MMA News

Tom Taylor - February 7, 2019

This weekend, in the co-main event of UFC 234, former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva make his long-awaited return to the cage, where he will battle a dangerous member of the new generation of fighter: Israel Adesanya. If you ask Anderson Silva to identify the fighter that most accurately represents the ongoing evolution of MMA, however, he will not drop the name of his upcoming opponent.

Tom Taylor - February 7, 2019

Israel Adesanya is arguably the most hyped fighter in the UFC right now. In a way, his rise has been quite similar to the rise of Jon Jones, who is now considered one of the best fighters ever. The similar trajectories of Jones and Adesanya has led many fans and pundits to compare the two.

BJPENN.COM Staff - February 7, 2019

Team Lakay will be coming to Tokyo, Japan in full force when ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard Folayang and ONE Bantamweight World Champion Kevin Belingon defend their respective World Titles at ONE: A New Era. Folayang is set to duke it out against local hero Shinya Aoki in a highly-anticipated rematch for the ONE Lightweight World Title in the main event.

Cole Shelton - February 7, 2019

It is expected that reigning UFC featherweight champ Max Holloway will soon move up to the lightweight division. Many believe he has cleared out the division by beating Jose Aldo, twice, and Brian Ortega during his reign as the champion. Surging featherweight contender Alexander Volkanovski doesn’t share that opinion.

Tom Taylor - February 7, 2019

Last night, surging UFC lightweight contender Al Iaquinta was apparently imbibing a bit, enjoying a few delicious Indian Pale Ales. After his fourth drink, he took to Twitter and called out his fellow contender Dustin Poirier. https://twitter.com/ALIAQUINTA/status/1093328985382096897 “[Dustin Poirier] just sign the contract youbarent going to hold out. It’s me or no one” Al Iaquinta wrote on Twitter.

Cole Shelton - February 7, 2019

Robert Whittaker is set for the first defense of his middleweight title in the main event of UFC 234. Whittaker is riding a nine-fight winning streak, while also being undefeated since he moved up to middleweight. Standing in his way will be first-time title challenger Kelvin Gastelum, who is riding a two-fight winning streak. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached to several pro fighters to get their predictions. Most believe Whittaker will hear ‘And Still’ but they aren’t counting Gastelum out.

James Lynch - February 7, 2019

This Saturday at UFC 234 could be the last time we see Anderson Silva in the octagon. That’s according to UFC President Dana White who told TMZ, that if Silva is knocked out by Israel Adesanya in their middleweight co-main event matchup, it could be the end of the road for “The Spider.”

Tom Taylor - February 7, 2019

Back in January, UFC lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov was finally punished for his role in the frenzied brawl that followed his UFC 229 fight with Conor McGregor. The Dagestani champion received a $500,000 fine and a nine-month suspension, which can be reduced to six months if he completes an anti-bullying PSA approved by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC). Nurmagomedov will not be partaking in the NSAC’s proposed PSA — he recently made his thoughts on that quite clear. Furthermore, the champ actually plans to sit out until November, standing in solidarity with his teammates Zubaira Tukhugov and Abubakar Nurmagomedov, who were suspended for one year for their roles in the brawl.

Drake Riggs - February 6, 2019

The Shevchenko family has made UFC history. The sister tandem of Valentina and Antonina (7-0) are officially the first pair of sisters to have ever fought together inside the organization. For the older sister, Antonina, she is actually the newcomer to the promotion as she most recently made her promotional debut at The Ultimate Fighter 28 Finale in November 2018 when she defeated Ji Yeon Kim via unanimous decision.

Drake Riggs - February 6, 2019

When it comes to the world’s best 145-pound female athletes, a discussion cannot be had without mentioning the Bellator champion, Julia Budd. Budd is a true veteran of the sport who since her last loss in her fourth professional bout hasn’t looked back as she’s won 10 fights in a row (12-2 overall record).

Drake Riggs - February 6, 2019

It has been four years since Nick Diaz last stepped foot inside the Octagon. And with each new day, it looks more and more like that will have been the last time. Having since moved to Las Vegas leaving his old home in Stockton, California, Diaz has still made claims over time that he’s looking to fight. However, that’s not what some people close to him have heard.

Tom Taylor - February 6, 2019

Wanderlei Silva, one of the most ferocious fighters in MMA history, recently admitted that he experiences many of the symptoms of brain injury. The 51-fight veteran, who has been engaging in tooth-and-nail scraps for almost three decades, made this concerning admission in an interview with Brazilian website PVT.

Cole Shelton - February 6, 2019

Ricky Simon is going to have his biggest fight, and his biggest exposure to date at UFC 234. The 26-year-old will be fighting on the main card where he is taking on craft veteran Rani Yahya. Simon is currently riding a seven-fight winning streak and will have the chance to fight a ranked fighter for the first time.

BJPENN.COM Staff - February 6, 2019

When one is searching for the ultimate success story within the history of ONE Championship, few are a better subject than the “Burmese Python” Aung La N Sang. The current ONE Middleweight and Light Heavyweight World Champion has been with the organization since 2014, and he’s come into his own as a martial artist and champion. Aung La would announce his arrival with ONE Championship in grand fashion. At ONE: Era of Champions in Jakarta, Indonesia, he needed just over a minute to score a TKO victory over Mahmoud Salama in his promotional debut.

Tom Taylor - February 6, 2019

Yesterday afternoon, UFC heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier took to Twitter to close the door on a potential rematch Stipe Miocic, the man he defeated to win the belt back at UFC 226 in July. “Do you guys wanna know why I’m not fighting [Stipe Miocic] again?,” Cormier began.

Tom Taylor - February 6, 2019

On March 2, in the main event of UFC 235, UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones will attempt the first title defense of his latest reign as he takes on streaking contender Anthony Smith. While Smith is an undeniably dangerous foe, Jon Jones has been pegged as a massive betting favorite ahead of the fight, and the majority of fans seem to expect him to win decisively.

BJPENN.COM Staff - February 6, 2019

Geje Eustaquio had his hands full in his defense of the ONE Flyweight World Championship against Brazilian arch-nemesis Adriano “Mikinho” Moraes in a rubber match at ONE: Hero’s Ascent last January. Although he fell short in keeping the belt around his waist versus Moraes, he never had to look far to find a motivation to pick himself up.

Cole Shelton - February 6, 2019

The UFC’s first pay-per-view of 2019 will go down in Melbourne, Australia and be topped by a middleweight title fight between Robert Whittaker and Kelvin Gastelum. However, arguably the fight most fans are looking forward to is the co-main event where rising superstar Israel Adesanya will take on former champion Anderson Silva. Ahead of this fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions. Most believe Adesanya will be too much for Silva, while one fighter is undecided on who will win.