MMA News

bjpenndotcom - June 29, 2017

Back in April, top ranked middleweight Jacare Souza stepped into the Octagon with Robert Whittaker for a highly anticipated middleweight showdown. Unfortunately for Jacare, who was ranked higher than Whittaker going into the fight, he lost the scrap via TKO, snapping a 2-fight win streak. Now, with Jacare ranked at #5 on the UFC’s middleweight rankings, and Whittaker set to fight Yoel Romero for the interim middleweight title this summer, Jacare spoke to Combate to reflect on his fight with ‘The Reaper’:

Russell Ess - June 29, 2017

The UFC rankings have been updated since UFC Fight Night 112 took place in Oklahoma City on Sunday night. In the main event of the evening, Kevin Lee scored a controversial submission win over Michael Chiesa. Referee Mario Yamasaki called an end to the fight before Chiesa tapped, perhaps thinking that Chiesa was choked unconscious. Chiesa immediately argued the stoppage and has filed an appeal to the Oklahoma State Athletic Commission to have the fight overturned to a no contest.

bjpenndotcom - June 29, 2017

MMA veteran Nick Diaz has remained one of the most popular fighters in MMA despite the fact that he hasn’t fought in nearly three years. After his dominant run in Strikeforce, Diaz signed with the UFC and made his debut in 2011, when he defeated BJ Penn via unanimous decision. Diaz then dropped his next two fights, an interim welterweight scrap with Carlos Condit, and a unanimous decision to Georges St-Pierre for the welterweight title. In his most recent fight, Diaz stepped into the Octagon against Anderson Silva in a highly anticipated showdown which was eventually deemed a ‘no contest’ as a result of drug testing failures for both men. As it turns out, UFC President Dana White believes that very well may have been Diaz’ last fight. He spoke to MMAJunkie:

Tom Taylor - June 29, 2017

Early this morning, upcoming UFC featherweight title challenger Cris “Cyborg” Justino posted an innocent sponsor video to her Twitter account. For whatever reason, this video prompted UFC lightweight contender Tony Ferguson – who has almost no association with Cyborg – to accuse her of using steroids. I had no idea how much harder the @VersaClimber became with @Tc1Gel warming my body up during the workout! #ufc214 #cyborgnation July 29 pic.twitter.com/9pwtftYL8f

bjpenndotcom - June 29, 2017

This past weekend on the inaugural Bellator MMA pay-per view event, former Pride FC champion Wanderlei Silva stepped into the cage against former UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen for a highly anticipated showdown four years in the making. The pair coached opposite against one another on TUF Brazil, and were scheduled to fight in 2013. Silva refused to submit the proper paperwork for licensing, before then refusing to take a drug test. Subsequently, ‘The Axe Murderer’ was pulled from the event. Interestingly enough, after the UFC tapped Vitor Belfort to step in for Wanderlei Silva, Sonnen was pulled from the fight for failing a drug test.

Tom Taylor - June 29, 2017

Every time an aging fighter loses, be it somebody like Fedor Emelianenko, or our very own BJ Penn, there follows an immediate tidal wave of calls for their retirement. In the opinion of MMA pioneer Phil Baroni, who has been fighting for nearly 20 years, however, nobody should be able to tell a fighter when it’s time to retire – least of all a member of the media who has never fought before. Phil Baroni sounded off on the topic on the latest episode of BJ Penn Radio.

Tom Taylor - June 29, 2017

On July 16, on the main card of the UFC’s second trip to Glasgow, Scotland’s own Steven Ray will step onto the canvas with Paul Felder in an effort to take another big step toward the lightweight title. That title, of course, is currently on hold, as the champion Conor McGregor is focused on a boxing match with undefeated legend Floyd Mayweather Jr. In advance of his fight in Glasgow, Ray made an appearance on BJ Penn Radio, and weighed in on this blockbuster Mayweather vs. McGregor fight. In his opinion, McGregor has a far better chance than people seem to think. In fact, he thinks the UFC champ has a better chance at cracking the Mayweather code than most boxers would.

bjpenndotcom - June 29, 2017

Tom Taylor - June 29, 2017

Over the last few weeks, UFC President Dana White has had some harsh criticism of flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson, blasting the champ for campaigning for a fight with Ray Borg over one with TJ Dillashaw. During a recent conversation with MMAJunkie.com, White said that he has conceded defeat on the issue, and that Johnson can fight Borg if he wants. That said, the boss isn’t happy with the flyweight champ.

