MMA News
Dana White gives grim update on Daniel Cormier vs. Brock Lesnar fight
Tom Taylor - April 12, 2019
Over the last few weeks, there has been ample reason to believe we might soon see Daniel Cormier defend the UFC heavyweight strap against former champ and long-time WWE star Brock Lesnar. First, it was reported that the matchup could occur at UFC 241 this summer. Then, Lesnar surrendered his WWE title at WrestleMania 35, seemingly clearing a major hurdle blocking his move to the UFC. Speaking at the UFC’s Seasonal Press Conference on Friday afternoon, however, UFC President Dana White gave a grim update on this potential Daniel Cormier vs. Brock Lesnar fight.
VIDEO | Watch UFC press conference with Ben Askren, Amanda Nunes, Henry Cejudo and other stars
Tom Taylor - April 12, 2019
It’s that time again! On Friday at 12:00pm ET, the UFC is hosting one its classic, star-studded press conferences to promote its upcoming cards. Watch it live below: This time around, the event is scheduled to feature stars like UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones, undefeated welterweight contender Ben Askren, bantamweight and featherweight champ Amanda Nunes, flyweight champ Henry Cejudo, and former welterweight champ Tyron Woodley.
TUF 1 veteran Lodune Sincaid dead at 45 years old
Tom Taylor - April 12, 2019
Lodune Sincaid, a veteran of the first-ever season of The Ultimate Fighter, has passed away at 45 years old. Sherdog was the first to report this unfortunate news. The fighter’s website, LoduneMMA.com, has since issued a statement confirming this tragedy.
UFC 236 | Israel Adesanya says he is 'hunting' Jon Jones
Tom Taylor - April 12, 2019
Israel Adesanya is currently gearing up for an interim middleweight title fight with Kelvin Gastelum, which goes down in the co-main event of UFC 236 in Atlanta, Georgia on Saturday night. That being said, the Nigerian-born Kiwi is not afraid to look to the future. Part of that future, he says, could be a showdown with UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. Adesanya reminds that he’s already beaten one fighter widely considered the Greatest of all Time in Anderson Silva, and would happily take out another.
Mairbek Taisumov agrees to six-month USADA suspension
James Lynch - April 12, 2019
It hasn’t been a good week for UFC fighters and USADA. TJ Dillashaw was handed down at 2-year suspension by anti-doping agency and now UFC lightweight Mairbek Taisumov is the latest victim. According to a statement from the USADA website, Taisumov has accepted a six-month suspension and has tested positive for a pair of stanozolol metabolites, 3′-hydroxystanozolol-O-glucuronide and 16β-hydroxystanozolol-O-glucuronide.
ONE: Roots of Honor live results and highlights - Nguyen, Pacio deliver stunning KOs
Tom Taylor - April 12, 2019
On Friday, ONE Championship returned to The Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines with the stacked ONE: Roots of Honor card. This card was topped by a featherweight title fight between long absent champion Martin Nguyen and former champion Narantungalag Jadambaa, one of the most experienced veterans on the ONE roster.
VIDEO | Unearthed footage of Israel Adesanya sparring with 'Rumble'
Tom Taylor - April 12, 2019
Israel Adesanya, who battles Kelvin Gastelum for the interim middleweight title in the co-main of UFC 236 this weekend, is believed to have some of the best striking in MMA. The Kiwi kickboxer’s striking is so highly rated that he was actually flown into Florida by renowned coach Henri Hooft in 2015, where he served as a sparring partner for Anthony “Rumble” Johnson. At the time, Johnson was gearing up for a light heavyweight title fight with Jon Jones — a fight that never happened.
EXCLUSIVE | Khalil Rountree believes fight with Eryk Anders will be 'fight of the night'
Cole Shelton - April 12, 2019
At UFC 236, Khalil Rountree will take on Eryk Anders who is moving back up to light heavyweight. In the eyes of many observers, this fight looks like surefire entertainment. Rountree is no different. He believes this fight could very well be the Fight of the Night.
More reasons to watch UFC 236
Mike Straus - April 11, 2019
UFC 236 will make history as the first pay-per-view event to have two interim title fights decided on the same night. After a two week hiatus, the world leader in MMA is back with a fun night of fights. The State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia will play host to the action this weekend.
