MMA News

Tom Taylor - June 10, 2018

Rashad Evans’ return to the light heavyweight division did not go as he planned. Instead, the former champion was melted by a first-round knee courtesy of his foe Anthony Smith. The loss is Evans’ fifth in a row, as he has also recently been defeated by Sam Alvey and Dan Kelly at middleweight, and Glover Teixeira and Ryan Bader at light heavyweight. This unfortunate skid has unsurprisingly led many fans to the conclusion that the time has come for Evans to ride off into the sunset.

Tom Taylor - June 10, 2018

Former UFC bantamweight champion Holly Holm was the picture of dominance in her UFC 225 main card featherweight battle with Megan Anderson, showing off a rarely seen but extremely impressive ground game en route to a lopsided unanimous decision win. With this victory, Holm effectively established herself as the number-one contender at both featherweight and bantamweight. She’s one of the only options available for featherweight champ Cris Cyborg, and one of the few top bantamweights left that bantamweight champ Amanda Nunes has not yet fought. It really seems to come down to which division she’d prefer to fight for the title in first.

Tom Taylor - June 10, 2018

Colby Covington is now the UFC interim welterweight champion — though he assures he’s actually the undisputed champion. Covington earned this lofty title with a hard-fought decision victory over former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos in the co-main of UFC 225 on Saturday night. Though Covington is one of the most controversial and villainous figures in mixed martial arts today, his victory was impressive enough that even some of his biggest haters were applauding him. Then again, some members of the MMA community stuck to their guns, trashing the notorious heel even in the wake of his title win.

Tom Taylor - June 10, 2018

Last night, in the opener of the UFC 225 main card, Mike Jackson picked up a lopsided decision win over former pro wrestler CM Punk. Despite the fact that Punk seemed to have very little to offer Jackson in this fight, the former WWE star’s heart impressed onlookers worldwide. Apparently, it also impressed Jackson.

Tom Taylor - June 10, 2018

Last night, in the main event of UFC 225, Yoel Romero gave up a competitive — and somewhat controversial — split decision to reigning UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker. With this result, Romero falls to 0-2 against the current champ, which represents a tough situation for any contender. Romero’s situation looks even more uncertain when you consider the fact that he has now missed the 185-pound limit for middleweight title fights on two separate occasions. When it comes to options for the 41-year-old Cuban’s next fight, UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier has one of the more interesting ideas. He thinks Romero should head north to the light heavyweight division, where he’ll have to endure a less taxing cut, to battle long-time contender Alexander Gustafsson to establish a true light heavyweight champion in the division. This is a particularly interesting idea given that Cormier is currently tied up with a looming heavyweight title shot opposite Stipe Miocic, which leaves Gustafsson without a worthy adversary.

Tom Taylor - June 10, 2018

Last night, in the main event of the stacked UFC 225, middleweight champion Robert Whittaker and top middleweight contender Yoel Romero met for a second time — though Romero was not eligible to win the title due to a slight weigh-in miss. The pair’s main event showdown would go down as one of the very best fights of the year, complete with several near-stoppages, and some truly incredible momentum shifts. In the end, Whittaker would win this bout with a somewhat controversial split decision, moving to 2-0 over the fearsome Cuban in the process. That being said, there are really no losers in a war of this kind, which truly riveted the MMA community from beginning to end.

Tom Taylor - June 10, 2018

Turn sound on. Grab some popcorn. You're welcome. pic.twitter.com/8q2QxCvXxL — FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) June 10, 2018

Chris Taylor - June 9, 2018

A middleweight rematch between current division champion Robert Whittaker and top contender Yoel Romero served as the headliner of tonight’s UFC 225 pay-per-view event in Chicago. Unfortunately for fight fans, Yoel Romero missed weight by a mere .2 lbs on Friday and thus tonight’s UFC 225 main event was no longer for Robert Whittaker’s coveted middleweight championship.

Chris Taylor - June 9, 2018

A key women’s featherweight bout between former UFC bantamweight champion Holly Holm and former Invicta FC champion Megan Anderson took place on tonight’s UFC 225 main card from Chicago. Round one begins and Megan quickly comes forward and takes the center of the octagon. She fires off a left but Holm replies with a kick to the body. Anderson presses forward and lands a knee followed by a big punch. Holm appears to be stunned. She circles and then shoots in on Anderson. Holm presses Megan up against the cage. The two jockey for position. Holm with some soft strikes. Megan attempts to break free but Holm stays on her. She begins working some uppercuts. Anderson looks huge compared to Holm but still Holly continues to hold her against the fence and work some knees. Megan breaks free and then lands a kick. Holly leaps in with a jab and then attempts to tie her up. Holm can’t secure the clinch. Megan with a kick. Holly catches it and takes Megan to the canvas. Holm is working from side control. She begins landing some nice shots. Megan scrambles and grabs a leg. Holly continues to land strikes, now to the thigh of Anderson, until the horn sounds to end round one.

