MMA News

Natasha Hooper - May 7, 2020

Darren Till has expressed interest in coaching the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter opposite UFC middleweight champ Israel Adesanya. UFC president Dana White dropped the news recently that the UFC is working on the return of TUF. This week on ESPN 690 Jacksonville, White confirmed that the next season of The Ultimate Fighter is currently in the works, and he even suggested several high-profile coach pairings.

Tom Taylor - May 7, 2020

BKFC, an upstart bare knuckle fighting organization, has reportedly offered 53-year-old boxing legend Mike Tyson a $20M deal. Tyson recently announced his intention to end his retirement for a handful of exhibition bouts. What really sent the combat sports world into a frenzy of excitement, however, was footage of the boxing legend hitting mitts with famed MMA coach Rafael Cordeiro. Even at 53, Tyson looked absolutely lethal.

Cole Shelton - May 6, 2020

Alexey Oleynik says there is a belt on the line when he takes on Fabricio Werdum at UFC 249. Oleynik will welcome Werdum back to the Octagon after a USADA suspension on the stacked UFC 249 card. The Russian is eager to share the cage with a ‘legend’ and says this fight is to see who’s the best grappler of all-time.

Mike Pendleton - May 6, 2020

With his interim lightweight title main event fight coming up against Tony Ferguson at UFC 249, Justin Gaethje is looking to continue doing what he’s been known for throughout his career. Of his 21 professional wins, 18 of them have come by way of knockout, including his last three knockouts in his last three fights, all happening in the first round. Known for his willingness to brawl with every opponent he fights against, Gaethje also has a more than respectable wrestling background, yet his upcoming opponent, Ferguson, believe’s “The Highlight” is one-dimensional, but Gaethje might agree.

Cole Shelton - May 6, 2020

Khabib Nurmagomedov says he’ll be ready to fight in July and smash who is ever in his way. Nurmagomedov was expected to defend his lightweight title against Tony Ferguson on April 18 at UFC 249. Yet, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Dagestani champion was stuck in Russia and could not get to the States so the event was canceled.

Cole Shelton - May 6, 2020

In the co-main event of UFC 249, Henry Cejudo is looking to defend his bantamweight title for the first time against former champion, Dominick Cruz. Heading into this fight, “Triple C” is a -225 favorite while the challenger is a +180 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. The pros believe Cejudo will defend his belt, but they realize they can’t count out Cruz, who many consider is the bantamweight GOAT.

Adam Martin - May 6, 2020

Two of the best welterweights in the world will clash on the May 23 UFC card when Tyron Woodley meets Gilbert Burns in a five-round main event. Woodley and Burns have been connected a matchup for a few days now, and on Wednesday the fight was confirmed by Combate. According to Raphael Marinho, the plan is for the card to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. This jives with comments made by UFC president Dana White, who said the May 23 card would take place in Vegas.

Adam Martin - May 6, 2020

UFC president Dana White confirmed that superstar Conor McGregor wants to fight in June and he wants to compete on Fight Island. White this week admitted that McGregor wants to compete at the UFC’s new Fight Island complex, but cautioned that doing so would lose the UFC a $20 million gate due to having no fans in the arena. At the same time, White is fully aware that fans may not be allowed into arenas for a long time, and McGregor appears eager to step back into the Octagon soon.

Adam Martin - May 6, 2020

UFC middleweight legend Anderson Silva underwent surgery on his right knee and he plans on fighting the last two fights on his contract upon his return. Silva has not fought in a year since losing to Jared Cannonier via injury TKO last May at UFC 237. Now 45 years old, Silva is currently the oldest fighter on the UFC roster. Despite his age and the ugly losing skid he’s endured over the last few years, “The Spider” still has the itch to fight again and won’t let his surgery get in the way.

Tom Taylor - May 6, 2020

UFC President Dana White says it’s possible UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic will be stripped of his title if he doesn’t defend it in a timely manner. Miocic has long been linked to a tie-breaking trilogy fight with fellow heavyweight legend Daniel Cormier. That being said, Miocic moonlights as a firefighter, and is focused on his duties as a first-responder during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. He doesn’t intend to rematch Cormier until the pandemic is under control and he’s able to undertake a complete training camp.

Adam Martin - May 6, 2020

UFC president Dana White confirmed that the return of The Ultimate Fighter is in the works and named a number of potential coaching pairs for the next TUF. White recently dropped a bombshell during a Reddit AMA when he said the UFC was working on the potential return of TUF. Many figured the show would be dead due to the emergence of the Contender Series, and so it was surprising when White said that TUF would be returning “soon.”

Tom Taylor - May 6, 2020

Yoel Romero is currently riding consecutive decision losses to UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, top contender Paulo Costa, and former champ Robert Whittaker, but his coach Mike Brown believes he’ll work his way back up to the top — even at 43 years old. In fact, Brown feels Romero is the greatest athlete he’s ever worked with.

Tom Taylor - May 6, 2020

Sergio Moraes is one of several MMA stars to contract COVID-19, and he says it was the toughest opponent he’s ever faced. Consider he’s battled the likes of Kamaru Usman, Neil Magny, and James Krause, that’s saying something.

Adam Martin - May 6, 2020

The UFC is reportedly discussing a bantamweight bout between top contenders Aljamain Sterling and Cory Sandhagen for an upcoming event on June 6. Sterling vs. Sandhagen was previously targeted to take place on the UFC San Diego card that was supposed to take place on May 16 before it was canceled by the coronavirus pandemic. However, the bout was never confirmed, and when the event fizzled out so did all of the matchups that were set to take place on the event, including the main event between lightweights Dustin Poirier and Dan Hooker.

Tom Taylor - May 6, 2020

It sounds like we can pump the brakes on talk of an imminent Conor McGregor comeback. UFC president Dana White recently claimed that McGregor is ready to return to the Octagon.

Natasha Hooper - May 6, 2020

Justin Gaethje has a problem with his nose, and he’s hoping his UFC 249 opponent Tony Ferguson will fix it. On May 9, the postponed UFC 249 will finally take place despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. In the main event, Gaethje will take on the number one ranked lightweight, Ferguson.

Tom Taylor - May 6, 2020

UFC bantamweight champ Henry Cejudo is days out from a title defense opposite the former champ Dominick Cruz. Beyond that he has his sights set on former featherweight champ Jose Aldo. Speaking on Tuesday’s UFC 249 conference call, Cejudo explained why Cruz and Aldo are the top of his list.

Tom Taylor - May 6, 2020

Former UFC heavyweight Brendan Schaub recently suggested that he would fight an opponent even if they tested positive for COVID-19. This weekend, the UFC will return to our screens with UFC 249, a stacked card in Jacksonville, Florida. The UFC has undertaken extensive measures to simultaneously ensure fighter safety and dispel public skepticism, but it’s still not clear how the promotion will proceed if a fighter test positive for COVID-19.