MMA News
Tyron Woodley explains why he's confident he'd beat Israel Adesanya
Tom Taylor - May 1, 2020
It’s no secret that former UFC welterweight champ Tyron Woodley has some issues with UFC middleweight champ Israel Adesanya. During a recent episode his Hollywood Beatdown show on TMZ Sports, Woodley fired another verbal volley at Adesanya, and also explained why he believes he’d defeat the middleweight champ in a fight.
Pearl Gonzalez fires back after Curtis Blaydes criticizes female fighters
Tom Taylor - May 1, 2020
Pearl Gonzalez has some choice words for her fellow Chicagoan, top UFC heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes. On Thursday, Blaydes drummed up some controversy by suggesting that some female fighters are given preferential treatment based on their looks, rather than their athletic accomplishments.
Ovince Saint Preux expects to be outweighed by roughly 40lbs in UFC heavyweight debut
Tom Taylor - May 1, 2020
Ovince Saint Preux is a long-time UFC light heavyweight contender, but his next fight will occur in the promotion’s heavyweight division. The former interim light heavyweight title challenger will step up a division to battle Ben Rothwell on May 13. The decision to accept this fight came after his planned fights with Shamil Gamzatov and Ion Cutelaba fell through due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Marvin Vettori will be “pissed” if negative media helps screw over another UFC event
Harry Kettle - May 1, 2020
UFC middleweight Marvin Vettori believes the media will be the ones to blame if the upcoming string of UFC events do not go ahead as planned. Vettori, who is riding a two-fight win streak following his loss to Israel Adesanya back in April 2018, is considered to be one of the rising stars in the middleweight division. However, he hasn’t been able to get back into the Octagon since October after he had two fights, against Darren Stewart and Karl Roberson, called off due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
UFC releases new fight week safety protocol for athletes competing during pandemic
Natasha Hooper - May 1, 2020
The UFC has announced its new protocol to ensure the safety of fighters for its three upcoming cards on May 9, 13, and 16. The promotion intends on hosting a trifecta of fighting events this month in Jacksonville, Florida. The first event will be UFC 249 on May 9, which had previously been postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Curtis Blaydes believes certain UFC stars receive preferential treatment based on "looks" instead of "athletic achievements"
Natasha Hooper - May 1, 2020
Curtis Blaydes takes issue with bikini-clad UFC fighters who receive preferential treatment based on their looks instead of fighting skills. The UFC heavyweight contender shared his frustrations in a social media post this week. “Razor” criticized female MMA fighters who are heavily promoted based on their looks.
Donald Cerrone wants to become first UFC fighter to fight three times in one week
Adam Martin - April 30, 2020
UFC welterweight Donald Cerrone says he wants to become the first fighter in UFC history to fight three times in one week. Cerrone takes on Anthony Pettis in a rematch at UFC 249 next Saturday night in Jacksonville, Florida. Living up to his ‘anywhere, anytime’ mantra, “Cowboy” took the fight against Pettis on short notice in an effort to help the UFC save the UFC 249 card which had been decimated by the coronavirus pandemic.
Douglas Lima "disappointed" Rory MacDonald left Bellator but hopes trilogy happens down the line
Cole Shelton - April 30, 2020
Douglas Lima says he’s disappointed Rory MacDonald left Bellator as it ruined plans for a trilogy fight. MacDonald is the former Bellator welterweight champion but after losing his belt to Lima in the grand prix final, he left in free agency to PFL. Many were surprised as they figured the Canadian would re-sign to set up the trilogy with Lima, which the Brazilian thought would be the case.
Johny Hendricks explains how USADA played a role in his retirement from MMA
Cole Shelton - April 30, 2020
Johny Hendricks never failed a USADA test or took any performance-enhancing drugs in his career. But, he does say USADA played a big factor in why he retired in 2018. Hendricks claimed UFC gold back at UFC 171 where he defeated Robbie Lawler to win the vacant belt. He would then lose the title to Lawler in his next fight and USADA would be soon introduced afterward.
Stipe Miocic says there's “no way” he would accept a fight during the COVID-19 pandemic
Cole Shelton - April 30, 2020
Stipe Miocic makes it clear he won’t be defending his heavyweight title anytime soon. Miocic re-claimed the heavyweight title back at UFC 241 where he scored a fourth-round TKO win over Daniel Cormier. Since then, he has been healing up his eye injury. But, as his eye is healing the champ isn’t sure when he will fight again as he says he won’t do so while the pandemic is happening.
