MMA News

James Lynch - March 21, 2019

Jimi Manuwa is still on the mend but has a clear idea of when we’ll likely see him compete next. The light heavyweight has been sidelined for the last few months with a groin injury but is targeting a return on the UFC on ESPN+10 card in Sweden, which takes place on June 1.

Tom Taylor - March 21, 2019

Former UFC bantamweight champion Holly Holm isn’t going anywhere. The former champ was down to the last two obligations on her current UFC deal, but has reportedly inked a new, six-fight deal with the Las Vegas based promotion. This news was first reported by ESPN and subsequently verified by Marc Raimondi of MMA Fighting, who spoke with Holm’s manager Lenny Fresquez.

Tom Taylor - March 21, 2019

Conor McGregor has gotten wind of TJ Dillashaw’s drug testing drama, and well, he doesn’t seem surprised. See how McGregor reacted to this unfortunate news below:

Cole Shelton - March 21, 2019

The Octagon heads to Nashville, Tennessee this weekend, with a very interesting welterweight matchup in the main event. Former lightweight champion Anthony Pettis will be moving up in weight to challenge former welterweight title challenger Stephen Thompson. Ahead of this welterweight fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the fight.

Cole Shelton - March 20, 2019

Unfortunate news came out this morning that TJ Dillashaw would be relinquishing his bantamweight title due to ‘adverse’ findings in a USADA drug sample. In addition, it was announced that TJ Dillashaw will be suspended for a year, retroactive to January 19.

Drake Riggs - March 20, 2019

In hindsight, it’s pretty amazing to think that BJ Penn and Clay Guida have never crossed paths in battle before. Both men are seasoned veterans and staples of the lightweight division’s history. With a combined 52 UFC fights between the two. With 26 UFC fights each, there is no shortage of incredible memories both have left fans with over the years.

Drake Riggs - March 20, 2019

Stephen Thompson is back! After 10 months away from the Octagon, a lot has happened. And because of that, ‘Wonderboy’ likes where he stands in the division. This Saturday night at UFC Nashville, Thompson is set to headline the event opposite former WEC and UFC lightweight champion, Anthony ‘Showtime’ Pettis.

Thomas Taylor - March 20, 2019

20-year-old Australian flyweight Chelsea Hackett has thrived as a Muay Thai fighter, and now she’s preparing to conquer the world of mixed martial arts. Hackett’s martial arts journey began at just eight years old, when her parents enrolled her in Taekwondo. By the time she was 12, she’d earned a blackbelt in the Korean martial art, and sought out a new challenge in the form of Muay Thai. She signed up for classes at Boonchu Gym on the Gold Coast, which is operated by Angie and John Wayne Parr, and by the time she was 13, she was climbing into the ring for her first fight.

Tom Taylor - March 20, 2019

This morning, TJ Dillashaw announced that he failed an in-competition drug test for his January showdown with UFC flyweight champion Henry Cejudo. Dillashaw added that he has chosen to relinquish his UFC bantamweight title as a result of this unfortunate situation. Shortly after this news broke, Ariel Helwani reported that the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC), who oversaw Dillashaw and Cejudo’s Brooklyn battle, had suspended the former for one year. That being said, it was not immediately clear how the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) would react.

Tom Taylor - March 20, 2019

The official UFC rankings have been updated in the wake of last weekend’s action-packed UFC London card, and as expected, there have been some big changes. The biggest changes in these new UFC rankings occurred inside the welterweight division, where Jorge Masvidal surged up six spots on the strength of his second-round beheading of Darren Till. Co-main event winner Leon Edwards stayed put in the number-10 spot, however, his vanquished foe Gunnar Nelson took a bit of a tumble down the rankings.

Cole Shelton - March 20, 2019

The Octagon heads to Nashville, Tennessee on Saturday and on the main card will be Canadian John Makdessi taking on Jesus Pinedo. For Makdessi it has been a long road to get to the Octagon after having to pull out of UFC 231 with an injury.

Tom Taylor - March 20, 2019

On Tuesday, BJPenn.com’s Mike Pendleton released footage of former UFC lightweight and featherweight champion Conor McGregor criticizing UFC commentator Joe Rogan. McGregor made these comments during a recent Q&A session in Chicago. VIDEO: Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) says he could be a guest on Joe Rogan (@joerogan) podcast one day, but would like him to call fights the way he sees them and not like he’s reading off a script. pic.twitter.com/EGlBZL7WCK

Tom Taylor - March 20, 2019

On Wednesday morning, UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw announced that the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) and the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) have discovered an adverse finding on one of his recent drug tests, and that he has decided to relinquish his bantamweight title as a courtesy to his peers as a result. Dillashaw explained the situation in an Instagram post.

Tom Taylor - March 20, 2019

At long last, former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold has a date an opponent for his anticipated light heavyweight debut. According to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, Rockhold will make his debut in the 205-pound division against Poland’s Jan Blachowicz at UFC 239. The card goes down on July 6 in Las Vegas, in the heat of the UFC’s annual International Fight week.

James Lynch - March 20, 2019

Ben Askren has yet to have his next fight booked but he does have an ideal scenario in mind. This past weekend at UFC London, the 34-year-old spoke to the media about a number of topics including the creation of a 165-pound division. The former ONE and Bellator champion has been campaigning this new weight class since he signed with the UFC in October. He believes current lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov is the perfect opponent.

BJPENN.COM Staff - March 20, 2019

Eduard Folayang is honored to headline ONE: A NEW ERA on 31 March where he will defend his ONE Lightweight World Title at the Ryōgoku Kokugikan against legendary Japanese martial artist Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki. Heading into this highly-anticipated rematch, Folayang knows he has to put forth the best performance of his career in order to successfully retain his title against the streaking Aoki. As such, he is hard at work in training camp getting ready to put on an absolute show.

Tom Taylor - March 20, 2019

On Wednesday morning, UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw announced that the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) and the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) have discovered an adverse finding on one of his recent drug tests, and that he has decided to vacate the bantamweight throne as a result. TJ Dillashaw made this shocking announcement on Instagram.

BJPENN.COM Staff - March 20, 2019

Before the main card gets started at ONE: A NEW ERA in Japan on 31 March, there are a host of interesting preliminary bouts, many of which are quarter-final matches in the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix. The winner of the tournament will get a title shot, so the stakes are high–even during the prelims.