MMA News
Who has the best chance to end Henry Cejudo's reign?
Cole Shelton - April 13, 2020
Henry Cejudo has considered himself the greatest combat sports athlete of all-time. He’s the current bantamweight champion but has yet to defend the belt, although he was expected to battle Jose Aldo at UFC 250. When the UFC returns to normal Cejudo will have a tough road ahead to defend his strap. The bantamweight division has the likes of Aljamain Sterling, Petr Yan, and Cory Sandhagen among others. So, who has the best chance to end “Triple C’s” reign as champ?
John McCarthy shares thoughts on UFC 249 cancelation: "It wasn’t Dana that shut it down"
Tom Taylor - April 13, 2020
Veteran MMA referee John McCarthy believes the top dogs at Disney and ESPN asked UFC President Dana White to cancel UFC 249 because they were concerned about the optics of going ahead with the event during a public health crisis. McCarthy weighed in on the cancelation of the card, which was most recently expected to go down at the Tachi Palace Casino on tribal land in California on April 18, on his Weighing In podcast.
Al Iaquinta predicts Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson outcome
Natasha Hooper - April 13, 2020
Al Iaquinta believes Khabib Nurmagomedov will probably beat Tony Ferguson — if they ever end up fighting. In the main event of UFC 249, the undisputed lightweight champ Nurmagomedov was set to defend his title for the third time against Ferguson. Unfortunately, the event was ultimately canceled, marking the fifth time a bout between the pair had fallen through.
Daniel Cormier describes "crazy" precautions UFC had in place for UFC 249 commentators
Tom Taylor - April 13, 2020
Daniel Cormier was willing to put on the commentary head-set and call the recently canceled UFC 249 card — provided the UFC could guarantee a safe work environment during the COVID-19 pandemic. From the sounds of it, Cormier was satisfied with the measures the UFC had in place to keep staff — specifically commentators — out of harm’s way during this health crisis.
Henry Cejudo reacts to UFC 250 postponement
Tom Taylor - April 13, 2020
Last week, UFC President Dana White announced that UFC 249 — along with all other upcoming UFC cards — are indefinitely postponed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. That includes the UFC 250 card, which was expected to be headlined by the latest appearance from UFC bantamweight champ Henry Cejudo. UFC 250 was originally expected to go down in Brazil on May 9 and be headlined by a title fight between Cejudo and former featherweight champ Jose Aldo. Amid growing travel restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic, however, the card was briefly relocated to US soil, at which point Cejudo was instead matched up with former bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz.
Colby Covington planning move to WWE in 2021
Adam Martin - April 13, 2020
UFC welterweight contender Colby Covington says he plans on making the move to professional wrestling with the WWE in 2021. Covington has taken the pro wrestling approach to his mixed martial arts career in recent years, dropping promos on the mic whenever he can. He is one of the top three welterweights in the world right now but many fans and media have always felt his calling could be the world of professional wrestling just due to his ability to talk on the mic.
MMA photographer Anthony Causi dies at 48 from coronavirus
Adam Martin - April 13, 2020
Sports photographer Anthony Causi, who was responsible for some of the most iconic photos in MMA history, has passed away at age 48 from coronavirus. Causi was a photographer for the New York Post and the publication who he worked for broke the sad news that he passed away Sunday night in NYC after succumbing to the coronavirus. He is survived by his wife, Romina, and his two children, John and Mia.
Conor McGregor: UFC star's €1m donation sees 50,000 PPE masks delivered to Irish hospitals
Tom Taylor - April 13, 2020
Conor McGregor recently donated €1 million worth of protective gear to hospitals in his native Ireland. The pile of supplies McGregor purchased — which includes 50,000 PPE masks — are now reaching their destinations, which will hopefully make things easier on frontline staff as they continue to work against the coronavirus pandemic. See some photos of the supplies McGregor purchased reaching their destinations below:
Jon Jones responds after Ariel Helwani suggests his recent arrest could cost him GOAT status
Harry Kettle - April 13, 2020
UFC light heavyweight king Jon Jones has issued a response after Ariel Helwani suggested his recent arrest could cost him his ‘GOAT’ status. It’s safe to say that this has been a difficult time for Jones, with his reputation once again being in the gutter as a direct result of his inability to get out of his own way. While some believe he needs help, others want to see the Ultimate Fighting Championship punish him as they would with many others.
