MMA News

Tom Taylor - June 13, 2019

Under the leadership of Scott Coker, Bellator MMA has co-promoted with a number of other promotions, most notably Japan’s RIZIN Fighting Federation, but also with England’s BAMMA and Italy’s Oktagon. In fact, RIZIN bantamweight champion Kyoji Horiguchi will take to the Bellator cage to battle Bellator bantamweight champion Darrion Caldwell at Bellator 222 on Friday Night in New York City — the latest evidence of Coker’s willingness to work with other organizations.

Tom Taylor - June 13, 2019

UFC President Dana White has talking about getting into the boxing business for years. Yet so far, he’s made no headway on that mission. At least not publicly. That could soon change. According to The Athletic’s Mike Coppinger, UFC parent company Endeavor and its CEO Ari Emanuel could soon be buying Premier Boxing Champions (PBC), a boxing organization owned by Al Haymon.

Cole Shelton - June 13, 2019

Dillon Danis is set to return to the cage this Friday at Bellator 222. There, the jiu-jitsu star will take on Max Humphrey in what will be Danis’ second pro fight. Although Humphrey is the more experienced fighter, Danis is confident that won’t be a big factor in the fight.

Tom Taylor - June 13, 2019

Late last week, pop star Justin Bieber took to Twitter to call for a fight with Hollywood actor Tom Cruise. Normally, this kind of stuff would not make it onto MMA news sites. But when Bieber asked Dana White and the UFC to promote the fight, and UFC star Conor McGregor promptly chimed in and offered to promote the celebrity showdown himself, this weird storyline seeped into the collective consciousness of the MMA community. I wanna challenge Tom Cruise to fight in the octagon. Tom if you dont take this fight your scared and you will never live it down. Who is willing to put on the fight? @danawhite ?

Tom Taylor - June 13, 2019

Not long ago, Darren Till stood out as the top contender in the UFC welterweight division. After a submission loss to former champion Tyron Woodley and a knockout loss at the hands of Jorge Masvidal, however, the British striker has fallen on hard times. Speaking to BT Sport while in London for Thursday’s UFC 242 press conference, UFC President Dana White update on Till, explaining that the Brit’s next fight is on the agenda for an imminent matchmaking meeting.

Tom Taylor - June 13, 2019

Speaking to BT Sport while in the United Kingdom for Thursday’s UFC 242 press conference, UFC President Dana White provided an update on the sport’s biggest star, Conor McGregor. White says McGregor is simply waiting on the sidelines until the lightweight contendership picture becomes a little bit clearer.

Tom Taylor - June 13, 2019

There are always plenty of of exciting matchups to be made in the stacked UFC lightweight division. Of all the matchups available in this weight class, however, its arguable that none can rival a potential showdown between streaking contender Tony Ferguson and former World Series of Fighting champ Justin Gaethje in terms of pure excitement. Neither man is ever in a boring fight, and it’s hard to imagine their potential pairing resulting in anything other than Fight of the Year.

Tom Taylor - June 13, 2019

Former UFC featherweight champion Cris Cyborg recently stated that she plans to test her value as a free agent once her current UFC contract expires. That contract will conclude after her featherweight showdown with Felicia Spencer a UFC 240 in Edmonton in July. If Cyborg does indeed become a free agent, it sounds like she can expect a meeting with Bellator boss Scott Coker. “Listen, if you are a free agent, give us a call. This is a Viacom-backed company and we will take care of the fighters that move the needle for us,” Coker explained during a recent media scrum (transcript via MMA Mania). “So, if she is free one day, please give us a call.”

Tom Taylor - June 12, 2019

On Wednesday, the stars of Bellator 222 took center stage in New York City for a pre-fight media day. Among those appearing were welterweight champion Rory MacDonald, bantamweight champion Darrion Caldwell, and main card fighter Dillon Danis. At one point during the days festivities, Dillon Danis swiped MacDonald and Caldwell’s Bellator titles and posed for a photo with both straps slung over his shoulders.

Tom Taylor - June 12, 2019

UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov will reportedly have a school built in his honor in his native Dagestan. This school will be built using 600 million rubles (9.3M USD) allocated by Russian President Vladimir Putin (h/t Bloody Elbow). This news was announced by Khabib’s father Abdulmanap during an interview with the Teacher’s Newspaper. Abdulmanap claims this project came about after the UFC champion asked Putin to invest in education inside Dagestan during a recent phone call.

Tom Taylor - June 12, 2019

On Saturday, June 15, in the main event of ONE: Legendary Quest in shimmering Shanghai, China, 18-year-old Muay Thai star Alma Juniku will take on champion Stamp Fairtex for the ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Title. Ahead of this mammoth Muay Thai showdown, the Albanian-Australian talent had a quick chat with BJPenn.com’s Tom Taylor.

Adam Martin - June 12, 2019

Just a few days ago, former UFC owner Lorenzo Fertitta said he was interested in potentially owning an NFL team down the road once an opportunity arises. Now, it appears his former business partner Dana White wants to join him in that venture. The UFC President recently spoke to TMZ Sports and said that if Lorenzo and his brother Frank purchase an NFL team that he would be interested in partnering with them.

Mike Pendleton - June 12, 2019

After suffering the first knockout loss of his career, Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson will miss out on an opportunity to fight at UFC Greenville, a location he’s always wanted the UFC to visit, but now he’s got new goals set for his comeback. Speaking to media in Chicago during last weekend’s UFC 238 festivities, Thompson spoke about how he’d like to return in the fall of this year at Madison Square Garden and why he’d love to fight a “legend” in Nate Diaz.

Tom Taylor - June 12, 2019

From the moment Khabib Nurmagomedov submitted Conor McGregor in the UFC 229 main event in October, there has been talk of an immediate rematch between the two lightweight stars. The fight wasn’t particularly competitive, but it was a massive financial success, and a rematch would surely be the same. And of course, McGregor’s fight-altering power — and the ever present possibility of a knockout that it creates — will always make his fights interesting.

Tom Taylor - June 12, 2019

Undefeated UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov is already one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. To cement himself as the pound-for-pound best fighter alive, however, he believes he needs to defeat three specific opponents. Those opponents are Dustin Poirier, who he’ll meet at UFC 242 on September 7 in Abu Dhabi, his long-time rival Tony Ferguson, and former UFC welterweight and middleweight champion Georges St-Pierre.

BJPENN.COM Staff - June 12, 2019

Myanmar’s Phoe Thaw will step into the unknown on 15 June when he faces off against Indonesian veteran Victorio “Indra” Senduk at ONE: Legendary Quest in Shanghai, China. This contest will be the first matchup that Phoe Thaw has competed in outside of his home country, and the 34-year-old is thrilled that he has been given this chance to showcase his talents to an entirely new set of fans.

Tom Taylor - June 12, 2019

Former KSW middleweight and light heavyweight champion Mamed Khalidov, who retired after back-to-back losses in late 2018, has found his way back into the headlines for reasons unrelated to his fighting career. According to a report from Polish outlet TVP.info, Khalidov was recently arrested by the Anti-Terrorist Operations Office in Poland for allegedly forging documents related to the illegal importation of luxury cars. Per RT.com, the cars were apparently purchased in the Czech Republic before being illegally imported into Poland.

Tom Taylor - June 12, 2019

Disaster has struck in the life of UFC bantamweight contender Macy Chiasson. On Sunday, during a severe windstorm in the Dallas area, a construction crane collapsed and fell on her apartment building, destroying her home and all of her possessions. She was lucky to escape with her life and her dog.