Tom Taylor - June 29, 2017

After multiple failed cuts to the welterweight division’s 170-pound limit, former champion Johny Hendricks was sent packing to the 185-pound middleweight division. In his first fight in this new division, he followed an easy weight cut with a competitive but impressive decision win over former Bellator champ Hector Lombard. Things seemed to be looking up. Unfortunately, Johny Hendricks’ second middleweight bout, a Sunday showdown with Tim Boetsch, was much less successful. First, he missed weight for the fight. Then, he was turned off by a second-round head-kick and a swarm of uppercuts.

Tom Taylor - June 29, 2017

23-year-old Mexican talent Alexa Grasso entered the year 2017 with a reputation as one of the hottest prospects in the UFC strawweight division. In her first fight of the year, however, she experienced the first setback of her pro career, as she was out-hustled by the amply more experienced Felice Herrig, and ultimately lost a unanimous decision. On August 5, when the UFC touches down in Mexico City with UFC Fight Night 114, Grasso will have the opportunity to bounce back from this first pro loss. Her opponent will be Canadian contender Randa Markos.

Tom Taylor - June 29, 2017

On August 26, UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor will step into the boxing ring with undefeated pugilist Floyd Mayweather Jr. Win or lose, McGregor will make more for this fight than he ever has in mixed martial arts. Much more. This has led many fans to wonder if he’ll even bother returning to the UFC after his fight with Mayweather. Earlier this week, however, McGregor’s coach John Kavanagh gave us some cause for optimism in this regard.

Chris Taylor - June 28, 2017

Breaking! Tyron Woodley will defend his title at UFC 214 UFC 214 has added another title fight!

bjpenndotcom - June 28, 2017

UFC veteran Donald Cerrone was gearing up for his highly anticipated showdown with Robbie Lawler at UFC 213, however news surfaced this week revealing that Cerrone had been forced out of the fight due to a minor injury. The UFC revealed their plan to keep the fight intact, and postpone it until Cerrone is healthy, however while details on the injury were initially scarce, Cerrone has since taken to social media to clarify the situation. Let everyone know this is not an injury. But a super bad infection in my blood. 7 days of IV and I'll be back at it. Working on getting the fight rescheduled

bjpenndotcom - June 28, 2017

BJPENN.COM Radio returns at 8PM ET/5PM PT with more great guests for your MMA fix! 8:15PM ET- We kick things off with UFC lightweight prospect, Steven Ray. Just a few weeks removed from UFC Fight Night 113, we’ll preview Steven’s upcoming scrap with Paul Felder in Glasgow, Scotland. As the Scottish warrior prepares to put on show in front of his hometown crowd, we’ll breakdown the matchup against Felder and the current landscape in the lightweight division. Also, as Ray is about to enter free-agency, he’ll be discussing the added pressure to get a big win and go into contract negotiations with added leverage and his options going forward.

bjpenndotcom - June 28, 2017

Unfortunate news surfaced recently that fan favorite fighter Chan Sung Jung, also known as The Korean Zombie, had been forced out of his scheduled scrap with Ricardo Lamas due to an injury sustained in training. The Korean Zombie posted a message on Instagram when it happened:

Russell Ess - June 28, 2017

There is no denying that Conor McGregor is one of the biggest stars that mixed martial arts has ever seen. “The Notorious” has already won by being the first to bring two superstars from the world of boxing and MMA still in the height of their careers to meet for a fight, which takes place in the boxing ring on August 26 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Russell Ess - June 28, 2017

You may have missed it, but there was an accident that happened in the Octagon on Sunday at UFC Fight Night 112 in Oklahoma. In one of the most exciting fights on the main card between Felice Herrig and Justine Kish, Kish defecated while fighting off a near fight-ending submission attempt from Herrig. Brown stains could be seen on the canvas shortly after the grappling exchange. Kish was a good sport about the unfortunate incident and joked about the situation on social media following the fight saying, “I am a warrior, and I will never quit #ShitHappens haha be back soon.”