MMA News

Tom Taylor - June 18, 2020

UFC lightweight Matt Frevola has announced he’s out of his scheduled June 20th fight with Frank Camacho, as one of his cornerman and his teammate Billy Quarantillo have both tested positive for COVID-19. Frevola announced this unfortunate situation on Instagram on Thursday.

Tom Taylor - June 18, 2020

MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz has stepped in to defend former UFC matchmaker Joe Silva against a bevy of accusations. Silva, who served as the primary UFC matchmaker for many years, has been under fire over the last week, as a long list of fighters have shared horror stories about working with him, including Eddie Alvarez, Mike Pierce, Roland Delorme, Gray Maynard and Brendan Schaub.

Cole Shelton - June 18, 2020

In the main event of UFC on ESPN 11, aka UFC Vegas 3, Curtis Blaydes looks to extend his winning streak when he battles perennial contender, Alexander Volkov. Heading into the fight, Blaydes is a -380 favorite while the Russian is a +290 underdog. Some sportsbooks have the American wrestler as big as a -490 favorite. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. It is a classic striker vs. grappler matchup, but the pros are with the odds as the majority think Blaydes’ wrestling will be too much for Volkov.

Natasha Hooper - June 18, 2020

Steve-O has traded Jackass stunts for MMA, with the help of Jon Jones and Holly Holm. The professional prankster and stuntman is a big fan of mixed martial artists and even recently interviewed UFC president, Dana White on his podcast. He has appeared on the Joe Rogan podcast and frequently shares his predictions for blockbuster bouts. He even announced the Shogun Rua vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira trilogy fight on his podcast earlier this month.

Harry Kettle - June 18, 2020

UFC veteran Diego Sanchez has given his brief thoughts on the recent allegations in relation to former UFC matchmaker Joe Silva. Silva was a well known figure during his tenure with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, with many, at the time, considering him to be a likeable yet somewhat mysterious figure.

Cole Shelton - June 17, 2020

Henry Cejudo has made it clear he will end his retirement to fight Alex Volkanovski and he has now upped the stakes. Before Cejudo retired from MMA, “Triple C” was calling out the featherweight to become the first-ever three-weight world champion in the UFC. It would’ve been a massive fight but after Cejudo beat Dominick Cruz at UFC 249, he shockingly announced his retirement.

Cole Shelton - June 17, 2020

Darren Till is hoping he gets to fight the worst version of Robert Whittaker there has been on July 25. Till and Whittaker were expected to headline UFC Dublin but the event was canceled due to the coronavirus. But, it was quickly rebooked for July 25 where the two have been taken shots at one another where the two even pitched a catchweight so they could drink and eat.

Cole Shelton - June 17, 2020

Chael Sonnen has a much different stance than many fighters have shared on former UFC matchmaker, Joe Silva. Recently, fighters have come out and told ‘horror stories’ about dealing with the former Ultimate Fighting Championship matchmaker. Yet, for Sonnen, he says every single interaction he had with Joe Silva was positive.

Adam Martin - June 17, 2020

Former UFC heavyweight Brendan Schaub revealed he eavesdropped on a phone call with former UFC matchmaker Joe Silva, who he said bashed Rory MacDonald. A number of former UFC fighters such as Gray Maynard, Eddie Alvarez, and Gerald Harris have recently spoken out against Silva, the long-time UFC matchmaker. Schaub is the latest ex-UFC fighter to speak negatively against Silva, explaining how he was a “complete prick” to the fighters and saying he was nothing more than a “Sherdog forum troll.”

Tom Taylor - June 17, 2020

In 2017, former UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes was involved in a train accident that nearly claimed his life. He’s come a long way since then. The accident occurred on June 16, 2017—three years ago as of yesterday—when Hughes’ truck collided with a train.

Tom Taylor - June 17, 2020

UFC President Dana White has shed some light on the difficulties he’s had getting former welterweight title challenger Colby Covington back into the cage. Covington has not competed since he challenged Kamaru Usman for the welterweight strap back in December—a fight he lost by fifth-round TKO.

Tom Taylor - June 17, 2020

UFC President Dana White says that streaking UFC heavyweight Francis Ngannou contender could serve as an alternate for the upcoming title fight between Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier. Miocic and Cormier have fought twice previously. Cormier won the pair’s first bout, in 2018, by first-round knockout, claiming the heavyweight title for himself. Miocic then swiped the title back from Cormier in their 2019 rematch, surviving some early adversity to win via fourth-round TKO. The pair are scheduled to meet for a third time at UFC 252 on August 15.

Tom Taylor - June 17, 2020

Former UFC light heavyweight titleholder Tito Ortiz is thinking about running for public office in his native California. Ortiz, an outspoken conservative, has been weighing in on many controversial subjects on social media recently.

Harry Kettle - June 17, 2020

Mickey Gall has both praised and roasted his upcoming UFC on ESPN opponent Mike Perry ahead of their June 27 fight. Gall and Perry are set to throw down in the co-main event of the aforementioned card, in a bout that could give us a pretty good indication as to what the trajectory of both men is going to be in the next few years.

Adam Martin - June 17, 2020

Former UFC heavyweight Brendan Schaub ripped former UFC matchmaker Joe Silva, calling him a “complete prick” and a “Sherdog forum troll.” Schaub had a segment on the latest edition “Below the Belt” podcast focusing on the recent number of negative stories that have popped up on social media related to Silva. Fighters such as Eddie Alvarez, Gray Maynard, and Gerald Harris all had some negative things to say about Silva, and Schaub took the time to share his own experiences with Silva.

Tom Taylor - June 17, 2020

Former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos believes the timing is perfect for a showdown with Conor McGregor. Dos Anjos was scheduled to defend the lightweight title against McGregor in 2016, but ultimately had to pull out of the contest with a foot injury. He was then replaced by Nate Diaz, and never had the opportunity for a rescheduled fight with the Irishman.

Mike Pendleton - June 17, 2020

With the UFC’s outfitting deal with Reebok potentially coming to an end, the UFC could sign a deal with a new outfitting company. Dana White has a few ideas in mind. Making an appearance on The Schmozone podcast with The Schmo and Helen Yee, the UFC boss was asked about the deal with Reebok coming to an end and who might possibly be next in line to be the uniform sponsor for the UFC.

Natasha Hooper - June 17, 2020

UFC president Dana White has put a possible Sean O’Malley vs. Cody Garbrandt matchup on hold. Sean O’Malley is becoming quite a star, especially following his knockout victory over Eddie Wineland two weeks ago at UFC 250. He has tallied a 12 fight win streak and remains undefeated since going professional in 2015.