MMA News

Chris Taylor - November 16, 2018

Cynthia Calvillo nearly fell off the scale while attempting to weigh-in for her UFC Argentina fight with Poliana Botelho. The 31-year-old, Calvillo, missed the strawweight non-title fight limit by two pounds weighing in at 118.

Cole Shelton - November 16, 2018

For most competitors on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) the goal is to win the show and earn a UFC contract. However, TUF 28 fighter Leah Letson didn’t have that worry. No matter how she did on the show, she was guaranteed to fight in the UFC. “Mine was a little bit of a different story, just because I am already signed to the UFC. My coaches called me and told ‘hey they are asking if you want to be on TUF, do you want to do it?” So it was more of a decision if I wanted to do it,” Letson said to BJPENN.com. “After I talked to my coaches we thought it was a great opportunity to get my name out there and get some exposure. And, get some ring rust off because it had been a year and a half since I fought. I knew the fights wouldn’t count on my record. I knew no matter how I did on the show I would still have my UFC contract. It was a win-win situation for me. It was a pretty cool opportunity that I got presented that I definitely wanted to take up.”

Drake Riggs - November 16, 2018

Invicta FC put on yet another good night of action as they touched down for the first time in Oklahoma for Invicta FC 32. In a pivotal bantamweight matchup, the “Raging Panda” Julia Avila (6-1) made her return to the Invicta cage as she took on the always tough Alexa Conners (5-3).

Chris Taylor - November 16, 2018

Frankie Edgar has made a living off of fighting larger men. The former UFC lightweight champion, has always been considered small, even while competing in the UFC’s featherweight division.

Chris Taylor - November 16, 2018

Bellator 209 took place yesterday evening, but aired on tape delay tonight on DAZN. The event, which marked Bellator’s first in nearly a month, was headlined by a featherweight title fight featuring reigning division champion Patricio Freire taking on Emmanuel Sanchez.

Cole Shelton - November 16, 2018

Ilima-Lei MacFarlane is quickly emerging as one of Bellator’s biggest stars. The current women’s flyweight champion is set to defend her title for the second time against Valerie Letourneau on December 15.

Drake Riggs - November 16, 2018

When you hear the name “Gracie”, you automatically think of someone with some pretty damn good Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Well, the case is no different for the son of Rickson, Kron Gracie. It now appears that another Gracie may be finding their way back into the Octagon as ESPN’s Brett Okamoto reports that the UFC is looking to bring the BJJ wizard in.

Tom Taylor - November 16, 2018

Some fight fans choose to support their favorite fighters by buying their pay-per-views or their walk-out shirts. Others choose to show their support by getting their favorite fighters permanently tattooed onto their skin. That’s just what one Conor McGregor fan has done, and it’s actually some pretty impressive artwork. See this impressive Conor McGregor tattoo, which was done by artist Steve Butcher back in June, in the Instagram video below.

Tom Taylor - November 16, 2018

Earlier this week, fan favorite UFC welterweight contender Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, who’s recently been teasing a return to the lightweight division, hinted that he could be fighting former UFC lightweight and featherweight champ Conor McGregor in the near future.

Tom Taylor - November 16, 2018

In November of 2016, in the main event of UFC 205, Conor McGregor made good on months of pre-fight trash talk and knocked out Eddie Alvarez to become the first fighter in UFC history to hold titles in two weight classes concurrently. Post-fight, with a belt strapped over each shoulder, the Irish star unleashed a victory speech that went down as an instant classic.

Tom Taylor - November 16, 2018

Yesterday afternoon, the MMA community was hit by the exciting news that, after four long years away from the Octagon, former Strikeforce welterweight champ and UFC welterweight title challenger Nick Diaz could soon be returning. According to a report from ESPN, the Stockton-based fan favorite could be making his long-awaited comeback opposite Jorge Masvidal at UFC 235. One of the first members of the MMA community to react to this news was Ben Askren, one of the highest-profile UFC signings of late. Askren, who is the former ONE Championship and Bellator lightweight king, is currently linked to a January scrap with former UFC welterweight champ Robbie Lawler.

Mike Straus - November 16, 2018

Mike Trizano answered all the doubters last weekend when he defeated Luis Pena at the UFC’s 25th-anniversary show in Denver, Colorado. Trizano won season 27 of The Ultimate Fighter. Almost immediately after he was faced with some what-ifs. Mainly if “Violent Bob Ross” didn’t get injured, would Trizano still have won the show? Al the doubters got their answer last Saturday night.

James Lynch - November 16, 2018

Next month’s UFC 231 pay-per-view card has taken its first hit. Featherweight Mirsad Bektic has been removed from the card due to injury. As a result the UFC is currently looking for a new opponent for Renato Moicano. Nolan King of FloCombat was the first to report the news.

BJPENN.COM Staff - November 16, 2018

He didn’t go out and party. Nor did he toast his title triumph with a few beers. Instead, new ONE Championship Bantamweight king Kevin Belingon savored the moment with his loved ones. “I just enjoyed a simple victory lunch with my family,” said Belingon, who dined out on Filipino pinakbet (a meat and vegetable stew) yesterday.

Tom Taylor - November 16, 2018

Last weekend, World Bare Knuckle Fighting Federation (WBKFF) hosted its first event. The sans gloves card, which went down in Casper, Wyoming, was headlined by a middleweight scrap between UFC veterans Chris Leben and Phil Baroni, and also featured a showdown between former UFC welterweight champ Johny Hendricks and Dakota Cochrane. Originally, this inaugural WBKFF card was supposed to include quite a few other big names, such as former NFL player Shawne Merriman and former Bellator star Brennan War. Unfortunately, both of these stars withdrew from the card citing contract issues — which was certainly not a good look for the upstart bare knuckle promotion.

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.

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.