MMA News

Mike Pendleton - April 8, 2020

As he mulls a return to the UFC, Hall Of Famer Urijah Faber has some opponents in mind for the right price, and also has taken notice of bantamweight champion, Henry Cejudo. Cejudo became the fourth double-champ in UFC history when he defeated Marlon Moraes for the vacant bantamweight title at UFC 238 while he was already holding the flyweight title. There’s a long history between Faber and Cejudo, who happen to get some time in together back in 2009, when Cejudo was first getting started in MMA. Since then, the two have gone back-and-forth in recent social media interactions, but Faber says he has respect for “Triple C”.

Natasha Hooper - April 8, 2020

Israel Adesanya has given props to UFC president Dana White for pushing forward with fights despite the coronavirus pandemic. The middleweight champion joined Ariel Helwani this week to discuss the updated UFC 249 card. The event is scheduled to take place on April 18, but has undergone major changes in the wake of COVID-19. Khabib Nurmagomedov is out of the main event and has been replaced by Justin Gaethje. He will fight Tony Ferguson for the interim lightweight title and a new fight card has been announced. According to The New York Times, the event has also been moved to Tribal Land in California.

Natasha Hooper - April 8, 2020

MMA judges are refining their skills with the help of referee Big John McCarthy, as they rejudge the controversial UFC 247 Jones vs Reyes fight. Judges competency is a common cause of contention in the evergrowing sport. MMA professionals such as Joe Rogan and Dominick Cruz have slammed judges for inaccurate point-scoring. During UFC 247 in February 2020, Rogan accused one of the judges of not watching, and blasted their scorecards for the closely contested Jon Jones vs Dominick Reyes bout. Jones claimed the decision victory, but UFC president Dana White revealed that he scored the UFC 247 main event in favor of Reyes.

Christopher Taylor - April 8, 2020

UFC 249 has taken a major hit as it is being reported that former strawweight champion Rose Namajunas has been forced off of the April 18 fight card. Namajunas was slated to rematch Jessica Andrade in the co-headliner of UFC 249. However, according to a recent report from Combate, Rose has been forced to withdraw from the card due to undisclosed reasons.

Tom Taylor - April 8, 2020

Conor McGregor is not only a fighter, but a fight fan as well. The former two-division UFC champ often takes to social media to weigh in on the latest MMA action or praise fighters from generations past. On Wednesday, McGregor took to Twitter, where he expressed his admiration for the signature moves of some of MMA’s greatest fighters: Ronda Rousey’s armbar, Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic’s high kick, Dan Henderson’s “H-Bomb” — you get the picture.

Adam Martin - April 8, 2020

UFC lightweight contender Dustin Poirier is down to scrap rival Dan Hooker in a welterweight bout — and on a private island, to boot. UFC president Dana White announced this week that the promotion is going to have its next four fights at an undisclosed location (since revealed to be Tachi Palace), and then hold weekly fights on a private island after that. Poirier vs. Hooker was set to headline UFC San Diego on May 16, which was the fifth upcoming card on the UFC schedule. That means it could be the first event that would take place on White’s private island.

Tom Taylor - April 8, 2020

UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones was recently arrested for aggravated DWI and negligent use of a firearm. When officers searched his vehicle, they discovered a bottle of Jorge Masvidal’s Recuerdo mezcal. Colby Covington, who is Jones’ former roommate and Masvidal’s former friend, sees that as a problem. Covington sounded off on Masvidal in a recent episode of Submission Radio, scolding his former ally for giving alcohol to a man he believes has a drinking problem.

Adam Martin - April 8, 2020

Bellator women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg says she is considering taking a boxing match for her next fight and not an MMA fight. Cyborg is coming off of a destructive win over Julia Budd in Bellator that saw her claim the promotion’s women’s 145lbs belt. It was the fourth major title of Cyborg’s incredible MMA career, having been a former champion in the UFC, Strikeforce and in Invicta FC.

