MMA News

Vitor Belfort
ONE Championship

Vitor Belfort wants AEW tag team match with Mike Tyson

Tom Taylor - May 26, 2020

ONE Championship star Vitor Belfort wants to partake in an AEW tag team match with boxing legend Mike Tyson. Belfort has recently been training with Tyson, and also attended an AEW event in Jacksonville, Florida, of which Tyson was a part.

Myles Jury
Myles Jury

Bellator's Myles Jury says "UFC are control freaks"

Tom Taylor - May 26, 2020

In 2019, Myles Jury migrated from the UFC’s Octagon to the Bellator cage. From the sounds of it, he made the right choice for himself. Speaking to MMA Junkie recently, Jury weighed in on the differences between the UFC and Bellator. The main difference, he says, is the level of control the two promotions have over their fighters.

Mike Tyson, Wanderlei Silva
Mike Tyson

Mike Tyson trains with Vitor Belfort ahead of comeback

Tom Taylor - May 26, 2020

Heavyweight boxing legend Mike Tyson is getting some work in with MMA star Vitor Belfort ahead of his widely-discussed comeback. Belfort shared a clip of a training session with Tyson on Instagram, adding that the boxer was one of his key inspirations in the early days of his fighting career.

Israel Adesanya, Paulo Costa
Paulo Costa

Israel Adesanya eager to punish "juiced-up monkey" Paulo Costa

Tom Taylor - May 26, 2020

UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya is eager for the opportunity to punish Paulo Costa for all of his trash talk. The two undefeated knockout artists are expected to fight next, but the bout is not yet official. Whenever it winds up happening, Adesanya is excited, particularly after his undeniably slow win over Yoel Romero back in March.

Daniel Cormier
Jon Jones

Daniel Cormier discusses how much Jon Jones should be paid for heavyweight move

Harry Kettle - May 26, 2020

Daniel Cormier has given his thoughts on how much he believes Jon Jones should be compensated for a move up to heavyweight. Cormier and Jones have had their fair share of spats over the years, but in the Octagon, Jones has been able to overcome “DC” with one decision win and one KO victory that was changed to a no contest due to a failed drug test. 

Michael Bisping, Jon Jones
Michael Bisping

Michael Bisping rips fan for suggesting he lost his fight with Anderson Silva

Natasha Hooper - May 26, 2020

Michael Bisping had some choice words for a fan who suggested he lost his 2016 fight with Anderson Silva. Silva has been a hot topic as of recent after Conor McGregor ranked him the No. 1 GOAT on Twitter.

Ben Askren, Conor McGregor, Daniel Cormier
Conor McGregor

Ben Askren shares 7 fighters he believes are in the MMA GOAT conversation

Natasha Hooper - May 26, 2020

Ben Askren has named the top 7 fighters he thinks could all make a case for the GOAT of MMA. The “Greatest Of All Time” fighter in MMA has been a hot topic of discussion recently after Conor McGregor named his top picks. “The Notorious” listed Anderson Silva as the number 1 GOAT, following himself who he listed behind in close second. Read his full MMA GOAT rankings below.

Cody Stamann
Cody Stamann

Breaking | Cody Stamann to take on Brian Kelleher at UFC 250

Cole Shelton - May 25, 2020

Cody Stamann will fight on June 6 after all. Stamann will take on Brian Kelleher at UFC 250 on June 6 multiple sources told BJPENN.com that the fight is agreed to with contracts expected to be issued in the coming days. The event is expected to take place at the UFC Apex.

Henry Cejudo, Dana White
UFC

Henry Cejudo confirms retirement: "Triple C is out"

Cole Shelton - May 25, 2020

Henry Cejudo confirms his retirement is legit. In the co-main event of UFC 249, Cejudo was looking to defend his bantamweight title for the first time when he battled Dominick Cruz. “Triple C” was having success early on and then landed a knee that dropped the former champ and he finished him off with ground and pound strikes.

Tim Elliott
Tim Elliott

Tim Elliott says he's "no longer chasing wins," focused on collecting bonuses

Cole Shelton - May 25, 2020

Tim Elliott has changed his approach to fighting. The former UFC flyweight title challenger and TUF winner will return to the Octagon on Saturday to battle newcomer Brandon Royval. He’s also looking to snap his two-fight losing streak, but for him, he says wins and losses no longer matter. Instead, he wants to win bonuses and be known as an exciting fighter.

ekic logo
EKIC

New combat sports promotion EKIC to showcase boxing, bare-knuckle, and Kumite bouts

Tom Taylor - May 25, 2020

It’s tough to stand out in the crowded combat sports industry, but the newly-launched promotion Extreme Kumite International Championships (EKIC) is already doing just that. EKIC is the brainchild of Edward Simpson, Mark Goldstein and Jeff Arcio, and features an impressive list of brand ambassadors and advisors like former Strikeforce champion Cung Le and UFC Hall-of-Fame Stephan Bonnar.

