MMA News

bjpenndotcom - February 1, 2017

In 2016, news surfaced that UFC champion Conor McGregor was set to star in the upcoming season of HBO’s hit series ‘Game of Thrones’. While the news seemed official, with UFC President Dana White even discussing the situation on Fox Sports Live, that apparently isn’t the case.

bjpenndotcom - February 1, 2017

This past weekend, fight fans tuned in for a highly anticipated night of fights at UFC Denver, also known as UFC on FOX 23. The event certainly delivered on all marks, with the main card producing four finishes in four fights. To kick off the main card, streaking featherweight Jason Knight picked up his third straight win as he defeated Alex ‘Bruce Leeroy’ Caceres via submission in the second round, making it three straight wins for Knight. Francis Ngannou followed up Knight’s 2nd round submission by picking up a ‘Performance of the Night’ bonus as he knocked out Andrei Arlovski in the very first round.

Tom Taylor - February 1, 2017

Stockton, California’s Nick Diaz is one of the most popular and exciting fighters on the UFC roster. Unfortunately, it’s been years since we last saw the fan favorite in action. Luckily for Nick Diaz fans, UFC President Dana White is apparently making some real efforts to get him back in the cage. Though Diaz apparently turned down a fight with former champion Robbie Lawler, White has more recently attempted to coax him back to the Octagon by offering him a fight with the streaking Demian Maia.

Tom Taylor - February 1, 2017

Last year, in the main event of UFC 200, former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones was expected to take on current champion Daniel Cormier in a bid to reclaim the title that was once his. Regrettably, Jones was forced out of this planned fight after a failed drug test, and was subsequently handed a year-long suspension (retroactive to the date of the failed test). In July, Jones will once again be eligible to compete. And though there has been some speculation that he might take a tune up fight before fighting for the title again, UFC President Dana White recently explained that he expects Jones will receive an immediate title shot upon his return. White gave his thoughts on the situation on a recent episode of the UFC Unfiltered podcast.

Tom Taylor - February 1, 2017

According a report from ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans is likely to make his debut in the middleweight division at UFC 209 on March 4. Though nothing is official just yet, his opponent for this middleweight debut is expected to be Australia’s Daniel Kelly. Per sources, not official yet but UFC has targeted Rashad Evans vs. Daniel Kelly at middleweight for UFC 209 on March 4 in Las Vegas.

bjpenndotcom - January 31, 2017

In the UFC’s final card of the year, UFC 207, UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes stepped into the Octagon for the first time with hopes of defending her belt for the first time since winning it at UFC 200 in July, where she defeated Miesha Tate. Nunes of course picked up a phenomenal 48 second win as she knocked out Ronda Rousey in the very first round. In several interviews following the fight, including her post-fight Octagon interview, Nunes bashed Rousey for being overrated and not being as dominant as she was perceived to be.

Russell Ess - January 31, 2017

UFC President Dana White has said time and time again that if Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor want to fight, he is the man to talk to. With “The Notorious” being under contract with the UFC, it seems like it would be the only way unless McGregor were to fulfill the terms for the remainder of his current contract.

Russell Ess - January 31, 2017

https://youtu.be/_lO3h0qdUTQ Jorge Masvidal walked into the Octagon on Saturday night as the #12 UFC ranked welterweight against Donald Cerrone who was ranked #5.

Russell Ess - January 31, 2017

You have surely heard it before. Many people say Conor McGregor easily beats Floyd Mayweather in an MMA match and vice versa in a boxing match. However, many fans and pundits believe that Conor McGregor’s chances of beating Floyd Mayweather in a boxing match are much greater than Floyd getting a win under mixed martial arts rules.

bjpenndotcom - January 31, 2017

EA Sports UFC 2 is giving fans fights they could only dream of! While UFC commentator Joe Rogan has never fought in the UFC, it’s no secret that Rogan is a martial arts expert. In addition to winning the US Open Tae Kwon Do championship at just 19 years old, Rogan became the US TaeKwonDo grand champion after he won the lightweight title and then moved up to defeat the middleweight, and heavyweight champions. As if that weren’t enough, Rogan is now a black belt under 10th Planet JiuJitsu master Eddie Bravo.

