MMA News
UFC on ESPN 9 weigh-in results: Headliners on point, main card fighter misses mark
Tom Taylor - May 29, 2020
On Saturday night, the UFC will return to our screens with the compelling UFC on ESPN 9 card out of the new Apex facility in Las Vegas. The card will be headlined by a welterweight clash between former champion Tyron Woodley, who will look to return to the cage for the first time since the loss of his title to Kamaru Usman, and Gilbert Burns, who will be looking for the biggest victory of his career to date.
Mackenzie Dern explains how training error played part in first MMA loss
Tom Taylor - May 29, 2020
This Saturday, at UFC on ESPN 9, Mackenzie Dern will take on Hannah Cifers in an effort to rebound from her first pro MMA loss: a late 2019 decision defeat at the hands of Amanda Ribas. Ahead of this fight with Cifers, Dern looked back on her loss to Ribas, acknowledging that she made an error in her preparation for the fight.
Justin Gaethje targets three more matchups, then keen to "get the f**k out of here"
Tom Taylor - May 29, 2020
UFC interim lightweight champion Justin Gaethje only has three names left on his hit-list: Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor, and Dustin Poirier. After those fights, he’s prepared to hang up the gloves. Gaethje is expected to get the next crack at undefeated UFC lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov. It’s an opportunity he relishes.
Eddie Hearn willing to co-promote with Dana White, open to Francis Ngannou vs. Dillian Whyte fight
Tom Taylor - May 29, 2020
Eddie Hearn is open to a potential heavyweight showdown between boxer Dillian Whyte and UFC star Francis Ngannou. In fact, he’s interested in working with Dana White to promote an entire MMA vs. boxing crossover fight card. Hearn was asked about a potential Ngannou vs. Whyte fight during a recent Instagram live Q&A with fans.
Jon Jones scolds the UFC for adding “salt to the wound” following failed Francis Ngannou negotiations
Natasha Hooper - May 29, 2020
Jon Jones has slammed the UFC for shutting down the possibility of a “super fight” against Francis Ngannou. Ngannou’s 20-second knockout of Jairzinho Rozenstruik at UFC 249 caught the attention of the light heavyweight champion. “Bones” has since expressed his interest in a blockbuster bout against the heavyweight “Predator”.
Ali Abdelaziz suggests that MMA media journalists are “the weakest people on earth”
Natasha Hooper - May 29, 2020
MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz has labeled the MMA media as the “weakest people on earth”. The Dominance MMA boss—responsible for athletes such as Khabib Nurmagomedov and Justing Gaethje—has called out the entire MMA media industry. He claimed MMA journalists are “weak” in contrast to the tough sport of mixed martial arts.
Dana White has not spoken to Conor McGregor but has some advice for the Irishman
Christopher Taylor - May 28, 2020
UFC President Dana White has chimed in after former two-division champion Conor McGregor recently “accepted” a fight with Anderson Silva. Following McGregor’s recent Twitter rants regarding who is the current GOAT of MMA, the Irishman received a challenge from former middleweight champion Anderson Silva.
Colby Covington trashes former ATT teammates Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Dustin Poirier and Jorge Masvidal
Chris Taylor - May 28, 2020
Colby Covington recently announced his departure from American Top Team and has now proceeded to unload on a number of his previous teammates. Shortly after his name was removed from ATT’s official website, Covington revealed to The Score MMA that he was no longer a member of the gym.
Jon Jones absolutely blasts Dana White for lying to fans about his requests
Adam Martin - May 28, 2020
UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones blasted UFC president Dana White for allegedly lying about his financial requests in a Francis Ngannou superfight. Jones and Ngnanou had been going back-and-forth for a few weeks about a potential superfight, but White recently squashed those rumors when he said the fight won’t happen. According to White, both Jones and Ngannnou wanted too much money to make the fight happen, and the UFC is instead going in another direction.
Darren Till vs. Robert Whittaker headlines July 25 UFC Fight Island event
Adam Martin - May 28, 2020
A middleweight bout between top contenders Darren Till and Robert Whittaker will headline a UFC Fight Island event on July 25. Combate first reported the Till vs. Whittaker bout for the UFC Fight Island event. The pair were originally supposed to meet at a UFC Dublin event in August, but that card like every other UFC card was compromised by the coronavirus pandemic. The pair will now fight a few weeks earlier on UFC Fight Island instead. Although no title will be on the line, the bout is scheduled for five rounds since it’s the main event.
