MMA News

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.

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.

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.

Tom Taylor - May 25, 2020

Wanderlei Silva has reportedly been offered $10M for a potential bare-knuckle fight with Mike Tyson—an opportunity he says he accepted “right away.” Tyson, a 53-year-old boxing legend, is plotting a comeback, and is being aggressively courted by upstart bare-knuckle organization BKFC. The promotion is reported to have offered Tyson more than $20M to compete sans gloves, and has named Silva as his potential dance partner (should the boxer accept the offer).

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.

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.

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.

Adam Martin - May 25, 2020

The sportsbooks have released the opening betting odds for a potential fight between superstar Conor McGregor and UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. There have been rumblings in the last few days about McGregor potentially getting the next title shot against Usman at 170lbs, particularly if Jorge Masvidal fights Nate Diaz in a rematch instead. Usman’s manager Ali Abdelaziz has made it clear their camp is interested in a McGregor fight, so as crazy as it seems that McGregor could get a title shot at welterweight, there is a possibility that’s the case.

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.

Adam Martin - May 25, 2020

Andre Pederneiras, the coach of Jose Aldo and several other top MMA fighters in Brazil, has tested positive for COVID-19. The 53-year-old Pederneiras is now isolated in his own home away from his wife and children. Combate was the first to reveal the positive test for “Dede,” who is considered one of the pioneers of MMA coaching.

Natasha Hooper - May 25, 2020

Henry Cejudo has stated he will only return to the Octagon if it’s to face Alex Volkanovski, and the featherweight champion has responded. “Triple C” last fought in the co-main event of UFC 249 this month. The bantamweight champion collided with the former bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz. Cejudo won via TKO in the second round, a stoppage that Cruz argued was premature. Nevertheless, the 33-year old Cejudo successfully defended his bantamweight title. After sealing his 6th consecutive victory, he took the opportunity to announce his retirement from the Octagon.

Harry Kettle - May 25, 2020

A new travel exemption in the United States could mean that the proposed Fight Island idea will no longer be required by the UFC. For weeks now we’ve been waiting to see whether or not UFC president Dana White would give the green light for Fight Island to take place, with a recent report indicating that it could happen as soon as July.

Christopher Taylor - May 25, 2020

UFC light heavyweight kingpin Jon Jones has responded to Nate Diaz after the Stockton native suggested that no one is going to remember his fights. The online feud began shortly after Conor McGregor had released his current MMA Goat rankings on social media. Although both Jones and Diaz took issue with the Irishman’s  greatest of all time list, ‘Bones’ was also not happy with Nate claiming to be the pound-for-pound baddest mother f*cker in MMA history.

Christopher Taylor - May 24, 2020

When Conor McGregor shared his current MMA GOAT rankings many fans and pundits questioned why the name Demetrious Johnson was not on the list. McGregor had ranked former UFC middleweight kingpin Anderson Silva in the top spot for current MMA GOAT, this while listing himself as a very close second.

Adam Martin - May 24, 2020

UFC welterweight stars Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz continued to trade shots ahead of a potential rematch between the bitter rivals. Masvidal and Diaz met back at UFC 244 in November 2019, and the fight ended in controversial fashion as the cageside doctor stopped the fight due to cuts, resulting in a TKO win over Masvidal. The stoppage was called into question by several MMA veterans including long-time referee Big John McCarthy, and because of the controversy there has always been the chance the UFC could run a rematch between the two.

Adam Martin - May 24, 2020

Former UFC flyweight and bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo has officially been removed from the UFC rankings and his 135lbs is now listed as vacant. Cejudo shocked the MMA world when he abruptly retired following a second-round TKO win over Dominick Cruz at UFC 249. Following the victory, Cejudo took the microphone and said that he was hanging up his gloves. It was a move that surprised most fans, fighters, and fellow media, though UFC president Dana White said that the UFC already knew about Cejudo’s intentions to retire long ago.

Adam Martin - May 24, 2020

UFC Hall of Famer Tito Ortiz claims that the team of boxing legend Mike Tyson has contacted him for a potential fight and that he’s down to do it. Ortiz recently suggested that he was interested in fighting Tyson, and now he’s saying that Tyson’s team is the one who contacted him first about a potential fight. Check out what Ortiz told TMZ Sports about a potential fight between two legends of combat sports.

Adam D Martin - May 24, 2020

UFC middleweight Darren Till issued a scathing response to Mike Perry after “Platinum” brought up the Brit’s mother in a recent social media post. Perry and Till have had a feud dating back a few years now and occasionally both men have brought up the prospect of fighting each other. With Perry struggling at 170lbs and Till surging at 185lbs, this is unlikely to be a matchup MMA fans see anytime soon, but both men are definitely planting seeds for this fight to take place someday.