MMA News

Harry Kettle - February 7, 2020

Valentina Shevchenko has explained why she wanted to have her new UFC contract include non-PPV events. Shevchenko is set to square off with Katlyn Chookagian in the co-main event of UFC 247 this weekend in Houston, Texas in what will mark the third time she has defended the UFC Women’s Flyweight Championship since winning it back at UFC 231 in December 2018.

Cole Shelton - February 7, 2020

Mirsad Bektic believes his Tristar teammate Georges St-Pierre will fight inside the Octagon again. St-Pierre has not fought since he submitted Michael Bisping at UFC 217 to win the middleweight title and become a champion in two divisions. Since that fight, which was his return from a four-year layoff, many have wondered if the Canadian will fight again. He has hinted at a Khabib Nurmagomedov matchup but the UFC wasn’t interested in it.

Mike Pendleton - February 7, 2020

This weekend the UFC will bring two title fights to Houston, Texas with the light heavyweight title and women’s flyweight championship on the line at UFC 247. In the main event, Jon Jones, who is regarded as one of the greatest fighters of all time, will defend his title against rising challenger Dominick Reyes, who some believe is one of the biggest challenges for Jones so far.

Natasha Hooper - February 7, 2020

This weekend at UFC 247, light heavyweight champion Jon Jones will fight to defend his title for the 14th time against Dominick Reyes. The 205-pound athletes will collide at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. With a buzz swirling around the MMA community, Jon Jones is questioning why he hasn’t headlined more events outside of the MMA capital, Las Vegas.

Cole Shelton - February 7, 2020

For many in the combat sports world, the name Dan Ige was familiar even before the featherweight was in the UFC. He works under Ali Abdelaziz for Dominance MMA and helps Abdelaziz manage top clients like Khabib Nurmagomedov, Kamaru Usman, and Henry Cejudo. Although that has helped Ige establish a name in MMA, he wants to be known more than a manager. At UFC 247, he has that opportunity as he will take on Mirsad Bektic on the main card where a win should get him ranked.

Harry Kettle - February 7, 2020

Dana White claims that Daniel Cormier has been offered other fights by the UFC, but the former two-weight world champion has his heart set on the trilogy fight with Stipe Miocic. Cormier lost the UFC Heavyweight Championship to Miocic back at UFC 241 last year, taking the series to 1-1 between the two men. Now, with very few other contenders in the running, they’re expected to run it back at some point in 2020 — marking three straight years where they would’ve squared off.

Tom Taylor - February 7, 2020

Amid the rampant spread of the headline-dominating Coronavirus, Chinese UFC strawweight champion Weili Zhang has moved her training from her native China to Bangkok, Thailand. In Bangkok, Zhang crossed paths with an absolute legend in Saenchai, widely regarded as one of the greatest Muay Thai fighters of all time — and certainly one of the flashiest.

Natasha Hooper - February 7, 2020

UFC fighter Jessica Penne has closed her GoFundMe campaign after finalising an agreement with the United States Anti-Doping Agency to avoid legal fees on her pending case. On Wednesday February 5, Penne’s Manager Brian Butler suspended her GoFundMe campaign which was set up to help the strawweight raise money for an arbitration hearing against the anti-doping organization USADA.

Cole Shelton - February 6, 2020

Joe Rogan’s podcast appears to have made him quite a bit of money. The Joe Rogan Experience features guests from all walks of life, from fighters, to A-list celebrities and even politicians. He often runs it every day and gets hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube. Apple also announced “JRE” as the number one podcast in the world with over 190 million downloads a month.

Natasha Hooper - February 6, 2020

Dana White has given his take on the ongoing drama between MMA analyst Joe Rogan and ESPN analyst, Stephen A. Smith. At UFC 246 on Saturday 18th January 2020, Conor McGregor returned to the Octagon to face Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone. He utilized shoulder strikes, his signature left, and ground and pound to seal the victory in just 40 seconds of the very first round. The Irishman’s decisive win had some spectators questioning Cerrone’s fighting ability, including ESPN commentator Stephen A Smith.

Natasha Hooper - February 6, 2020

Khabib Nurmagomedov doesn’t want to be associated with the dancing monkeys of the UFC as he brands the Conor McGregor vs Donald Cerrone matchmaking, a “well-organized circus.” The undefeated lightweight champion is well known for his embittered rivalry with Conor McGregor that culminated in their 2018 fight. “The Eagle” got his revenge on the Irishman in the UFC 229 main event as he submitted his opponent in the fourth round. However, his victory did little to dampen the ongoing feud. Both fighters have continued to fire shots, Nurmagomedov has specifically called our ‘The Notorious’ for his unruly behaviour and conduct.

Adam Martin - February 6, 2020

UFC president Dana White says that light heavyweight contender Corey Anderson is “pissed off” that he didn’t get the title shot against Jon Jones. After Anderson knocked out Johnny Walker in his most impressive performance to date at UFC 244, he called out Jones for a title shot once again. Anderson and Jones have had a feud for a while now, but Anderson was always lacking that trademark win that he needed to get a title shot until the Walker fight.

Cole Shelton - February 6, 2020

Colby Covington believes Jorge Masvidal won’t do a thing when they cross paths at American Top Team. Following Covington’s TKO loss to Kamaru Usman at UFC 245 for the welterweight title, he spent time in Oregon and has yet to go back to train at ATT. With “Chaos” not being back in nearly two months since the fight, Jorge Masvidal said that the former interim champion left the gym for good.

Adam Martin - February 6, 2020

UFC president Dana White claims the promotion never considered matching up Conor McGregor against Jorge Masvidal or Kamaru Usman. Both Masvidal and Usman were in attendance at UFC 246 last month when McGregor knocked out Donald Cerrone in just 40 seconds. Immediately after McGregor got his hand raised, speculation began to pour in about either Masvidal or Usman being the man who gets to fight McGregor next. Fans and media were already buzzing about the prospect of either fight.

Mike Pendleton - February 6, 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 Week series keeps fans up to date on the best combat sports action across the industry’s major streaming platforms.

Natasha Hooper - February 6, 2020

Jon Jones’ former coach, Frank Lester has written a scathing Instagram message directed at the fighter. He tagged Jones’ upcoming opponent, Dominick Reyes in the message. Here’s what he said.

Adam Martin - February 6, 2020

UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski fired back at top contender “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung after his rival claimed the champ doesn’t finish fights. The Korean Zombie criticized Volkanovski for not finishing fights in an effort to egg him on and secure a potential fight against the champion. Volkanovski saw The Korean Zombie’s criticisms and didn’t take kindly to them. In response, Volkanovski posted a photo of The Korean Zombie getting knocked out cold by Yair Rodriguez.

Tom Taylor - February 6, 2020

Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier share one of the most heated rivalries in MMA history. Over the course of their two bouts, the two decorated champions traded near endless trash talk, and even brawled at a press conference. According to Jones, who is gearing up for a UFC 247 title defense opposite Dominick Reyes, that beef with Cormier has now come to an end.