MMA News
Marlon Moraes blasts Jose Aldo: "F**k this guy"
Adam Martin - January 10, 2020
UFC bantamweight contender Marlon Moraes blasted fellow Brazilian Jose Aldo for saying he was “scared” after their recent fight at UFC 245. Moraes won a highly controversial split decision at UFC 245 in a fight that many, including UFC president Dana White, felt Aldo won. UFC bantamweight champion Cejudo also thought that Aldo won the fight and has spent the last month trying to convince White to give Aldo the title shot despite the former featherweight kingpin officially being on a two-fight losing skid.
VIDEO | Watch Conor McGregor smash pads at the UFC Performance Institute
Tom Taylor - January 10, 2020
Conor McGregor is just 8 days out from his return to the Octagon, which will pit him against fan favorite finisher Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone. The pair will meet in a welterweight bout in the main event of UFC 246 in Las Vegas on January 18. While McGregor completed the majority of his training camp at the famed SBG Ireland gym in his native Dublin, he’s since relocated to Las Vegas to make his final preparations.
ONE: A New Tomorrow results and highlights: Stamp Fairtex stays perfect, Rodtang decimates Haggerty
Tom Taylor - January 10, 2020
ONE Championship returned to our screens on Friday with the stacked ONE: A New Tomorrow card out of Bangkok, Thailand. The card was topped by a ONE Lightweight Muay Thai World Title showdown between reigning champ Rodtang Jitmuangnon and former champ Jonathan “The General” Haggerty. Rodtang won the pair’s first fight with a close decision. This time around, the champ left no doubt, bludgeoning the Brit to a TKO win at 2:39 of the third round.
Gilbert Burns believes welterweight division has become 'stagnant' like lightweight when McGregor was champ
Cole Shelton - January 10, 2020
Gilbert Burns believes the welterweight division has become stagnant, just like the lightweight division was when Conor McGregor was the champion. When that was happening, Burns had a hard time getting fights or ranked opponents. So, in 2019 he decided to move up to welterweight. Immediately, he got two short-notice fights against Alexey Kunchenko and Gunnar Nelson, and he won both. But, now with a number beside his name, he feels it is hard to get fights at 170 pounds.
Dillon Danis claims Khabib Nurmagomedov tried to 'run away' following uppercuts in UFC 229 brawl
Harry Kettle - January 10, 2020
Bellator star Dillon Danis has claimed that Khabib Nurmagomedov attempted to run away in the aftermath of their UFC 229 brawl. The incident, which occurred back in October 2018, began after Nurmagomedov had just submitted Conor McGregor in the fourth round of their main event fight in Las Vegas. Immediately after that, “The Eagle” quite literally went flying out of the cage in an attempt to attack McGregor’s team — specifically Danis.
Ryan Hall responds to Pedro Munhoz, is willing to fight on April 18
Cole Shelton - January 9, 2020
Ryan Hall may have finally gotten a fight. The jiu-jitsu wizard has been complaining about not being able to get fights after opponents kept turning him down. So, he took to social media to call out Jose Aldo and Frankie Edgar. But, it appears another bantamweight is willing to move up to fight Hall and that is Pedro Munhoz.
Junior dos Santos says he 'could have died' from leg infection that forced him off UFC Moscow
Cole Shelton - January 9, 2020
Junior dos Santos says he is lucky to be fighting again as doctors said he could have very well died from his recent leg infection. Back in October, dos Santos was forced to pull out of his UFC Moscow main event fight against Alexander Volkov. He was hospitalized for a couple of days but was still hoping he could make the scrap as he didn’t realize how serious the infection was.
Dillon Danis believes everyone calls him out because he's on top and 'always will be on top'
Cole Shelton - January 9, 2020
Dillon Danis believes he is and will always be on top of the fight game. Danis, who is 2-0 in his career, is set for his third fight under the Bellator banner. While many fighters come and go in the sport, ‘El Jefe’ believes he will remain near the top for a long time.
VIDEO | Tony Ferguson shows off unorthodox training techniques for Khabib Nurmagomedov fight
Adam Martin - January 9, 2020
UFC lightweight contender Tony Ferguson showed off a video of his unorthodox training techniques for his upcoming fight against UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 249. Ferguson vs. Nurmagomedov is arguably the most highly-anticipated fight among MMA fans for 2020. It’s expected to be an extremely exciting fight featuring the two best lightweights in the world. Many are particularly excited for the grappling portion of a potential bout, as Nurmagomedov is by far the most dominant wrestler at 155lbs, while Ferguson is maybe the most creative fighter on the ground in the division.
