MMA News

Tom Taylor - January 24, 2020

Michael Bisping and Luke Rockhold, both former UFC middleweight champions, went 2-0 across two entertaining grudge matches. In the first fight, Rockhold came out on top via submission. In the second, Bisping won via first-round knockout, winning the middleweight belt in the process. During an appearance on the UFC Unfiltered podcast to promote his new book Quitters Never Win: My Life in UFC, Bisping divulged that he was actually injured before his first fight with Rockhold.

Cole Shelton - January 24, 2020

Cris Cyborg knows she will go down as one of the greats but at Bellator 238 she can cement her legacy even more. In the main event, Cyborg is making her Bellator debut and taking on Julia Budd for the featherweight title. Should she win, she would become the first person to win belts in Strikeforce, Invicta, UFC, and Bellator. Or, as Cyborg calls it, a “Grand Slam Champion.”

Tom Taylor - January 24, 2020

Shortly after Conor McGregor stopped Donald Cerrone in the welterweight main event of UFC 246, he proudly proclaimed himself the first UFC fighter to pick up knockout wins at welterweight, lightweight and featherweight. McGregor’s arch rival Khabib Nurmagomedov wants to remind him of another multi-divisional feat. Using an image posted to Twitter, Nurmagomedov not-so-subtly reminded fight fans that McGregor has also been submitted in three weight classes. The Irishman tapped out to Nate Diaz at welterweight, to Nurmagomedov at lightweight, and to Joe Duffy at featherweight.

Cole Shelton - January 24, 2020

In the main event of Bellator 238, Julia Budd is looking to defend her featherweight title against Cris Cyborg who’s making her promotional debut. Heading into the fight, Budd is a +325 underdog while the Brazilian is a -450 favorite. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. The pros believe this is a closer fight than the odds suggest but the majority are leaning towards Cyborg becoming the new champion.

Cole Shelton - January 23, 2020

Junior dos Santos is not a fan of Curtis Blaydes’ wrestling centric style to say the least. In the main event of UFC Raleigh, the two will square off with JDS looking to get back into the win column. Blaydes, meanwhile, is looking to extend his winning streak.

Cole Shelton - January 23, 2020

Jorge Masvidal has made his intentions known. After “Gamebred” beat Nate Diaz at UFC 244 he said he wanted the biggest payday possible and many pointed to Conor McGregor. Yet, Masvidal believes the Irishman doesn’t actually want to fight him as evident by his post-fight speech at UFC 246.

Tom Taylor - January 23, 2020

Moments after Conor McGregor defeated Donald Cerrone in the UFC 246 main event, he knelt down beside his bloodied foe to exchange a few words. “I love you Donald,” McGregor began.

Adam Martin - January 23, 2020

Footage has been released of UFC superstar Conor McGregor training shoulder strikes with former UFC fighter Cathal Pendred years ago. McGregor used shoulder strikes in his main event fight at UFC 246 against Donald Cerrone in the bout’s opening seconds and badly hurt “Cowboy” with them. After kicking Cerrone right in the chin with a high kick, McGregor was able to pummel Cerrone with punches on the mat and finish him for a 40-second TKO win in his long-awaited return to the Octagon.

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.