MMA News

Adam Martin - September 2, 2019

Former UFC light heavyweight contender Anthony “Rumble” Johnson recently announced he is making a comeback to MMA, and he would like to do so as a heavyweight. A new video of Johnson training for his return to the UFC heavyweight division has emerged, and “Rumble” looks like a giant in it.

Adam Martin - September 2, 2019

Darren Till is in training camp preparing for his middleweight debut later this year at UFC 244, and he looks absolutely massive at his new weight class. Via photographer Bran Holloway, UK MMA journalist Chisanga Malata shared a photo of Till ahead of his middleweight debut against Kelvin Gastelum.

Tom Taylor - September 2, 2019

This Saturday, in the main event of UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi, UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov will attempt to defend his title against interim champion Dustin Poirier. Ahead of this blockbuster lightweight battle, the UFC has opened up its vault and released the entire Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor fight from UFC 229 in October.

Tom Taylor - September 2, 2019

Back in June, in the main event of UFC Minneapolis, former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos stepped into the Octagon with ferocious contender Francis Ngannou. Despite his best efforts, dos Santos became the latest victims of Ngannou’s incredible skill and power, succumbing to a TKO just 1:11 into the fight’s first round. Several months removed from this lopsided loss, dos Santos is keen for a do-over against Ngannou. Although he came up short the first time around, he’s not convinced that Ngannou is a better fighter than he is.

Adam Martin - September 2, 2019

After losing to Anthony Smith at UFC Stockholm back in June, UFC light heavyweight contender Alexander Gustafsson said that he was retiring from MMA. He left his gloves in the center of the Octagon and said that he would be leaving the sport at age 32. Well, it looks like that retirement may be short-lived as Gustafsson appears to be joining a long list of MMA fighters who don’t leave the sport for long.

Natasha Hooper - September 2, 2019

UFC 242 on September 7 is headlined by a lightweight title fight between undisputed champ Khabib Nurmagomedov and interim champ Dustin Poirier. As this pay-per-view card draws closer, both fighters are making their final adjustments. Heading into the bout, Poirier is the clear underdog while Nurmagomedov is favored to win. However, both fighters have impressive fight histories and some devastating finishes on their resumes.

Tom Taylor - September 2, 2019

Alberto Del Rio is a veteran pro wrestler, and former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz has never been afraid to cut a pro wrestling-inspired promo. So, when the pair faced off in the Combate Americas cage ahead of their yet unscheduled fight, it should come as no surprise that things got pretty interesting. See the pair’s confrontation in the Combate Americas cage below (via @EvilGokhanJeff on Twitter):

Cole Shelton - September 2, 2019

Cheick Kongo will soon have a chance to become a heavyweight champion in a major promotion for the first time in his career. The 44-year-old Frenchman will take on Ryan Bader in the main event of Bellator 226 this Saturday. The training camp preparing for Bader has not been an easy one for Kongo. He knows the Bellator champion is an elite wrestler so in preparation he brought in world class, Olympic-level wrestlers to help him for this camp.

Tom Taylor - September 2, 2019

Frankie Edgar has been angling for a fight with Conor McGregor for some time, but so far, it hasn’t come to fruition. That being said, McGregor recently named Edgar as a potential opponent for his return to action. “Who else is top of the list? Frankie Edgar is also up there on the list because he has similarities to Khabib,” McGregor said of Edgar in an interview with ESPN. “He runs on the back foot and shoots on the single leg. I want these sort of similar bouts. And also, Frankie has been very respectful. He’s always respectful. He said, ‘I want to tell my his grandkids I fought Conor McGregor’, one day.

Tom Taylor - September 2, 2019

Jessica Andrade is no longer the UFC strawweight champ. The Brazilian, who captured the title earlier this year with a slam-induced knockout of Rose Namajunas, surrendered the belt to China’s Weili Zhang at UFC Shenzhen over the weekend. Her TKO loss occurred just 42 seconds into the first round.

Natasha Hooper - September 2, 2019

Chinese welterweight fighter Li Jingliang represented his nation with an impressive victory at UFC Shenzhen on Saturday. Jingliang met streaking Brazilian contender Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos in the card’s co-main event, and derailed dos Santos’ momentum via TKO with just 9 seconds left in the final round.

Natasha Hooper - September 2, 2019

Nate Diaz is seemingly back to business. In a recent Instagram post, Diaz showed that he is already back in the gym, grinding for his next challenge.

BJPENN.COM Staff - September 2, 2019

Each and every time Bi Nguyen steps inside the ring the goal is the same: deliver as much punishment as possible. Nguyen will look to do just that — and honor her family — when she makes her ONE Super Series debut in Vietnam on Friday, 6 September at ONE: Immortal Triumph against Puja Tomar in a Muay Thai contest. The event takes place inside the Phu Tho Indoor Stadium in Ho Chi Minh City.

Thomas Taylor - September 1, 2019

UFC men’s flyweight and bantamweight champ Henry Cejudo has recently made joking callouts of several female UFC stars: flyweight champ Valentina Shevchenko, bantamweight and featherweight champ Amanda Nunes, and top bantamweight contender Germaine de Randamie. Shortly after Weili Zhang captured the UFC strawweight belt at UFC Shenzhen, she was asked how she’d respond if she became the latest woman to be called out by Cejudo.

Thomas Taylor - September 1, 2019

In just 42 seconds, Weili Zhang captured the UFC strawweight title, became the first Chinese champion in UFC history, and became one of the brightest young stars in MMA. In fact, her abrupt TKO victory over the former champion Jessica Andrade was so impressive that it earned praise from a number of huge celebrities from outside the MMA bubble — and from many inside it.

Cole Shelton - September 1, 2019

Dustin Poirier knows what a win over Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 242 would do for his career. Poirier, who is the current interim lightweight champion, will look to hand Nurmagomedov his first career loss. If he does just that, the American says it is the best run in lightweight history.

Adam D Martin - September 1, 2019

UFC bantamweight and flyweight champion Henry Cejudo is in Abu Dhabi ahead of this coming weekend’s UFC 242 megacard. The card is headlined by a lightweight title bout between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Dustin Poirier, and Cejudo will be in attendance for the festivities.

Chris Taylor - September 1, 2019

Former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping (30-9 MMA) had some major rivalries during his UFC career, but there is one that tops his list. ‘The Count’ had fierce rivalries with opponents such as Vitor Belfort, Jorge Rivera, Jason Miller, Luke Rockhold, Dan Henderson and Anderson Silva, but his biggest beef was apparently with the public.