MMA News

Tom Taylor - April 6, 2017

Last December, in the co-main event of UFC 207, Team Alpha Male’s Cody Garbrandt swiped the bantamweight belt from the waist of Dominick Cruz with a dominant, unanimous decision win. Though he briefly offered Cruz a rematch, Garbrandt’s first title defense will instead pair him against former training partner and one-time bantamweight king TJ Dillashaw. The two are likely to meet sometime this summer – perhaps during International Fight Week in July.

bjpenndotcom - April 6, 2017

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones is currently serving a one-year suspension retroactive to July of 2016, when USADA swooped in at the 11th hour and pulled Jones from his scheduled UFC 200 scrap with Daniel Cormier for a failed out-of-competition drug test. While it appeared as though Jones and his legal team were able to prove that one of the supplements the former champ was taking was tainted with a banned substance not listed on the packaging, he was still handed a one-year suspension. According to Daniel Cormier, who is gearing up for his UFC 210 title defense against Anthony Johnson this weekend, he’s seen posters around Buffalo, New York advertising Jones’ UFC 210 afterparty. The way the champ sees it, this is because Jones is “desperate”.

Tom Taylor - April 6, 2017

Riding high on a three-fight win-streak, rising welterweight Colby Covington has been looking for a step up in competition for some time. Unfortunately for him, finding a willing dance partner has proven incredibly difficult. Thankfully, after being turned down by former lightweight champ Rafael Dos Anjos, he’s now been booked for a scrap with Dong Hyun Kim at UFC Fight Night Singapore this June. Finding a willing dance partner, however, was not easy.

Tom Taylor - April 6, 2017

There is ever-increasing reason to believe that a boxing mega-fight between UFC lightweight champ Conor McGregor and undefeated legend Floyd Mayweather Jr. could actually happen. According to Mayweather’s Uncle, Jeff Mayweather, however, there remains one massive hurdle in the way of this fight: the UFC wants a massive piece of the pie.

bjpenndotcom - April 5, 2017

As reports have continued to emerge regarding a potential Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather fight, fight fans have continued to be split regarding who they feel will win the fight.

bjpenndotcom - April 5, 2017

While negotiations for a potential Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather superfight have been extremely public, one bit of information which has managed to remain quiet is the matter of what weight McGregor & Mayweather will box at. Now, according to MMAMania, Conor McGregor’s head coach, John Kavanagh, has revealed that both parties are looking to negotiate a fight weight of 147 pounds.

bjpenndotcom - April 5, 2017

UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier is arguably one of the most decorated fighters on the UFC roster. In addition to reigning as the UFC light heavyweight champion, Cormier is an extremely accomplished wrestler, qualifying as a NCAA Division I All-American, and as an Olympic wrestler. Of course, Cormier also was the Strikeforce heavyweight Grand Prix champion in 2012 prior to signing with the UFC, defeating Josh Barnett in the finals of the tournament. With that being said, UFC President Dana White cannot fathom why Cormier isn’t more popular among fans.

bjpenndotcom - April 5, 2017

BJPENN.COM Radio is live at 8PM ET/5PM PT with Heath Herring and Colby Covington! 8:15PM ET- We kick things off tonight with “The Texas Crazy Horse” Heath Herring @TheHeathHerring. Following an eight-year hiatus from MMA, Heath returned to action in December under the RIZIN banner and is set to face Satoshi Ishii on April 16th. While he never officially retired from MMA following the loss to Brock Lesnar, most believed that he would never compete again. We’ll get the scoop on what brought Heath back to competition, what he thinks of the sport today, and what his immediate goals are. Pride never dies and you can expect a great conversation with a truly seasoned veteran of MMA.

bjpenndotcom - April 5, 2017

This past weekend, MMA veteran Muhammed ‘King Mo’ Lawal stepped into the Bellator MMA cage with MMA legend Rampage Jackson in Rosemont, IL. The fight was a rather dominant one for King Mo, who stated before the fight that he planned to use his wrestling to dominate Jackson, who weighed in nearly 50 pounds heavier than King Mo. With that being said, a time came in the second round when Jackson was landing strikes, and it appeared as though he may be on his way to a stoppage win over Lawal. ‘King Mo’ rallied between rounds however, and ultimately secured the win, avenging his loss to Jackson two years ago.

