MMA News

Tom Taylor - March 20, 2020

The coronavirus pandemic has caused the combat sports industry to grind to a halt. Dozens of events have been postponed or canceled outright, and fighters are being deprived of the opportunity to compete. Yet Chael Sonnen believes this pandemic-related shutdown of the industry could be beneficial to fighters if they take proper advantage. In his eyes, fighters have a golden opportunity to gain some attention with much of the other noise drowned out.

Adam Martin - March 20, 2020

UFC lightweight rivals Dustin Poirier and Dan Hooker wished each other well, agreeing to fight when the coronavirus pandemic is over. Poirier and Hooker are set to meet in the main event of UFC San Diego in May, but with the coronavirus outbreak wreaking havoc on the sports world and on the UFC schedule, there’s no guarantee that fight or card will still go on.

Harry Kettle - March 20, 2020

Footage has recently been released of a 16-year-old Andy Ruiz Jr. sparring with former UFC Heavyweight Champion Andrei Arlovski. The combat sports world has gone into lockdown over the course of the last few weeks as a direct result of the coronavirus outbreak. Therefore, fans are taking comfort in the knowledge that there is a whole lot of footage out there from years gone by that they can watch as we wait for things to settle down. In addition to that, newly discovered footage is also being unveiled — as seen here when Ruiz Jr. posted up the following clip of him and Arlovski going at it many years ago.

Tom Taylor - March 20, 2020

Dana White has been working hard to keep the UFC running during the coronavirus pandemic. While he ultimately had to “indefinitely postpone” three UFC shows, he delayed doing so until the last possible minute, and has been adamant future shows will go down as planned. White’s reluctance to bend to the coronavirus pandemic has generated some understandable criticism from fans and media alike. He has not taken kindly to that criticism.

Natasha Hooper - March 20, 2020

Sam Alvey feels bad for all the people affected by coronavirus, but declared there has been a “huge overreaction” to the pandemic. With his upcoming fight against Khalil Rountree at UFC on ESPN 8 scrapped, “Smile’n” Alvey reacted to the company’s decision to cancel three upcoming shows. The news came after President Donald Trump declared no more than 10 people should gather at one time.

Natasha Hooper - March 20, 2020

Cage Warriors’ presenter Layla Anna-Lee recently gave BJPENN.com the low down on how she’s been affected by the novel coronavirus. She also responded to backlash over Cage Warriors’ decision to go ahead with Friday night’s CW113 show in spite of the outbreak. Layla Anna-Lee is a British Brazilian sports presenter covering MMA, boxing and football. She presents for the UK MMA promotion Cage Warriors. The company is home to some of the best emerging talent, with fighters such as Conor McGregor and Michael Bisping having graced its cage in the past.

Harry Kettle - March 20, 2020

Mirko Cro Cop took some time to remind the world why he’s still a bad, bad man in a recently released training video on Instagram. The Croatian heavyweight is widely considered to be one of the most iconic fighters in the history of the division, with his professional combat sports career lasting over 23 years across both kickboxing and mixed martial arts.

Cole Shelton - March 19, 2020

Gegard Mousasi believes he would have success against Israel Adesanya if they were to fight. Mousasi, who is the former Bellator middleweight champion, says he has sparred with people who fought Adesanya in Glory Kickboxing, which is why he thinks he’d have success.

Natasha Hooper - March 19, 2020

Derrick Lewis is thankful Israel Adesanya and Yoel Romero have taken his spot with the most boring fight in MMA history. As the Coronavirus pandemic increases, “The Black Beast” spoke to Ariel Helwani from home about his health, a Francis Ngannou rematch and the lackluster UFC 248 headliner, between Yoel Romero vs Israel Adesanya. The fight signified Adesanya’s first title defence as middleweight champion, but it failed to grab the attention of fans who dubbed the five-rounds bout boring.

Cole Shelton - March 19, 2020

Johnny Walker will continue to train under Firas Zahabi at TriStar gym in Montreal despite losing at UFC Brasilia. The Brazilian was someone who many believed was on the fast track to a title shot against Jon Jones. Walker had quick knockout wins over Khalil Rountree, Justin Ledet and then Misha Crikunov. Yet, he is now on a two-fight losing skid, this after being knocked out by Corey Anderson and dropping a decision to Nikita Krylov.

Adam Martin - March 19, 2020

UFC heavyweight contender Derrick Lewis is calling for a rematch with Francis Ngannou, hoping to redeem himself after their first fight was a snoozer. Lewis and Ngannou first met back at UFC 226 in a highly-anticipated heavyweight bout between two knockout artists. Unfortunately for the fans, the fight turned out to be a stinker, with neither man engaging with each other on the feet, leading to one of the most boring fights in recent memory. Lewis won the fight and it earned him a title shot against Daniel Cormier at UFC 230, but two years later and he wants to right the wrong of how disappointing the fight was for the fans to watch.

Tom Taylor - March 19, 2020

Ben Askren believes UFC welterweight champ Kamaru Usman had a golden opportunity to gain some traction with the fans when he fought Colby Covington at UFC 245 last December. By Askren’s estimation, Covington is arguably the most hated fighter in MMA at present. As a result, he feels Usman could have gained some real popularity if he’d played the good guy in the lead-up to his fight with Covington.

Tom Taylor - March 19, 2020

Last Friday, Bellator President Scott Coker made the decision to cancel the Bellator 241 card at the last-minute amid growing concerns surrounding the coronavirus pandemic. Coker promptly announced that all the fighters that were scheduled to compete on the card would be paid. John McCarthy, a veteran MMA referee who now serves as a Bellator commentator, believes Coker made the right decision, and praised the Bellator boss for his handling of the situation.

Tom Taylor - March 19, 2020

Leon Edwards and Tyron Woodley were supposed to fight in the main event of UFC London this Saturday. In the end, however, the coronavirus pandemic made this card impossible, and both men will have to wait for the next fights. Since the cancelation of this event, Edwards has been vocal about his desire for a rescheduled fight with Woodley. Woodley, however, has shifted his attention to his long-time rival Colby Covington.

Natasha Hooper - March 19, 2020

MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz is confident that Justin Gaethje would line the pockets of many fans as the underdog in a Conor McGregor matchup. Abdelaziz, the CEO of Dominance MMA, is responsible for a plethora of MMA stars including Khabib Nurmagomedov, Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo. One of his lightweight talents is none other than “The Highlight” Justin Gaethje.

Tom Taylor - March 19, 2020

Joe Rogan wasn’t on commentary duty for last weekend’s UFC Brasilia card, but he did film a Fight Companion episode of his podcast for the event, alongside his friends Eddie Bravo, Brendan Schaub and Bryan Callen. The UFC Brasilia card included plenty of interesting moments. One of the more interesting moments came at the end of the main event, which pitted lightweight contenders Charles Oliveira and Kevin Lee against each other.

Adam Martin - March 19, 2020

The UFC has reportedly released 13 fighters from its roster including former top-15 ranked lightweight contender Mairbek Taisumov. According to a report from Sherdog’s Tom Feely, the UFC has cut the following 13 fighters from its roster. The fighters are listed below, along with their records inside the Octagon.

Mike Pendleton - March 19, 2020

John Kavanagh has been the head coach of SBG Ireland since 2001, and most fans know him as the coach behind Conor McGregor. Yet he’s far more than just that.