MMA News

Tom Taylor - February 26, 2017

https://youtu.be/Y3fMzzEUTzA This weekend, the UFC will return to Las Vegas, Nevada with UFC 209. In the evening’s main event, we’ll see welterweight champion Tyron Woodley and challenger Stephen Thompson rematch for divisional gold. In the co-main event, meanwhile, we’ll see undefeated Dagestani star Khabib Nurmagomedov take on the streaking Tony Ferguson for interim lightweight gold.

Tom Taylor - February 26, 2017

Back in June of 2016, a widely unheralded Michael Bisping shocked the world by clubbing Luke Rockhold to a first-round knockout, capturing the UFC middleweight title as a result. Since this win, Bisping has defended the middleweight title with a hard-fought decision win over the retiring Dan Henderson. Rockhold, meanwhile, has not been seen in the Octagon since. It is worth noting, of course, that Rockhold was briefly scheduled for a November rematch with Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza, but was unfortunately forced out of this fight with an injury. Despite the legitimate reason for Rockhold’s lengthy absence from the cage, however, Bisping doesn’t believe he’ll ever return.

Tom Taylor - February 26, 2017

Back in January, in the main event of Bellator 170, three-time UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen returned from a lengthy hiatus to take on retiring MMA legend Tito Ortiz. Though Sonnen was able to threaten Ortiz with a submission attempt in the early moments of this fight, he ultimately found himself locked up in a rear-naked choke mid-way through the first round, and was forced to tap as a result. Unfortunately for Ortiz, this win was marred by controversy, as many fans suggested Sonnen threw the fight, and Sonnen later suggested Ortiz verbally tapped to his early submission attempt.

Tom Taylor - February 26, 2017

In less than one week’s time, the UFC will return to glimmering Las Vegas, Nevada with the stacked UFC 209. This anticipated pay-per-view card will be headlined by a welterweight title rematch between champion Tyron Woodley and challenger Stephen Thompson, who fought to a frequently debated draw back in November. The co-main event, meanwhile, will see undefeated Dagestani star Khabib Nurmagomedov take on the streaking Tony Ferguson in an interim lightweight title fight, which will keep the division moving while undisputed champ Conor McGregor takes some time off to father his first child. Without a crystal ball, it’s impossible to say how either of these two anticipated title fights will unfold. Both battles seem very capable of going either way. While there’s no way of knowing the outcome of these fights till fight night, however, the betting odds do give us a clear picture of the favorites.

Tom Taylor - February 26, 2017

Robin Black is revered as one of the most insightful and engaging mixed martial arts analysts in the game today. His energetic breakdowns are a joy to watch, and they’ve become a highlight of the buildup to any big fight. Black’s latest fight breakdown shines a light on the co-main event of UFC 209, which will pit undefeated Dagestani grappler Khabib Nurmagomedov against the streaking Tony Ferguson in an interim lightweight title fight. If the reception on social media is any indication, this wonderfully well-researched fight breakdown is one of Black’s most popular to date. Unfortunately, however, not everyone seems to be a fan of it.

Tom Taylor - February 26, 2017

On May 28, the UFC will return to beautiful Stockholm, Sweden with what’s sure to be an exciting night of fights. If there was any worry among the dedicated Swedish fans that the card would be lacking in the big names department, that worry can now be put to bed. According to MMAFighting.com, the card will be headlined by a light heavyweight bout between Brazilian contender Glover Teixeira and Swedish star Alexander Gustafsson. Teixeira will enter this fight having dominated the outmatched Jared Cannonier on the main card of the UFC 208. With this win, the former title challenger rebounded from a crushing, 13-second knockout loss to upcoming title challenger Anthony “Rumble” Johnson. Prior to his loss to Johnson, Teixeira was enjoying a nice three-fight win-streak, having tapped Ovince St. Preux, and stopped Patrick Cummins and Rashad Evans with strikes. The 37 year old Brazilian is currently 26-5 overall.

bjpenndotcom - February 25, 2017

There has been quite a bit of speculation recently regarding Conor McGregor’s next fight. While Conor McGregor is of course currently signed to the UFC, and reigns as the UFC lightweight champion, reports have continued to surface throughout the course of 2017 that indicate a potential boxing superfight with Floyd Mayweather is becoming more & more of a possibility. UFC President Dana White recently spoke to TMZ to discuss the latest on the potential McGregor-Mayweather fight, as well as his expectations for McGregor’s next fight to be in the UFC.

bjpenndotcom - February 25, 2017

https://youtu.be/RPDOHXDwDnA With just one week to go until UFC 209, where undefeated Dagestani lightweight Khabib Nurmagomedov will step into the Octagon to fight Tony Ferguson for the interim lightweight title, the hype surrounding Nurmagomedov’s first title fight is at an all-time high.

