MMA News

Chris Taylor - January 12, 2019

Earlier this week former two-division champion Conor McGregor and perennial lightweight contender Al Iaquinta exchanged pleasantries on social media. The pairs spat on Twitter occurred shortly after the Irish superstar had ripped Tristar head coach Firas Zahabi for insinuating the Max Holloway could beat him in a rematch.

Chris Taylor - January 12, 2019

Former two-time UFC welterweight title challenger Stephen Thompson is currently awaiting his next assignment from UFC officials. “Wonderboy” was offered a fight with perennial division contender Santiago Ponzinibbio for next weekend’s UFC event in Brooklyn, but unfortunately for fight fans the hard-hitting Argentinian turned the bout down.

James Lynch - January 12, 2019

Anyone tuning into “Jeopardy!” this past week may have seen a familiar face. UFC veteran and TUF 8 competitor Dave Kaplan was a contestant on the popular TV quiz show. Per MMAJunkie, Kaplan came up short against opponents Anneke Garcia and returning two-day champion Jessica Holloway.

Cole Shelton - January 12, 2019

After Ion Cutelaba had to pull out of their scheduled UFC on ESPN+1 bout in Brooklyn due to injury, Glover Teixeira needed a new opponent. Now, just days from fight night, he has one in UFC middleweight Karl Roberson. Roberson is moving up in weight to challenge Teixeira which was first reported by FloCombat. For Roberson, when he got the call for the fight, it was an easy decision to make.

Christopher Taylor - January 11, 2019

Former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor took to Instagram this evening where he proceeded to blast Paul Malignaggi and Khabib Nurmagomedov with the following video and statement.

Christopher Taylor - January 11, 2019

Former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos claims he has already accepted a fight with perennial welterweight contender Santiago Ponzinibbio. “RDA” took to Twitter where he blasted “Ponz” with the following message for insinuating that he was a chicken.

Drake Riggs - January 11, 2019

Colby Covington and Tyron Woodley are two of the best welterweights on the planet. They used to train together. Are they friends? Not exactly. Quite the opposite… However, that doesn’t mean that the two can’t find some common ground which Covington was able to relate to after recently losing out on his expected title shot opportunity against the undisputed champion in Woodley.

Mike Straus - January 11, 2019

Few fighters have made as big of an impact in such a short time as the rising lightweight contender, Alexander ‘The Great’ Hernandez. Hernandez will make the walk to the Octagon for just the third time when he faces Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone at UFC Brooklyn on January 19. However, the 26-year-old exhibits a cool confident demeanor well beyond his years.

Drake Riggs - January 11, 2019

September 15, 2018, marked the UFC’s very first trip over to Russia. This, of course, was just the continuation of the European expansion for the worldwide leader in MMA as the second event in the promotion’s history is set. According to MMA Team Dagestan, the UFC will hold their second event in Russia in St Petersburg on April 20. The venue name was not listed, but it is to be in the newest stadium in St Petersburg that can hold up to 80,000 people. The event will be aired on ESPN+.

Thomas Taylor - January 11, 2019

Manny Pacquiao is currently in Los Angeles to promote his January 19 showdown with Adrien Broner. One of the stops on the Filipino boxer’s trip to LA was a Clippers game, where he crossed paths with one of the chief rivals of his career, Floyd Mayweather. At the game, Pacquiao approached Mayweather for a quick handshake, though Mayweather didn’t seem all that enthused about the encounter. In fact, it seemed a little awkward.

BJPENN.COM Staff - January 11, 2019

Reigning ONE Strawweight World Champion Joshua “The Passion” Pacio is not deterred by the sudden change of opponent he has to face in his first title defense. A highly-anticipated rematch against Hayato Suzuki was supposed to take place at ONE: Eternal Glory to be held at Istora Senayan, Jakarta on 19 January.

Tom Taylor - January 11, 2019

Currently on an impressive four-fight unbeaten streak, and with just one loss in his last nine fights, Dustin Poirier is irrefutably one of the top contenders in the crowded UFC lightweight division. In fact, were it not for the existence of long-time contender Tony Ferguson, Poirier would most definitely be the next man in line for reigning champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. Speaking on Twitter on Thursday and Friday, Dustin Poirier looked to remind the world of his status as a top lightweight contender, calling both Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson out for fights.

Cole Shelton - January 11, 2019

Jason Knight is looking for a new home. The fan favorite told BJPENN.com yesterday that the UFC has released him from his contract. Even though Knight was released by the UFC, he did have some success inside the Octagon. Although he went 4-5 in his nine fights, he did have a four-fight winning streak, including wins over Dan Hooker and Alex Caceres. Those wins got him into the rankings and because of that, Knight doubts he will be a free agent for long.

Tom Taylor - January 11, 2019

Former World Series of Fighting lightweight champion Justin Gaethje has not fought since August 25. Gaethje was initially supposed to fight Al Iaquinta on that night, but when Iaquinta withdrew from the fight, he accepted a fight with the lower ranked James Vick. He won this fight with a devastating first-round knockout, and hasn’t been back in the cage since. He seems to be tired of waiting.

BJPENN.COM Staff - January 11, 2019

Eduard Folayang has vowed to make a statement when he defends his crown at ONE: A New Era on March 31 in Tokyo. Taking on the legendary Japanese grappler Shinya Aoki, the man he stopped back in 2016 to claim the ONE Lightweight World Title for the first time, Folayang has promised to deliver another beating of the No.1 contender.

Tom Taylor - January 11, 2019

Earlier this week, Tristar head coach Firas Zahabi shared his belief that, if Conor McGregor were to rematch Max Holloway in 2019, the latter would come out on top. “If I had to pick Max Holloway vs. McGregor today, I would pick Max Holloway,” Zahabi said on his podcast. “I think Holloway has grown leaps and bounds since then. In my opinion, Holloway would out-punch him, outwork him. He would do very much what Diaz did [to Conor McGregor], but more,” he said. “I think McGregor got away with a lot of stuff, like the leg kicks against Diaz, but I don’t think he’ll have that against Holloway.”

Cole Shelton - January 11, 2019

Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez is back. Velasquez is set to return to the Octagon on Feb. 17 against Francis Ngannou. The former champ was last seen at UFC 200 where he defeated Travis Browne by TKO in the first round. Despite this lengthy absence, he is once again on the hunt for the heavyweight belt.

Tom Taylor - January 11, 2019

Earlier this week, rumors began to swirl that former UFC lightweight and featherweight champion Conor McGregor could be returning to the boxing ring for a showdown with bitter rival Paulie Malignaggi. Malignaggi was originally brought into McGregor’s camp to help the Irishman prepare for his headline-dominating 2017 boxing match with Floyd Mayweather Jr. When the retired boxer began to feel as though he was being unfairly portrayed by the Irishman’s team, however, he made an abrupt exit. From there, the two began a longstanding and bitter war of words.