MMA News

Adam Martin - December 10, 2019

UFC light heavyweight contender Anthony Smith is eager to step back into the Octagon and he’s hoping the UFC matchmakers pair him with Glover Teixeira next. Smith has not fought since June when he submitted Alexander Gustafsson in a big upset. He has been hoping to get back into the Octagon, but thus far has not been able to secure an opponent. A call out of Corey Anderson last month went nowhere after the UFC matched up Anderson against Jan Blachowicz at UFC Rio Rancho instead.

BJPENN.COM Staff - December 10, 2019

Vitor Belfort is already a legend. Throughout his career, Belfort had broken barriers and reinvented himself. He’s gone from being a brawler who specialized in disposing of his opponents as quickly as possible to a more well-rounded athlete capable of submitting his foes as well as knocking them out.

Natasha Hooper - December 10, 2019

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s father and coach Abdulmanap recently opened up on the preparation for Khabib’s upcoming bout against Tony Ferguson. The undefeated lightweight champion Nurmagomedov is expected to face off against No. 1 ranked lightweight contender Ferguson at UFC 249 in April 2020. This will be the fifth time the athletes have attempted to fight. Both fighters withdrew from their previous bouts for various reasons including health complications. Nurmagomedov’s father Abdulmanap believes the prior cancellations only add to the importance of the fifth (and hopefully final) attempt at the matchup.

Tom Taylor - December 10, 2019

Jairzinho Rozenstruik picked up the biggest win over his career over the weekend, scoring a last-minute knockout over former Strikeforce, Dream and K-1 heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem in the main event of the UFC’s latest stop in Washington, D.C. When he arrived home in his native Suriname, Rozenstruik received a welcome worthy of this feat, as he was swarmed by fans, journalists, and photographers. See it below (via Ariel Helwani on Twitter):

Tom Taylor - December 10, 2019

Top UFC welterweight contenders Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington used to be friends — but no longer. Over the last few months, the pair have devolved into arch enemies. What better way to eulogize their ruined friendship than with a Friends-inspired tribute? See just that below:

Tom Taylor - December 10, 2019

Israel Adesanya seems to have packed on some size. The UFC middleweight champion flaunted his impressive physique in a recent Instagram post, attributing his apparent gains to all the “‘Murica food” he ate during his recent travels in the United States.

Tom Taylor - December 10, 2019

UFC featherweight champ Max Holloway and UFC lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov were briefly scheduled to battle for the lightweight title in early 2018. Unfortunately, this super fight never materialized. That being said, Holloway still wants it, and is still optimistic it will happen.

Tom Taylor - December 10, 2019

Amanda Nunes is widely considered the Greatest of All Time (GOAT) in women’s MMA. So why wouldn’t she do a photoshoot with a herd of actual goats? In video obtained by TMZ Sports, we can see Nunes doing just that. Watch it below:

Natasha Hooper - December 10, 2019

Sean O’Malley’s skills extend outside of the MMA sphere as the UFC bantamweight fighter placed 8th in a Fornite tournament and donated all his winnings to charity. The 25-year-old fighter is currently undefeated in MMA with a 10-0 record.

Harry Kettle - December 10, 2019

Michael Bisping and Daniel Cormier have both taken the time to praise the Ultimate Fighting Championship for the financial aid the company has provided them in the past. The UFC has come under fire many times in the last few years for their perceived poor treatment of fighters in regards to how much they get paid as well as how they’re looked after. This has become a particularly notable topic of conversation since the release of Liz Carmouche, who looks set to be immediately snapped up by Bellator.

Tom Taylor - December 10, 2019

Who is the greatest female MMA fighter of all time? In the eyes of former UFC bantamweight champion Miesha Tate, who is one of the most accomplished female fighters ever herself, that’s “an easy pick” to make. In Tate’s eyes, there’s no question that the GOAT of women’s MMA is reigning UFC bantamweight and featherweight champion Amanda Nunes.

Cole Shelton - December 9, 2019

Kamaru Usman was very close to hanging up the gloves for good in 2018. Usman, who is the current UFC welterweight champion, was undefeated in the Las Vegas-based promotion yet was having a hard time getting fights. This was especially the case in 2017 and 2018. Frustration began to grow and “The Nigerian Nightmare” nearly retired from MMA.

Adam Martin - December 9, 2019

The UFC surprisingly released Liz Carmouche last week, but it doesn’t appear she will be on the free-agent market looking for work for long. According to Steven Marrocco of MMAFighting.com, Bellator has already been in touch with Carmouche about signing with the promotion. At this point, Bellator is just waiting for the UFC to send out its official release papers.

Cole Shelton - December 9, 2019

Jorge Masvidal has become one of the biggest stars in the UFC in 2019. And, he makes it clear he is not waiting on anyone for a fight. Since “Gamebred” beat Nate Diaz at UFC 244, him and Nick Diaz have gone back-and-forth in interviews and many thought a fight between the two would happen. Yet, Jorge Masvidal makes it clear there has been no progression on the fight and is not waiting on the elder Diaz to return to the Octagon.

Natasha Hooper - December 9, 2019

Bellator fighter James Gallagher hopes Nick Diaz stays in retirement for good as he found his recent interview concerning. Diaz sat down for an interview with Ariel Helwani last month and hinted at a possible Octagon return against Jorge Masvidal (to avenge his younger brother’s recent loss.) As Nick Diaz is a figurehead of the sport that many younger fighters look up to, his demeanour was a cause for concern for the young Irishman. Gallagher said (transcript via Metro News):

Natasha Hooper - December 9, 2019

Mike Perry hasn’t been holding back recently, and that includes vocalizing his particular disdain for UFC wrestlers. “Platinum” first called out “bum” Ben Askren this week, and now he mocks Colby Covington for “smooching” his opponents. The welterweight sent words of warning to Kamaru Usman, the division’s current champion. Usman is scheduled to defend his title for the first time against Colby Covington in the main event of UFC 245. However, Perry believes Covington will be delivering a smooch-fest rather than a punch-fest in the welterweight headliner. He took to Instagram and said:

Tom Taylor - December 9, 2019

Top UFC welterweight contender Colby Covington is an outspoken Donald Trump supporter, and even met the United States President after a 2018 interim title win over Rafael dos Anjos. As Covington makes his final preparations for his UFC 245-headlining welterweight title fight with undisputed champion Kamaru Usman, which goes down this Saturday in Las Vegas, he’s decided to promise Trump another UFC title win.

Adam Martin - December 9, 2019

UFC lightweight contender Justin Gaethje says he’s excited to see Conor McGregor return to the Octagon, admitting his presence is “good for the sport.” McGregor recently announced he is returning to the Octagon to take on Donald Cerrone in a welterweight bout in the main event of UFC 246. Gaethje was gunning for the fight with McGregor himself, but ultimately the Irishman chose Cerrone as his next opponent.