MMA News

Drake Riggs - October 12, 2018

After their massive San Jose card with Bellator 206, Bellator MMA returns with a doubleheader of a weekend to determine the finals of their heavyweight Grand Prix. Starting things off with Bellator 207, the main event featured the first of the two semi-final matchups. But there was some great action that preceded the battle of big men.

Cole Shelton - October 12, 2018

Eryk Anders most recently fought back in September when he lost a tough fight to Thiago Santos. However, in his mind, that fight was just a bonus but the fight he really wanted is the one he is getting. At UFC 231 on December 8, Anders will be taking on Elias Theodorou who is currently ranked No. 13 in the middleweight rankings. It is a fight Anders has wanted for some time.

Drake Riggs - October 12, 2018

https://twitter.com/MMAjunkie/status/1050603228079915008?s=19 “I think it discredits all the heavyweights completely [if Ryan Bader and I make it to the finals of the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix]. The best thing to do with heavyweights is to keep them the hell [away] from any other weight class. They’re the worst athletes in the room, they’re the slowest guys in the room. They’re the laziest guys in the room – which is why they weigh so goddamn much.

Drake Riggs - October 12, 2018

In the craziness that was finding UFC 230’s main event, fighters were moved around and shifted thus leaving some without fights. One of those fighters being Jessica “Evil” Eye (13-6) who was originally booked to face off with Sijara Eubanks at UFC 232 before all the shiftings happened.

BJPENN.COM Staff - October 12, 2018

After a memorable night at ONE: KINGDOM OF HEROES in Bangkok, Thailand on October 6, it’s time to turn the proverbial page as we look ahead to the next ONE Championship event. We’re just about two weeks away from ONE: PURSUIT OF GREATNESS. The promotion heads back to Myanmar for this, another major show on the ONE Championship calendar. In case you’re unaware of the top draws on the card, here are five reasons to be excited about ONE: PURSUIT OF GREATNESS.

Tom Taylor - October 12, 2018

The MMA career of Chael Sonnen is one for the history books. He’s bested opponents like Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Wanderlei Silva, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Michael Bisping, Brian Stann, Nate Marquardt, Yushin Okami and Alexey Oleynik. He’s battled legends like Anderson Silva, Jon Jones, Tito Ortiz and Rashad Evans. He helped revolutionize the way fighters promote themselves, ushering in an era of trash talk and showmanship that, though long present in boxing and pro wrestling, had not yet taken hold in MMA. If there’s one thing that has eluded Chael Sonnen over the course of his legendary MMA career, however, it’s a major world title. Though he has fought for titles in WEC and the UFC, he’s never managed to wrap a gold belt around his waist in a major promotion.

Tom Taylor - October 12, 2018

UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov is in hot water. Shortly after submitting Conor McGregor in the main event of UFC 229 last weekend, the undefeated Dagestani dynamo vaulted over the cage and attacked McGregor’s teammate Dillon Danis. Moments later, McGregor began exchanging punches with several of Nurmagomedov’s cohorts inside the cage. It was a truly chaotic scene.

Tom Taylor - October 12, 2018

Former UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor was not without success in his anticipated UFC 229 showdown with Khabib Nurmagomedov, but the real story of the fight was the Russian champion’s grappling. Time and again, Nurmagomedov dragged McGregor to the canvas, where he would bully him with ground strikes and ultimately submit him. In the week since Conor McGregor’s loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov, there’s already been talk of a potential rematch between the pair. If McGregor is going to win this potential rematch, of course, he’ll have to make some serious improvements to his wrestling — and former UFC lightweight champion Sean Sherk is hoping to help him with that.

Cole Shelton - October 12, 2018

Eryk Anders has had a busy year. The middleweight fought Lyoto Machida in the main event of UFC Fight Night 125 in Brazil in February. He then fought Tim Williams at UFC Fight Night 135 in August, and then accepted a quick turnaround for another main event fight against Thiago Santos in late September. Anders will also be fighting at UFC 231 in December against Elias Theodorou.

