MMA News

Chris Taylor - September 7, 2019

Nate Diaz will put his BMF title on the line in the main event of UFC 244 when he squares off with fellow welterweight contender Jorge Masvidal. ESPN’s Brett Okamoto confirmed the news with UFC President Dana White earlier today.

Mike Heck - September 6, 2019

Cain Velasquez is heading to Madison Square Garden for his next booking, but it may not be for the event, or the sport MMA fans were hoping for. The former UFC heavyweight champion will return to the pro wrestling ring on the eve of Mexican Independence Day, Sunday, Sept. 15 at Lucha Libre AAA’s “Invading NY” event, which will take place at the Hulu Theater at MSG.

Mike Heck - September 6, 2019

Cheick Kongo has won eight fights in a row heading into his heavyweight title opportunity  against Ryan Bader at Bellator 226, yet has stayed relatively under the radar. That certainly changed as the two headliners for Saturday night’s event went face-to-face for the final time. At the Bellator 226 ceremonial weigh-ins on Friday evening in San Jose, the champion and challenger stared each other down on stage and it looked pretty intense. Moments later, Kongo gave Bader a two-handed shove to the chest as shown in the video below, courtesy of Bellator MMA’s Twitter page.

Cole Shelton - September 6, 2019

After Colby Covington beat Robbie Lawler at UFC Newark, all signs pointed to him fighting Kamaru Usman next for the welterweight title. Even UFC president, Dana White said that fight would be next. Yet,  the negotiations between the two reportedly hit a standstill and whether or not they fight is now up in the air. With that said, Colby Covington and Kamaru Usman continue to trade shots over social media.

Cole Shelton - September 6, 2019

Nate Diaz made his highly anticipated return to the Octagon at UFC 241 when he took on Anthony Pettis at welterweight. It was his first fight in three years and the fan-favorite returned in a big way as he beat “Showtime” by decision. Now, he is hoping to fight again in 2019. After the fight, Nate Diaz called for a fight with Jorge Masvidal in which “Gamebred” was shown smiling like he had just won the lottery. Yet, the fight has yet to be made, and with the rumored Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington title fight hitting a snag, Masvidal was rumored to step in.

Chris Taylor - September 6, 2019

Former UFC lightweight and welterweight champion BJ Penn has had the chance to watch Nate Diaz become one of the biggest stars in the sport. Diaz is currently 20-11 as a professional and challenged for the UFC lightweight title back in December of 2012.

Thomas Taylor - September 6, 2019

Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal are best friends. At least, they used to be.

Tom Taylor - September 6, 2019

UFC commentator Joe Rogan feels that the UFC sometimes brings its prospects along too quickly. He worries that by doing so, the promotion sets those prospects up for confidence-shattering losses. Boxing promoters, meanwhile, have the right idea.

Tom Taylor - September 6, 2019

On Saturday night, in the main event of UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi, Dustin Poirier will attempt to become the first man to defeat UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. In order to do so, he’ll have to thwart Nurmagomedov’s stifling ground game. Poirier’s coach, Mike Brown, believes this can be done. Brown has recently helped several of Poirier’s fellow American Top Team fighters prepare for grapplers not unlike Nurmagomedov. He prepped Kyoji Horiguchi for his two battles with Darrion Caldwell, and he helped Jorge Masvidal get ready for Ben Askren, and all of those fights went American Top Team’s way.

Tom Taylor - September 6, 2019

On Saturday night, in the main event of UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi, undisputed lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov will collide with interim champion Dustin Poirier in an anticipated title unification bout. The winner of this fight can look forward to the unenviable task of defending the title against streaking contender Tony Ferguson. As the next man in line for the UFC 242 main event winner, Ferguson will of course be watching this fight closely.

Tom Taylor - September 6, 2019

Over the last 48 hours, there’s been reason to believe surging UFC welterweight contender Jorge Masvidal could get the next crack at UFC welterweight champ Kamaru Usman. First, ESPN’s Ariel Helwani reported that the expected UFC 244 fight between Usman and Colby Covington was in jeopardy, and that the UFC was looking at other potential opponents for Usman.

Natasha Hooper - September 6, 2019

Long-time middleweight contender Kelvin Gastelum admits he was hesitant to accept a fight against struggling former welterweight Darren Till. The pair are set to clash at UFC 244 which takes place on Nov. 2 at Madison Square Garden in New York. Darren Till has moved up a division and has taken on a dramatic physical transformation ahead of his middleweight debut.

Tom Taylor - September 6, 2019

Yesterday afternoon, ESPN reported that the much discussed welterweight title fight between champ Kamaru Usman and challenger Colby Covington, expected to occur at UFC 244 in November, is in jeopardy. “The Kamaru Usman v Colby Covington 170 title fight is far from done, multiple sources say,” ESPN’s Ariel Helwani wrote. “In fact, negotiations have hit a snag and UFC is now looking at other options, sources say. Those options include a different welterweight title fight and/or a different main event.

Natasha Hooper - September 6, 2019

“The Veteran Voice of the Octagon” Bruce Buffer is fantasizing about a Conor McGregor vs. Georges St-Pierre fight — even if he thinks it’s just a pipe dream. Conor McGregor hasn’t fought since his historic loss against Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229. He vacated the Octagon after tapping out in the fourth round and hasn’t returned since. He is, however, in frequent communication with Dana White and is looking to return for the right opportunity. Buffer believes that McGregor needs to earn his spot in the rankings again.

Cole Shelton - September 6, 2019

In the main event of Bellator 226, Ryan Bader looks to defend his heavyweight title for the first time when he takes on Cheick Kongo. The champion is currently a -350 favorite at 5Dimes while the challenger is a +250 underdog. Ahead of this Bellator 226 fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. This time around, the pros are unanimous as they all believe Ryan Bader will defend his belt against the 44-year-old Frenchman.

Natasha Hooper - September 6, 2019

Khabib Nurmagomedov and Dustin Poirier both made weight for their anticipated UFC 242 lightweight title fight. The Dagestani undisputed champion Nurmagomedov hit the 155-pound mark when he weighed in this Friday Morning in Abu Dhabi. Shortly thereafter, the interim champ Poirier did as well.

Thomas Taylor - September 5, 2019

This weekend, in the main event of UFC 242, Khabib Nurmagomedov will attempt to defend the UFC lightweight title against Dustin Poirier. His more imminent battle, however, will be with the scale. The champion has missed the lightweight limit in the past, and MMA analyst Chael Sonnen worries he might do so again.

Thomas Taylor - September 5, 2019

Not long after Weili Zhang captured the UFC strawweight belt with a first-round stoppage of Jessica Andrade at UFC Shenzhen, fans began to speculate as to who might provide the new champ’s first challenge. UFC President Dana White seems to be undecided on that. Speaking to ESPN this week, White was asked who might serve as Zhang’s new opponent. The frontrunners would seem to be the undefeated Tatiana Suarez, the former champion Rose Namajunas, or the winner of the upcoming fight between Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Michelle Waterson.