MMA News

UFC 229

Report | UFC 229 numbers smash the pay-per-view record

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.

nate-diaz-dana-white
UFC

Nate Diaz tells Dana White 'fire me' instead of Khabib Nurmagomedov's teammate

Cole Shelton - October 11, 2018

After Khabib Nurmagomedov defeated Conor McGregor at UFC 229, a post-fight brawl ensued. Nurmagomedov went after Bellator welterweight Dillon Danis, who was in McGregor’s corner. While that was happening, some of Nurmagomedov’s teammate’s attacked McGregor inside the Octagon. Since Saturday night, Nurmagomedov still has not received his fight purse. And, UFC President Dana White said if any of the people who attacked McGregor inside the Octagon are UFC fighters they would no longer be apart of the company.

Chael Sonnen Bellator 208
Chael Sonnen

VIDEO | Chael Sonnen 'felt ridiculous' wearing the outfit that he wore in the Bellator 208 promos

Drake Riggs - October 11, 2018

https://twitter.com/MMAjunkie/status/1050465222379495424?s=19 “I felt ridiculous [filming that promo]. You know what, we did that here. I did that in a dressing room, I put that [USA outfit] on. Right as I was coming out Fedor [Emelianenko] must have been walking in. He took one look at me and laughed. I hung my head like a doufus and walked away.

Artem Lobov
UFC

Artem Lobov begs Dana White not to cancel Tukhugov fight: Don't let him 'escape his punishment' for UFC 229 brawl

Tom Taylor - October 11, 2018

Shortly after UFC lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov submitted Conor McGregor in the UFC 229 main event last Saturday, his and McGregor’s teams engaged in a wild brawl, inside and outside of the Octagon. One of the fighters involved in this brawl was Nurmagomedov’s friend and training partner, UFC featherweight Zubaira Tukhugov, who was booked for a UFC Moncton scrap with McGregor training partner Artem Lobov at the time.

Brian Kelleher, Sean O'Malley
UFC

Brian Kelleher Now Faces Montel Jackson At UFC 230 With Domingo Pilarte Out

James Lynch - October 11, 2018

Contender Series winner Domingo Pilarte will have to wait a bit longer to make his UFC debut. According to his UFC 230 opponent Brian Kelleher in a recent interview with The Terphouse, Pilarte has been removed from the card due to undisclosed reasons. Instead Kelleher will face another Contender Series alum in Montel Jackson on Nov. 3 at Madison Square Garden. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5b3zl5oR3mA

Derrick Lewis, UFC rankings
Derrick Lewis

Derrick Lewis grateful for UFC 230 title shot, but believes Stipe Miocic deserved the chance before him

Tom Taylor - October 11, 2018

At long last, UFC 230 finally has a main event. The card will be headlined by a last-minute heavyweight title fight between champion Daniel Cormier and streaking challenger Derrick Lewis. Not everybody, however, is happy about this title fight. Some members of the MMA community feel that Lewis is jumping the heavyweight contendership line, and that the next crack at Cormier’s title should have gone to Stipe Miocic, the man Cormier defeated to win the title.

Khabib Nurmagomedov, Zubaira Tukhugov, Conor McGregor
UFC

Khabib Nurmagomedov threatens to leave the UFC if promotion releases Zubaira Tukhugov for role in UFC 229 brawl

Tom Taylor - October 11, 2018

Shortly after UFC lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov submitted Conor McGregor in the UFC 229 main event last Saturday, his and McGregor’s teams engaged in a wild brawl, inside and outside of the Octagon. One of the fighters involved in this brawl was Nurmagomedov’s friend and training partner, UFC featherweight Zubaira Tukhugov. Because of their status as two of the UFC’s biggest and most valuable stars, Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor will not be released by the promotion for their role in this wild brawl. Tukhugov, however, could be — especially after he bragged about slapping McGregor on social media after the riot. 

Michael Chandler, Brent Primus, Bellator
Frank Mir

Bellator honors troops with second event in Hawaii featuring Primus-Chandler rematch, return of Frank Mir

Tom Taylor - October 11, 2018

On December 15, Bellator will touch down in Honolulu, Hawaii with Bellator 211. The card will be headlined by a women’s flyweight title fight between Hawaiian champ Ilima-Lei MacFarlane, and co-headlined by a middleweight scrap between former UFC champ Lyoto Machida and former Bellator champ Rafael Carvalho. Amazingly, this stacked card is not all that Bellator is offering the fans in Hawaii, who have been waiting years for major MMA show. The night before this card, in the very same Honolulu venue, the promotion will honor the military with a card titled ‘Salute the Troops,’ which will be free for members of the US armed forces and their friends and families.

Max Holloway
UFC

UFC featherweight champ Max Holloway opens up on struggles with depression

Tom Taylor - October 11, 2018

The year 2018 has not been particularly kind to UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway. The Hawaiian champ has been scheduled for three fights — a title defense against Frankie Edgar, a last-minute lightweight fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov, and a title defense against Brian Ortega — but not one has come to fruition. Speaking on Good Show with Ben Ennis & JD Bunkis on Wednesday, Holloway divulged that in the wake of this string of cancelled fights, he’s been battling depression.

