MMA News

Tom Taylor - August 10, 2018

If all goes according to the UFC’s plan, the next crack at UFC heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier will go to former champion and WWE star Brock Lesnar. While a Cormier vs. Lesnar fight is almost certain to do big business, it’s caused a bit of a headache for the UFC’s top heavyweight contenders, such as Curtis Blaydes. Blaydes, like many members of the MMA community, feels that Lesnar doesn’t belong anywhere near a UFC heavyweight title shot. Lesnar, of course, hasn’t won a fight since 2010, when he choked out Shane Carwin. Though there was briefly a win over Mark Hunt on his record in 2016, that win was overturned when he tested positive for a banned substance.

Tom Taylor - August 10, 2018

Earlier this week, on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show, former UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz made some comments about Duane Ludwig, the head coach of current champ TJ Dillashaw. In what seemed like an attempt at an insult, Cruz claimed that Ludwig is trying to live vicariously through his star pupil. Apparently, Cruz is right.

Tom Taylor - August 10, 2018

Earlier this summer, former World Series of Fighting standout Nick Newell got the opportunity to earn a UFC contract on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series. Unfortunately for Newell and his throngs of fans, this opportunity didn’t go as he planned, as he lost a decision to his foe Alex Munoz. Speaking shortly after this season of the Contender Series wrapped up, White seemed to close the door on Newell ever fighting in the UFC. In his eyes, the Octagon is not a place for a congenital amputee.

Tom Taylor - August 10, 2018

Earlier this month, current UFC interim welterweight champion Colby Covington did what he said he’d do, and met with US President Donald Trump at the White House. Speaking on the latest episode of BJPENN.COM Radio, Covington discussed this meeting with Trump — which he says was the best day of his life. He also shared a story Trump told him about one his multiple WWE appearances.

Tom Taylor - August 10, 2018

Move over Dominick Cruz, Marlon Moraes, Rafael Assuncao and Henry Cejudo. There’s another contender for TJ Dillashaw’s UFC bantamweight title, and he’s not even a mixed martial artist. Shortly after Dillashaw knocked out his arch rival Cody Garbrandt in the main even of UFC 227 last weekend, he was called out by Floyd Mayweather Jr. protege Gervonta Davis.

Tom Taylor - August 10, 2018

UFC featherweight champion Cris Cyborg has not fought since her first-round mauling of Yana Kunitskaya in March. Since then, she’s been angling for a fight with women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes, but the fight still hasn’t come together, and it doesn’t seem like it will until at least December. To say that Cris Cyborg is getting tired of waiting would be an understatement.

Jason Kindschy - August 9, 2018

BJPENN.COM Radio is back, Penn Nation! We kick off this episode with arguably the most talented prospect awarded a contract from DWTNCS, Alonzo Menifield. Finishing his last opponent in just 8 seconds, Alonzo now hopes to make his UFC debut in October. We’ll recap the victory that landed him a contract, discuss what matchups make the most sense for his debut, and how he plans to build momentum towards the title quickly.

Drake Riggs - August 9, 2018

UFC 227 this past Saturday delivered on a variety of levels. As per every fight night, not everyone gets to go home happy. Some less than others. In the event’s preliminary portion of the card, UFC newcomer and a winner on season 1 of Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series, Matt Sayles debuted opposite Sheymon Moraes.

Drake Riggs - August 9, 2018

Injuries, weight cut issues, you name it and a fight can be canceled for it. Which is why it’s good to see that the UFC is now starting to have fighters on standby for their main events. We saw it most recently with international fight week wherein the case that a headlining fighter couldn’t go, someone else was ready to step in and replace them.

Drake Riggs - August 9, 2018

After a year and a half away from the Octagon, the first-ever UFC female featherweight champion is now officially back and set to do battle. The Netherlands’ greatest female striker Germaine De Randamie essentially vanished from MMA after her big title win over Holly Holm at UFC 208 to continue pursuing her career as a police officer.

Drake Riggs - August 9, 2018

The day after UFC 229 gets another fun fight in Ovince Saint Preux vs Dominick Reyes, we just get another! This time at strawweight. As the big Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Conor McGregor headlined card continues to take shape, the name value is stacking up.

Drake Riggs - August 9, 2018

Never one to be shy to share what’s on his mind, Darren Till did so again this past week at UFC 227. And he caught some flack for it from the MMA community. One half of UFC 228’s welterweight title headliner will be the challenger, Liverpool’s own Till. After being a part of the UFC’s big 25-Year press conference the day before UFC 227, Till stuck around for the night of action as expected.

Tom Taylor - August 9, 2018

After winning the UFC lightweight title with a second-round knockout of Eddie Alvarez in November of 2016, Conor McGregor shared his interest in negotiating an ownership stake in the UFC. When McGregor battled Floyd Mayweather in the boxing ring in August of 2017, elevating his stardom to new and unprecedented heights, his bargaining power increased tenfold. Suddenly, his receiving a piece of the UFC pie did not seem like such a farfetched possibility. “They’ve got to entice me now because I came from a billion dollar fight,” McGregor said last year (via MMANytt). “They’ve got to entice me. I want equity. I want ownership. I want to be a true partner, similar in the way I was in the Floyd fight. I was a promoter and I was a fighter, and that must continue for me to continue.”

Tom Taylor - August 9, 2018

Earlier this month, it was announced that fan favorite lightweight contender Nate Diaz will make his long awaited return to the Octagon opposite top lightweight contender Dustin Poirier in the co-main event of UFC 230 on November 3. Since then, however, an ornery Diaz has repeatedly suggested that he’s no longer willing to take this fight. 

Tom Taylor - August 9, 2018

On November 10, when the UFC returns to Denver, Colorado, fan favorite welterweights “Platinum” Mike Perry and Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone will collide in a fight that has fans salivating. Ahead of this fight, you won’t hear much in the way of trash talk from the often outspoken Mike Perry. And that’s not just because he and Cowboy briefly trained together at Jackson’s MMA in Albuquerque.

Tom Taylor - August 9, 2018

James Vick, who will battle Justin Gaethje in the UFC Lincoln main even on August 25, has been calling for a fight with Kevin Lee for a long time. Unfortunately for Vick, the fight has never come together. According to Vick, that’s because Lee has repeatedly turned the bout down. He says he’s even got the text messages with UFC matchmakers Joe Silva and Sean Shelby to prove it.

Tom Taylor - August 9, 2018

As the UFC interim welterweight champion Colby Covington should be the next man in line for undisputed welterweight champion Tyron Woodley. Unfortunately for Covington, the UFC had other plans. When Covington wasn’t ready to battle Woodley at UFC 228 on September 8, the UFC elected to give the next title shot to undefeated Brit Darren Till. Covington, meanwhile, will be stripped of his interim belt the moment the first punch is thrown in this Woodley vs. Till title fight.

Drake Riggs - August 8, 2018

After the big announcement of UFC 229’s main event between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor, the October 6th card is coming together overall. With the event’s co-main event looking to soon be finalized between Derrick Lewis and Alexander Volkov, only more firepower is getting added.