MMA News

Adam Martin - March 26, 2020

MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz took to social media to urge MMA promotions including the UFC to take care of their fighters during the coronavirus pandemic. Abdelaziz manages several of the UFC’s biggest stars including Khabib Nurmagomedov, Henry Cejudo, Kamaru Usman, Frankie Edgar, and Justin Gaethje. He is arguably the most influential manager in MMA today and his message can reach a large audience. Though controversial due to his past, Abdelaziz remains a well-respected manager among his stable of fighters due to his ability to get them lucrative contracts and big fights.

Harry Kettle - March 26, 2020

Anthony Johnson has revealed the fight that inspired him to take a leap of faith and commit to making a UFC comeback. Ever since his last fight back at UFC 210, fans have been wondering whether or not Johnson would ever step foot inside the Octagon again. Now, it appears as if it’s just a matter of time before the knockout artist is back competing for the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Cole Shelton - March 26, 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 flyweights to ask who their divisional GOAT is. To no surprise, the majority gave the nod to Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson for his reign atop the UFC flyweight division for years.

Natasha Hooper - March 26, 2020

UFC Fighter Bryce Mitchell has joined the conspiracy camp after he called the novel coronavirus a government-borne illness. The ongoing Coronavirus pandemic has spelled disaster for many industries including sports. Most live sporting events have been cancelled or postponed to prevent mass contagion. Dana White has cancelled three UFC fight cards and many future shows will likely be broadcast from a closed arena.

Harry Kettle - March 26, 2020

UFC flyweight Ashlee Evans-Smith has been accused of stealing donated medical supplies in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. Evans-Smith, who saw her fight at UFC London against Molly McCann get canceled, recently went to pick up a dresser from an individual who had being planning to donate some medical supplies to a local hospital. With her boyfriend, Evans-Smith allegedly took the medical supplies in question alongside the dresser and drove off.

Adam Martin - March 25, 2020

UFC president Dana White blasted the media over its coverage of UFC 249, telling those covering the sport for a living “I don’t give a f*ck what you think.” The coronavirus pandemic has shut down nearly all professional sports leagues, but that hasn’t stopped White from wanting to continue hosting events. The UFC president said this week that he plans on going ahead with UFC 249 at a location to-be-determined, despite the possible risk factors for the fighters and those involved with the event’s production due to the coronavirus outbreak that has ravaged the world.

Cole Shelton - March 25, 2020

Darren Till has spoken out about his friendship with alleged Kinahan Cartel leader, Daniel Kinahan. The middleweight contender made headlines early on Wednesday when a photo was released of Till posing with a boxer and Kinahan. There are reports Kinahan lives in Dubai now due to the fact he fears he will be assassinated if he moves back to Ireland.

Cole Shelton - March 25, 2020

Kevin Lee is interested in grappling Dillon Danis, and he wants $100,000 on the line. Danis has called out Lee in the past and “The Motown Phenom” is interested in making it happen this summer. But, he knows if it doesn’t happen this year, it can happen anytime as it is a match everyone will want to see.

Jordy McElroy - March 25, 2020

Objects in the mirror may be closer than they appear, but it’s truly the offbeat, borderline eccentric madman riding shotgun that should be most concerning to UFC lightweight king Khabib Nurmagomedov. Top contender Tony Ferguson won’t make it rain green like Conor McGregor, but he could make it spew red by giving the champ a fight the likes of which the lightweight division has never seen. Money, hype, showmanship—any quantifiable description of a mere spectacle falls at the wayside when pitting the baddest 155-pounders on the planet against one another.

Natasha Hooper - March 25, 2020

Oddsmakers have released the most likely location for UFC 249. On April 18th, the eagerly anticipated matchup between Tony Ferguson vs Khabib Nurmagomedov is expected to headline the UFC 249 event. However, due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic and the cancellation of multiple MMA events, the likelihood of the April show has remained up in the air.

Mike Pendleton - March 25, 2020

Although he was directly affected by the UFC having to postpone recent fight cards, MMA coach Din Thomas is praising UFC President Dana White for his efforts to push forward. Thomas was supposed to be in the corner for Tyron Woodley’s scheduled fight against Leon Edwards in London, but the UFC pulled the plug on that event even after they scrambled to move locations and possibly opponents for the main event. During an interview with On The Mic podcast, Thomas defended Dana White for his urgency and push to keep the UFC events continuing on.

Cole Shelton - March 25, 2020

Artem Lobov says he nearly signed with KSW before the COVID-19 pandemic halted negotiations. Lobov is currently a free agent and is looking to sign a non-exclusive contract so he can fight in MMA, boxing, and bare-knuckle fighting. While looking for that, “The Russian Hammer” says KSW was showing a ton of interest and they were getting ready to sign a bout agreement until the pandemic practically shut the world down.

Harry Kettle - March 25, 2020

UFC president Dana White believes the sport of boxing is in big trouble as the future of Zuffa Boxing remains unknown. It’s no secret that Dana White’s first love was boxing, but thankfully for mixed martial arts fans all around the world, he was able to land on his feet in the UFC, building a fantastic organization and product in the process alongside the Fertitta brothers, Lorenzo and Frank.

Tom Taylor - March 25, 2020

According to UFC President Dana White, the UFC 249 card we end up with could be very different than the one we initially expected. On Wednesday, White appeared on an Instagram Live session with ESPN/UFC reporter Brett Okamoto. White divulged that the UFC 249 card will likely include several matchups originally scheduled for the card — including the Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson main event — in addition to a number of other matchups that were scheduled for the events that were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. One of those matchups is likely to be a rescheduled heavyweight fight between Francis Ngannou and Jairzinho Rozenstruik, which was originally expected to headline the UFC Columbus card.

Adam Martin - March 25, 2020

With little MMA going on at the moment due to the coronavirus outbreak, it’s time to get on our creative hats and ponder questions about the future of the sport. One of those questions is about who could be the next fighter to break through to the next stage of their career in the UFC. Someone always emerges from out of nowhere, but who exactly will that be? Below, I’ll list five fighters who are currently unranked and who could be UFC champions in 2021. The only rule is the fighter cannot currently be ranked in the top-15 of the UFC rankings. And without further ado, let’s take a look at the top five:

Tom Taylor - March 25, 2020

Francis Ngannou says he has been tested for the coronavirus — and that the test was facilitated by the UFC. Ngannou announced that he’s been tested for the virus on a recent episode of Submission Radio.

Adam Martin - March 25, 2020

Jose Aldo is training at home with his wife for his upcoming title fight against Henry Cejudo at UFC 250 due to his gym Nova Uniao being closed. Nova Uniao leader Andre Pederneiras was forced to close the gym due to the coronavirus pandemic. Aldo had been training at his long-time gym up until last week, but due to the severity of the coronavirus outbreak, Pederneiras had to shut the doors to the gym. That leaves Aldo without his training camp for his scheduled bantamweight title fight against Cejudo at UFC 250 in May. As of right now, the Sao Paulo card is still a go.

Tom Taylor - March 25, 2020

For many years, Mike Dolce served as the nutritionist for UFC welterweight champion Johny Hendricks. Speaking on a video posted on his YouTube channel on Wednesday morning, Dolce recounted one of the wilder moments of his work with Hendricks: nearly getting jumped by Nick Diaz and his entourage in a parking lot outside a UFC event. Dolce explained that this incident occurred around the weigh-ins for Hendricks’ first fight with Robbie Lawler. Hendricks initially missed weight for the fight by less than a pound, and was infamously taunted by Diaz while he was on the scale—but that’s apparently not where the trouble ended.