Jon Jones refuses to throw shade at Daniel Cormier: “He was decent in his last comments regarding me”
Natasha Hooper - April 13, 2020
Following his recent arrest for Driving While Intoxicated (DWI), Jon Jones has dialed back his disdain for his former rival Daniel Cormier. In March, the UFC light heavyweight champion was stopped by police in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Jones was arrested for a DWI, having an open container, and negligent use of a firearm. This isn’t the first time “Bones” has had a brush with the law, as he was also arrested for a hit and run in 2015.
Darren Till willing to compete on Fight Island but doesn’t expect UFC will hold events for months
Harry Kettle - April 13, 2020
UFC middleweight Darren Till has said that he’s willing to compete on Dana White’s proposed Fight Island, but that it probably won’t be anytime soon. Till has been one of the names on everyone’s lips over the course of the last few months, both for his hilarious antics on social media and his impressive win over Kelvin Gastelum in New York City late last year.
Jon Jones and Israel Adesanya hit below the belt in heated Twitter skirmish
Tom Taylor - April 13, 2020
Jon Jones and Israel Adesanya did not hold back in their latest social media skirmish. The pair, who are the UFC light heavyweight and middleweight champs respectively, went at it on Sunday night — and nothing was off limits. The back-and-forth began when Adesanya poked Jones, recycling a line Jones famously used on Daniel Cormier several years ago.
Khabib Nurmagomedov hints at September return to the Octagon
Adam Martin - April 12, 2020
UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov took to social media to hint at a return to the Octagon in September after UFC 249 fell apart due to COVID-19. Nurmagomedov was set to defend his belt against Tony Ferguson in the main event of UFC 249 but the event fell apart after the coronavirus pandemic destroyed the UFC’s schedules. Nurmagomedov had problems leaving Russia to fly back to the United States for the event, but ultimately it didn’t matter as the event was postponed after ESPN stepped in and told UFC president Dana White to stand down and stop the card from happening.
Israel Adesanya talks smack to Jon Jones, calls him a "p*ssy"
Adam Martin - April 12, 2020
UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya talked smack to UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones on Twitter, calling him a “p*ssy.” We all know there’s no love lost between Adesanya and Jones. The two champions have engaged in verbal sparring ever since Adesanya won the middleweight title from Robert Whittaker at UFC 243 last October. Adesanya has guaranteed that he’ll eventually meet Jones inside the Octagon, though Jones so far has brushed off all of Adesanya’s previous callouts in the past.
Videos | Top 5 Submissions: UFC 1 – UFC 10
Adam Martin - April 12, 2020
Check out videos of the top five submissions from the early days of the UFC, from UFC 1 to UFC 10, featuring the legendary BJJ expert Royce Gracie. In our latest series here at BJPenn.com “Top 5 Submissions” we take a look at the most lethal submissions from the first 10 UFC events. All the submissions took place between 1993 and 1996, and they still hold strong over 25 years later. Keep in mind there are many other submissions deserving of the list, but we had to choose just five. Take a look at our top-five list below.
VIDEO | Watch Anthony Smith home invader break into a neighbor's home
Adam D Martin - April 12, 2020
New footage has been released of the home invader in the Anthony Smith case, Luke Haberman, allegedly breaking into a neighbor’s home. The story of Smith having his house broken into in the middle of the night by a screaming stranger later confirmed to be Haberman went viral this past week. Smith admitted that he was terrified of the intruder and scared for his family, but ultimately he was able to control and subdue the intruder after a life-and-death struggle.
Conor McGregor sampled in new track by Tory Lanez
Adam D Martin - April 12, 2020
UFC superstar Conor McGregor had a famous quote of his sampled in a newly-released track by Canadian rapping sensation Tory Lanez. McGregor is one of the most quotable athletes in mixed martial arts and we previously covered some of his best quotes in a recent article. One of his most notable quotes is this one: “I’d like to take this chance to apologize, to absolutely nobody!” It’s one of the most oft-quoted sayings from McGregor, and now it’s part of a new rap song by Lanez, the Toronto-based Grammy-nominated rapper, who just dropped a new album.
Michael Bisping believes drugs played a key role in Anthony Smith home invasion, recalls similar experience
Adam D Martin - April 12, 2020
Former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping believed that the intruder in the Anthony Smith home invasion was on drugs at the time of the attack. Smith made headlines last week when he told the story of an intruder entering his family home in the middle of the night, where he got into a life-and-death struggle that ultimately ended with the man being arrested by police. Smith admitted that he was terrified of the ordeal and said he feared for his life. Many MMA fighters have responded to the incident in support of Smith, and Bisping is no exception.