MMA News
After knockout of Chris Weidman, 'Jacare' Souza plans to wait for title shot
Tom Taylor - November 6, 2018
Last Saturday night, in the co-main event of UFC 230, former Strikeforce middleweight champ and long-time UFC middleweight contender Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza authored an epic knockout victory in a thrilling, short-notice fight with former UFC middleweight champ Chris Weidman. With this win, Jacare rebounded from a razor-close split decision loss to Kelvin Gastelum, who is set to battle reigning UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker for gold at UFC 234 in the New Year. Having done so, Jacare now feels that he’s probably the next man in line for the Whittaker vs. Gastelum winner. In fact, the 38-year-old now plans to wait for a fight with the winner.
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.
Dustin Poirier wants UFC lightweight title shot, but understands 'Tony is next in line'
Tom Taylor - November 6, 2018
Dustin Poirier was briefly scheduled to battle Nate Diaz in the co-main event of last weekend’s UFC 230 card. Unfortunately, however, Poirier was forced out of this fight with an injury. Speaking to MMAjunkie Radio this week, Dustin Poirier announced that he’ll soon be able to return to training, and that he’s hoping to get back into the cage as soon as possible.
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
Manager: Anthony Johnson 'will fight again for sure', wants to return at heavyweight against Jon Jones
Drake Riggs - November 5, 2018
Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson’s retirement in April 2017 came as quite the surprise to the MMA community. But like most things, it may not last forever. Since his retirement, Rumble has gotten into bodybuilding and started his own marijuana business.
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.
Tiffany Teo and Michelle Nicolini offer interesting clash of styles
BJPENN.COM Staff - November 5, 2018
Singapore’s Tiffany ‘No Chill’ Teo (7-1) makes her highly-anticipated return to action on Friday, November 9 at ONE: HEART OF THE LION. Teo will face off against Brazilian jiu-jitsu legend Michelle Nicolini in a strawweight bout that could have significant title implications going forward. Both women are without question two of the best athletes competing in ONE Championship’s women’s strawweight division. A victory for either Teo or Nicolini would go a long way in helping the winner build their case for a future crack at the title.
MMA community reacts to the announcement of Floyd Mayweather vs Tenshin Nasukawa
Drake Riggs - November 5, 2018
The out of nowhere announcement of all out of nowhere announcements was announced last night as Floyd Mayweather vs Tenshin Nasukawa will take place at Rizin 14 on New Year’s Eve. Every year since their existence, Rizin Fighting Federation has held their biggest events on New Year’s Eve. And after two already incredible shows with Rizin 11 and Rizin 13, it was going to take something massive to top those for the end of 2018.
Ben Askren believes Conor McGregor won't fight him because he will steal his 'manhood'
Cole Shelton - November 5, 2018
At UFC 229, Conor McGregor made his long-awaited return to the Octagon to take on Khabib Nurmagomedov. Ultimately, McGregor lost in the fourth-round by submission. Now, however, another fighter similar to Nurmagomedov’s style in Ben Askren has joined the UFC roster. Would McGregor dare to fight Askren? According to the newest UFC acquisition, he knows the answer to that question.
Dana White assures he doesn't hate Ben Askren: 'This was my idea'
Tom Taylor - November 4, 2018
Given how long it took for Ben Askren, inarguably one of the best welterweights in the world, to sign with the UFC, you would not be faulted for thinking that the promotion’s brass were not fans of his. In fact, given the way UFC President Dana White has previously spoken about Askren, it’d be understandable if you thought he hated the welterweight star outright. Speaking at the post-fight press conference for UFC 230, which Ben Askren attended, Dana White assured this is not the case. In fact, Dana White says he came up with the deal that ultimately brought Askren to the UFC in exchange for Demetrious Johnson.
Derek Brunson breaks silence on UFC 230 loss to Israel Adesanya
Tom Taylor - November 4, 2018
On Saturday night, in the opening bout of the UFC 230 main card, long-time UFC middleweight contender Derek Brunson stepped into the cage with red-hot striking specialist Israel Adesanya. Although Brunson had a spot of success with his wrestling early on in this fight, he ultimately became the latest victim of Adesanya’s venomous striking attack, wilting under a storm of strikes in the first round. On Sunday evening, Derek Brunson broke his silence on this tough loss to Israel Adesanya. While he is obviously disappointed, he seems to be taking the setback in stride, as he’s promising to get right back on the horse.
Three UFC welterweight bouts to make in early 2019
Tom Taylor - November 4, 2018
On Sunday afternoon, BJPENN.COM’s Chris Taylor reported that the UFC is targeting a pair of crucial welterweight contender bouts for the early phases of the New Year. The first, Taylor reported, is expected to pit former UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler against ever-dangerous karate stylist Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson. The other is expected to pit recent UFC welterweight title challenger Darren Till against former ONE and Bellator welterweight champion Ben Askren, who recently signed with the UFC.
Daniel Cormier shares the backup plan if Brock Lesnar is unavailable
Tom Taylor - November 4, 2018
With a successful UFC 230 heavyweight title defense opposite Derek Lewis now in the books, UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier is now looking to the future. At present, the expectation is that he will next defend his heavyweight title against former champion and current WWE star Brock Lesnar. With Lesnar’s future still uncertain, however, Cormier has a backup plan: Jon Jones.