MMA News

Adam Martin - October 23, 2019

Former UFC heavyweight Antonio Silva has issued a statement following a KO loss to Gabriel Gonzaga at BKFC 8, criticizing keyboard warriors for their negative comments in the wake of yet another knockout loss. The man they call “Bigfoot” issued a video statement on his Instagram page in Portuguese. BJPenn.com has translated the interview and given an account of what Silva said in English.

Cole Shelton - October 23, 2019

Kevin Lee believes Georges St-Pierre will return to the Octagon, and that the former welterweight and middleweight champ will do so at lightweight. Lee is now training at the famed Tristar gym in Montreal, Canada. The gym is the long-time home of St-Pierre.

Cole Shelton - October 23, 2019

David Feldman has recently signed several former UFC and Bellator champions or title contenders to Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. He also recently signed former boxing world champion Paulie Malignaggi, who stepped into the BKFC ring for a fight against Artem Lobov. Feldman believes it’s crucial to BKFC’s continued success to sign these kinds of big-name fighters — fighters like Wanderlei Silva and Hector Lombard, who recently signed on the dotted line. Luckily, Feldman says fighters are now coming to him and wanting to sign with BKFC, which makes his job much easier.

Harry Kettle - October 23, 2019

The opening betting odds for the new UFC Moscow co-main event between Greg Hardy and Alexander Volkov have now been released. The mixed martial arts world was stunned yesterday when it was revealed that Hardy will be replacing the injured Junior dos Santos in the co-main event of UFC Moscow on November 9. The former NFL star will be going head to head with former Bellator heavyweight champion Alexander Volkov, which serves as a huge step up in competition.

Natasha Hooper - October 23, 2019

Dustin Poirier was aiming to return to the Octagon in January 2020, but his plans may have to be put on hold. ‘The Diamond’ revealed on Twitter that an upcoming hip surgery will impact his anticipated return. Poirier will be going under the knife to rectify multiple tears in the labrum of his hip. The 30-year old will also have his femur bone reshaped to stop the tears from occurring in future.

BJPENN.COM Staff - October 23, 2019

Zebaztian Kadestam’s last title defense was no cakewalk. He was pushed extensively by Georgy Kichigin back in March at ONE: Reign of Valor. His next defense takes place on October 25 in Jakarta, Indonesia, and the battle could be just as fierce for “The Bandit.” The promising and well-rounded Kiamrian Abbasov awaits, and he’s in the midst of a three-fight win streak. Most recently, Abbasov made short work of Japanese legend Yushin Okami. The 26-year-old from Kyrgyzstan scored a second-round TKO victory over Okami at ONE: For Honor in May. 

Cole Shelton - October 23, 2019

In the main event of Bellator 232, the welterweight title is on the line, as well as the welterweight grand prix title. The champion, Rory MacDonald rematches Douglas Lima in a very interesting bout. Heading into the scrap, the champion is a +130 underdog while the challenger is a -160 favorite. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. The majority are leaning to hearing ‘And New’ but they all agree it is a very close fight.

Christopher Taylor - October 22, 2019

UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has responded to Tony Ferguson’s callout in controversial fashion. Earlier today, the streaking lightweight contender took to Twitter where he seemingly challenged the promotions reigning 205-pound kingpin.

Cole Shelton - October 22, 2019

Claudia Gadelha has been forced to withdraw from her UFC Washington D.C. fight against Cynthia Calvillo. The Brazilian posted on Instagram that ongoing injuries have forced her to pull out of the bout.

Cole Shelton - October 22, 2019

An American Hockey League fight ended with a brutal one-punch knockout. Edmonton Oilers prospect and current Bakersfield Condor, Colby Cave fought Calgary Flames prospect and current Stockton Heat player, Martin Pospisil. There, Cave connected on a hard punch that dropped Pospisil and knocked him out cold.

Thomas Taylor - October 22, 2019

When Junior dos Santos withdrew from his UFC Moscow headlining fight with Alexander Volkov, Francis Ngannou suggested that he’d be willing to step in and replace him. In the end, however, the opportunity to fight Volkov on short notice was instead offered to the amply less experienced Greg Hardy. Hardy and Volkov will now collide in the UFC Moscow co-main event.

Thomas Taylor - October 22, 2019

The official UFC rankings have been updated in the wake of last Friday’s UFC Boston card, but surprisingly, Dominick Reyes has not moved up the light heavyweight ladder on the strength of his defeat of Chris Weidman. Yair Rodriguez, however, who defeated Jeremy Stephens in the card’s co-main event, did make a small climb at featherweight.

Tom Taylor - October 22, 2019

Junior dos Santos was recently forced out of his UFC Moscow headlining fight with Alexander Volkov. He’ll be replaced a very unlikely fighter: former football player Greg Hardy. UPDATE: This Hardy vs. Volkov fight will serve as the UFC Moscow co-headliner. A featherweight bout between Calvin Kattar and Zabit Magomedsharipov will now headline the card. 

Tom Taylor - October 22, 2019

Emil Meek and Diego Sanchez, two of the most entertaining fighters in the UFC welterweight division — both in terms of fighting style and personality — are seemingly down to fight each other. The pair discussed this possibility, and ultimately agreed to it, on Instagram. Meek shared their exchange in a post to Twitter.

Tom Taylor - October 22, 2019

Former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos was expected to battle Russia’s Alexander Volkov in the main event of the upcoming UFC Moscow card, scheduled for Nov 9. According to ESPN, however, a bout of cellulitis has forced dos Santos out of this contest, leaving the UFC to search frantically for a replacement opponent for Volkov. The good news is that the UFC already has one option in terms of a new opponent for the Russian: Francis Ngannou. Ngannou threw his name in the hat on Twitter shortly after news of dos Santos’ withdrawal from the card surfaced.

BJPENN.COM Staff - October 22, 2019

Only three men in history have held the ONE Welterweight World Title, and it is an esteemed group of martial artists. Because the weight class contains athletes with elite strength, speed, and skill, some of the most dangerous and exciting competitors cross paths in this division.  That makes extended reigns with the ONE Welterweight World Title all the more impressive. The current champion is Zebaztian Kadestam, and he’s one of the roughest and well-balanced martial artists in the world.

Mike Heck - October 22, 2019

Maurice Greene has his sights set on the top-10 of the ever evolving UFC heavyweight division and will look to take a pivotal step forward this weekend. “The Crochet Boss” will take on Sergey Pavlovich this Saturday at UFC on ESPN+ 20. The event will take place at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore and will be headlined by a welterweight matchup between Ben Askren and Demian Maia.

BJPENN.COM Staff - October 22, 2019

Priscilla Hertati Lumban Gaol will make her 11th appearance on the ONE Championship stage in Jakarta on October 25 when she faces Bozhena “Toto” Antoniyar at ONE: Dawn of Valor. Knowing full well that her opponent is a tremendous striker, Lumban Gaol has been working on a strategy that will put her in a position of victory in front of her hometown fans.