MMA News
Paulo Costa calls Israel Adesanya a "p***y African"
Adam Martin - November 19, 2019
UFC middleweight contender Paulo Costa blasted UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya on social media, calling the champ a “p***y African.” Costa is the No. 1 contender in the UFC middleweight division and earned a title shot following his unanimous decision win over Yoel Romero at UFC 241. Unfortunately for Costa, he injured his biceps and had to have surgery on his arm, which is expected to keep him out of commission until mid-2020.
Yoel Romero wants middleweight title shot to determine 'the real champion'
Tom Taylor - November 19, 2019
Yoel Romero wants a shot at UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. The Cuban wrestler believes he needs to fight Adesanya to determine the true king of the middleweight division.
Dillon Danis sends message to newly retired Ben Askren
Tom Taylor - November 19, 2019
From the moment Ben Askren announced his retirement from MMA, you knew it was only a matter of time before Dillon Danis — one of Askren’s chief naysayers — chimed in. It’s finally happened.
UFC rankings update: Conor McGregor nearly off pound-for-pound list
Tom Taylor - November 19, 2019
The UFC rankings have been updated in the wake of Saturday’s UFC Sao Paulo card, and as expected, there have been some interesting changes. Most notably, former UFC lightweight heavyweight champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua has been 86’d from the light heavyweight rankings after battling Paul Craig to a draw in the UFC Sao Paulo co-main event.
Conor McGregor's manager says Donald Cerrone contract discussions are going well
Adam Martin - November 19, 2019
UFC superstar Conor McGregor’s manager Audie Attar says contract discussions are going well for McGregor’s return fight against Donald Cerrone at UFC 246. It has been weeks now since McGregor and Cerrone were first linked to a fight, with both men saying that is was likely going to be booked soon. And yet, for whatever reason, the UFC hasn’t been able to get the deal signed on the dotted line.
Dana White seemingly confirms Weili Zhang vs. Joanna Jedrezjczyk
Adam Martin - November 19, 2019
UFC president Dana White has seemingly confirmed that UFC women’s strawweight champion Weili Zhang will fight Joanna Jedrzejczyk next. Zhang and Jedrzejczyk have been going hard at each other recently on social media, and the rivalry reached a tipping point when Jedrzejczyk recently told Zhang that she was willing to travel to China to “beat the sh*t out of her.”
Ex-coach says ‘real BMF’ Nick Diaz crushes guys like Jorge Masvidal
Harry Kettle - November 19, 2019
Nick Diaz’s former coach Cesar Gracie believes that the former Strikeforce star would “crush” guys like Jorge Masvidal when he’s at his best. Diaz hasn’t fought inside the Octagon since back in January 2015, almost five years ago, in his main event showdown with Anderson Silva which was overturned to a no contest. Ever since then he’s largely stayed away from the MMA bubble, with his younger brother Nate taking advantage of that by becoming one of the biggest stars in the sport.
Amir Khan learned from setbacks, ready to bounce back
BJPENN.COM Staff - November 19, 2019
For Amir Khan, staying active and constantly preparing for ONE Championship action seemed like the right idea at the time. However, the 25-year-old Khan quickly realized that he was putting himself into the wrong situations, and the end result was three consecutive defeats.
Israel Adesanya names ‘the second most dangerous guy’ at middleweight
Harry Kettle - November 19, 2019
UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya has spoken out about who he believes to be the biggest threat within his division. Adesanya finally completed his ascent to the top at middleweight back at UFC 243, as he defeated Robert Whittaker to claim the title. Ever since then we’ve heard a million and one different stories regarding what could be next for “The Last Stylebender”, with Yoel Romero emerging as the primary contender after Paulo Costa was put on the shelf through injury.
Fighter dies following amateur MMA bout in England
Harry Kettle - November 19, 2019
Amateur mixed martial arts fighter Saeideh Aletaha has died after suffering a brain injury during a bout this past weekend. Aletaha, 26, was injured during the Fast and Furious Fight Series event which occurred at Central Hall in the south coast city on Saturday night. She was transferred to Southampton General Hospital around 9 p.m. local time, but was pronounced dead later that evening.
