MMA News

Natasha Hooper - February 27, 2020

https://youtu.be/oyZ6k6BJHok Yoel Romero will look to usurp the UFC middleweight throne when he takes on the division’s current champion, Israel Adesanya, in the main event of UFC 248 on March 7 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Harry Kettle - February 27, 2020

A physician with notable links to UFC legends and veterans has been charged in a money laundering scheme worth over $120 million. As confirmed by the United States Department of Justice in a statement yesterday and initially reported by MMA Fighting, 65-year-old Francisco Patino has been charged with one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, in addition to one count of money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Harry Kettle - February 27, 2020

A 2018 interview between Deontay Wilder and Joe Rogan appears to debunk Wilder’s theory that his heavy costume played a role in his loss last weekend. The combat sports world was stunned on Saturday night when Deontay Wilder was comprehensively beaten by his rival Tyson Fury, with “The Gypsy King” securing the finish in the seventh round after knocking the previously unbeaten “Bronze Bomber” down twice in the third and fifth rounds of the fight.

Natasha Hooper - February 27, 2020

Diego Sanchez has defended his controversial coach Joshua Fabia following criticism of his training approach. The Ultimate Fighter winner and his coach became a hot topic of discussion after his Michel Pereira bout in the co-main event of UFC Rio Rancho. Sanchez absorbed an illegal knee in the third round and decided not to continue the fight. Much to the dismay of some spectators, “The Nightmare” was awarded the disqualification victory.

Cole Shelton - February 26, 2020

Chael Sonnen has five possible phrases why Tito Ortiz and Alberto Del Rio’s fight was ruled a no-decision. Before the fight took place, he said it would be fixed. So, of course, topping his list is the fact that the fight was fake and the Texas commission found out.

Cole Shelton - February 26, 2020

Tito Ortiz’s win over Alberto Del Rio in his Combate Americas debut has been overturned to a no-decision by the Texas Commission. Ortiz and Del Rio fought back on Dec. 7 at Combate Americas 51 where Ortiz was making his promotional debut. In the fight, he was putting his UFC belt on the line while Del Rio put up his WWE heavyweight championship belt. In the end, Ortiz dominated the fight and earned a first-round submission win.

Tom Taylor - February 26, 2020

In late February of 2019, Janet Todd battled Stamp Fairtex for the inaugural ONE Strawweight Muay Thai World Championship. Todd lost that fight by decision, but in a few short days, she’ll get a second crack at Stamp under slightly different circumstances. This Friday, in the main event of ONE: King of the Jungle, Todd will challenge Stamp for the ONE Strawweight Kickboxing World Championship — the other belt in the Thai’s trophy case.

Tom Taylor - February 26, 2020

UFC commentator Joe Rogan, like most members of the combat sports community, was very impressed by Tyson Fury’s dominant win over Deontay Wilder last Saturday. During a recent episode of his Joe Rogan Experience podcast, Rogan explained to his guest Owen Smith how Fury adjusted his typical fighting style to author such a dominant victory over his rival.

Alfredo Zullino - February 26, 2020

When Iuri Lapicus stepped foot in ONE Championship’s ring for the first time, back in May of 2019, nobody but the most hardcore fight fans knew who the undefeated Italian-Moldavian athlete was. During that debut fight, Iuri Lapicus (14-0 MMA, 2-0 ONE) was able to bring home the victory with a slick rear-naked choke on Thai veteran Shannon Wiratchai in the third round. But it was earlier this month that he made a huge statement and shocked the entire MMA community, finishing former ONE and M-1 Global featherweight belt-holder Marat Gafurov with Gafurov’s own signature move, the rear-naked choke.

Mike Pendleton - February 26, 2020

The entire sports world has been buzzing over last Saturday’s Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury rematch, which saw Fury hand Wilder his first pro loss and claim the WBC heavyweight title via 7th-round stoppage. One of the latest members of the combat sports community to chime in on this fight is UFC light heavyweight contender Anthony Smith. During MMA Tonight on Sirius XM, a show that Smith co-hosts, he did not hold back on Wilder’s performance against Fury. He also addressed Wilder’s reaction to his corner stopping the fight, and shared little optimism that Wilder could ever beat Tyson Fury.

Adam Martin - February 26, 2020

Bellator commentator and veteran MMA official John McCarthy believes that Paul Felder edged out Dan Hooker at UFC Auckland, but admits it was not a robbery. Hooker won a narrow split decision over Felder in the main event of UFC Auckland, with the judges scoring it 48-47, 47-48 and 48-47 in favor of the New Zealander. Fans and media were split on who they thought won the fight, but there was a certain subset of MMA fans who were adamant the decision to award Hooker the fight was a ‘robbery.’

Natasha Hooper - February 26, 2020

Dapper Labs, the company responsible for CryptoKitties, has announced a partnership with the UFC to provide a “new digital experience” for MMA fans around the world. Dapper Labs is a cryptocurrency company, best known for creating CryptoKitties: a blockchain game on Ethereum which allows players to purchase, breed, collect and sell virtual cats.

Tom Taylor - February 26, 2020

The next crack at UFC bantamweight champ Henry Cejudo will go to former UFC featherweight champ Jose Aldo. Unfortunately, this matchup is generating quite a bit of controversy, as Aldo lost his only fight in the bantamweight division, and is seen as less deserving of the shot than many of his rivals. Chael Sonnen doesn’t see the issue.

Natasha Hooper - February 26, 2020

Joseph Benavidez has proven his guillotine chokes aren’t reserved for just fighters. The flyweight joined the Live with Kelly and Ryan show to promote his upcoming title fight and show off some moves against Ryan Seacrest.

Mike Heck - February 26, 2020

Bryce Mitchell and Charles Rosa have been asking for it, the fans have been in agreement, and it looks like everybody may just get their wish after all.  Sources confirmed to BJPENN.com that a featherweight matchup between Mitchell and Rosa is in the works for UFC on ESPN+ 32. The event takes place May 2 at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City and will be headlined by a middleweight bout between former middleweight champion Chris Weidman and Jack Hermansson. 

Tom Taylor - February 26, 2020

UFC lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov is well aware of how tough his upcoming opponent Tony Ferguson is. In fact, he considers Ferguson a tougher test than his other recent opponents like Edson Barboza, Rafael dos Anjos, Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier and Al Iaquinta. Nurmagomedov rated Ferguson against his other recent opponents in a recent interview with TMZ.

Cole Shelton - February 26, 2020

Leon Edwards thinks it’s crazy how different he and Darren Till’s careers went in 2019. Last March at UFC London, Till was the main event against Jorge Masvidal while Edwards was the co-main against Gunnar Nelson. Yet, during the press conference, it was the two Englishman going back-and-forth in trash-talking one another. Edwards admits that was the fight he would’ve rather had.

Tom Taylor - February 26, 2020

Khabib Nurmagomedov believes his arch rival Conor McGregor is targeting easy matchups and avoiding legitimate challenges. Speaking to TMZ, Nurmagomedov disparaged McGregor’s recent win over the veteran Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, and accused the Irishman of avoiding more difficult opponents like Justin Gaethje.