MMA News

Tom Taylor - October 29, 2019

In keeping with earlier rumors, Dwayne Johnson — better known as The Rock — will bestow the winner of Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal’s UFC 244 fight with the BMF belt. The pro wrestler and Hollywood actor announced this exciting news in a Tuesday Instagram Live session with UFC President Dana White. “This addition to the company and the brand and to the sport, this BMF belt, I think it’s brilliant,” Johnson said (transcript via ESPN). “It’s so smart and it’s just fun, man.”

Adam Martin - October 29, 2019

UFC lightweight contender Paul Felder is challenging Conor McGregor to a fight to determine who the toughest Irish fighter in the UFC is. Felder, who is an Irish American, claims that Irish MMA fans are turning on McGregor after all of his issues outside of the cage, and he wants to fight him.

Adam Martin - October 29, 2019

UFC president Dana White confirmed that top middleweight contender Paulo Costa is injured and out of his fight against Israel Adesanya. White confirmed in an interview with The Schmo that Costa injured his bicep and will be out for eight months. The UFC president says the promotion is working on securing a different opponent for Adesanya.

Adam Martin - October 29, 2019

Bellator heavyweight Roy Nelson has some words of advice for the UFC’s Greg Hardy when he fights Alexander Volkov. Nelson tells Hardy to ‘use two inhalers.’ Nelson previously fought Volkov in the UFC, so he knows a thing or two about fighting the giant Russian. Hardy takes on Volkov in the co-main event of UFC Moscow next week, and Nelson was kind enough to offer Hardy some advice for the fight.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - October 29, 2019

Chael Sonnen believes Jon Jones put on an act when he showed support for Nate Diaz. The UFC 244 main event appeared to be in serious jeopardy when Diaz claimed he was off the card. The Stockton native said elevated levels were found in his test results and he was told that it was likely due to contaminated supplements. Diaz wasn’t buying that reason as he doesn’t eat meat and only uses natural food supplements.

Tom Taylor - October 29, 2019

Last weekend, Nate Diaz gave the entire MMA community a terrible scare by announcing that he was out of his UFC 244 fight with Jorge Masvidal. Masvidal, of course, was not immune to this jarring news. Speaking to MMA Fighting ahead of UFC 244, Masvidal explained how he reacted when this Diaz news came out.

BJPENN.COM Staff - October 29, 2019

ONE Strawweight World Champion Joshua Pacio will not allow Rene Catalan to take his title on 8 November at ONE: Masters of Fate. Pacio is focused on his preparations and won’t leave anything to chance, knowing that he will return to the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila where he reclaimed his golden strap from Yosuke Saruta in April.

Tom Taylor - October 29, 2019

That Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson lightweight title fight we’ve all been awaiting for years? Expect to go down in the first quarter of 2020. That’s right from the lips of UFC President Dana White, who recently updated on the matchup in a chat with The Schmo.

Adam Martin - October 29, 2019

A rematch between former Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler and former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson has been added to Bellator Japan. Bellator recently announced the rematch, which will serve as the co-main event on the Bellator Japan card, which takes place on December 29 at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The fight will be contested at a catchweight of 160lbs.

Adam Martin - October 29, 2019

UFC lightweight contender Donald Cerrone says that contract negotiations for a fight against UFC superstar Conor McGregor are ‘looking good’ and he expects something to get signed soon. McGregor announced last week that he is targeting a return to the Octagon at UFC 246 on January 18 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Cerrone and Justin Gaethje are the two fighters who are under consideration to fight McGregor, and at this time it appears that Cerrone has the inside track to get the fight.

Tom Taylor - October 29, 2019

The official UFC rankings have been updated in the wake of last Saturday’s UFC Singapore card, and as expected, former ONE and Bellator champ Ben Askren has taken a tumble down the welterweight rankings after losing to Demian Maia in the main event. In victory, Maia has hiked up four spots to No. 6.

Tom Taylor - October 29, 2019

Nate Diaz is one of the most entertaining fighters in the game, and he knows it. Unfortunately, Diaz does not think particularly highly of many of his peers. Ahead of his UFC 244 with Jorge Masvidal — one of the few men he does respect — Diaz took a shot at many of the other fighters that populate the UFC roster, criticizing them for fighting to win at the expense of entertainment.

Harry Kettle - October 29, 2019

UFC commentators Dan Hardy and John Gooden have broken down the ins and outs of UFC 244’s fantastic main event between Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz. With just a few days remaining until the two popular welterweights square off at Madison Square Garden, the hype for the showdown is at an all-time high. Both men have unique and interesting styles, which is one of the primary reasons as to why it isn’t exactly surprising to see a “BMF” Championship being on the line for the winner.

Natasha Hooper - October 29, 2019

Douglas Lima believes he is the best welterweight fighter in the world and that he would even KO UFC champion, Kamaru Usman. The Brazilian fighter defeated Rory Macdonald at Bellator 232, claiming the Bellator welterweight title and the Grand Prix prize of $1 million.

Mike Pendleton - October 28, 2019

With the ‘BMF’ title on the line in the main event of Nate Diaz vs Jorge Masvidal at UFC 244, the man who created the belt, says it’s the only belt he’s focused on. In a taped interview with Ariel Helwani of ESPN, Diaz discussed why the ‘BMF’ title matters most and why he gives it the most importance. For Nate Diaz, the fight against Jorge Masvidal is what the belt is all about, no matter what the UFC has their sights set on.

Mike Pendleton - October 28, 2019

Douglas Lima is once again the Bellator MMA welterweight champion and is also $1 million richer after defeating Rory MacDonald at Bellator 232. It was a tough day road through the Welterweight World Grand Prix for Lima to get his title back and while he’s back at the top, a former opponent of his is seeing his career go in the opposite direction. Back in 2012, after going on a three-fight winning streak to start his Bellator career, Lima would face then Bellator welterweight champion Ben Askren for the championship, and it was “Funky” coming out victorious at Bellator 64.

Cole Shelton - October 28, 2019

Urijah Faber is an underdog for the second fight in a row. The UFC Hall of Famer beat Ricky Simon in his return from retirement by knockout in the first round. Now, at UFC 245 Urijah Faber will return to the Octagon to take on the surging contender, Petr Yan.

Mike Pendleton - October 28, 2019

With the pre-fight USADA issues behind UFC 244, all focus shifts back to the main event headliner of Nate Diaz vs Jorge Masvidal. While there are expected to be plenty of questions regarding USADA and the adverse findings in his test, Nate Diaz has never been afraid to speak his mind on all the hot topics surrounding the MMA world. In a taped interview with Ariel Helwani of ESPN that was filmed back in September, the topic of retirement was brought up, and Diaz wasn’t having it. During their conversation at Madison Square Garden about UFC 244, Helwani asked Diaz about his thoughts on retirement, which was shot down immediately.