MMA News

Tom Taylor - August 10, 2017

Shortly after his UFC 214 defeat of Daniel Cormier, which earned him the UFC light heavyweight title, Jon Jones began doubling down on his calls for a fight with former UFC heavyweight champ and long-time WWE superstar Brock Lesnar. “Man, it would be like a modern day David and Goliath situation,” Jones recently told Sway in the Morning of a potential battle with Lesnar. “This guy is a freak athlete. NCAA national wrestling champion. I mean he’s built like – he’s such a special athlete. I think a lot of people would assume that I would lose that fight and when you get an argument like that where people really don’t know who is going to win, that’s when the money is created. That’s when you get the main stream, general public wanting to tune into this freak show, right? The little guy versus this monster.”

Tom Taylor - August 10, 2017

When it was first agreed upon, Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor‘s blockbuster boxing match was supposed to be contested in 10 oz. gloves. From the sounds of it, however, that could change. After receiving criticism for demanding the use of 10 oz. gloves, which could well dampen the power of McGregor’s punches, Mayweather attempted to silence his critics by challenging McGregor to box in 8 oz gloves. McGregor then responded that he was all for it, and now, the wheels seem to be in motion.

Tom Taylor - August 10, 2017

Mixed martial arts can be a nasty sport. Fights frequently produce gruesome injuries, from broken limbs and digits, to nasty gashes. Even the training for fights can produce some pretty grizzly injuries. This is precisely the case for fan favorite UFC strawweight Paige VanZant. Late on Wednesday night, the strawweight star shared a photo of a gaping wound she sustained on her foot. Needless to say, it’s a nasty one. See her injury below.

Tom Taylor - August 10, 2017

Paulie Malignaggi can’t seem to keep Conor McGregor‘s name out of his mouth. After leaving the Irishman’s training camp with a bad taste in his mouth, the retired two-division boxing champ has had plenty to say about him. On Wednesday, the trend continued, as Malignaggi went off on a McGregor tirade on Twitter, answering many fan questions and even expressing some interest in boxing the Irish star in the future. Was never the intention. I’m retired, let’s get excited about #MayweatherMcGregor for now though as it’s around the corner. https://t.co/tH3hb3mlEl

Chris Taylor - August 9, 2017

Fight fans have not had the luxury of watching UFC welterweight slugger Matt Brown compete inside the octagon since December of last year. “The Immortal” decided to take some time off from the sport following his first career knockout loss which came to Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone at UFC 206.

Justin Golightly - August 9, 2017

If the name “Hype or Die” Pat Barry doesn’t ring any bells, he had a laundry list of epic K-1 fights and enjoyed an on-and-off success in the UFC. He’s probably best known for screaming motivating speeches into his longtime partner, Rose Namajunas’ face before fights. This was a sight curiously absent from Thug Rose’s last trip to the Octagon. Recently, the couple even dropped off of social media completely. This all culminated with Barry appearing on The MMA Hour for a gripping tell-all about pill and alcohol addiction, including the exact moment he hit rock bottom. It just so happens, it was during his training with Brock Lesnar for UFC 200. Pat Barry revealed that he was arrested during Brock Lesnar’s UFC 200 training camp. Here’s the story: https://t.co/7CnyslSowg pic.twitter.com/sjH1TrsJvX

Justin Golightly - August 9, 2017

It sure has been a long journey for Conor McGregor. No matter your opinion on the guy, if you delete his trash talk and brash in-your-face swagger, all you’re left with is a ridiculous list of accomplishments. Sure, he has a fire-spittin’ Lambo and pants that look like they’d be hanging in the back of Bret Hart’s closet, but he’s also knocked out two UFC champions. He’s gone from a plumber, to the richest MMA fighter ever. Oh, and he’s somehow strutted his way into a fight with the best boxer of our generation. This is the stuff folk songs are written about, which is exactly what Mick Konstantin ended up doing. ‘Theres only one @TheNotoriousMMA ,

Jason Kindschy - August 9, 2017

BJPENN Radio is live tonight at 8PM ET/5PM PT with another stacked lineup! 8:15PM ET- Kicking things off tonight we are joined by UFC Welterweight standout and fan favorite, “The Immortal” Matt Brown. Following a hiatus from competition were he focused on recovery and reigniting his passion for the sport, Matt is ready to return to action and reclaim his place as one of the elite at 170. We’ll get an update on the benefites of his layoff, his targeted return date, and of course his opinion on the welterweight division. Also, you’ll hear his take on some of MMA’s hot topics.

Russell Ess - August 9, 2017

Of all the stars that have been in the spotlight in the UFC, which one fighter would you say would be the iconic Mike Tyson of the promotion? There have been quite a few massive stars that have made a name for themselves and helped bring eyes to the sport. Think back to some of the names from the early days all the way up to the present. Royce Gracie, Chuck Liddell, Anderson Silva, Jon Jones, and Conor McGregor are all likely names that many fans could bring up and make a solid case for.

