MMA News
EXCLUSIVE | BJ Penn reacts UFC 232 matchup with Ryan Hall
Tom Taylor - September 14, 2018
Former UFC lightweight and welterweight champion BJ Penn is going to fight again. The UFC Hall of Famer is set to return to the cage at UFC 232 on December 29 in Las Vegas, where he will battle BJJ whiz Ryan Hall. For Penn, who is known for his world class grappling, this is a very interesting matchup, and one that he hopes will excite his legions of dedicated fans.
Henry Cejudo claims fight with TJ Dillashaw is "very close" to being official
Tom Taylor - September 14, 2018
Shortly after Henry Cejudo dethroned long-time UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson at UFC 227, he called out TJ Dillashaw, who defended the UFC bantamweight title with a first-round knockout of Cody Garbrandt in the card’s main event. Cejudo’s hope, he explained, was to move up to bantamweight and challenge Dillashaw in an attempt at becoming a two-division champion. At first, TJ Dillashaw didn’t seem receptive of this idea. More recently, however, Dillashaw has said he actually does want to fight Cejudo — though he wants to move down to flyweight to challenge Cejudo for his title, not the other way around.
Urijah Faber has personally encouraged UFC to re-sign free agent Sage Northcutt
Tom Taylor - September 14, 2018
UFC welterweight prospect Sage Northcutt is currently a free agent. While the peppy 22-year-old has said that he hopes the UFC will re-sign him, he’s also said he’d be willing to take his MMA career elsewhere for the right price. Urijah Faber, Sage Northcutt’s coach at Team Alpha Male in Sacramento, California, is hoping it doesn’t come to that. He says he’s personally spoken to the UFC and encouraged them to open their check books to keep the young fighter on the payroll.
UFC Moscow weigh in results: Mairbek Taisumov and Jin Soo Son only two to miss weight
Drake Riggs - September 14, 2018
The UFC’s first trip to Russia is only a day away now! But unfortunately, the short streak of weigh-ins coming with no misses has ended. At the weigh-ins for UFC Moscow on Friday morning, all but two fighters came in on weight and ready for Saturday’s action. Those two being top lightweight prospect Mairbek Taisumov and Jin Soo Son.
EXCLUSIVE | Colby Covington open to boxing match with 'little bum' Nick Diaz
Drake Riggs - September 13, 2018
Two of the MMA world’s biggest personalities reside in the welterweight division and it was only a matter of time until they got on each other’s minds.
VIDEO | Mark Hunt reacts to Fabricio Werdum's USADA suspension
Drake Riggs - September 13, 2018
https://twitter.com/MMAjunkie/status/1040310393456009218 “It’s been a chain of them (test failures for PEDs), you know… It’s not a good feeling. But I’m honestly excited to be here in Russian, the Russian opening.
Michael Chiesa moving up to welterweight, hopes for fight with Carlos Condit at UFC 232
Drake Riggs - September 13, 2018
After a failed attempted on the scales during his last time out at UFC 226, The Ultimate Fighter season 15 winner Michael Chiesa is changing divisions. Although he immediately stated after missing the lightweight mark for his last fight, Chiesa is actually going through with his plan to move up to 170-pounds as was confirmed to ESPN.
Gilbert Melendez vs Arnold Allen in the works for UFC 232
Drake Riggs - September 13, 2018
It has been a less than ideal run in the UFC so far for one of the lightweight division’s best in the former Strikeforce champion Gilbert Melendez (22-7). “El Nino” was once known as the king of Strikeforce as he dominated the 155-pound weight class having won the title on two separate occasions (three if you count interims) along with six title defenses (five excluding interim).
BJPENN.COM Radio Ep. 96 // Colby Covington
Jason Kindschy - September 13, 2018
BJPENN.COM Radio is back, Penn Nation!
Nutritionist is confident Darren Till can hit 170 pounds "with ease" for years to come
Tom Taylor - September 13, 2018
One of the big worries ahead of UFC 228 was that main event title challenger Darren Till might not make the 170-pound limit for his fight with welterweight champion Tyron Woodley. The Brit had missed weight previously, after all, most recently for his May welterweight bout with Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson. In the end, of course, Darren Till did even better than hit the 170-pound limit for welterweight title fights. He surpassed it, tipping the scales with a pound to spare at 169 pounds, instantly silencing his legions of doubters and skeptics.
