MMA News
Bellator 226 | Pro fighters make their picks for Ryan Bader vs. Cheick Kongo title fight
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.
UFC 242 weigh-in results: Khabib Nurmagomedov, Dustin Poirier hit their marks
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.
Khabib Nurmagomedov says potential fight with Georges St-Pierre would have to be at lightweight
Cole Shelton - September 5, 2019
Khabib Nurmagomedov is set to defend his lightweight title this weekend against Dustin Poirier in the main event of UFC 242. Yet, the fight he continues to get asked about the most is a scrap with Georges St-Pierre. Although St-Pierre retired, he has mentioned he wants to fight the undefeated champion in Khabib Nurmagomedov. Now, the Russian says if the fight is to happen, it has to be at lightweight. He will not move up in weight or meet ‘GSP’ in the middle.
Chael Sonnen worries Khabib Nurmagomedov will miss weight for UFC 242
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.
Jorge Masvidal to Kamaru Usman: 'Sign the contract'
Tom Taylor - September 5, 2019
Earlier today, 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. 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.
Joanna Jedrzejczyk says contract stipulates title shot with UFC Tampa win
Adam Martin - September 5, 2019
After Weili Zhang finished Jessica Andrade at UFC Shenzhen to become the new UFC women’s strawweight champion, the natural question is to ask who is next in line for a title shot. According to former champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk, the answer to that is it’s her. Jedrzejczyk spoke to Polish news outlet Polsat Sport recently and said that her contract to fight Michelle Waterson at UFC Tampa in October stipulates that the winner of the bout will get the next women’s strawweight title shot.
Dana White: Conor McGregor will be watching UFC 242
Tom Taylor - September 5, 2019
For a time, it sounded as though former two-division UFC champ Conor McGregor might attend the UFC 242 card this weekend in Abu Dhabi, which is topped by a fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Dustin Poirier. According to UFC President Dana White, however, McGregor will not be attending the card. He will, however, be watching the pay-per-view.
Report | Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington fight in jeopardy, UFC exploring other options
Tom Taylor - September 5, 2019
When Colby Covington defeated Robbie Lawler earlier this summer, he cemented himself as the next man in line for UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. In the subsequent weeks, the bout was linked to the upcoming UFC 244 card, scheduled for November 2 in Madison Square Garden. Unfortunately, it now sounds as though this bout in jeopardy. According to ESPN reporter Ariel Helwani, negotiations for this Usman vs. Covington fight have hit a snag, and the UFC is now considering other options.
Georges St-Pierre wants Khabib fight, but believes UFC is protecting investment
Tom Taylor - September 5, 2019
Georges St-Pierre wants to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov. Khabib Nurmagomedov wants to fight Georges St-Pierre. So why isn’t this fight between the two decorated UFC champions and bona fide MMA superstars being made? Well, St-Pierre suspects the UFC could be protecting its investment in Nurmagomedov. The former welterweight and middleweight champ St-Pierre addressed this potential super fight in a recent interview with Robin Black of DAZN.
Amanda Nunes strips down for ESPN Body Issue
Natasha Hooper - September 5, 2019
Two-division UFC champion Amanda Nunes isn’t afraid to show some skin. Earlier this year, she posed sans clothes on social media to celebrate her UFC 239 win. Not long thereafter, she stripped down for for ESPN’s Body Issue. Photos from her ESPN shoot have now been released. Photos can be found on the ESPN website. You can also seem some samples below.
Henry Cejudo and Valentina Shevchenko squash their beef
Natasha Hooper - September 5, 2019
One of the most bizarre MMA stories to come out of 2019 so far was Henry Cejudo’s call-out of Valentina Shevchenko. Cejudo called out the women’s flyweight champion, challenging her to an ‘inter-gender’ bout. The pair went at it for weeks on social media but couldn’t hide behind the Twitter veil when they came face to face in Abu Dhabi. The pair came face-to-face ahead of the UFC 242 card this weekend. They put their supposed beef to rest when they met backstage.
Dana White on Nate Diaz: 'We might not hear from that kid for another three years'
Tom Taylor - September 5, 2019
Nate Diaz made a successful return to action after three years away at UFC 241, defeating Anthony Pettis by decision. After this comeback, he called for a fan friendly showdown with streaking welterweight contender Jorge Masvidal. While pretty much everybody wants to see Diaz and Masvidal fight, UFC President Dana White seems to have no update on this booking. In fact, he doesn’t seem to have any idea when we’ll see Diaz back in action again.
Khabib Nurmagomedov to make biggest payday yet for UFC 242
Tom Taylor - September 5, 2019
UFC lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov pocketed a flat purse of $2M for his late 2018 defeat of Conor McGregor. According to Nurmagomedov’s father Abdulmanap, there’s an even bigger fight purse coming. Speaking to the Russian outlet TASS, the elder Nurmagomedov claimed his son will make at least three times what he made against McGregor when he fights Dustin Poirier in the main event of UFC 242 this weekend in Abu Dhabi. If math isn’t your strong suit, that’s $6M — potentially even more.
UFC 242 | Pro fighters make their picks for Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Dustin Poirier title fight
Cole Shelton - September 5, 2019
In the main event of UFC 242, undefeated lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov wil look to defend his belt against Dustin Poirier. Heading into this fight, the champ is a -500 favorite on Bovada, while the challenger is a +350 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. The majority are leaning towards Khabib Nurmagomedov, but they think it is a closer fight than the odds suggest.
Weili Zhang calls out Henry Cejudo, says she will take his 'gold back to Beijing'
Cole Shelton - September 4, 2019
Weili Zhang is ready for a fight with current UFC men’s flyweight and bantamweight champion, Henry Cejudo. Zhang is the UFC’s new women’s strawweight champion after knocking out Jessica Andrade at UFC Shenzhen in 42-seconds. For Cejudo, he has been calling out a couple of different female fighters and the new Chinese champion just so happened to be one of them.
Brendan Schaub: 'I don’t give a f**k about women’s strawweight'
Thomas Taylor - September 4, 2019
Former UFC heavyweight turned podcaster Brendan Schaub was not overly sold on last weekend’s UFC Shenzhen card, which was headlined by a women’s strawweight title fight between champ Jessica Andrade and challenger Weili Zhang, but was otherwise pretty lacking in main value. Schaub did not hide his disinterest in this card ahead of time. In the end, UFC Shenzhen turned out to be pretty enjoyable in the eyes of most fans, as Weili Zhang made history by stopping Jessica Andrade in less than a minute to become the first Chinese champion in UFC history. Schaub, however, did not watch the event, and claims to have no regrets about missing Zhang historic victory in China.
Kenny Florian likes how Namajunas, Jedrzejczyk match up against Weili Zhang
Fernando Quiles Jr. - September 4, 2019
Kenny Florian thinks Rose Namajunas and Joanna Jedrzejczyk have a good chance at giving Weili Zhang problems. Zhang made history at UFC Shenzhen. She defeated Jessica Andrade via TKO in 42 seconds to capture the UFC strawweight title. This makes Zhang the first UFC champion born in China.
Khabib Nurmagomedov shares simple formula for making Dustin Poirier tap out
Tom Taylor - September 4, 2019
This Saturday, in the main event of UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi, UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov will attempt to defend his belt against interim champ Dustin Poirier. From the sounds of it, Nurmagomedov plans to end this fight via submission. While Poirier has proven quite difficult to submit, having tapped out just once in 31 fights, Nurmagomedov is confident he can make it happen.