MMA News
Bellator veteran Jahreau Shepherd murdered at his 30th birthday party
Adam Martin - July 14, 2020
Bellator veteran Jahreau Shepherd was murdered this past weekend in London, England when he was stabbed to death at his 30th birthday party. Shepherd, known as “The Nightmare,” was celebrating his birthday by having a barbeque with friends and family at The Black Prince Estate in Kennington around 10 pm on Saturday when he was attacked. The Evening Standard reports that paramedics arrived on the scene but were not able to save the life of Shepherd, who was stabbed to death.
Just Scrap Radio Ep. 2 with Calvin Kattar, Dan Ige & Jack Hermansson
Cole Shelton - July 14, 2020
Just like the debut episode of Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com the second show is a stacked one ahead of the July 15 and 18 Fight Island shows. Host Cole Shelton is first joined by sixth-ranked UFC featherweight Calvin Kattar (1:19). Then, 10th-ranked featherweight, Dan Ige (17:13) comes on, and the final guest is middleweight contender Jack Hermansson (38:28).
UFC on ESPN 13 weigh-in results: Two fighters miss weight, one fight scrapped
Tom Taylor - July 14, 2020
Just days after Saturday’s blockbuster UFC 251 card, the UFC is already back with UFC on ESPN 13, a rare Wednesday night card. UFC on ESPN 13 will be headlined by a featherweight firefight between ranked contenders Calvin Kattar and Dan Ige. Both men will enter the fight with some serious momentum behind them, as Kattar recently knocked out the veteran Jeremy Stephens, while Ige spoiled the featherweight debut of former lightweight contender Edson Barboza in his last outing.
Video | Jorge Masvidal is back to training following UFC 251: “No rest for the wicked”
Natasha Hooper - July 14, 2020
Jorge Masvidal is already back to business following his UFC 251 loss to Kamaru Usman. In the main event of UFC 251 on UFC Fight Island in Abu Dhabi, the “BMF” winner faced off against the welterweight champion. Usman was originally expected to fight Gilbert Burns, but the title challenger tested positive for COVID-19 and was forced out of the contest.
Abdul Razak Alhassan says he wanted "revenge" against rape accusers
Adam Martin - July 13, 2020
UFC welterweight Abdul Razak Alhassan says he wanted “revenge” against the rape accusers who caused him to lose nearly two prime years of his MMA career. Alhassan is one of the top welterweights in the UFC. The 34-year-old native of Ghana has a 10-1 record in his career including a 4-1 mark in the UFC, with all 10 of his career wins have come by knockout. In his last fight at UFC 228: Woodley vs. Till back in September 2018, he finished Niko Price in devastating fashion to jump into the welterweight title mix.
Ali Abdelaziz says he is banning ESPN and TSN from interviewing his fighters
Adam Martin - July 13, 2020
MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz says he is banning ESPN and TSN from any future interviews with his fighters who are part of Dominance MMA. ESPN is the UFC’s official broadcast partner and some of the top journalists in MMA work for the company, including Ariel Helwani, Marc Raimondi, Jeff Wagenheim, and Brett Okamoto. TSN is the top sporting media outlet in Canada and an affiliate of ESPN. Some of TSN’s talent include top journalist Aaron Bronsteter and Robin Black, who was recently nominated for a Fighter’s Only award as the best analyst of the year in mixed martial arts.
What's next for the stars of UFC 251?
Cole Shelton - July 13, 2020
In the main event of the stacked UFC 251 card on Fight Island, Kamaru Usman was looking to defend his welterweight title against Jorge Masvidal. The co-main attraction saw Alex Volkanovski and Max Holloway have their immediate rematch for the featherweight strap. And, in the third and final title fight Petr Yan took on Jose Aldo for the promotions vacant bantamweight strap. In the end, Usman defended his belt for the second time in dominant fashion, winning all five rounds on two judges scorecards. In the co-main, Volkanovski narrowly edged out a split decision win, and Yan became the new Bantamweight champion with a fifth-round TKO win over Aldo.
John McCarthy explains why Max Holloway was "jobbed" by the judges at UFC 251
Adam Martin - July 13, 2020
Legendary MMA official Big John McCarthy believes that Max Holloway was “jobbed” and should have won the UFC featherweight title against Alex Volkanovski. Holloway lost a narrow split decision to Volkanovski in his bid to re-capture the UFC featherweight crown that he lost to his rival Volkanovski back at UFC 245 last December. It appeared that Holloway had done enough to earn the nod, but two of the three judges scored the rematch in Volkanovski’s favor in one of the most controversial decisions of the year. Since then fight happened, UFC president Dana White, Nate Diaz, Jorge Masvidal, and the majority of media members have come out and said they thought Holloway won.
