MMA News

BJPENN.COM Staff - November 12, 2019

Joshua Pacio is establishing himself as one of the elite champions in ONE Championship with every performance. The 23-year-old successfully defended his ONE Strawweight World Championship at ONE: Masters of Fate in front of his hometown crowd of Manila, Philippines. Pacio scored an impressive second-round submission victory over Rene Catalan.  The win was Pacio’s first defense since regaining his title from Yosuke Saruta in April. He’d been upset by Saruta back in January. In all, it was a pretty strong 2019 for Pacio as he has re-established himself as the king of his division. 

Cole Shelton - November 11, 2019

Artem Lobov and Khabib Nurmagomedov have history, and it appears their feud is far from over. At UFC 223, Nurmagomedov and his team went up to Lobov. There, he slapped the SBG Ireland product in the face. It immediately caught the attention of Conor McGregor who is Lobov’s teammate. The Irishman then went to Brooklyn and threw a dolly at the fighter bus containing ‘The Eagle’.

Christopher Taylor - November 11, 2019

Nate Diaz has responded to a fight fan who allegedly lost his rent money betting on the Stockton native in the UFC 244 main event. Diaz was defeated by Jorge Masvidal by way of third round TKO, this after the cage side physician called a stop to the scrap due to lacerations on the eye of the ‘Stockton Slugger’.

Cole Shelton - November 11, 2019

Gilbert Burns has his eyes set on Anthony Pettis for his next fight. Burns, who is on a four-fight winning streak, has taken back-to-back short notice fights at welterweight. There, he handed Alexey Kunchenko his first loss as a pro and followed that up with a decision win over Gunnar Nelson to enter the top-15 of the division.

Thomas Taylor - November 11, 2019

During a recent interview with ESPN’s Ariel Helwani, Nick Diaz seemingly opened the door to a future fight with Jorge Masvidal. While he also claimed he has no interest in fighting again, he added that he took issue with some of Masvidal’s recent comments to his brother Nate, and hinted that he’d be willing to fight Masvidal inside AT&T Stadium for the right price. “All I see is f*cking dollar signs right now,” Diaz said of Masvidal (via MMA News). “It’s not on me. You wanna talk about baptizing my younger brother, that’s on you. I never had nothing disrespectful to say, but you don’t talk about baptizing my younger brother. So you’re already in a f*cked up position if you fight with me. You don’t f*cking talk about baptizing someone’s younger brother. That’s my baby brother, you don’t talk like that to nobody. So who rides on who’s side?

Thomas Taylor - November 11, 2019

Nick Diaz claims he has no interest in fighting again. He made that feeling quite clear during a recent interview with ESPN’s Ariel Helwani. That being said, he does seem to have a bone to pick with Jorge Masvidal, who recently defeated his younger brother Nate, and implied that he’d be willing to battle the Cuban-American at AT&T Stadium if the price is right. In particular, the elder Diaz bro took issue with Masvidal claiming he would “baptize” Nate.

Adam Martin - November 11, 2019

Former UFC title contender and Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez has been released by the UFC after a string of losses. FightBookMMA reported the unfortunate news that Melendez did not survive the UFC’s latest wave of cuts. The promotion last week released 12 fighters from its roster, and now Melendez can be added to that list.

Tom Taylor - November 11, 2019

Much to the elation of fight fans, Nate Diaz has fought twice this year, and from the sounds of it, will do so again in the future. His brother Nick Diaz, however, does not seem to have much interest in fighting again. The elder Diaz brother was asked about a potential comeback in a recent interview with Ariel Helwani. He claimed he has no interest in fighting again, but added that it’s not really up to him.

Fernando Quiles - November 11, 2019

Chael Sonnen wouldn’t be opposed to seeing Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou. Fury, who is recognized as the lineal boxing heavyweight champion, made some waves when he claimed he was speaking with Conor McGregor on potentially training for his MMA debut. Footage later surfaced of “The Gypsy King” training with UFC middleweight Darren Till. Fury and Ngannou have expressed interest in fighting one another. “The Predator” has said Mike Tyson has agreed to train him for a boxing match with Fury.

