MMA News

Tom Taylor - February 20, 2019

After an impressive win over Rachael Ostovich at UFC Brooklyn in January, fan favorite UFC flyweight contender Paige VanZant is already targeted to return to the cage. According to a report from Brazilian outlet Combate, VanZant will collide with Poliana Botelho at UFC 226, which goes down on April 13 at a yet undetermined location. With her January win over Rachael Ostovich, Paige VanZant bounced back from a pair of tough losses: a submission loss to Michelle Waterson, and a decision loss to Jessica-Rose Clark in her flyweight debut. This skid was preceded by a highlight reel, switch-kick knockout of current BKFC champ Bec Rawlings. VanZant is 8-4 overall.

Tom Taylor - February 20, 2019

Earlier today, news surfaced that former UFC welterweight and middleweight champ Georges St-Pierre plans to formally announce his retirement from MMA at a press conference in Montreal on Thursday morning. It is alleged that St-Pierre is retiring because his desired fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov could not be made a reality. Khabib Nurmagomedov is urging him to reconsider.

Cole Shelton - February 20, 2019

Jason Knight wasn’t a free agent for long. The former UFC featherweight recently signed with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) on a one-fight basis to fight Artem Lobov in April. For Knight, this is exactly what he wanted as he wasn’t ready for another MMA fight yet.

Tom Taylor - February 20, 2019

Darren Till and Israel Adesanya are two of the most impressive strikers in the UFC, and as luck would have it, they’re only separated by one weight class. As a matter of fact, they might soon reside in the same weight class, as the hulking welterweight Darren Til has long teased a move up to Adesanya’s middleweight turf. And should these two bright young striking specialists wind up in the same division, the UFC would be foolish not to pit them against each other.

Tom Taylor - February 20, 2019

On May 4, the UFC will return to the capital city of Canada. The promotion officially announced this long rumored UFC Ottawa card on Wednesday. https://twitter.com/UFC_CA/status/1098220979212505088 As first reported by BJPenn.com’s Cole Shelton, this UFC Ottawa card will feature a middleweight contender bout between Canada’s Elias Theodorou and American wrestling specialist Derek Brunson. This bout could potentially serve as the card’s main event, though the UFC is still considering other options.

James Lynch - February 20, 2019

UFC commentator Joe Rogan hasn’t been featured on either of the US-based UFC on ESPN broadcasts this year, and now we know why. The former “Fear Factor” host, who has been with the UFC for over 20-years, says that it was his decision to cut back on the amount of events he’d be working.

Tom Taylor - February 20, 2019

There was a time not all that long ago when UFC President Dana White was at the wheel of the Francis Ngannou hype train. The UFC boss had nothing but good things to say about the Cameroonian-French knockout artist. Then, Francis Ngannou lost back to back decisions to then UFC heavyweight champ Stipe Miocic and fellow contender Derrick Lewis, and White changed his tune. Instead of praising Ngannou, he began to publicly deride him.

Thomas Taylor - February 19, 2019

Costa Rica’s Ariel Sexton has become a staple of the ONE Championship lightweight division. Given his status as one of the organization’s premier lightweights, it came as no surprise when he was invited to compete in the anticipated ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix. Sexton will compete in his first Grand Prix bout on Friday night in Singapore (Friday morning in the Western Hemisphere) at ONE: Call to Greatness, where he will battle local hero Amir Khan for a ticket to the quarterfinals.

Drake Riggs - February 19, 2019

If Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone could fight every weekend, he surely would. But when it comes to landing big fights, it’s a process that can take more time than just jumping right back into the mix when asked to.

Drake Riggs - February 19, 2019

After some recent speculation as the date draws closer, we now know the second bout for UFC 236 which takes place on April 13. ESPN has confirmed that at UFC 236 we will be treated to a middleweight title showdown… But it won’t be for the undisputed title.

Tom Taylor - February 19, 2019

Dada 5000, the heavyweight street fighter best known for his role in the documentary Dawg Fight and his extremely forgettable Bellator fight with the late, great Kimbo Slice, is back. Just not as a fighter. Instead, Dada 5000 will be promoting a bare-knuckle fighting event. The event, titled BYB Brawl 1: Brawl For it All, goes down in Cheyenne, Wyoming on April 5. It will air on a number of pay-per-view services for $24.99.

Tom Taylor - February 19, 2019

The official UFC rankings have been updated in the wake of last Saturday’s UFC Phoenix card, and as expected, there’s been some movement in the heavyweight division. Francis Ngannou, who knocked out former champion Cain Velasquez in the main event, has climbed up to the number-two spot in the rankings, surpassing Derrick Lewis.

Tom Taylor - February 19, 2019

Mike Perry is getting engaged. The all-action UFC welterweight announced his plans to marry his long-time girlfriend Danielle Nickerson on Instagram late last week.

Tom Taylor - February 19, 2019

UFC President Dana White has previously been very open to the idea of a lightweight showdown between fan favorites Conor McGregor and Donald Cerrone. “I’d like to see Conor fight this Summer, those two want to fight each other; they’ve both earned it,” White told MMAjunkie following the UFC 234 pre-fight press conference in Australia. “Cowboy’s fought anybody we’ve ever put against him. We throw this young killer Hernandez at him, Cowboy’s the underdog and he goes in and does it the way he did it, then Conor’s fought everybody. If these two want to fight, I’m down.”

Tom Taylor - February 19, 2019

The future of former UFC featherweight champion Cris Cyborg is currently somewhat murky. After losing her title to Amanda Nunes in December, the Brazilian legend is hoping to return to the cage at UFC 237 in Curitiba, Brazil, in May. However, she’ll first have to sign a new deal with the UFC, which is not a certainty. Manager Audie Attar updated on the Cris Cyborg situation on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show on Monday.

BJPENN.COM Staff - February 19, 2019

Last October ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong announced a blockbuster addition to the promotion’s stacked lightweight division in the form of former UFC and Bellator champ Eddie Alvarez. Alvarez started his martial arts journey when he was in high school as a wrestler. He later incorporated a few more disciplines and went on to become a professional mixed martial artist to support his family.

Tom Taylor - February 19, 2019

UFC heavyweight contender Francis Ngannou possess the kind of immeasurable power that could probably knock a planet off its orbit. On Sunday night, he flaunted that power again, thumping the former champ Cain Velasquez in less than 30 seconds, and absolutely dazzling UFC commentator Joe Rogan. Rogan was not on duty for this fight, but was watching with some of his friends on a Fight Companion episode of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast.

Drake Riggs - February 18, 2019

The last time we saw Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza inside the Octagon, he was competing in one of the most exciting fights of 2018 and wound up scoring one of the best knockouts of his career. That knockout came at the expense of the former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman in November at UFC 230.