MMA News

BJPENN.COM Staff - November 16, 2018

At ONE: WARRIOR’S DREAM in Jakarta, Indonesia on 17 November, kickboxing legend Nieky Holzken will battle Cosmo Alexandre in a Super Series bout in the co-featured bout at the ONE Championship event. The main event is a mixed martial arts clash between Tyler McGuire and Zebaztian Kadestam that will determine the next ONE welterweight champion. In case you’re unaware, here are five reasons for you to watch Holzken take on Alexandre.

Tom Taylor - November 16, 2018

Tomorrow night, the UFC will make its debut in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with the interesting looking UFC Argentina card. Although the card is a little short on big names, there are still plenty of reasons to tune in, such as the crucial welterweight main event between hometown hero Santiago Ponzinibbio and long-time contender Neil Magny.

Chris Taylor - November 15, 2018

Nick Diaz is back! This according to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto who reported earlier today that the former Strikeforce champion would be returning at UFC 235 to battle Jorge Masvidal.

Cole Shelton - November 15, 2018

When fighters get the call to say they are competing on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) it is a dream come true. The news means they are just three victories away from earning a UFC contract, while even the fighters that don’t win sometimes end up in the UFC. However, when fighters compete on The Ultimate Fighter, they are locked away in a house together with the other competitors. It can cause some awkward moments and has even resulted in scraps breaking out inside the house. TUF 28 fighters, Leah Letson and Maurice Greene now know all to well what the infamous TUF house is like.

Christopher Taylor - November 15, 2018

Huge news for fans of Nick Diaz! UFC President Dana White tells ESPN that the former Strikeforce welterweight champion will be returning to the octagon on March 2 at UFC 235 against Jorge Masvidal.

Tom Taylor - November 15, 2018

Earlier this month, BJPENN.COM reported that undefeated boxing legend Floyd Mayweather had signed on for a shocking fight with undefeated kickboxing wunderkind Tenshin Nasukawa under the Rizin banner. The fight was said to be scheduled for December 31 in Tokyo, Japan, and the rules for the bout were apparently being negotiated. Then it all came crashing down.

Tom Taylor - November 15, 2018

Conor McGregor is far and away the biggest star in mixed martial arts history. He’s earned bigger paydays than any of his peers, and headlined many of the biggest pay-per-views the UFC has promoted. Not everybody, however, is a fan of the Irishman. While his skill and showmanship are undeniable, his bravado and trash talk rub many members of the MMA community the wrong way.

Tom Taylor - November 15, 2018

Former Strikeforce star and women’s mixed martial arts pioneer Gina Carano now has another high-profile acting role on her schedule. According to a report from Variety, the former fighter will star in an upcoming Star Wars spinoff series titled “The Mandalorian.” The details of Gina Carano’s role in the series are not yet known.

Tom Taylor - November 15, 2018

Red hot UFC bantamweight contender Sean O’Malley was expected to make his anticipated return to the cage opposite José Alberto Quiñónez at UFC 229 on October 6. Regrettably, the popular bantamweight was forced off this card when he failed a pre-fight drug test administered by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). Although new USADA policy dictates that potential violations are to no longer be announced, O’Malley chose to be forthright with his fans and explained that it was a failed drug test that forced him off the card. He also maintained that he did not mean to ingest a banned substance, and that his failed test was likely due to a tainted supplement.

James Lynch - November 15, 2018

After a title shot was taken away from her, and her picking up a win at UFC 230, Sijara Eubanks has her sights set on another opponent. The Ultimate Fighter Season 26 finalist called out jiu-jitsu sensation Mackenzie Dern for a matchup. Found this old gem…Hey @MackenzieDern how bout we run it back with the 4oz gloves! Let’s see who the realest bjj black belt in mma is! @AliAbdelaziz00 @danawhite @Mickmaynard2 pic.twitter.com/jVVyBMp8PB

Tom Taylor - November 15, 2018

https://youtu.be/dOrm10Vl8ik After years of waiting, former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and long-time contender Alexander Gustafsson will finally rematch at UFC 232 on December 29. The pair’s long-awaited rematch has been given an extra infusion of excitement as it will be for the vacant UFC light heavyweight title, as reigning champion Daniel Cormier is expected to be stripped once they step into the cage.

Tom Taylor - November 15, 2018

Ronda Rousey’s UFC career is soundly in the rear-view, as she’s now firmly embedded as a member of the WWE roster. Even in this new role, however, she can not escape the toughest setback of her sporting career: the 2015 knockout loss to Holly Holm that ended her reign as UFC women’s bantamweight champ. Ronda Rousey, who is currently the Raw Women’s Champion, was supposed to meet current SmackDown Live Women’s Champion Becky Lynch in the ring at WWE’s Survivor Series pay-per-view is this Sunday. Unfortunately, Lynch was forced out of the match with a nose injury, and replaced by Charlotte Flair.

Tom Taylor - November 15, 2018

On November 24, Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz will meet for a third time. Ahead of this trilogy fight, we’ve seen several snippets of Liddell’s training, and many members of the MMA community are quite concerned about it, worrying that the 48-year-old Liddell looks alarmingly slow. Jason Parillo, one of the key coaches of Tito Ortiz, has seen this footage and had similar thoughts, wondering if Liddell might be attempting to give false impressions of himself ahead of the fight. He called the footage “hoax-y.”

Drake Riggs - November 14, 2018

UFC 233 takes place on January 26 and it is already looking like it will end up being a fantastic card to start off the new year. With one title fight already lined up, we could be getting a second at 170-pounds. It’s no secret that UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley and interim champion Colby Covington do not like each other and are on a crash course to meet one another inside the Octagon at some point. It’s just a matter of when.

Drake Riggs - November 14, 2018

At UFC Denver this past Saturday, we got a clash between season 27 of The Ultimate Fighter contestants. One of which was the lightweight winner, Mike Trizano. Standing across from him was one of the season’s fighters with the most obvious potential, “Violent Bob Ross” Luis Pena.

Drake Riggs - November 14, 2018

2019 looks to be the biggest year yet for the UFC, and historically, for good reason. It will be the start of a new era as the ESPN deal begins. Looking back on things, it’s easy to forget how big and different the transition from Spike TV to Fox felt, but it was, in fact, a hell of difference comparatively. It will interesting to see how different things are with this upcoming transition as the UFC goes from their $120 million per year deal with Fox, to their five year $1.5 billion deal with ESPN.

Drake Riggs - November 14, 2018

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Tom Taylor - November 14, 2018

The Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) has handed UFC veteran Cody McKenzie a hefty, four-year suspension for refusing to take a drug test, and then submitting fraudulent urine in said test. McKenzie did not appear at the commission’s hearing, which likely didn’t help his case.