MMA News

Drake Riggs - March 13, 2018

The UFC crowned their first ever female flyweight champion last December when capping off season 26 of The Ultimate Fighter. Of the sixteen competitors, the #14 seeded underdog, Nicco Montano would come out the victor by defeating all of the top three seeds on her way to doing so. Since Montano defeated seasoned veteran and pioneer, Roxanne Modaferri to win the title, Montano has been battling a very bad case of arthritic turf toe on top of a fracture in her foot that almost prevented her from even fighting for the title.

Justin Golightly - March 13, 2018

So, @DanielPitPineda told me there was a pool for him to land the @MightyMouseUFC video game armbar at #LFA35. The pool had surpassed $2K, I even pitched in $100… check out the video; I kept my $100. @LFAfighting @AXSTVFights @patmiletich @microphonephoen #MMA #HoustonMMA pic.twitter.com/W7LXS4mntV — Mike Jackson, Esq. (@TheTruthJackson) March 13, 2018

Justin Golightly - March 13, 2018

It’s been no secret that Rory MacDonald wanted big things from his transition to Bellator. He dominated Paul Daley in his debut and then won a war with Douglas Lima to finally become a world champion. After he defends his title against whoever is next – most likely Andrei Koreshkov – MacDonald wants to become Bellator’s “Champ Champ”. Let’s give what the audience wants to see.

Justin Golightly - March 13, 2018

Francis Ngannou of the most severe and recent examples of how brutal MMA is and how forgetful fans are. Just before UFC 220, he was primed to be the next big thing and we were already planning mega fights with Brock Lesnar. After Stipe Miocic stifled him, it’s like he disappeared in the minds of the UFC and the public. His boxing coach Dewey Cooper vows that this won’t last long. Ngannou will learn from his mistakes and come back even better. “I got one word to describe [Francis Ngannou]: Phenomenal. We had an off night and we all felt that night, that Francis at his worst still couldn’t be stopped. That’s all I can say about that. Francis at his best won’t be defeated and him at his worst could not even be stopped. We got the best heavyweight in UFC couldn’t stop a guy who was just not at his best that night. Francis man, he’s phenomenal and he will definitely be back stronger than ever. […] Stipe was at his best and we just weren’t at our best and there will be improvement from that.”

Tom Taylor - March 13, 2018

On July 7, in the main event of UFC 226, UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier will return to his former haunts in the heavyweight division, where he will challenge heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic for the title. While this fight is one of the most anticipated on the UFC calendar, it has left the light heavyweight division’s top contenders without a champion to gun for. Sweden’s Alexander Gustafsson is one of those contenders. On Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour, Gustafsson expressed his frustration with Cormier’s departure from the division – even if it’s only temporary.

Justin Golightly - March 13, 2018

In the middle of the afternoon yesterday, CM Punk dropped one of his signature pipe bombs, only he wasn’t sitting crossed-legged on top of a WWE entrance ramp. Instead, Punk dropped news on Twitter that he’d fighting at UFC 225. While there was some rumors about CM Punk fighting Floyd Mayweather, let’s be honest: Fighting Mike ‘The Truth’ Jackson is far more likely and he’s been pushing it like nobody else. “I haven’t been in contact with [the UFC] directly. I have several close personal friends in the organization, including UFC matchmaker Mick Maynard and some other affiliates. We’ve had brief conversations, nothing is set in stone. For me, it’s just a waiting game. […] I’ve been in contact with his coach Duke Roufus. It was very small, but when I talked to him I told him I was going to smack his man in his face for talking a little reckless.”

Justin Golightly - March 13, 2018

While everyone but Georges St-Pierre contemplates his next opponent, Ben Askren has been campaigning for this fight mostly because people won’t stop asking him about it. The UFC on FOX account seems to mention him bi-weekly now and Askren is shrugging and RTing every time it happens. On the latest editions of The MMA Hour, he not only thinks the fight goes down in 2019, but runs play-by-play on exactly how he defeats the two-division UFC champion. “Here’s what I think happens, because the one thing I have over [Georges St-Pierre] is I have the wrestling advantage and I don’t get tired, and that’s usually what he’s relied on in the last, say, 10 to 12 fights or so. I think he’s very tough to take down early. I think he’s very tough. I think he’s probably going to win the striking battle, but one of the things, I never take a lot of damage. I just don’t get hit a lot. That’s what I’m good at.”

