MMA News
Layla Anna-Lee glad Cage Warriors 113 can provide 'distraction' amid pandemic
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.
VIDEO | Mirko Cro Cop reminds the world he’s still got it
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.
Gegard Mousasi believes Israel Adesanya 'would be a good fight' for him
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.
Head coach Javier Mendez says he and Khabib Nurmagomedov willing to travel anywhere for UFC 249
Mike Pendleton - March 19, 2020
The status of UFC 249 is up in the air when it comes to the location and whether or not the event will actually take place, but one half of the main event are willing to do whatever it takes to make sure it happens. On Wednesday night, the NYSAC and the UFC released separate statements acknowledging that UFC 249 which had been scheduled to take place at Barclays Center will not take place in New York due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Johnny Walker says he didn't have enough time to fix all the holes in his game, will continue to train at TriStar
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.
Derrick Lewis calls for rematch with Francis Ngannou: "I guarantee it will be more entertaining"
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.
Ben Askren roasts Kamaru Usman: He's 'the worst promoter in the history of mixed martial arts'
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.
Dana White fires back at critics, boasts he hasn't laid off one employee during coronavirus pandemic
Adam Martin - March 19, 2020
UFC president Dana White fired back at critics of the way his promotion has handled the coronavirus pandemic, boasting the UFC hasn’t laid off any UFC employees. The UFC has come under intense scrutiny from fans for holding UFC Brasilia last weekend while rival Bellator 241 postponed its events, and for planning on going forward with UFC London and several other events until the government stepped in. While White was not able to save his cards scheduled for London, Columbus, Portland and Brooklyn, he certainly tried his best for those events to go on despite the coronavirus outbreak around the world.
Leon Edwards slams 'weird guy' Tyron Woodley for demanding Colby Covington fight
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.
Ali Abdelaziz says Justin Gaethje will make people rich by cashing in as underdog against Conor McGregor
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.
Joe Rogan shares thoughts on Kevin Lee attempting to keep fighting after tapping out
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.
Jacare Souza is training in his garage for UFC 249 fight
Tom Taylor - March 19, 2020
Jacare Souza is training in his garage for his UFC 249 middleweight scrap with Uriah Hall. The coronavirus pandemic is affecting the fight game on multiple levels. The most obvious effect, of course, is the widespread cancelation of fight cards. That said, the fighters competing on cards that have not yet been canceled.
John Kavanagh dreams of bringing UFC and Bellator titles to SBG Ireland
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.
Colby Covington moves on from Woodley, wants rematch with Kamaru Usman following 'fake fight' at UFC 245
Harry Kettle - March 19, 2020
Colby Covington has moved on from his plan to fight Tyron Woodley on short notice in favor of a rematch with Kamaru Usman. Covington, who was beaten by Usman back at UFC 245, was hoping to replace Leon Edwards on short notice in order to go head to head with long-time rival Woodley this weekend. Alas, the UFC couldn’t quite get it done, and now, “Chaos” has decided that he wants to try and avenge his loss to “The Nigerian Nightmare” with immediate effect.
Diego Sanchez responds to callout from Demian Maia
Tom Taylor - March 19, 2020
Diego Sanchez has responded to a recent callout from Demian Maia. Maia competed on last Saturday’s UFC Brasilia card, suffering a first-round knockout at the hands of Gilbert Burns in the co-main event.
Dana White has a message for fans doubting he can pull off UFC 249 event
Harry Kettle - March 19, 2020
UFC president Dana White has a defiant message for fans who believe that the promotion won’t be able to host UFC 249 next month. Following the announcement of three upcoming events being canceled, many fans have been wondering whether or not White and the UFC will be able to stage UFC 249 on April 18 — which, of course, is set to play host to the highly anticipated Lightweight Championship bout between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson.
Ashlee Evans-Smith believes UFC fighters affected by postponement deserve compensation
Mike Pendleton - March 18, 2020
Ashlee Evans-Smith had been scheduled to face Molly McCann this upcoming weekend at UFC on ESPN+ 29 in London, but the Coronavirus pandemic sweeping the world effected the entire event. Before the combat sports world had been affected by the sudden changes, Evans-Smith went out to London ahead of time even though she recognized she might not be able to return home to the United States right away.
Khabib Nurmagomedov training alone in gym ahead of UFC 249
Mike Pendleton - March 18, 2020
Although the status and location are up in the air for his main event lightweight title fight for UFC 249 against Tony Ferguson, champion Khabib Nurmagomedov is still focused on his training, under difficult circumstances. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic gyms have been forced to close down and the UFC has had to cancel their next three upcoming events, and now Nurmagomedov has to go through unique preparation. Training out of American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, California with head coach Javier Mendez, only the champion Nurmagomedov has been in the building. During an interview with ESPN’s Marc Raimondi, Mendez revealed that Khabib has been training by himself for two hours, and the gym has remained closed for the other 22 hours of the day.