MMA News

Tom Taylor - January 23, 2020

After 14 years and 27 fights with the UFC, Thiago Alves found himself longing for a fresh start. So, when the promotion offered him a new deal after a pair of losses to Laureano Staropoli and Tim Means, he respectfully declined, and signed an exclusive contract with upstart bare knuckle promotion Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) instead. “I’ve been in MMA for such a long time, I’ve been with the UFC for such a long time,” Alves told BJPENN.com hours after his signing with BKFC was announced. “I’m excited for a new stage. Anything new at this stage in my life is super exciting. I’ve been following BKFC for a little bit now, and I think it’s savage.

Tom Taylor - January 23, 2020

The tough breaks just keep coming for Paige VanZant. After over a year on the shelf due to a series of unfortunate injuries, VanZant was expected to return to the cage opposite Amanda Ribas at UFC Brasilia on March 14.

Tom Taylor - January 23, 2020

Audie Attar, the manager behind former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor, believes his star client is “the biggest thing in combat sports.” Attar made this comment in a recent interview with MMA Fighting.

Adam Martin - January 23, 2020

This is the second in a series of new articles here on BJPenn.com in 2020 analyzing the betting odds for all UFC events. The second event of the year is UFC Raleigh. Note: All odds based on current odds at BestFightOdds.com. This article is for entertainment purposes only. Never bet what you can’t afford.

Mike Pendleton - January 23, 2020

At Bellator 238, on Saturday, January 25, Cris Cyborg will challenge Julia Budd for the Bellator featherweight title. When she steps into the Bellator cage for the first time, Cyborg will be adding another world-class MMA promotion to her resume, which already includes the UFC, Invicta FC, and Strikeforce. She will also be re-uniting with her old boss, Scott Coker. Much was made about the relationship between Cyborg and UFC President Dana White as the two were at odds for several years, and didn’t seem to see eye-to-eye when she was with the company. While the UFC was certainly the biggest stage for Cyborg’s global brand, she had already cemented herself as one of the greatest fighters of all-time, and working with a familiar face in Coker should also come with a breath of fresh air.

Alfredo Zullino - January 23, 2020

One of Italy’s top female mixed martial artists is set to compete for Ansgar Fighting League gold as Micol di Segni will lock horns with Elizabeth Rodrigues on March 14 in Spain. Di Segni (7-3 MMA 0-0 AFL), a Dana White Contender Series alum and a Brave Combat Federation and Cage Warriors veteran, will battle for the belt in the co-main event of AFL Valkyries, a women-only mixed martial arts event hosted by the Spain-based promotion.

Harry Kettle - January 23, 2020

The mixed martial arts community has taken to social media in order to roast Stephen A. Smith following footage being released of him hitting the pads. Smith has been slowly but surely making his way over into the world of MMA over the last year or so as a direct result of ESPN’s growing relationship with the UFC. However, despite what many would think are his ‘best intentions’, he has been rubbing some fans the wrong way. 

Harry Kettle - January 23, 2020

Mike Perry’s manager Abe Kawa spoke out about his fighter’s use of the N-word during a recent interview with MMA Junkie. Perry has faced a great deal of criticism over the course of the last few weeks and months, for his seemingly regular use of the N-word. Some have decided to stick up for the controversial UFC star, whereas others have jumped to condemn him.

Cole Shelton - January 22, 2020

Justin Gaethje believes he might be Conor McGregor’s next opponent as the Irishman finally has the confidence to fight him. Gaethje called out McGregor before “Notorious” returned at UFC 246. Following the win, “The Highlight” thinks the fight still makes sense. John Kavanagh also said they liked the idea of Gaethje at welterweight as their next fight.

Cole Shelton - January 22, 2020

Darren Till may still be able to fight Jared Cannonier at UFC 248 after all. After Robert Whittaker, Cannonier’s original opponent, pulled out due to personal reasons many assumed Till would be the logical replacement and it was announced he was. But, he injured his ankle and UFC president Dana White said that fight was off.

Tom Taylor - January 22, 2020

Roxanne Modafferi picked up a massive upset over the weekend, walloping Maycee Barber to lopsided decision win on the UFC 246 undercard. Unfortunately, Barber’s father has suggested this fight shouldn’t count as a true loss on his daughter’s record given that she sustained an ACL tear early in the fight.

Adam Martin - January 22, 2020

Former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir visited the famous Heart Attack Grill in Las Vegas and was challenged to eat a 20,000 calorie burger. The former UFC and Bellator standout is a Las Vegas native and the Heart Attack Grill on Freemont Street is a world-famous restaurant known for its gigantic meals. Before stepping into the restaurant, you can stand on a scale outside the door and if you weigh more than 350lbs you get to eat for free.

Mike Pendleton - January 22, 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.

Tom Taylor - January 22, 2020

Former UFC welterweight title challenger Thiago Alves is dropping his gloves and heading to the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) ring. News of Alves’ move to BKFC was first reported by MMA Fighting, who spoke to the promotion’s president David Feldman.

Adam Martin - January 22, 2020

Rising UFC middleweight contender Edmen Shahbazyan will take on veteran Derek Brunson at UFC 248 in the latest addition to the star-studded pay-per-view card. UFC 248 takes place on March 7 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main event sees UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya take on Yoel Romero, while the co-main event sees UFC women’s strawweight champion Weili Zhang fight rival Joanna Jedrzejczyk. The Las Vegas Review-Journal first broke the news of the Shahbazyan vs. Brunson matchup.

Mike Heck - January 22, 2020

Maycee Barber suffered her first loss last Saturday, on the undercard of UFC 246, giving up a decision to Roxanne Modafferi while also suffering a complete tear of her ACL in the process. While the injury was unfortunate, Barber’s father Bucky Barber believes that his daughter showed a lot of heart in the fight and, because of her grit and toughness — along with the injury early in the fight — questions whether or not Saturday night’s fight should be considered a loss.

BJPENN.COM Staff - January 22, 2020

Aung La N Sang is not like other champions. Many titleholders allow themselves to be challenged for their respective world titles.  Despite holding both the ONE Light Heavyweight and Middleweight World Titles, Aung La is still hunting for the best challenges. That’s why it’s no surprise to see “The Burmese Python” calling for a title defense against undefeated middleweight prospect Reinier de Ridder.

Cole Shelton - January 22, 2020

In the main event of UFC Raleigh, Curtis Blaydes will look to extend his winning streak to three when he battles the former heavyweight champ Junior dos Santos. Heading into the fight, Blaydes is a -250 favorite while dos Santos is a +195 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. The majority believes Blaydes’ wrestling will be the difference-maker and that he will get his hand raised.