MMA News
Ray Borg ends retirement after one week
Tom Taylor - September 3, 2020
Former UFC flyweight title challenger Ray Borg is no longer retired from mixed martial arts. Borg announced his retirement last week, shortly after he was released from the UFC, conceding that he never expected to hang up the gloves at such a young age.
Dan Hardy on Abel Trujillo child exploitation case: "Hang him and be done with it"
Tom Taylor - September 3, 2020
UFC welterweight turned commentator Dan Hardy believes former UFC lightweight Abel Trujillo should be put to death after pleading guilty to exploiting minors. Trujillo pled guilty to charges of child exploitation earlier this year after sending pictures and videos of his genitals to a 16 year-old girl. Trujillo reportedly continued to harass the girl even after she blocked him on social media, and is believed to have known her age. When he was arrested, multiple photos of other “nude young women” were found on his phone, but police were unable to verify their ages.
Full betting odds released for UFC on ESPN+ 34: Overeem vs. Sakai
Adam Martin - September 3, 2020
The full betting odds have been released for the 10 fights scheduled to take place Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 34: Overeem vs. Sakai event. In the main event, two top-10 heavyweights go at as the legend Alistair Overeem takes on the surging Augusto Sakai. Overeem is coming off of an impressive second-round TKO win over Walt Harris while Augusto Sakai has won his last six fights in a row. No doubt the winner of this fight will take one more step towards the elite of the heavyweight division.
Pro fighters make their picks for Alistair Overeem vs. Augusto Sakai
Cole Shelton - September 3, 2020
In the main event of UFC Vegas 9, Alistair Overeem is looking to continue his winning streak when he battles a surging contender in Augusto Sakai. Heading into the fight, Overeem is a -160 favorite with the Brazilian being a +130 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The majority believe Overeem’s experience will be the difference as he will get his hand raised.
Dana White "blown away" by UFC commentator Joe Rogan's success
Tom Taylor - September 3, 2020
UFC President Dana White is blown away by the success that the promotion’s long-time commentator Joe Rogan is enjoying. Outside of his commentary duties for the UFC, Rogan is also the host of the Uber-popular Joe Rogan Experience podcast, which recently moved to Spotify as part of a $100M deal.
UFC Vegas 8 medical suspensions: Anthony Smith, Robbie Lawler get short sits
Tom Taylor - September 3, 2020
The medical suspensions for last Saturday’s UFC Vegas 8 card are in, and surprisingly, Anthony Smith has only been benched for 45 days. Smith took on Aleksandar Rakic in the UFC Vegas 8 main event, and lost a lopsided unanimous decision, sustaining some serious damage in the process. Despite that, he will not be out of action or very long. The same goes for former UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler, who was soundly beaten by Neil Magny in the co-main event.
Dwayne Johnson reveals that he and his family tested positive for Covid-19: “It’s one of the most challenging and difficult things”
Natasha Hooper - September 3, 2020
Dwayne Johnson aka “The Rock”, has revealed that he and his family have tested positive for COVID-19, calling it “one of the most challenging and difficult things.” Johnson is the parent to three girls, Simone, 19, Jasmine, four, and Tiana, two. On his Instagram account to his 196 million followers, the 48-year old candidly discussed his family’s struggle with coronavirus.
Dana White hires Best Buy employee who went viral for halting a robbery as UFC security
Harry Kettle - September 3, 2020
UFC president Dana White has hired a Best Buy employee that went viral for stopping a robbery earlier this year. The employee in question, Summer Tapasa, hit the headlines when she stopped a shoplifter in Hawaii from leaving the Best Buy store with an unpaid item. After a tussle that ensued over the incident, Summer made her feelings known to the gentlemen before he scuttled away.
Francis Ngannou tells Jon Jones to "sit down" after calling for Stipe Miocic fight
Cole Shelton - September 2, 2020
Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones are still going at one another in the hopes they are the one to fight Stipe Miocic. Ever since Miocic beat Daniel Cormier at UFC 252 to defend his heavyweight title, many wondered what would be next for the champ. The rematch with Ngannou made sense but the Jon Jones super fight was an intriguing option.
