MMA News

bjpenndotcom - December 5, 2016

On this episode of American Animals, Ian and Erik cover the biggest news in all of MMA and preview The Ulitmate Fighter 24 Finale. Also, Tim Kennedy and Cub Swanson join the show to discuss their careers, recent buzz about the Mixed Martial Arts Athletes Association, and their upcoming fights at UFC 206 in Toronto. Join these two veterans 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.

Tom Taylor - December 5, 2016

When Conor McGregor tapped to a Nate Diaz rear-naked choke in March of this year, it influenced him to make a complete overhaul of his camp. Part of this overhaul was the introduction of BJJ star Dillon Danis to his roster of training partners. Danis would become an instrumental part of McGregor’s training for his rematch with Diaz – a fight he would win with a hard-fought majority decision. In the buildup to this rematch with Diaz, Danis fielded many questions about a possible jump to MMA – especially when he himself exchanged a few words with Diaz. On Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour, Danis confirmed with host Ariel Helwani that an MMA career is still very much a part of his plan, and that a fight with Diaz is still a possibility that interests him.

Tom Taylor - December 5, 2016

On December 30, in the co-main event of UFC 207, bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz will attempt to defend his title against dangerous undefeated striker Cody Garbrandt. It’s arguable, of course, that the shot should have instead been awarded to former champ TJ Dillashaw, but Cruz and Garbrandt’s sizzling beef was more than enough to convince the UFC that this was the fight to make. Cruz and Garbrandt’s beef has been slow-cooking for weeks, stewing in a base of trash talk and back-stage encounters. During an appearance on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour, Cruz discussed this beef with host Ariel Helwani, and weighed in on whether or not he’s gotten into Garbrandt’s head.

Russell Ess - December 5, 2016

Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson defended his UFC flyweight championship belt for the ninth consecutive time over the weekend and earned himself the highest payout from The Ultimate Fighter 24 Finale. Johnson beat the TUF season 24 tournament winner Tim Elliott by unanimous decision in a five-round title fight and earned himself $350,000 in doing so, according to MMA Junkie’s disclosed pay report from the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Elliot earned $100,000 in his return to the UFC in the title fight competition. Johnson increased his earnings from his last title defense fight against Henry Cejudo at UFC 197 where he earned $195,000, which included a $60,000 win bonus.

Tom Taylor - December 5, 2016

https://youtu.be/UFi_2Zb7g00 The UFC has not touched down in Toronto since late 2013, when Jon Jones defended the light heavyweight title against Alexander Gustafsson in one of the greatest championship fights ever. This Saturday, the organization will finally return to the Canadian metropolis with UFC 206.

Tom Taylor - December 5, 2016

Last Saturday, the UFC returned to Las Vegas, Nevada with the finale of the latest season of The Ultimate Fighter. The card was headlined by a flyweight title fight between dominant champ Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson and unsung challenger Tim Elliott. The co-main event, meanwhile, pitted top-ranked flyweights and recent Mighty Mouse victims Joseph Benavidez and Henry Cejudo against each other. It was a fantastic fight. In the end, this action-packed co-main event would be awarded to Benavidez, who walked away with a split decision win. This result was extremely controversial, however, as Cejudo dropped Benavidez in the first, and enjoyed plenty of success in the second and third rounds. In fact, many fans believe he should have been awarded the win.

Tom Taylor - December 5, 2016

Last Saturday, on the undercard of the latest Ultimate Fighter finale, jiu jitsu ace Ryan Hall captured a decision win over former UFC lightweight title challenger Gray Maynard. It was undoubtedly the biggest win of the grappling specialist’s mixed martial arts career. The way Hall achieved that win, however, was rather polarizing. While there are plenty of fans out there who were happy to call it innovative and clever, others found it rather unsavory, as Hall repeatedly flopped into guard, attempting to goad Maynard into a grappling exchange.

Tom Taylor - December 5, 2016

Earlier this month, in the main event of UFC 205, Ireland’s Conor McGregor knocked out Eddie Alvarez to win the UFC lightweight title. Given that he still owned the organization’s featherweight title at the time of this win, this made him the first fighter in UFC history to hold titles in two weight classes simultaneously. With this history making win in the books, McGregor has opted to take some time away from the sport to start a family with long-time girlfriend Dee Devlin. According to a report from the Irish publication The Sunday Life, however, the 28-year-old is staying plenty busy during his hiatus from fighting.

