MMA News

Cole Shelton - June 6, 2019

In the main event of UFC 238, the vacant bantamweight title is on this line. Flyweight champion Henry Cejudo is moving up in weight to try and become a two-division champ, while top contender, Marlon Moraes will look to win his first UFC title. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the fight. Some believe Moraes’ explosivenesses will be too much, while others think Cejudo’s wrestling will make the difference.

Tom Taylor - June 6, 2019

Donald Cerrone will return to the Octagon this Saturday, on the main card of UFC 238, where he’ll battle streaking lightweight contender Tony Ferguson in a fight that could produce the next lightweight title challenger. Earlier this year, however, Cerrone was linked to a potential showdown with former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor — a bout that many fans are still dying to see. Speaking during a recent media scrum in Chicago, Cerrone made his preference very clear. He’s gunning for a title shot, and says Conor McGregor missed his chance.

Tom Taylor - June 6, 2019

Heading into his Saturday night UFC 238 fight with Donald Cerrone, former UFC interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson has had to deal with some personal issues outside the cage. These issues have caused some fans to question his focus and his mental health. Tony Ferguson has a message for those doubters.

Cole Shelton - June 6, 2019

Donald Cerrone and Tony Ferguson are set to throw down this Saturday at UFC 238. It will be a battle between two fan favorites, and a fight that should earn the winner the next title shot. The stakes are high for this one, and “Cowboy” believes it will be an entertaining scrap where anything can happen.

Tom Taylor - June 5, 2019

From the moment Khabib Nurmagomedov submitted Conor McGregor in the UFC 229 main event, there was talk of an immediate rematch between the two stars. The fight was particularly competitive, but it was big. So big that a rematch would almost certainly be a massive financial success. 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. In the end, of course, Nurmagomedov has gone another direction. The undefeated UFC lightweight champion will defend his title against interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier at UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi this September.

Tom Taylor - June 5, 2019

The official UFC rankings have been updated in the wake of Saturday’s action-packed UFC Stockholm card, and as expected, there have been some big changes, particularly in the light heavyweight division. Anthony Smith, who defeated Alexander Gustafsson in the card’s main event, has cruised up to the division’s No. 3 spot, behind only Thiago Santos and Daniel Cormier. Aleksandar Rakic, meanwhile, has rocketed into the rankings, settling at No. 11 on the strength of his decapitation of Jimi Manuwa.

Tom Taylor - June 5, 2019

Last weekend, Anthony Smith established himself as one of the top contenders in the light heavyweight division by defeating Alexander Gustafsson — something only a few truly elite fighters have done before. “Who else has done it? If you take Phil Davis out of it because that was a long time ago, who else has done it? Jon [Jones], ‘Rumble’ [Anthony Johnson] and D.C. [Daniel Cormier],” Smith told MMA Fighting. “That’s a pretty good group of guys to be mentioned with,” Smith told MMAFighting when speaking about his win. “At this point, I don’t know what else I’d have to do to answer any questions of my legitimacy. Honestly I don’t care. I’m just really happy that I’ve inserted myself among the top two guys in the world or three guys in the world if you keep D.C. in there.”

Tom Taylor - June 5, 2019

UFC commentator Joe Rogan loves to discuss potential fights between boxers and mixed martial artists. He did it mere weeks ago, when he drooled over a matchup between WBC heavyweight champ Deontay Wilder and UFC heavyweight contender Francis Ngannou. And now, he’s done it again, this time riffing on a fight between Ngannou and new unified heavyweight champ Andy Ruiz Jr.

Tom Taylor - June 5, 2019

You’ve probably noticed that UFC flyweight champion Henry Cejudo has come out of his shell lately. Ahead of his UFC 238 bantamweight title fight with Marlon Moraes, he’s been talking trash and cutting promos in a way that he never has previously. According to his coach, that’s due in part to the influence of Chael Sonnen. Speaking at a scrum this week, coach Eric Albarracin explained how Henry Cejudo has been influenced by the infamous trash talker Chael Sonnen (via MMA Fighting).