Max Holloway wants Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov to help fight climate change
Tom Taylor - April 11, 2019
Like so many of us, Max Holloway is tired of the ongoing Twitter beef between UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and former lightweight and featherweight champ Conor McGregor. In fact, he believes the two UFC stars could achieve a tremendous amount of good if they combined forces. They might even be able to combat climate change (h/t MMA Mania). Holloway first discussed notion in an interview with Sports Illustrated.
Matt Serra blasts 'f***ing cheater' TJ Dillashaw in profanity-laced tirade
Tom Taylor - April 11, 2019
Earlier this week, news surfaced that former UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw had tested positive for EPO, a powerful performance-enhancer that can only be ingested through injection. The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) handed Dillashaw a two-year ban for this incident, but in the eyes of former UFC welterweight champ Matt Serra, that might not be enough. Matt Serra went off on TJ Dillashaw on the UFC Unfiltered podcast this week.
Uriah Hall worries there is 'mafia s**t' going on in the UFC
Tom Taylor - April 11, 2019
UFC middleweight contender Paulo Costa has been the subject of several doping rumors of late, thanks in large part to the recent comments of his would-be opponent Yoel Romero. While it now sounds like stomach medication could be the reason for Costa’s recent brushes with the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), however, his recent opponent Uriah Hall feels there could actually be more at play here. https://youtu.be/kx8ITw1dBEI “I was supposed to fight that dude a while back,” Hall said on Bloody Elbow’s Pull No Punches podcast (transcript via MMA Mania). “He pulled a bicep muscle and I was like ‘What?’ Listen, s**t is going on under the radar here. I don’t know why, I have a feeling, but we’re not stupid.
UFC 236 | Kelvin Gastelum opens up on mental hurdles ahead of Israel Adesanya fight
Tom Taylor - April 11, 2019
Kelvin Gastelum was supposed to battle Robert Whittaker for the undisputed UFC middleweight championship at UFC 234 in February. Regrettably, Whittaker was forced out of the bout with a last-minute injury, leaving Gastelum without his long-awaited title shot. As Whittaker recovers, Kelvin Gastelum is now scheduled to battle Israel Adesanya for the interim middleweight title in the co-main event of UFC 236 this Saturday.
Joe Rogan comments on TJ Dillashaw drug test failure
Tom Taylor - April 11, 2019
This week’s news that former UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw had tested positive for EPO, an “injectable only” performance-enhancing substance, sent a shockwave through the MMA community. UFC color commentator Joe Rogan is just as disappointed by this news as the rest of us. “To me, it’s a shame because I’m a TJ fan,” Rogan told his guest Herb Dean on Wednesday’s edition of the Joe Rogan Experience MMA Show (transcript via MMAjunkie) “I think he’s a phenomenal fighter and I’m a big fan of watching him perform. But it just taints his legacy. It just does. There’s no way around it. When you get caught cheating – this stuff, there’s no way it’s not cheating. This is just cheating. This isn’t any accident. It taints your legacy, and the guy had an amazing legacy: two-time bantamweight champion, one of the best pound-for-pound fighters.”
EXCLUSIVE | Pro fighters make their picks for Max Holloway vs Dustin Poirier 2
Cole Shelton - April 11, 2019
In the main event of UFC 236, this Saturday, featherweight champion Max Holloway will move up in weight to take on Dustin Poirier for the interim lightweight championship. Ahead of the rematch, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the fight. The consensus is that it will be a close interesting fight.
Manager Ali Abdelaziz claims he knows "at least five people" using EPO
Tom Taylor - April 11, 2019
This week, the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) handed former UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw a two-year suspension for his use of EPO, a powerful performance enhancer that can only be taken by injection. This news was particularly pertinent to former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt, who has lost to TJ Dillashaw twice in the last two years. Garbrandt himself, and other members of the MMA community, have wondered publicly if Dillashaw might have had an extra advantage in their two recent bouts.
EXCLUSIVE | Pro fighters make their picks for Israel Adesanya vs Kelvin Gastelum
Cole Shelton - April 11, 2019
In the co-main event of UFC 236 this Saturday, Israel Adesanya is set to take on Kelvin Gastelum for the UFC’s interim middleweight title. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the fight. Although many think Adesanya will win, some just can’t count out Gastelum.
Conor McGregor Says He Fought Khabib Nurmagomedov with Broken Foot
Nolan King - April 10, 2019
Conor McGregor’s recent surge of tweets continued Wednesday evening, as the former UFC Champ Champ replied to dozens of comments on Twitter. One Twitter user asked McGregor why his footwork appeared to be so flatfooted in his last fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov.