MMA News

Tom Taylor - June 27, 2019

If Junior dos Santos defeats Francis Ngannou at UFC Minneapolis this weekend, he hopes it’ll earn him a heavyweight title shot — though he doesn’t intend to wait for that opportunity. If he does re-capture heavyweight gold, dos Santos then plans to challenge one of the top boxing champions in the world — something he attempted to do during his first reign as UFC champion. “Back when I was the champion in 2012, I challenged Wladimir Klitschko, he was the champion at that time, and I said I would beat Wladimir Klitschko in a boxing match but of course I’m not a good promoter like Conor McGregor and he got the fight against [Floyd] Mayweather,” Junior dos Santos told MMA Fighting this week. “Klitschko actually replied to me, he said anytime, anywhere, something like that. But then I lost my belt, I lost the fight to Velasquez and I lost the belt so it didn’t make much sense anymore to promote that fight.

Cole Shelton - June 27, 2019

The Octagon returns to Minnesota this Saturday for UFC Minneapolis. In the main event of the card, Francis Ngannou is taking on Junior dos Santos in a pivotal heavyweight clash. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the fight. In this case, a few believe Ngannou will be able to knock out dos Santos, while the rest think the Brazilian will use his wrestling and experience to win this fight.

Tom Taylor - June 27, 2019

This weekend, in the main event of UFC Minneapolis, former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos will step into the cage with fearsome puncher Francis Ngannou in a perceived number one contender fight. While dos Santos is determined to reclaim the heavyweight title, he says he does not intend to wait around if a title shot doesn’t materialize promptly after if he beats Ngannou.

Christopher Taylor - June 26, 2019

UFC light heavyweight kingpin Jon Jones will return to the octagon against dangerous knockout artist Thiago Santos at next month’s UFC 239 event. While ‘Bones’ is clearly focused on his upcoming fight with the Brazilian, it hasn’t stopped questions surrounding future fights with bitter rival Daniel Cormier and rising star Israel Adesanya from being asked. Jones, who has taken shots at both ‘DC‘ and ‘Stylebender’ in recent weeks, took the opportunity to add salt to the wound during a recent interview.

Cole Shelton - June 26, 2019

When Kamaru Usman beat Tyron Woodley at UFC 235 to become the welterweight champion, all signs pointed to his first title defense being against Colby Covington. Well, that likely won’t happen now. On Monday it was announced that the former interim champion would take on Robbie Lawler at UFC Newark. Much to the despair of Usman.

Matheus Costa - June 26, 2019

Alexander Gustafsson surprised the entire MMA community, including rival Jon Jones, after announcing his retirement from fighting following his loss to Anthony Smith at UFC Stockholm. The former 3-time UFC title challenger, Gustafsson, cemented a legacy inside the octagon despite never winning a championship on the biggest stage of them all. And his biggest rival ever, the reigning 205lbs champion Jon Jones, reacted for the first time about ‘The Mauler’s’ retirement in a recent interview with “ESPN“.

Jason Kindschy - June 26, 2019

Colby Covington returns following the announcement that he will face former teammate Robbie Lawler in the main event of UFC FN 156 in Newark, New Jersey on August 3rd. “Chaos” explains why he agreed to take this bout after several failed campaigns to fight Tyron Woodley and Kamaru Usman for the welterweight title. Widely considered the right No. 1 contender, this scrap came as a surprise to many, but Covington is very happy with the caliber of opponent. We’ll hear Colby’s thoughts on the stylistically matchup against Lawler, why he believes a win over Robbie is essential to further cementing his legacy, and how he plans to defeat his former ATT stablemate.

Jordy McElroy - June 26, 2019

The spontaneity of the explosive rivalry between Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz sprung to life over three years ago and created pay-per-view gold. There’s still a trilogy left to be mined out of the bowels of the UFC’s matchmaking grotto, but the attempt to do so now could result in a watered-down version of the original blockbuster—a quick cash-grab pairing of two marquee names. If there is no organic route to a rubber match, then perhaps it’s time McGregor and Diaz go their separate ways.

