MMA News
Ben Rothwell calls MMA judging "extra disgusting lately"
Adam Martin - May 17, 2020
UFC heavyweight Ben Rothwell is not a fan of the recent slate of decisions in MMA, calling the judging “extra disgusting lately.” Rothwell was responding to a Tweet from women’s strawweight contender Angela Hill, who lost a narrow split decision to Claudia Gadelha in the co-main event of UFC Florida. The Hill decision was high scrutinized by fans and media, as were the decisions giving Dan Ige the victory over Edson Barboza and Song Yadong defeating Marlon Vera. Overall, the judging was very poor at UFC Florida and UFC president Dana White said as much himself.
Tom DeBlass signs with ONE Championship
Adam Martin - May 17, 2020
Former UFC and Bellator light heavyweight Tom DeBlass is coming out of retirement and signing with ONE Championship, he announced on Sunday. The 38-year-old DeBlass is a third-degree black belt under Ricardo Almedia and is considered one of the finest grapplers in the world. Between 2010 and 2013, DeBlass racked up a 9-2 record in MMA. He fought twice in the UFC back in 2012, losing to Cyrille Diabate and Riki Fukuda via decision. He then signed with Bellator and picked up wins over Carlos Brooks and Jason Lambert before stepping away from MMA in 2013 to focus on his love for Brazilian jiu-jitsu and his gym, Ocean County BJJ.
Videos | Top 5 Submissions: UFC 51 – UFC 60
Adam Martin - May 17, 2020
Check out videos of the top five submissions from UFC 51 to UFC 60, featuring Matt Hughes submitting Frank Trigg at UFC 52 in a classic fight. In our latest series here at BJPenn.com “Top 5 Submissions” we take a look at the most lethal submissions from the fifth block of UFC events. These submissions all took place from 2005 to 2006, and they feature numerous future UFC Hall of Famers in their early days. Keep in mind there are many other submissions deserving of the list, but we had to choose just five.
Carla Esparza tells Claudia Gadelha to "leave the grease at home" for potential rematch
Adam Martin - May 17, 2020
UFC women’s strawweight contender Carla Esparza told Claudia Gadelha to “leave the grease at home” for a potential rematch between the two rivals. Esparza and Gadelha previously fought at UFC 225 in June 2018, with Gadelha winning a tight split decision in a fight that many believe Esparza deserved to win. Following the fight, Esparza accused Gadelha of greasing, with the Brazilian firing back at the American, saying that she was just making excuses for why she lost the fight.
Dana White disagrees with decision in Dan Ige fight: "I had Edson Barboza winning the fight"
Adam Martin - May 17, 2020
UFC president Dana White said that he disagreed with the judges in the Dan Ige fight, saying that he scored the bout in favor of Edson Barboza. Ige won a highly controversial split decision, with the judges awarding him the bout 29-28, 28-29, and 29-28 over Barboza, who also dropped a highly-scrutinized decision to Paul Felder in his last fight at UFC 242. Many pros reacted to the decision on social media, with the majority of those commenting saying they believed Barboza had done enough to beat Ige. Count White among those who thought that Barboza won.
Urijah Faber believes referee stopped Dominick Cruz vs. Henry Cejudo too early
Adam D Martin - May 17, 2020
UFC bantamweight legend Urijah Faber believes the referee stopped the Dominick Cruz vs. Henry Cejudo fight at UFC 249 too soon. Cejudo dropped Cruz with a knee and then followed it up with a barrage of punches which led to referee Keith Peterson stepping in and waving off the contest. Immediately following the stoppage Cruz protested it, saying that he was fine and that Peterson stopped it too early. After the event, Cruz accused Peterson of using “alcohol and cigarettes” prior to reffing the fight.
Rafael dos Anjos wonders if judging criteria has changed due to the pandemic
Adam D Martin - May 17, 2020
UFC welterweight contender Rafael dos Anjos wonders if the coronavirus pandemic has led to a change in the judging criteria in MMA. UFC Florida featured a number of controversial decisions that left fans, fighters including dos Anjos, and even the media up in arms on social media. The co-main event featured Claudia Gadelha win a controversial split decision over Angela Hill, while elsewhere on the main card Dan Ige won a hotly-contested split decision over Edson Barboza and Song Yadong won a surprising unanimous decision over Marlon Vera. The prelims also featured a close decision between Nate Landwehr and Darren Elkins.
Video | Alistair Overeem embraces Walt Harris following fight-ending sequence at UFC on ESPN 8
Adam D Martin - May 17, 2020
After finishing his opponent via second-round TKO, UFC heavyweight contender Alistair Overeem embraced his opponent Walt Harris at UFC Florida. Harris came into the fight under difficult circumstances. Last October, Harris’ daughter Aniah Blanchard was kidnapped and murdered in his native Alabama. Her death led to him understandably withdrawing from his previously-scheduled bout against Overeem at UFC Washington, D.C.
