MMA News

Chris Taylor - March 21, 2020

Former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor is trying to make the best out of these troubling times. The former featherweight and lightweight title holder made his long awaited return to the Octagon at January’s UFC 246 event, where he needed less than one minute to dismantle Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone.

Cole Shelton - March 20, 2020

Anthony Smith is looking for a big fight or running things back with Jon Jones after he battles Glover Teixeira. In the main event of UFC Lincoln, Smith will be fighting at home against Teixeira. Yet, with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, “Lionheart” knows if the fight gets moved to a different place it is unlikely he will ever be able to fight back at home again. The reason? He expects to beat Teixeira easily then will be getting a title shot or big fights and will soon be the UFC’s light heavyweight champion.

Cole Shelton - March 20, 2020

Cory Sandhagen says he will not be fighting Dominick Cruz at UFC San Diego. It was reported Cruz was interested in making his return at the event and Sandhagen then took to Instagram to say he signed the contract. Now, however, the surging contender says the former bantamweight champion is not interested in fighting him.

Adam Martin - March 20, 2020

UFC middleweight contender Darren Till is apparently packing on the pounds during quarantine, showing off a picture of his bulging stomach on social media. Till was one of the biggest welterweights in the UFC but had difficulty making the weight and was forced to move up to middleweight after struggling to shave the weight. In his debut at 185lbs, he was able to edge out a split decision over top contender Kelvin Gastelum.

Natasha Hooper - March 20, 2020

Arguably one of the hardest challenges of MMA begins before the fight has even started: weight cutting. The primary purpose of cutting weight is to make the limit set by the division that the fighter has chosen to compete in. The process involves dehydrating the body and can create major health complications and even hospitalization. Today at BJPenn.com, we cover the biggest weight cut blunders that have hindered fighters’ careers:

Adam Martin - March 20, 2020

UFC women’s strawweight contender Joanna Jedrzejczyk provided an update on her face two weeks after her war with Weili Zhang. Jedrzejczyk suffered a nasty hematoma and other damage to her face during the fight with Zhang at UFC 248, which she ended up losing via split decision. Despite losing the decision, Jedrzejczyk regained the respect of fans and fighters after a tough stretch in the last few years. She may have lost the decision, but her stock went way up.

Natasha Hooper - March 20, 2020

Amid the Coronavirus epidemic and MMA events being cancelled left right and centre, many fight fans are stuck at home twiddling their thumbs. Not to fear, BJPenn.com have come to rescue you from your boredom slumber. We have curated the top fighter Instagram accounts you need to follow. Now, you can stay up to date with all the fight action, even when there are no fights!

Tom Taylor - March 20, 2020

Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) is one of countless sports organizations to be adversely affected by the coronavirus pandemic that is currently sweeping the planet, having already been forced to postpone two events. Suffice it to say that it’s been a hectic few weeks for company president David Feldman, who is doing his best to guide the organization through these times of danger and uncertainty.

Cole Shelton - March 20, 2020

Jimi Manuwa is still interested in becoming a professional boxer. The former UFC light heavyweight retired last summer but recently said he is interested in a return to the Octagon. But, if that does not happen, the Englishman says he would like to box.

Tom Taylor - March 20, 2020

Ben Askren is very excited for the upcoming lightweight title fight between champ Khabib Nurmagomedov and challenger Tony Ferguson — which is why he’s offered up a plan to ensure it still happens despite the coronavirus pandemic. Speaking on a recent episode of Submission Radio, the former ONE Championship and Bellator welterweight king delved into the nuances of the matchup.

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.

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.

Tom Taylor - March 20, 2020

Ben Askren wants to see Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson fight as a badly as the rest of us, and he’s got an idea he believes will ensure the fight happens even amid coronavirus-related restrictions. Nurmagomedov and Ferguson have been scheduled to fight four times previously to no avail. The UFC attempted to book them for a fifth time at UFC 249 on April 18 in Brooklyn, New York, but of course the coronavirus pandemic had to come along and derail that plan.

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.

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.

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.