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Megan Anderson

Cat Zingano and Megan Anderson express interest in potential fight

Drake Riggs - October 10, 2018

There aren’t too many fighters out there that are clamoring for title shots against Cris Cyborg that are already in the UFC. But there is one who recently spoke out. That being none other than the former bantamweight title challenger “Alpha” Cat Zingano.

Jon Fitch
Exclusive MMA Interviews

EXCLUSIVE | Jon Fitch on Rory MacDonald matchup: 'I’ll just fight him where I want'

Cole Shelton - October 10, 2018

Bellator is getting back in the business of tournaments. With Bellator’s Heavyweight Grand Prix in the semi-finals this weekend, the Welterweight Grand Prix just started the opening round. One of the eight fighters in the tournament is UFC veteran and former WSOF champion, Jon Fitch. Fitch will be taking on current Bellator 170-pound champion Rory MacDonald in the opening round of the tournament. If Fitch is to win, not only will he advance but he will become the new Bellator welterweight champion.

Khabib-Nurmagomedov-Vladimir-Putin
UFC

VIDEO | Vladimir Putin congratulates Khabib Nurmagomedov on his win at UFC 229

Drake Riggs - October 10, 2018

#Putin meets and congratulates #KhabibNurmagomedov on #UFC229 win over #ConorMcGregor https://t.co/GVe5meQroN pic.twitter.com/Xy3wTM3vhP — RT (@RT_com) October 10, 2018

Al-Iaquinta-Kevin-Lee
Kevin Lee

Kevin Lee vs Al Iaquinta 2 to headline UFC on Fox 31 in Milwaukee on Dec. 15

Drake Riggs - October 10, 2018

The last big Fox show for the UFC will take place on December 15 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. As the card takes shape, we now know the headliner. In February 2014, at UFC 169 a young prospect by the name of Kevin Lee (17-3) made his UFC debut with a perfect 7-0 record. Standing across from him would be The Ultimate Fighter season 15 finalist, “Ragin'” Al Iaquinta (13-4-1).

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Sijara Eubanks

After UFC 230 title fight cancellation, Sijara Eubanks now set to rematch Roxanne Modaferri

Drake Riggs - October 10, 2018

Getting to UFC 230, in general, has just been one of the more wilder rides that the MMA community has witnessed as it’s gotten closer. After waiting a whole lot longer than we could have imagined, fans and pundits alike began to start just hoping that the event’s big lightweight co-main event between top-ranked contender Dustin Poirier and the returning Nate Diaz should have just gotten promoted up to the headliner.

ONE Championship

ONE Championship Doctor Warren Wang Mixes Martial Arts With Medicine in Asia

BJPENN.COM Staff - October 10, 2018

Vice President of Medical Services of ONE Championship, Dr. Warren Wang, M.D., is the man behind the scenes of the global Home of Martial Arts, where he puts his knowledge and expertise to good use by making martial arts contests safer for all athletes. An experienced doctor and physician in the field of Emergency Medicine, Wang has over a decade of knowledge and practice. He joined ONE Championship in 2015 but has been with the company in smaller capacities even prior.

Jon Jones, Alexander Gustafsson
Jon Jones

BREAKING | Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson set to rematch for light heavyweight title at UFC 232

Tom Taylor - October 10, 2018

UFC 232, which is scheduled for December 29 in Las Vegas, Nevada, just got a whole lot bigger. The card will now officially feature a light heavyweight rematch between former champion Jon Jones and long-time contender Alexander Gustafsson. The bout will be for the vacant light heavyweight title, which implies that divisional champ Daniel Cormier, who also owns the heavyweight title, will soon be stripped. All of this per ESPN.

TJ Dillashaw
TJ Dillashaw

EXCLUSIVE | TJ Dillashaw: Second Cody Garbrandt KO took 'huge weight off my shoulders'

Cole Shelton - October 10, 2018

One of the biggest rivalries in MMA over the past few years has been TJ Dillashaw’s rivalry with his former camp Team Alpha Male and its top fighter, Cody Garbrandt. After losing the UFC bantamweight belt to Dominick Cruz, Dillashaw spent months grinding away against top bantamweight contenders before finally getting a title shot against his arch rival Garbrandt at UFC 217.

Tyson Pedro, UFC Auckland
Tyson Pedro

EXCLUSIVE | Tyson Pedro discusses UFC Adelaide showdown with 'Shogun'

Tom Taylor - October 10, 2018

On December 2, on the main card of UFC Adelaide, Australian light heavyweight prospect Tyson Pedro will step into the cage with a legend of the sport: Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. As you can probably imagine, the opportunity to battle an MMA legend in front of his Australian fans is an opportunity that Tyson Pedro is thrilled about.