MMA News

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.

Harry Kettle - February 20, 2020

It’s time to take a look at the official fight card for UFC Auckland this weekend as the Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to New Zealand. While most of the card may be flying a little bit under the radar there are more than a few gems to be found from top to bottom. Of course, while that may be the case, the big highlight for many fans comes in the form of the mouth-watering lightweight main event between Paul Felder and Dan Hooker.

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.

Tom Taylor - February 20, 2020

ONE Championship announced Thursday that it will be launching a spinoff of the popular reality television show The Apprentice, under license from MGM Television. Per a press release from the promotion, The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition “will feature 16 contestants handpicked from around the world in a high-stakes game of business competitions and physical challenges where the winner will receive a US$250,000 job offer to work for a year directly under Chatri Sityodtong as his protege at the ONE Championship Global Headquarters in Singapore.

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.

Tom Taylor - February 20, 2020

ONE Championship has announced multiple title fights for the upcoming ONE: Infinity 1 and 2 events. The second event will also feature the return of former UFC and Bellator lightweight champ Eddie Alvarez. ONE: Infinity 1 goes down on April 10 in Jakarta, Indonesia. As we already know, the card will feature a flyweight title fight between challenger Demetrious Johnson and champion Adriano Moraes.

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.

Adam Martin - February 19, 2020

UFC lightweight contender Dustin Poirier says he is planning a return to the Octagon in May after having not fought since last September. We last saw Poirier at UFC 242 when he was choked out by UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. That loss snapped a six-fight unbeaten streak for Poirier, but despite the loss he remains one of the highest-ranked lightweights in the UFC.

Cole Shelton - February 19, 2020

Jorge Masvidal hasn’t fought at lightweight since 2015 when he lost to Al Iaquinta by split-decision. But, that may change if the money is right. Since he decided to move up to welterweight he has become an elite-fighter. In 2019 he knocked out Darren Till, Ben Askren and TKO’d Nate Diaz to capture the promotions BMF title. He also is next in line to fight for the welterweight title.

Cole Shelton - February 19, 2020

Valentina Shevchenko has her fourth title defense set as she will battle Joanne Calderwood at UFC 251 on June 6. Calderwood was the presumed number one contender for Valentina Shevchenko following the champs UFC 247 win and now has received her chance at gold. The news of the fight was first reported by Brett Okamoto of ESPN.

Natasha Hooper - February 19, 2020

Conor McGregor’s coach John Kavanagh acknowledges major mistakes made by his fighter, but says he is “proud of how he’s come through those things.” “The Notorious” returned to the UFC Octagon this year for the first time since his UFC 229 loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov. He faced Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone in his comeback and bulldozed his way to victory in just 40 seconds of the first round.

Adam Martin - February 19, 2020

An intriguing middleweight bout between standouts Eryk Anders and Krzysztof Jotko is the latest addition to April’s UFC Portland card. UFC on ESPN+ 30 takes place on April 11 at Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. The main event of the card is a five-round heavyweight bout between Alistair Overeem and Walt Harris. Anders vs. Jotko is expected to slot in somewhere on the main card.