Israel Adesanya unleashes scathing critique of Jon Jones' legacy: 'You’re a steroid cheat'
Tom Taylor - January 9, 2020
Israel Adesanya made quite an entrance for his UFC 243 middleweight title fight with Robert Whittaker. While many fans celebrated his elaborate walkout, UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones was not impressed, and did not hide that fact.
Ray Longo explains why he's picking Donald Cerrone to beat Conor McGregor
Fernando Quiles Jr. - January 9, 2020
Renowned coach Ray Longo is leaning towards Donald Cerrone to emerge victorious in the UFC 246 main event. Cerrone is set to collide with Conor McGregor on Jan. 18. The welterweight showdown will be held inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. “Cowboy” hopes to snap a two-fight skid that includes TKO losses to Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje. McGregor wants to earn his first win since Nov. 2016.
Report | Rose Namajunas vs. Jessica Andrade rematch 'close to being finalized' for UFC 249
Tom Taylor - January 9, 2020
A rematch between former UFC strawweight champions Rose Namajunas and Jessica Andrade is “close to being finalized” for the UFC 249 card on April 18 in Brooklyn, according to ESPN’s Ariel Helwani. Rose Namajunas vs. Jessica Andrade 2 is close to being finalized for UFC 249 on April 18 in Brooklyn, according to multiple sources.
Jimmy Smith criticizes John McCarthy for MVP vs. Anderson Silva comparisons
Adam Martin - January 9, 2020
Long-time MMA analyst Jimmy Smith criticized Bellator commentator Big John McCarthy for his recent comparison between Michael Page and Anderson Silva. McCarthy has come under scrutiny for his recent comments comparing the early careers of the two. Many fans believe that Bellator has given Page a mostly easy road so far, but McCarthy said that Page’s first 18 career bouts match up well with the first 18 fights that Silva had, despite the evidence suggesting Silva’s road was tougher. Smith saw McCarthy’s comments and said that he does not agree with him.
Michael Bisping is 'sick of all this talk of super fights'
Tom Taylor - January 9, 2020
There’s been a lot of talk about super fights over the last few years, from a potential Conor McGregor vs. Jorge Masvidal fight, to a possible scrap between Jon Jones and Israel Adesanya. Former UFC middleweight champ Michael Bisping is getting tired of it. Bisping discussed the super fight craze on his Believe You Me podcast. While he conceded he’s interested in seeing a Jones vs. Adesanya fight, as well as a fight between Jones and heavyweight champ Stipe Miocic, he admitted that he’s growing tired of this trend, and wants to see champions defend their belts against the top contenders in their weight classes.
Ayaka Miura steadily rising through the ranks in ONE Championship
BJPENN.COM Staff - January 9, 2020
Count Japan’s Ayaka Miura as another member of the ONE Championship roster who had a memorable 2019. The strawweight contender made a huge impact with back to back wins to solidify her debut year with ONE as a serious contender. With an eye toward 2020, Miura looks forward to earning the belt this year. The first step in her journey to conquer another calendar year begins on 10 January at ONE: A New Tomorrow when she faces Maira Mazar.
Charles Oliveira gunning for Justin Gaethje or Kevin Lee in UFC Brasilia main event
Adam Martin - January 9, 2020
The manager of UFC lightweight contender Charles Oliveira says he is gunning for the main event slot at UFC Brasilia against either Justin Gaethje or Kevin Lee. Oliveira is currently riding a six-fight win streak with all six of those wins coming by stoppage over Jared Gordon, Nik Lentz, David Teymur, Jim Miller, Christos Giagos and Clay Guida. Since permanently moving up to lightweight after an up-and-down stint as a featherweight, Oliveira has shown improved durability as well as an evolved striking attack to go along with his elite Brazilian jiu-jitsu skills. He is the No. 13-ranked UFC lightweight.
Promoter: Claressa Shields 'is carrying the sport of women’s boxing on her shoulders'
Cole Shelton - January 9, 2020
Claressa Shields is looking to make history on Jan. 10 when she battles Ivana Habazin for the vacant WBC and WBO light middleweight titles. Should she win, the two-time Olympic gold medalist would become a three-weight world champion. Not only would Shields become a three-weight world champion like Canelo Alvarez, Vasyl Lomachenko, Bud Crawford, Floyd Mayweather, and Manny Pacquiao among others, but she would be the fastest to do so. This is only Shields’ 10th professional fight.
Dillon Danis: Conor McGregor's jiu-jitsu is 'on another level'
Tom Taylor - January 9, 2020
Conor McGregor is days out from a welterweight scrap with Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone. While McGregor is currently the betting favorite in this matchup, some fans suspect Cowboy’s submission skills could spell disaster for the Irishman. Dillon Danis disagrees. Danis, who is a decorated BJJ blackbelt, has served as one of McGregor’s key training partners for the last few years.