Chris Taylor - December 4, 2016

https://youtu.be/i72RS_aR4Lk UFC welterweight standout Matt “The Immortal” Brown will square off with surging division contender Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone on the main card of UFC 206 this Saturday night in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Chris Taylor - December 4, 2016

https://youtu.be/GwGOjCV73Wk Former UFC lightweight title challenger Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone will return to the octagon at next weekend’s UFC 206 pay-per-view event when he squares off with Matt Brown in a welterweight bout on the evenings main card.

Tom Taylor - December 4, 2016

Earlier this year, on the main card of the UFC’s latest trip to Mexico, Mexican strawweight Alexa Grasso made her long awaited UFC debut against a game Heather Jo Clark. Grasso would win this debut with a dominant unanimous decision, improving her record to a flawless 9-0 in the process. In victory, Grasso proved that she absolutely deserves a spot in the UFC’s ever-growing strawweight division, and left fans eager for her next bout. Now, the details of that next bout have emerged.

Chris Taylor - December 4, 2016

After a long stretch on the shelf, during which he fulfilled the two years of mandatory military service required of all South Korean citizens, “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung is ready to return to the Octagon. Though he’s called for a comeback fight with our very own BJ Penn, it was announced yesterday that Jung will instead return to square off with Dennis Bermudez in the main event of UFC Fight Night 104 which takes place Super Bowl weekend. Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com was first to report that the Bermudez vs. Jung fight was in the works.

Chris Taylor - December 4, 2016

The Ultimate Fighter coaches Joseph Benavidez and Henry Cejudo went to war in the co-main event of last night’s TUF 24 Finale fight card in Las Vegas. After three-rounds of back and forth action, Bruce Buffer stepped in to the octagon and announced that Benavidez had been awarded the victory via split-decision.

Tom Taylor - December 4, 2016

On Saturday night, the UFC returned to Las Vegas, Nevada with the finale of the latest season of The Ultimate Fighter. The card produced a handful of excellent fights, as Demetrious Johnson and Tim Elliot entertained in the main event, Joseph Benavidez and Henry Cejudo thrilled in the co-main event, and Ion Cutelaba and Jared Cannonier delivered a thriller earlier on the main card. The card also produced one of the strangest finishes in UFC history. This finish occurred in the fourth bout of the main card, when Jorge Masvidal and Jake Ellenberger duked it out at welterweight.

Tom Taylor - December 4, 2016

When Tim Elliott won season 24 of The Ultimate Fighter, it earned him not only a new UFC contract, but also the opportunity to battle dominant flyweight champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson. Given the fact that Johnson has already dispatched most of the flyweight division’s top fighters – some of them more than once – Elliott was given little chance in this rather untraditional title fight. Amazingly, however, he was able to give the champ a few scares, dropping him with a punch and threatening with a guillotine in their bout’s first round. In the end, of course, Mighty Mouse would retain his title, walking away with a unanimous decision win. Yet even in defeat, Elliott proved that he absolutely deserves to be a part of the UFC flyweight roster.

Tom Taylor - December 4, 2016

Last night, the UFC returned to glimmering Las Vegas, Nevada with the finale of the latest season of The Ultimate Fighter. The card was headlined by a flyweight title fight between dominant champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson, and the unheralded Tim Elliott, who won the latest season of the Ultimate Fighter. At the moment, purses for this 12-fight card have not been disclosed. We do, however, know how much the card’s 24 fighters took home through the UFC’s outfitting deal with sports apparel giant Reebok.

Tom Taylor - December 4, 2016

https://youtu.be/aNjvHBAbUk8?t=51s Ireland’s Conor McGregor is the biggest star the UFC has ever produced. He’s also the first fighter in UFC history to win titles in two weight classes concurrently, and is far and away the highest paid fighter in MMA history. As such, he’s become a source of inspiration for many up and coming fighters.

Tom Taylor - December 4, 2016

Until just days ago, Pride legends Wanderlei Silva and Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic were scheduled to go at it for a third time under the Rizin banner this December. Regrettably, Silva was forced to bow out of this planned trilogy fight with an injury. This news did not go over well with Cro Cop. After learning of Silva’s injury, the Croatian kickboxer took to social media to burn Silva with a fiery tirade, calling him a ‘scared b*tch,’ among other things.