MMA News
Colby Covington details surprising beginning of Jorge Masvidal beef
Tom Taylor - September 12, 2019
Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal have been friends for a long time, but the pair’s relationship has recently curdled. As both fighters close in on shots at the UFC welterweight title, they’ve become heated rivals. In fact, things have gotten so tense between them that there’s been talk of violence occurring at American Top Team, where they both still train.
Donald Cerrone believes Nurmagomedov is next if he beats Justin Gaethje
Natasha Hooper - September 12, 2019
Fan favorite UFC lightweight contender Donald Cerrone believes Justin Gaethje is the only opponent standing between him and the undefeated lightweight champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov. “Cowboy” Cerrone is scheduled to fight “The Highlight” this weekend at UFC Vancouver. The highly anticipated matchup is a chance for Cerrone to recover from his last fight: a doctor’s stoppage loss against Tony Ferguson at UFC 238. With a significant 36 wins under his belt, Cerrone believes he has what it takes to fight Nurmagomedov for the title.
UFC Vancouver | Pro fighters make their picks for Donald Cerrone vs. Justin Gaethje
Cole Shelton - September 12, 2019
In the main event of UFC Vancouver, two fan favorites will collide as Donald Cerrone will take on Justin Gaethje. ‘Cowboy’ is looking to return to the win column, while Gaethje is looking to extend his winning streak to three. Heading into the fight, Justin Gaethje is a -210 favorite while ‘Cowboy’ is a +170 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. They all agree it will be a fan-friendly fight and a tough one to call.
VIDEO | Check out this amazing BMF preview for Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal
Natasha Hooper - September 12, 2019
What better way to prepare yourself for Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal’s “Baddest Motherf**ker” title fight, scheduled for UFC 244, than by watching the pair’s baddest motherf**king moments. Jed I. Goodman created this awesome trailer, which was posted on Twitter, showcasing the two fighters’ finest moments in and out of the cage. It’s hard to tell if it’s a trailer for UFC 244 or Quentin Tarantino‘s next movie.
Paulo Costa believes he is 'the toughest fight in the division' after beating Yoel Romero
Cole Shelton - September 12, 2019
Paulo Costa picked up the biggest win of his career at UFC 241 when he beat Yoel Romero. The win improved his record to a sterling 13-0. Following the win over Romero, Costa now believes he is the toughest fight in the middleweight division.
PHOTOS | Mackenzie Dern looks incredible 3 months after giving birth to first child
Natasha Hooper - September 12, 2019
Mackenzie Dern recently showcased her impressive physique on Instagram — just 3 months after giving birth. The strawweight fighter gave birth do her daughter on June 9th. However, that hasn’t stopped Dern from getting back to business. She is back in training and is making regular visits to the beach — and she’s documenting it all on her Instagram account.
Justin Gaethje doubles down on 'Irish f**k' Conor McGregor
Mike Heck - September 11, 2019
Justin Gaethje is preparing for a big fight with Donald Cerrone in the main event of UFC Vancouver this weekend, but he has his future plans laid out — which could include a showdown with Conor McGregor. Justin Gaethje spoke to the media following his UFC Vancouver open workout on Wednesday night and was asked about his recent comments about McGregor and would love to fight him. While many believe the winner of Saturday’s headliner will fight McGregor in his Octagon return, Gaethje would certainly be down for that, or a shot at the potential lightweight title fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson.
Justin Gaethje reveals he almost had to pull out of Donald Cerrone fight
Mike Heck - September 11, 2019
Justin Gaethje arrived to the UFC Vancouver open workout Wednesday night and everything seemed normal heading into his main event fight with Donald Cerrone this weekend.
Dan Hardy believes Henry Cejudo is the best ever champ-champ
Cole Shelton - September 11, 2019
Dan Hardy believes Henry Cejudo is the best ever champ-champ in UFC history. Since Conor McGregor became the first promotional ‘champ champ’ at UFC 205, many fighters wanted to do just that. Some have accomplished the lofty goal, while others have failed in their respective attempts.
