MMA News

Natasha Hooper - September 17, 2019

Bellator President Scott Coker isn’t impressed with the way the UFC handled the career of Cris Cyborg. Cyborg, the former Strikeforce, Invicta and UFC featherweight champion, joined Bellator MMA earlier this month. Prior to her move to Bellator, Cris Cyborg competed in the UFC, and got off to a good start with stoppage wins over Leslie Smith, Lina Lansberg and Tonya Evinger, the latter of whom she defeated to win the vacant featherweight title.

Cole Shelton - September 17, 2019

Tristan Connelly made his name known at UFC Vancouver. The Canadian was stepping up on short notice to take on Michel Pereira. He would also be fighting in his home city, which made his debut even more surreal. Given the circumstances, many did not expect him to win the fight. He was the biggest underdog on the card, but the Canadian pulled off the upset winning by unanimous decision.

Tom Taylor - September 17, 2019

Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz will soon come face-to-face for the first time ahead of their UFC 244 main event showdown. The pair of popular welterweight contenders are set to appear at an official UFC press conference this Thursday at 6:00pm at The Rooftop at Pier 17 in New York City. This press conference will be free and open to the public.

Tom Taylor - September 17, 2019

Late last week, Kevin Lee announced his intention to return to the lightweight division after a brief stint at welterweight. He stated that he hopes to work his way toward a title fight with lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov, and that he’s interested in battling Nurmagomedov’s training partner Islam Makhachev in the meantime. “After looking at that last fight with Khabib, I did an interview before Khabib fought Dustin (Poirier) and said I wasn’t too impressed,” Lee told ESPN (via MMA Mania). “But after seeing the way Khabib handled Dustin, I might want a piece of that cake. I like the biggest target I can find. He’s the real challenge out there. He’s the guy who is going to challenge Jon Jones for the pound-for-pound title. That’s the kind of fight that will get me up.

Adam Martin - September 16, 2019

Two of the best welterweights in the world will scrap it out later this year when Robbie Lawler meets Santiago Ponzinibbio at UFC 245. The bout was first reported by MMAjunkie.com, though the UFC has yet to officially confirm it. UFC 245 takes place December 14 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, and Lawler vs. Ponzinibbio will likely be a part of the pay-per-view portion of the card.

Thomas Taylor - September 16, 2019

UFC 244 was originally expected to be headlined by a welterweight title fight between reigning champion Kamaru Usman and top contender Colby Covington. Unfortunately, negotiations for this fight ultimately hit a snag, and the fight was never made official. Welterweight contender Ben Askren believes that’s because both Usman and Covington made the same mistake: the both assumed they have more popularity — and therefor more bargaining power — than they actually do. Askren shared this opinion, which will surely generate some backlash from Usman and Covington, on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show on Monday.

Thomas Taylor - September 16, 2019

Ben Askren and Conor McGregor recently had a brief skirmish on social media. Speaking on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show on Monday, Askren continued with this war of words by sending a scathing message to the former two-division UFC champion. By Askren’s estimation, McGregor needs to take a fight — perhaps with Dustin Poirier, who recently called him out. If McGregor is unwilling to do that, Askren believes he needs to keep quiet.

Cole Shelton - September 16, 2019

Cheick Kongo was fighting for the heavyweight title against Ryan Bader in the main event of Bellator 226. It was a chance for the 44-year-old Frenchman to win a major MMA title, something that has eluded him thus far in his career. Unfortunately for Kongo and his team, things didn’t go as planned. Instead, the fight was ruled a no-contest after an accidental eye poke from Bader. The champion has since gone on social media posting videos saying there was no eye poke. Kongo, however, says he was poked in the eye, and the nose.

Tom Taylor - September 16, 2019

Shortly after Khabib Nurmagomedov and Dustin Poirier fought at UFC 242, they exchanged Reebok t-shirts. Nurmagomedov subsequently announced his intention to auction off Poirier’s shirt and donate the proceeds to Poirier’s charity, The Good Fight, which is currently working in conjunction with Justin Wren’s charity, Fight for the Forgotten. In the end, Nurmagomedov was able to auction Poirier’s shirt off for a hefty $100,000, which will now be donated to the aforementioned causes. Poirier shared this exciting news with MMA Junkie on Monday.

