MMA News
Breaking! Mike Perry set to return at UFC Uruguay against surging contender Vicente Luque
Christopher Taylor - July 2, 2019
Fan favorite Mike Perry will return to the octagon at August’s UFC Uruguay event against surging welterweight contender Vicente Luque. ESPN’s Ariel Helwani confirmed the news following an initial report from MMA Uncensored.
Daniel Cormier gives Thiago Santos advice on how to beat Jon Jones ahead of UFC 239 title fight
Cole Shelton - July 2, 2019
Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones have one of the biggest rivalries in all of MMA. They have fought two times, with “Bones” winning one, while the other being a no-contest, after originally being a win for Jones. After spending over 37 minutes in the Octagon with Jones, Cormier knows his tendencies. And, ahead of Thiago Santos’ title fight against “Bones” at UFC 239, the heavyweight champ shared some advice on what the Brazilian needs to do to beat the light heavyweight king.
Opinion | Unspoken roadblock impeding Francis Ngannou’s heavyweight title shot is Jon Jones
Jordy McElroy - July 2, 2019
UFC light heavyweight king Jon Jones hasn’t officially committed to a move to heavyweight, but he has hinted strongly that he’d be willing to do so for the right price and the right opponent. Even a mere mention of that potential bombshell move is a roadblock for heavyweight phenom Francis Ngannou, who has rightfully staked his claim as the top contender after delivering consecutive first-round knockouts over Junior dos Santos and Cain Velasquez. The latter is undoubtedly the most jaw-dropping takeaway from the weekend’s UFC on ESPN 3 festivities, along with UFC President Dana White’s lukewarm response after witnessing Ngannou’s ham-sized fists dribble off dos Santos’ skull.
Thiago Santos plans on capturing middleweight gold after defeating Jon Jones at UFC 239
Cole Shelton - July 2, 2019
Thiago Santos will be fighting for UFC gold for the first time in his career on Saturday in the main event of UFC 239. There, the Brazilian is set to take on light heavyweight king, Jon Jones. Santos knows beating “Bones” will not be easy, but believes he can get it done.
Brendan Schaub: JDS was 'scared' to get hit by Francis Ngannou
Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 2, 2019
Brendan Schaub believes that Junior dos Santos showed hesitation in his bout with Francis Ngannou. In the main event of UFC Minneapolis this past Saturday night (June 29), dos Santos collided with Ngannou. “Cigano” was going for his fourth win in a row. It didn’t pan out for him as Ngannou scored a first-round TKO victory.
Cain Velasquez to make pro wrestling debut at Triplemania XXVII
Adam Martin - July 2, 2019
Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez has long been rumored to join the pro wrestling circuit, and it looks like that day is finally coming. The Lucha Libre AAA wrestling promotion announced Tuesday on Twitter that Velasquez will make debut for them at Triplemania XXVII, which takes place August 3 at Mexico City Arena. Velasquez will be teaming up with Cody and Psycho Clown to take on Texano Jr., Taurus and a mystery opponent.
Joe Rogan praises striking skills of actor Jason Statham
Tom Taylor - July 2, 2019
Lately, there’s been a lot of talk about a potential UFC fight between actor Tom Cruise and pop star Justin Bieber. From the sounds of it, UFC commentator Joe Rogan would prefer to see actor Jason Statham test his mettle in the cage than Cruise or Bieber. Rogan got talking about Statham on a recent episode of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast.
Cris Cyborg putting contract situation aside ahead of UFC 240
Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 2, 2019
Cris Cyborg is on the last fight of her UFC contract, but she doesn’t want to dwell on that fact. Cyborg is scheduled to compete at UFC 240 on July 27. She’ll stand toe-to-toe with Felicia Spencer inside Rogers Place Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The inaugural UFC women’s featherweight champion will be making her seventh UFC appearance.
UFC 239 | Mike Winkeljohn: Holly Holm can 'shock the world again' by beating Nunes
Cole Shelton - July 2, 2019
Holly Holm is no stranger to shocking the world. Back in 2015 at UFC 193, Holm was taking on bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey, who was considered unbeatable. But, “The Preacher’s Daughter” did what no one expected her to do as she knocked out “Rowdy” to win the title. Holm was a +825 underdog, and at UFC 239 the similarities are hard to ignore.
