MMA News

Harry Kettle - October 30, 2019

UFC Bantamweight and Flyweight Champion Henry Cejudo has cast a shadow of doubt over a potential title fight between himself and Joseph Benavidez. Cejudo was last in action against Marlon Moraes back in June at UFC 238, where he was able to capture the vacant UFC Bantamweight Championship to become a two-weight world champion. The man known as “Triple C” has been active in the media ever since then, leading many to question what his next move was going to be.

Tom Taylor - October 30, 2019

Shortly after it came to light that an injury had forced Paulo Costa out of his planned title fight with UFC middleweight champ Israel Adesanya, Yoel Romero inserted himself into the conversation and called out the champ for a fight. He and Adesanya have since gone back and forth on social media, seemingly agreeing to a fight.

Tom Taylor - October 30, 2019

The days of Dana White and Ben Askren publicly bashing each other seem to be over. In fact, White has leapt to Askren’s defense after Askren was submitted by Demian Maia in the UFC Singapore main event over the weekend.

Cole Shelton - October 30, 2019

Blagoy Ivanov wanted to fight Derrick Lewis, and he’s getting his wish at UFC 244. Ivanov is on a two-fight winning streak after beating Ben Rothwell and most recently Tai Tuivasa at UFC 238. Now, he is set to fight Lewis who is ranked fifth and the exact opponent he wanted.

Harry Kettle - October 30, 2019

UFC light heavyweight Paul Craig will step in to face Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in the co-main event of UFC São Paulo, UFC has announced. The card is scheduled to take place on November 16 at Ginásio do Ibirapuera, with the headliner pitting Jan Błachowicz against Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza. The co-main event was also set to be a light heavyweight showcase with Sam Alvey facing Rua, but now, it’ll be “Bearjew” Craig that steps in for the biggest fight of his life.

BJPENN.COM Staff - October 30, 2019

ONE Atomweight Muay Thai and Kickboxing World Champion Stamp Fairtex will face another imposing opponent in Killer Bee” Bi Nguyen who is out to redeem herself from her split-decision loss in her previous outing. Stamp is on a mission for a third world title in as many sports. After defeating Asha Roka in just her second mixed martial arts bout last August, Stamp continues her quest in Manila at ONE: Masters of Fate this November 8. 

Natasha Hooper - October 30, 2019

Conor McGregor struggles to stay out of trouble, even when travelling abroad. This week, the former champion’s trip to Russia was interrupted as thugs reportedly surrounded his hotel, forcing the building into lockdown and police to intervene (according to Sputnik News).

Adam Martin - October 29, 2019

A few months after being released by the UFC, former UFC women’s bantamweight title challenger Cat Zingano has signed a multifight deal with Bellator. ESPN’s Ariel Helwani revealed the signing on Tuesday, noting that Zingano is expected to compete in Bellator’s featherweight division. Her debut date and opponent are not yet finalized. Her signing with Bellator was heavily rumored ever since her UFC release.

Mike Pendleton - October 29, 2019

The confident quotes and one-liners used to be endless from Darren Till, but a recent skid had him silenced as he figured out his best moved. During his run to a welterweight title fight against Tyron Woodley at UFC 228 in September of 2018, Till electrified the welterweight division with his most notable wins coming over Cowboy Cerrone and Stephen Thompson. What followed after his run to the top would hold many fighters down, Till would come up short in his fight against Woodley and then he returned to face Jorge Masvidal earlier this year, but suffered a second-round knockout loss. After taking time off to decide on his next move, Till jumped, better yet, leaped into the deep-end of the promotions middleweight division.

Natasha Hooper - October 29, 2019

UFC 244 is one of the most highly anticipated events on the 2019 MMA calendar and it takes place this weekend at Madison Square Gardens in New York. Jorge Masvidal will square off against Nate Diaz in the welterweight main event. They will battle it out for the unprecedented ‘BMF’ title, awarded by none other than Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson.

Christopher Taylor - October 29, 2019

Fight fans received unfortunate news today that Paulo Costa had suffered an injury and was forced out of his slated title fight with Israel Adesanya. UFC President Dana White revealed the news in an interview with ‘The Schmo’, explaining that Costa had injured his bicep and will be out for eight months. White went on to say the promotion is working on securing a different opponent for Adesanya.

Cole Shelton - October 29, 2019

Two straight losses haven’t derailed Ben Askren’s confidence. Askren retired in 2017 because he could not get a shot in the UFC to prove he was the best welterweight in the world. Yet, this year that all changed. He made his Octagon debut in March with a submission win over Robbie Lawler. Since then though, he lost in five-seconds to Jorge Masvidal at UFC 239 and then was submitted by Demian Maia. His stock has dropped due to the setbacks and now said he is contemplating retirement.

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.

Mike Heck - October 29, 2019

President Donald Trump has had ties to the world of mixed martial arts for years and it seems he has his sights set on watching the “BMF” title fight between Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz at UFC 244 in person. According to a report via Twitter from Annie Karni, a White House correspondent for the New York Times, the President of the United States is “tentatively scheduled” to attend UFC 244 at Madison Square Garden this Saturday.

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.