MMA News

Adam Martin - January 14, 2020

The sportsbooks have released prop bets for the UFC 246 press conference featuring superstar Conor McGregor and fan-favorite Donald Cerrone. McGregor meets Cerrone this Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada in what is McGregor’s comeback fight after 14 months away from the Octagon. In the days before the fight, the online sportsbook BetOnline released a number of prop bets for the event’s press conference, which takes place on Wednesday at the Pearl Theater in Vegas.

Tom Taylor - January 14, 2020

There are a lot of dangerous fighters in the UFC featherweight top-10, and the division’s new champion Alexander Volkanovski is more than happy to fight them all. That, he says, is simply the duty of a UFC champion. “That’s how a champ should do it,” Volkanovski told BJPENN.com, adding that defeating his many featherweight rivals is the best way to cement himself as one of the best ever.

Tom Taylor - January 14, 2020

Some fans might not remember it, but Mike Perry and Al Iaquinta had a brief feud several years back. The welterweight and lightweight will have the opportunity to settle their feud — if it still exists — in a grappling match at SUG 11. The grappling promotion, which is the brainchild of former UFC and Bellator star Chael Sonnen, announced this exciting Perry vs. Iaquinta clash on Instagram.

Tom Taylor - January 14, 2020

The upcoming UFC Brasilia card now has a main event, and it’s a good one. According to a report from Brazilian publication Combate, the March 14 card will be topped by a lightweight bout between established contenders Kevin Lee and Charles Oliveira. Kevin Lee will enter this contest with a massive, first-round head kick KO of the formerly undefeated Gregor Gillespie in the rear-view. Prior to this win, Lee experienced back-to-back losses at the hands of Rafael dos Anjos and Al Iaquinta. While he has experienced some setbacks recently, he recently sought a fresh start at the famed Tristar gym in Montreal, Quebec, and if his win over Gillespie is any indication, the move is paying dividends. Lee, who previously competed for the interim lightweight title, is 18-5 overall.

Tom Taylor - January 14, 2020

Joe Rogan is known for a lot of things. He’s the UFC’s most recognizable commentator. He’s the host of one of the world’s most popular podcasts. He’s a standup comic. What some fans might not known is that he’s also a lifelong martial artist who is still adding new tools to his arsenal to this day. Yes, even in his 50s, Rogan still trains regularly and learns from some of the greatest martial artists alive.

Cole Shelton - January 14, 2020

Alexey Oleynik knows he will have a massive advantage on the ground when he takes on Maurice Green at UFC 246, but isn’t sure he will utilize it. Oleynik is on a two-fight losing streak, having recently been TKO’d by Alistair Overeem and then knocked out in 12 seconds by Walt Harris, and knows this fight is crucial. Yet he may not even use his best tool which is his jiu-jitsu.

Tom Taylor - January 14, 2020

Alexander Volkanovski is exactly one month into his reign as the UFC featherweight champion. While he’s still healing up from an arm injury sustained in his title-winning battle, a unanimous decision win over long-time champ Max Holloway, he’s beginning to look ahead to his first challenge as champion. The options for that challenge are plentiful.

Harry Kettle - January 14, 2020

UFC 246 star Anthony Pettis has revealed that he is using USADA after cutting his finger whilst providing a drug test sample before UFC 241. Pettis, who will be fighting this weekend in Las Vegas, was referencing an incident that took place a matter of hours before his fight against Nate Diaz this past summer which, in the eyes of some, could have wound up impacting some areas of the fight.

Cole Shelton - January 13, 2020

Johnny Walker believes he lost to Corey Anderson at UFC 244 because of his old coach. Walker was entering the fight riding high on a nine-fight winning streak including being 3-0 in the UFC with three first-round knockouts. Against Anderson, the fight did not go his way as he was knocked out in the first round.

Cole Shelton - January 13, 2020

Conor McGregor may be getting back into boxing. McGregor made his professional boxing debut against Floyd Mayweather in the summer of 2017 where he lost by TKO. Yet, the Irishman won some rounds and had some success which has encouraged him to look for another match. And, it appears he has found his opponent as he revealed talks have begun with Manny Pacquiao for a boxing match.

Adam Martin - January 13, 2020

UFC lightweight contender Dustin Poirier is calling for the world’s leading MMA promotion to introduce a weight class at 165lbs. Poirier has fought the majority of his career at the featherweight limit of 145lbs and the lightweight limit of 155lbs. As the sport has evolved, fighters are beginning to learn that cutting a bunch of weight doesn’t necessarily lead to better results. In recent days, Poirier has said that he is open to moving up to the welterweight limit of 170lbs to take on Nate Diaz.

Tom Taylor - January 13, 2020

Former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor has addressed a New York Times report alleging that he is at the center of two sexual assault investigations. He denies these reports, and promises clarity on the issue in time. McGregor addressed this topic in an interview with ESPN.

Adam Martin - January 13, 2020

UFC president Dana White says that New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has been invited to attend this weekend’s UFC 246 event. White is a massive fan of the Patriots, who Brady has starred for since the 2000 NFL season. During the last 20 years with the Pats, Brady has appeared in nine Super Bowls, winning an NFL record six of them, the most for any player in football history. White regularly attends Patriots games and is close with the team’s owner, Robert Kraft.

Mike Heck - January 13, 2020

Carlos Condit was hoping to get back on track to end 2019 before an injury forced him to withdraw from his scheduled fight with Mickey Gall at UFC Washington, DC. While the exact reason for the withdrawal hasn’t truly been revealed, Condit’s manager Abe Kawa says that “The Natural Born Killer” didn’t suffer a serious injury and expects to make a full recovery.

Tom Taylor - January 13, 2020

Jorge Masvidal believes Donald Cerrone is capable of beating Conor McGregor at UFC 246, but only if he’s able to avoid making a few crucial errors. First and foremost, Masvidal believes Cerrone will need to steer clear of McGregor’s fight-ending power early. By his estimation, McGregor is one of the fastest starters in the sport, while Cerrone has historically been a bit of a slow starter.

Adam Martin - January 13, 2020

Reebok has released a new commercial featuring Conor McGregor advertising the new Zig Kinetica shoes as a cartoon character. The new commercial explains why the recent Reebok t-shirt featuring McGregor as a cartoon character was released. That t-shirt was ridiculed by fans and media online for being ridiculous, but now we at least know why Reebok released the shirt as McGregor is the star of this new ad campaign for Zig Kinetica shoes.

BJPENN.COM Staff - January 13, 2020

Henri Hooft is a legendary trainer, and one of his newest pupils, Tial Thang, made his professional debut last year at ONE: Reign of Valor. Thang followed that victory up with another win in December at ONE: Mark of Greatness. Thang is already a calculated technician, which fits in well with Hooft’s style. The Burmese athlete has a powerful base discipline of wrestling, and he’s obviously attempting to broaden his skillset under the tutelage of Hooft. 

Tom Taylor - January 13, 2020

For a time, Conor McGregor was the biggest sporting star in Ireland, and arguably one of the most popular athletes in the world. After a couple of losses and a long list of troubles outside the cage, however, there is a widespread perception that the Irishman’s popularity has died down, even on the Emerald Isle. Not so, says long-time McGregor head coach John Kavanagh.