Darren Till says he called out Yoel Romero when he was 'blind drunk'
Cole Shelton - November 18, 2019
Darren Till entered the elite of the middleweight rankings when he edged out a win over Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 244. Shortly after the bout, The Liverpool native made it known he didn’t want to fight Yoel Romero next. Yet, to much surprise, Till later called out Romero on social media. He would later walk back on that challenge, claiming he called the Cuban out for fun and did so while he was very drunk.
Francis Ngannou has meeting with Dana White, teases big fight announcement
Adam Martin - November 18, 2019
UFC heavyweight contender Francis Ngannou said he had a productive meeting with UFC president Dana White and teased a big fight announcement. Ngannou has taken to social media in recent weeks to share his intense frustration for not having had a fight booked since his TKO win over Junior dos Santos back in June. He criticized the promotion for not giving him the Alexander Volkov matchup at UFC Moscow, an opportunity that Greg Hardy got instead. Ngannou then accused the UFC of using him as a gatekeeper and not viewing him as a true title challenger despite his three-fight win streak over JDS, Cain Velasquez and Curtis Blaydes.
Ben Askren outlines the 'storybook ending' he would have preferred
Tom Taylor - November 18, 2019
Ben Askren is done fighting. The former ONE Championship and Bellator welterweight king announced the end of his fighting career on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show on Monday, adding that he now plans to undergo a hip replacement. Askren ends his fighting career on a two-fight skid, having come up short against Demian Maia and Jorge Masvidal, by knockout and submission, in his last two fights. While these losses expedited his decision to retire, he explained that he likely would have retired soon even if he’d been winning.
Ken Shamrock says doctor shouldn't have stopped Nate Diaz fight at UFC 244
Adam Martin - November 18, 2019
UFC Hall of Famer Ken Shamrock believes the doctor should have let Nate Diaz continue to fight Jorge Masvidal at UFC 244. Shamrock is one of the pioneer’s of mixed martial arts and has seen everything there is to see in the sport. During a recent interview with Steven Marrocco of MMAFighting.com, Shamrock was asked what he thought about the controversial doctor stoppage in the Diaz vs. Masvidal fight at UFC 244. “The World’s Most Dangerous Man” said that the doctor should have given Diaz the opportunity to continue to fight.
Michael Bisping thinks Tyson Fury could be formidable in UFC
Fernando Quiles Jr. - November 18, 2019
UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping can see Tyson Fury making a smooth transition to MMA. Fury has expressed interest in sharing the Octagon with top UFC heavyweights in the future. The lineal boxing heavyweight champion is set to meet Deontay Wilder a second time in early 2020. First, Wilder must take care of business in a rematch with Luis Ortiz this Saturday night (Nov. 23).
Zabit Magomedsharipov wants featherweight title shot next, but open to Yair Rodriguez fight
Adam Martin - November 18, 2019
UFC featherweight contender Zabit Magomedsharipov wants a featherweight title shot next, but he’s also open to a fight with Yair Rodriguez. Magomedsharipov recently defeated Calvin Kattar in the main event of UFC Moscow to improve his UFC record to a perfect 6-0. The victory improved his UFC record to 18-1 and he is currently riding a 14-fight win streak since his lone career defeat in 2013.
Khabib Nurmagomedov wants Tony Ferguson next, then GSP
Adam Martin - November 18, 2019
UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov’s manager Rizvan Magomedov says that his client’s next fight will be against Tony Ferguson, then he wants Georges St. Pierre after that. Nurmagomedov recently defeated Dustin Poirier by stoppage at UFC 242 to improve his MMA record to a perfect 28-0, including a pristine 12-0 mark in the Octagon. With Ferguson also riding a 12-fight win streak, the fight between the two top-ranked lightweights in the sport seems destined to happen next, though it has not been officially booked yet.
The MMA community reacts to Ben Askren's retirement
Tom Taylor - November 18, 2019
Ben Askren has decided to hang up the gloves. The former ONE and Bellator welterweight title holder announced his retirement from mixed martial arts on Monday’s edition of Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show.