Michael Bisping, Conor McGregor, Jorge Masvidal, UFC London, Conor McGregor
Michael Bisping

Michael Bisping's responds to "one-eyed fighter" comment from Conor McGregor

Tom Taylor - May 25, 2020

Conor McGregor recently laid out his picks for the Greatest of All Time in MMA, and his arguments featured what could be perceived as a dig at Michael Bisping. GSP is in at 3. Much less array of finishes but champion status in 2. He is far behind though. Reasons = Left 170 after much damage taken+questionable decision. Never re-engaged 170lb successors. Bottled Anderson fight. Only moved when one eyed fighter presented. Played safe.

Conor McGregor, Kamaru Usman
Kamaru Usman

Kamaru Usman on Conor McGregor fight: "I’d shag him in there if I wanted"

Tom Taylor - May 25, 2020

UFC welterweight champ Kamaru Usman is extremely confident he’d come out on top in a potential fight with Conor McGregor. There’s been plenty of buzz about a superfight between Usman and McGregor, who previously held the UFC lightweight and featherweight titles, over the last few days. The buzz reached a fever pitch when Usman’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, suggested they would be willing to give McGregor a title shot—with some unique conditions.

Colby Covington
MMA Podcasts

BJPENN.COM Radio Ep. 127 // EKIC Founders

Jason Kindschy - May 25, 2020

EKIC or Extreme Kumite International Championships is an all-new and innovative promotion focused on bringing authentic martial arts competition to combat sports fans around the globe. Revolutionary in their approach, the founders of EKIC aim to give combat sports athletes every opportunity available to them all under one roof, while also prioritizing fair pay to those under contract. The EKIC brand will bring three different rulesets of combat to international viewers. Freestyle Kumite, which will be modeled after some aspects of MMA but eliminates the cage and gloves. Bareknuckle Boxing under The London Rules rather than Marquess of Queensberry Rules, and finally traditional boxing as it’s seen today. All three rulesets from one promotion. The founders of EKIC joined us to announce the official launch of the brand and discuss their goals for the company. President Ed Simpson, Vice President Mark Goldstein, and fellow VP Jeff Arcio gave BJPENN Radio exclusive insight on EKIC from it’s inception to where they see the company in five years. With an advisory board and brand ambassadors that include the likes of Hector Camacho Jr., Cung Le, and Stephan Bonnar, the EKIC team is ready to take the combat sports world by storm. Having already been bombarded by athletes interested in competing for the brand, it’s only a matter of time before EKIC grows from fledgling promotion to pugilistic powerhouse.

Khabib Nurmagomedov, UFC 254
UFC

Khabib Nurmagomedov reflects on one of his most dominant UFC wins

Tom Taylor - May 25, 2020

UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov recently took a moment to reflect on his jaw-droppingly dominant victory over Abel Trujillo, which occurred seven years ago today, at UFC 160. Nurmagomedov defeated Trujillo by unanimous decision, landing a record-shattering 21 of his 28 attempted takedowns in the process. Interestingly, the lightweight champ says he entered this fight with a debilitating injury, which was part of the reason he exercised such a grappling-heavy game plan.

Rodtang Jitmuangnon, MMA, ONE Championship
ONE Championship

Muay Thai star Rodtang Jitmuangnon interested in future MMA bouts

Tom Taylor - May 25, 2020

ONE flyweight Muay Thai titleholder Rodtang Jitmuangnon, widely regarded as one of the most exciting fighters in combat sports, is interested in trying his hand at MMA in the future. The 22-year-old Thai, who has also captured the Max Muay Thai 126-pound title and the Omnoi Stadium 130-pound title, is drawing inspiration from his girlfriend, Stamp Fairtex.

Stipe Miocic, Jon Jones, Francis Ngannou
Stipe Miocic

Stipe Miocic weighs in on potential Jon Jones vs. Francis Ngannou fight

Tom Taylor - May 25, 2020

UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic has shared his thoughts on a potential super fight between light heavyweight champ Jon Jones and top heavyweight contender Francis Ngannou. According to Miocic, Jones could win this prospective showdown with the right gameplan, but Ngannou’s infamous knockout power would make the contest interesting from beginning to end.

Bryan-Caraway
UFC

UFC veteran Bryan Caraway sets up GoFundMe page for mother’s funeral expenses

Harry Kettle - May 25, 2020

UFC veteran Bryan Caraway has set up a GoFundMe page in order to try and raise money for his mother’s funeral expenses. Caraway, who had a 6-4 record in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, broke the news on social media in a heartfelt message to his fans. The 35-year-old last fought for Battlefield FC in July 2019 in a winning effort in Macau, China.