MMA News
No more Triple C! Henry Cejudo stripped of UFC flyweight title
Christopher Taylor - December 19, 2019
Henry Cejudo’s days as a UFC “champ champ” are over. Earlier this evening BJPENN.com’s Cole Shelton reported that a title fight between flyweights Joseph Benavidez and Deiveson Figueiredo would headline February’s event in Norfolk.
Report | Joseph Benavidez vs. Deiveson Figueiredo title fight targeted to headline UFC Norfolk
Cole Shelton - December 19, 2019
Joseph Benavidez and Deiveson Figueiredo will finally share the Octagon in the main event of UFC Norfolk on Feb. 29, and a belt will be on the line. Sources close to the situation have informed BJPENN.com that the fight is targeted to headline the card and a contract to Figueiredo has been issued moments ago. It is not yet determined if this fight will be for the vacant or interim 125-pound strap.
Jorge Masvidal on Colby Covington: 'I don't think he comes back'
Cole Shelton - December 19, 2019
Jorge Masvidal doubts that Colby Covington will fight again. In the main event of UFC 245, Covington took on Kamaru Usman for the welterweight title in what was a back-and-forth fight. Yet, in the fifth round, “The Nigerian Nightmare” took over and dropped “Chaos” twice before finishing him with 50 seconds left.
Tyron Woodley takes aim at Dillon Danis with a freestyle dis, “El Jefe” responds
Natasha Hooper - December 19, 2019
The UFC’s answer to 50 Cent strikes again. Tyron Woodley has called out Dillon Danis in a live-stream freestyle rap and the Bellator fighter has responded. The former welterweight champion has a variety of career accolades that extend outside of MMA. At the start of the year, the 170-pound fighter featured on a track by the Glacier Boyz called Blow. He also released his own song called Money and The Love in August 2019. The track has amassed nearly 100k views and recieved a mixed bag of reactions. Watch the full clip below.
Eddie Alvarez argues against UFC title shots for Jose Aldo, Conor McGregor
Tom Taylor - December 19, 2019
Eddie Alvarez isn’t a big fan of way the UFC is handing out title shots these days. Specifically, the current ONE Championship lightweight contender is against potential title shots for Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor. Aldo, who is the former UFC featherweight champion, made his debut in the bantamweight division at UFC 245, losing a controversial decision to Alvarez’s teammate Marlon Moraes. Despite this loss, he’s been targeted by UFC bantamweight champ Henry Cejudo, and UFC President Dana White seems interested in booking a title fight between the two.
Weili Zhang vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk opening betting odds revealed
Adam Martin - December 19, 2019
The opening betting odds have been released for the upcoming title fight at UFC 248 between UFC women’s strawweight champion Weili Zhang and rival Joanna Jedrzejczyk. The UFC recently announced that Zhang will take on Jedrzejczyk at UFC 248, which is set for March 7 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The bout is expected to serve as the co-main event of the card, with another title fight headlining the event.
UFC veteran Ramsey Nijem suspended nine months for marijuana
Natasha Hooper - December 19, 2019
Ramsey Nijem has suffered the same fate as Nick Diaz, but with a significantly lighter penalty. In November, NSAC chief assistant Jeff Mullen announced to ESPN that Ramsey Nijem, Luis Rafael Laurentino and Glaico Franca tested positive for elevated banned substances.
Amanda Nunes vs. Claressa Shields opening betting odds revealed
Adam Martin - December 19, 2019
The opening betting odds have been revealed for a potential MMA bout between UFC women’s bantamweight and featherweight champion Amanda Nunes and boxing world champion Claressa Shields. Nunes defeated Germaine de Randamie at UFC 245 last weekend to retain the UFC women’s bantamweight title. Shields was in attendance at the event as a guest of UFC president Dana White but didn’t enter the cage to challenge Nunes as many assumed she would. Still, White and Nunes both admitted interest in a matchup against Shields.
Joe Rogan: Tony Ferguson is 'the best guy' Khabib Nurmagomedov has faced
Tom Taylor - December 19, 2019
Joe Rogan is very excited for the upcoming lightweight title fight between undefeated champ Khabib Nurmagomedov and streaking challenger Tony Ferguson. In fact, he believes Ferguson represents the best challenge Nurmagomedov has faced to date. Rogan gave his take on this matchup on a recent edition of the Joe Rogan MMA Show, speaking to former UFC featherweight champ Max Holloway.
