MMA News

Tom Taylor - April 26, 2019

On June 22, in the main event of BKFC 6, Artem Lobov will meet retired boxer Paulie Malignaggi in a blockbuster, bareknuckle grudge match. As this fight draws closer, Artem Lobov is beginning to worry that Paulie Malignaggi won’t make weight. Apparently, however, that’s pretty much his only concern surrounding the fight.

Drake Riggs - April 26, 2019

The end of 2018 marked a new era of sorts when it comes to cross-promotion in MMA as Bellator and RIZIN teamed up like never before. For RIZIN’s annual big New Year’s Eve show, in 2018 that was RIZIN 14, one of their biggest stars, Kyoji Horiguchi would fight for the inaugural bantamweight title. His opponent would be none other than Bellator’s bantamweight champion, Darrion Caldwell.

Drake Riggs - April 26, 2019

Often times when fighters are undefeated, they can understandably be arrogant and perhaps overly confident. The same can be said for champions. So when mixing the two, it’s rare to see that zero stay a zero for all too long. However, despite being both undefeated and a champion, these descriptions wouldn’t be fitting for Bellator’s first and only flyweight queen, Ilima-Lei Macfarlane. Similarly, like another undefeated champion in Virna Jandiroba who is also fighting this weekend, Macfarlane manages to stay very grounded and humble on her journey although many others in her position wouldn’t be. And that she attributes to her realistic view of the MMA landscape after having seen others fall before her.

Tom Taylor - April 26, 2019

At UFC 239, former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos will collide with one of the few heavyweight punchers with power to rival his own: Francis Ngannou. Speaking to Helen Yee recently, the former heavyweight champion made a bold prediction for this fight with the ferocious puncher Ngannou. He expects to knock out the hulking Cameroon-born Frenchman in the second round.

Drake Riggs - April 26, 2019

When it comes to the discussion of who is the greatest lightweight fighter of all time, debates can’t be had without the mention of the former WEC and UFC king, ‘Smooth’ Benson Henderson. Continuously underappreciated throughout his reigns as champion, Henderson was as active of a champion as any and constantly looking for a fight. Although no longer the champion, that attitude remains the same with a similar goal in mind.

Tom Taylor - April 26, 2019

“Sugar” Sean O’Malley is one of the most promising young prospects in the crowded UFC bantamweight division. Unfortunately, it’s been some time since we’ve seen the fan favorite in the cage, as he was recently sidelined by a four-month suspension from the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), the result of his ingesting a tainted supplement containing Ostarine. The good news is that The MMA Lab representative is now set to return to the cage — on the biggest UFC card of the year thus far. According to ESPN, he will battle Marlon “Chito” Vera at UFC 239 on July 6 in the midst of the UFC’s International Fight Week in Las Vegas.

Tom Taylor - April 26, 2019

“Platinum” Mike Perry made weight for his UFC Fort Lauderdale showdown with Alex “Cowboy” Oliveira, but from the sounds of it, it wasn’t an easy feat. In fact, he’s calling his weight cut for this fight his most difficult yet. Perry shed some light on this tough cut — and the overall sensation of weight cutting — in a Friday morning Instagram post.

Tom Taylor - April 26, 2019

Under the leadership of CEO Chatri Sityodtong, ONE Championship has signed a host of free agents of late, such as Demetrious Johnson, Eddie Alvarez, Sage Northcutt, and Vitor Belfort. Johnson and Alvarez have already debuted in the ONE cage — with very different results — and Northcutt will do so on May 17 in Singapore. Belfort, however, has not yet been booked for his first ONE Championship fight.

James Lynch - April 26, 2019

Darren Till is keeping a low profile. Following his recent arrest in Spain for allegedly trashing a hotel room and stealing a taxi, the former UFC welterweight title challenger has deactivated both his personal Twitter and Instagram accounts. The 26-year-old didn’t serve any time or face any serious legal issues for the incident. However he did receive a heavy fine which included €10,000 ($11,150 USD) to the Costa Adeje hotel, €480 ($525 USD) for hotel damages and €360 ($401 USD) for theft of the taxi cab.

