MMA News

Adam Martin - February 20, 2020

UFC president Dana White spoke on Thursday evening at a political rally in Colorado in support of United States President Donald Trump. White and Trump are good friends going back two decades now, with Trump being instrumental to the rise of MMA in the early days of the UFC. When White had the chance to speak at Thursday’s rally, he praised Trump and spoke glowingly about the president. Below is the video and a written transcript of what White said at the podium.

Cole Shelton - February 20, 2020

Joshua Fabia, the coach, trainer, and manager of Diego Sanchez is firing back at his critics. He says his pupil has some of the best defense in MMA and isn’t sure why he is getting made fun of. Back at UFC 239, Sanchez had a public falling out with JacksonWink. There, he dropped them on fight week and only used one cornerman in Fabia. Since that fight and Sanchez’s most recent scrap at UFC Rio Rancho, Fabia was critiqued by the way he communicated and the movements he shows.

Cole Shelton - February 20, 2020

Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Derek Brunson will no longer be happening at UFC 248 as expected. Shahbazyan announced on social media that he was off the card, but added he’s ready to fight right now.

Adam Martin - February 20, 2020

The trilogy fight between light heavyweight legends Shogun Rua and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira has been added to UFC 250. ESPN’s Brett Okamoto reported that the UFC has added the third fight between the PRIDE veterans to UFC 250, which takes place on May 9 at Ginásio do Ibirapuera in Sao Paulo, Brazil. UFC president Dana White confirmed the bout is official. The main event of the card sees UFC bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo taking on Jose Aldo.

Cole Shelton - February 20, 2020

Ed Ruth will headline his first Bellator show at Bellator 239 when he takes on Yaroslav Amosov, who is 22-0. Ruth, 8-1 and on a two-fight winning streak, had his eye on the Ukrainian after seeing him steamroll over his three Bellator opponents.

Tom Taylor - February 20, 2020

ESPN SportsCenter has released the complete Conor McGregor vs. Donald Cerrone fight, which headlined the UFC 246 card back in January. The fight was over and done with in 40 seconds, so it won’t take much time out of your day to relive. Watch it below:

Mike Pendleton - February 20, 2020

The main event of UFC Norfolk on February 29 will see Joseph Benavidez get another chance at UFC flyweight gold, when he takes on Deiveson Figueiredo. The title became vacant back in December when former flyweight champion Henry Cejudo relinquished his title as he focuses on challengers in the bantamweight division. While there is history between Cejudo and Benavidez, he’s got his focus set on winning UFC gold, something he’s almost accomplished earlier in his career. During an interview with Jimmy Smith and Miesha Tate of MMA Tonight on Sirius XM, Benavidez was asked about the situation regarding the flyweight title and his former opponent Henry Cejudo.

Tom Taylor - February 20, 2020

After a short stint in the light heavyweight division, Chris Weidman is headed back to middleweight. According to a report from ESPN, the official broadcast partner of the UFC, a middleweight fight between Weidman and Jack Hermansson is being targeted for the main event of Fight Night card in Oklahoma City on May 2.

Cole Shelton - February 20, 2020

Myles Jury is set for his second Bellator fight in the co-main event of Bellator 239 when he battles Brandon Girtz. In his promotional debut, he was the main event of Bellator 227 where he dropped a decision to Benson Henderson. Although he lost the fight, he was pleased with his performance.

Cole Shelton - February 20, 2020

In the main event of UFC Auckland, Paul Felder is heading to Dan Hooker’s backyard for a very intriguing lightweight scrap. Heading into the fight Felder is a +120 underdog while the Kiwi is a -150 favorite. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. The pros are split on this one but all agree it will be a fantastic fight.

Adam Martin - February 20, 2020

UFC lightweight contender Al Iaquinta says he is interested in fighting up-and-coming standout Islam Makhachev in Moscow, Russia. Iaquinta has been calling out Dustin Poirier for a fight but so far the UFC hasn’t booked it yet. Makhachev, meanwhile, was trying to get a fight against Kevin Lee and then Gregor Gillespie but neither of those fights came to fruition. He’s now turned his attention to Iaquinta, and it looks like the New York native is interested in the fight.

Adam Martin - February 20, 2020

UFC welterweight Emil Meek says Diego Sanchez’s coach Joshua Fabia ran after him with a sharp knife during a “crazy” training session. Fabia has come under fire for his unique training and coaching methods in the wake of Sanchez’s DQ win over Michel Pereira at UFC Rio Rancho. There are many in the MMA media and even fans who don’t believe Fabia’s training methods work for mixed martial arts. You can count Meek among the doubters, though he is adamant he doesn’t want to badmouth Sanchez.

Adam Martin - February 20, 2020

Bellator has signed former Cage Warriors welterweight champion and European star Ross Houston to a new contract. Houston recently became a free agent when he agreed to a mutual release from Cage Warriors. He immediately began negotiating with other MMA promotions, and it appears that Bellator was the organization that won the Houston sweepstakes.

Mike Pendleton - February 20, 2020

As streaming services continue to take over the combat sports industry, there are more and more events being broadcast on platforms like ESPN+, UFC Fight Pass, DAZN and YouTube. BJPENN.Com’s Streaming this Weekend series keeps fans up to date on the best combat sports action across the industry’s major streaming platforms.

Natasha Hooper - February 20, 2020

Former rugby player James Haskell is set to make his eagerly-anticipated MMA debut at Bellator London on May 16. The former England international finished his 17-year rugby career in 2019 just before announcing his decision to join the Bellator roster.

Natasha Hooper - February 20, 2020

Once a fighter, always a fighter. That statement rings true for lightweight veteran Evan Dunham, who will be returning from his short-lived retirement to fight Michael Johnson. In 2018, Dunham announced his retirement plans following his UFC Sao Paulo bout against Francisco Trinaldo. He shared the news on Instagram.

Natasha Hooper - February 20, 2020

The next UFC pay-per-view on the calendar is the stacked UFC 248 card in Las Vegas, Nevada, scheduled for March 7. In the main event, Israel Adesanya will fight Yoel Romero for middleweight gold. The bout will be “The Last Stylebender’s” first title defence since claiming the middleweight belt from Robert Whittaker at UFC 243.

Harry Kettle - February 20, 2020

Henry Cejudo & Karyn Bryant’s issues regarding the nickname Cejudo gave Aljamain Sterling have seemingly been resolved by the pair. A few days ago, in the midst of Cejudo and Sterling going back and forth on social media, the man known as “Triple C” decided to call his rival “Aljamima”. Many members of the mixed martial arts community were quick to call Cejudo out for racism, with one such example being ESPN anchor Karyn Bryant.