MMA News
Bellator 215 Results: Austin Vanderford submits Cody Jones in Round 1 (Video)
Chris Taylor - February 15, 2019
Austin Vanderford took on Cody Jones in a 175-pound catchweight bout on the main card of tonight’s Bellator 215 event from Uncasville, Connecticut. The fight marked Vanderford’s Bellator MMA debut.
VIDEO | Chris Leben signs with BKFC following WBKFF fallout
Drake Riggs - February 15, 2019
Video credit: The Arena Gym In 2013, The Ultimate Fighter season 1 “bad boy” Chris Leben retired from MMA on the heels of a rough four-fight losing streak.
Michael Bisping says Artem Lobov going to BKFC is 'a backwards step'
Drake Riggs - February 15, 2019
Featherweight MMA veteran Artem ‘The Russian Hammer’ Lobov recently parted ways with the UFC. But he wasn’t without a fighting home for long as he was quickly picked up by the premiere bare-knuckle boxing organization in the world, Bareknuckle Fighting Championship. For Lobov, he went 2-5 during his stint with the UFC. Three straight losses would lead to his release.
Cain Velasquez returns to answer the question that follows him everywhere: What if?
Tom Taylor - February 15, 2019
“I guarantee you, we’ll see you again soon.” Those were the words Joe Rogan used to conclude his last post-fight interview with Cain Velasquez.
Bellator 216 weigh-in results: Paul Daley, Michael Page official for welterweight grudge match
Tom Taylor - February 15, 2019
Tomorrow night, Bellator will promote its second show of the weekend in Bellator 216. This card will be headlined a welterweight grudge match between British knockout artists Paul Daley and Michael “Venom” Page. This grudge match serves as the penultimate quarterfinal bout of the promotion’s exciting welterweight Grand Prix, with the winner advancing to battle former champ Douglas Lima in the second round.
EXCLUSIVE | Pro fighters make their picks for Francis Ngannou vs. Cain Velasquez
Cole Shelton - February 15, 2019
The UFC’s first ever event on ESPN is upon us. In the main event, former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez will be making his long awaited return to the Octagon to take on Francis Ngannou. Ahead of this heavyweight fight, which could have title implications, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions. And, for the first time in the history of this series, the fighters were unanimous in their answers.
Cain Velasquez will retire if he's not satisfied with performance against Francis Ngannou
Tom Taylor - February 15, 2019
This Sunday, in the main event of the UFC’s debut card on ESPN, former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez will step into the Octagon for the first time in almost three years, where he’ll look to return to heavyweight prominence with the win over the fearsome Francis Ngannou. While Velasquez is determined to make the most of this comeback, it sounds like this could be his last walk to the cage if things don’t go as planned.
Jon Jones says he's 'feeling like a whole new animal' on the ground
Tom Taylor - February 15, 2019
Jon Jones is once again the UFC light heavyweight champion, having claimed the vacant title with a third-round TKO of Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 232 in late December. Having reclaimed the title, Jones has been hard at work sharpening his tools so that he’ll be able to keep it. And from the sounds of it, his diligence is paying off.
Roy Nelson says doctors have made Mirko Cro Cop 'better and stronger'
Tom Taylor - February 15, 2019
This Saturday, at Bellator 216, Roy Nelson and Mirk Cro Cop will collide for a second time. This time around, Nelson expects Cro Cop to be a different fight than he was at the time of their first meeting, which occurred at UFC 137 in 2011.
Scott Coker teases another Bellator Grand Prix
Tom Taylor - February 15, 2019
Over the last year, Bellator MMA has had Grand Prix fever, promoting action-packed tournaments in its heavyweight and welterweight divisions. According to Bellator president Scott Coker, this exciting trend is likely to continue. In fact, he says Bellator is likely to start hosting one Grand Prix a year.
8 Potential big fights that we could see at UFC 236
Drake Riggs - February 14, 2019
UFC 236 is the UFC’s next big event that has… Well, literally nothing known about it yet! With the exception of when it’s happening, that is. The event will go down on April 13. Live from where? We do not know yet. Who will be fighting? Outside of the bantamweight bout between Boston Salmon and Khalid Taha, that also remains a mystery.
Valentina Shevchenko hoping to fight soon... Whether it's against Jessica Eye or not
Drake Riggs - February 14, 2019
The UFC’s female flyweight division crowned its second-ever champion late last year when Valentina “Bullet” Shevchenko defeated Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 231. And after a longer layoff than she would have preferred on the road to her title shot, she now looks to be an active fighting champion.
Bellator 215 weigh-in results: Matt Mitrione and Sergei Kharitonov hit marks
Tom Taylor - February 14, 2019
Tomorrow night, Bellator MMA will return to our screens with Bellator 215 — the first of two cards from the promotion this weekend. This card will be headlined by a fan friendly heavyweight showdown between UFC veteran Matt Mitrione and PRIDE veteran Sergei Kharitonov.
More reasons to watch UFC on ESPN 1
Mike Straus - February 14, 2019
This Sunday, the Octagon touches down in the desert, as Cain Velasquez will make his return against Francis Ngannou in the headlining bout of UFC on ESPN 1 in Phoenix. Sure, many fans are going to be tuning in on Sunday to see if Cain Velasquez can return to his former form, but in all honesty, all 13 fights slated for the event are solid. Case in point: former bantamweight champion Renan Barão is competing in the second fight of the night.
EXCLUSIVE | Bellator 215's Mike Kimbel is ready for everything and fearing nothing
Mike Pendleton - February 14, 2019
When you start your professional MMA career with two incredible first-round victories, it’s hard to imagine how things could get any more impressive. Yet for Connecticut’s Mike Kimbel, who earned a highlight-reel slam finish in his first fight and a six-second knockout in his second, things are just getting started. Kimbel has had both of his professional fights come under the Bellator banner in his home state of Connecticut, and his third will be no different.
Francis Ngannou will be 'well prepared' for Cain Velasquez's wrestling
Tom Taylor - February 14, 2019
This Sunday, in Phoenix, Arizona, former UFC heavyweight title challenger Francis Ngannou will face the monumental task of welcoming former champion Cain Velasquez back to the cage. The bout will serve as the headliner of the UFC’s first-ever card on ESPN. Heading into this fight, each fighter seems to have a clear set of advantages. Ngannou is believed to posses a major advantage in the power department (it’s been said that he hits as hard as a Ford Escort, though Velasquez doesn’t seem worried). Cain Velasquez, on the other hand, seems like a clear frontrunner in the wrestling department.
CM Punk still in USADA testing pool, featured in new series
James Lynch - February 14, 2019
CM Punk appears to still be on the UFC roster. That’s according to TSN’s Aaron Bronsteter who noted that Punk (real name Phil Brooks) is still in the USADA testing pool.
Robert Whittaker encourages Adesanya and Gastelum to fight Yoel Romero if they 'want something to do'
Tom Taylor - February 14, 2019
On Saturday afternoon — mere hours before his scheduled fight with Kelvin Gastelum — UFC middleweight champ Robert Whittaker was rushed to the hospital for surgery as the result of a collapsed hernia. The champ is now facing a potentially lengthy recovery. Bad news for Gastelum, who is still waiting for his title shot, and surging contender Israel Adesanya, who also deserves a shot at gold. Luckily, Robert Whittaker has a suggestion for these two contenders, should they get bored while he recovers: fight Yoel Romero.