Tom Taylor - January 31, 2017

When street fights break out, there generally tends to be copious amounts of alcohol involved. If the violence can’t be attributed to alcohol, it can often be stacked up to flaring tempers at sports games or political events. Every now and then, however, violence erupts in the most unlikely of venues, and for no clear reason. This is precisely what occurs in the video at the top of this post, which shows two fully grown adults – evidently poorly-adjusted ones – beating the hell out of each other in the deli aisle of a Florida grocery store.

bjpenndotcom - January 31, 2017

https://www.facebook.com/wayoftheshokunin/videos/1243200392427245/ At EFN 58, former UFC fighter Diego Brandao picked up an impressive 2nd round armbar win over Murad Machaev in what could very well be an early contender for ‘Submission of the Year’.

bjpenndotcom - January 31, 2017

In 2016, former UFC welterweight kingpin Georges St-Pierre, former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez, former UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw, and top ranked fighters Donald Cerrone & Tim Kennedy announced the formation of the MMA Athletes Association, also known as the MMAAA, aimed at UFC fighters unionizing in an effort to receive more pay from the UFC. Interestingly enough, during the press conference for the announcement of the MMAAA, Georges St-Pierre made a plea to UFC superstar Conor McGregor to join the MMAAA, saying:

Tom Taylor - January 31, 2017

Chechen-Austrian talent Mairbek Taisumov is one of the hottest prospects in UFC lightweight division. For the reasoning behind this claim, look no further than his four most recent fights in the Octagon. First, he put away Marcin Bandel with punches just 1:01 into the first round of an October 2014 bout. Then, he knocked Anthony Christodoulou out cold just 38 seconds into the second round of a January 2015 fight. Next, in June of 2015, he thumped Alan Patrick to a second round TKO. Finally and most recently he returned from a long layoff to TKO Damir Hadžović in the first round. Now 4-0 in his last four, with finishes in all of those fights, the rising lightweight is undeniably ready for a big step up – and it sounds like he’s about to get one.

bjpenndotcom - January 31, 2017

While Conor McGregor may have had a pay-per view interview this past weekend to discuss his future plans in the Octagon, talks ultimately shifted to Ronda Rousey. Leading up to UFC 207, where Ronda Rousey made her highly anticipated return to the Octagon following the first defeat of her professional career at the hands of Holly Holm in October of 2015, the former champ was granted permission from the UFC to skip out on her media obligations and focus solely on training. This didn’t go over too well with many fight fans, who criticized the UFC for allowing Rousey to skip out on her media obligations, when UFC champion Conor McGregor was pulled from his UFC 200 fight with Nate Diaz just months prior due to refusing to fulfill his media obligations.

bjpenndotcom - January 31, 2017

To end 2016, former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey returned to the Octagon for a highly anticipated showdown with UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes, who was looking to make her first successful title defense at the event. Nunes of course picked up a dominant 48 second TKO win over Rousey, defending her title, and handing Rousey the second straight loss of her UFC career.

Tom Taylor - January 31, 2017

Last weekend, in the co-main event of the UFC’s latest trip to Denver, American Top Team staple Jorge Masvidal secured one of the best wins of his career by knocking out Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone – arguably twice in one fight. This massive defeat of Cowboy followed a strange, but undeniably dominant defeat of Jake Ellenberger, and an impressive victory over Ross Pearson. This trio of emphatic victories has established Masvidal as one of the hottest contenders in the welterweight division, and a fighter very much deserving of a step up in competition.

Tom Taylor - January 31, 2017

This Sunday, the Super Bowl will take over the NRG Stadium in Houston Texas. One night before the big game, the UFC will touch down in Houston’s Toyota Center with UFC Fight Night 104. This anticipated card will be headlined by a featherweight contender bout between Dennis Bermudez and Chan Sung Jung – who is more widely known by the nickname “The Korean Zombie.” The card’s co-main event, meanwhile, will see Mexican strawweight star Alexa Grasso take a big step up in competition against the veteran Felice Herrig. Other highlights of the card include appearances from names like James Vick, Abel Trujillo, Ovince St. Preux, Anthony Hamilton, Jessica Andrade, and Angela Hill.