Marlon Vera blasts judges following controversial loss at UFC on ESPN 8
Adam D Martin - May 17, 2020
UFC bantamweight contender Marlon Vera blasted the judges following a highly controversial unanimous decision loss to Song Yadong at UFC Florida. Vera and Yadong went back-and-forth for 15 minutes and each man won a share of the “Fight of the Night” bonus for their tremendous showings in the fight. Many felt that while it was a competitive fight, it should have been Vera getting his hand raised. But the judges decided to go in the opposite direction, with all three judges scoring the fight 29-28 in favor of Yadong, giving Yadong the first two round and Vera the last.
Dominick Cruz reacts to the refereeing at UFC on ESPN 8: “Send him a gift basket”
Adam D Martin - May 17, 2020
Former UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz reacted to the officiating in the UFC Florida main event of Alistair Overeem vs. Walt Harris. Harris hurt Overeem badly with punches in the first round, but referee Dan Miragliota let Overeem fight out of it. The veteran then came back to win via TKO in the second round. During the first round, some observers remarked that Miragliotta gave Overeem much more leeway than Cruz was given last weekend against Henry Cejudo at UFC 249.
Matt Brown reacts following knockout loss to Miguel Baeza at UFC on ESPN 8
Adam D Martin - May 17, 2020
UFC welterweight Matt Brown has reacted following his second-round KO loss to Miguel Baeza on the preliminary card at UFC Florida. After a back-and-forth first round where Brown had Baeza hurt badly at several points, the younger Baeza was able to land a big punch in the second that knocked the veteran Brown to the floor, where Baeza finished him off with strikes for the biggest win of his career. Baeza ended up earning a well-deserved $50,000 bonus for “Performance of the Night” for the most impressive victory in his career so far.
Walt Harris releases official statement following disappointing loss to Alistair Overeem
Adam D Martin - May 17, 2020
UFC heavyweight contender Walt Harris has released a statement following his second-round TKO loss to Alistair Overeem at UFC Florida. Harris started off strong in the fight, knocking Overeem down and nearly finishing him off with strikes in the first, before tiring in the second and getting ground-and-pounded for a TKO loss. It was a disappointing loss for Harris considering how well he started off the fight, but considering everything he’s gone through in his personal life in the last year, just stepping into the cage was a victory in itself.
Claudia Gadelha and Angela Hill share very different reactions following tonight's controversial fight
Chris Taylor - May 17, 2020
UFC strawweights standouts Claudia Gadelha and Angela Hill collided in the co-headliner of tonight’s UFC on ESPN 8 event in Jacksonville. The former title challenger, Gadelha (18-4 MMA), was returning to action for the first time since July’s UFC 239 event in Las Vegas, where she scored a unanimous decision victory over Randa Markos.
Colby Covington took a major shot at Alistair Overeem prior to his fight with Walt Harris
Harry Kettle - May 16, 2020
Controversial UFC star Colby Covington took it upon himself to take a shot at Alistair Overeem prior to his main event fight this evening. “Chaos” has been looking to return to the cage ever since he was humbled in his UFC Welterweight Championship clash against Kamaru Usman, which was a fight that left him with a fractured jaw.
UFC on ESPN 8 Bonus Report: Vera vs Yadong war takes home FOTN
Natasha Hooper - May 16, 2020
The bonuses for UFC on ESPN 8 at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena have been announced. The Octagon remains open for business as it featured a stacked card, headlined by Alistair Overeem vs Walt Harris on May 16, at UFC on ESPN 8.
Dana White reacts to talk of a potential Jon Jones vs. Francis Ngannou fight
Chris Taylor - May 16, 2020
UFC President Dana White shared his thoughts on a potential heavyweight bout between Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou during tonight’s post-fight press conference. Earlier this week, Jones (26-1 MMA) expressed his interest in moving up a weight class to take on the divisions most feared knockout artist in Ngannou.
Pros react to Alistair Overeem defeating Walt Harris at UFC on ESPN 8
Chris Taylor - May 16, 2020
A key heavyweight bout between perennial division contenders Walt Harris and Alistair Overeem headlined tonight’s UFC on ESPN 8 event in Jacksonville. The former UFC heavyweight title challenger, Overeem (45-18 MMA), entered tonight’s event looking to rebound, this after suffering a fifth round knockout loss to Jairzinho Rozenstruik in a fight that he had been dominating his last time out.
UFC on ESPN 8 Results: Alistair Overeem TKO's Walt Harris (Highlights)
Chris Taylor - May 16, 2020
A key heavyweight bout between Walt Harris and Alistair Overeem headlines tonight’s UFC on ESPN 8 event in Jacksonville, Florida. The former UFC heavyweight title challenger, Overeem (45-18 MMA), will enter tonight’s event looking to rebound, this after suffering a fifth round knockout loss to Jairzinho Rozenstruik in a fight that he had been dominating.