MMA News

Cole Shelton - September 19, 2019

In the main event of UFC Mexico City, top-10 featherweights collide as Yair Rodriguez takes on Jeremy Stephens. Heading into the fight, the Mexican in Rodriguez is a -110 underdog while the American is the -120 favorite, meaning it is practically a pick’em fight. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. The pros believe it will be a close fight but give a slight edge to the local fighter.

Tom Taylor - September 19, 2019

Francis Ngannou fell short in his first bid to steal the UFC heavyweight belt from Stipe Miocic, but is eager for a chance to right this wrong. Now on a three-fight win-streak, he feels he’s earned a second crack at the champion, and hopes that opportunity comes before years’ end.

Tom Taylor - September 19, 2019

Don’t expect any trash talk from Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz ahead of their UFC 244 fight. Speaking on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show on Monday, Masvidal explained why any trash talk with his next opponent would be super unnecessary.

Cole Shelton - September 18, 2019

Jeremy Stephens will look to get back into the win column when he takes Yair Rodriguez in the main event of UFC Mexico City on Saturday. Although he is going into hostile territory to fight the Mexican in Rodriguez, Stephens isn’t worried about that. Instead, he believes his experience will be too much for the 26-year-old as he will embarrass him.

Cole Shelton - September 18, 2019

Colby Covington has gotten some heat from fellow American Top Team (ATT) fighters as of late. ‘Chaos’ has taken shots at both Jorge Masvidal and Dustin Poirier with both firing right back at the former UFC interim welterweight champion. It got to the point that Covington admitted a brawl may take place at ATT and he could very well have to leave the gym.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - September 18, 2019

Matt Serra believes two fighters could solve the puzzle of Khabib Nurmagomedov. At a stellar 28-0 and holding UFC lightweight gold, Nurmagomedov has become one of the most dominant fighters in the history of mixed martial arts competition. He’s coming off a successful title defense against Dustin Poirier, submitting “The Diamond” in the third round.

Adam Martin - September 18, 2019

UFC middleweight contender David Branch has been suspended two years by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) after testing positive for banned substances. USADA released a statement on this issue. Here’s what it said:

Tom Taylor - September 18, 2019

Former Strikeforce middleweight champion and long-time UFC middleweight contender Jacare Souza has recently been dealing with some mental health struggles. These issues were severe enough that they almost led him to give up on fighting. Jacare opened up on this struggles in a recent interview with MMA Fighting.

Tom Taylor - September 18, 2019

UFC Vancouver produced some violent finishes and some fun wars. An unfortunate side-effect of entertainment like this is that it often results in lengthy medical suspensions for the fighters involved. The medical suspension for UFC Vancouver are now public, and as expected, Donald Cerrone has been sidelined for a significant period after his knockout loss to Justin Gaethje in the main event. He’ll be out 90 days.

Cole Shelton - September 18, 2019

Colby Covington and Nick Diaz have gone back-and-forth in interviews trash-talking one another. It even got to the point where Diaz challenged Covington to a fight. “I’m not gonna sit here and call the man a liar, I never heard about it, I just found out,” Diaz said of Covington’s trash talk to TMZ Sports. “If you wanna fight, you know where to find me. I’m not a hard guy to find. Step in my motherf**king range right here. Come at me, bro.”

Cole Shelton - September 18, 2019

Although Cris Cyborg is no longer in the UFC and recently signed with Bellator, she still hopes she can rematch Amanda Nunes one day. The two fought back at UFC 232, when Nunes moved up in weight and shockingly knocked Cyborg out in just 51 seconds. Since then, the former featherweight champion and the UFC had arguments over whether or not she wanted the rematch.

Natasha Hooper - September 18, 2019

Conor McGregor has teased an imminent return to the Octagon, so he posted a throwback picture on Twitter of him pummelling Dustin Poirier to remind potential opponents who’s boss. The lightweight fighters exchanged blows in the Octagon at UFC 178, five years ago. McGregor tagged Poirier with a left hook which hurt the American Top Team prospect. He continued to utilize his leg kicks and reach, finishing with a right punch that clipped Poirier behind the ear. McGregor followed up with some hammer fists and secured a KO stoppage win over ‘The Diamond’. McGregor shared a snapshot of the final moments of their UFC encounter 178 on Twitter:

Tom Taylor - September 17, 2019

John Lineker, a native of Brazil and a current resident of Florida, never imagined he’d fight in Indonesia. Yet on October 25, he’ll take to the cage in Jakarta to ply his trade against Tajikistan’s Muin Gafurov. Lineker’s trip to the bustling metropolis of Jakarta is the result of his recent move from the UFC to ONE Championship.

Adam Martin - September 17, 2019

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) have come after UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov after old videos of him wrestling bears recently resurfaced. Videos of Nurmagomedov wrestling bears as a child have been known in the MMA community for years, however with the champ recently becoming a global star after headlining UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi, the mainstream media has now become aware of them.

Tom Taylor - September 17, 2019

Colby Covington is once again butting heads with the UFC. The former interim welterweight champ was expected to challenge Kamaru Usman for the undisputed welterweight title at UFC 244 this November, but this plan fizzled when the fighters and the promotion could not come to an agreement that worked for all parties involved.

Tom Taylor - September 17, 2019

Earlier this month, in the main event of UFC 242, Dustin Poirier attempted to swipe the lightweight title from the undefeated Khabib Nurmagomedov. Unfortunately for Poirier and his team, this mission didn’t go as planned. Instead, he was forced to tap out to a third-round rear-naked choke. Despite this setback against the champ, Poirier is still confident he has the ability to beat the champion. He attributes his loss to Nurmagomedov to his own performance more than anything else.

Cole Shelton - September 17, 2019

Tyron Woodley has his eyes set on reclaiming his welterweight title, but he also wants another fight. “The Chosen One” would like to fight the undefeated UFC lightweight champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov. Although making 155 pounds is out of the question for Woodley, he is open to fighting Nurmagomedov at a catchweight. He just wants the fight, and to show off his takedown defense. It is also a fight he thinks he can win.

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.