Justin Golightly - March 13, 2018

The combat sports universe moves at the speed of light, but even with the infinite treadmill of social media and face-punch dates being booked, it’s hard to forget Rose Namajunas dethroning UFC strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 217. The unexpected result was juxtaposed by the former champ’s signature pre-fight scare tactics. …But they didn’t work. Now Jedrzejczyk seeks to take back what’s hers and is righting wrongs along the way. “That night I was not one hundred percent competitor for [Rose Namajunas]. […] I am sure that there will be no negligence before the return from Namajunas. After what happened in November, my eyes and ears are open even wider. I am even more demanding not only to myself, but also to my colleagues, to people, who are creating my team. And at the same time I trust them very much. My ties with coaches Katel Kubis and Mike Brown, ties with sparring partners, as well as with the owner of ATT, have tightened considerably.”

Justin Golightly - March 13, 2018

When Georges St-Pierre was set to appear on The MMA Hour, we all thought we may have an announcement about his next fight. Instead, the two-division champion looked down a long list of possible huge opponents and didn’t really seem too thrilled with any of them. While he may not know his exact plan of attack on his return, Rory MacDonald believes St-Pierre’s career is far from over. “Even if [Georges St-Pierre] lost five in a row, still I don’t think it would taint what he’s done. He’s done some of the most amazing stuff in the sport so far, so I’m really happy for him. If he feels he has more left in the tank, then I think absolutely he should get in there and do his thing. I don’t think any top fighter like that should feel like he left the game early.”

Tom Taylor - March 13, 2018

Dominick Reyes is one of the fastest rising talents in the UFC light heavyweight division. That said, the undefeated fighter is content to take his time rising through the UFC ranks, allowing himself to evolve into a complete mixed martial artist before he starts mixing it up with the division’s top dogs. All the same, Reyes is hoping to fight one top light heavyweight in particular in the future: Alexander Gustafsson. Speaking on the latest episode of BJ Penn Radio, Reyes admitted that he draws quite a bit of inspiration from Gustafsson, and that he’d like to share the Octagon with him somewhere down the line.

Tom Taylor - March 13, 2018

While nothing is official just yet, it’s still looking like UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson’s next title challenger could be a slimmed-down version of UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw. As one of the flyweight division’s long-time contenders, John Moraga would watch this fight very closely. Speaking on the latest episode of BJ Penn Radio, Moraga shared his interest in this fight.

Tom Taylor - March 13, 2018

On May 12, in what is expected to be the main event of UFC 224 in Brazil, Raquel Pennington will get her long-awaited crack at the UFC women’s bantamweight title, as she takes on champion Amanda Nunes. While this fight is now official there was a stretch when it looked like the UFC would go in another direction. The plan, it seemed, was to pit Nunes against dominating UFC women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg.

Tom Taylor - March 13, 2018

On March 10, BJPenn.com’s Chris Taylor reported that UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker and top contender Yoel Romero will rematch at UFC 225 on June 9 in Chicago, Illinois. Breaking! Per sources Yoel Romero vs Robert Whittaker 2 is a done deal for #UFC225. The title fight rematch is expected to serve as the main event in Chicago!

Drake Riggs - March 12, 2018

The fight may be over, but the war of words appears to be far from it. As the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix continues on, it does so without Roy ‘Big Country’ Nelson as he was defeated by Matt Mitrione at Bellator 194 in their rematch of a 2012 UFC bout. But the result didn’t come without some controversy.

Jason Kindschy - March 12, 2018

Another episode of BJPENN.COM Radio is here Penn Nation! First up we are joined by one of the most talked about and incredibly talented light-heavyweight prospects in the UFC, Dominick Reyes. With two devastating finishes in just two UFC bouts, Reyes is looking to continue that momentum against his next opponent. We’ll be discussing possible matchups moving forward, his goals as a martial artist, what he thinks of the other athletes in the division, and how he intends to bring back quality sportsmanship while also being a good role model.

Drake Riggs - March 12, 2018

News broke today that has completely shaken up the Bellator 196 card that takes place on April 6th in Budapest, Hungary. Originally slated to be a featherweight confrontation between young Irish prospect, James Gallagher vs Adam Borics has now turned into the exact opposite: A clash of former grizzled UFC veterans.

Drake Riggs - March 12, 2018

What do fighters do? The simple answer: they fight. Though the deeper you dig, it’s much more than that and everything that leads up to the moment they’ve been working their whole lives for, is not so simple.

Tom Taylor - March 12, 2018

On Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour, UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson explained that he’s still interested in defending his title against slimmed down version of UFC bantamweight TJ Dillashaw. “That’s the fight that I want,” he said. “That’s the fight that I believe… it should go down. Obviously, the UFC knows what I want.”