MMA News

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.

Natasha Hooper - July 10, 2020

Jorge Masvidal has a few choice words for his upcoming opponent, Kamaru Usman. The welterweight stars will face off this weekend in the main event of UFC 251 on UFC Fight Island in Abu Dhabi.

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.

Cole Shelton - July 9, 2020

Jose Aldo knows he deserves his chance to fight for bantamweight gold at UFC 251. On the stacked UFC 251 pay-per-view card, Aldo is set to take on the surging Russian contender, Petr Yan for the vacant bantamweight title. It is a very intriguing matchup where many are picking the Russian to get the win.

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.

Cole Shelton - July 9, 2020

The third title fight on the stacked UFC 251 card sees the vacant bantamweight title on the line as Petr Yan battles Jose Aldo. Heading into the fight, the Russian in Yan is a -225 favorite while the Brazilian is a +175 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The majority of the fighters believe it will be Petr Yan getting the job done, with many thinking the fight ends by stoppage.

Tom Taylor - July 9, 2020

UFC President Dana White believes former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor could end up fighting next year. McGregor shocked the MMA world back in June when he announced his retirement from the sport.

Adam Martin - July 9, 2020

Former UFC welterweight Matt Riddle issued a video statement vehemently denying sexual assaulting fellow pro wrestler Candy Cartwright. Cartwright recently accused Riddle of sexually assaulting her. The former Ultimate Fighter competitor Riddle has now released a video statement where he admitted to cheating on his wife and having an affair with Cartwright, but assuring that it was consensual. Riddle is now accusing Cartwright of harassing him. Check out Matt Riddle’s video statement below (via Wrestling Inc.).

Tom Taylor - July 9, 2020

UFC President Dana White is challenging his naysayers to ask UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones how much he’s getting paid. Over the last few week, Jones has made no secret of the fact that he doesn’t believe he’s paid enough by the UFC. He’s spoken out multiple times on social media, and also aired his displeasure with his pay on Steve-O’s “Wild Ride” podcast.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 9, 2020

Gilbert Burns isn’t expecting Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal to be a barn burner. Burns was supposed to challenge Usman for the UFC welterweight championship this Saturday night (July 11). That is no longer the case as “Durinho” tested positive for COVID-19. Masvidal and the UFC were able to reach a deal, so now “Gamebred” will be receiving the title shot that many expected him to get all along.

Tom Taylor - July 9, 2020

No. 2 ranked lightweight contender Dustin Poirier has made his prediction for the upcoming featherweight title fight between Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway. Volkanovski and Holloway are set to collide for featherweight gold in the co-main event of UFC 251 this Saturday in Abu Dhabi. The pair first met in December, when Volkanovski defeated Holloway by decision to claim the featherweight belt.

Adam Martin - July 9, 2020

UFC bantamweight contender Jimmie Rivera says that Frankie Edgar turned down a short-notice matchup against him for a Fight Island card next week. Edgar was set to fight Pedro Munhoz at UFC on ESPN 12: Kattar vs. Ige, but the fight was scrapped when Munhoz tested positive for COVID-19. Immediately, fighters such as Rivera, Chito Vera, and Ricky Simon all raised their hands up on social media by saying they would take the fight but so far no replacement opponent for Edgar has been announced. It’s unknown at this point whether or not Edgar will remain on the card going forward.

Tom Taylor - July 9, 2020

Mackenzie Dern is set to take on Randa Markos in a compelling strawweight fight targeted for September 12 in Las Vegas, according to a report from MMA Fighting. Dern last fought in late May, when she picked up a first-round submission victory over Hannah Cifers with a knee-bar. The win separated her from the first loss of her professional career, a decision defeat at the hands of Amanda Ribas. With her win over Cifers, Dern improved to a solid 8-1 overall in mixed martial arts.

Adam Martin - July 9, 2020

UFC fighters including Jon Jones and Dustin Poirier have made generous donations to UFC makeup artist Suzy Friton, who is battling stage 4 breast cancer. On Wednesday, a GoFundMe was started for Friton by Brittany Churchill, the wife of UFC light heavyweight contender Misha Cirkunov, who battled breast cancer herself last year. Since the GoFundMe was made public, nearly $100,000 has been donated to Friton, including thousands of dollars of donations from MMA fighters.