MMA News

Tom Taylor - June 20, 2018

Former two-division World Series of Fighting champion and current UFC middleweight contender David Branch was offered a fight with Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza, but Jacare apparently turned the fight down.  I just want to be clear to everyone I’ve been offered to fight JACARE main event August 22nd in Brazil and he’s not feeling confident enough to take the fight. @arielhelwani @DamonMartin @bokamotoESPN @sherdogdotcom @NewYorkRic @lthomasnews

Tom Taylor - June 20, 2018

If Firas Zahabi gets his way, former UFC welterweight and middleweight champion Georges St-Pierre will follow up in the footsteps of Conor McGregor and step into the boxing ring with undefeated legend Floyd Mayweather Jr. Zahabi shared his hopes for a St-Pierre vs. Mayweather boxing match on a recent episode of the JRE MMA Show.

Tom Taylor - June 20, 2018

CM Punk’s second MMA fight, which pitted him against Mike Jackson at UFC 225, didn’t go a whole lot better than his first. Though the former pro wrestler managed to survived until the final bell, he was soundly beaten for the bout’s duration — on the feet and on the mat — erasing any lingering hope that he might have what it takes to cut it in the perilous world of cage fighting. Yet just as he did in his first fight, a first-round submission loss to Mickey Gall, Punk showed that he’s got a toaster-sized heart thumping away inside his tattoo-covered chest. Though he is clearly short on the ability required to thrive as a mixed martial artist, he is long on guts, and that fact impressed many of the UFC’s top fighters.

Tom Taylor - June 20, 2018

UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley’s next fight is likely to pit him against interim champion Colby Covington — a man known for his willingness to talk trash about pretty much anybody with a pulse. Over the last few months, Covington has fired his patented verbal missiles at Woodley, Rafael dos Anjos, Darren Till, UFC middleweight champ Robert Whittaker, Former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum, Octagon commentator Joe Rogan, even his former roommate, light heavyweight legend Jon Jones.

Drake Riggs - June 19, 2018

When it comes to fight nights, you couldn’t have asked for much more in week 2 of the second season of Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series. We were treated to five fights and five finishes, three knockouts and two submissions. On top of that, we got a record four UFC contracts handed out to the winners.

Drake Riggs - June 19, 2018

After an ultra-impressive first round knockout victory over Thiago Santos in April, former WSOF double champ, David Branch has his sights set on another big fight. Specifically in the crosshairs of Branch is the perennial top 5 middleweight contender, Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza.

Drake Riggs - June 19, 2018

In the UFC’s increasingly shallow women’s bantamweight division, there remains only one real clear contender at the moment and that’s Brazil’s, Ketlen Vieira. Although it seems clear as day that a fight between Vieira and the champion, Amanda Nunes should be what’s next, after UFC 225 there is now speculation.

Tom Taylor - June 19, 2018

Michael Page is now 2-0 as a professional boxer, have recently picked up his sophomore win with a second round knockout of Michal Ciach (see that here). From the sounds of it, Page will seek to move 3-0 in the boxing ring before returning to MMA, where he also boasts a perfect record at 13-0.

Tom Taylor - June 19, 2018

UFC 225 was one of the best cards of the year so far, both in terms of name value and in terms of actual action. So, when the Los Angeles Times reported that the card sold a paltry 150,000 pay-per-views, we were all left scratching our heads. Well, according to the ever-reliable Dave Meltzer, who is an expert on such things, the actual number of UFC 225 pay-per-view sales is probably closer to 250,000 — still not great, but certainly better than originally reported by the LA Times.

Tom Taylor - June 19, 2018

On Saturday night — Saturday morning stateside — the UFC will return to beautiful Singapore with an exciting fight card. As always, the promotion has brought a handful of stars along with it to help promote the fights and participate in meet and greets and various other events with the fans. One of those fighters is former WEC champ and MMA pioneer Urijah Faber. Regrettably, Faber’s visit to Singapore is off to a rocky start. Not long after arriving in the country, he got hit by what he’s calling “the only car on the road.” From the looks of it, he escaped with little more than a foot injury, but still… not how you want to start a trip abroad.

Tom Taylor - June 19, 2018

Following his departure from the UFC, Ramsey Nijem received interest from a number of top mixed martial arts promotions. In the end, he decided to sign with the Professional Fighters League (PFL), a new league that is striving to revolutionize the MMA industry with an exciting seasonal format and whopping, million-dollar prizes.

Tom Taylor - June 19, 2018

When Will Brooks took his first steps into the UFC’s Octagon in July of 2016, he did so with a Bellator lightweight belt slung over his shoulder, and the scalps of highly respected fighters like Drew Dober, John Alessio, Saad Awad, Michael Chandler and Marcin Held clutched menacingly in his hand. To say he was hyped would be an understatement. In the eyes of many fans and analysts, Brooks’ earning a UFC lightweight title shot was as inevitable as Dana White’s next profanity-laced meltdown.

Tom Taylor - June 19, 2018

Former UFC middleweight contender Anthony Smith (29-13) looked like an absolute killer in his recent light heavyweight debut, executing former champion Rashad Evans with a first-round knee at UFC 225. While you might expect this ferocious win to send a shiver down the spines of Smith’s fellow light heavyweights, this is not the effect it had on Devin Clark (9-2). Instead, Clark wants to fight him — and soon. The light heavyweight they call “Brown Bear” is hoping to battle Smith when the UFC touches down in Lincoln, Nebraska on August 25.

Drake Riggs - June 18, 2018

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zVluTcLC7k “[My other problem] The commentators… Joe Rogan, one of my best friends, my brother. And even Jimmy Smith, those guys. When they would go, ‘Mike Jackson has high-level striking’.

Drake Riggs - June 18, 2018

At UFC 225 we were supposed to see an encounter between lightweights, Bobby Green and Clay Guida. Instead, we got Guida vs Charles Oliveira. Green was forced out of the bout with a knee injury making it his 12th fight cancellation in the UFC(a UFC record).

Drake Riggs - June 18, 2018

You know that fighter that is clearly talented but hasn’t quite broken off the cusp of the division’s very best? Those who still have their doubters but are flying under the radar steadily making waves? These are commonly referred to as the dark horses of a division. The ones that may sneak up on everyone else ranked above them when they least expect it and leave their lasting impression. These are the UFC’s top dark horse candidates for each division.

Chris Taylor - June 18, 2018

Add UFC welterweight Alan Jouban to the list of fighters who would like to see side kicks to the knee banned in mixed martial arts. This weekend former two-time UFC welterweight title challenger Stephen Thompson sat down with BJPENN.com’s Chris Taylor where he revealed his desire to see side kicks to the knee being made an illegal strike in mixed martial arts.

Tom Taylor - June 18, 2018

The next UFC event on the calendar is UFC Fight Night 132, which will emanate from the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore this Saturday. Here’s everything you need to know about this UFC Singapore card. The card will be headlined by a welterweight contender bout between rising Brit Leon Edwards, and beloved MMA veteran Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone. The bout will mark Cerrone’s opportunity to build on the momentum of a February TKO of Yancy Medeiros, while Edwards will seek to improve his current win-streak to six-straight.