MMA News
Henry Cejudo willing to "marry" Jose Aldo to get him into the US for title fight
Tom Taylor - May 5, 2020
UFC bantamweight champ Henry Cejudo really wants to fight Jose Aldo. So much so that he recently joked he’s willing to “marry” the Brazilian to get him into the US for a fight. Cejudo was originally expected to battle Jose Aldo at UFC 250 in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on May 9. Regrettably, this event fell apart amid the coronavirus crisis.
Dana White: Conor McGregor vs. Jorge Masvidal BMF title fight "a possibility" for Fight Island
Tom Taylor - May 5, 2020
UFC President Dana White recently divulged that a blockbuster showdown between BMF champion Jorge Masvidal and former two-division champ Conor McGregor is “a possibility” for his widely discussed Fight Island. White dropped this McGregor vs. Masvidal bombshell during an appearance on the Menace and The Man podcast with former UFC featherweight contender Dennis Bermudez.
UFC 249 | Pro fighters make their picks for Tony Ferguson vs. Justin Gaethje title fight
Cole Shelton - May 5, 2020
In the main event of UFC 249, Tony Ferguson is taking on Justin Gaethje for the interim lightweight title. Heading into the fight, “El Cucuy” is a -190 favorite while Gaethje is a +155 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. The pros believe it is a pick’em fight but the majority believe we will see Gaethje pull off the upset.
Amanda Nunes vs. Felicia Spencer title fight rescheduled for June 6
Tom Taylor - May 5, 2020
Amanda Nunes and Felicia Spencer’s featherweight title fight will now go down on June 6 in a to-be-determined location. This news comes from ESPN’s Ariel Helwani.
Tyron Woodley set to compete on new season of "The Titan Games" with The Rock
Natasha Hooper - May 5, 2020
Tyron Woodley is joining the cast of “The Titan Games,” a show created by pro wrestling legend Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. According to The Rock, Woodley will be joining the cast of professional athletes for the upcoming season of The Titan Games on NBC. The sophomore season will premier on Memorial Day, May 25, with a two-hour episode.
Fan favorite Matt Brown returns to the Octagon on May 16
Natasha Hooper - May 5, 2020
Matt Brown will return to action in a rescheduled welterweight matchup with Miguel Baeza on May 16. The UFC fan favorite will collide against “Caramel Thunder” Baeza at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. The card will air on ESPN/ESPN+.
PHOTO | Henry Cejudo appears to have suffered a nasty cut ahead of UFC 249
Harry Kettle - May 5, 2020
UFC Bantamweight Champion Henry Cejudo appears to have suffered a nasty cut prior to UFC 249 this weekend. While Cejudo’s “cringeworthy” persona may have been at the forefront of the conversation over the last year or so in regards to his career, the focus has now shifted to his potentially career-defining showdown with Dominick Cruz this Saturday night. Cruz, the former king of the division, will challenge for the UFC Bantamweight Championship in the co-main event of UFC 249 in Jacksonville, Florida.
Daniel Cormier explains why Stipe Miocic loss is harder to swallow than Jon Jones loss
Harry Kettle - May 5, 2020
UFC star Daniel Cormier has revealed why his defeat to Stipe Miocic was harder to swallow than his two losses to Jon Jones. Cormier shocked the world back at UFC 226 when he knocked Miocic out in the first round to capture the UFC Heavyweight Championship. However, just over a year later, he went from hero to zero after losing the belt in a rematch with Miocic at UFC 241.
Justin Gaethje believes he will knock Tony Ferguson "out cold" at UFC 249
Cole Shelton - May 4, 2020
UFC 251 officially postponed
Adam Martin - May 4, 2020
Alexander Volkanovski will have to wait a while to defend his belt in Australia as the upcoming UFC 251 pay-per-view event has been officially postponed. The UFC men’s featherweight champion Volkanovski was being targeted for a title defense against Max Holloway in the main event of UFC 251, which was set for June 6 at Perth Arena in Perth, Australia. Instead of having his first title defense come in his home country, Volkanovski won’t get that opportunity anymore as UFC 251 has been officially postponed.
Jairzinho Rozenstruik plans to KO Francis Ngannou in "one of the best fights of 2020"
Cole Shelton - May 4, 2020
Jairzinho Rozenstruik is expecting to continue his knockout streak on Saturday night when he takes on Francis Ngannou at UFC 249. Rozenstruik and Ngannou were expected to headline UFC Columbus and then fight on April 18, but those events were canceled. Now, for Rozenstruik, he finally gets his wish of fighting Ngannou on May 9.
