MMA News
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.
UFC 236 weigh in results: Max Holloway hits 155 (video)
Tom Taylor - April 12, 2019
On Saturday night, the UFC will return to our screens with UFC 236. The card, which will go down in Atlanta, Georgia, registers as the first to be topped by a pair of interim title fights. The first of these interim championship bouts will occur in the middleweight division, where undefeated striking ace Israel Adesanya will look to defeat brick-fisted wrestler Kelvin Gastelum. The winner of this fight can expect to unify their title with the undisputed belt owned by Robert Whittaker sometime later this year.
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.
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.
Statement released following allegations against BJ Penn
Chris Taylor - April 11, 2019
The Team of former two-division UFC champion BJ Penn has released a statement following allegations from his former partner. “BJ is in a highly-contested child custody case involving his two young daughters. The order of protection has made serious allegations against BJ. The allegations are so, misleading, hurtful and false that any further comment by BJ or about BJ would cause more damage to the well-being of his children and potentially further inflame the pending custody proceedings. BJ and his family ask that you respect their privacy at this very difficult time.”
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.
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.
Herb Dean defends Ben Askren vs. Robbie Lawler stoppage
Tom Taylor - April 11, 2019
One of the most anticipated features of the UFC 235 bill was a welterweight showdown between former UFC champ Robbie Lawler and former ONE and Bellator champ Ben Askren. Regrettably, this bout ended in controversy. Mid-way through the first round, Askren locked up a bulldog choke that appeared to lull Lawler to sleep. After referee Herb Dean stopped the action, however, Lawler protested, and the replay revealed that he might not have actually gone out.
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.
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.
Four fights added to UFC Minneapolis including Benavidez vs. Formiga 2
James Lynch - April 11, 2019
Joseph Benavidez didn’t get to face Henry Cejudo next but will get to face familiar foe instead. UFC officials confirmed Wednesday that former title challenger Benavidez will face Jussier Formiga at UFC Minneapolis on June 29. These two first fought at UFC Fight Night 28 in Sept. 2013, with Benavidez earning a first-round TKO finish. Benavidez (27-5) is coming off a unanimous decision win over Dustin Ortiz at UFC Brooklyn in January which gave him back-to-back wins for the first time since Dec. 2016. Prior to that, the Xtreme Couture product earned his first stoppage victory since Apr. 2014 when he finished Alex Perez in the first round via TKO. The two-time UFC title challenger has gone 8-1 in his last nine fights, including a split decision nod over current flyweight kingpin Henry Cejudo. Benavidez made his UFC debut in Mar. 2011 and holds wins over John Moraga, Tim Elliott and the aforementioned champ Cejudo.
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.
Full Video Surfaces of Conor McGregor Phone Incident
Nolan King - April 10, 2019
Wednesday afternoon, the Miami Herald released a full surveillance video of the recent incident involving Conor McGregor, a fan, and a phone. The incident occurred outside of the Fontainebleau Miami Beach. The video shows McGregor and his entourage come into the shot, with multiple individuals walking near him, filming him.
EXCLUSIVE | Sage Northcutt breaks down his upcoming ONE Championship debut
Tom Taylor - April 10, 2019
Former UFC welterweight star “Super” Sage Northcutt is set to make his debut in the ONE Championship cage at ONE: Enter the Dragon on May 17 in Singapore. He’ll make this debut opposite kickboxing export Cosmo Alexandre, who has carved out an impressive 7-1 MMA record, primarily in the Bellator cage. Sage Northcutt is excited to get this new phase of his fighting career underway.