Alistair Overeem acknowledges "the end is coming," but is not ready to retire yet
Tom Taylor - September 13, 2018
Alistair Overeem has long stood out as one of the best heavyweights in the world. That being said, the former Strikeforce, Dream and K-1 heavyweight champion has recently fallen on tough times, having been violently stopped by Francis Ngannou and Curtis Blaydes in his last two fights. Given the recent trajectory of Alistair Overeem’s career, many fans have called for him to retire. Overeem has heard these calls, and from the sounds of it, it’s something he’s thinking about. The time hasn’t come quite yet, however.
USADA issues statement after rumors of payoff in Jon Jones case
Tom Taylor - September 13, 2018
The circumstances of Jon Jones’ dealings with the United States Anti-Doping Agency are extremely mysterious. It’s been well over a year since the former light heavyweight champion’s failed drug test, which came to light after his July, 2017 fight with Daniel Cormier, yet we still have no answers with respect to his punishment. This has led some members of the MMA community to speculate that there could be some kind of seediness going on with Jon Jones’ case — perhaps even a financial payoff to accelerate his return to the cage.
Urijah Faber says it's "very possible" he fights again
Tom Taylor - September 13, 2018
Next month, former UFC bantamweight title challenger Urijah Faber will step onto the mat to compete in Quintet 3, an epic grappling event also featuring Kazushi Sakuraba, Josh Barnett and a number of other stars. While events like this help Faber satisfy his competitive streak after his retirement from MMA, however, he says it’s possible that he’ll strap the four ounce gloves on again in the future. “Could I do some more fights? Absolutely,” the 39-year-old Urijah Faber told reporters at a recent media event promoting the Quintet 3 card (via MMAjunkie). “Could I do years of more fights? Absolutely. Would I maybe do some fights? Very possible. But right now, I’m enjoying having my brain and having a good time.”
TJ Dillashaw says he wants title fight with Henry Cejudo next
Tom Taylor - September 13, 2018
Shortly after Henry Cejudo defied the odds and swiped the UFC flyweight title from the waist of long-time champion Demetrious Johnson at UFC 227, he called out TJ Dillashaw, who defended the UFC bantamweight title with a first-round knockout of Cody Garbrandt in the card’s main event. Cejudo’s hope, he explained, was to move up to bantamweight and challenge Dillashaw in an attempt at becoming a two-division champion. Initially, TJ Dillashaw seemed lukewarm about the possibility. More recently, however, he’s sounding a lot more interested in fighting Henry Cejudo — just not under quite the circumstances Cejudo hoped.
Joe Rogan feels Bellator could have the world's best fighters in at least two weight classes
Tom Taylor - September 13, 2018
Joe Rogan, a long-time color commentator for the UFC, is not just a UFC fan. He’s also very interested in the products offered by other MMA promotions, particularly Bellator MMA — the UFC’s chief rival. Speaking on the latest episode of the Joe Rogan Experience MMA Show, Rogan shared his thoughts on Bellator MMA. Apparently, he’s hoping the promotion will continue to provide increasing competition for the UFC.
Yair Rodriguez teases upcoming return to training, calls out Zabit Magomedsharipov
Thomas Taylor - September 12, 2018
Originally, Mexico’s Yair Rodriguez was expected to return to the cage opposite Zabit Magomedsharipov at UFC 228 last Saturday. Unfortunately, Rodriguez was forced out of this contest with an injury, and replaced by Brandon Davis, who Magomedsharipov submitted with an incredible kneebar. Shortly after he submitted Davis, Zabit Magomedsharipov called for a fight with three-time UFC featherweight title challenger Chad Mendes, who recently returned from a long hiatus with a first-round stoppage of Myles Jury. Apparently, however, the Russian star is still very much in the crosshairs of Yair Rodriguez.
Report | Lyoto Machida gets former middleweight champion Rafael Carvalho in Bellator debut
Tom Taylor - September 12, 2018
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida now has the details of his Bellator debut. The Brazilian legend will battle a fellow Brazilian in former Bellator middleweight champion Rafael Carvalho. The fight will go down on December 15, as part of Bellator’s recently announced debut in Honolulu, Hawaii. The pair will meet at middleweight. This, per ESPN’s Ariel Helwani.
UFC 229 press conference featuring Conor McGregor, Khabib Nurmagomedov official for September 20
Tom Taylor - September 12, 2018
That big UFC 229 press conference we’ve been waiting for? Well, it’s finally official. The first press conference for the blockbuster card will go down on September 20, at 5p.m. ET inside Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Both UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and his challenger, former UFC lightweight and featherweight champion Conor McGregor, will be in attendance. The promotion announced this news in a press release on Wednesday afternoon.