Jorge Masvidal should not be underestimated, according to Darren Till
Natasha Hooper - July 2, 2019
Number 4 ranked UFC welterweight fighter, Jorge Masvidal (33-13) is returning to the Octagon against Ben Askren (19-0) at UFC 239. Due to his undefeated record and elite wrestling ability, Askren is the bookmaker favourite for the upcoming bout. However, Darren Till believes Masvidal shouldn’t be underestimated. “I think him and Askren … I don’t wanna underestimate Masvidal, I wanna stay on the fence with this fight… Masvidal could just pull something off the back or defend the takedowns,” Till told Fighters Only (transcript via MMA Mania). “Ben’s doing okay and he’s got a lot of hype around him. The thing about Ben is he’s a good fighter, he’s a very smart guy, he just loves the sound of his own voice. Just shut up, mate, give it a rest.”
Joe Rogan reacts to Francis Ngannou's KO win over Junior dos Santos
Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 2, 2019
UFC color commentator Joe Rogan was paying attention to the UFC Minneapolis main event. Taking center stage this past Saturday night (June 29) was a heavyweight tilt between Francis Ngannou and Junior dos Santos. Fresh off a 26-second knockout win over Cain Velasquez, “The Predator” hoped to make short work of another former UFC heavyweight champion. He did just that, scoring a TKO victory over dos Santos just 11 seconds past the first minute.
Darren Till weighs in on TJ Dillashaw situation
Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 2, 2019
Darren Till has given his take on the TJ Dillashaw situation. Dillashaw didn’t have an ideal start to 2019. He went into the year as the UFC bantamweight champion coming off another finish over his rival Cody Garbrandt. Dillashaw looked to become a two-division champion by challenging Henry Cejudo for the UFC flyweight title back in January. Dillashaw was stopped in 32 seconds.
Ben Askren bashes 'delusional' Nate Diaz
Tom Taylor - July 2, 2019
Ben Askren is not impressed by Nate Diaz. Speaking to MMA Fighting recently, Askren shared his thoughts on the UFC 241 fight between Diaz and Anthony Pettis, and was not particularly kind in his assessment of the former.
Fabricio Werdum says UFC refused to release him despite USADA suspension
Adam Martin - July 2, 2019
Former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum wants out of his UFC contract, but the world’s leading MMA promotion is holding him to it. In an interview with Combate, Werdum admitted he asked the UFC to terminate his contract following his USADA suspension due to performance-enhancing drugs. Werdum said the UFC told him no, and that he must finish out his contract once he is eligible to return to the Octagon in 2020.
Conor McGregor does 'Bottle Cap Challenge,' passes it on to Floyd Mayweather
Tom Taylor - July 2, 2019
The Bottle Cap Challenge has been sweeping the MMA world. This online craze entered our little bubble late last week, when UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway tried his hand at it. He then passed it on to John Mayer, who nailed it, and Mayer passed it on to actor Jason Statham, who also nailed it. Statham directed his followup challenge to UFC veteran James Moontasri and director Guy Ritchie, both of whom succeeded. Yet his challenge also caught the attention of former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor. Conor McGregor, unsurprisingly, easily accomplished the challenge, and then passed it on to undefeated boxing legend and former opponent Floyd Mayweather Jr.
UFC 239 | Pro fighters make their picks for Ben Askren vs. Jorge Masvidal
Cole Shelton - July 2, 2019
UFC 239 is set to go down from Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday. The card is headlined by two title fights, and also on the card is an intriguing welterweight fight between Ben Askren and Jorge Masvidal, where the winner could very well get the next title shot. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the fight. Although Askren is a -250 favorite, while Masvidal being the +195 underdog, the majority of the pros are leaning towards Masvidal giving Askren his first professional loss.
Darren Till discusses infamous taxi-theft incident
Cole Shelton - July 1, 2019
Back in April, Darren Till was arrested in the Canary Islands for damaging a hotel room and stealing a taxi. Now, just over two months later, the Englishman has opened up on the incident in an interview with Fighters Only. “Truthfully and honestly, we went on a lad’s birthday and we booked it for the while. We were gone for two days and we were out there having a good time. It’s a nice place,” Darren Till said (via MMA News). “Then we were in the hotel, and there were these other guys in the room. And we weren’t having trouble, but just a little bother broke out – not fights and whatnot. Obviously, the hotel didn’t get trashed. There was no criminal damage. But things got thrown and whatever.”
Sarah Kaufman feels Kayla Harrison gets 'preferential treatment'
Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 1, 2019
Kayla Harrison is considered to be the most popular star in PFL and Sarah Kaufman believes there is some special treatment going on. Harrison is a judo Olympic gold medalist, who has made the transition to mixed martial arts. She is 4-0 in her young professional mixed martial arts career. Harrison will go one-on-one with Morgan Frier at PFL 4 Season 2 on July 11, while Kaufman takes on Roberta Samad.