MMA News

Cole Shelton - May 18, 2020

Chael Sonnen believes Conor McGregor could very well get a welterweight title shot next if he so desires. McGregor recently went on a Twitter rant where he called out several lightweights. Yet, Sonnen isn’t convinced the Irishman fights at 155 pounds next. Instead, he thinks a fight against Jorge Masvidal or the trilogy with Nate Diaz makes sense.

Adam Martin - May 18, 2020

A women’s bantamweight bout between top-10 contenders Aspen Ladd and Sara McMann has been added to a new UFC event on June 27. Ladd mentioned Monday on Twitter that she had her next fight booked. It didn’t take long for MMAjunkie.com to confirm that she will be fighting McMann in a battle of two of the best women’s bantamweight in the UFC. The fight will take place on June 27 at a location-to-be-determined. The UFC was supposed to go to Austin, Texas on that date, but due to the coronavirus pandemic that seems unlikely at this point.

Cole Shelton - May 18, 2020

Daniel Cormier says Jon Jones calling out Francis Ngannou is a gangster move. Ever since Ngannou knocked out Jairzinho Rozenstruik in just 20 seconds at UFC 249, Jones has talked about moving up to fight him. It immediately caught the attention of the MMA world who has called for “Bones” to move up to heavyweight for years.

Adam Martin - May 18, 2020

UFC president Dana White says that Alistair Overeem will get a top-five opponent for his next bout after knocking out Walt Harris at UFC Florida. Overeem survived an early onslaught of blows from Harris in the first round to come back and dominate the second round and get the TKO stoppage. It’s the third win by knockout for Overeem in his last four fights, setting him up for a highly-ranked opponent in his next fight. Currently, Overeem is the No. 8 ranked heavyweight on the UFC roster.

Cole Shelton - May 18, 2020

Sayif Saud didn’t expect Fortis MMA to become this successful so early on. Saud, who used to be an MMA fighter and trained at JacksonWink MMA, became a coach due to injuries limiting his pro career. After coaching around at various gyms, Saud, alongside former NBA player Deron Williams opened up Fortis MMA in 2017.

Adam Martin - May 18, 2020

UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones reaffirmed his interest in a Francis Ngannou superfight, telling the UFC to “send the deal” for him to sign. Jones and Ngannou have been talking on social media and in interviews as of late about a potential superfight between two of the sport’s biggest stars. There’s no doubt that if this fight were to be booked it would be one of the biggest fights the UFC could ever make. Both Jones and Ngannou are at the top of their games right now, making a potential superfight between them at heavyweight one of the most intriguing matchups possible.

Tom Taylor - May 18, 2020

Dana White has responded to a piece of criticism from John Oliver, who discussed the UFC’s operations during the coronavirus pandemic on the latest episode of Last Week Tonight. Despite the ongoing pandemic, White and the UFC recently managed to promote a trio of fight cards in Jacksonville, Florida.

Tom Taylor - May 18, 2020

UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has fired another volley at his former opponent Chael Sonnen, this time challenging his rival’s “gangster” persona. Jones and Sonnen have been jawing back and forth for several days, with Sonnen most recently burying the light heavyweight champ under an avalanche of virulent Tweets.

Tom Taylor - May 18, 2020

Former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley has responded to a rankings-related gripe from recent light heavyweight title challenger Dominick Reyes. Reyes recently took to Twitter to air his disappointment about being bumped out of the UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings by Woodley, who currently holds the No. 15 spot.

Tom Taylor - May 18, 2020

UFC heavyweight contender Alistair Overeem says he enjoyed the experience of fighting in an emptied-out arena in Jacksonville, Florida. Overeem defeated Walt Harris via second-round TKO in the main event of Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 8 card. Like most sporting events going on during the coronavirus pandemic, this one went down without any fans in attendance — just the fighters, their corners, and the required UFC staff.

Tom Taylor - May 18, 2020

Conor McGregor recently rewatched his boxing match with Floyd Mayweather Jr. and he seems to be very happy with his performance. McGregor, a former two-division UFC champ, and Mayweather, an undefeated boxing legend, met in the boxing ring in 2017. The pair’s crossover fight generated massive mainstream interest and went down as one of the most lucrative bouts in combat sports history.

Tom Taylor - May 18, 2020

Alistair Overeem was the biggest earner for Saturday night’s UFC on ESPN 8 card in Jacksonville, Florida, pocketing a hefty $400,000 for his second-round TKO win over Walt Harris. The next biggest earners on the card were Claudia Gadelha and Krzysztof Jotko, who earned $108,000 each for their defeats of Angela Hill and Eryk Anders respectively.

Cole Shelton - May 18, 2020

In the main event of UFC on ESPN 8, Alistair Overeem was looking to get back into the win column when he fought Walt Harris. “The Big Ticket” was making his return to the Octagon after the murder of his stepdaughter Aniah. The emotions were high for this one. But, in the end, it was Overeem who got the job done by second-round TKO. Harris, though, did have success early on as he dropped the Dutchman in the first round but Overeem survived.

Tom Taylor - May 18, 2020

Despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Dana White and the UFC were able to promote three events last week in Jacksonville, Florida. White’s decision to promote events during the pandemic generated plenty of controversy, but he repeatedly emphasized the importance the promotion was putting on safety protocols — though some doubters have pointed out that those protocols weren’t followed to the letter.

Harry Kettle - May 18, 2020

Edson Barboza has been denied the chance to appeal his controversial defeat at the hands of Dan Ige this past weekend. Barboza made his featherweight debut in Jacksonville and while many fans and pundits thought he’d struggle with the weight cut, he looked to be in the shape of his life — leading many to believe he’d put in an impressive display against Ige.

Natasha Hooper - May 18, 2020

Alistair Overeem wants one more shot at the heavyweight title as he enters the “final phase” of his career. On May 16, Overeem returned to a winning position in the main event of UFC on ESPN 8. He collided against Walt Harris who entered the bout on a two-fight win streak. It was the first time Harris had fought since the tragic death of his stepdaughter in 2019 and he started the fight leading the way. He knocked down Alistair Overeem with a big combo, and followed up with an onslaught of ground and pound. “The Reem” miraculously recovered and managed to turn the tide on the ground. He carried the momentum into the second round and finished Harris by TKO.

Harry Kettle - May 18, 2020

UFC light heavyweight contender Anthony Smith isn’t happy with referee Jason Herzog’s apology following his loss to Glover Teixeira. Smith, who was considered to be the favorite heading into his main event fight against Teixeira, was overwhelmed by the veteran in what turned out to be a fairly one-sided beating for the Brazilian.

BJPENN.COM Staff - May 18, 2020

Asia’s largest martial arts organization, ONE Championship, without a doubt, has the largest collection of Asian martial arts World Champions who are currently employed on its roster of talent. The list of respected figures is long and consists of some of the most iconic names in combat sports.  The roster includes Japanese MMA stars Shinya Aoki and Yoshihiro Akiyama, as well as Muay Thai legends Nong-O Gaiyanghadao, Sam-A Gaiyanghadao, and Yodsanklai IWE Fairtex. The organization even once held a title defense for former boxing World Champion and pound-for-pound great, Srisaket Sor Rungvisai.