Tom Taylor - April 8, 2020

On Tuesday night, the New York Times reported that UFC 249, which has been without an official location for several weeks, will go down at the Tachi Palace Casino on tribal land in California. UFC President Dana White refuses to confirm that report, insisting that all that matters is that the card will be viewable on ESPN. “We’re going to be live from ESPN,” White told ESPN Get Up! host Mike Greenberg when asked where UFC 249 will occur. “It doesn’t matter where it is. First of all, no fans can come. You can’t come to the fight, you can’t buy a ticket. The only place to watch this in the United States is on ESPN and that’s the only thing that matters.

Adam Martin - April 8, 2020

MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz called UFC superstar Conor McGregor “a jealous prostitute” for the recent comments he made about Khabib Nurmagomedov. McGregor has been at the forefront of MMA’s battle against the coronavirus, posting updates on the regular about what’s going on in his native Ireland and instructing fans to stay vigilant and continue to wash their hands. However, McGregor was labeled a hypocrite for his recent comments about Nurmagomedov not wanting to fight Tony Ferguson, and now Nurmagomedov’s manager Abdelaziz has come after him for those remarks.

Tom Taylor - April 8, 2020

UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya has made no secret of his disdain for UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones. Given the pair’s animosity toward one another, it should come as no surprise that Adesanya has some thoughts on Jones’ recent DWI arrest. Adesanya’s first reactions to Jones’ arrest came in the form of a few memes, but he claims to have measured his public response to the story because he didn’t want to violate his “code.”

Harry Kettle - April 8, 2020

The California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) has vowed not to participate in or regulate the upcoming UFC 249 event on April 18. There’s been a great deal of speculation over where exactly the UFC would hold the blockbuster event, with it now being reported that it will be held on tribal land in California. The card is set to be headlined by Tony Ferguson vs Justin Gaethje for the Interim Lightweight Championship.

Cole Shelton - April 8, 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 little MMA on for the foreseeable future, BJPENN.com reached out to several current fighters to ask who the strawweight GOAT is. For many, it still is Joanna Jedrzejczyk but Rose Namajunas is right there.

Harry Kettle - April 8, 2020

Former UFC heavyweight Brendan Schaub has said that he is proud of the UFC for going ahead with the controversial UFC 249 event. Over the course of the last few weeks, there’s been a layer of uncertainty surrounding the future of UFC 249 – and understandably so. From Khabib Nurmagomedov being unable to fight all the way through to Justin Gaethje replacing him, the coronavirus pandemic had seemingly put an end to any hope of this event taking place.

Natasha Hooper - April 8, 2020

Colby Covington has threatened to end Tyron Woodley’s life, leaving the UFC to “throw his dead body to the sharks.” The former welterweight champion, Woodley was scheduled to fight Leon Edwards in the main event of UFC London last month. The fight was eventually cancelled due to the ongoing threat of coronavirus. Now, “The Chosen One” has found a new target in the form of Covington. Woodley previously volunteered to fight the recent title challenger at UFC 249 on April 18, but claimed that his rival turned down the opportunity.

Cole Shelton - April 7, 2020

It appears the UFC has found the location for UFC 249 and it will be on Tribal Land in California. Although Dana White said he would be securing a private island, UFC 249 will not be happening out at sea. Instead, according to a report from Jeff Sherwood and later confirmed by the New York Times, UFC 249 will take place at the Tachi Palace Casino Resort on Tribal Land in California. It will also serve as the location for the next several UFC events.

Cole Shelton - April 7, 2020

Justin Gaethje knows he won’t be able to go a full 25 minutes against Tony Ferguson at UFC 249, but is confident he’ll earn a stoppage win. On Monday it was announced that Gaethje was stepping in on short notice against Ferguson on April 18 for the UFC’s interim lightweight title. The news came as a surprise to many, as “The Highlight” has opted against taking short-notice fights in the past. However, fighting for the belt was too big of a opportunity to pass up on.

Mike Pendleton - April 7, 2020

The sports and entertainment world always seem to mix, and in combat sports, fighters can truly show another side of themselves by the music they choose to walk out to. At UFC 245, flyweight Jessica Eye walked out too ‘You Should See Me In A Crown’ by Billie Eilish, and that was a message being sent to the entire division, but it was also much more than that. During her interview with BJPENN.com, Eye discussed why she chose that song for her walkout, how she got introduced to Eilish’s music, and how Eilish as an artist is a motivation not only for Eye’s career, but her personal life as well.