MMA News

Adam Martin - April 3, 2020

MMA coach John Kavanagh gave some advice to top lightweight contender Tony Ferguson, who is currently awaiting a new opponent for UFC 249. Ferguson was set to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov for the UFC lightweight title in the main event of UFC 249, but Nurmagomedov will no longer be able to compete at the event due to the coronavirus pandemic and travel restrictions in Russia and the U.S. That leaves Ferguson without an opponent, though the UFC has reportedly offered him a short-notice fight against Justin Gaethje to save the card.

Adam Martin - April 3, 2020

UFC heavyweight contender Jairzinho Rozenstruik is calling for an interim heavyweight title fight against Francis Ngannou to headline UFC 249. UFC president Dana White continues to be adamant the show will go on despite Khabib Nurmagomedov making it clear he cannot compete at UFC 249 against Tony Ferguson. The promotion is reportedly in talks with Ferguson and Justin Gaethje about a lightweight fight between them to headline the event, but so far nothing has been made official.

Cole Shelton - April 3, 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 to no MMA on for the foreseeable future, BJPENN.com reached out to several current and former light heavyweights to ask who their divisional GOAT is. To no surprise, the vast majority picked Jon Jones despite the USADA and legal issues.

Tom Taylor - April 3, 2020

Former UFC and Strikeforce middleweight champion Luke Rockhold still hasn’t decided if he’ll fight again, but for the moment, it’s not a priority. “I’m taking a leave of absence,” Rockhold said on the Major Waves Podcast (via MMA Junkie). “I’m just kind of doing my thing right now — getting life organized, getting things together. It’s good to be back on the West Coast. I was training out in Florida and it’s just – Florida’s tough. It’s hot, it’s humid – it’s a different lifestyle.”

Tom Taylor - April 3, 2020

Jon Jones is once again in hot water after being arrested last week. While many members of the MMA community are fed up with the UFC light heavyweight champ’s issues outside the cage, his long-time friend and training partner Michelle Waterson is standing behind him. “I love Jon and I wish the best for him and his family,” Waterson told MMA Junkie. “He’s done nothing but be really supportive of me, my career and my family, and the team.”

Tom Taylor - April 3, 2020

Joe Rogan tries to keep things pretty professional when he’s working as a UFC commentator, but at the end of the day, he’s a fight fan. So, when something crazy happens in the Octagon, he tends to lose his mind. We’ve seen it countless times over the years, and it never ceases to be entertaining. The UFC recently compiled some of the best Joe Rogan reactions in a video posted to social media. See it below:

Tom Taylor - April 3, 2020

Some fight fans might not know it, but long before Michael Bisping became the UFC middleweight champion, he was a DJ. Now retired from fighting and cooped up in his home amid the coronavirus pandemic, Bisping has been brushing up on his DJ skills and sharing the fruits of his efforts with his fans.

Adam Martin - April 3, 2020

UFC women’s flyweight contender Paige VanZant recently provided an update on her upcoming free agency plans, saying she is open to all offers. VanZant has one fight left on her current UFC contract. She was set to fight Amanda Ribas at UFC Brasilia last month but was forced to pull out of the fight after re-breaking her arm. Ribas ended up fighting Randa Markos and putting a beating on her but afterward called for the UFC to re-book the VanZant bout. Whoever VanZant fights next in the Octagon will be the last fight on her current deal, and then she will become a free agent.

Tom Taylor - April 3, 2020

UFC commentator Jon Anik says Jon Jones’ latest brush with the law makes him “very sad.” Last week, Jones was arrested for aggravated DWI and negligent use of a firearm. While Jones was able to avoid jail time, this marks the latest incident in a troubling trend for the UFC light heavyweight champ.

Harry Kettle - April 3, 2020

Ben Askren has taken yet another shot at UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman – doing so through his Twitter account. There are very few people that seem to be capable of getting under the skin of “The Nigerian Nightmare”, but it certainly appears as if “Funky” is one of them, even months after his retirement from mixed martial arts.

Natasha Hooper - April 3, 2020

Jorge Masvidal has slammed Kamaru Usman by claiming he has multiple personalities in a scathing video. The sport of MMA features many outspoken personalities and trash-talking. Fighters such as Henry Cejudo and Colby Covington have been criticized for intentionally playing up to the camera and changing their personality to gain notoriety. The “BMF” winner and rising welterweight star, Masvidal has been very critical of fighters’ media behavior. He previously called out Covington for putting on a performance despite being the “most sensitive guy in the UFC.” He also accused his former opponent Ben Askren of playing up to the camera. Now, “Gamebred” is calling out Kamaru Usman for the same behavior.

Natasha Hooper - April 3, 2020

Jorge Masvidal may have found a new friend in his former foe, Ben Askren. On Twitter, the “BMF” winner asked his former opponent to join his “creative department”, to which “Funky” responded. In recent months, Masvidal has been targetting the welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. The fighters are expected to collide in the Octagon soon. For the meantime, “Gamebred” has used his time to mock the champion and even accuse him of having “multiple personalities”. This week, he posted a video of Usman that shows “The Nigerian Nightmare” contradicting himself and previously praising the BMF champion.

Mike Pendleton - April 2, 2020

On Thursday night UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov finally addressed his recent statement regarding his availability for UFC 249. In an interview with Brett Okamoto of ESPN, Nurmagomedov said he never officially pulled out of the title fight against Tony Ferguson, he said he needs a location before any decision can be made about the fight. Originally set to take place in Brooklyn, UFC 249 is still looking for a home as worldwide restrictions on large-event gathers due to the COVID-19 pandemic have made it difficult for the UFC to find a home for the PPV event.

Cole Shelton - April 2, 2020

Khabib Nurmagomedov doesn’t believe he should be stripped of his belt after withdrawing from UFC 249. The undefeated lightweight champion did an Instagram Live where he said is stuck in Russia and UFC 249 would most likely go on without him. Following that, Ferguson called for Nurmagomedov to be stripped. For the lightweight champ, he says that proves “El Cucuy” is a stupid guy.

Adam Martin - April 2, 2020

The UFC has launched a new Record Book website and fans can now deep dive into statistics and records for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Many other sports have intensive record-keeping websites for statistics, such as Baseball-Reference for MLB and HockeyDB for hockey. Now, the UFC has its own such site in the form of the UFC Record Book. Many of the stats are taken from the old FightMetric website and they are now put together in a much more comprehensive website.

Chris Taylor - April 2, 2020

Khabib Nurmagomedov is still willing to leave Russia for a fight with Tony Ferguson on April 18, but he needs Dana White to give him some answers. The promotions undisputed UFC lightweight champion, Khabib, had hinted on Wednesday that he would be unable to participate at UFC 249 due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

Cole Shelton - April 2, 2020

UFC president Dana White says everyone knew Khabib Nurmagomedov wasn’t going to fight at UFC 249. Earlier this week, Nurmagomedov announced he was stuck in Russia due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He then took to social media again to say he would indeed be off the card which Tony Ferguson was not happy about. He called for the champ to be stripped of his belt and said the undefeated Dagestani champion was scared of him.

Tom Taylor - April 2, 2020

Khabib Nurmagomedov has spent quite a bit of time broadcasting on Instagram Live over the last 24 hours, primarily explaining why he will not be fighting Tony Ferguson at UFC 249. One of his recent sessions was nearly commandeered by his arch rival Conor McGregor. See the moment that McGregor attempted to goad Nurmagomedov into bringing him into the broadcast below (h/t RT Sport):