MMA News
Anthony Johnson clarifies on what it will take for him to return to MMA
Tom Taylor - November 6, 2018
Former UFC light heavyweight contender Anthony Johnson has now been retired from MMA for more than a year, and he has definitely been missed. From the sounds of it, however, he could soon end his retirement — to the elation of his many fans.
EXCLUSIVE | Emmanuel Sanchez is ready to end the reign of Patricio "Pitbull" Freire
Mike Straus - November 6, 2018
Emmanuel Sanchez has a chance to realize a dream more than 10 years in the making on November 15, when he takes on Patricio Freire for the featherweight title at Bellator 209 in Tel Aviv, Israel. Timing is everything. For Sanchez, the timing of his title fight with Patricio Freire couldn’t be any more advantageous. “El Matador” just received his BJJ black belt a few weeks ago. His hard work is starting to pay off.
Brendan Schaub explains why Brock Lesnar is a tougher test for Daniel Cormier than Derrick Lewis was
Tom Taylor - November 6, 2018
Daniel Cormier’s planned heavyweight title super fight with former UFC heavyweight champ and WWE star Brock Lesnar is unanimously expected to be a box office smash, but not everybody is expecting the fight to be competitive. Instead, it’s common opinion that Cormier, undeniably one of the best fighters ever to compete in MMA, will hand Lesnar a pretty lopsided whooping. Whether that’s accurate or not, former UFC heavyweight and current MMA analyst Brendan Schaub is confident of one thing: Brock Lesnar will be a tougher test for Daniel Cormier than his last opponent Derrick Lewis, who he submitted in the second round in the main event of UFC 230 last weekend.
Dana White promises he won't try to convince Daniel Cormier to delay his retirement
Tom Taylor - November 6, 2018
Daniel Cormier, who currently owns the UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight (we think?) belts, is planning to retire from MMA when he turns 40 in March of 2019. That being said, there is plenty that the former Olympian and Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix winner hopes to accomplish between now and then, from a heavyweight title super fight with Brock Lesnar, to a possible trilogy fight with his arch rival Jon Jones, and even a potential rematch with Stipe Miocic, who he defeated to win the title back in July. Given the length of Daniel Cormier’s to-do list, some fans have worried that he might be encouraged to delay his longstanding retirement plans. While this is certainly possible, UFC President Dana White assures he won’t be the one pressing Cormier to keep fighting.
Report | Chad Mendes vs Alexander Volkanovski added to UFC 232
Drake Riggs - November 6, 2018
The already great UFC 232 card at the end of the year looks to be getting even greater with the addition of a big-time featherweight clash On December 29 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, there are already two pivotal matchups taking place in the 145-pound weight class. But now we get our first in the men’s division as Chad “Money” Mendes (18-4) looks to put a winning streak together in his second fight after suspension as he’ll take on one of Australia’s finest in Alexander Volkanovski (18-1).
Sage Northcutt to attend ONE Championship: Heart of the Lion in Singapore
Cole Shelton - November 6, 2018
Sage Northcutt, a current free agent and once highly touted prospect will be heading to Singapore to take in the festivities at ONE Championship: Heart of the Lion this Friday night. Along with Northcutt, former UFC and Bellator lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez and longtime UFC flyweight champion, Demetrious Johnson will also be attending the event.
Three UFC fights booked for early 2019
Cole Shelton - November 6, 2018
The UFC just announced three exciting fights for 2019. The ESPN-era is almost here, and to kick off the first card on ESPN+, Paige VanZant (7-4) will make her long-awaited return to the Octagon. VanZant will take on The Ultimate Fighter season 26 alum Rachael Ostovich (4-4) on January 18 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Tenshin Nasukawa issues snappy response to Conor McGregor's criticism of Floyd Mayweather fight
Tom Taylor - November 6, 2018
The next man to fight undefeated boxing legend Floyd Mayweather will not be Conor McGregor or Khabib Nurmagomedov or even Manny Pacquiao. Instead, Mayweather will be welcomed back to the ring by 20-year-old kickboxing wunderkind Tenshin Nasukawa, who he’s expected to battle at RIZIN 14 on New Years Eve in Tokyo, as first reported by BJPENN.COM. This news, in a rather unsurprising twist, generated a reaction from Mayweather’s former opponent Conor McGregor. The former UFC lightweight and featherweight champ did not seem to be impressed.
Dana White responds to Khabib Nurmagomedov manager demanding $50 million for next fight
Tom Taylor - November 6, 2018
Riding high on a fourth-round submission defeat of Conor McGregor, Khabib Nurmagomedov has never been more popular. In fact, he’s become so popular that his manager Ali Abdelaziz now feels that he’s deserving of a $50-$100 million payday in his next fight. “Ben Askren, [UFC welterweight champion Tyron] Woodley, none of these guys can touch Khabib,” Abdelaziz said in a recent interview with TMZ Sports. “Especially if they’re scared to get tired and these guys, they get tired. Now, I’m not even worried about Tyron or Ben Askren, I’m worrying about somebody bringing $50 million to $100 million to the table and none of these guys can bring $200,000 to the table.”