BJPENN.COM Radio Ep. 125 // Israel Adesanya | John Wayne Parr
Jason Kindschy - April 30, 2020
Israel Adesanya joins the show for a quick but entertaining conversation. Having taken the combat sports world by storm on his meteoric rise to super-stardom, “Stylebender” has become a popular target for many of MMA’s biggest names. While solely focused on defending his middleweight crown in early summer opposite Paulo Costa, Adesanya is confident in his abilities against Jon Jones and even the likes of heavyweight champ Stipe Miocic. Coupled with dominant performances, Adesanya has also shown an incredible knack for promotion and pushing his individual brand via social media. We’ll discuss what matchups at 185 are most intriguing, the inevitability of a showdown with Jon Jones, and what younger combat athletes can learn from Izzy’s style of promotion and showmanship. John Wayne Parr returns to the show to discuss his return to action following a brief retirement from combat sports. While this interview took place some time ago, it remains one of the best conversations we’ve had with the “Gunslinger.” As is the case with most fighters, the realities of retirement are difficult to cope with and that was certainly the case for the multiple time Muay Thai champ. Having fell into a deep depression following his sensational win over fellow Aussie combat star Anthony Mundine, Parr had become visually irritant with family and friends. That is until John accompanied his daughters boyfriend, Rocky Ogden, to a kickboxing event with ONE Championship. After speaking with Chatri Sityodtong and being offered a contract that could not refuse, the “Gunslinger” decided to return for a few more showdowns against top level talent before finally deciding to hang up his holster. We will discuss all that and much more in this quality conversation with John Wayne Parr.
BJJ with BJ: Go to the Back Transition Drill
Jason Kindschy - April 30, 2020
[brid autoplay=”true” video=”531901″ player=”20625″ title=”BJJ with BJ Go To Back Transition Drill” duration=”25″ description=”BJ Penn demonstrates back and forth back transitions” uploaddate=”2020-03-18 18:40:18″ thumbnailurl=”https://cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/15717/thumb/531901_t_1584556840.png” contentUrl=”https://cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/15717/sd/531901.mp4″”] In this segment of BJJ with BJ, “The Prodigy” shows a drill for transitioning to an opponents back.
Anthony Johnson will get top-10 opponent in UFC return, says Dana White
Adam Martin - April 30, 2020
Former UFC light heavyweight title contender Anthony Johnson will get a top-10 opponent in his return to the Octagon, whenever that is. Johnson retired from MMA after losing to Daniel Cormier at UFC 210 in April 2017 in a failed bid to become the UFC light heavyweight champion. He retired as one of the top-three fighters in his weight class, and in the last year or so Johnson has hinted that he is considering a return to the Octagon.
Junior dos Santos willing to drop to light heavyweight to fight Jon Jones
Tom Taylor - April 30, 2020
Junior dos Santos recently turned some heads by sharing a picture of his slimmed down physique. Speaking to MMA Fighting, dos Santos explained that his primary objective is simply getting his weight back down to a more ideal level—lighter than it was when he knocked out Cain Velasquez to win the heavyweight title in 2011.
Israel Adesanya "glad" Robert Whittaker is "starting to find that balance"
Tom Taylor - April 30, 2020
Former UFC middleweight champ Robert Whittaker recently opened on up on feeling “burnt out.” Israel Adesanya, the man that took Whittaker’s title, is glad to see his former foe working through these issues. Whittaker initially opened up on his troubles in an interview with the Daily Telegraph.
Luke Rockhold only sees one way Khabib Nurmagomedov can be beaten
Tom Taylor - April 30, 2020
Luke Rockhold is a long-time friend and training partner of undefeated UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. Having felt Nurmagomedov’s world class skills first-hand, Rockhold believes the lightweight champ is a nightmare matchup for just about anybody — at lightweight or welterweight. Rockhold praised the skills of the champ on a recent episode of Submission Radio.
Dana White lists the best fighters to never win a UFC title
Adam Martin - April 30, 2020
UFC president Dana White was recently asked who the best fighters are to never win a UFC title, and his list contained several legends of the sport. White took part in a Reddit AMA this week and was asked a number of intriguing questions by fans about the history of the UFC. One fan asked White who the best fighters are to never win a title in the Octagon, and here’s what the UFC president said.
Bas Rutten recounts beating three self-proclaimed "Navy SEALs" at once in Tokyo street fight
Tom Taylor - April 30, 2020
Bas Rutten has traveled all over the world over the course of his time in the combat sports industry, and he has some pretty interesting stories to share as a result. Rutten shared one of those stories on a recent episode of Submission Radio, harkening back to a time he brawled three men claiming to be Navy SEALs in the famous Roppongi district of Tokyo.