MMA News
Robert Whittaker sounds off on Georges St-Pierre's middleweight ambitions
Tom Taylor - July 5, 2017
When it was announced that UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping would next defend his title against Georges St-Pierre – a former welterweight champ who had never fought at middleweight before – there was widespread backlash. Much of this backlash came from the middleweight division’s top contenders, such as Yoel Romero, Luke Rockhold, Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza, and Robert Whittaker. While this Bisping vs. St-Pierre fight has since been nixed, Whittaker recently reiterated that St-Pierre really had no business fighting for the middleweight title. He explained this feeling in a recent interview with Fox Sports Australia.
Megan Anderson saw a lot of holes in Cris Cyborg's game after watching sparring footage
bjpenndotcom - July 5, 2017
Recently, former Invicta FC women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg posted a video of herself on social media sparring with Olympic boxer Claressa Shields. The footage was nearly a minute long, and saw the two women exchanging leather in a hard sparring session, which you can see below:
Cris Cyborg hopes for better relationship with UFC after Dana White admitted mistakes
bjpenndotcom - July 5, 2017
UFC women’s featherweight contender Cris Cyborg is currently gearing up for her vacant women’s featherweight title fight on July 29th in Anaheim, California, where she will look to capture UFC gold. Ahead of the fight, UFC President Dana White gave a rather interesting interview in which he admitted that the UFC made some mistakes in regards to how they handled Cris Cyborg and her situation when they signed her.
Dana White updates on his eventual retirement from the UFC
Tom Taylor - July 5, 2017
When the UFC was purchased by WME-IMG in the summer of 2016, there was widespread wonder as to the fate of company staples like Mike Golberg, Joe Rogan, and UFC President Dana White. Goldberg, as we now know, was let go by the promotion, and ultimately landed in Bellator. Rogan, meanwhile, seems to be staying put for the moment. White, however, didn’t give much indication as to how much longer he planned on staying with the promotion.
Paul Daley says he's waiting for Lorenz Larkin to accept a fight
Tom Taylor - July 5, 2017
If a recent Facebook post from British knockout artist Paul Daley is to be believed, Bellator MMA is working on an absolutely dynamite welterweight scrap. In his post, Daley suggested that he had agreed to a fight with former UFC welterweight contender and recent Bellator title challenger Lorenz Larkin, and that he’s just waiting for Larkin to agree to the fight. See Daley’s post, which he shared on his personal account rather than his fan page, below:
Dana White: Michael Bisping doesn't turn down fights
bjpenndotcom - July 4, 2017
UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping has received quite a bit of criticism for what many perceive to be an unwillingness to fight Yoel Romero. Bisping is currently recovering from knee surgery, and is expected to fight the winner of the upcoming interim middleweight title fight between Yoel Romero and Robert Whittaker, however there have been reports that Bisping is still targeting a fight with UFC legend Georges St-Pierre.
Chris Weidman reveals he lost his NYSAC appeal regarding controversial UFC 210 loss to Gegard Mousasi
Russell Ess - July 4, 2017
Chris Weidman was not happy but also was not surprised when he got the answer to his appeal to the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) regarding his controversial loss to Gegard Mousasi at UFC 210. Speaking on the MMA Hour on Monday, Weidman told Ariel Helwani that he received a letter from the NYSAC saying that his appeal did not go in his favor.
Family of Matt Hughes gives positive update on his condition
Russell Ess - July 4, 2017
UFC Hall of Fame legend Matt Hughes has been recovering in the hospital after the truck he was driving was struck by a train on June 16 near his hometown in Illinois. The accident happened as Hughes was crossing a train track where an oncoming train struck the passenger side of his vehicle. The former UFC welterweight champion was then airlifted to HSHS St. John’s Hospital in Springfield, Illinois. Matt’s sister, Beth Ulrici Hughes gave an update on her Facebook page as she stated her brother is no longer on a ventilator.
MMA community celebrates 4th of July
bjpenndotcom - July 4, 2017
On July 4th, citizens of the United States celebrate American Independence day. The date marks a period of celebration and relaxation for many American citizens. Below is a compilation of how the MMA community spent the 4th of July:
Jimi Manuwa makes a confident pick for Daniel Cormier vs. Jon Jones fight
Tom Taylor - July 4, 2017
This July 29, in the main event of UFC 214, Daniel Cormier will attempt to defend his light heavyweight title against his fiercest rival and the only man he’s lost to: Jon Jones. Earlier that same night, England’s Jimi Manuwa will battle Switzerland’s Volkan Oezdemir in what appears to be a light heavyweight number one contender fight. In advance of this stacked card, Manuwa spoke to FloCombat.com, and made a pretty confident pick for the main event title fight.
First Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather press conference announced
bjpenndotcom - July 4, 2017
The press conference fight fans have been waiting for has been officially announced! According to TheSun.uk, Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather will meet on stage for the first time in a highly anticipated press conference at the Wembley Stadium in London “in two weeks time” according to a report released on July 4th.
Alistair Overeem fires back at Mark Hunt: "how old are we?"
Tom Taylor - July 4, 2017
Earlier this year, on the main card of UFC 209, Alistair Overeem knocked out a fellow veteran striker in Mark Hunt. With this win, Overeem moved to 2-0 over Hunt, having tapped him out back in 2008 under the DREAM banner. Since then, Hunt has had plenty to say about Overeem, calling him a cheater on multiple occasions. On Monday’s episode of The MMA Hour, Overeem fired back at Hunt – and he did not hold back.
Miesha Tate weighs in on Germaine de-Randamie-Cris Cyborg controversy
bjpenndotcom - July 4, 2017
Germaine de Randamie may no longer be the UFC women’s featherweight champion, however her feud with the UFC is still an extremely controversial one. After winning the belt earlier this year, it appeared as though the stars had aligned for Germaine de Randamie to defend her title against Cris Cyborg. De Randamie refused to fight Cyborg, explaining that the former Invicta FC champ is a “proven cheater” in regards to her drug testing history. While Cyborg’s team, and many others, held out hope for a GDR-Cyborg fight, de-Randamie was ultimately stripped of the title by the UFC, and Cris Cyborg was booked to fight Megan Anderson.
UFC was targeting Chris Weidman vs. Anderson Silva 3 in Brazil
bjpenndotcom - July 4, 2017
Nearly four years after their first encounter in the Octagon at UFC 162 in 2013, The UFC was looking to cash in on the possibility of a Chris Weidman vs. Anderson Silva trilogy fight in Brazil. When the two met four years ago on July 6th, Wediman was an undefeated contender with a 9-0 professional MMA record, with five of those wins coming in the UFC. In just the second round, Chris Weidman shocked the world as he picked up a 2nd round KO win to claim the middleweight championship. Five months later, a rematch saw Silva’s leg snap in a moment of horror, as Weidman retained his title.
Michael Bisping still wants GSP, but he's starting to lose patience
Tom Taylor - July 4, 2017
This weekend, in the co-main event of UFC 213, streaking middleweight contenders Yoel Romero and Robert Whittaker will collide for the interim UFC middleweight title, as the undisputed champ Michael Bisping is currently on the injury list with some knee troubles. There is no guarantee, however, that the winner of this interim title fight fights Bisping next, as Bisping is still keen on a much-discussed fight with former welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre. “I was supposed to fight GSP. Why wouldn’t I want to fight him? Of course, that would be big business,” Bisping said on the latest episode of The MMA Hour (h/t MMAFighting.com). “He’s a guy that will be regarded as a welterweight legend forever. I would love that fight for my legacy. We’ve been over this a million times.”
Friday's TUF 25 finale gets last-minute reshuffle
Tom Taylor - July 4, 2017
Though it is just days away, Friday’s Ultimate Fighter 25 Finale has received a last minute reshuffle, as French Canadian brawler Steve Bosse has been forced out of his anticipated light heavyweight scrap with Jared Cannonier. This news was first reported by Shawn Bitter on Twitter. The cause of Steve Bosse’s withdrawal is not currently known.
Former WSOF champ Justin Gaethje explains why he picked the UFC over Bellator
Tom Taylor - July 4, 2017
This Friday, in the main event of the Ultimate Fighter 25 Finale, former World Series of Fighting lightweight champion Justin Gaethje will make his anticipated debut in the UFC’s Octagon. The undefeated debutant will do so against the UFC’s sixth-ranked lightweight contender, Michael Johnson. If things had unfolded just a little bit differently, of course, Gaethje could have gone the way of other free agents like Rory MacDonald, Ryan Bader and Roy Nelson, and signed with the ever-growing Bellator MMA.
Chris Weidman gives first-hand account of Cris Cyborg-Angela Magana incident
Tom Taylor - July 4, 2017
Perhaps the biggest story to emerge from this years UFC athletes retreat stemmed from a heated blowout between UFC featherweight star Cris “Cyborg” Justino and UFC strawweight Angela Magana. This confrontation was sparked by some nasty comments Magana made about Cyborg online, and culminated with Cyborg blasting Magana with a punch. Since then, we’ve heard many witnesses give their take on what happened. The latest to do so was former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman, who painted perhaps the best picture yet on the latest edition of The MMA Hour.