Justin Golightly - August 9, 2017

Do any of you remember in Ghostbusters when that demon possessed Louis Tully and he started spouting all that strange demi-god history? He warned that during the third reconciliation of the last of the Meketrex supplicants, a new form would be chosen for Gozer the Traveller. Well, that might as well have been Jon Jones. He’s a destroyer, simple as that. When he debuted in the UFC nine years ago today, our world would never be the same. We might have not known it then, but we sure as hell know it now. Aug9.2008

Tom Taylor - August 9, 2017

This afternoon, former UFC welterweight champion and bona fide MMA legend Georges St. Pierre picked up a pen, scrawled his signature on an agreement for a UFC 217 middleweight title fight with champ Michael Bisping, and generated a collective sigh of disappointment from the many established contenders in the UFC middleweight division. Yes, whether middleweight stars like Robert Whittaker, Yoel Romero, Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza, Luke Rockhold and Chris Weidman like it not, this much-discussed, and even more frequently derided middleweight title fight between Michael Bisping and Georges St-Pierre would seem to be a go.

Russell Ess - August 9, 2017

The latest news surrounding the mega-money fight between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor is all about the sparring sessions and fallout between “The Notorious” and former two-weight boxing world champion Paulie Malignaggi. A series of photos that allegedly made Malignaggi look like McGregor got the best of their two sparring sessions made the recently retired boxer remove himself from helping with the fight camp feeling like he was “exploited.”

Tom Taylor - August 9, 2017

Yesterday afternoon, top lightweight contenders Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov agreed to a fight this November 4, at UFC 217, inside New York City’s hallowed Madison Square Garden. MSG Sounds Nice To Me. Get Ready For An Ass Whoopin’ @TeamKhabib#TonyFergusonMMA#SnapDownCity

Justin Golightly - August 9, 2017

It’s hard to imagine Dan Hardy without some sort of multi-screen set-up at his home like Batman, watching 20 different fights on tons of monitors while taking notes. MMA fighters trying to diversify their skills as analysts is prevalent now, but Hardy is one of the best. Yesterday, it was announced that Hardy would join the Mayweather vs. McGregor commentary team. Today, he’s already proved his worth by releasing the first entry into a “fight diary” series to add insight to the unprecedented boxing match. THE GLOVE ISSUE – @DanHardyMMA‘s first diary explains the difference in wearing 4oz MMA gloves to 10oz boxing gloves https://t.co/mDtRZ8uyks pic.twitter.com/g5EvTj6sf6

Tom Taylor - August 9, 2017

Last weekend, the UFC returned to Mexico City, Mexico, with an exciting night of fights. In the main event, flyweight star Sergio Pettis derailed with win-streak of surging prospect Brandon Moreno. In the co-main event, meanwhile, rising strawweight Alexa Grasso picked up a close but impressive win over Randa Markos. As expected, these wins sent both young fighters scooting up their respective divisional UFC rankings. Here are the official UFC rankings as they stand in the wake of UFC Mexico:

Tom Taylor - August 9, 2017

Originally, UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt was expected to defend his title against former champion TJ Dillashaw at UFC 213. Unfortunately, Garbrandt was forced out of this anticipated bantamweight title fight with a severe back injury, and the fight was scrapped as a result. Though there was some brief discussion surrounding Dillashaw possibly dropping to flyweight for a fight with divisional champ Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson, it is more recently looking like he’ll battle Garbrandt as planned. While it has long been rumored, Garbrandt recently made a clear implication that this fight with Dillashaw will go down at UFC 217 this November 4 in the New York City’s Madison Square Garden.

Tom Taylor - August 9, 2017

Last month, during Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor‘s international press tour, McGregor made a few questionable remarks, several of which were deemed to be racist. The most controversial of McGregor’s remarks occurred during a backstage interview with Jimmy Kimmel Live, when he was asked about the film Rocky 3 – in which Rocky trains at an all-black gym – and referred to it as the one with all the “dancing monkeys in the gym.” Speaking to ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith earlier this week, Mayweather once again addressed these questionable comments from his upcoming opponent.

Tom Taylor - August 9, 2017

Floyd Mayweather is regarded as one of the greatest defensive boxers ever. The undefeated pugilist has confounded some of the toughest opposition on earth with his elusiveness, and most people expect more of the same when he boxes MMA export Conor McGregor on August 26. Apparently, however, Mayweather plans to divert from the style for which he’s become known against McGregor. We will not be seeing the sly and slippery Mayweather we’re used to, but rather an aggressive, head-hunting version of him. At least, this is what he assured in a recent interview with ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith.