MMA News

Russell Ess - March 14, 2017

A massive UFC middleweight title fight is scheduled to take place between the champion Michael Bisping and former UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, who is coming off more than a three-year break from fighting. This will be Bisping’s second title defense as he became champion at UFC 199 by defeating Luke Rockhold and then making his first successful title defense against Dan Henderson at UFC 204.

Russell Ess - March 14, 2017

A fight that has the potential to really shake up the 145-pound division is set as #2 UFC ranked featherweight Frankie Edgar takes on #9 ranked Yair Rodriguez on May 13 at UFC 211. Edgar, a former UFC lightweight champion has much more to lose currently sitting near the top of the featherweight division while Rodriguez has everything to gain in their competition. However, Edgar talking with Jon Anik and Kenny Florian on their Anik and Florian podcast said he was game as always didn’t have any issues with taking on the flashy rising star.

bjpenndotcom - March 14, 2017

This month, news surfaced that former UFC welterweight kingpin Georges St-Pierre had signed a new multi-fight UFC contract, and would be returning to the UFC for a middleweight showdown with UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping later this year. While top ranked UFC welterweight Demian Maia may currently be booked to fight Jorge Masvidal in a fight that many believe could potentially see Maia crowned the welterweight #1 contender, Maia is thankful that St-Pierre chose to return at middleweight, rather than cutting to the front of the line for a welterweight title shot.

Russell Ess - March 14, 2017

Tragic news has hit the kickboxing community as it became known that 14-year-old kickboxer, Scott Marsden passed away. Marsden was competing in a national title bout in Leeds, England on Saturday when he collapsed during the bout and was taken to the hospital where he later died.

Tom Taylor - March 14, 2017

Over the last few months, UFC welterweight titleholder Tyron Woodley has generated some controversy among fans by suggesting that he deals with racism, even as a UFC champion. “If you look at the history of our sport – and it’s not even our sport, the history of the American culture – certain things are subliminally embraced that are racist,” Woodley said on a January episode of The MMA Hour. “When you say to me ‘Tyron, you are well spoken’, what does that mean? Does that mean I’m well spoken comparable to all the mixed martial artists, the 500 UFC fighters on the roster? Or does that mean as a black male in America?”

bjpenndotcom - March 14, 2017

At UFC 209 earlier this year, former UFC light heavyweight champion Rasahd Evans made his highly anticipated UFC middleweight debut after several setbacks in his drop to middleweight. Entering into the Octagon at UFC 209 against Olympic Judoka Dan Kelly, Rashad Evans was riding a 2-fight skid that saw him drop back to back losses to Ryan Bader and Glover Teixeira, with the second one being a rather vicious knockout loss.

Russell Ess - March 14, 2017

https://youtu.be/hsUCFh34do4 Earlier this month in Las Vegas, Nevada, many fans and members of the MMA community were in town for the Fighters Only World MMA Awards and UFC 209 event.

bjpenndotcom - March 14, 2017

To close out 2016, Paige VanZant looked to capitalize on her August 2016 win over Bec Rawlings as she stepped into the Octagon with ‘The Karate Hottie’ Michelle Waterson for a highly anticipated UFC Sacramento main event showdown. While many expected Waterson to look to use her elite level striking to pick VanZant apart, while looking for the finish, Waterson instead opted to take the fight to the ground and finish VanZant with a rear-naked choke in the first round to cement her place at the top of the UFC’s women’s strawweight division.

Tom Taylor - March 14, 2017

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_Or9ZJ–oU This weekend, the UFC will touch down in beautiful London, England with an exciting looking night of fights. This event, which will air entirely on UFC Fight Pass, will be headlined by a light heavyweight showdown between England’s own Jimi Manuwa, who currently holds the number four spot in the light heavyweight rankings, and American wrestler Corey Anderson, who sits at number seven in the divisional rankings.

bjpenndotcom - March 14, 2017

Throughout the course of the past several weeks, the combat sports community has tuned in for updates regarding the trial of MMA veteran Jon Koppenhaver, also known as War Machine. Throughout the course of the trial, Mack has delivered harrowing details regarding her abusive relationship with Koppenhaver which ultimately escalated to the point of the 2014 assault which landed War Machine in jail on 34 felony counts, including attempted murder, kidnapping, and sexual assault. Of course, War Machine plead not guilty to all charges, and in the eyes of the United States legal system, is innocent until proven guilty.

Tom Taylor - March 14, 2017

This Saturday the UFC returns to beautiful London, England. This anticipated UFC London card is packed to the edges with top talent from the United Kingdom, larger Europe, and even further afield. In the card’s main event, we’ll see British striking specialist Jimi Manuwa take on American wrestler Corey Anderson in a compelling light heavyweight style clash. The co-main event, meanwhile, will occur at welterweight, where fan favorite slugger Alan Jouban will take on Icelandic grappling specialist Gunnar Nelson. The rest of the main card, meanwhile, will be composed of a bantamweight bout between retiring British veteran Brad Pickett and late replacement Marlon “Chito” Vera, and a clash of featherweight prospects in England’s Arnold Allen and Finland’s Makwan Amirkhani.

bjpenndotcom - March 14, 2017

Back in July of 2016, UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos stepped into the Octagon in hopes of defending his lightweight title for the second time when he fought Eddie Alvarez. It took just three minutes and 49 seconds for Alvarez to finish the champ, claiming the lightweight championship as he landed a barrage of strikes that forced the referee to stop the fight. Following his loss to Alvarez, Dos Anjos stepped into the Octagon with streaking lightweight contender Tony Ferguson for a highly anticipated lightweight matchup that would determine the lightweight #1 contender. While a win for Dos Anjos would have likely put him on a fast track to a lightweight title fight, Tony Ferguson out-struck the former champ, picking up a unanimous decision win and ‘Fight of the Night’ honors in the process.

Tom Taylor - March 14, 2017

If things had gone just a little bit differently, Tony Ferguson could be the interim UFC lightweight champion right now. Unfortunately, his planned UFC 209 interim title fight with fellow contender Khabib Nurmagomedov was scrapped at the last minute, which deprived him of the opportunity to vie for UFC gold. Now more than a week removed from this disappointing twist, Ferguson has shifted his gaze to the future, and he’s not sure Nurmagomedov is part of that future for him. While there has been widespread discussion about rescheduling this Ferguson vs. Nurmagomedov bout, Ferguson is instead interested in a fight with fan favorite Nate Diaz.

Tom Taylor - March 14, 2017

In early January, former UFC lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos announced his intention to move up a weight class to the welterweight division. The former champ cited a tough weight cut to 155-pounds as the main reason for this exciting switch, though his back-to-back losses to Eddie Alvarez and Tony Ferguson and resulting desire for a fresh start probably also had some bearing on this decision. With the news of Dos Anjos’ planned move to welterweight, a veritable Dos Anjos sweepstakes began, as multiple noteworthy welterweights began campaigning for the chance to welcome him to this new division. Though Dos Anjos has brushed off many of these challenges, explaining that he’s keen on a fight with Robbie Lawler or Nick Diaz, callouts of him continue to this day.

Tom Taylor - March 14, 2017

Cain Velasquez, who is a two-time former UFC heavyweight champion, stands out as one of the very best heavyweights on earth. When he is healthy, he is one of the most ferocious big men to ever rattle the foundations of the Octagon. Regrettably, the former champ’s career has been marred by repeated injuries, which have caused him to withdraw from key fights and spend long stretches on the bench. Velasquez’s latest injury-related SNAFU occurred in December, when he was scheduled for a rematch with Fabricio Werdum, the man he lost the heavyweight title to. Though he apparently had the intention to compete with a severe back injury, he was ultimately deemed unfit to fight, and forced out of this planned showdown by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

Chris Taylor - March 13, 2017

The octagon will return to Dallas, Texas on May 13 for UFC 211. The pay-per-view event is headlined by a heavyweight title fight rematch featuring current champ Stipe Miocic taking on former title holder Junior dos Santos. Miocic and dos Santos first met in December of 2014 with the Brazilian emerging victorious via unanimous decision in what was a very close fight.

Russell Ess - March 13, 2017

Demian Maia is gunning for his chance to fight for the UFC welterweight title but has at least one more fight booked before he gets an opportunity to fight for the belt. Currently ranked #3 in the official UFC rankings, Maia will be taking on #6 ranked welterweight Jorge Masvidal and rising welterweight star Alan Jouban spoke with BJPenn.com’s Chris Taylor on a recent episode of Rapid Fire about Maia and his journey to another shot at UFC gold.

Russell Ess - March 13, 2017