MMA News

Tom Taylor - April 10, 2020

For a brief period, Justin Gaethje had UFC title fight to look forward to. Unfortunately, he’ll now have to wait for his first bid at UFC gold. Gaethje was called upon when undisputed UFC lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov was forced out of his planned UFC 249 title fight with Tony Ferguson. Gaethje accepted this offer, and was matched up with Ferguson in a short-notice interim lightweight title fight.

Tom Taylor - April 10, 2020

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell believes he could have given the division’s reigning champ Jon Jones some trouble if they fought in their primes. Liddell broached the topic of a potential fight with Jones during a Q&A on Twitter earlier this week.

Tom Taylor - April 10, 2020

Ray Borg is one of many fighters who expected to compete at UFC 249, but will now have to make other plans. On Thursday, UFC President Dana White announced to ESPN that, despite his very best efforts, UFC 249 has been canceled due to difficulties associated with the coronavirus pandemic.

Tom Taylor - April 10, 2020

Former UFC bantamweight champ Ronda Rousey loves pro wrestling, but she won’t be making a full-time return to the WWE ring. Why? Because committing to a wrestling career takes a ton of energy, and apparently, the fans are a little unappreciative.

Tom Taylor - April 10, 2020

Greg Hardy appreciates the effort Dana White put in to make the UFC 249 card a reality during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Hardy, a former NFL player and current UFC heavyweight contender, was originally expected to return to the Octagon against Yorgan De Castro at UFC Columbus on March 28. When that card fell through, however, Hardy and De Castro’s collision was relocated to the UFC 249 card, which was scheduled for April 18.

Tom Taylor - April 10, 2020

Francis Ngannou recently reacted to the postponement of the UFC 249 card, which was supposed to include his heavyweight fight with Jairzinho Rozenstruik. UFC 249 was scheduled for April 18. The card was originally expected to occur in Brooklyn, New York, but amid tightening restrictions enacted to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, it was moved to tribal land in California. As it turns out, not even this move could save the event. Amid growing pressure from ESPN, its parent company Disney, and even some politicians, UFC President Dana White announced Thursday night that the card has been postponed.

Natasha Hooper - April 10, 2020

Ronda Rousey has gone from judo expert to COVID-19 expert. She’s shared some important information regarding the ongoing pandemic. To prevent the spread of coronavirus, individuals have been advised to self-isolate and stay indoors. The former UFC champion has been sharing her quarantine tips from her Youtube channel and social media.

Natasha Hooper - April 10, 2020

Jessica Andrade has celebrated the cancellation of UFC 249 in style by ordering a heaping serving of McDonalds. The former UFC champion was scheduled to make an appearance on the revised UFC 249 card. The upcoming event faced major changes including the fight card and location, all due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Tom Taylor - April 10, 2020

Joe Rogan has now shared his thoughts on the cancelation of the UFC 249. UFC 249 was scheduled for April 18. The card was originally expected to occur in Brooklyn, New York, but amid tightening restrictions enacted to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, it was moved to tribal land in California. As it turns out, not even this could save UFC 249. Amid growing pressure from ESPN, parent company Disney, and even some politicians, UFC President Dana White announced Thursday night that the card has been canceled.

Harry Kettle - April 10, 2020

According to a recent report from the New York Times, California governor Gavin Newsom served as the catalyst behind UFC 249 being shut down. Last night the confirmation came through that UFC 249, which was set to take place on April 18, will no longer be happening as a result of Disney and ESPN officials informing UFC president Dana White that they wanted him to stand down.

Harry Kettle - April 10, 2020

ESPN has issued a brief statement after it was confirmed that they played an important role in shutting down the controversial UFC 249 event. It was confirmed last night that UFC 249 will not be going ahead on April 18 as we previously thought. UFC president Dana White did just about everything in his power to get the job done, but in the end, the higher ups at Disney and ESPN put a stop to proceedings.

Christopher Taylor - April 9, 2020

Current Bellator women’s featherweight champion and mixed martial arts legend Cris Cyborg is not impressed with how the UFC handled Tony Ferguson. The former UFC featherweight champion, Cyborg, had jumped ship over to Bellator earlier this year and quickly took home the promotions 145lbs title.

Adam Martin - April 9, 2020

Eric Albarracin, the coach for UFC bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo, expressed his frustration that Cejudo kept training during the coronavirus pandemic. Cejudo was set to take on Jose Aldo in the main event of UFC 250, which was set for May 9 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The event had to be relocated to Tachi Palace due to the coronavirus pandemic and Cejudo was set to fight Dominick Cruz on short notice, but on Thursday the UFC announced it was postponing all upcoming events including UFC 250. That leaves Cejudo without a fight, and his coach Albarracin is frustrated.

Cole Shelton - April 9, 2020

Dana White believes ‘Fight Island’ will happen in a month to continue on with live events. Earlier on Thursday, White announced UFC 249 is canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. All UFC events are indefinitely suspended as well. But, the UFC boss doesn’t expect to be out of business for long, as he says Fight Island will happen very soon and it will be a place for fighters to train as well.

Cole Shelton - April 9, 2020

One of the biggest questions in all of MMA is who is the GOAT? Is it someone who had the biggest impact on the sport or the person who won the most? It’s an interesting debate for fighters and fans alike to have at any time. So, with far less MMA on the calendar than normal, BJPENN.com reached out to several women’s fighters to ask who the bantamweight GOAT is. To no surprise, the majority believe it is Amanda Nunes but Ronda Rousey’s name still came up.

Cole Shelton - April 9, 2020

Mike Winkeljohn believes the time is now for Jon Jones to go up to heavyweight. For years now, the talk around “Bones” has been when will he go up to heavyweight? He’s cleaned out the entire light heavyweight division twice, but has been reluctant to move up in weight.

Chris Taylor - April 9, 2020

Earlier this afternoon Dana White broke the unfortunate news that the promotion has decided to cancel UFC 249 which was set for April 18. The pay-per-view event was originally slated to take place in Brooklyn and feature a lightweight title fight between Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Adam Martin - April 9, 2020

UFC president Dana White explained on Thursday why UFC 249 has been canceled and why all other events have been postponed until further notice. The UFC bossman made the disappointing announcement to ESPN on Thursday that UFC 249 — which just saw the full card announced — had to be canceled. He later explained in detail why the UFC was forced to do it.