Tony Ferguson says he hasn't "had this confidence in a long f*****g time" ahead of Justin Gaethje fight
Cole Shelton - May 4, 2020
Tony Ferguson is confident he’ll be able to beat Justin Gaethje in the main event of UFC 249. Ferguson will battle Gaethje for the interim lightweight title, where he enters the bout as a slight favorite. Although he was originally supposed to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov, “El Cucuy” says it doesn’t matter as he is always preparing for multiple opponents at once.
'The Mountain' Thor Bjornsson to make combat sports debut opposite former World's Strongest Man in 2021
Christopher Taylor - May 4, 2020
Thor Bjornsson, also known as “The Mountain” on HBO’s hit series “Game of Thrones”, will make his combat sports debut in September of 2021. Bjornsson recently set a world record for deadlifting 1,104.54 pounds at his gym in Iceland. The mark broke the record which was previously held by former World’s Strongest Man, Eddie Hall.
Marlon Vera tells UFC Jacksonville haters to "f*ck off"
Adam Martin - May 4, 2020
UFC bantamweight Marlon Vera fired back at the critics of UFC Jacksonville in an interview with CBC Sports, telling haters of the event to “f*ck off.” Despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, UFC president Dana White was adamant the show would go on, and he lived up to his promise. Starting this weekend, the UFC will hold four events in Jacksonville: UFC 249 plus three UFC Jacksonville Fight Night cards set to take place over the course of May. Considering the circumstances, the events are under intense scrutiny from a certain section of fans and the media who are worried about the potential spread of the coronavirus. Nevertheless, the show will go on for the UFC.
Donald Cerrone reflects on first Anthony Pettis fight: “He kicked my liver out of my body”
Natasha Hooper - May 4, 2020
Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone has an opportunity to avenge a loss in a rematch against Anthony Pettis at UFC 249. In recent fights, the UFC veteran has suffered three back-to-back TKOs against Conor McGregor, Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje. However, his first knockout loss came from Pettis. The former lightweight champion body kicked his way to victory in the first round of their 2013 bout. Now, the pair will get the chance to run it back on the revised UFC 249 card on May 9. Cerrone intends on getting back to winning form (without suffering a body kick in the process).
Francis Ngannou admits "it’s been very exhausting, very frustrating" to train through bout cancelations
Tom Taylor - May 4, 2020
Francis Ngannou is days out from a crucial heavyweight matchup with fellow knockout artist Jairzinho Rozenstruik. The bout will go down on the main card of UFC 249 this Saturday. While this matchup will finally go down this Saturday, Ngannou originally expected it to happen much sooner.
Oscar De La Hoya makes prediction for potential boxing match with Conor McGregor
Tom Taylor - May 4, 2020
Even at 47 years old, Oscar De La Hoya likes his chances in a potential boxing match with Conor McGregor. Speaking on CBS Sports’ State of Combat podcast recently, De La Hoya was asked about a potential fight with the McGregor. Despite his age, and the fact that he hasn’t fought since a 2008 loss to Manny Pacquiao, he’s still confident he’d beat the brakes of the Irish MMA star.
UFC Kazakhstan canceled, Petr Yan and Marlon Moraes now in limbo
Adam Martin - May 4, 2020
The upcoming UFC Kazakhstan card in June has been canceled, leaving main event bantamweights Petr Yan and Marlon Moraes in limbo. UFC Fight Night 177 was set to take place on June 13 at Astana Arena in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. The card was set to be headlined by Yan and Moraes, but according to a report from MMAFighting.com, the event had to be canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. That means that Yan and Moraes will now have to be rescheduled to another card.
Justin Gaethje: “I don’t think I would have taken the fight against Khabib on short notice"
Tom Taylor - May 4, 2020
Justin Gaethje is days out from a short-notice interim lightweight title fight with Tony Ferguson, but he says he might not have accepted a short-notice fight with Ferguson’s originally scheduled foe, undisputed lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov. Ferguson was originally expected to fight Nurmagomedov on April 18, but when Nurmagomedov got stranded in Russia, Ferguson was booked for a short-notice fight with Gaethje. The April 18 card was subsequently canceled, and Ferguson and Gaethje were rebooked for a fight on May 9.