MMA News

Tom Taylor - June 15, 2020

UFC President Dana White isn’t sure what to do with former UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva; one of the greatest fighters in MMA history. Silva, who is now 45 years old, has lost his last two fights, first losing a decision to reigning UFC middleweight champ Israel Adesanya, then losing via TKO to Jared Cannonier as the result of a leg injury. Those losses were preceded by a tight decision win over Derek Brunson, and a string of four straight losses to Daniel Cormier, Michael Bisping and Chris Weidman (twice).

Tom Taylor - June 15, 2020

Paul Felder has sustained some nasty injuries over the course of his MMA career. The lightweight contender turned commentator showed off some of those injuries on Instagram this week. See Felder’s post below.

Jason Kindschy - June 15, 2020

 Cung Le joins the show in the wake of multiple UFC athletes calling foul in regards to how they have been treated and compensated by the company. Cung has long been an outspoken voice for change in the world of MMA and is part of a class-action lawsuit against the UFC as well as a member of the MMA Fighters Association. The former Sanshou and Strikeforce champion parted ways with the UFC in 2014 following a myriad of soured business dealings with the company and Le quickly made his complaints public. Being one of the original dissenting voices in the MMA world, Cung Le, as with many others, believes that the only way for MMA athletes to be properly compensated is through the Ali Act. Cung gives us his perspective on the kind of change the sport needs for the betterment of all the athletes while ensuring a positive future for the next generation. We’ll also hear the inside scoop on what led to Cung Le’s UFC departure and just how manipulative he believes the worlds most dominant MMA promotion is with its athletes and encourages it’s biggest stars to join the fight.

Tom Taylor - June 15, 2020

Former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Alexander Gustafsson has revealed his targeted weight for his heavyweight debut against Fabricio Werdum. Gustafsson will battle Werdum, the former heavyweight champion, on July 25 in Abu Dhabi. He expects to weigh around 231lbs in the Octagon.

Tom Taylor - June 15, 2020

Joe Rogan wears many hats. He’s a UFC commentator. He’s a podcaster. He’s a standup comic. He’s a husband and father. In the early days of his career, he was also the host of the daredevil competition show Fear Factor. Even back in those early days, Rogan was a dedicated martial artist with the skills and physicality to do some real damage if the need arose.

Tom Taylor - June 15, 2020

UFC President Dana White is looking at options to get fans back to UFC events, but he’s not willing to compromise with socially-distanced crowds. White has been able to promote multiple events since the coronavirus pandemic began. Several occurred in Jacksonville, Florida, and the most recent have occurred inside the UFC Apex facility. Several more will occur on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi in July. None have or will welcome fans.

Cole Shelton - June 15, 2020

Gray Maynard has spoken out about the way the UFC conducts its business and fighter pay. Maynard has been a UFC staple since 2007 where he had the two back-to-back title fights against Frankie Edgar including one being the Fight of the Year in 2011. Yet, for his efforts, he was only paid $26,000.

Tom Taylor - June 15, 2020

UFC President Dana White has taken another shot at boxing promoter Bob Arum, this time criticizing the ratings for Top Rank’s recent return to ESPN. Top Rank returned to ESPN early last week, just a few days before the UFC’s most recent card.

Harry Kettle - June 15, 2020

The Promotional Guidelines payout for this weekend’s UFC on ESPN 10 card was officially the lowest of any UFC card so far in 2020. The guidelines serve as a way to initiate an added payment plan for fighters in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and it features things like Reebok outfitting requirements, media obligations and any other priorities that fall under the UFC fighter code of conduct.

Natasha Hooper - June 15, 2020

Ali Abdelaziz has defended former UFC matchmaker Joe Silva amid accusations from several fighters. This week, UFC veteran Mike Pierce came out against the former matchmaker, claiming that Silva unfairly pressured him during his fights. He said that the UFC executive insinuated: “perform how I expect or you’re gone.”