bjpenndotcom - April 5, 2017

Recently, former lightweight #1 contender Donald Cerrone looked to continue his impressive 4-fight welterweight win streak at ‘UFC Fight Night: Denver’ where he fought Jorge Masvidal in a pivotal showdown. Masvidal put on a stellar performance as he rocked Cerrone in the first round, before then ultimately finishing ‘Cowboy’ in the second round with strikes. The loss snapped Cerrone’s 4-fight win streak that saw him finish 4 straight opponents at welterweight throughout the course of 2016 following a 1st round TKO loss to Rafael dos Anjos in 2015 in a failed bid for the lightweight title.

bjpenndotcom - April 5, 2017

In just over two months, UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos will step into the Octagon with former Strikeforce champion Tarec Saffiedine for the former champ’s highly anticipated welterweight debut in Singapore. Ahead of the fight, Dos Anjos is hoping to experience a bit of a career resurgence as he looks to snap a 2-fight skid that saw him lose the lightweight championship to Eddie Alvarez nearly a year ago, and then most recently drop a unanimous decision to top contender Tony Ferguson, who defeated Dos Anjos in November to cement his place among the top of the UFC’s lightweight division.

bjpenndotcom - April 5, 2017

UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier has been scheduled to fight former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones on numerous occasions, however with that being said, the pair have only stepped into the Octagon together on one occasion. With that being said, just nine months ago, Cormier and Jones were set to have a title unification fight in the main event of UFC 200 in July of 2016, however just 48 hours before the fight, Jones was pulled from the card for a failed out-of-competition drug test several weeks prior. Jones and his team made their defense, and the former champ was ultimately handed a one-year suspension retroactive to July.

Tom Taylor - April 5, 2017

This weekend, the UFC will touch down in Buffalo, New York with UFC 210. In this anticipated card’s co-main event, former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman will take on dangerous Dutchman Gegard Mousasi. The bout will mark Weidman’s opportunity to bounce back from two straight losses: a TKO against Luke Rockhold, which marked the end of his title reign, and a thudding, third-round knockout dealt by Yoel Romero. As Weidman’s shot at redemption looms on the horizon, his brother-in-law and training partner Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson spoke to BJPenn.com’s Chris Taylor to discuss the former champ’s preparation for Mousasi.

Tom Taylor - April 5, 2017

Late last month, UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt suggested that, if he’s able to defend his crown against rival TJ Dillashaw later this year, he’d next like to drop down to flyweight to try to foil Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson’s history-making 11th title defense. “I’d rather go down [to flyweight] before I go up [to featherweight]” the bantamweight champ told Onnit CEO Audrey Marcus (via MMAJunkie.com). “Demetrious has a fight with Wilson Reis in the not too distant future that’s coming up. He’ll tie Anderson Silva’s record, then his next fight would be the all-time record. He’s going for the huge record. Make him earn it [by fighting me].”

Tom Taylor - April 5, 2017

Over the last few weeks, consensus-best female featherweight Cris “Cyborg” Justino has been campaigning for a  fight with UFC featherweight queen Germaine De Randamie. Cyborg is hoping to make this fight happen at UFC 214, which is scheduled for July 29 inside Anaheim’s Honda Center. Responding to BJPenn.com’s Tom Taylor, Cyborg explained that at the moment, there’s no indication that her desired fight will occur at UFC 214.

Tom Taylor - April 5, 2017

Former UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler is known for his frenzied and ferocious fighting style. The former champ is also known for an extremely stoic personality outside the cage. He’s quiet. He never talks trash. He rarely smiles. Apparently, however, Lawler is in fact capable of smiling. All it takes to get an ear-to-ear grin out of the welterweight destroyer is an encounter with WWE star John Cena. On Wednesday morning Bellator light heavyweight star Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal shared a photo of Lawler and Cena together, and sure enough, Lawler’s face is painted with a big smile. Who knew such a thing was possible? See King Mo’s photo of Lawler and Cena together – which generated some excitement from MMA reporter Ariel Helwani – below.

Tom Taylor - April 5, 2017

There is currently no bigger story in the world of combat sports than that of UFC lightweight champ Conor McGregor‘s possible boxing mega fight with undefeated great Floyd Mayweather Jr. This epic, sport versus sport showdown dominates headlines, and continues to enthral the combat sports community as new details continue to emerge. This fight, of course, is not yet a done deal. Though we know both McGregor and Mayweather are keen to make it happen, there are some serious bureaucratic and financial hurdles that must be cleared before it can all be made official.

Tom Taylor - April 5, 2017

On June third, the UFC will take over the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with UFC 212. In the main event of this underrated card, we’ll see undisputed UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo attempt to unify the title with streaking interim featherweight champion Max Holloway. Given the skill of both men, all signs point to this fight being an absolutely incredible one.