MMA News

Drake Riggs - November 22, 2018

UFC 232 on December 29 plays host to plenty of great matchups to close out the year. One of which happens to take place at 145-pounds as top contenders Alexander Volkanovski and Chad Mendes face off. For the former two-time title challenger in Mendes, this will be only his second fight since returning from a two-year suspension in July.

Chris Taylor - November 22, 2018

Cynthia Calvillo defeated Joanne Calderwood via unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 113 in July of 2017. If you recall, “Jojo” missed weight for that contest (118lbs) and ultimately made the move up to flyweight following the defeat.

Cole Shelton - November 22, 2018

Israel Adesanya is a rising star in the UFC. The New Zealander signed with the promotion early in 2018 and has had a phenomenal year. The 29-year-old went 4-0 in 2018 and is the favorite to win breakthrough fighter of the year. Adesanya went from a virtual unknown to being ranked sixth in the middleweight division in only a matter of a couple months. In his most recent effort, Adesanya defeated Derrick Brunson at UFC 230 which put him into the top ten of the rankings. Following his stoppage victory over Brunson, Adesanya stated his desire to fight for the title in his next octagon appearance. However, with Robert Whittaker and Kelvin Gastelum booked for early in 2019, Adesanya will most likely have to win another fight before being granted that opportunity.

Christopher Taylor - November 22, 2018

Former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor (21-4 MMA) is the self proclaimed “King” of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. While that may come off as sounding arrogant, there is no denying that “Mystic Mac” is the biggest star to ever emerge from the sport of mixed martial arts.

Cole Shelton - November 22, 2018

Sean O’Malley is a rising star in the UFC’s bantamweight division. Unfortunately, he’s been sidelined by a USADA suspension. He was supposed to fight on the biggest card of the year at UFC 229 but was pulled off the card when he was flagged by USADA. While this represents a definite setback for O’Malley, he’s determined to turn it into a positive.

Tom Taylor - November 22, 2018

This Saturday night, former UFC light heavyweight champions Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz will battle for a third time. While some members of the MMA community have been critical of this fight between the two UFC Hall of Famers, who are 48 and 43 years old respectively, their fellow UFC legend Randy Couture is happy for them. Randy Couture gave his take on this Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz rematch on a recent episode of Submission Radio.

Tom Taylor - November 22, 2018

Francis Ngannou began the year 2018 as arguably the most hyped fighter on the UFC roster. Unfortunately, the year hasn’t gone quite the way he planned. Currently riding back-to-back losses to Stipe Miocic and Derrick Lewis, the hulking Cameroonian-French knockout artist will enter his Saturday, UFC Beijing rematch with Curtis Blaydes in a must-win scenario. From the sounds of it, however, he’s in a good place mentally as this crucial contest bears down.

Tom Taylor - November 22, 2018

Floyd Mayweather isn’t the only combat sports superstar to receive lucrative offers to partake in exhibition fights with kickboxers overseas. Apparently, his former opponent Conor McGregor received a very similar proposition, as he was recently offered $5 million to battle a Chinese kickboxer in a three-round contest. “I’ll give you a funny one,” McGregor’s head coach John Kavanagh said during a recent appearance on The True Geordie Podcast (transcript via Express). “I had a guy message me just a few days ago – a Chinese kickboxer [who] wanted to do three rounds with Conor for $5 million.”

James Lynch - November 22, 2018

The disturbing news involving Rachael Ostovich being pulled off the UFC’s first show on ESPN has prompted two UFC fighters to call our her previously scheduled opponent Paige VanZant. Strawweight Maycee Barber and flyweight Gillian Robertson both offered their services against the Paige VanZant in separate tweets.

Tom Taylor - November 22, 2018

During a recent event from Ascendancy Fighting Championship (AFC), in Des Moines, Iowa, UFC and Bellator veteran Josh Neer was involved in a backstage with fellow fighter Brian Green. The pair reportedly collided while the card’s Cory Simpson vs. Jonathan Thomson main event was unfolding.

Tom Taylor - November 22, 2018

Former pro wrestler CM Punk has now fought twice in the UFC’s Octagon, but neither fight has worked out the way he planned. While he showed immeasurable heart in both contests, it was clear that his ability was not quite up to snuff, as he was first stopped by Mickey Gall, and then thumped to a decision by Mike Jackson. All the same, CM Punk says he is still under contract with the UFC, and that he is still undergoing testing through the promotion’s anti-doping partner the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA).

Tom Taylor - November 22, 2018

This Saturday, former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell will return to the cage for a high-stakes trilogy fight with one of the key rivals of his career, Tito Ortiz. The pair will meet in the main event of the first MMA card promoted by long-time boxing promoter Oscar De La Hoya. Heading into this fight, Chuck Liddell has frequently been noncommittal when asked if there could be other fights in his future. As the bout has drawn closer, however, he’s admitted that he will probably want to fight again if he’s victorious.

Drake Riggs - November 21, 2018

One of the more unpleasant stories to come out in the MMA world recently is the one concerning UFC flyweight prospect, Rachael Ostovich who was attacked by her husband, Arnold Berdon earlier this week. Ostovich was attacked by Berdon on November 18 at around 2:00 AM in their Waianae home in Honolulu, Hawaii. Berdon has since been arrested on charges of second degree attempted murder. Which potentially leads up to a life sentence if convicted.

Drake Riggs - November 21, 2018

Making her debut at UFC 233 on January 26 will be the former KSW champion, the ‘Violence Queen’ Ariane Lipski. Welcoming her to the Octagon will be none other than Scotland’s finest, Joanne ‘JoJo’ Calderwood. For Calderwood, she has officially turned the page on her career in her opinion as she is now ‘JoJo 2.0’ after returning to the flyweight division under the tutelage of John Wood at Syndicate MMA.

Thomas Taylor - November 21, 2018

Conor McGregor is more than just a fantastic fighter. The former UFC lightweight and featherweight champ is also a tremendous self-promoter, as evidenced by his many record-breaking paydays. Given McGregor’s gift for self promotion, many sports fans have wondered how he might fare in the world of pro wrestling — namely in the WWE ring.

Thomas Taylor - November 21, 2018

Last weekend, in the co-main event of UFC Argentina, long-time UFC featherweight contender Ricardo Lamas scored a late TKO stoppage of the famously durable Darren Elkins. Apparently, however, he was dealing with a fairly serious health issue in the fight. Ricardo Lamas shared the story on his official Instagram account:

BJPENN.COM Staff - November 21, 2018

He’s taken the long road back, but Eduard Folayang says reclaiming the ONE Lightweight World Title in his fight with Amir Khan at ONE: Conquest of Heroes this Friday night (Friday morning in North America) would be the sweetest victory of his decorated career.  “Yeah, I do [believe it will be the sweetest],” Eduard Folayang declared to the applause of the pro-Filipino crowd at the ONE: Conquest of Champions kick-off press conference at the City of Dreams in Manila on Tuesday. “I want to claim that. Of course, it’s not only about that. My tough loss last year was very hard to get through, but I really worked hard and now the opportunity is present and I don’t want to miss that gift.

Tom Taylor - November 21, 2018

This Saturday, long-time boxing promoter Oscar De La Hoya will promote his first MMA show under the Golden Boy MMA banner. The card will be topped by a rematch between UFC Hall of Famers Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz (watch it here). Initially, Oscar De La Hoya was noncommittal on his future as an MMA promoter. More recently, however, his tune seems to be changing.