Natasha Hooper - June 15, 2020

Miesha Tate has given birth to a healthy baby boy in her own home in Singapore. During the coronavirus pandemic, it is great to hear some positive news, and what better way than to celebrate than the birth of a healthy new child. The UFC and ONE Championship star Tate welcomed the new addition to her family. Her son arrived so suddenly that she didn’t have time to make it to the hospital.

Harry Kettle - June 15, 2020

UFC two-weight world champion Amanda Nunes has revealed that she is seriously considering retiring from MMA after her win over Felicia Spencer. Nunes’ legacy grew once again at UFC 250 as she put on a comprehensive performance to successfully defend her UFC Bantamweight Championship against Spencer, confirming what many fans already knew: she is the greatest female mixed martial artist in the history of the UFC.

Adam Martin - June 14, 2020

Former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos once again called out his long-time rival Conor McGregor, who he jokingly referred to as “El Chapo.” Dos Anjos was set to fight McGregor back at UFC 196 in March 2016, but he pulled out of the fight on short notice, leading to McGregor fighting Nate Diaz. In one of the biggest upsets of that year, Diaz tapped McGregor out with a rear-naked choke. Dos Anjos went on to fight Eddie Alvarez at UFC Fight Night 90 and lost his belt via first-round TKO. McGregor went on to fight Alvarez at UFC 205 and knocked him out to claim the lightweight belt.

Alfredo Zullino - June 14, 2020

Rising French star Ciryl Gane has a new opponent in Sergey Pavlovich, and the two will square off later this summer on August 8, sources confirmed to BJPENN.com after an initial report from La Sueur. Gane (6-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) was initially scheduled to compete at UFC 249, on April 18, against Shamil Abdurakhimov. However, the French athlete was forced to pull out of the fight due to a collapsed lung, a pneumothorax.

Adam Martin - June 14, 2020

UFC welterweight superstar Jorge Masvidal admits that he feels bad for UFC president Dana White after failing to come to terms on a deal for UFC 251. Masvidal was supposed to fight UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman but he was unable to come to an agreement with the UFC on the financials of the deal. The UFC wanted Masvidal to fight on his old contract while Masvidal was hoping to spur a PPV headliner against Nate Diaz at UFC 244 into the a new deal. The UFC refused to give Masvidal more money and he decided to hold out instead, which led to Gilbert Burns stepping in. Burns now faces Usman at UFC 251 on July 11 in the main event.

Adam Martin - June 14, 2020

UFC bantamweight Ray Borg released a statement explaining why he withdrew from his fight against Merab Dvalishvili at UFC on ESPN 10. The UFC announced that Borg was out of the fight against Dvalishvili late in the week due to personal issues. Dvalishvili was lucky enough that the UFC was able to find an opponent on super short notice, and he ended up fighting and defeated Gustavo Lopez via unanimous decision in a 140lbs catchweight bout at UFC on ESPN 10. Borg, though, was not so lucky, as he once again was forced to withdraw from a fight inside the Octagon.

Adam D Martin - June 14, 2020

UFC president Dana White believes that UFC women’s double champion Amanda Nunes doesn’t get as much respect as she should get “because she’s a woman.” When it comes to the topic of the GOAT in mixed martial arts, typically the names that are brought up by pundits include the likes of Jon Jones, Georges St-Pierre, Anderson Silva, Demetrious Johnson, and Conor McGregor, to name a few. It’s rare to see any women included in the discussion, even someone as dominant as Nunes is. Most analysts have Nunes atop their women’s MMA GOAT list, but not their overall GOAT list in MMA.

Adam D Martin - June 14, 2020

UFC women’s flyweight Cynthia Calvillo reacted after defeating the division’s top-ranked contender Jessica Eye in dominant fashion at UFC on ESPN 10. The judges scored the bout 49-46, 49-46, and 48-47 in favor of Calvillo, who was making her official UFC flyweight debut in the bout. Calvillo improved to 6-1-1 overall in the UFC with the victory, and since Eye was the No. 1 ranked fighter at flyweight, it figures that Calvillo will take her spot in the rankings. The victory over Eye at the very least guarantees that Calvillo will be among those who will be considered for a title shot against champion Valentina Shevchenko.