MMA News
Michael Bisping believes Colby Covington breaking his jaw in UFC 245 fight is 'karma'
Cole Shelton - December 18, 2019
Michael Bisping believes Colby Covington was handed karma by having his jaw broken by Kamaru Usman at UFC 245. In the lead up to the fight, Covington trash-talked Usman saying this would be the end of him. Yet, that was not the case as it was “The Nigerian Nightmare” who ended up winning the title fight by fifth-round TKO.
Joe Rogan slams UFC Judges: "They need to fire everyone"
Natasha Hooper - December 18, 2019
On Wednesday 18th December, Max Holloway joined the JRE club by taking a seat on Joe Rogan’s podcast. The former featherweight champion reflected on his UFC 245 loss to Alexander Volkanovski and the hot topic of UFC judge’s credibility was quickly brought into question. On Saturday 14th December at the T-Mobile arena, “Blessed” embarked on his fifth title defence against the No 1 ranked featherweight contender, Alexander Volkanovski. Whilst Holloway endured the repeated attack of his opponent’s leg kicks, the champion believed he delivered more damage and effective strikes. As a result, he was taken back by the final ruling, a unanimous decision victory in favour of his Australian rival.
Kenny Florian: Henry Cejudo vs. Jose Aldo is hard to justify
Fernando Quiles - December 18, 2019
Kenny Florian doesn’t see how the UFC can justify booking Henry Cejudo vs. Jose Aldo. Aldo made his bantamweight debut this past Saturday night (Dec. 14). He shared the Octagon with Marlon Moraes on the main card of UFC 245 in Las Vegas. The bout went the distance and Moraes was awarded the split nod. While some argue that Aldo should’ve emerged victorious, the fact remains that the former featherweight kingpin lost the fight.
Douglas Lima reacts to Rory MacDonald's Bellator exit
Tom Taylor - December 18, 2019
Earlier this afternoon, news surfaced that former Bellator welterweight champion Rory MacDonald has parted ways with the Viacom-owned promotion and signed with the Professional Fighters League (PFL). While this is exciting news for MacDonald and the PFL, it does represent an unfortunate twist for fans who were hoping to see a rematch between MacDonald and reigning Bellator welterweight champion Douglas Lima in the future. Lima and MacDonald are tied 1-1 across two exciting fights, and now, with MacDonald moving to another promotion, it seems unlikely that we’ll see them meet in a tie-breaker anytime soon.
Khabib Nurmagomedov lists the areas where he's better than Tony Ferguson
Tom Taylor - December 18, 2019
On April 18, in the main event of UFC 249, undefeated UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov will attempt to defend his title against streaking contender Tony Ferguson—that is, provided the matchup isn’t once again derailed by a cruel twist of fate. As UFC 249 draws closer, this Nurmagomedov vs. Ferguson fight is being praised as one of the greatest matchups in UFC history. The two fighters have both looked unstoppable of late, and would seem to have answers to the other’s strengths.
ESPN raises price of UFC pay-per-views
Tom Taylor - December 18, 2019
UFC pay-per-views are going to be a little more expensive going forward, starting with UFC 246 on January 18. That card, and those that follow it, will cost $64.99 rather than the usual $59.99. This price-hike can be attributed to ESPN, the promotion’s broadcast partner, as UFC pay-per-views are available exclusively through the ESPN app.
Rory MacDonald parts ways with Bellator, signs with PFL
Tom Taylor - December 18, 2019
Rory MacDonald has parted ways with Bellator MMA. After a period of free agency, the former Bellator welterweight champion has not signed a new deal with the promotion, and instead inked a contract with the Professional Fighters League (PFL).
Breaking | Felicia Spencer to return at UFC Norfolk against Zarah Fairn dos Santos
Cole Shelton - December 18, 2019
Felicia Spencer will make her first walk to the Octagon of 2020 on Feb. 29 in Norfolk, Virginia. On Tuesday, Spencer posted on Instagram that she would be return at UFC Norfolk. Sources close to the situation told BJPENN.com that she will be taking on Zarah Fairn dos Santos.
Max Holloway praises new UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski
Harry Kettle - December 18, 2019
Max Holloway has had nothing but good things to say about the new UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski. The two men played an incredible chess match against one another inside the Octagon on Saturday night at UFC 245, with Volkanovski being the man who did enough to get his hand raised. At the time it seemed as if Holloway was a bit conflicted about the decision from the judges, but upon reflection, he’s happy to just give praise where it’s due to Australia’s second UFC champ.
