MMA News

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.

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.

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.

Tom Taylor - February 15, 2019

With UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov currently suspended — and potentially sitting out until November — the UFC lightweight contendership picture is a little unclear. If a recent Tweet from UFC featherweight champ Max Holloway is to be taken at face value, it could get a little bit clearer at UFC 236. In his Tweet, the featherweight champion shared a screenshot of the Wikipedia page for UFC 236, which goes down on April 13 in a yet undetermined setting. The page, whether it’s accurate or not, says the card could be headlined by an interim lightweight title fight between Holloway and Ferguson.

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.

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.

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.

Tom Taylor - February 15, 2019

Another Valentine’s Days (February 14) has come and gone. Roses were purchased, chocolate was eaten, candles were lit, bedroom doors were closed, and kept closed for hours on end… The world’s top MMA fighters, of course, are no different from the rest of us when it comes to this special day. If they’ve got significant others, they make romantic Valentine’s Day plans, and oftentimes, romantic Valentine’s Day social media posts to celebrate their love.

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.

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.

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.

Drake Riggs - February 14, 2019

Former Bellator heavyweight king, the unbeaten 21-0 Vitaly Minakov returns to the Bellator cage this Saturday night at Bellator 216 in Uncasville, Connecticut. However, he won’t be returning without some controversy following him.

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.

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.

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.

Tom Taylor - February 14, 2019

According to a report from ESPN, Bellator featherweight champion Patricio Freire will move up in weight to challenge lightweight champion Michael Chandler at Bellator 221 on May 11 at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. The pair’s grudge match will reportedly be officially announced by the promotion in the coming days.

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.

Tom Taylor - February 14, 2019

Years ago, under the Strikeforce banner, Paul Daley and Nick Diaz engaged in one of the greatest one-round fights in MMA history. The two welterweight stars swapped heavy artillery from the opening bell, badly rocking one another until finally, Diaz landed with enough impact to force a permanent end to the mayhem. Today, Paul Daley is gearing up for one of the biggest fights of his career: a Welterweight Grand Prix showdown with his nemesis Michael Page under the Bellator banner.