Brendan Schaub tells Colby Covington haters to 'grow up'
Tom Taylor - December 19, 2019
Colby Covington is arguably the most polarizing fighter in MMA today. While he’s certainly got his fair share of fans, he’s also got legions of haters, and those haters have been very vocal since he lost to Kamaru Usman at UFC 245. Former UFC heavyweight Brendan Schaub, who now makes his living as an analyst and podcaster, believes Covington’s haters need to give it a rest. He feels that, because Covington’s persona is manufactured, fans should go a little easier on him.
Alexander Volkanovski to have surgery on broken hand
Adam Martin - December 19, 2019
New UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski is set to have surgery on his broken hand that will keep him on the shelf for the foreseeable future. Volkanovski defeated Max Holloway by unanimous decision in the co-main event of UFC 245 to win the title and emerge as a new global star in MMA. But he suffered a broken hand during the fight and it will keep him on the sidelines and unable to defend his belt anytime soon.
UFC Busan | Pro fighters make their picks for Frankie Edgar vs. the Korean Zombie
Cole Shelton - December 19, 2019
In the final UFC card of the year and the decade, the Octagon will touch down in Busan, South Korea. The UFC Busan main event pairs short-notice replacement, Frankie Edgar against “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung. Heading into the fight, Edgar is a +145 underdog while Jung is a -175 favorite. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. The majority believe Chan Sung Jung will get his hand raised at home.
First-time offender Alex Nicholson receives 4-year suspension from NAC, fined over 15K
Natasha Hooper - December 19, 2019
PFL light heavyweight and former UFC fighter Alex Nicholson has hit a major snag in his MMA career. On Wednesday, the Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) held their monthly meeting. Alex Nicholson was a point of discussion as the fighter allegedly tested positive for multiple banned substances on a recent drug test. The test in question was administered for his Francimar Barroso bout at a PFL event on October 31. The results concluded the positive use of three banned substances, drostanolone, nandrolone and trenbolone, in addition to an elevated T/E ratio.
Nick Diaz advertises 'VIP tickets to my UFC return'
Tom Taylor - December 19, 2019
Nick Diaz recently took to Instagram to advertise an opportunity for fans to win VIP tickets to his UFC return. The problem, of course, is that he doesn’t currently have a UFC return scheduled.
Chris Weidman claims Dana White pressured him into trash talking Anderson Silva before UFC 162
Harry Kettle - December 19, 2019
Chris Weidman has claimed that UFC president Dana White put pressure on him to increase the level of trash talk ahead of his UFC 162 showdown against Anderson Silva. The bout, which took place back in July 2013, was for the UFC Middleweight Championship. Heading into the bout it was clear to see that many pundits and fans alike felt like Weidman had a legitimate shot at ending the run of Silva as the king of the middleweights.
Evander Holyfield wants to work with Dana White on Zuffa Boxing: "Let me be part of it"
Mike Pendleton - December 18, 2019
As 2019 winds down, Dana White is starting to push steam behind Zuffa Boxing, although no set announcements have been made yet. Most recently, White announced that he had reached a deal with Floyd Mayweather for the two to work together on Zuffa Boxing, but White would not go into detail as to how that deal would take place. Following the news of their agreement, another boxing legend wants in on Zuffa Boxing. While making an appearance for Sirius XM’s Fight Nation’s Defining Moments of the Decade Show, former heavyweight boxing legend Evander Holyfield revealed he would like to work with Dana White and be a part of Zuffa Boxing.
Rory MacDonald on leaving Bellator for PFL: "It seemed like their interest in me kinda died"
Mike Pendleton - December 18, 2019
Former Bellator welterweight champion and UFC welterweight title challenger Rory MacDonald made headlines on Monday when it was announced by ESPN that he was leaving Bellator MMA and joining the Professional Fighters League. Following his shocking move, MacDonald joined Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show Podcast and discussed why he left Bellator MMA following his loss to Douglas Lima in October, as his contract expired after that fight.
Max Holloway explains why he was pulled from UFC 226 fight against Brian Ortega
Mike Pendleton - December 18, 2019
Former UFC featherweight Max Holloway is in good spirits and answering questions following his title loss to Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 245 this past weekend. On Wednesday, Holloway was a guest on The Joe Rogan Experience MMA Show to discuss a wide variety of topics from his title loss to the recent happenings in his career. One situation Holloway discussed with Joe Rogan was the reasoning behind him being pulled from his scheduled fight against Brian Ortega at UFC 226 in the Summer of 2018. Rogan asked Holloway about the situation which saw “Blessed” undergo a series of tests, but nothing was every released to the public about Holloway’s health following the tests.