MMA News

Tom Taylor - August 23, 2018

Paulo Costa and Yoel Romero were originally expected to fight at UFC 230 on November 3 in New York City. Regrettably, Romero will not be able to compete on this card, as he’s still dealing with a lingering injury. “Maybe four or five months [until I can return],” Yoel Romero explained on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show this week. “The doctor said, ‘Yoel needs more time.’ You know me. If you give me somebody, I take it. But you need to be smart. When the doctor says, ‘You’re ready,’ you can go. I’m waiting.

Tom Taylor - August 23, 2018

For a time, it looked as though Mike Perry and Darren Till would become arch rivals in the UFC welterweight division. After their initial trash talk and callouts, however, the pair developed a mutual respect for one another. In the buildup to UFC 227 in early August, both Mike Perry and Darren Till were in Los Angeles for the UFC’s 25th Anniversary press conference. While in Los Angeles, the two welterweights were able to get some face time in. It was during this time that Perry famously asked Till to spar. Till initially agreed, thinking that Perry had invited him to the spa, but was no less on board when he realized that Perry had actually invited him to a sparring session.

Tom Taylor - August 23, 2018

Speaking in a candid interview with I Am Second, former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt opened on one of the darkest moments of his past. In this interview, Garbrandt divulged that, shortly after his high school wrestling career ended, he started doing drugs, and nearly attempted suicide. He says his brother Zach caught him at a crucial moment and was able to help him turn his life around.

Jason Kindschy - August 22, 2018

BJPENN.COM Radio is back, Penn Nation! The show returns with one of our favorite guests, “Platinum” Mike Perry. The fan-favorite knockout artist joins us to recap his victory over Paul Felder last month at UFC 226 and preview his upcoming showdown against Donald Cerrone at UFC FN 139 in Denver, Colorado on November 10th. We’ll get his thoughts on the matchup and fighting a guy he respects in Cerrone. You’ll also hear some interesting news on what seems to be Donald’s inevitable departure from the Jackson-Wink team, how “Platinum” continues to evolve as a martial artist, the outcome of the sparring session with Darren Till, and why he loves his new Ducati. All that and much more!

Drake Riggs - August 22, 2018

When two fighters train under the same roof are set to fight each other, there can often be some drama to follow. And this isn’t the first time we’ve seen that.

Thomas Taylor - August 22, 2018

UFC 229, which will be headlined by a blockbuster lightweight title fight between champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and challenger Conor McGregor, is getting closer by the day. In anticipation of this mammoth October 6 pay-per-view card, the UFC has now released an official poster for it. And, uh, it’s a video…

Drake Riggs - August 22, 2018

Things are always changing around in the MMA world. And even if someone already has a fight lined up…a new one can be presented! Which is now the case for UFC welterweight Neil Magny who was supposed to be taking on Alex “Cowboy” Oliveira at UFC Sao Paulo on September 22nd.

Drake Riggs - August 22, 2018

The first female super-fight is finally on. After speculation of if and when it would happen, the bantamweight and featherweight champs will meet. The only logical next fight for the longtime featherweight ruler Cris “Cyborg” Justino seems to be a big champion vs champion fight and now she’s got it.

Tom Taylor - August 22, 2018

BJJ star Garry Tonon is now 2-0 in mixed martial arts, having bested Richard Corminal and Rahul Raju under the ONE Championship banner. In roughly the same timeframe, another star of the BJJ world, Dillon Danis, has moved to 1-0 in MMA, having made a successful debut with a submission Kyle Walker under the Bellator banner. Given that both BJJ stars are beginning their MMA careers at the same time, much has been made about a potential fight between them. Apparently, this is something Garry Tonon himself has considered.

Tom Taylor - August 22, 2018

For a moment, it looked possible that former Bellator MMA lightweight champion Michael Chandler might leave his long-time home and sign with another promotion. In the end, however, Chandler has reportedly resigned with Bellator. This, per ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, who says Bellator pursued Chandler “hard.”

Tom Taylor - August 22, 2018

UFC President Dana White has promoted a lot of fights. Thousands. But which those countless fights does he feel he did the best job promoting? Apparently, Ronda Rousey’s famous UFC 193 title fight with Holly Holm, which marked the violent and decisive end of her seemingly unshakable title reign. Heading into this fight, very few people gave Holm, the massive underdog, a chance of defeating Rousey. White, however, feels his promotional savvy ultimately convinced people that Holm might just win. And of course, she did.

Tom Taylor - August 22, 2018

Shortly after Francis Ngannou gave up a decision to Derrick Lewis at UFC 226 — in inarguably one of the worst UFC fights ever — UFC President Dana White suggested that the former title challenger was being hindered by an ego problem. Francis Ngannou’s long-time coach Fernand Lopez agrees with the UFC President on this one.

Tom Taylor - August 22, 2018

https://youtu.be/H_FY4FepQUU KOTC, PRIDE and UFC veteran Dean Lister had a pretty frightening experience earlier this week. The fighter came home and found what he calls a “meth head” rooting through his stuff. Thinking fast, Lister began filming this incident. Unfortunately, things nearly reached a deadly crescendo when the burglar realized he was being filmed. He picked up what looks like a pipe or a hammer, and raised it toward the BJJ blackbelt lister. Lister then drew his sidearm, which was unsurprisingly enough to spook this burglar away.

Jordy McElroy - August 22, 2018

The lingering fallout from the officially—or, technically unofficially—announced fight between two-division UFC champion Daniel Cormier and former WWE and UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar has brought about a mixed bag of pandemonium within the MMA community. Some fans have completely bought into the crossover feud and Lesnar’s immense marketability in the combat sports world. Others see it as a rehearsed and inauthentic ploy at a quick cash grab for a future pay-per-view card.

Drake Riggs - August 21, 2018

Surely when you first saw this title you were a little confused as to why this is a list of four rather than five. Well, to be honest, that’s just the kind of state of affairs that we’re working with here. It’s no secret that the experiment known as the UFC women’s featherweight division has been a complete and utter failure up to this point.

Drake Riggs - August 21, 2018

Of all the injuries you would want to avoid in your lifetime…this is definitely one of them. At least Bryce Mitchell has a great sense of humor. Season 27 of The Ultimate Fighter featured a roster of undefeated lightweights and featherweights. Among the 145ers was the 10-0 Arkansas native, the man known as ‘Thug Nasty’.

Drake Riggs - August 21, 2018

When it comes to hand injuries, Michael “Mayday” McDonald just can’t seem to catch a break. Actually…I guess that’s literally the problem. The former UFC bantamweight title challenger has had issues with hand injuries dating back to his tenure with the UFC but they have since followed him to his new home of Bellator.

Tom Taylor - August 21, 2018

Dana White is not shy about his opinions. The UFC President will let loose on pretty much any subject — and that includes the fighters he promotes.  Over the course of his reign as the UFC President, he’s bashed dozens of UFC stars, from Anderson Silva, to Georges St-Pierre, to Stipe Miocic, to Tyron Woodley, and most recently, Francis Ngannou. And while he typically finds himself under fire when he makes disparaging comments about the fighters that put their health on the line to fatten his already distended wallet, he won’t be making any apologies.