pandemic sweeping the world.

Adam Martin - April 3, 2020

UFC light heavyweight contender Nikita Krylov believes that coronavirus is transmitted through your TV and he believes people are overthinking the virus. Krylov recently fought Johnny Walker at UFC Brasilia on the last card before the UFC was forced into a coronavirus-induced hiatus. Krylov says he had no problems fighting on the card and says he is not worried about the coronavirus. In fact, he believes that people are getting infected just because they are thinking about it too much.

Adam Martin - April 3, 2020

UFC heavyweight contender Jairzinho Rozenstruik is calling for an interim heavyweight title fight against Francis Ngannou to headline UFC 249. UFC president Dana White continues to be adamant the show will go on despite Khabib Nurmagomedov making it clear he cannot compete at UFC 249 against Tony Ferguson. The promotion is reportedly in talks with Ferguson and Justin Gaethje about a lightweight fight between them to headline the event, but so far nothing has been made official.

Cole Shelton - April 3, 2020

One of the biggest questions in all of MMA is who is the GOAT? Is it someone who had the biggest impact on the sport or the person who won the most? It’s an interesting debate for fighters and fans alike to have at any time. So, with little to no MMA on for the foreseeable future, BJPENN.com reached out to several current and former light heavyweights to ask who their divisional GOAT is. To no surprise, the vast majority picked Jon Jones despite the USADA and legal issues.

Tom Taylor - April 3, 2020

Former UFC and Strikeforce middleweight champion Luke Rockhold still hasn’t decided if he’ll fight again, but for the moment, it’s not a priority. “I’m taking a leave of absence,” Rockhold said on the Major Waves Podcast (via MMA Junkie). “I’m just kind of doing my thing right now — getting life organized, getting things together. It’s good to be back on the West Coast. I was training out in Florida and it’s just – Florida’s tough. It’s hot, it’s humid – it’s a different lifestyle.”

Tom Taylor - April 3, 2020

Chatri Sityodtong is keen to pit some of the best fighters in ONE Championship against the stars of the UFC. Speaking during a live Q&A on Facebook, Sityodtong was asked about potential ONE Championship vs. UFC super fights and quickly suggested a battle between ONE strawweight champ Xiong Jingnan and her countrywoman, UFC strawweight champ Weili Zhang.

Tom Taylor - April 3, 2020

Joe Rogan tries to keep things pretty professional when he’s working as a UFC commentator, but at the end of the day, he’s a fight fan. So, when something crazy happens in the Octagon, he tends to lose his mind. We’ve seen it countless times over the years, and it never ceases to be entertaining. The UFC recently compiled some of the best Joe Rogan reactions in a video posted to social media. See it below:

Tom Taylor - April 3, 2020

Some fight fans might not know it, but long before Michael Bisping became the UFC middleweight champion, he was a DJ. Now retired from fighting and cooped up in his home amid the coronavirus pandemic, Bisping has been brushing up on his DJ skills and sharing the fruits of his efforts with his fans.

Adam Martin - April 3, 2020

UFC women’s flyweight contender Paige VanZant recently provided an update on her upcoming free agency plans, saying she is open to all offers. VanZant has one fight left on her current UFC contract. She was set to fight Amanda Ribas at UFC Brasilia last month but was forced to pull out of the fight after re-breaking her arm. Ribas ended up fighting Randa Markos and putting a beating on her but afterward called for the UFC to re-book the VanZant bout. Whoever VanZant fights next in the Octagon will be the last fight on her current deal, and then she will become a free agent.

Tom Taylor - April 3, 2020

Octagon announcer Bruce Buffer is willing to work at UFC 249 on April 18 — provided the UFC can find a location for the card and ensure the safety of staff and fighters during the coronavirus pandemic. “I stand on the basis that, if there’s an event announced – based on the location, the safety factor of everybody involved, how we’re being tested, whatever, all the obvious – if there is such a word anymore, a completely safe thing to do, then let’s do it. Right?” Buffer told MMA Junkie. “Obviously there would not be an audience; we know that.”

Harry Kettle - April 3, 2020

Ben Askren has taken yet another shot at UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman – doing so through his Twitter account. There are very few people that seem to be capable of getting under the skin of “The Nigerian Nightmare”, but it certainly appears as if “Funky” is one of them, even months after his retirement from mixed martial arts.

Natasha Hooper - April 3, 2020

Jorge Masvidal has slammed Kamaru Usman by claiming he has multiple personalities in a scathing video. The sport of MMA features many outspoken personalities and trash-talking. Fighters such as Henry Cejudo and Colby Covington have been criticized for intentionally playing up to the camera and changing their personality to gain notoriety. The “BMF” winner and rising welterweight star, Masvidal has been very critical of fighters’ media behavior. He previously called out Covington for putting on a performance despite being the “most sensitive guy in the UFC.” He also accused his former opponent Ben Askren of playing up to the camera. Now, “Gamebred” is calling out Kamaru Usman for the same behavior.