MMA News

Tom Taylor - December 18, 2019

UFC pay-per-views are going to be a little more expensive going forward, starting with UFC 246 on January 18. That card, and those that follow it, will cost $64.99 rather than the usual $59.99. This price-hike can be attributed to ESPN, the promotion’s broadcast partner, as UFC pay-per-views are available exclusively through the ESPN app.

Tom Taylor - December 18, 2019

Rory MacDonald has parted ways with Bellator MMA. After a period of free agency, the former Bellator welterweight champion has not signed a new deal with the promotion, and instead inked a contract with the Professional Fighters League (PFL).

Cole Shelton - December 18, 2019

Felicia Spencer will make her first walk to the Octagon of 2020 on Feb. 29 in Norfolk, Virginia. On Tuesday, Spencer posted on Instagram that she would be return at UFC Norfolk. Sources close to the situation told BJPENN.com that she will be taking on Zarah Fairn dos Santos.

Tom Taylor - December 18, 2019

Jose Aldo came up short in his UFC 245 bantamweight debut, losing a decision to Marlon Moraes. That being said, many members of the MMA community felt Aldo deserved the judges’ nod in this fight — UFC bantamweight champ Henry Cejudo is among them. Shortly after UFC 245, Cejudo issued a callout of Aldo, challenging the former featherweight champion to a fight in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Natasha Hooper - December 18, 2019

The world of MMA has seen top fighters use their success to help others. Lightweight contender Justin Gaethje is helping students by paying off their lunch debts at two Denver schools. Sharing is caring, as “The Highlight” inked a cheque last week to pay for $1,538 worth of lunch debts accrued at West Early College High School and Middle School.

Natasha Hooper - December 18, 2019

Francis Ngannou is set to return to the Octagon against Jairzinho Rozenstruik at UFC Fight Columbus in March. The heavy hitter is leading the way as the favorite to win in their the upcoming fight. Ngannou last fought in June of 2019, when he took on Junior Dos Santos in the main event of UFC Minneapolis. The 33-year old utilized his striking to accomplish a first-round victory. “The Predator” currently has three back-to-back first-round finishes. Prior to Junior Dos Santos, the heavyweight star beat Curtis Blaydes and Cain Velasquez by TKO  in under a minute each.

Harry Kettle - December 18, 2019

Nobody really knows what’s going to happen when Conor McGregor steps back inside the Octagon for the first time since UFC 229, but one thing is for sure: the Irishman is using that loss is Las Vegas as fuel for the fire. McGregor was beaten on that night by rival Khabib Nurmagomedov who won via submission to retain the UFC Lightweight Championship. While McGregor’s comeback fight against Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone may be taking place at welterweight, there’s no denying the fact that a rematch with Nurmagomedov is on the mind of both McGregor and the UFC.

Cole Shelton - December 17, 2019

Khabib Nurmagomedov doesn’t know if he will fight again after taking on Tony Ferguson at UFC 249. The undefeated Dagestani lightweight champion has been hinting at retirement for quite some time now. His father has even advised him to retire young. Yet, on April 18 at UFC 249 in Brooklyn, New York, Nurmagomedov will put up his lightweight strap on the line against Ferguson.

Cole Shelton - December 17, 2019

The bad blood between Ali Abdelaziz and Colby Covington may be a thing of the past. Abdelaziz and Covington got into it after UFC 235 at a Las Vegas buffet and have since trashed each other in interviews. Yet, following UFC 245 where “Chaos” suffered a fifth-round TKO loss to Abdelaziz’s client in Kamaru Usman, the manager took to Twitter to praise the former interim champ.

Thomas Taylor - December 17, 2019

Fan favorite welterweight fighter “Platinum” Mike Perry returned to the Octagon on the undercard of UFC 245, where he collided with top-15 contender Geoff Neal. In this fight, Perry sought to rebound from a razor close, split decision loss to Vicente Luque, which left his nose badly broken.

Tom Taylor - December 17, 2019

Colby Covington came up short in his bid to capture the UFC welterweight title at UFC 245, succumbing to fifth-round punches from the champion Kamaru Usman. Yet according to Dan Lambert, the owner of American Top Team, where Covington trains, the recent welterweight title challenger is still as confident as ever. “He is a 10 out of 10 as far as what I would hope his mindset would be after a fight like that,” Lambert told MMA Fighting of Covington. “He wants to get right back in. He wants to get right back into training. He wants to get back into training as soon as he’s ready health wise. He wants to get back and prove that he’s the best.

Tom Taylor - December 17, 2019

Former UFC strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk will attempt to reclaim the title she once owned when she takes on reigning champion Weili Zhang at UFC 238 on March 7. Jedrzejczyk is unsurprisingly very excited about the opportunity to reclaim her throne.

Tom Taylor - December 17, 2019

UFC President Dana White has been teasing the launch of his new Zuffa Boxing venture for months. In fact, he initially intended to kickstart this new boxing promotion in October or November. Speaking at Yahoo! Sports, White updated on this venture, and explained why it has not yet gotten off the ground.

Tom Taylor - December 17, 2019

UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones is set to defend his title against Dominick Reyes at UFC 247 on February 8. Initially, it seemed as though we were in for a cordial buildup to this fight. If Jones’ comments at the recent UFC 247 pre-fight press conference were any indication though, there’s plenty of trash talk coming our way. At the press conference, Jones explained why Reyes rubs him the wrong way.

Tom Taylor - December 17, 2019

Saturday’s UFC 245 card produced some epic brawls and some impressive finishes. As such, it should come as no surprise that a few fighters on the bill have been handed some lengthy medical suspensions. Most notably, Colby Covington is facing a lengthy sit due to the broken jaw he sustained in his failed welterweight title bid opposite Kamaru Usman.

Tom Taylor - December 17, 2019

At UFC 245, Colby Covington attempted to wrest the UFC welterweight title from the waist of champion Kamaru Usman. Unfortunately for the outspoken challenger, this mission didn’t go as planned, as he was stopped by a volley of fifth-round strikes from the champ. From here, Covington will likely take some time off to recover from the injuries he sustained in the fight — most notably a fractured jaw. From there, it’ll be back to the drawing board, as he attempts to work his way back to a shot at the UFC welterweight title.

Harry Kettle - December 17, 2019

UFC featherweight contender Megan Anderson has opened up about her mental health issues during a recent interview with ESPN. Anderson, who is scheduled to fight Norma Dumont Viana at UFC Norfolk, is coming off the back of her second win in the Ultimate Fighting Championship where she was able to defeat Zarah Fairn Dos Santos via submission.

Harry Kettle - December 17, 2019

In the wake of the blockbuster UFC 245 event this past weekend, the payroll for all fighters that featured on the card — both main and under — have been released. The UFC 245 show saw three title fights headline at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, with arguably the two biggest stories of the evening being Kamaru Usman successfully retaining his Welterweight Championship and Alexander Volkanovski winning the Featherweight Championship.