EXCLUSIVE | Bibiano Fernandes aims to break title defense record of Demetrious Johnson
Tom Taylor - November 6, 2018
Reigning ONE bantamweight champion Bibiano Fernandes and former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson are two of the biggest stars on the ONE Championship roster. That being said, we’ll never see the pair fight, as they’re long-time friends and training partners under Matt Hume at AMC Pankration in Kirkland, Washington. While Bibiano Fernandes and Demetrious Johnson will never share the ONE cage, it sounds like we will see a bit of friendly competition between them going forward. Speaking on the latest episode of BJPENN.COM Radio, Fernandes divulged that he plans to best Johnson’s record of 11-straight title defenses.
Sijara Eubanks embracing recent fan backlash: ‘You’re gonna tune in to watch me’
Tom Taylor - November 6, 2018
Sijara Eubanks has received her fare share of fan backlash over the last few weeks. First, it was when she was briefly linked to a UFC 230 main event flyweight title fight with Valentina Shevchenko. Then, it was when missed weight for the UFC 230 fight she ultimately got, an undercard scrap with former title challenger Roxanne Modafferi. While Sijara Eubanks has of course heard this backlash, she’s not letting it bother her. Instead, she’s embracing it, as she knows her haters will be tuning in to watch her next fight.
VIDEO | Shaq battles Forrest Griffin, Claudia Gadelha while Dana White refs
Tom Taylor - November 6, 2018
Shaq Takes The Octagon!
EXCLUSIVE | Garry Tonon on foe Sung Jong Lee: 'I see him forcing it to the ground pretty quickly'
Tom Taylor - November 6, 2018
At ONE: HEART OF THE LION, which goes down on November 9 in Singapore, five-time EBI Grappling Champion Garry Tonon will look to improve to 3-0 in the mixed martial arts arena as he takes on South Korea’s Sung Jong Lee. Tonon, as always, has done his research heading in to this fight. And having reviewed Lee’s tape, he feels there’s a good chance the South Korean will actually try to drag the fight to the mat — something that many other fighters would likely to find unthinkable, given Tonon’s incredible submission ability. Lee has submitted three of his six opponents (all with heel hooks), and Tonon believes he might look to do the same in Singapore.
Ali Abdelaziz puts Conor McGregor on blast for talking about his family!
Christopher Taylor - November 5, 2018
Conor McGregor was put on blast by Khabib Nurmagomedov’s manager Ali Abdelaziz during today’s episode of The Helwani Show. The brash fighter manager, Ali, has had a long standing beef with the Irish superstar. If you recall, Conor McGregor went off on Abdelaziz at the UFC 229 pre-fight press conference, calling Ali a “mad rat” and a “terrorist snitch“.
Ben Askren vs Robbie Lawler in the works for UFC 233
Drake Riggs - November 5, 2018
It looks like we know who “Funky” Ben Askren (18-0) will likely be making his UFC debut against and it happens to be the one guy that he hasn’t called out yet. That opponent happens to be the former UFC welterweight champion, “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler (28-12) as ESPN’s Brett Okamoto has confirmed with UFC president Dana White that the matchup is targeted for UFC 233 in Anaheim, California on January 26
Alexander Gustafsson 'unimpressed' by Jon Jones' strength, 'I’ve never been this motivated before'
Drake Riggs - November 5, 2018
If you haven’t heard, Jon ‘Bones’ Jones is back, and welcoming him back will be his old Swedish rival, ‘The Mauler’ Alexander Gustafsson. The two iconic light heavyweight staples will meet for the second time on December 29 in the main event of UFC 232 as they fight over the vacant title.
Weighing the options of Chris Weidman after UFC 230
Cole Shelton - November 5, 2018
After UFC 230, Chris Weidman has more questions than answers. Weidman looked like his old-self through the first two rounds, with two judges having him up 20-18 on the scorecards. However, Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza knocked out the ‘All-American’ in the third round. Everything came crashing down for Weidman in his own backyard.
Why Bibiano Fernandes is the most dominant champion in ONE
BJPENN.COM Staff - November 5, 2018
Brazilian grappling dynamo and reigning ONE bantamweight world champion Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes is easily one of the best to ever set foot inside a ONE Championship cage or ring. On November 9 at ONE: HEART OF THE LION in Singapore, Fernandes faces another tough challenge in reigning ONE interim bantamweight world champion Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon in a ONE bantamweight world championship unification matchup.