MMA News

Russell Ess - November 18, 2016

Nick Diaz was in attendance at the 1 Oak Nightclub in New York for Conor McGregor’s UFC 205 afterparty. It’s unclear whether Diaz was invited to the afterparty by the club or if he just showed up to see how “The Notorious” and his team would celebrate after making history by becoming the first fighter to concurrently hold the status as the champion in two separate UFC weight divisions.

bjpenndotcom - November 18, 2016

Top ranked UFC welterweight Demian Maia has been on a tear of the UFC’s welterweight division over the course of the past two years, going 6-0 as he has defeated top contenders such as former interim welterweight champion Carlos Condit, and rising prospect Gunnar Nelson. Maia’s impressive 6-fight win streak has earned him the #3 spot on the UFC’s official welterweight rankings, however despite that, it could be some time before Maia fights for the UFC welterweight championship. This past weekend at UFC 205, welterweight #1 contender Stephen Thompson fought welterweight champion Tyron Woodley in a 5-round scrap that saw Woodley retain his championship via majority draw. Following the fight, UFC President Dana White revealed that because the fight was a draw, Thompson would be getting an immediate rematch.

Russell Ess - November 18, 2016

With making history by becoming the first concurrent champion of two UFC weight divisions, the world is waiting to hear what will be next for Conor McGregor. With holding the championship belts for the 145-pound UFC featherweight division and the 155-pound UFC lightweight division, contenders in both weight classes are eagerly waiting to get their shot at the title.

bjpenndotcom - November 18, 2016

Top ranked UFC middleweight Gegard Mousasi has been on a tear of the UFC middleweight division over the course of 2016. Mousasi kicked off the year by defeating Thales Leites at ‘UFC Fight Night: London’ in February, before making it 2-straight wins as he KO’d Thiago Santos on the UFC Fight Pass prelims of UFC 200 in July. In his most recent Octagon outing, Mousasi TKOd former UFC champion Vitor Belfort in the co-main event of UFC 204 in Manchester, England, back in October, cementing his place near the top of a stacked UFC middleweight division.

Tom Taylor - November 18, 2016

On December 17, when the UFC returns to Sacramento, California, rising welterweight Bryan Barberena will take on highly regarded prospect Colby Covington. If he defeats Covington, he’ll extend his win-streak to three, having taken out Sage Northcutt and Warlley Alves in his last two bouts. Despite the big stakes of this upcoming bout, Barberena recently took time out of his busy schedule for an interview with BJPenn.com’s Tom Taylor.

bjpenndotcom - November 18, 2016

Several months ago, popular UFC middleweight Uriah Hall controversially stated in an interview before UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping’s first title defense against Dan Henderson at UFC 204 that he kicked the champ’s ass in training. Bisping, who of course went on to successfully defend his title against Dan Henderson, remained quiet regarding the situation for quite some time.

Tom Taylor - November 18, 2016

Despite having fought just twice inside the Octagon, “Platinum” Mike Perry is quickly emerging as one of the welterweight division’s most popular –and dangerous – fighters. Currently preparing for a December 17 scrap with fellow prospect Alan Jouban, Perry recently took time out of his busy schedule for an appearance on BJPenn.com’s Rapid Fire with host Chris Taylor. Given that this interview occurred just days after the unforgettable UFC 205, many of Perry’s talking points surrounded UFC 205 – particularly the card’s co-main and main events.

Tom Taylor - November 18, 2016

Last Saturday, in the co-main event of UFC 205, UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley attempted the first defense of his crown against streaking striker Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson. Given the finishing ability shared by these two fighters, many fans and pundits expected this title fight to end emphatically, one way or the other. In the end, however, it was as close as they come. After five frenzied rounds of action that saw both men enjoy plenty of success, this fight was ruled a majority draw. With this result, Woodley held on to the welterweight title – though probably not in quite the fashion that he planned.

