MMA News

Cole Shelton - October 1, 2018

It is officially fight week for UFC 229, also known as the biggest fight in UFC/MMA history. In the main event, current lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov will be taking on former two-division champion Conor McGregor. The fight has been brewing for a long time, and in April it got even more attention when McGregor threw a dolly at the bus Nurmagomedov was on during UFC 223 fight week. The incident caused several cancelled fights, while McGregor had to attend court.

Thomas Taylor - October 1, 2018

The first episode of UFC 229 Embedded is here, and it’s just as interesting as you’d expect.

Cole Shelton - October 1, 2018

Arguably the biggest rivalry currently taking place in MMA exists between Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones. Cormier and Jones have gone back and forth with each other at press conferences, through social media, and in interviews over recent years. While they both talk the talk, only Jones has been able to walk the walk thus far. Jones won the pair’s first encounter by decision, while the second bout — originally a KO win for Jones — was ruled a no contest when he failed a drug test.

Drake Riggs - October 1, 2018

The return of Jon Jones is inevitable at this point. After getting his suspension settled at 15-months, he’s eligible to fight anytime after October 28. Prior to the news of what the former light heavyweight champion’s suspension would be, many speculated that he would end up being the headliner for the big UFC 230 card that takes place in Madison Square Garden on November 3. Who it would be against was presumed to likely be his old adversary, Alexander “The Mauler” Gustafsson.

Tom Taylor - October 1, 2018

Conor McGregor is not shy on confidence heading into his mammoth title fight with UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, which goes down in the main event of UFC 229 this Saturday in Las Vegas. In fact, the Irishman expects that his pinpoint striking will be far more than Nurmagomedov can handle.

Tom Taylor - October 1, 2018

Khabib Nurmagomedov has long been considered one of the best lightweights in the world, but for a time between 2014 and 2016, his standing in the division was seriously hurt by his inability to stay healthy. During that period, Khabib Nurmagomedov was scheduled for three fights — two with Donald Cerrone, and one with Tony Ferguson. Unfortunately, not one of these bouts came to fruition as the Russian star kept sustaining injuries that rendered him unable to compete.

Tom Taylor - October 1, 2018

Having received a two-year sanction from the United States Anti-Doping Agency, Fabricio Werdum will not be able to fight until May of the year 2020. By that time, the former UFC heavyweight champion, who is presently 41, will be almost 43 years old. Despite this unfortunate fact, Fabricio Werdum says he still hopes to continue fighting. He’s just not sure where or when it might happen.

BJPENN.COM Staff - October 1, 2018

Filipino spitfire Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon is getting the opponent that he has wanted for a very long time, as he is booked to lock horns with Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes in a highly-anticipated bantamweight title unification bout at ONE: HEART OF THE LION, set for the Singapore Indoor Stadium on 9 November. Belingon and Fernandes squared off inside the ONE Championship cage in January 2016, with the latter pulling off a quick submission victory over the hard-hitting member of the fabled Team Lakay.

Tom Taylor - October 1, 2018

Last Saturday night, in the co-main event of Bellator 206, Wanderlei Silva succumbed to a volley of second-round strikes from Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. With this result, the 42-year-old Silva is now on a two-fight skid, having also given up a decision to Chael Sonnen in his Bellator debut. Apparently, however, he’s still got plenty left in the tank. Speaking on Instagram shortly after this fight, Wanderlei Silva explained that, after this exciting but ultimately disappointing fight with Rampage, he’s already looking forward to his next fight. He’s hoping that next fight happens soon, too.

Tom Taylor - October 1, 2018

Former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum, who was recently handed a two-year suspension by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), says the agency offered him the same opportunity to ‘snitch’ that they allegedly offered Jon Jones. Had Werdum agreed to “cooperate and provide credible substantial assistance“, he might have received a greatly reduced punishment, such as the 15-month term Jones received at the end of his dealings with USADA. Apparently, however, he was not interested in sharing intel on any of his associates or training partners. “What surprised me the most was at the end of the interview [with USADA], it was something that I found absurd,” Fabricio Werdum told Combate (translation via MMAjunkie). “They said, ‘Werdum, here’s the thing: If you tell on someone …’ It was what you could call ‘delacao premiada’ (plea bargain). ‘Werdum, if you tell on someone’ – using the slang, if you’re a snitch – ‘we’ll shorten your suspension. Because you’re going to have to pay something. Even if we find the substance in any of the products we test, even if we find it, you’ll have to pay something.’

