MMA News

BJPENN.COM Staff - October 13, 2018

Srisaket Sor Rungvisai didn’t disappoint in his promotional debut and fourth defense of his WBC Super Flyweight title on Saturday night at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand. Iran Diaz proved to be a game challenger, but Srisaket won almost every round on all three judges scorecards en-oute to a unanimous decision victory in his homeland. As you can see in some of the highlights below, Srisaket’s inability to stop Diaz wasn’t due to a lack of effort.

James Lynch - October 13, 2018

According to ESPN’s Ariel Helwani, the UFC is targeting women’s featherweight matchup between former Invicta FC champion Megan Anderson and Cat Zingano at UFC 232 on Dec. 29. The fight would serve as a backup to the UFC women’s featherweight title fight between champion Cris Cyborg and current bantamweight title holder Amanda Nunes. UFC is currently in talks to book Megan Anderson vs. Cat Zingano at 145 pounds for UFC 232 on Dec. 29, according to multiple sources. While the fight isn’t finalized just yet, the hope is for it to serve as the backup for the Cyborg vs. Nunes title fight. https://t.co/hKspW2c2lI

Cole Shelton - October 13, 2018

Undisputed UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov is in a bit of trouble following his fourth-round submission win over Conor McGregor. Nurmagomedov attacked McGregor’s team following his win, while some of Nurmagomedov’s teammates attacked the Irishman in the Octagon. It was a messy scene indeed, and now many expect the NSAC to suspend Nurmagomedov and they may keep a significant portion of his $2 million purse. While that would be a big blow to Nurmagomedov, the biggest blow is that UFC President Dana White has implied he might cut any UFC fighters involved in the Nurmagomedov-McGregor brawl. Unfortunately, Nurmagomedov’s teammate Zubaira Tukhugov was one of those fighters. If White does fire Tukhugov, whose upcoming fight with Artem Lobov has already been cancelled, then Nurmagomedov said he will never fight in the UFC again.

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.

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

Last weekend, ONE Championship blazed a trail of excitement in Thailand’s bustling capital city of Bangkok when it held its ONE: KINGDOM OF HEROES event — the promotion’s biggest show to date at the Impact Arena. What ensued was a night of non-stop martial arts action, the likes of which ONE has become well known for. Going into the event, the Impact Arena flowed with a unique energy that immediately gave off the impression that it was undoubtedly a special night. When the statistics began to roll in, it was evidently clear that ONE: KINGDOM OF HEROES was indeed a huge success.

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

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.

Tom Taylor - October 12, 2018

On Saturday night, after tonight’s Bellator 207 card, Bellator MMA will touch down in Uniondale, New York with Bellator 208. This second card of the weekend will be headlined by a  Heavyweight Grand Prix semifinal showdown between former UFC middleweight and light heavyweight title challenger Chael Sonnen and heavyweight legend Fedor Emelianenko. On Friday morning, the many talented fighters competing on the Bellator 208 bill took to the scales to weigh in for their imminent battles.

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

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.

Tom Taylor - October 12, 2018

Earlier this week, the MMA community was rocked by the unfortunate news that Dustin Poirier had been forced out of his UFC 230 scrap with Nate Diaz. Shortly thereafter, we learned that the UFC would not be giving Diaz a replacement opponent for the November 3 card, and that he was off the card too. Given that this was arguably the best fight on the UFC 230 bill, this was massively disappointing news. Speaking on Twitter on Thursday evening, Dustin Poirier issued his first statement since his withdrawal from the card. While he did not specify what kind of injury he sustained, he assured he considers this a “minor” setback, and that he’s working hard to heal up quickly.

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.

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.