bjpenndotcom - February 25, 2017

UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor is currently sidelined through May due to the upcoming birth of his firstborn son. Following McGregor’s historic UFC 205 win over Eddie Alvarez to claim the lightweight championship, McGregor revealed that his big announcement was his girlfriend, Dee Devlin’s pregnancy. The ‘Notorious’ admitted that he was nervous about fatherhood, and bringing a child into a life of superstardom. McGregor also revealed that with the new UFC owners now steering the ship, he would like to receive equity in the promotion if the new WME-IMG owners would like him to continue fighting. Despite his layoff, McGregor’s name has continued to make headlines for his rumored involvement in a potential Floyd Mayweather superfight. While no deal has been made official yet, reports have continued to surface that indicate negotiations are ongoing, and a deal, while still far off, could potentially be reached.

bjpenndotcom - February 25, 2017

At UFC 207, fight fans witnessed one of the biggest upsets in the history of the UFC as young, undefeated, Team Alpha Male standout Cody Garbrandt defeated reigning bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz in a 5-round co-main event scrap. While many were counting Garbrandt out of the fight due to the fact that they believed Cruz’ experience would shine through, it was ‘No Love’ who dropped Cruz repeatedly over the course of the fight, always remaining one step ahead of Cruz.

bjpenndotcom - February 25, 2017

Throughout the course of 2017, the combat sports community has continued to receive updates regarding a potential Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather superfight. To kick off the year, Floyd Mayweather offered Conor McGregor $15 million to fight him in a boxing match, which UFC President Dana White quickly shot down as he countered Mayweather with an offer of $25 million for both men. ‘Money’ quickly laughed off White’s offer, saying that he would not fight for less than $100 million.

bjpenndotcom - February 25, 2017

Earlier this month at Bellator 172, UFC veteran Matt Mitrione was set to step into the Bellator MMA cage against MMA icon Fedor Emelianenko for a highly anticipated scrap that would serve as Emelianenko’s return to the United States following his return to MMA at the end of 2015. Unfortunately after months of buildup, training, and anticipation, Mitrione was pulled from the fight just hours before he an Emelianenko were set to throw down due to kidney stones that required hospitalization, and will subsequently result in the UFC vet undergoing surgery to deal with the situation.

bjpenndotcom - February 24, 2017

News surfaced this week that UFC veteran ‘Filthy’ Tom Lawlor has been suspended by USADA for a failed out-of-competition drug test back in October of 2016. Lawlor failed the drug test for Ostarine, a substance banned both in-competition and out-of-competition by USADA due to the similar positive effects of anabolic steroids, without the side effects.

bjpenndotcom - February 24, 2017

In the co-main event of UFC 207, UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz stepped into the Octagon with undefeated Team Alpha Male prospect Cody Garbrandt for a highly anticipated grudge match. The fight saw both men send verbal jabs back and forth over the course of several months, and even almost come to blows backstage at UFC 205, where UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier was forced to intervene and separate the men so a physical altercation didn’t ensue. Ultimately, when the pair stepped into the Octagon, it was Garbrandt who emerged victorious, leaving fight fans stunned as he out-struck Cruz over the course of the 5-round affair, dropping ‘The Dominator’ several times throughout the fight.

bjpenndotcom - February 24, 2017

This week, former UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen revealed on his podcast that Tito Ortiz actually verbally tapped out in their Bellator 170 fight several weeks ago. He explained:

Russell Ess - February 24, 2017

https://youtu.be/Uu05BwPf6DY?t=1m4s Nick and Nate Diaz have been the straightforward scrappers with attitudes from Stockton from the first day they they stepped onto the professional MMA scene.

Russell Ess - February 24, 2017

UFC heavyweight Derrick Lewis looks to have reached a new level of stardom following his win over Travis Browne at UFC Fight Night 105 in Halifax, Canada, which took place this past weekend. “The Black Beast” threw some additional verbal shots at Browne after knocking him out in the second round of their main event fight, bringing up Browne’s alleged history of domestic violence. Lewis took it a step even further and gave a shout out to Browne’s current girlfriend, former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey. Lewis did not stop at the post-fight Octagon interview. He kept up with his shots at Browne in the post-fight interview with the press and has posted quite a few social media posts aimed directly at Browne and Rousey.

Russell Ess - February 24, 2017

https://youtu.be/yLb6b7Cyyfw Dominick Cruz has been plagued by injuries in the prime years of his career but came back to capture the UFC bantamweight title for the second time against TJ Dillashaw UFC Fight Night 81 last year. Cruz sucessfully defended his title against longtime rival Urijah Faber at UFC 199 but was unable to overcome Cody Garbrandt at UFC 207 in December.