Tom Taylor - October 1, 2018

This Saturday night, in the main event of UFC 229, Conor McGregor will step into the Octagon for the first time since November of 2016, where he will battle the undefeated Khabib Nurmagomedov for the UFC lightweight title. If you thought this comeback fight was a one-off deal for Conor McGregor, think again. The Irish MMA star just signed a new six-fight deal with the UFC, and from the sounds of it, he plans to honor at least some of those obligations.

Drake Riggs - October 1, 2018

Conor McGregor‘s MMA journey began in March 2008 and since then he has gone on to become the biggest star in the sport’s history. Having not fought since November 2016 when he won his second UFC title by defeating the then lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez, McGregor is now set to make his long-awaited return this Saturday at UFC 229. Standing across from him will be the current champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Thomas Taylor - September 30, 2018

Last week, the UFC announced that it has adjusted its drug testing practices, and that it will no longer be announcing potential United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) violations. Instead, the promotion plans on holding off on announcements until violations are confirmed. This means that, going forward, fighters could potentially be involved in USADA investigations without the public knowing. Red-hot UFC bantamweight prospect Sean O’Malley, who was scheduled to fight José Alberto Quiñónez at UFC 229 on October 6, has found himself in this scenario. Sean O’Malley announced this unfortunate situation on his official Instagram page. Contrary to his widely-known use of marijuana, O’Malley suggests this potential violation stems from the use of a tainted supplement.

Tom Taylor - September 30, 2018

On Saturday night, in the main event of Bellator 206, Bellator welterweight champion Rory MacDonald moved up to the middleweight division to challenge divisional champ Gegard Mousasi. If Rory MacDonald had succeeded on this gutsy mission, he would have become the first fighter in Bellator history to hold titles in two divisions concurrently. Unfortunately for the welterweight champion, this middleweight title fight did not go as planned. Instead, he was soundly beaten by Mousasi, succumbing to a thunderous bombardment of strikes in the bout’s second round.

Tom Taylor - September 30, 2018

Bellator 206, which went down in San Jose, California on Saturday night, was among the biggest fight cards the company has ever promoted. As it turns out, this card featured some suitably hefty paydays as well. The biggest earner of the night was former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, who pocketed a significant $300,000 for his second-round TKO of his rival Wanderlei Silva. Silva, meanwhile, was the second biggest earner of the night, pocketing $200,000 in defeat.

Tom Taylor - September 30, 2018

Last night, in the co-main event of Bellator 206, MMA legends Wanderlei Silva and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson stepped onto the canvas together for a fourth time. In the end, Rampage won this fourth fight by second-round TKO, moving to 2-2 in his rivalry with Silva. Though Rampage is now calling for a Bellator heavyweight title shot, he’s also found himself in the crosshairs of another Brazilian MMA legend: Vitor Belfort. Just before Silva and Rampage battled at Bellator 206, Vitor Belfort posted to Instagram, where he predicted Silva would win. Belfort said that, if Silva did win, he’d like to fight him in a soccer stadium in Brazil. That being said, he also said that he’d like to fight ‘Rampage’ if he emerged the victor, and that he would also be interested in a ‘warm-up fight’ with Chael Sonnen, who is currently booked for an October showdown with Fedor Emelianenko.

Cole Shelton - September 30, 2018

Greg Hardy is still undefeated as a professional MMA fighter, with a record of 3-0. While many MMA fans on Saturday night were watching Bellator 206’s stacked card, Hardy was fighting on the regional scene at XFN 352. Hardy was taking on Rasheem Jones in the main event. Hardy came out and starched Jones before finishing him with the ground and pound just 53 seconds into the fight.

Tom Taylor - September 30, 2018

Last night, on the main card of Bellator 206, red-hot featherweight prospect Aaron Pico picked up the biggest win of his impressive career thus far, smashing former Bellator bantamweight title challenger Leandro Higo to a first-round TKO victory. Shortly after this mammoth win, Pico gestured to Bellator featherweight champion Patricio “Pitbull” Freire, who was in Higo’s corner, and told the the champion that his time was coming too.