MMA News

Adam Martin - July 10, 2020

UFC welterweight contender Santiago Ponzinibbio has become the latest mixed martial arts fighter to test positive for COVID-19. Ponzibbio is a member of American Top Team in Florida, which has seen a number of its team members including coach Mike Brown and bantamweight Pedro Munhoz test positive for the novel coronavirus. According to AG Fight, which confirmed the story, Ponzinibbio tested positive for the coronavirus during a recent test.

Cole Shelton - July 10, 2020

Leon Edwards is looking to get a fight with Colby Covington or Gilbert Burns next, this in hopes of earning a title shot. Edwards was supposed to headline UFC London against Tyron Woodley, where many were assuming he won, he would get a title shot. Yet, the event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Englishman has yet to get a fight since. He said he was offered the title fight before Burns but couldn’t take it due to lack of training and the COVID-19 restrictions in England.

Adam Martin - July 10, 2020

UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman says he is hoping to fight George St-Pierre next should he get by Jorge Masvidal in the main event of UFC 251. Usman takes on Masvidal in a megafight on Fight Island this Saturday night. The UFC 251 pay-per-view is trending to do massive numbers for the UFC, so a win by Usman over Masvidal could potentially shoot him into superstardom. If Usman is able to get by Masvidal this weekend, then he’s already got his eyes on his next opponent: GSP.

Tom Taylor - July 10, 2020

UFC President Dana White claims Saturday’s UFC 251 card is trending to be a massive success—perhaps an even bigger blockbuster than a Conor McGregor fight. UFC 251 will be headlined by a welterweight title fight between dominating champion Kamaru Usman and streaking challenger Jorge Masvidal. Usman was originally expected to defend his title agains Gilbert Burns, but Masvidal was called to step in on just six days’ notice when Burns tested positive for COVID-19. The card will also feature two other title fights: a featherweight showdown between Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway, and a bantamweight battle between Petr Yan and Jose Aldo.

Adam Martin - July 10, 2020

UFC welterweight contender Gilbert Burns reacted to the news from UFC president Dana White that he will fight the winner of Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal. Burns was set to fight Usman for the UFC welterweight title in the main event of Saturday’s UFC 251 pay-per-view, but he was pulled from the fight last Friday after testing positive for COVID-19. The UFC then struck a deal with Masvidal to fill in on short notice as Burns’ replacement, and the megafight between Usman and Burns headlines this weekend’s card.

Tom Taylor - July 10, 2020

Jorge Masvidal admits his weight-cut for his short-notice UFC 251 title fight with Kamaru Usman was a taxing experience. Usman was originally scheduled to defend his title against Gilbert Burns in the UFC 241 main event. When Burns tested positive for COVID-19 just six days’ out from the fight, however, Masvidal got the call to step in against Usman. After rapidly negotiating a new UFC contract, he agreed.

Adam Martin - July 10, 2020

Former UFC heavyweight contender Mark Hunt will make his return to combat sports when he takes on Paul Gallen in a boxing match later this year. Gallen, an Australian rugby player who transitioned into boxing, recently confirmed himself the news that he will box Hunt on either October 30 or October 31 at a location-to-be-named. No other details about the fight are known yet, according to MMAFighting.com, but rumors are that Spark Arena in Auckland, New Zealand, could host the event. That’s the same venue the UFC traveled to earlier this year for the Dan Hooker vs. Paul Felder card.

Tom Taylor - July 10, 2020

Shortly after the UFC 251 weigh-ins concluded, the stars of the card took center stage to face off with their opponents one last time. See the staredowns from the fighters competing on the UFC 251 main card below:

Tom Taylor - July 10, 2020

UFC President Dana White has leaked the video that will kickstart the UFC 251 pay-per-view, which will air at 10:00pm ET on ESPN+ this Saturday. The promo, which is narrated by actor Ron Perlman, profiles the three title fights on the UFC 251 bill. See it below:

Tom Taylor - July 10, 2020

Jorge Masvidal recently claimed that UFC welterweight champ Kamaru Usman asked to take a picture with them when they crossed paths on the set of TUF Talk in 2015. Usman, however, weaves a very different tale.

Adam Martin - July 10, 2020

UFC president Dana White said that he “hopes” UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones fights in the Octagon again, but it’s no guarantee. Jones and the UFC have been in disagreement about fighter pay for months now, and Jones recently said that he had no problem sitting out numerous years if it helped the younger fighters get paid what they are worth. Jones and the UFC have always had a rocky relationship, but ever since the UFC refused to re-negotiate his contract for a potential Francis Ngannou megafight, Jones has been incredibly upset with White and the UFC.

Cole Shelton - July 10, 2020

On the stacked UFC 251 card Jessica Andrade and Rose Namajunas are set to have their highly-anticipated rematch. Heading into the fight, the Brazilian, Andrade, is  a +175 underdog while the American is a -225 favorite. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. Although Andrade won the first fight by KO at UFC 237, the majority believe it will be Namajunas who gets the job done.

Harry Kettle - July 10, 2020

UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman has claimed that he is not taking Jorge Masvidal lightly ahead of their UFC 251 main event on Saturday night. Usman is set to defend his UFC Welterweight Championship against Masvidal on Fight Island this weekend in Abu Dhabi, with “Gamebred” taking the fight on just six days’ notice.

Tom Taylor - July 10, 2020

On Saturday night, the UFC will return to our screens with the stacked UFC 251 pay-per-view—the first event on the much discussed Fight Island. UFC 251 will be headlined by a welterweight title fight between dominating champion Kamaru Usman and ferocious challenger Jorge Masvidal. Usman was originally expected to defend his title agains Gilbert Burns on Fight Island, but Masvidal was called to step in on six days’ notice when Burns tested positive for COVID-19.

Tom Taylor - July 10, 2020

The UFC has selected apparel company Venum to replace Reebok as its new official athlete outfitting partner. The UFC’s deal with Reebok began in 2015, and will conclude in 2021. As the end of this deal approached, there was widespread speculation as to which company would replace Reebok as the UFC’s now outfitting partner.

Adam Martin - July 9, 2020

Bets on UFC welterweight superstar Jorge Masvidal are “through the roof” and Paige VanZant and Max Holloway aren’t far behind heading into UFC 251. All three of Masvidal, VanZant, and Holloway are the underdogs in their fights against Kamaru Usman, Amanda Ribas, and Alexander Volkanovski, respectively. While the oddsmakers are pegging them all as underdogs, bettors have been quick to put their money on all three heading into Saturday night’s massive UFC 251 event on Fight Island.

Adam Martin - July 9, 2020

UFC president Dana White previewed two under-the-radar fights on this Saturday night’s stacked UFC 251 event in a new video blog. Most fans are looking forward to the three title fights at the top of the UFC 251 card: Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal for the UFC welterweight title; Alexander Volkanovski vs. Max Holloway in a rematch for the UFC featherweight title; and Petr Yan vs. Jose Aldo for the vacant UFC bantamweight title. Those are three incredible fights so it makes sense everyone is talking about them, but what truly makes UFC 251 a special card is its depth as White and the UFC matchmaker have put together and incredibly deep lineup.

Cole Shelton - July 9, 2020

The UFC has released a statement following the incident involving welterweight Mike Perry. On Wednesday evening video got released showing Perry punching an older man in a bar, where he appeared to knock him out. He could also be heard yelling the N-word and screaming at patrons of the bar. The video was disturbing, and immediately many MMA fans called for “Platinum” to be released. They also wondered whether or not the UFC would comment on the matter.