Tyron Woodley credits Jorge Masvidal for rejuvenating career: "I'm back and it feels good"
Cole Shelton - September 2, 2020
Tyron Woodley believes Jorge Masvidal has rejuvenated his career. In the main event of UFC Vegas 11 on September 19, Woodley is set to take on Colby Covington. It is a very intriguing fight given the two do not like each other and have been linked to fighting one another for two years now. In preparation for the fight, Woodley and Masvidal started to train together again.
Khabib Nurmagomedov says UFC 254 is ‘best card of the year.’
Andrew Whitelaw - September 2, 2020
Khabib Nurmagomedov sounds like he’s just as hyped for UFC 254 as we are. The lightweight champion took to Twitter to add some fairly-warranted hype to what promises to be an absolute banger and wrote,
Glover Teixeira tests positive for COVID-19, fight against Thiago Santos rescheduled
Adam Martin - September 2, 2020
UFC light heavyweight contender Glover Teixeira tested positive for COVID-19, and the UFC has rescheduled his upcoming fight against Thiago Santos. Combate reported that Teixeira tested positive for the coronavirus. He was set to meet Santos in the main event of the UFC Fight Night card scheduled to take place on September 12 in Las Vegas. However, that fight has now been rescheduled to the October 3 card that is headlined by women’s bantamweight contenders Holly Holm and Irene Aldana. The main event of the September 12 card is undetermined at this time, per Combate.
Zak Cummings brutally honest on UFC Vegas 8 win: "I truly don’t think I deserve a ranked guy after that"
Cole Shelton - September 2, 2020
Zak Cummings isn’t happy with his UFC Vegas 8 win over Alessio Di Chirico. Cummings was coming off a loss to Omari Akhmedov and looking to return to the win column. He even entered as the betting underdog which surprised him.
Cole Smith changing approach to fighting after first career loss: "I just want to have fun"
Cole Shelton - September 2, 2020
Cole Smith is changing his approach to fighting. Last September at UFC Vancouver, Smith was set for his second UFC fight against Miles Johns in his home city of Vancouver. It was a big stage for him but unfortunately, the Canadian suffered a split decision loss. After the fight, Smith realized he was putting too much pressure on himself to win and is now just focused on winning fights.
Opening betting odds released for Amanda Nunes vs. Megan Anderson
Adam Martin - September 2, 2020
The opening betting odds have been released for the upcoming UFC women’s featherweight title fight between Amanda Nunes and Megan Anderson. Nunes is set to make her second defense of the women’s featherweight title when she takes on Anderson at UFC 256, which is set to take place on December 12. With the fight being officially announced recently, the oddsmakers have opened up the opening betting line for Nunes vs. Anderson. Take a look at it below via BestFightOdds.
Kelvin Gastelum names the hardest hitter he's ever fought
Tom Taylor - September 2, 2020
UFC middleweight contender Kelvin Gastelum has identified the hardest hitter he’s ever met inside the Octagon, and it’s none other than reigning UFC middleweight champ Israel Adesanya. Gastelum was asked to name the hardest puncher he’s fought to date by a fan on Twitter, and pointed to Adesanya, who remains the only fighter to drop him in the cage.
Claudia Gadelha forced out of UFC 253 fight with Yan Xiaonan
Natasha Hooper - September 2, 2020
Claudia Gadelha is out of her upcoming UFC 253 bout after suffering a knee injury. The strawweight won’t be able to fight at the September 26 pay-per-view event against Yan Xiaonan.
Dustin Poirier updates on rumored Tony Ferguson fight
Tom Taylor - September 2, 2020
Dustin Poirier has provided an update on his rumored scrap with fellow top-5 UFC lightweight contender Tony Ferguson. While most fight fans are dying to see this matchup, Poirier says he hasn’t received an offer yet. However, he added that he’s ready to accept the fight when the offer comes, and he believes the UFC is keen to make it happen at UFC 254 in October, which will be headlined by a lightweight title fight between undisputed champ Khabib Nurmagomedov and interim champ Justin Gaethje.