MMA News
Conor McGregor donates $27,000 worth of toys to children in need
Tom Taylor - December 27, 2019
UFC superstar Conor McGregor took the opportunity to give back this Christmas, donating a whopping €25,000 ($27,000) worth of toy vouchers to a charity in Ireland. The charity organization Inner City Helping Homeless announced this generous donation from McGregor and his partner Dee Devlin on social media on Tuesday.
Jorge Masvidal sends a message to Kamaru Usman after 'who?' remarks
Harry Kettle - December 27, 2019
Jorge Masvidal has sent a very clear and direct message to UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman in the wake of some recent comments from “The Nigerian Nightmare”. Masvidal is coming off the best year of his career in 2019 after he was able to finish Darren Till, Ben Askren and Nate Diaz in impressive fashion. Now, with 2020 looming large, there’s a very good chance that “Gamebred” could be the next man in line to fight Usman for the Welterweight Championship.
Korean Zombie isn't happy with his spot in UFC rankings
Harry Kettle - December 27, 2019
Chan Sung Jung, AKA “The Korean Zombie”, isn’t happy with the current state of the UFC featherweight rankings. The popular Korean star is coming off of a huge first round win over Frankie Edgar at UFC Busan. Jung was scheduled to go one on one with Brian Ortega, only for an injury to force “T-City” out of the running and give Edgar a chance to get back in the win column.
Drake uses Nate Diaz comparison when reflecting on beef with Pusha T
Natasha Hooper - December 27, 2019
Drake has had his fair share of beef with A-list celebrities. One that takes centre stage is Drake’s ongoing beef with rapper and Kanye West’s homie, Pusha T. Their feud culminated in a diss track called The Story of Adidon, released by Pusha T in 2018. The song took aim at the Canadian rapper’s behaviour and claimed that he has a secret love child. In an interview with Rap Radar, Drake reflected on that “checkmate” at the hands of Pusha T, and even compared his loss to the career of UFC star Nate Diaz.
Darren Till DMs Israel Adesanya requesting middleweight title, champ responds
Natasha Hooper - December 27, 2019
All Darren Till wants for Christmas is the middleweight belt. On Christmas Day, the recent addition to the middleweight division sent an Instagram DM to the 185-pound champion. He wished Israel Adesanya a Merry Christmas, but on the condition that he hands over the middleweight gold. The king of memes (and the division) responded with a meme from The Anchorman film, egging Till on.
UFC rankings update: Justin Gaethje passes Conor McGregor
Tom Taylor - December 26, 2019
The official UFC rankings have been update in the wake of last weekend’s UFC Busan card, and as expected, there have been some interesting changes. Most notably, UFC Busan main event winner has climbed up the featherweight list after knocking out Frankie Edgar.
Donald Cerrone understands why Conor McGregor could get title shot before Justin Gaethje
Tom Taylor - December 26, 2019
On January 18, former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor will return to the Octagon for a welterweight fight with Donald Cerrone. Ahead of this fight, UFC President Dana White has stated that, if McGregor wins this welterweight battle, he could get the next shot at lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. This possibility has troubled some members of the MMA community for a number of reasons. First, McGregor’s fight with Cerrone is at welterweight, not lightweight. Additionally, McGregor experienced a decisive loss to Nurmagomedov just over a year ago. Lastly and perhaps most controversially, lightweight contender Justin Gaethje is on a three-fight win-streak, and is arguably far more deserving a title shot than McGregor, at least in terms of rankings.
Joseph Benavidez doubts Henry Cejudo ever intended to return to flyweight
Tom Taylor - December 26, 2019
Henry Cejudo has been stripped of the UFC flyweight title, clearing the way for top flyweight contenders Joseph Benavidez and Deiveson Figueiredo to battle for the vacant belt in the main event of UFC Norfolk on February 29. This is an opportunity Benavidez has been chasing for years.
