MMA News

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

Over the last few months, there have been rampant rumors and reports that the UFC is plotting on shutting down its long struggling men’s flyweight division. Despite these rumors, we’ve gotten zero clarity about the future of the division. Although the promotion has bushwhacked the flyweight roster, cutting multiple top fighters from Ulka Sasaki to Jose Torres to Ben Nguyen and now Dustin Ortiz and John Moraga, UFC President Dana White has expertly sidestepped all questions about the future division, somehow responding to questions without actually providing answers.

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.

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

For the former 115-pound UFC champion, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, she has gone through a wild last couple of fights since the back end of 2017. Having amassed a record five title defenses as the UFC strawweight champ, Jedrzejczyk looked nearly unbeatable going into her title bout with Rose Namajunas. But the time was now for ‘Thug’ to come through as the underdog.

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

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.

Mike Straus - February 6, 2019

The Octagon will soon return to the Land Down Under as UFC 234 is almost here. On the surface, UFC 234 is all about the main event and co-main event. Australia’s own Robert Whittaker will defend his middleweight title against Kelvin Gastelum in the headliner, while “The Spider” Anderson Silva will look to shock the world when he faces off with the unbeaten Israel Adesanya.

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.

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.

James Lynch - February 6, 2019

James Vick will look to turn things around at UFC Phoenix after suffering a knockout loss to Justin Gaethje at UFC Fight Night 135. “The Texecutioner” is slated to face Paul Felder at UFC on ESPN 1 on Feb. 17 and one of the changes he’s made ahead of this matchup is how he undertakes his weight cut.

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.

Tom Taylor - February 6, 2019

Light heavyweight knockout artist Anthony Johnson has not fought since April of 2017, when he came up short in his second title fight with Daniel Cormier, but fans are still clamoring for him to return to the cage. While Anthony Johnson is ostensibly retired from competition, however, he’s never denied that he could be coaxed back to the Octagon under the right terms.

Tom Taylor - February 6, 2019

Kelvin Gastelum is not all that impressed with UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker, who he’ll meet in the main event of UFC 234 this weekend in Melbourne. “Obviously, he’s a champion for a reason,” Gastelum told MMAjunkie. “He comes in with a lot of tools, but I’m in the gym constantly with guys that are just as good if not better than Rob, every single day, and that gives me confidence.