MMA News

Chris Taylor - June 22, 2019

The wait is finally over, as tonight bitter rivals Paulie Malignaggi and Artem Lobov will square off in the headliner of BKFC 6. The ten-bout fight card will be available on pay-per-view on all major cable and satellite providers, as well as on all streaming devices and FITE.tv, at a price of $39.99USD.

Chris Taylor - June 22, 2019

UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones channeled his inner Nick Diaz when responding to a potential trilogy bout with rival Daniel Cormier. ‘DC’ was a recent guest on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show where he said that the only fight for he would be interested in after his rematch with Stipe Miocic at UFC 241 is a trilogy bout with Jon Jones.

Cole Shelton - June 21, 2019

After losing his pro debut, Aaron Pico won four straight fights and then took a step up in competition as he took on Henry Corrales. Although he dropped Corrales early, Pico ended up getting knocked out later in the first round. The loss resulted in another camp change as the 22-year-old went to JacksonWink MMA. Pico then took on Adam Borics at Bellator 222. There, the prospect started to use his wrestling, but after shooting for a takedown in the second round, Borics went for a flying knee that connected and dropped Pico. He was later finished via ground and pound and his record dropped to 4-3.

Cole Shelton - June 21, 2019

Sean O’Malley will not return to the Octagon at UFC 239 as originally expected. The bantamweight was coming off of a six-month suspension from USADA due to Ostarine. Now, just two weeks from his fight against Marlon Vera, O’Malley took to social media to announce he was flagged by USADA again for Ostarine. And with that, he says he will not be able to fight at UFC 239.

Tom Taylor - June 21, 2019

Speaking to Business Insider ahead of his BKFC 6 showdown with Paulie Malignaggi, Artem Lobov shared his take on a rematch between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov. McGregor, a long-time friend and training partner of Lobov, lost to Nurmagomedov by submission in October of 2018. Yet Lobov believes the Irish star would perform much better in a rematch with the Russian champion, pointing to McGregor’s rematch with Nate Diaz as evidence.

Tom Taylor - June 21, 2019

On Saturday night, Paulie Malignaggi and Artem Lobov will finally get the chance to settle their score. The pair will meet in the main event of BKFC 6, which kicks off at 9:00pm ET in Tampa, Florida This 10-fight card will be available on pay-per-view on all major cable and satellite providers, as well as on all streaming devices and FITE.tv, at a price of $39.99USD.

Adam Martin - June 21, 2019

Count the co-owner of the UFC among the parties interested in a potential celebrity showdown between Justin Bieber and Tom Cruise. According to a report from TMZ, Ari Emanuel ‚ the co-CEO of William Morris Endeavor — is very interested in booking a fight between Bieber and Cruise. According to the report, Emanuel allegedly called Bieber’s manager Scooter Braun last week and added UFC President Dana White into the call. Emanuel reportedly told Bieber’s camp that he believes Bieber vs. Cruise would be an “epic fight that needed to happen” and TMZ reports that White agreed with him and is on board with the potential showdown.

Cole Shelton - June 21, 2019

After Kamaru Usman beat Tyron Woodley at UFC 235 to become the new welterweight champion, the expectation was that he would soon defend the title against Colby Covington. But there has been little to no talk of the fight since Usman’s big win. Covington expressed interest in fighting during International Fight Week in July, or on the UFC’s August pay-per-view, but those cards are now booked. So, if this fight is going to happen it will be later this year. If the fight finally does happen, UFC welterweight contender and long-time Colby Covington training partner Jorge Masvidal believes “Chaos” will get his hand raised as he is a little better at everything than Usman.

BJPENN.COM Staff - June 21, 2019

It was a tough night at the office for Filipino mixed martial arts veteran Eric Kelly at ONE: LEGENDARY QUEST. The former ONE World Title contender came up short against Sanda specialist, Niu Kang Kang last 15 June in Shanghai, China’s Baoshan Arena. Kelly admitted that even before event night, a few things began to go awry. The 37-year old suffered an injury in training, getting a cut from an accidental headbutt.

