MMA News

Tom Taylor - May 8, 2020

Shortly after Donald Cerrone was defeated by Conor McGregor back in January, he was lambasted by ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith. Speaking to MMA Fighting ahead of his UFC 249 rematch with Anthony Pettis, Cerrone addressed the comments Smith made about him. He says its always his intention to avoid drama of this kind.

Mike Pendleton - May 8, 2020

Sports are back this weekend, as UFC 249 is scheduled to go down in Jacksonville, Florida on Saturday night. With the NBA, MLB, and NHL seasons suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the UFC will be the first professional sports league to return. UFC reporter Megan Olivi was recently a guest on ‘MMA Tonight’ on Sirius XM and provided her take on how the UFC can capitalize on the extra attention they will have, and how the event won’t look too different from a production standpoint compared to normal events, minus the lack of a crowd.

Harry Kettle - May 8, 2020

UFC veteran Jeremy Stephens has taken inspiration from The Last Dance ahead of his showdown with Calvin Kattar at UFC 249. Stephens is currently riding a four-fight winless streak with his last victory coming back in February 2018 when he knocked out Josh Emmett. While it doesn’t appear as if there’s any risk of him being released, fans will certainly be keeping an eye on his battle with Kattar this weekend to see if he can step his game up a level.

Cole Shelton - May 8, 2020

Sam Alvey knows his UFC roster spot in on the line when he opens the stacked UFC 249 card against Ryan Spann. Alvey is currently on a three-fight losing streak where he lost by TKO to Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Jimmy Crute and most recently dropped a decision to Klidson Abreu. Against Spann, “Smile’n Sam” is the biggest underdog on the card but isn’t paying attention to any of that.

Harry Kettle - May 8, 2020

Former UFC lightweight champ Anthony Pettis believes he will hold a mental advantage over Donald Cerrone in their rematch at UFC 249 this weekend. While it may not be one of the featured bouts on the main card on Saturday night, Pettis vs Cerrone 2 is certainly gathering a lot of buzz as we get closer and closer to fight night.

Tom Taylor - May 8, 2020

Greg Hardy has already jumped from the NFL to the UFC. From the sounds of it, his next stop could be the WWE ring. Hardy, who is scheduled to battle Yorgan De Castro at UFC 249 in Jacksonville, Florida this weekend, discussed a potential move to the pro wrestling world during the virtual media day for the card earlier this week. The topic came up when a reporter mentioned that AEW, another pro wrestling promotion, is also hosting an event in Jacksonville this weekend, with wrestlers staying at the very same hotel as the UFC’s stars.

Tom Taylor - May 8, 2020

Dana White has taken responsibility—at least in part—for Khabib Nurmagomedov withdrawing from UFC 249. Nurmagomedov, the undisputed UFC lightweight champ, was originally expected to defend his title against Tony Ferguson on April 18. Unfortunately, Nurmagomedov ultimately wound up getting stuck in his native Russia due to travel restrictions stemming from the coronavirus pandemic. The UFC then called upon Justin Gaethje to step in against Ferguson in an interim title fight, which will go down in a rescheduled UFC 249 card on May 9.

Natasha Hooper - May 8, 2020

Jon Jones is doing what he can to help those in need, as he donated 100,000 meals to families in New Mexico recently. The light heavyweight champion has been in hot water recently. In March, “Bones” was arrested for Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) in his hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Now, the widely regarded GOAT is working to get back in fan’s good books as he donated to The Food Depot, a food bank in his home city.

Natasha Hooper - May 8, 2020

Justin Gaethje explained why his upcoming opponent, Tony Ferguson, will be a harder nut to crack than the lightweight champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov. UFC 249 was originally expected to be headlined by a title bout between Nurmagomedov and Ferguson. However, travel complications surrounding the coronavirus pandemic resulted in Nurmagomedov’s withdrawal from the bout. Instead, Justin Gaethje will face Ferguson in the main event on May 9, in Jacksonville, Florida.

Cole Shelton - May 7, 2020

Alonzo Menifield will return to the Octagon for the first time in nearly a year to battle Devin Clark. Multiple sources confirmed to BJPENN.com that Menifield will take on Devin Clark on June 6 at a location to be announced. The contracts have already been issued and signed, the sources confirmed.

Mike Pendleton - May 7, 2020

Before there are any plans made for Conor McGregor to make his return to the Octagon in 2020, he wants to ensure that the safety measures in place are going to work. According to his manager Audie Attar, McGregor will be following this weekend’s event for many reasons, including scouting potential future opponents, and ensuring the safety of the event taking place during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cole Shelton - May 7, 2020

A.J. McKee is looking to become a champ-champ in Bellator and then go into boxing to challenge Floyd Mayweather. Mayweather has not boxed professionally since he defeated Conor McGregor in the summer of 2016. It was a highly-anticipated bout, and McKee thinks he can capture that same momentum.

Cole Shelton - May 7, 2020

Henry Cejudo says he will never fight T.J. Dillashaw again. Cejudo and Dillashaw met at UFC Brooklyn in January of 2018 where “Triple C” was looking to defend his flyweight belt against the then-bantamweight champion, T.J. Dillashaw. It was a highly-anticipated fight that ended early as Cejudo knocked Dillashaw out in just 32 seconds.

Cole Shelton - May 7, 2020

On the stacked UFC 249 main card, Francis Ngannou takes on undefeated contender, Jairzinho Rozenstruik. Heading into this fight, Ngannou is a -275 favorite while “Bigi Boy” is a +215 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. The pros believe the scrap ends by knockout where the majority lean towards Ngannou getting his hand raised.

Thomas Taylor - May 7, 2020

Conor McGregor was recently called out 47-year-old former boxing champ Oscar De La. Now, the Irishman has responded. De La Hoya discussed a potential boxing match with McGregor during an appearance on CBS Sports’ State of Combat podcast. 

Tom Taylor - May 7, 2020

Conor McGregor has some gripes about his position in the UFC lightweight rankings, and his former foe Dustin Poirier is having none of it. McGregor defeated Dustin Poirier via first-round TKO in a 2014 featherweight fight. Nonetheless, Poirier has glided past McGregor in the lightweight rankings, settling in at No. 2, one spot in front of the Irishman.

Adam Martin - May 7, 2020

UFC president Dana White believes that Dominick Cruz beating Henry Cejudo would be the biggest upset since Matt Serra knocked out Georges St-Pierre. Back at UFC 69 in 2007, Serra finished GSP via first-round TKO in what is generally considered by many the biggest upset in MMA history. We’ve seen some other big upsets over the years, such as when Holly Holm knocked out Ronda Rousey at UFC 193, but the Serra vs. GSP fight still ranks as the biggest upset by many people including White himself.

Tom Taylor - May 7, 2020

According to UFC President Dana White, UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones will not receive any form of punishment from the UFC after being arrested in Albuquerque, New Mexico earlier this year. Jon Jones was arrested in late March and charged with aggravated DWI, negligent use of a firearm, and possession of an open container. Despite the fact this was not his first run-in with the law, the light heavyweight champion was able to avoid jail time.