MMA News
Bellator to auction off Fedor Emelianenko's sweater for charity
Tom Taylor - February 19, 2017
If things had gone according to plan, Russian MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko would have made his long awaited debut in the Bellator cage in the main event of Bellator 172 last night. Regrettably, fate got in the way, as his opponent Matt Mitrione was forced out of the fight with kidney stones just hours out from battle. Though Bellator initially made moves to find a replacement for Mitrione – with Chael Sonnen being the leading candidate – they ultimately failed to do so, and Fedor was removed from the card altogether. This ugly twist, of course, was gutting for fans of Fedor and Mitrione alike. It’s also likely to have stung pretty badly for Bellator, who invested plenty of resources into promoting Fedor’s debut in their cage – perhaps most memorably, by creating a video that explores the origins of the Russian’s legendary striped sweater.
Chael Sonnen wanted to fight Fedor on hours' notice, Bellator was interested
Tom Taylor - February 19, 2017
Last night, Bellator MMA returned to San Jose, California with Bellator 172. Until yesterday afternoon, we expected this card to be headlined by a heavyweight scrap between UFC veteran Matt Mitrione and heavyweight legend Fedor Emelianenko. Unfortunately, disaster struck on Saturday afternoon, when Mitrione was forced out of the bout with kidney stones. In the wake of this shakeup, a Patricky Freire vs. Josh Thomson lightweight bout was elevated to the main event, and an opponent-less Fedor Emelianenko was removed from the card. Apparently, however, things very nearly turned out differently. According to a report from the ever-reliable Ariel Helwani, Bellator light heavyweight and cage-side commentator Chael Sonnen offered to step up to replace Mitrione on mere hours’ notice. Surprisingly enough, Bellator was apparently interested in pushing forward with this hastily arranged replacement fight, but unfortunately, they couldn’t make it happen in such a short time.
Matt Mitrione responds to claims that he was scared to fight Fedor
Tom Taylor - February 19, 2017
On Friday night, the MMA community was transfixed on the imminent comeback of heavyweight legend Fedor Emelianenko. The Russian great was poised to take on Matt Mitrione in the main event of Saturday’s Bellator 172, and not even the UFC’s Sunday trip to Halifax could distract us from his return to action. Regrettably, things took an unfortunate twist on Saturday afternoon, when it was announced that Mitrione had been forced out of his planned bout with the legend, as he was suffering from kidney stones. With this development, a lightweight bout between Patricky Freire and Josh Thomson was elevated to the main event, and the card proceeded with much less pop than we anticipated.
Ranked fighters Nikita Krylov and Kyoji Horiguchi removed from UFC roster
Tom Taylor - February 19, 2017
Over the last few weeks, the UFC has generated some controversy by removing a number of high profile fighters from its roster. The most high-profile fighters to part ways with the organization have been light heavyweight talents Ryan Bader and Misha Cirkunov, and welterweight star Lorenz Larkin. Other names to be scratched off the UFC roster include Valerie Letourneau, Ali Bagautinov, Rick Story, Takeya Mizugaki and Seohee Ham. Over the weekend, this unfortunate trend continued, as two more ranked fighters became free agents.
Bellator 172 Results: Cheick Kongo defeats Oli Thompson
Chris Taylor - February 18, 2017
Bellator 172 Results: Cheick Kongo vs. Oli Thompson A heavyweight scrap between Cheick Kongo and Oli Thompson served as the co-main event of tonight’s Bellator 172 event in San Jose, California.
Bellator 172 Results: Mauricio Alonso KO's Josh Koscheck
Chris Taylor - February 18, 2017
Bellator 172 Results: Mauricio Alonso vs. Josh Koscheck Former UFC welterweight title challenger Josh Koscheck made his Bellator MMA debut tonight in San Jose, California as he squared off with Mauricio Alonso on the Bellator 172 main card.
BREAKING! Matt Mitrione out of Fedor Emelianenko fight
bjpenndotcom - February 18, 2017
Breaking news surfaced Saturday afternoon that Bellator MMA heavyweight Matt Mitrione has been forced out of his Bellator 172 headlining fight against MMA icon Fedor Emelianenko. According to reports from Ariel Helwani, Matt Mitrione fell ill prior to his fight against ‘The Last Emperor’ and as a result the fight has been cancelled.
VIDEO | Fighter attempting to be flashy gets brutally KO'd
bjpenndotcom - February 18, 2017
GOD DAYUMMMM. Johan Segas KTFO's Joe Harding at BCMMA 18. When showboating goes wrong. Savage head kick. pic.twitter.com/pPkOPmdmOf — caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) February 18, 2017
BREAKING! Dan "The Outlaw" Hardy has been cleared to fight again by cardiologists in the UK
Chris Taylor - February 18, 2017
Former UFC welterweight title challenger Dan “The Outlaw” Hardy (25-10-1 MMA) has apparently received the necessary paperwork from doctors which would allow him to once again compete inside the octagon. Simon Head broke the news on Twitter stating the following:
EXCLUSIVE | The Korean Zombie explains why he called out BJ Penn
Chris Taylor - February 18, 2017
“The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung made a successful return to the octagon earlier this month in Houston, scoring a first-round knockout victory over Dennis Bermudez in the main event of UFC Fight Night 104. Jung caught Bermudez with a devastating uppercut midway through the opening round that sent Dennis crashing to the canvas which prompted referee Herb Dean to quickly call a stop to the fight.