Chris Taylor - June 9, 2018

A heavyweight bout between former division champion Andrei Arlovski and surging contender Tai Tuivasa took place during tonight’s UFC 225 main card in Chicago. Round one begins and both men appear happy to stand and bang early on. Left hands connect for both fighter. Tai with a hard low kick. Arlovski responds with one of his own. Andrei with a jab. Tuivasa chases after him and wins Andrei trips and falls to the floor. Tai winds up in full mount. He postures up and looks to rain down punches but Andrei scrambles and gets back to his feet. Arlovski on the move now. He presses Tai against the cage. Tuivasa breaks free. Both men begin to stand and trade. Arlovski lands a nice right hand. That landed flush. Tai retreats and Arlovski is quick to move in. The fighters clinch and then break. The horn sounds to end round one.

Chris Taylor - June 9, 2018

Former WWE star Phil Brooks (aka CM Punk) returned to the octagon tonight in front of his hometown of Chicago where he squared off with Mike Jackson in the first bout of the UFC 225 main card. Both men, CM Punk and Mike Jackson, entered tonight’s contest with an 0-1 record and thus were searching for their first professional mixed martial arts victory.

Chris Taylor - June 9, 2018

A key heavyweight scrap between former title challenger Alistair Overeem and surging division contender Curtis Blaydes served as the featured bout of tonight’s UFC 225 prelims on FS1. Former Strikeforce and DREAM champion Alistair Overeem entered tonight’s contest with a 43-16 overall record while his opponent Curtis Blaydes entered the matchup 9-1.

Chris Taylor - June 9, 2018

A featherweight fight between Mirsad Bektic and Ricardo Lamas took place on tonight’s UFC 225 prelims in Chicago. Round one begins and Bektic steps into the pocket but is forced to retreat as Lamas fires off a combination. Lames with a low kick attempt that misses. Bektic circles and then lands a kick to the body. Lamas shoots in for a takedown and gets it. Bektic immediately pops back up to his feet. Lamas has him presses against the cage and fires off a knee. The fighters jockey for position and now it is Bektic with Lamas pressed against the cage. Bektic with some hard knees. He switches to punches aimed at the body. Lamas breaks free and circles out. Bektic with a nice body kick. Lamas misses with a head kick attempt. Bektic throws a punch and Lamas slips while avoiding an attempting a kick. Ricardo gets back up but Bektic is on him and presses him back up against the cage. Lamas breaks free and then grabs a hold of Bektic. He drops for a guillotine choke but Bektic is out and now in top position. Lamas is able to scramble to his feet. He fires off a big head kick that just misses before the horn sounds to end round one.

Chris Taylor - June 9, 2018

A light heavyweight scrap between Anthony Smith and former division champion Rashad Evans served as the featured bout of tonight’s UFC 225 fight pass prelims from Chicago. Rashad Evans entered tonight’s contest on a four fight losing streak and sported a record of 19-7-1 overall.

Chris Taylor - June 9, 2018

A key flyweight bout between former title challenger Joseph Benavidez and perennial division contender Sergio Pettis took place during tonight’s UFC 225 Fight Pass prelims from Chicago. Joseph Benavidez entered the contest with a record of 25-4, while his opponent Sergio Pettis sported a record of 16-3 overall.

Chris Taylor - June 9, 2018

A lightweight bout between veterans Clay Guida and Charles Oliveira took place during tonight’s UFC 225 Fight Pass prelims from Chicago. Clay Guida entered tonight’s contest with a 34-17 record while his opponent Charles Oliveira sported a record of 22-8 overall.

Chris Taylor - June 9, 2018

Get all of tonight’s UFC 225 live results on BJPENN.com. We will be providing up to the minute live results from all of this evenings action including fight recaps, fighter reactions and event highlights. The octagon returns to Chicago tonight for UFC 225!

Chris Taylor - June 9, 2018

UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker will still square off with Yoel Romero in the headliner of tonight’s UFC 225 event in Chicago. However, because Yoel Romero missed weight by .2 lbs on Friday, he will not be eligible to win the promotions coveted middleweight championship.