MMA News
List of UFC's coronavirus-related precautions for UFC 249 revealed
Tom Taylor - April 8, 2020
Dana White and the UFC will go ahead with the UFC 249 card despite the coronavirus pandemic. The event will go down at the Tachi Palace Casino on tribal land in California on April 18. Given the current global health crisis, the UFC will promote this event and any future pandemic-era shows while adhering to a list of important precautions. Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports obtained those precautions, and Bloody Elbow converted them into a nice, reader-friendly list.
Pro fighters name the strawweight GOAT
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.
Brendan Schaub is “proud” of the UFC for proceeding with UFC 249
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.
Colby Covington vows to "end" Tyron Woodley at Fight Island, feed his body to the sharks
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.
Urijah Faber not ruling out another fight, mentions Frankie Edgar and Pedro Munhoz as opponents
Adam Martin - April 7, 2020
UFC Hall of Famer Urijah Faber says he is not officially retired and he would consider taking another fight in the Octagon under the right circumstances. Faber last competed at UFC 245 in December where he suffered a vicious knockout loss to Petr Yan. It was Faber’s second fight back after a short-lived retirement, having knocked out Ricky Simon in his comeback fight. But the Yan knockout loss was a huge setback for Faber and the way he lost led to some suggesting he should hang his gloves back up.
Justin Gaethje says he has "18 to 19 minutes of pure hell" for Tony Ferguson at UFC 249
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.
Jessica Eye credits Billie Eilish's music and personality as motivation
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.
Tony Ferguson on Justin Gaethje: "I’m gonna give him a highlight of his own"
Cole Shelton - April 7, 2020
Tony Ferguson plans on making a statement in his UFC 249 fight against Justin Gaethje. On Monday it was announced Ferguson would battle Gaethje for the interim lightweight title after Khabib Nurmagomedov was stuck in Russia. It is no doubt frustrating for “El Cucuy” who was set to fight for the undisputed belt for the first time in his career.
Dominick Cruz ready to step in and fight Henry Cejudo at UFC 250
Natasha Hooper - April 7, 2020
The former bantamweight champion, Dominick Cruz is preparing for a title shot against Henry Cejudo at UFC 250. The upcoming UFC 250 card on Saturday 9 May was expected to headline Cejudo’s first title defense against Jose Aldo. The event was scheduled to take place in the title challenger’s home country of Brazil.
Odds released for all 12 UFC 249 fights
Adam Martin - April 7, 2020
The sportsbooks have released the full card betting odds for UFC 249 after Dana White announced the new card that will take place at a location TBD. Despite the coronavirus pandemic ravaging the world, White has been adamant this whole time that the show will go on for the UFC. Indeed, the promotion announced a full slate of 12 fights on Monday, including a terrific main event for the interim UFC lightweight title between top contenders Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje. No location has been released yet, but White says he has a spot set up that will house the event, albeit with no fans.
Pro heavyweights name their 265-pound GOAT
Cole Shelton - April 7, 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 heavyweights to ask who their divisional GOAT is. The pros were split between Stipe Miocic and Fedor Emelianenko.
Dana White says select media members will be invited to UFC 249
Adam Martin - April 7, 2020
UFC president Dana White confirmed that select media members will be invited to be a part of UFC 249 despite the restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic. White announced Monday the full UFC 249 card, including an interim lightweight title fight between Justin Gaethje and Tony Ferguson at the top of the bill. Also on the card is a rematch between former women’s strawweight champions Jessica Andrade and Rose Namajunas, a heavyweight bout between Francis Ngannou and Jairzinho Rozenstruik, and a featherweight bout between Calvin Kattar and Jeremy Stephens. The location is still a secret.
Dana White says UFC 249 fighters will be safer than people sitting at home or going to the grocery store
Adam Martin - April 7, 2020
UFC president Dana White claims that the fighters competing at UFC 249 will be safer than fans sitting at home or going to the grocery store. White made UFC 249 official on Monday, booking 12 fights for the card including an interim lightweight title bout between Justin Gaethje and Tony Ferguson for the main event. The event will go on as planned despite the coronavirus pandemic ravaging the world, though White has not yet released a location for the card, instead deciding to keep it a secret.
Dana White explains why he's keeping the location of UFC 249 a secret
Adam Martin - April 7, 2020
UFC president Dana White explained why he’s keeping the location of UFC 249 a secret despite the event being less than two weeks away from happening. White announced the full card for UFC 249 on Monday, which includes a tremendous interim lightweight title bout between Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje at the top of the card. However, while the UFC announced 12 fights that will take place at the event, one thing the promotion did not reveal was the location of the event.
Justin Gaethje explains decision to "gamble" on short-notice Ferguson fight
Tom Taylor - April 7, 2020
Justin Gaethje has accepted a short-notice, interim lightweight title fight with Tony Ferguson, arguably the scariest man in the division. The pair will collide in the main event of UFC 249 on April 18. Speaking to TMZ Sports, Gaethje explained his decision to accept this fight with Ferguson — despite being admittedly “terrified” by the situation.
Dana White discusses UFC 249's impact on Conor McGregor
Tom Taylor - April 7, 2020
UFC President Dana White isn’t sure what’s next for former two-division champ Conor McGregor, who is far and away the promotion’s biggest star. Things are quite chaotic at the top of the lightweight division at present, as undisputed champ Khabib Nurmagomedov is stuck in Russia due to coronavirus-related travel restrictions, and Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje are set to battle for the interim title in the short-notice main event of UFC 249 on April 18. It’s difficult to say where McGregor, the lightweight division’s biggest name and one of its top contenders, fits into this situation.
Cage Warriors locks down 'private location' for upcoming events
Tom Taylor - April 7, 2020
It’s looking like MMA is back on the menu! Hours after UFC President Dana White announced that his promotion has locked down a “private island” for its upcoming shows, Cage Warriors boss Graham Boylan announced that he’s found a viable location for the his promotion’s upcoming event. See this announcement from the Cage Warriors boss below:
VIDEO | Daniel Cormier reacts after realizing he had been duped by fake account regarding UFC 249 news
Natasha Hooper - April 7, 2020
Fans weren’t the only ones duped by a fake Ariel Helwani account this week, as former two-division UFC champion Daniel Cormier was also tricked into believing a false announcement about Khabib Nurmagomedov. Over the weekend, a fraudulent account impersonating Ariel Helwani (spelled Helvani) reported some breaking news. The account announced that UFC president Dana White and Vladimir Putin had arranged for UFC lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov to travel the US to fight Tony Ferguson in their scheduled UFC 249 bout. The Twitter account used the same profile picture as Helwani’s official account, so it certainly looked the part.