Tom Taylor - October 12, 2018

The oddsmakers aren’t very confident in Alexander Gustafsson ahead of his newly announced UFC 232 rematch with former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. The online sportsbook Bovada.lv has pegged Jones as the -280 favorite for this fight (h/t MMAMania), meaning a successful $280 bet on the former champion would earn you $100. Gustafsson, meanwhile, has been labelled as a +220 underdog, which means a successful $100 bet on him would earn you $220.

Tom Taylor - October 12, 2018

Last weekend, shortly after Khabib Nurmagomedov submitted Conor McGregor in the UFC 229 main event, a massive brawl broke out between the two fighters’ teams. Nurmagomedov leapt over the side of the Octagon and attacked McGregor’s training partner Dillon Danis, while McGregor got into it with several of Nurmagomedov’s teammates inside the cage. It was a scene of pure, unbridled chaos that took several minutes to quell. Ever since this incident, the MMA community has been struggling to assign blame. There are some fans that believe that Khabib Nurmagomedov started it all by jumping over the cage and attacking Dillon Danis. There are others, meanwhile, that feel that Conor McGregor deserves the blame because he threw the first clearly visible punch of the skirmish.

James Lynch - October 12, 2018

We won’t be seeing Bellator welterweight champion Rory MacDonald return to the cage anytime soon. That’s according to Bellator President Scott Coker who confirmed with MMAJunkie that MacDonald suffered another broken nose injury following his loss to middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi at Bellator 206.

BJPENN.COM Staff - October 12, 2018

The job of a promotional matchmaker is a tough one. Matching comparable opponents who have the potential to generate an exciting bout–while also maintaining a level of fairness –is at times an unenviable task. The ONE Championship events scheduled for the rest of 2018 are packed with interesting matchups. As we look at the shifting dynamics in some weight classes, and mainstays of other divisions, the following five matches are bouts that should be at or near the top of a future show.

Drake Riggs - October 11, 2018

It’s definitely safe to say to that 2018 has been the year of the champion vs champion fights and as it continues to unwind, we aren’t done getting them. I mean, let’s just look at things a bit closer here. The term “super fight” has absolutely been thrown around far too loosely this year as just because a fight may be champion vs champion, it doesn’t always make it a super fight. But that’s a different debate.

Chris Taylor - October 11, 2018

Moments after scoring a fourth-round submission victory over Conor McGregor in the main event of UFC 229, Khabib Nurmagomedov proceeded to leap out of the octagon and onto Dillon Danis. The victorious UFC lightweight champion, Nurmagomedov, proceeded to throw punches with the McGregor’s jiu-jitsu coach (Danis) until security was able to step in and separate the heated rivals.

Cole Shelton - October 11, 2018

Earlier this year, the UFC changed a card from Dublin, Ireland to Liverpool, England for one reason and one reason only: Darren Till. Till was on the rise to stardom after his stunning knockout win over Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone. Till would then take on top welterweight contender Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson.

Chris Taylor - October 11, 2018

All hell broke loose following the conclusion of last weekend’s UFC 229 main event between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov. After improving his professional record to a perfect 27-0 by defeating Conor McGregor via fourth-round submission (neck crank), Khabib Nurmagomedov proceed to hop the octagon cage and leap into the audience in attempt to attack the Irishman’s teammate Dillon Danis.

Mike Straus - October 11, 2018

UFC President Dana White had predicted big numbers heading into UFC 229 but his estimates may prove to be conservative as MMA Fighting has more recently suggested worldwide pay-per-view numbers closer to 2.4 million. UFC 229 featured the returning Conor McGregor, the unquestioned king of pay-per-view draws and the promotion’s leading box office draw. His opponent, Khabib Nurmagomedov is the unbeaten Dagestani wrecking machine, that oh, by the way, holds the lightweight title.