MMA News

Chris Taylor - April 11, 2020

Daniel Cormier says he would be “insane” not to consider an offer to become UFC President when Dana White’s tenure comes to an end. The former two-division UFC champion, Cormier, is hoping to participate in one last contest, a trilogy bout with reigning heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic, before hanging up his gloves for good.

Chris Taylor - April 11, 2020

The opening odds have been released for a potential UFC bantamweight title fight between Dominick Cruz and Henry Cejudo. The Cruz vs. Cejudo bout was reported to be in the works by Combate, this after Jose Aldo was forced off of the UFC 250 fight card due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Chris Taylor - April 11, 2020

A rematch between former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman and former title challenger Yoel Romero was nearly added to UFC 250. Romero and Weidman had fired met at UFC 205 in November of 2016, with ‘The Soldier of God’ emerging victorious by way of a brutal third round knockout (see that here).

Cole Shelton - April 11, 2020

One of the biggest questions in all of MMA is who is the GOAT? Is it someone who had the biggest impact on the sport or the person who won the most? It’s an interesting debate for fighters and fans alike to have at any time. So, with far less MMA on the calendar than normal, BJPENN.com reached out to several current and former fighters to ask who the MMA GOAT is. To no surprise, the common names that came up where Jon Jones and Georges St-Pierre

Adam Martin - April 10, 2020

Newly-signed UFC flyweight Manel Kape went on the offensive against Cody Garbrandt, suggesting the former bantamweight champ can’t save flyweight. Kape, the former RIZIN bantamweight champion, is the latest signing in the UFC flyweight division. A former champion in RIZIN, Kape is coming off of a title fight win over Kai Asakura. The UFC matchmakers liked what they saw from him in the RIZIN ring and decided to sign him to a free-agent contract. He immediately becomes one of the top contenders for the currently-vacant UFC flyweight championship.

Tom Taylor - April 10, 2020

For a brief period, Justin Gaethje had UFC title fight to look forward to. Unfortunately, he’ll now have to wait for his first bid at UFC gold. Gaethje was called upon when undisputed UFC lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov was forced out of his planned UFC 249 title fight with Tony Ferguson. Gaethje accepted this offer, and was matched up with Ferguson in a short-notice interim lightweight title fight.

Tom Taylor - April 10, 2020

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell believes he could have given the division’s reigning champ Jon Jones some trouble if they fought in their primes. Liddell broached the topic of a potential fight with Jones during a Q&A on Twitter earlier this week.

Tom Taylor - April 10, 2020

Ray Borg is one of many fighters who expected to compete at UFC 249, but will now have to make other plans. On Thursday, UFC President Dana White announced to ESPN that, despite his very best efforts, UFC 249 has been canceled due to difficulties associated with the coronavirus pandemic.

Adam Martin - April 10, 2020

MMA coach John Kavanagh is interested in seeing the UFC hold a tournament for the lightweight title upon resumption if its fight schedule. All upcoming UFC events are postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The UFC interim lightweight title bout between Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje, which was set to take place at UFC 249, was one of the fights affected by the postponements. Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor, two of the UFC’s biggest stars, also won’t be fighting anytime soon on account of the UFC schedule currently being on hiatus.

Tom Taylor - April 10, 2020

Greg Hardy appreciates the effort Dana White put in to make the UFC 249 card a reality during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Hardy, a former NFL player and current UFC heavyweight contender, was originally expected to return to the Octagon against Yorgan De Castro at UFC Columbus on March 28. When that card fell through, however, Hardy and De Castro’s collision was relocated to the UFC 249 card, which was scheduled for April 18.

Tom Taylor - April 10, 2020

Francis Ngannou recently reacted to the postponement of the UFC 249 card, which was supposed to include his heavyweight fight with Jairzinho Rozenstruik. UFC 249 was scheduled for April 18. The card was originally expected to occur in Brooklyn, New York, but amid tightening restrictions enacted to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, it was moved to tribal land in California. As it turns out, not even this move could save the event. Amid growing pressure from ESPN, its parent company Disney, and even some politicians, UFC President Dana White announced Thursday night that the card has been postponed.

Natasha Hooper - April 10, 2020

Ronda Rousey has gone from judo expert to COVID-19 expert. She’s shared some important information regarding the ongoing pandemic. To prevent the spread of coronavirus, individuals have been advised to self-isolate and stay indoors. The former UFC champion has been sharing her quarantine tips from her Youtube channel and social media.

Cole Shelton - April 10, 2020

Mike Winkeljohn believes Holly Holm is close to another crack at UFC gold. Holm fought for the bantamweight title back at UFC 239 where she suffered a first-round knockout loss to Amanda Nunes. Winkeljohn says the former champion made some crucial mistakes that costed her. “The Preacher’s Daughter” then rebounded with a decision win over Raquel Pennington at UFC 246.

Tom Taylor - April 10, 2020

Joe Rogan has now shared his thoughts on the cancelation of the UFC 249. UFC 249 was scheduled for April 18. The card was originally expected to occur in Brooklyn, New York, but amid tightening restrictions enacted to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, it was moved to tribal land in California. As it turns out, not even this could save UFC 249. Amid growing pressure from ESPN, parent company Disney, and even some politicians, UFC President Dana White announced Thursday night that the card has been canceled.

Harry Kettle - April 10, 2020

According to a recent report from the New York Times, California governor Gavin Newsom served as the catalyst behind UFC 249 being shut down. Last night the confirmation came through that UFC 249, which was set to take place on April 18, will no longer be happening as a result of Disney and ESPN officials informing UFC president Dana White that they wanted him to stand down.

Harry Kettle - April 10, 2020

ESPN has issued a brief statement after it was confirmed that they played an important role in shutting down the controversial UFC 249 event. It was confirmed last night that UFC 249 will not be going ahead on April 18 as we previously thought. UFC president Dana White did just about everything in his power to get the job done, but in the end, the higher ups at Disney and ESPN put a stop to proceedings.

Cole Shelton - April 9, 2020

Tony Ferguson wasn’t too fazed about UFC 249 being canceled. Ferguson was expected to headline the card against Justin Gaethje for the interim lightweight title. It was a fascinating bout that was slated to go down on Tribal Land in California.

Adam Martin - April 9, 2020

Eric Albarracin, the coach for UFC bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo, expressed his frustration that Cejudo kept training during the coronavirus pandemic. Cejudo was set to take on Jose Aldo in the main event of UFC 250, which was set for May 9 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The event had to be relocated to Tachi Palace due to the coronavirus pandemic and Cejudo was set to fight Dominick Cruz on short notice, but on Thursday the UFC announced it was postponing all upcoming events including UFC 250. That leaves Cejudo without a fight, and his coach Albarracin is frustrated.