Opinion: Conor McGregor vs. Kamaru Usman or Anderson Silva would be disastrous bookings
Jordy McElroy - May 28, 2020
The UFC welterweight division has officially turned into the Wild, Wild West—a sultry, convoluted mess of a weight class with a handful of potential No. 1 contenders. Even former two-division champion Conor McGregor has somehow crept his way into the conversation of challengers to the Kamaru Usman throne. Apparently, that’s what happens when your milkshake brings all of the pay-per-view buyers to the yard.
Brian Ortega vs. The Korean Zombie to be re-booked, says Dana White
Adam Martin - May 28, 2020
UFC president Dana White confirmed the promotion is looking to re-book a featherweight bout between contenders Brian Ortega and The Korean Zombie. Ortega was set to fight The Korean Zombie at UFC Busan last December, but “T-City” withdrew with an injury. The UFC called upon Frankie Edgar to fill in on short notice, and The Korean Zombie ended up scoring a vicious first-round TKO over for the former UFC lightweight champion for the biggest win of his career, setting him up nicely at 145lbs.
Weili Zhang says her "preference" is to fight Rose Namajunas next
Adam Martin - May 28, 2020
UFC women’s strawweight champion Weili Zhang says that her “preference” is to fight Rose Namajunas in her next title defense at 115lbs. Zhang is coming off of a split decision win over Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 248 in one of the best women’s MMA fights of all time. It was Zhang’s first title defense since winning the belt with a first-round TKO win over Jessica Andrade at UFC China last year. All told, Zhang is on a 21-fight win streak and is a perfect 5-0 while competing in the UFC.
Justin Gaethje and Cody Garbrandt share stories about the generosity of manager Ali Abdelaziz
Adam Martin - May 28, 2020
UFC interim lightweight champion Justin Gaethje and former bantamweight champ Cody Garbrandt each shared stories about the generosity of Ali Abdelaziz. Abdelaziz manages Gaethje and Garbrandt, not to mention star MMA fighters such as the UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, the welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, the legend Frankie Edgar, and the recently-retired Henry Cejudo. Although Abdelaziz has often been outspoken and somewhat controversial, his fighters always say the same thing, and that’s that he’s one of the top manages in the game.
Anderson Silva opens as betting favorite against Conor McGregor
Cole Shelton - May 28, 2020
Anderson Silva has opened as the betting favorite over Conor McGregor in a potential fight. On Wednesday night, Silva took to Instagram to challenge McGregor to superfight. Immediately, it caught the attention of the combat sports world, and the Irishman even accepted the challenge.
Dan Ige doesn't “see the argument” that he didn’t beat Edson Barboza, wants Jeremy Stephens next
Cole Shelton - May 28, 2020
Dan Ige doesn’t understand how people thought Edson Barboza beat him. Back at UFC on ESPN 8, Barboza made his featherweight debut against the 15th-ranked, Dan Ige. Early on in the fight, the Brazilian dropped Ige but the Hawaiian rallied in the second and third rounds to win a split decision.
UFC 250 full card lineup revealed with Amanda Nunes vs. Felicia Spencer as headliner
Adam Martin - May 28, 2020
The full card lineup for UFC 250 has been revealed with a main event headliner between UFC women’s featherweight champion Amanda Nunes and Felicia Spencer. The full lineup for UFC 250 was announced by UFC president Dana White on ESPN Sportscenter, with 11 fights scheduled to take place. The card is set for June 6 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, and airs live on pay-per-view. Check out the full card below.
Pro fighters make their picks for Tyron Woodley vs. Gilbert Burns
Cole Shelton - May 28, 2020
In the main event of UFC on ESPN 9, Tyron Woodley returns to the Octagon to battle the streaking Gilbert Burns. Heading into the fight, the former champion in Woodley is a -190 favorite while the Brazilian is a +155 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. The pros believe it is a much closer fight than the odds suggest but the majority lean towards Burns pulling off the upset win to extend his winning streak.