Adam Martin - September 16, 2019

Former UFC welterweight contender Dan Hardy hopes to fight again in the Octagon, and he wants a piece of Nate Diaz in his return fight. The UFC color commentator recently spoke to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto about a possible comeback opponent, and “The Outlaw” said he wants Diaz.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - September 16, 2019

Michael Bisping believes those hoping for a heated buildup to Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal will be disappointed. On Nov. 2, Diaz and Masvidal will do battle for the one-time only BMF championship. The welterweight clash is set to headline UFC 244 inside Madison Square Garden in New York City. The seeds for this bout were planted when Diaz called Masvidal out following his successful return at UFC 241.

Mike Heck - September 16, 2019

Michel Pereira suffered his first UFC loss on Saturday to newcomer Tristan Connelly at UFC Vancouver, but he suffered a lot prior to the fight as well, according to a recent statement. “Demolidor” brings a charismatic and exciting style to the cage that has been rarely, if ever, seen in the UFC Octagon. Pereira also missed the welterweight limit by a pound prior to Saturday’s disappointing defeat.

Cole Shelton - September 16, 2019

Justin Gaethje took on Donald Cerrone in the main event of UFC Vancouver. It was a critical fight in the lightweight division, and one with the potential to propel the winner to the cusp of a title shot. In the end, it was Gaethje who got it done. The former World Series of Fighting champ knocked out Cowboy in the first round to extend his winning streak to three. It also puts Cerrone on a two-fight losing streak and makes him 2-2 at lightweight since dropping back down to the division earlier this year.

Tom Taylor - September 16, 2019

Back in May, in the main event of UFC Ottawa, New York’s Al Iaquinta stepped into the cage with the dangerous Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone. Iaquinta’s objective was to gun down Cowboy and take a big step toward a shot at lightweight gold. Unfortunately for Al Iaquinta and his team, this fight didn’t go as planned, as he was defeated by unanimous decision.

Tom Taylor - September 16, 2019

UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has been campaigning for a fight with former UFC welterweight and middleweight champ Georges St-Pierre for quite awhile. Nurmagomedov’s manager has even claimed St-Pierre is the next opponent in line for Nurmagomedov. Given that streaking UFC lightweight contender Tony Ferguson has irrefutably earned a lightweight title shot, talk of a potential Nurmagomedov vs. St-Pierre fight has been met with quite a bit of backlash. The good news for fans who want to see Nurmagomedov vs. Ferguson next, however, is that St-Pierre himself believes this is the way it should happen.

BJPENN.COM Staff - September 16, 2019

Danny Kingad will be dealing with a lot of pressure when he goes head-to-head with Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson in the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix Final at ONE: CENTURY PART I this coming 13 October in Tokyo, Japan.  The 23-year old Filipino flyweight prodigy out of the famed Team Lakay Gym in La Trinidad, Benguet Province, Philippines will have the hopes of an entire nation pinned on him as he looks to take down a pound-for-pound great in the United States’ Johnson with a shot at glory on the line. 

Tom Taylor - September 16, 2019

Over the weekend, in the main event of UFC Vancouver, Donald Cerrone was knocked out by lightweight finisher Justin Gaethje. With this outcome, Cerrone has now lost six of his last 10 fights, but the fan favorite is still focused on his lofty goals. One of those goals is to win 50 MMA fights. Cerrone is currently at 36 wins, which means he’s got some work to do, but with the busy schedule he keeps, it’s certainly doable.

BJPENN.COM Staff - September 16, 2019

Samy Sana has already pulled off one improbable victory during the ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Grand Prix. On 13 October in Tokyo, Sana will be faced with his toughest challenge since signing with ONE Championship.  He’ll face kickboxing legend Giorgio Petrosyan in the final with the USD $1 million prize on the line and the right to call himself the first-ever ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Champion. The Sana-Petrosyan match is just one bout on a stacked, two-card event emanating from the iconic Ryogoku Kokugikan.