MMA News

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.

Tom Taylor - April 10, 2019

Though UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway closed out the year 2018 on a high note, defeating Brian Ortega in December, the rest of the year was not particularly kind to him. The Hawaiian star was forced to deal with a procession of cancelled fights, injuries, and some struggles with depression. Max Holloway opened up on his rough 2018 — including his fight with depression — in a recent interview with Sports Illustrated.

Tom Taylor - April 10, 2019

At UFC Philadelphia, Josh Emmett delivered an undeniable Knockout of the Year contender, flattening Michael Johnson in the third round of their featherweight contest. Surprisingly, however, his jaw-dropping knockout victory didn’t earn him a post-fight bonus. Like many fans, he’s still scratching his head about that.

Tom Taylor - April 10, 2019

ONE Championship has announced the full lineup for its upcoming ONE: For Honor card, which will go down on May 3 inside Jakarta, Indonesia’s Istora Senayan. As previously announced, the card will be topped by a ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Title bout between Thai champion Sam-A Gaiyanghadao and English challenger Jonathan Haggerty.

Cole Shelton - April 10, 2019

Most of the attention ahead of UFC 236 has surrounded the two interim title fights on the bill, and rightfully so. The matchups are interesting and gold is on the line. But, one fight that has been flying under the radar is a main card fight between Eryk Anders and Khalil Rountree. Anders is set to move up to light heavyweight for this fight, but he doesn’t see it as a permanent move.

Mike Pendleton - April 10, 2019

If there was ever a fighter who embodied the true definition of a martial artist, where the beauty is in the way the fighter fights, the way the fighter carries themselves, and the message they fight for, Michelle Waterson is that fighter. In fact, while the ‘Karate Hottie’ sees her fanbase grow with every dance-off, every fight, and every social media interaction she has, Waterson looks to inspire on a much deeper level.

Tom Taylor - April 10, 2019

Former Strikeforce, DREAM and K-1 heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem has been fighting for a very long time. And despite his long history in the rings and cages of the world’s top promotions, he’s still a force to be reckoned with, ranked as one of the top contenders in the perilous UFC heavyweight division. Speaking on The MMA Hour recently, Alistair Overeem explained that a big key to his longevity has been his frequent camp changes. For example, after his recent loss to Curtis Blaydes, he migrated to Elevation Fight Team to train alongside Blaydes.

Tom Taylor - April 10, 2019

Yesterday afternoon, former UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw was hit with a two-year suspension from the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) after testing positive for recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO), a substance that can only be injected, and is therefor not taken accidentally. Speaking on Instagram, Duane Ludwig, the long-time handler of TJ Dillashaw, issued a quick statement on the situation. He referred to Dillashaw’s EPO use as “inexcusable” but vowed to stand by his student.

Nolan King - April 9, 2019

The upcoming return of Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series continues to take shape, with the addition of a 185-pound matchup to the season premiere on June 18. In a middleweight tilt, Puna Soriano (5-0) will square off with Jamie Pickett (9-3), BJPenn.com has learned. Only five fights into his professional mixed martial arts tenure, Hawaii’s Soriano is already starting to turn heads. All five of the 26-year-old middleweight’s bouts have ended in the first round with Soriano victorious.

Drake Riggs - April 9, 2019

Last month it was announced that perennial top UFC middleweight contender, Yoel Romero would be rematching with Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza in the main event of UFC Fort Lauderdale on April 27. That is opposed to Romero fighting Paulo Costa who he was originally expected to face. Costa and Romero have been linked to fights with one another on two separate occasions now. The first of which was targeted for UFC 230 in November 2018. The reason for the fight not coming to fruition was due to Romero still recovering from a broken orbital bone.

Chris Taylor - April 9, 2019

Conor McGregor recently took to Twitter where he shared his reaction to the two-year suspension handed down on TJ Dillashaw by USADA. Earlier this afternoon, ESPN’s Brett Okamoto reported that TJ Dillashaw’s positive test, which forced him to vacate his bantamweight title, was a result of the banned substance EPO. Consequently, Dillashaw has received a two-year suspension as a result. This suspension is dated retroactively to January 18, 2019.

Nolan King - April 9, 2019

LFA champion Brendan Allen (11-3) and surging Canadian Aaron Jeffery (6-1) are potentially one fight away from a UFC contract. The two middleweights will be squaring off on the July 16 episode of Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series, multiple sources confirm to BJPenn.com Allen, 23, is highly regarded as one of the best unsigned middleweight prospects in North America. Competing against tough competition for the entirety of his stint in MMA, has suffered three career losses. All three men that beat Allen went on to make it to the UFC — Anthony Hernandez, Eryk Anders, and Trevin Giles.

Thomas Taylor - April 9, 2019

This afternoon, news broke that TJ Dillashaw has been suspended for two years for his use of recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO), an “injectable only” drug. “I’m quite familiar with EPO from my days investigating professional cycling teams,” UFC Vice President of Athlete Health and Performance Jeff Novitzky told ESPN of EPO and how it is used. “It’s a very effective substance. It’s not a substance you find in contaminated supplements, it’s injectable only. You have to know what you’re doing when it enters your system.

Mike Pendleton - April 9, 2019

The UFC’s strawweight division has seen a fair share of new title contenders rise to the top of the division ever since Rose Namajunas dethroned former champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk in November 2017. While names like Tatiana Suarez, Nina Ansaroff, and Weili Zhang rising up the ranks and inching towards title contention, a veteran, Michelle Waterson, coming off the biggest win of her career, feels she deserves the next title shot and believes the timing is perfect for it.

Drake Riggs - April 9, 2019

The Summertime is always a big time of the year for the UFC as evidenced by the big events they put on with all of them culminating at the end of International Fight Week. This year, the end event of that will be UFC 239 on July 6. But before we get there, the promotion has to head through Chicago, Illinois for UFC 238. And with plenty of fantastic bouts already on the bill, it continues to get more as finalization looms.

Thomas Taylor - April 9, 2019

TJ Dillashaw has been suspended for two years by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) after testing positive for EPO in an in-competition drug test. Whether it’s coincidental or not, it’s worth noting that former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt accused Dillashaw of using this banned substance specifically almost one year ago.

Tom Taylor - April 9, 2019

When Kevin Belingon and Bibiano Fernandes stepped into the cage to battle for the ONE Bantamweight World Title at ONE: A New Era in Tokyo, Japan, the expectation was that their fight, no matter how it ended, would settle their long-time rivalry. Fernandes had won their first fight by submission. Belingon had won their second by decision. And there, under the bright lights of Ryōgoku Kokugikan Sumo Hall in Tokyo’s Sumida Ward, we finally had our tie-breaker. Much like their second fight, which occurred in November, this third fight looked like it would be a fun one from the get-go. First, Belingon rocked Fernandes. Then, Fernandes rocked Belingon. All signs pointed to a riveting, back-and-forth war.

Nolan King - April 9, 2019

Thirty-one-year-old welterweight Derrick Krantz has been competing in mixed martial arts longer than most. Last Friday night, Dana White validated all the blood, sweat, and tears Krantz has poured into the sport. After a short tenure as an amateur competitor, Krantz made the jump to the professional ranks in 2008. Battling the who’s who of welterweights on the Texas regional scene.