Justin Gaethje pays off lunch debts for students at 2 different schools
Natasha Hooper - December 18, 2019
The world of MMA has seen top fighters use their success to help others. Lightweight contender Justin Gaethje is helping students by paying off their lunch debts at two Denver schools. Sharing is caring, as “The Highlight” inked a cheque last week to pay for $1,538 worth of lunch debts accrued at West Early College High School and Middle School.
Francis Ngannou opens as big favorite over Jairzinho Rozenstruik for UFC Columbus
Natasha Hooper - December 18, 2019
Francis Ngannou is set to return to the Octagon against Jairzinho Rozenstruik at UFC Fight Columbus in March. The heavy hitter is leading the way as the favorite to win in their the upcoming fight. Ngannou last fought in June of 2019, when he took on Junior Dos Santos in the main event of UFC Minneapolis. The 33-year old utilized his striking to accomplish a first-round victory. “The Predator” currently has three back-to-back first-round finishes. Prior to Junior Dos Santos, the heavyweight star beat Curtis Blaydes and Cain Velasquez by TKO in under a minute each.
Conor McGregor sends message to 'scurrying rat' Khabib Nurmagomedov
Harry Kettle - December 18, 2019
Nobody really knows what’s going to happen when Conor McGregor steps back inside the Octagon for the first time since UFC 229, but one thing is for sure: the Irishman is using that loss is Las Vegas as fuel for the fire. McGregor was beaten on that night by rival Khabib Nurmagomedov who won via submission to retain the UFC Lightweight Championship. While McGregor’s comeback fight against Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone may be taking place at welterweight, there’s no denying the fact that a rematch with Nurmagomedov is on the mind of both McGregor and the UFC.
Kamaru Usman wants Georges St-Pierre next, believes he finishes him
Cole Shelton - December 17, 2019
Kamaru Usman is looking to score a fight with mixed martial arts legend Georges St-Pierre. Usman is coming off of his first title defense in the main event of UFC 245 where he TKO’d Colby Covington in the fifth round. Although there are contenders like Leon Edwards and Jorge Masvidal out there, “The Nigerian Nightmare” wants St-Pierre.
Ali Abdelaziz praises Colby Covington for UFC 245 performance
Cole Shelton - December 17, 2019
The bad blood between Ali Abdelaziz and Colby Covington may be a thing of the past. Abdelaziz and Covington got into it after UFC 235 at a Las Vegas buffet and have since trashed each other in interviews. Yet, following UFC 245 where “Chaos” suffered a fifth-round TKO loss to Abdelaziz’s client in Kamaru Usman, the manager took to Twitter to praise the former interim champ.
Mike Perry issues introspective statement after loss to Geoff Neal
Thomas Taylor - December 17, 2019
Fan favorite welterweight fighter “Platinum” Mike Perry returned to the Octagon on the undercard of UFC 245, where he collided with top-15 contender Geoff Neal. In this fight, Perry sought to rebound from a razor close, split decision loss to Vicente Luque, which left his nose badly broken.
Dan Lambert provides update on Colby Covington
Tom Taylor - December 17, 2019
Colby Covington came up short in his bid to capture the UFC welterweight title at UFC 245, succumbing to fifth-round punches from the champion Kamaru Usman. Yet according to Dan Lambert, the owner of American Top Team, where Covington trains, the recent welterweight title challenger is still as confident as ever. “He is a 10 out of 10 as far as what I would hope his mindset would be after a fight like that,” Lambert told MMA Fighting of Covington. “He wants to get right back in. He wants to get right back into training. He wants to get back into training as soon as he’s ready health wise. He wants to get back and prove that he’s the best.
Jose Aldo responds to callout from Henry Cejudo
Natasha Hooper - December 17, 2019
Despite losing to Marlon Moraes at UFC 245, Jose Aldo is confident he made the right decision to move down to bantamweight. The former UFC featherweight champ has his sights set on the bantamweight throne, and that includes overthrowing the current champion, Henry Cejudo. In the main event of UFC 245 last Saturday, Aldo showed he is as dangerous as ever. The closely contested fight ended in a controversial split decision victory in favour of Moraes. Aldo was confident he delivered the better performance and disagreed with the final ruling.
Dana White updates on Zuffa Boxing launch
Tom Taylor - December 17, 2019
UFC President Dana White has been teasing the launch of his new Zuffa Boxing venture for months. In fact, he initially intended to kickstart this new boxing promotion in October or November. Speaking at Yahoo! Sports, White updated on this venture, and explained why it has not yet gotten off the ground.