Frankie Edgar "would love for a chance at redemption" against Jose Aldo at bantamweight
Cole Shelton - July 13, 2020
Frankie Edgar’s bantamweight debut was pushed back once again, but he still has his eyes on several opponents. Edgar was expected to face Pedro Munhoz at UFC 251 and then on July 15 but the Brazilian tested positive for COVID-19 pulling him from the bout.
Report | UFC 251 was the biggest UFC PPV since Khabib vs. McGregor
Tom Taylor - July 13, 2020
Last Saturday’s UFC 251 card on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi was reportedly a major success in terms of pay-per-view numbers. According to a report from Mike Coppinger of The Athletic, the card generated roughly 1.3M pay-per-view purchases, making it the most successful UFC pay-per-view since UFC 229 in 2018, which was headlined by Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor.
Colby Covington claims he KO'd Jorge Masvidal in their final training session
Tom Taylor - July 13, 2020
Colby Covington claims he knocked Jorge Masvidal out with a head kick in their final training session together at American Top Team. Covington and Masvidal, two of the top contenders in the UFC welterweight division, were close friends and training partners at ATT for many years. As they both closed in on welterweight title shots, however, their relationship turned sour. Today, they’re two of the most heated rivals in MMA.
VIDEO | Jorge Masvidal and team celebrate UFC 251 experience on private jet
Tom Taylor - July 13, 2020
Jorge Masvidal didn’t defeat Kamaru Usman at UFC 251, but he’s returning home from Abu Dhabi with his head held high.
Dan Hooker says his “whole approach needs to change” following loss to Dustin Poirier
Harry Kettle - July 13, 2020
UFC lightweight Dan Hooker has admitted that he needs to change things up in a big way following his recent loss to Dustin Poirier. Back at the end of June, “Hangman” went to war with “The Diamond” in what many believe to be the male Fight of the Year thus far. Despite a spirited effort from the New Zealand native, Poirier was able to get the job done and score a huge unanimous decision victory to vault himself right back into title contention.
Full betting odds released for UFC on ESPN 13: Kattar vs. Ige
Adam Martin - July 13, 2020
The full betting odds have been released for this Wednesday’s UFC on ESPN 13 card, featuring a main event between featherweights Calvin Kattar and Dan Ige. The five-round main event between two of the best 145lbers in the world sees Kattar look to build on his momentum following a massive KO win over Jeremy Stephens in his last outing, while Ige puts his six-fight win streak on the line. The winner of this fight at UFC on ESPN 13 will no doubt put themself in a great position in the UFC featherweight division.
Jorge Masvidal shares scorecard for Volkanovski vs. Holloway rematch
Tom Taylor - July 13, 2020
Jorge Masvidal has shared his thoughts on the UFC 251 co-main event, a featherweight title rematch between Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway. Holloway and Volkanovski first fought in December of 2019. On that night, Volkanovski swiped the title from Holloway with a unanimous decision win. In the co-main event of last Saturday’s UFC 251 card, the pair ran it back. Volkanovski ended up winning by decision again, but this time around, the result generated widespread controversy, as many viewers felt Holloway did enough to win.
Cody Garbrandt says he has “unfinished business” with Petr Yan, promises to break him in 2 rounds
Harry Kettle - July 13, 2020
UFC bantamweight contender Cody Garbrandt believes that he has unfinished business with rival Petr Yan, promising that if they ever met inside the Octagon, he would finish him inside two rounds. “No Love” is coming off the back of his first win since December 2016, as he was able to knock Raphael Assuncao out late in the second round back at UFC 250. Yan, on the other hand, is sitting at the top of the division after he finished Jose Aldo this past weekend to claim the UFC Bantamweight Championship.
Manager Malki Kawa accuses Daniel Cormier of biased UFC commentary
Natasha Hooper - July 13, 2020
MMA Manager Malki Kawa, who represents stars like Jon Jones and Jorge Masvial, has accused Daniel Cormier of being a biased UFC commentator. Daniel Cormier, the former UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champ, has spent the last few years working in commentary. Industry staples including Joe Rogan have celebrated Cormier’s commentary abilities. Similarly to Michael Bisping and Paul Felder, Cormier is respected for the smooth transition he made from competing to broadcasting.
Jorge Masvidal discusses possible fights with Colby Covington, Leon Edwards
Tom Taylor - July 13, 2020
Jorge Masvidal isn’t interested in fighting his former American Top Team teammate Colby Covington in his next Octagon appearance. Masvidal got his first crack at UFC gold over the weekend, challenging Kamaru Usman for the welterweight title in the main event of UFC 251. He accepted the fight on just six days’ notice, replacing Usman’s originally scheduled foe Gilbert Burns, who tested positive for COVID-19.