VIDEO | Tony Ferguson eating brutal body kicks for 30 seconds
bjpenndotcom - February 18, 2017
[youtube https://youtu.be/OTIVOnZs4C0] On March 4th, undefeated Dagestani lightweight Khabib Nurmagomedov will square off against streaking lightweight contender Tony Ferguson in a highly anticipated showdown for the interim lightweight title.
Fedor Emelianenko questions if UFC wants Khabib Nurmagomedov as champion
bjpenndotcom - February 18, 2017
In just two short weeks, undefeated top ranked lightweight Khabib Nurmagomedov and streaking lightweight contender Tony Ferguson will meet in the Octagon for a highly anticipated interim lightweight title fight, with the winner then moving on to fight Conor McGregor when the lightweight champion returns from the hiatus due to the upcoming birth of his firstborn son.
Daniel Cormier forces Anthony Johnson to stand in new interview
bjpenndotcom - February 18, 2017
UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier pulled one of the most savage moves in recent memory when he decided to make UFC fight heavyweight #1 contender Anthony Johnson stand during an interview because there was only one seat available. Cormier, who will be having his highly anticipated rematch with Johnson at UFC 210 on April 8th in New York, took to social media to post the moment:
Jose Aldo weighs-in on McGregor-Mayweather superfight
bjpenndotcom - February 18, 2017
Throughout the course of 2017, reports have continued to surface that UFC superstar Conor McGregor and undefeated boxer Floyd Mayweather were progressing closer and closer to eventually having a McGregor-Mayweather superfight. Mayweather started the year by offering McGregor $15 million for a boxing match, which UFC President Dana White was quick to counter with an offer of his own, offering the undefeated prizefighter $25 million to have a boxing match with Mayweather. Mayweather was quick to laugh off the offer, reiterating that he wouldn’t fight for less than $100 million. McGregor initially remained silent on the matter before revealing in a pay-per view interview that he and Mayweather must sit down in the same room to negotiate if they hope to see the fight become official.
Holy Holm releases statement on Germaine de Randamie rematch
bjpenndotcom - February 18, 2017
Earlier this month, former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Holly Holm stepped into the Octagon for a highly anticipated showdown with Geramine de Randamie for the inaugural women’s featherweight title. The fight was an extremely competitive one which saw De Randamie awarded the inaugural women’s featherweight title after five hard-fought rounds. With that being said, there were controversial punches landed by De Randamie on two separate occasions which resulted in the newly crowned champ releasing a statement on the situation saying:
2 American Animals Episode 30 - Fallout from UFC 208, and Immigration Insight
bjpenndotcom - February 17, 2017
On this episode of American Animals, Ian and Erik bring you all of the biggest and best in MMA news, including the fallout from UFC 208. Also, you will hear a preview of the upcoming UFC Fight Night and Bellator cards, and Richard Wilner (Wilner & O’Reilly, APLC) joins the show to discuss the reality of the current immigration and refugee situation in the United States. Join us for this episode of American Animals! You can email your questions and comments to info@2americananimals.com and find the show at www.2americananimals.com on the web, on social media at facebook.com/2AmericanAnimals and @2AmericanAnimal on Twitter and @2AmericanAnimals on Instagram.
Dana White drops big news on Georges St-Pierre next fight
bjpenndotcom - February 17, 2017
This week, news surfaced that former welterweight kingpin Georges St-Pierre and the UFC had come to an agreement on a multi-fight contract and were in the process of finalizing the new contract. Just days later, UFC President Dana White confirmed that St-Pierre and the UFC had reached an agreement, and that St-Pierre would be returning to the Octagon. Initially, where was no word as to when GSP would be returning, or who he would fight, however in an interview with the LA Times, UFC President Dana White said fight fans may not have to wait long to find out who Georges St-Pierre next fight could be against:
Holly Holm's coach calls for harsh punishment for Cris Cyborg failed drug test
bjpenndotcom - February 17, 2017
In December of 2016, news surfaced that Invicta FC women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg, who was 2-0 in the UFC in catchweight fights, had been notified of a potential USADA anti-doping violation after a failed out-of-competition drug test on December 5th. Cyborg was quick to explain the situation, stating that she failed the drug test for a medical prescription used to help her recover from the brutal weight cuts she endured cutting down to 140 pounds. Prior to February’s UFC 208 women’s featherweight title fight between Holly Holm and Germaine De Randamie, UFC President Dana White stated that things were looking good for Cyborg and that she would likely be the next featherweight title challenger once her case with USADA is resolved.