Natasha Hooper - June 21, 2019

The UFC has officially unveiled a new state-of-the-art training facility in Shanghai, China. On Thursday, the Las Vegas based promotion revealed their 93,000 square foot Performance Institute. The facility is expected to be a prime training destination for fighters in China as the UFC grows its presence in Asia. The building is furnished floor-to-ceiling with new training equipment and an abundance of cages to choose from. There are designated training areas to fulfil all fitness needs including weight training, cardio and swimming. The building features innovative recovery solutions such as Cryotherapy and designated sports science rooms. There are also physiotherapy rooms with trained staff on hand to assist. The vast facility is a point of pride for the promotion that has grown exponentially since its 1993 inception.

Tom Taylor - June 21, 2019

We’re now just a little over 24 hours out from Artem Lobov and Paulie Malignaggi’s anticipated bare knuckle grudge match, which will headline BKFC 6 in Tampa, Florida, this Saturday night. In this eleventh hour, both men have found chances to squeeze in final bits of pre-fight trash talk. “No one respects this guy,” Lobov said at Thursday’s BKFC 6 press conference (via MMA Junkie). “How could you respect this guy? I guarantee you his own parents are watching him at home going, ‘Where did it all go wrong? How did we not bring this guy up the right way? What is wrong with our son?’ I guarantee it happens like this. And they’re asking the same question: ‘Son, what is wrong with you? Seriously, look at what you’re doing.’

Tom Taylor - June 21, 2019

Alex Volkanovski will be watching Max Holloway and Frankie Edgar’s upcoming featherweight title fight very closely, as he’s more than likely to fight the winner sometime later this year. Speaking on a recent episode of BJPenn.com Radio, Volkanovski divulged that he envisions Edgar giving the champion Holloway some problems in this fight. That being said, Volkanovski believes he’s an even more dangerous test for Holloway than Edgar is.

Tom Taylor - June 21, 2019

On June 29, in the main event of UFC Minneapolis, top heavyweight contenders Junior dos Santos and Francis Ngannou would collide in a fight that should earn the winner a title shot. Ahead of this fight, it’s clear that both men possess impressive striking and fight-altering power. The grappling edge, meanwhile, would seem to rest firmly in the corner of dos Santos.

Christopher Taylor - June 20, 2019

Unfortunate news has struck UFC Greenville, as it is being reported that John Lineker has been forced out of his scheduled fight with Rob Font. Nolan King of MMAJunkie recently reported that Lineker has been forced off this Saturday’s fight card for an undisclosed reason.

Christopher Taylor - June 20, 2019

Former three-time UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen retired from the sport of mixed martial arts this past weekend following a knockout loss to Lyoto Machida at Bellator 222. The setback served as Sonnen’s second in a row, as he was previously defeated by MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko in the semifinals of the Bellator heavyweight grand prix.

Christopher Taylor - June 20, 2019

Current UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones will return to the octagon at next month’s UFC 239 event against dangerous knockout artist Thiago Santos. ‘Bones’ was most recently seen in action in the headliner of UFC 235, where he defeated Anthony Smith via unanimous decision to retain his 205-pound strap.

Cole Shelton - June 20, 2019

After Chael Sonnen lost to Lyoto Machida at Bellator 222, “The American Gangster” announced his retirement from MMA. The 42-year-old never reached his goal of capturing a major MMA title, which he considers to be a failure, but he was one of the major draws in the sport. The Oregon native, Chael Sonnen, fought the top names in the sport and knew how to sell a fight with his mouth. The lead up to his title fights with Anderson Silva and his scrap against Tito Ortiz were among the best. And, according to UFC President, Dana White, that made Sonnen stay relevant as he could sell a fight and piss off other fighters.

Adam Martin - June 20, 2019

When ONE Championship signed Sage Northcutt to a big free-agent contract, the thought was he could become one of the promotion’s stars. But after suffering a devastating knockout loss to Cosmo Alexandre in his ONE debut, many have written off Northcutt as an overrated bust, fairly or unfairly. Even UFC president Dana White said Sage Northcutt would be better off leaving the sport of MMA and pursuing other interests. But if you ask ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong, the promotion is still very much behind the 23-year-old talent, and Northcutt’s boss believes “Super Sage” can still be a world champion.