Tom Taylor - June 26, 2019

UFC Copenhagen, which is scheduled September 28, finally has its first fight — days after tickets went on sale. This fight, which was recently announced by the promotion on Twitter, will occur in the welterweight division, where long-time Icelandic contender Gunnar Nelson will battle a former title challenger in Brazil’s Thiago Alves.

Tom Taylor - June 26, 2019

UFC lightweight Desmond Green is in custody in the Broward County Jail in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on bonds amounting to $194,000, per a report from the South Florida SunSentinel. Green is reportedly facing 20 charges, including a DUI charge, stemming from an August, 2018 car accident that killed two women: Emelina Morfa, 67, and Emma Suarez Hernandez, 76. The crash also left Green and one other person with injuries. The SunSentinal’s report details this Desmond Green incident as follows:

Cole Shelton - June 26, 2019

After Alex Volkanovski beat Jose Aldo at UFC 237, he along with many others expected he would the next title shot. Yet, that was not the case. Instead, the Aussie was passed over as Frankie Edgar will next face Max Holloway at UFC 240 for the featherweight title. Obviously, this was disappointing news for the 30-year-old, but he says he will make the trip to Edmonton, Alberta to be on hand for the fight.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 26, 2019

UFC color commentator and analyst Dan Hardy doesn’t believe anyone in the UFC can beat Jon Jones by being technical. Throughout his career, Jones has outclassed high-level mixed martial artists. From former champions to legends in the sport, “Bones” has made many renowned fighters look average. He’ll look to continue that trend when he puts his light heavyweight gold on the line against Thiago Santos at UFC 239 on July 6.

Mike Heck - June 26, 2019

If there’s anyone who knows what Sean O’Malley has been going through as of late, it’s the reigning UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. Jones was one of the big stories throughout 2018 for his active schedule, but also for the traces of the long-term oral Turinabol metabolite remaining in his system. “Bones” was not suspended for the positive test that occurred at the end of 2018, but it is a question that will continue to be asked in regards to Jones for the foreseeable future.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 26, 2019

Amanda Nunes expects Holly Holm to be at her best, but she feels prepared for her next challenger. Nunes is a UFC “champ-champ.” She holds the UFC women’s bantamweight and women’s featherweight gold. She’ll put her 135-pound title on the line against Holm in the co-main event of UFC 239 on July 6. It’ll be Nunes’ fourth bantamweight title defense.

Tom Taylor - June 26, 2019

UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, widely regarded as the best fighter of all time, is seemingly a shoe-in for the Modern Era of the UFC Hall of Fame. That being said, Jones also believes he could earn a spot in the Fight Wing of the Hall of Fame, thanks to his 2013 epic with Sweden’s Alexander Gustafsson Jones believes this back-and-forth war, which culminated with a hotly debated decision, was absolutely Hall of Fame worthy — even if it’s precisely the kind of fight he strives to avoid.

Cole Shelton - June 26, 2019

Alonzo Menifield did not want to be on the UFC Minneapolis card on Saturday. He was hoping to fight sooner. The light heavyweight last fought back in January, when he knocked out Vinicius Moreira at UFC Brooklyn. Since then, he has been wanting to fight, but this was the first offer that came. Now, the 31-year-old is looking to go 2-0 in the UFC and he believes he knows exactly how it will happen.

Tom Taylor - June 26, 2019

Bellator MMA star Dillon Danis has made repeated calls for a fight with UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. Be it on the grappling mats or in the cage, the BJJ specialist is adamant that he has what it takes to submit the MMA legend. “I offered to do a grappling match with him,” Danis said of Jones on a recent episode of Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show. “If we fought in MMA, I feel like, from his stance and how tall he is, if I did an Imanari roll I would take his leg home with me.

Tom Taylor - June 26, 2019

The recently announced UFC Newark card, which will broadcast on ESPN on August 3, is looking like a good one. As we now know, the card will be headlined by a welterweight showdown between former champion Robbie Lawler and former interim champion Colby Covington.