MMA News
Al Iaquinta responds to Dan Hooker's ducking accusations
Tom Taylor - August 1, 2019
New Zealand’s Dan Hooker recently campaigned for a fight with Al Iaquinta, suggesting the meeting occur at UFC 243 in Melbourne, Australia, but ultimately moved on and accused Iaquinta of ducking him. “He keeps saying he wants it; I said that’s the fight to make,” Hooker told MMA Junkie recently. “If I’m lying, the fight would be booked already.
Michael Bisping: Conor McGregor 'probably hoping and praying' Poirier beats Khabib
Tom Taylor - August 1, 2019
Michael Bisping believes former UFC lightweight and featherweight champion Conor McGregor is probably ‘hoping and praying’ that Dustin Poirier dethrones UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 242 this September. McGregor and Nurmagomedov fought in October of 2018. Nurmagomedov won the fight via fourth-round submission, and McGregor has been campaigning for a do-over ever since. Yet Bisping believes McGregor would probably prefer to see Poirier win, as the Irishman holds a victory over “The Diamond” and could conceivably earn a title fight with him based on that.
Geje Eustaquio ready to redeem himself in Manila
BJPENN.COM Staff - August 1, 2019
Former ONE Flyweight World Champion Geje Eustaquio will seek redemption on 2 August when he faces Japan’s Yuya “Little Piranha” Wakamatsu at ONE: Dawn of Heroes at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines. Eustaquio attempted to defend the title against Adriano Moraes at ONE: Hero’s Ascent but surrendered the belt when all the judges scored the bout in favor of the Brazilian. Although the Filipino athlete was able to land a plethora of decent strikes throughout the contest, it was a prolonged knee-bar from “Mikinho” which became the deciding factor of the match.
VIDEO | Conor McGregor announces Proper No. Twelve has arrived in Canada
Tom Taylor - August 1, 2019
Proper No. Twelve, the Irish whiskey created by former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor, has already taken Ireland and the United States by storm. Now, it’s poised to do the same in Canada. On Wednesday, it was announced that Proper No. Twelve has hit shelves in the Great White North, and on Thursday, McGregor made it official himself, toasting Toronto, The Raptors, Drake, and the entire country in a video posted to Twitter.
Chael Sonnen explains what 'stupid' Jon Jones can learn from Max Holloway
Fernando Quiles Jr. - August 1, 2019
Chael Sonnen is critical of how Jon Jones handles questions on his game. Jones is hailed as the pound-for-pound best mixed martial arts fighter in the world, but Sonnen has been on “Bones'” case for his drawing ability. While Sonnen has ripped into Jones as he believes the UFC light heavyweight champion fails to capitalize on opportunities, Sonnen feels the complete opposite about Max Holloway.
Miesha Tate suspects Dana White was misrepresented in Cris Cyborg confrontation video
Tom Taylor - August 1, 2019
Yesterday, Cris Cyborg released a video of a backstage encounter with UFC President Dana White. Former UFC bantamweight champ and current ONE Championship executive Miesha Tate has some questions about that video. During this encounter, she told the UFC boss to ‘stop lying’ about her willingness to rematch Amanda Nunes. According to the videos subtitles, White ultimately responded by saying ‘And listen, when you hear me saying stuff, I’m not saying… the truth.’
UFC Newark | Pro fighters make their picks for Colby Covington vs. Robbie Lawler
Cole Shelton - August 1, 2019
In the main event of UFC Newark, former interim welterweight champion,Colby Covington returns after over a year off to take on former undisputed champ Robbie Lawler. Heading into the fight, “Chaos” is a -235 favorite, while the former champ Lawler is a +185 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. The pros are split on this one, despite Covington being a big favorite.
Arjan Bhullar explains why he chose ONE Championship over the UFC
Tom Taylor - August 1, 2019
In May, at UFC Ottawa, former Olympic wrestler Arjan Bhullar picked up a decision victory over Juan Adams, extending his win-streak to two-straight and his overall UFC record to 3-1. Several weeks later, the Indian-Canadian heavyweight parted ways with the UFC and signed with Singapore-based promotion ONE Championship. Bhullar, who trains alongside Cain Velasquez and Daniel Cormier at American Kickboxing Academy, is now set to make his ONE Championship debut against former Cage Warriors champion Mauro Cerilli at ONE: Dawn of Heroes on Friday, August 2.
Donald Trump Jr explains why he will be cageside to support Colby Covington against Robbie Lawler
Christopher Taylor - July 31, 2019
Donald Trump Jr will in fact be cageside to support Colby Covington at this weekend’s UFC event in Newark. ‘Chaos’ will be squaring off with former welterweight title holder Robbie Lawler in Saturday night’s main event.