Tom Taylor - November 11, 2019

Conor McGregor is planning to fight again on January 18, and with the opponent for his comeback still not confirmed, many fighters are doing what they can to earn this lucrative opportunity. Former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos is one of the latest to do so. Dos Anjos made his call for a fight with McGregor on Instagram, imploring UFC President Dana White and matchmaker Sean Shelby to give the Irishman a “real contender” in his return to the Octagon.

Tom Taylor - November 11, 2019

Cris Cyborg is now a Bellator fighter, but the former UFC women’s featherweight champ is still hopeful for a rematch with Amanda Nunes. Cyborg and Nunes collided in late 2018, in the co-main event of UFC 232. Nunes, the bantamweight champion, was challenging Cyborg for the featherweight title.

Harry Kettle - November 11, 2019

UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman has given his thoughts on Jorge Masvidal and a potential showdown with “Gamebred” after UFC 244. Usman is currently preparing for his main event showdown against Colby Covington at UFC 245, in a bout that has been highly anticipated for quite some time. While he can’t afford to look past “Chaos” and towards the future, the champion is constantly being questioned about other potential contenders – with Jorge Masvidal being at the top of that list.

Adam Martin - November 11, 2019

YouTube sensation Logan Paul says he is unsure about pursuing a mixed martial arts fight following his split decision loss to KSI in a boxing match this past Saturday in Los Angeles. Paul lost a controversial split decision to his rival KSI in the rematch between YouTube stars. The referee deducted two points from Paul for an illegal blow, and had he not received the point deduction he would have actually won the split decision. Now that the pair have fought twice in boxing, KSI says he has no interest in another fight with Paul.

Cole Shelton - November 11, 2019

After Jan Blachowicz knocked out Luke Rockhold at UFC 239, many expected the Polish fighter to get the next title shot. Yet that opportunity has continued to elude Blachowicz. Instead of fighting for the title next, he’ll welcome former Strikeforce middleweight champion Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza to the light heavyweight division in the main event of UFC Sao Paulo.

Natasha Hooper - November 11, 2019

Once a fighter, always a fighter. Contrary to his recent comments, Nate Diaz says he is not retiring. The UFC veteran fought Jorge Masvidal for the unprecedented “BMF” title at UFC 244 last month. The pair battled it out for three rounds, proving why they are two of the most popular fighters on the UFC roster. However, a doctors stoppage at the end of round three put an end to the action and Masvidal claimed the win.

Harry Kettle - November 11, 2019

ONE Championship star Sage Northcutt has given his thoughts on UFC president Dana White’s suggestion that he should consider retiring from mixed martial arts. Northcutt officially signed with ONE nearly a year ago now after parting ways with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. His first fight with the promotion took place at May at ONE Championship: Enter the Dragon, where he was knocked out by Cosmo Alexandre in just 29 seconds. The knockout led to the youngster sustaining eight fractures in his face, leading to a nine-hour surgery after the fight.

BJPENN.COM Staff - November 11, 2019

It took Kiamrian Abbasov a while to get his shot at the ONE Welterweight World Championship, but when he got his opportunity, he made the most of it. Abbasov dominated Zebaztian Kadestam at ONE: Dawn of Valor in October to win the title. The victory made Abbasov just the third man to win the title in the promotion’s history. Through Abbasov’s career, he has compiled a 22-4 record with 10 KOs and four submissions. He wasn’t able to finish Kadestam, but his unanimous-decision victory served the rest of the division notice. It will take a herculean effort to dethrone the new king. Here is a look at five prospects who will line up to challenge the new champion.

Adam Martin - November 10, 2019

UFC executive David Shaw shot down the idea of children ever fighting inside the Octagon at the UFC Moscow post-fight press conference. The UFC held another successful event in Moscow, this one headlined by rising Russian featherweight star Zabit Magomedsharipov defeating American Calvin Kattar by unanimous decision in a “Fight of the Night.” In the co-main event, Alexander Volkov defeated Greg Hardy to retain his status as a top heavyweight contender. But it’s what a reporter asked in the post-fight presser that drew a lot of criticism online amongst fellow media and fans.