Tom Taylor - April 26, 2019

This weekend, in the main event of UFC Fort Lauderdale, long-time UFC middleweight contender Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza will take part in a high risk, low-reward fight with rising contender Jack Hermansson. If he wins, well, he simply reminds the world that he already deserves a title shot. If he loses, meanwhile, his UFC title dreams will be dashed for perhaps a final time. “It was hard negotiating for Jack,” the Brazilian contender told MMA Junkie recently in his native Portuguese. “That was hard. That was tough. I didn’t want to accept the fight at all. It’s a risk that I’m taking. I’m putting my career at risk; that’s the truth. It made me very upset, this fight. But we talked, and this and that. Then (UFC matchmaker) Mick Maynard came in, Hunter (Campbell), (UFC president) Dana White, all those people, and I said, ‘Either you promise me the belt and put that to paper and send it to me, or there’s no deal.’”

Cole Shelton - April 26, 2019

In the main event of Bellator 220, Rory MacDonald will look to defend his welterweight title against Jon Fitch. Not only will MacDonald be putting his belt on the line, but it will also be the last matchup of the first round of the Bellator Welterweight Grand Prix. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their picks for the fight. And, they all are leaning one way.

Drake Riggs - April 25, 2019

Current Bellator welterweight champion, Rory MacDonald has become fairly familiar with ‘Ruthless’ Robbie Lawler over the years. Formerly a staple of the UFC’s 170-pound division, MacDonald would fight Lawler twice during his UFC run. The first time being in a three-round affair that saw him on the wrong end of a split decision. Their second encounter would come two years later as Lawler was now the champion.

Drake Riggs - April 25, 2019

The man known as ‘Mr. Wonderful,’ Phil Davis, has been one of the best light heavyweights in the world since he started climbing his way up the UFC ladder from 2010 to 2014. After going 9-3 (1 NC) inside the Octagon, Davis would find his way to the Bellator cage where he would make his debut in the Bellator 142 one night tournament that saw him submit former champion, Emanuel Newton, before knocking out a fellow former UFC vet in Francis Carmont.

Cole Shelton - April 25, 2019

Greg Hardy will be in familiar territory on Saturday night. The former pro bowler will enter the Octagon for the second time in his career and will be the co-main event once again. Although some disagree with Hardy getting the spot, the 30-year-old is quite happy with co-headliner status.

Drake Riggs - April 25, 2019

The last bout of the Bellator welterweight Grand Prix’s opening round is set to headline this Saturday night’s Bellator 220 event live in San Jose, California. The bout will be the first of the tournament to feature the title being contested. Of course, that means that the current champion, Rory MacDonald, will be putting his crown on the line as he faces off with seasoned veteran, Jon Fitch.

Drake Riggs - April 25, 2019

Bellator 220 is set to take place this Saturday night live from the SAP Center in San Jose, California. While the card is headlined by two big title fights, there are some great fights that directly precede them. One of those involves the former WEC and UFC lightweight champion, Benson ‘Smooth’ Henderson who looks to extend his current winning streak to three straight. His opponent, Adam Piccolotti, will also be looking to do the same.

Tom Taylor - April 25, 2019

UFC St. Petersburg was an action-packed card, from the undercard to the Alistair Overeem vs. Alexey Oleynik main event. As is so often the case with cards of this kind, several of the fighters on the bill are facing lengthy medical suspensions, including Oleynik, who is dealing with a fractured rib after his first-round TKO loss to Overeem.

Tom Taylor - April 25, 2019

Former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson is now firmly embedded as a member of the Bellator roster. In fact, he’s set to return to the cage at Bellator 220 this weekend, where he’ll take on Adam Piccolotti in a lightweight contender bout. As he prepares for this imminent challenge, Benson Henderson is happy to have put some distance between himself and the drama that is currently plaguing the UFC lightweight division. He’s witnessed the heat between reigning champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and former champion Conor McGregor, and the difficulty top contenders like Dustin Poirier and Tony Ferguson have had getting title shots, and he’s thanking the Lord that he’s no longer in the thick of it.