BJPENN.COM Ep. 120 // Valentina Shevchenko | Arjan Bhullar | Zoila Frausto
Jason Kindschy - July 31, 2019
Valentina Shevchenko joins us to preview her upcoming title defense on August 10th in Uruguay against Liz Carmouche. Following her sensational KO victory against Jessica Eye at UFC 238, Shevchenko hopes to keep that momentum and deliver another finish for the South American fans. We’ll get Valentina’s thoughts on Liz as an opponent, and the importance of nullifying a doctor stoppage TKO loss to Carmouche from earlier in their respective careers. A fight in which Shevchenko was dominating until the unfortunate ending. We’ll also hear Shevchenko’s assessment of the division, potential contenders, and her enthusiasm to help the UFC break into yet another new market.
Israel Adesanya is insulted by comparisons to Jon Jones' striking
Cole Shelton - July 31, 2019
Israel Adesanya is set to fight Robert Whittaker in the main event of UFC 243 this October in Australia. Yet, in the lead up to the fight, a lot of the talk has been about the budding rivalry between Jon Jones and Israel Adesanya. It even got the point where “Bones” and Whittaker were talking about training with one another for this title fight.
Breaking | Derrick Lewis slated to return at UFC 244 against former WSOF champion Blagoy Ivanov
Natasha Hooper - July 31, 2019
The UFC is preparing a heavyweight bout between Derrick Lewis and Blagoy Ivanov, according to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto. The ESPN journalist reported on Twitter that the UFC is lining up a fight between the perennial heavyweight contenders at UFC 244 this November at the Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Whether Cris Cyborg stays in the UFC or signs elsewhere, she clearly deserves better
Jordy McElroy - July 31, 2019
Cris Cyborg emerged from her UFC 240 co-main event bout with Felicia Spencer on Saturday night bloodied but unbroken. A single gash in the middle of her forehead from an elbow strike will leave a scar to tell the story of the night she shoved countless fists in Spencer’s face, and none of it mattered. The rematch with Amanda Nunes isn’t any closer to happening, and her fractured relationship with UFC President Dana White isn’t any closer to mending. Even diehard skeptics can admit it was demoralizing watching one of the greatest fighters in MMA history reduced to campaigning for a rematch she already deserved before the fight with Spencer. A fighter that spent most of her career with the byline as the baddest woman on the planet wore a custom-made t-shirt advocating for a fight with Nunes, hell-bent on proving she wasn’t ducking a rematch with the reigning two-division champion.
Dillon Danis bashes Tyron Woodley in multi-day Twitter attack
Tom Taylor - July 31, 2019
Former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley recently posed for a photo with his former American Top Team training partner Jorge Masvidal, which ruffled some feathers in the MMA community, given that Masvidal just knocked out Woodley’s friend Ben Askren. One of the people to chime in on this issue is Bellator MMA star Dillon Danis. In fact, Danis has spent the better part of a week chastising Woodley on Twitter.
Tyron Woodley believes Jon Jones and Conor McGregor are held to unequal standard
Tom Taylor - July 31, 2019
Jon Jones has found himself in quite a bit of trouble outside the cage over the years — most recently for an incident involving a waitress at a strip club. According to former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley however, Jones does not behave any worse than Conor McGregor, who Woodley believes is treated with much more understanding when he errs. In fact, Woodley believes McGregor is even glorified for his troubles outside the cage.
VIDEO | Will Brooks vs. Gleison Tibau fight ends with ridiculous stoppage
Adam Martin - July 31, 2019
A battle between former UFC lightweights Will Brooks and Gleison Tibau ended in controversial fashion in the main event of Battlefield FC 2 this past weekend in Macau. Tibau had Brooks caught in a guillotine choke along the cage but Brooks looked to be fighting the choke. Brooks relaxed his arms and the referee immediately stepped in to stop the fight, handing Tibau the victory. Brooks was fully conscious and was in compete shock the referee stopped the bout.
Greg Hardy: Francis Ngannou is 'not an athlete'
Natasha Hooper - July 31, 2019
Despite a shaky start to his Octagon career, former NFL player Greg Hardy has been making moves in the heavyweight division. He has bounced back from a disqualification loss in his UFC debut in his two subsequent bouts, securing two first-round TKOs. Needless to say, he’s powerful.
Dana White explains why The Ultimate Fighter is still key to building UFC talent
Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 31, 2019
Dana White is still high on The Ultimate Fighter. The reality television series was crucial for the UFC’s success back in the days of Spike TV. Back in 2005, the UFC was fighting to be accepted as a mainstream sport. Once fans saw The Ultimate Fighter season one finale between Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar, they were hooked.