Tom Taylor - November 18, 2016

Who should Conor McGregor​ fight next in the Octagon? Eddie Alvarez's answer to that question might surprise you. pic.twitter.com/UiRf0vo4DO

Tom Taylor - November 18, 2016

Now closing in on the end of the two years of mandatory military service required of South Korean citizens, Chan Sung Jung – more widely known as “The Korean Zombie” – is poised for  return to the Octagon. In advance of his return, the featherweight favorite spoke with Chris Taylor on BJPenn.com’s Rapid Fire to discuss the state of the division, and the man who rules it: Conor McGregor. According to the South Korean legend, McGregor has made things complicated at featherweight. That said, he doubts the Irish star will ever return to the division.

Tom Taylor - November 18, 2016

Not long ago, UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping suggested he would turn down a fight with contender Yoel Romero, even if Romero beat former champ Chris Weidman at UFC 205. His reluctance to accept this potential fight was based on Romero’s failing a drug test in early 2016 – which was ultimately deemed to be the result of his consumption of a tainted supplement. “If Yoel beats Chris, I honestly don’t think I’ll fight Yoel, because he tested positive for steroids,” he said on his podcast The Countdown with Michael Bisping. “I read an article recently that said that it takes years for the advantages of taking steroids to get out of your system. Just because you don’t test positive anymore doesn’t mean you’ll lose all the extra muscle and stuff like that that you were able to achieve. So I think he needs longer, I really do, and I don’t see why he should be rewarded.”

Tom Taylor - November 18, 2016

This is not a joke. For the third time in four months, fan favorite flyweight Ian McCall has had a fight cancelled just days before it was supposed to happen. He’s been forced to withdraw from his planned bout with Neil Seery, which was to headline the Fight Pass Prelims of the UFC’s Saturday return to Belfast, Northern Ireland. McCall has been pushed out of the bout with an illness, which apparently took effect before he had even began cutting weight.

Chris Taylor - November 17, 2016

UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley is coming off a remarkable performance against Stephen Thompson at UFC 205, which saw ‘The Chosen One’ retain his title after an epic five-round war with ‘Wonderboy’ was ruled a majority draw. During Friday’s UFC 205 weigh ins, the UFC welterweight champion had a pair of altercations with Irish superstar Conor McGregor. Neither run-in resulted in anything serious but it was clear that ‘Mystic Mac’ was trying to get under ‘The Chosen One’s’ skin.

Russell Ess - November 17, 2016

The next middleweight title bout could be a matchup between champion Michael Bisping and challenger Yoel Romero. After a devastating finish over former middleweight champion Chris Weidman at UFC 205 over the weekend, Romero and Bisping had a little exchange during the “Soldier of God’s” post-fight Octagon interview as “The Count” was in attendance hosting the fight recaps for UFC on FOX.

Russell Ess - November 17, 2016

There is no denying how much interest there is in mixed martial arts. With the UFC having its first event in New York since MMA was legalized in the state back in March, UFC 205 broke nearly every record in the company’s history.

Russell Ess - November 17, 2016

11-2 UFC flyweight Louis Smolka is looking to bounce back from a bitter loss. At UFC Fight Night 96 in a bout against Brandon Moreno, Smolka was finished for the first time in his professional MMA career as Moreno locked in a guillotine choke forcing the Hawaiian to submit. With his only loss prior to fighting Moreno being a close split-decision, “Da Last Samurai” is hungry to get back in the win column.

Russell Ess - November 17, 2016

The UFC rankings were freshly updated following the historic UFC 205 event that took place at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

Chris Taylor - November 17, 2016

Former UFC lightweight and welterweight champion BJ Penn (16-10-2) was expected to make his octagon return against former UFC featherweight title challenger Ricardo Lamas at last month’s scheduled UFC Fight Night 97 event. However, due to an injury suffered in training camp, “The Prodigy” was forced to pullout of the contest and October’s UFC Manila event was later cancelled entirely.