MMA News

Chris Taylor - March 23, 2019

The Prime Minister of Ireland, Leo Varadkar, does not want to be associated with Conor McGregor and his unlawful actions. Varadkar, who is the current Taoiseach of Ireland, was recently accused of snubbing the UFC star during last week’s St. Patrick’s Day march in Chicago.

Chris Taylor - March 23, 2019

Ben Askren travelled to London this past weekend with intentions of confronting former UFC welterweight title challenger Darren Till. The rivals, who have gone back and forth on social media for months, actually had a brief encounter at the UFC London weigh-ins.

Cole Shelton - March 22, 2019

Back in January, Henry Cejudo defended his flyweight title when he knocked out T.J. Dillashaw in 32 seconds. Following the fight, it was expected that Cejudo would move up in weight to rematch Dillashaw for the bantamweight title. However, news came out on Tuesday that Dillashaw will be suspended for a year for ‘adverse findings’ in his pre-fight drug test sample.

Drake Riggs - March 22, 2019

As news generally does, especially in the MMA world, it can come with some serious shock value. This week was no different. On Wednesday, UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw revealed that he had been flagged by USADA for a violation regarding one of his drug tests prior to his last fight. That last fight having come in January when he suffered defeat to the flyweight champion, Henry Cejudo.

Drake Riggs - March 22, 2019

UFC 235 took place at the beginning of this month and it was a massive event as expected. There were several fighters who added to their respective highlight reels and continued to climb up their divisional ladders. One of those was Brazil’s ‘Young Punisher’ Pedro Munhoz. The 18-3 Munhoz would kick off the pay-per-view’s main card when he took on the former bantamweight champion, Cody Garbrandt.

Mike Pendleton - March 22, 2019

Conor McGregor is looking for a fight and some previous opponents come to mind as a potential next opponent. During his Q&A session in Chicago, while discussing former opponents, McGregor acknowledged the work that Dustin Poirier, Max Holloway, and Jose Aldo have all done since they suffered losses to ‘The Notorious’ and he believes they deserve rematches.

Nolan King - March 22, 2019

Saturday’s UFC London main event did not play out the way Darren Till envisioned. Returning to action for the first time since his unsuccessful title challenge at UFC 228 this past September, Till squared off with fellow welterweight contender Jorge Masvidal.

Mike Pendleton - March 22, 2019

Conor McGregor is looking for a fight and there are a lot of rematches he has in mind. During a recent Q&A in Chicago, McGregor was asked about a potential rematch with Floyd Mayweather. McGregor took aim at Mayweather’s financial habits and said that he believes Mayweather will have a time where he needs to fight because he spends too much of his money.

Tom Taylor - March 22, 2019

Former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis is set to debut in the welterweight division tomorrow night, as he’s scheduled to battle Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson in the main event of UFC Nashville on ESPN+. If Pettis can spring the upset on Wonderboy, it will open the door to dozens of exciting matchups in the stacked UFC welterweight division. One matchup that seems to be off the table for Pettis, however, is a pairing with fellow Roufusport talent Ben Askren.

Tom Taylor - March 22, 2019

On Thursday night, WFAA-TV in Dallas reported that inaugural UFC light heavyweight champion Frank Shamrock was being investigated for animal cruelty after tying his mother’s dog Zelda to the back of a parked pickup truck and abandoning it at an airport for five days. Shamrock actually admitted to this incident, explaining that he first tried to find a home for the dog, and only decided to forsake the animal, which he says has a “goofy hip,” when he was unable to find a more suitable alternative.

Tom Taylor - March 22, 2019

It’s previously been suggested that former UFC middleweight title challenger Yoel Romero could soon move up to the 205 pound light heavyweight division. From the sounds of it, however, Romero will not be making that move any time soon. His first priority, he says, is capturing gold in his current division.

Tom Taylor - March 22, 2019

Bibiano Fernandes, arguably the most successful fighters in ONE Championship history, never expected to compete on the same card as his long-time friend and training partner Demetrious Johnson. When ONE Championship traded Ben Askren to the UFC in exchange for Johnson, however, it was suddenly a possibility. As luck would have it, Bibiano Fernandes and Demetrious Johnson are both set to compete at ONE: A New Era on March 31 in Tokyo — in back-to-back fights.

Cole Shelton - March 22, 2019

At UFC Nashville, fan favorite Luis Pena will be moving down from 155lbs to 145lbs to take on Steven Peterson. ‘Violent Bob Ross’ was already a big 155’er, and Peterson thinks the weight cut will be a mistake for Pena.

Cole Shelton - March 22, 2019

Back at UFC 232 in December, Amanda Nunes shocked the world. Nunes was the reigning bantamweight champion and was moving up to featherweight to take on long-time champion Cris Cyborg. In this new division, Nunes knocked Cyborg out in just 51 seconds and became the first woman in UFC history to hold titles in two divisions simultaneously.

James Lynch - March 22, 2019

Stephen Thompson still has Robbie Lawler on his mind “Wonderboy” asked for a fight with “Ruthless” last year only instead to see Lawler face off against Ben Askren at UFC 235. While he still needs to take care of business against Anthony Pettis this Saturday, Thompson is still interested in that fight and would love for that matchup to take place close to home.

Tom Taylor - March 22, 2019

Conor McGregor recently divulged that he’s in negotiations for a return to the cage this July, but that he’s also still seeking an ownership stake in the UFC. Former UFC welterweight champ Tyron Woodley, who just lost the title to Kamaru Usman, doesn’t believe McGregor is in a position to be making these kinds of demands. In an interview with TMZ, Woodley suggested McGregor fight him first. If the Irishman is able to clear that huge hurdle, he’ll be in a much more favorable position.

BJPENN.COM Staff - March 21, 2019

ONE: A NEW ERA will mark the beginning of what figures to be a long relationship between ONE Championship and Japan. The event will be the promotion’s first ever in the country, and it will feature several notable Japanese athletes in action. Among them is Tatsumitsu Wada. He will face undefeated Brazilian newcomer Ivanildo Delfino in the quarter-final round of the highly-anticipated ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix.

Thomas Taylor - March 21, 2019

Bibiano Fernandes and Kevin Belingon share one of the best rivalries in ONE Championship. The pair first met in China in January of 2016. On that night, Brazil’s Fernandes dispatched of his Filipino rival with a kimura in the first round, defending the bantamweight belt in the process.