Tom Taylor - June 5, 2019

Nate Diaz has not fought since August of 2016. In the time since then, he’s only been scheduled for two fights: one, a lightweight fight against Dustin Poirier, which fell through, and the other, a welterweight fight with Anthony Pettis, which is scheduled for UFC 241 in August. While these are the only fights Diaz has accepted in that time, UFC President Dana White has previously claimed that he’s offered the younger Diaz brother plenty of other matchups in that stretch. If that’s accurate, we can safely say that Diaz has a very high standard for the fights he accepts.

Tom Taylor - June 5, 2019

Yesterday afternoon, UFC President Dana White breathed new life into a potential Conor McGregor vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov rematch, suggesting the fight could happen after Nurmagomedov battles Dustin Poirier at UFC 242. Former World Series of Fighting champion Justin Gaethje, however, does not believe McGregor should be anywhere near a lightweight title shot at present — not unless he beats a top contender first.

Adam Martin - June 4, 2019

Conor McGregor might not be fighting Khabib Nurmagomedov in a rematch at UFC 242, but there’s still the chance we see these two bitter rivals fight each other again down the road. On Tuesday, it was made official that the UFC lightweight champion Nurmagomedov will battle interim champion Dustin Poirier in the main event of UFC 242 on September 7 in Abu Dhabi. This of course means that Conor McGregor won’t be getting the rematch he so desperately craves, at least not until we see what happens between Nurmagomedov and Poirier. The announcement also meant that Tony Ferguson and Donald Cerrone are temporarily out of the running for a title fight against Nurmagomedov.

Adam Martin - June 4, 2019

One of the UFC light heavyweight division’s top prospects, Johnny Walker, is set to return to the Octagon this fall. According to ESPN.com’s Ariel Helwani, Walker has been medically cleared to begin MMA training following shoulder surgery, and his team wants him to fight again in September. According to his manager Lucas Lutkus, Johnny Walker is eyeing a top-10 opponent opponent in his return to the cage.

Tom Taylor - June 4, 2019

The long rumored fight between UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and interim champ Dustin Poirier is now official for UFC 242. According to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, who spoke with Nurmagomedov’s manager Ali Abdelaziz, this fight will mark the first obligation on a brand new UFC contract for the Russian champion. More interestingly still, this contract allegedly includes a clause in the event that Nurmagomedov ever gets his long desired fight with Georges St-Pierre.

Tom Taylor - June 4, 2019

Jimi Manuwa entered his UFC Stockholm fight with Aleksandar Rakic with three losses in the rear-view mirror, two of which came by way of knockout. Ahead of this bout, amid growing concerns that his best days had come and gone, he tried to remind fans that it wasn’t all that long ago that he was dishing out violent knockout wins of his own. “I think MMA fans and the MMA community itself have got a very short memory,” he told MMA Fighting’s Peter Carroll ahead of the fight.

Tom Taylor - June 4, 2019

At long last, it’s official. UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier will unify their titles at UFC 242. The card goes down on September 7 in Abu Dhabi. The UFC announced this matchup as official on social media on Tuesday afternoon.

Cole Shelton - June 4, 2019

Jessica Eye is undefeated at flyweight and is now set to fight for the title against champion Valentina Shevchenko in the co-main event of UFC 238. When Eye got the call to say she was fighting for the title, it was a surreal moment for her and her team.

Tom Taylor - June 4, 2019

On the latest episode of the Joe Rogan Rogan Experience, host Joe Rogan got into a lengthy and visibly exhausting debate with his guest Eddie Bravo. The topic, as those familiar with either man might guess, was the shape of the earth. Rogan, like most people, believes it’s round, while Bravo is adamant that it is actually flat. The two friends could not come to an agreement on the shape of the planet we live on, and at long last, agreed to change the subject.