MMA News
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.
Colby Covington says Donald Trump's sons will attend his next fight
Tom Taylor - July 2, 2019
Colby Covington is a vocal supporter of President Donald Trump, and actually got some face time in with the man in 2018, shortly after he defeated Rafael dos Anjos to win the interim welterweight title. Since his meeting with Donald Trump, Covington has also met the President’s sons, Donald Jr. and Eric, who he visited at Trump Tower.
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.
Ben Askren believes beating Jorge Masvidal will be 'pretty easy'
Tom Taylor - July 2, 2019
This Saturday, on the main card of UFC 239, Ben Askren will collide with Jorge Masvidal in a pivotal welterweight contender bout. Askren originally expected to fight Darren Till in his next bout, but then Masvidal knocked Till out, jumping the line in the process. “Going in to the fight with Masvidal, I thought [Darren] Till was going to win,” Ben Askren said when speaking to MMA Fighting. “Masvidal was already making excuses so I didn’t really think it was a good possibility of me fighting Masvidal but then when he won, they started looking around at opponents for me and “Wonderboy” [Stephen Thompson] lost [to Anthony Pettis] and Masvidal was the one that made the most sense.
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.
Leon Edwards wants to dethrone UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman
Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 1, 2019
Leon Edwards feels he’s on the right path to a shot at UFC gold. On July 20, Edwards will collide with former UFC lightweight title holder Rafael dos Anjos. The welterweight scrap will serve as UFC San Antonio’s main event. “Rocky” will be looking to extend his winning streak to eight. Meanwhile, dos Anjos hopes to snag his second straight victory.
Chi Lewis-Parry explains beef with Jon Jones
Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 1, 2019
Chi Lewis-Parry has given his side of the story when it comes to beefing with Jon Jones. Back in May, Lewis-Parry confronted Jones during the Bodypower UK 2019 event. Jones was making a scheduled appearance. Lewis-Parry hurled insults at Jones before being taken away by security.
Francis Ngannou explains how he turned career around after consecutive losses
Tom Taylor - July 1, 2019
Before his heavyweight title shot against Stipe Miocic, Francis Ngannou was regarded as a near unstoppable force in the Octagon. After the world watched him get walloped by the Miocic for five rounds, however, that perception changed. Suddenly, he looked like a flawed, inexperienced fighter that anybody with the right gameplan could beat. When Ngannou followed this loss up with an utterly forgettable decision loss to Derrick Lewis, fans began to question his mental game too. In the span of a few months, he’d devolved from a juggernaut to a flash in the pan. Hope for his future as a world-class heavyweight was all but gone.
UFC 239 | Mike Winkeljohn says the future is still bright for Diego Sanchez
Cole Shelton - July 1, 2019
Diego Sanchez has rejuvenated his career as of late. The 37-year-old has been fighting professionally since 2002 and in the UFC since 2005. And, throughout his career, he has beaten some of the top names in the sport and even fought for the UFC title against B.J. Penn at UFC 107. Now, the veteran is on a two-fight winning streak and is set to take on Michael Chiesa at UFC 239. If he wins, he could very well have a number beside his name in the welterweight rankings.
Anthony Smith takes shot at Paulie Malignaggi
Tom Taylor - July 1, 2019
MMA stars Ben Askren and Chael Sonnen both had plenty to say about Paulie Malignaggi after the boxer lost a bare knuckle boxing match to Artem Lobov at BKFC 6. Last week, Malignaggi responded to these criticisms.
Demetrious Johnson comments on Dillashaw's EPO use
Tom Taylor - July 1, 2019
For a time, there was much discussion about a potential flyweight title super fight between TJ Dillashaw and Demetrious Johnson, then the UFC bantamweight and flyweight champions respectively. At the time of these discussions, Johnson expressed some doubt that TJ Dillashaw would be able to make the 125-pound limit for their potential flyweight title fight. Dillashaw later made 125 pounds for a January title fight with Henry Cejudo, but subsequently tested positive for EPO, and named his tough weight cut as one of the reasons he turned to this substance.
Darren Till targets future rematch with Jorge Masvidal
Tom Taylor - July 1, 2019
After back-to-back losses to Tyron Woodley and Jorge Masvidal, English welterweight contender Darren Till finds himself on shaky ground. He’ll enter his next fight in a must-win situation, as a third straight loss could be disastrous for his UFC career. Despite the massive stakes of his next fight, Darren Till says he absolutely intends to fight again this year. The Brit opened up on his fighting future in a fantastic interview with James Edwards of Fighters Only.
Junior dos Santos discusses next move after Ngannou loss
Tom Taylor - July 1, 2019
Last weekend, former UFC heavyweight champ Junior dos Santos stepped into the cage with Francis Ngannou in a perceived number-one contender fight. Unfortunately for the Brazilian and his fans, this fight did not go as he planned. Instead, he was knocked out in just 71 seconds, and will now have to return to the drawing board to formulate his next move. Dos Santos, of course, didn’t plan on losing, which means he didn’t give a ton of thought to what might be next if he came up short in Minneapolis.
Jon Jones in no rush to move to heavyweight
Tom Taylor - July 1, 2019
UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has been so dominant in the 205-pound division that many fans want to see how he’d do in the heavyweight division. As he gears up for a title defense against Thiago Santos at UFC 239, however, Jones admitted that he’s in no rush to move up to heavyweight.