Khabib Nurmagomedov hails Jon Jones as pound-for-pound king
Tom Taylor - December 26, 2019
UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov is viewed by many fans as the top pound-for-pound fighter in the sport. If you ask the man himself, however, that lofty title belongs to UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. Nurmagomedov, a friend and training partner of Jones’ arch rival Daniel Cormier, was asked who he considers the sport’s pound-for-pound king at a recent press conference in Russia.
The biggest MMA stories of 2019
Natasha Hooper - December 26, 2019
2019 was a rollercoaster ride for the world of MMA, featuring plenty of ups and downs. As the year draws to a close, BJPENN.com looks back on 10 of the biggest MMA stories of 2019, from the good to the bad to the downright ugly.
Multiple UFC fights announced on Christmas Day
Tom Taylor - December 26, 2019
Here’s your Christmas present from the UFC, fight fans: a whopping five fights were announced on Christmas Day, including appearances from stars like Rachel Ostovich, Elizeu Zaleski Dos Santos and Kai Kara-France. Here’s a rundown of the new UFC fights announced on Christmas Day, via Marcel Dorff on Twitter.
ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong meets with Barack Obama
Tom Taylor - December 26, 2019
ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong recently had the opportunity to sit down for a brief meeting with President Barack Obama, the former President of the United States. Sityodtong discussed his meeting with Obama, which centered around business in Asia, in a recent post to his official Facebook page.
Top-10 MMA fighters of the decade
Adam Martin - December 24, 2019
Check out BJPenn.com‘s list of the top-10 MMA fighters of the decade, featuring the likes of Conor McGregor, Jon Jones, Ronda Rousey, Demetrious Johnson and Cris Cyborg. The first thing to note is that this is a very subjective and difficult list to come up with. There were so many fighters who could be included in the discussion, but ultimately we had to leave many of them off since it’s just a top-10. But before we do that, here’s a list of some honorable mentions that just missed the list.
Patrick Cummins announces his retirement from MMA
Tom Taylor - December 24, 2019
Patrick Cummins, the UFC light heavyweight contender who famously left his job as a barista to fight Daniel Cormier on short notice, has announced his retirement from MMA. Cummins made his announcement on Instagram on Tuesday afternoon.
Dana White hails 2019 as the 'biggest year' in UFC history
Tom Taylor - December 24, 2019
UFC President Dana White says 2019 was the “biggest year in the company’s history.” A jubilant White made this claim in a Tuesday afternoon Instagram post. See it below:
Sean O'Malley announces return against Jose Alberto Quinonez
Tom Taylor - December 24, 2019
Undefeated UFC bantamweight prospect Sean O’Malley has announced that he’ll be taking on Jose Alberto Quinones at UFC 247 on February 8 in Houston, Texas. O’Malley made this exciting announcement in a Tuesday afternoon Instagram post.
Aleksandar Rakic protests UFC Busan loss to Volkan Oezdemir
Tom Taylor - December 24, 2019
Aleksandar Rakic had the opportunity to take a big step up the light heavyweight rankings at UFC Busan when he took on former title challenger Volkan Oezdemir. While Rakic had plenty of success in this fight, Oezdemir ultimately left the cage with a controversial split decision win on his record. Speaking on Instagram on Sunday, Rakic issued a brief statement on this setback. He included a photo of himself moments after a previous win, and assured he feels just as victorious after his fight with Oezdemir.
VIDEO | Donald Cerrone, Rose Namajunas star in Billy Talent music video
Tom Taylor - December 24, 2019
Donald Cerrone is gearing up for a massive showdown with Conor McGregor, which headlines the UFC 246 card on January 18. It should surprise absolutely nobody that the hyperactive lightweight and welterweight contender is staying plenty busy outside of his preparations for this fight. In addition to his usual schedule of training, skydiving, bull riding, and anything else that gets his blood pumping, Cerrone recently starred in a new music video from alternative rock band Billy Talent. He was joined in this video by former UFC strawweight champion Rose Namajunas.