BJPENN.COM Radio Ep. 122 // Colby Covington | Al Iaquinta
Jason Kindschy - September 11, 2019
Colby Covington returns to address the title situation regarding Kamaru Usman, and respond to Jorge Masvidal’s verbal assault from earlier this week. Covington was expected to face Usman at UFC 244 in November at Madison Square Garden following his dominate performance against Robbie Lawler. However, after being offered the fight with an unappealing payday attached, Colby refuted the UFC’s offer and attempted to enter negotiations. Unwilling to do so, the UFC instead booked Masvidal vs Diaz for the main event at UFC 244. Leaving Covington without his title fight, and prompting him to take jabs at his former friend on social media. As this situation continues to escalate at a furious pace, we’ll hear Covington’s response to Masvidal’s recent tirade and a whole lot more.
Patricio 'Pitbull' is confident he could knockout Khabib Nurmagomedov
Cole Shelton - September 11, 2019
Khabib Nurmagomedov is 28-0 and has only lost one round in his entire MMA career. Yet, Bellator featherweight and lightweight champion, Patricio ‘Pitbull’ Freire believes he can be the one to hand the Russian his first loss. Although they are in two different promotions, Freire hopes he can get the chance as he knows he wouldn’t just beat Nurmagomedov, but knock him out.
Conor McGregor responds to Ben Askren
Chris Taylor - September 11, 2019
Former UFC champion Conor McGregor has responded to Ben Askren. The former Bellator and ONE champion, Askren, had taken to Twitter yesterday evening where he issued the following statement insinuating that McGregor’s days competing at a championship level are gone.
Neil Magny cleared by USADA
Adam Martin - September 11, 2019
Welterweight contender Neil Magny has been cleared by USADA after being provisionally suspended before his scheduled fight with Vicente Luque back in May. Magny shared the news on his social media Wednesday. He said his fourth-month provisional suspension is over, and he plans on returning to the Octagon shortly. He will face no further suspension, fine, or sanction.
Justin Gaethje names the only opponents he'll accept after 'Cowboy'
Tom Taylor - September 11, 2019
This weekend, in the main event of UFC Vancouver, Justin Gaethje will step into the Octagon with a fellow fan-favorite in Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone. If Gaethje is able to defeat Cerrone, who he considers a friend, he believes he’ll be right near the summit of the lightweight mountain, and will only accept a few fights thereafter. One, he says, is a fight against the winner of an expected but yet unscheduled title fight between divisional champ Khabib Nurmagomedov and top contender Tony Ferguson. The other is a fight with a man he’s become increasingly hostile toward; former two-division champion Conor McGregor.
Khabib Nurmagomedov could retire after 30 fights, according to father
Natasha Hooper - September 11, 2019
Khabib Nurmagomedov’s father is hinting that, after 30 fights, his son will retire from mixed martial arts competition. Nurmagomedov maintained his incredible undefeated record at UFC 242 against Dustin Poirier. He beat “The Diamond” in the third round via submission and brought his record up to 28-0.
VIDEO | Johnny Walker flaunts athleticism with unbelievable flying knee
Tom Taylor - September 11, 2019
UFC light heavyweight contender Johnny Walker is freakishly athletic. He’s already proven that in his fights, and now, he’s reaffirming it in training. In a video that’s been circulating on Twitter, Walker can be seen landing a flying knee on a focus mitt held higher than the top of his own head. It really has to be seen to be believed. Check it out below (via @DovySimuMMA on Twitter):
Manager denies Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson is next
Tom Taylor - September 11, 2019
Now that UFC lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov has vanquished Dustin Poirier, the expectation is that he will fight Tony Ferguson next, or perhaps Conor Mcgregor if Ferguson is unavailable. According to Nurmagomedov’s manager Ali Abdelaziz, however, neither Ferguson nor McGregor is likely to be next for the lightweight king. Instead, the manager says Nurmagomedov is more likely to battle retired former UFC welterweight and middleweight champ Georges St-Pierre.
Reddit user exposes UFC rankings system
Adam Martin - September 11, 2019
A Reddit user has dug deep into the UFC rankings, and has exposed a flawed system that features a number of panelists who do not actually even cover MMA. Reddit user u/kneeco28 posted an in-depth rundown of all 14 panelists on the UFC rankings panel. What he found was that a third of the panelists are not even active MMA media members. Remember, these are the same people who contribute to the rankings, which have an inexorable impact on fighter promotion, matchmaking, salaries and Reebok pay.