MMA News

Tom Taylor - June 1, 2018

Last night, Darren Till’s sponsor Paddy Power released a behind-the-scenes video that showed just how brutal the fighter’s UFC Liverpool weight-cut was. In this video, a visibly depleted Till could be seen clambering around on all fours, while his corner mentioned that he had lost the ability to see. This video of Till’s harrowing weight-cut has already been wiped from the Internet, likely as the result of the tidal wave of controversy it created. All over the web, members of the MMA community voiced their concern, calling for Till to change weight classes, and for the widespread reform of weight-cutting policies.

Tom Taylor - June 1, 2018

On a recent episode of BJPENN.COM Radio, UFC 225 interim welterweight title challenger Colby Covington made headlines by suggesting that he he might have to slap UFC commentator Joe Rogan. Though Rogan promptly responded to these comments, asking Covington not to slap him, Covington isn’t satisfied.

Tom Taylor - June 1, 2018

For a time, Former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping and long-time middleweight contender Yoel Romero shared one of the most intense rivalries in MMA. That was back when Bisping sat on the middleweight throne, and Romero stood out as the top contender in the division. While the pair once shared a truly fiery rivalry, that rivalry seems to have fizzled out now that Bisping has retired.

Drake Riggs - May 31, 2018

May has come and gone. And with that brings us a whole new month chock full of MMA action. If we’re going to be completely honest, June is a very top heavy month of fights as the first two weeks provide a large portion of the should-be highlights. But that doesn’t mean that what’s in store won’t be fun.

Tom Taylor - May 31, 2018

https://youtu.be/dcZXFpERGjY Last weekend, in the main event of UFC Liverpool, hometown hero Darren Till picked up the biggest win of his career, capturing a unanimous decision win over two-time welterweight title challenger Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson.

Tom Taylor - May 31, 2018

There is a special place in the heart of every MMA fan for a good, old-fashioned scrap… Those frenetic fights like Dan Henderson vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua I, Robbie Lawler vs. Rory MacDonald II, and Nick Diaz vs. Paul Daley that hammer their way into our memories and never leave. At the end of each month, BJPENN.COM honors the best scraps of the month, from the UFC’s Octagon, to the Rizin ring, to the cages of regional promotions all over the world.

Tom Taylor - May 31, 2018

Tomorrow night, in the main event of the UFC’s anticipated stop in Utica, New York, streaking bantamweight contender Jimmie Rivera will attempt to take out former World Series of Fighting champion Marlon Moraes. Though it’s not a certainty just yet, the winner of this fight could become the next man in line for the victor of TJ Dillashaw and Cody Garbrandt’s bantamweight title rematch, which goes down at UFC 227 this August 4.

Tom Taylor - May 31, 2018

Tomorrow night, the UFC will touch down in Utica, New York with a rare, Friday night card. This UFC Utica card will be topped by a bantamweight clash between the streaking Jimmie Rivera, and former World Series of Fighting champion Marlon Moraes. Though nothing is official just yet, this bout could well produce the bantamweight division’s next number-one contender.

Tom Taylor - May 31, 2018

Last weekend, in the main event of the UFC’s debut in Liverpool, UFC welterweight contender Darren Till picked up the biggest win of his career, scoring a decision win over two-time welterweight title challenger Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson. Not everybody, however, agreed with the judges’ decision.

Tom Taylor - May 31, 2018

Bantamweight contenders Jimmie Rivera and Marlon Moraes, who will fight on Friday night in the main event of UFC Utica, have had plenty to say about each other in the past. That being said, it sounds like their encounters have been quite friendly in the lead-up to their fight.

Tom Taylor - May 31, 2018

Jon Jones’s legendary reign as light heavyweight champion was not derailed by a well-placed punch or a deftly applied submission, but by a long string of troubles outside the cage. It’s because of Jones’s indiscretions outside the cage — namely a hit-and-run, and his purported abuse of both recreational and performance-enhancing drugs — that he has not been able to call himself the undisputed champion for more than a few moments since early 2015. All the same, Jones resides amongst the best fighters in the history of mixed martial arts, and his resume is almost unrivalled. For these reasons, he still considers himself the true light heavyweight champion of the UFC.

Tom Taylor - May 31, 2018

Earlier this month, former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum was notified of a potential USADA violation. Werdum is now undergoing his due process, and is vehemently maintaining his innocence. Yet in the opinion of one of the heavyweight’s chief nemeses, UFC welterweight Colby Covington, there is no doubt about Werdum’s guilt.

Jason Kindschy - May 30, 2018

BJPENN.COM Radio is back yet again! We kick things off with No. 4 ranked UFC bantamweight Jimmie Rivera. “El Terror” is set to face off against Marlon Moraes this Friday in Utica, New York, at UFC FN 131. Jimmie was kind enough to speak with us briefly during his busy schedule leading up to the event and he helped us preview the showdown with Marlon. You’ll hear the latest on Jimmie’s well-documented beef with Marlon’s manager and how that will translate into the cage on fight night. We’ll also get Rivera’s prediction for the rematch between Dillashaw and Garbrandt, who he’d prefer to fight for the title if given the choice, and if he’s been promised the ever-elusive title shot with a win over Moraes.

Drake Riggs - May 30, 2018

“Jessica [Andrade] is very, very strong. I was very surprised with her strength. I compare her to a 125 [pound] guy when it comes to strength and power. And I never felt that before so I was very surprised.

Drake Riggs - May 30, 2018

Next Saturday’s UFC 225 pay-per-view card in Chicago, Illinois is one of the most stacked cards of the year. The event will host a whopping 16 ranked UFC fighters competing against one another. With so much talent, some fighters were bound to be positioned in spots they wouldn’t be fond of. One of those being one of the two fighters who are ranked as #1 contenders in their divisions, Joseph Benavidez.

Drake Riggs - May 30, 2018

The return of Phil “CM Punk” Brooks is practically upon us. It’s been two years since we saw the ex-professional wrestler make his ‘intriguing’ debut at UFC 203 in Cleveland, Ohio. Unfortunately for CM Punk, it went about as poorly as it possibly could have. Charging straightforward at his opponent, Mickey Gall, CM Punk would get taken down almost immediately and lose the fight via first-round submission by way of rear naked choke without ever landing a single punch.

Tom Taylor - May 30, 2018

After his exciting UFC Liverpool win over Trevor Smith, which came via unanimous decision, Canadian middleweight Elias Theodorou is hoping for a fight with former UFC light heavyweight champ and long-time middleweight contender Lyoto Machida. Theodorou explained why he’s targeting Machida in a post-fight chat with the media.

Tom Taylor - May 30, 2018

Bellator welterweight champion Rory MacDonald and new Bellator middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi want to fight each other. That could not be any clearer.  “Obviously, me and Gegard want it and I think the fans want it,” MacDonald said on The MMA Hour this week. “I think it would be the biggest fight that Bellator, that they could put on right now. In my opinion, if they pass this opportunity by, it would be a mistake because how often can you get this kind of timing and one fight could change the direction of any one of our careers, so I think the opportunity is now and we should take it.”