MMA News

Cole Shelton - December 5, 2018

Former UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz will finally make his long-awaited return to the Octagon at UFC 233. The promotion made the bout official on Twitter on Wednesday. Cruz is back!@DominickCruz returns to face 'Hands of Stone' @JohnLineker at #UFC233 in Anaheim on Jan. 26! pic.twitter.com/SunaIvoev9

BJPENN.COM Staff - December 5, 2018

ONE Championship welterweight Agilan Thani has the chance to end 2018 on a high note when he competes this Friday at ONE: DESTINY OF CHAMPIONS, inside the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Thani will take on Kyrgyzstan’s Kiamrian Abbasov in the evening’s co-main event, and while the Malaysian athlete is aware of the danger Abbasov poses, the 23-year-old is backing himself to get the win in front of his home crowd.

Tom Taylor - December 5, 2018

If things had gone according to plan, Canadian lightweight Jesse Ronson would have battled Carlos Diego Ferreira at this weekend’s UFC 231 card in Toronto. Unfortunately, it now sounds as though the Canadian fighter will never fight in the UFC again.

BJPENN.COM Staff - December 5, 2018

Luis Regis has put his life on hold to chase his dreams in ONE Championship. Set for his promotional debut against Thailand’s Yodsanklai IWE Fairtex at ONE: Destiny of Champions in Kuala Lumpur on Friday night, the Australian Muay Thai champion Regis said he has turned to his wife to take on the bulk of family duties at home while he prepares for the main event.

Tom Taylor - December 5, 2018

Yesterday, Combate Americas announced two changes to the lineup for its much-anticipated, biggest event of the year – the “COPA COMBATE” one-night, eight-man, $100,000 grand prize Mixed Martial Arts featherweight (145 pounds) showdown – as well as the tournament brackets for the event that takes place at Save Mart Center on Friday, Dec. 7. The second annual “COPA COMBATE” extravaganza airs live in its entirety in English in the U.S. and Canada on DAZN (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT), and live on television in Spanish in the U.S. on both Univision (12 a.m. ET/PT) and Univision Deportes Network (UDN) (12 a.m. ET/9 p.m. PT).

Tom Taylor - December 5, 2018

If Brian Ortega defeats UFC featherweight champ Max Holloway in the main event of UFC 231 this Saturday in Toronto, don’t expect him to defend his new title right away. He’ll be busy with other things for a few months. Speaking at a UFC 231 media lunch in Los Angeles this week, the undefeated featherweight title challenger announced that he’ll soon be appearing in an action film — in the lead role.

Tom Taylor - December 5, 2018

Last night, ESPN reported that former NFL star Greg Hardy is likely to make his long-discussed UFC debut on January 19 in Brooklyn, New York, when the UFC makes its first appearance on ESPN+. Hardy’s seemingly inevitable move to the UFC has always been the subject of controversy, as he was previously found guilty on two charges of domestic violence against his ex-girlfriend (though those charges were later dropped when his victim did not appear in court). That said, it’s hard to imagine the UFC handling the controversial former NFL’s debut any worse.

Tom Taylor - December 5, 2018

If UFC welterweight champ Tyron Woodley battles his arch nemesis Colby Covington in the New Year as expected, he’s expecting to have to fend off some takedown attempt. So many takedown attempts, in fact, that he recently made Covington a little wager on the topic. “I’ll bet you $10,000 every single time you touch my leg for a (takedown) shot, you’ve got to pay me $10,000,” Woodley said on his Hollywood Beatdown show. “I want people to see it for what it is.”

Christopher Taylor - December 4, 2018

Artem Lobov is looking for a fight and has extended UFC President Dana White an interesting offer in hopes of securing another octagon appearance. “The Russian Hammer” recently took to Twitter where he offered to donate half of his fight purse to a children’s charity, this if the UFC grants him another opportunity to compete.

Drake Riggs - December 4, 2018

.@BulletValentina is relieved to finally have a “professional” opponent in Joanna Jedrzejczyk at #UF231 this Saturday. Watch full video: https://t.co/gqPfY8c2aB pic.twitter.com/aaWK03Wv4B

Cole Shelton - December 4, 2018

Conor McGregor’s punishment from the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) will not be handed down on Monday as expected. McGregor was granted a continuance in his case for the UFC 229 melee, according to MMAFighting. Meaning, McGregor’s hearing that was expected to take place on Monday has been postponed. As well, there is no timeframe for when the hearing will be reorganized.

Mike Straus - December 4, 2018

After a brutal knockout and a series of unfortunate events, Josh Emmett is back training with Team Alpha Male. Heading into UFC on FOX 28 earlier this year Emmett was coming off the most impressive performance of his career. Unfortunately, he ran into a buzzsaw named Jeremy Stephens in Orlando, Florida, and that’s where Emmett’s troubles began.

Cole Shelton - December 4, 2018

The Ultimate Fighter 28 just wrapped up and heavyweight Juan Espino was crowned the winner. Espino’s road to the UFC has been a long one. In Spain, where he was born, MMA is not a sport that many people partake in. Instead, most play soccer. However, Espino was unlike most of his peers and he chased his dream of being a professional fighter.

BJPENN.COM Staff - December 4, 2018

When Kevin Chung returns to the cage for the first time in more than 12 months on Friday night (Friday morning in North America), he will have two things on his mind. Firstly, he wants to stop Japan’s Daichi Takenaka in his tracks. But secondly, Chung wants to be a trailblazer and set the example for Asian-American athletes. As Chung looks out at the mixed martial arts landscape in Virginia, USA, he does not see too many athletes like him. However, that is something the American-born Korean wants to change with his success in ONE Championship.

Tom Taylor - December 4, 2018

The official UFC rankings have been updated in the wake of last weekend’s TUF 28 Finale and UFC Adelaide cards. The biggest changes in these new UFC rankings occurred in the welterweight and heavyweight divisions.

Tom Taylor - December 4, 2018

In June of 2016, seven-time UFC veteran and former MFC light heavyweight champion Ryan Jimmo was hit by a car and killed in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. This week, Anthony Getschel, the man responsible for Jimmo’s death, was sentenced to eight years in prison for this incident — six years for manslaughter and two more for fleeing in the scene. The Edmonton Journal detailed the tragic circumstances of Jimmo’s death in a Monday report.

Tom Taylor - December 4, 2018

Resurgent Brit Tyson Fury put forth a masterful performance in his Saturday night WBC heavyweight title fight with champion Deontay Wilder. Unfortunately, the bout was not without controversy. In the 12th round of the fight — which was ultimately ruled a draw — Tyson Fury was knocked senseless by a crushing Deontay Wilder combination. Miraculously, however, the Brit was able to return to his feet, and in the eyes of many onlookers, went on to outperform Wilder for the remainder of the final round.

Tom Taylor - December 4, 2018

When Kamaru Usman defeated Rafael dos Anjos at The Ultimate Fighter 28 Finale last Friday night, he asserted himself as one of the uppermost contenders in the crowded UFC welterweight division. In fact, UFC President Dana White suggested Usman might have even surpassed Colby Covington and earned himself a title fight with long-time welterweight champ Tyron Woodley. Interestingly, however, Kamaru Usman seems to relish the opportunity to settle his beef with Colby Covington even more than he wants to fight Woodley for the title.