MMA News

bjpenndotcom - November 1, 2016

Next month, former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey will make her highly anticipated return to the Octagon when she steps into the Octagon in the main event of UFC 207 to square off against Amanda Nunes for the women’s bantamweight championship. The fight will not only serve as Rousey’s highly anticipated return to the Octagon after nearly a year away from the sport, it will also headline what is being marketed as the UFC’s New Year’s Eve card. Rousey was on a tear for nearly 5 years as she compiled a 12-0 record that saw her finish all 12 opponents. That changed in November of 2015 in the main event of UFC 193 however when Rousey stepped into the Octagon with renowned striker Holly Holm. Just moments into the fight Holm began to land a cross, which continued to land on Rousey. Throughout the reamained of the first round, Holm picked apart the women’s bantamweight champion. In the second round, it took Holm just under a minute to finish the WMMA superstar with a brutal head kick.

Tom Taylor - November 1, 2016

This weekend, in the main event of the UFC’s latest trip to Mexico City, Mexico, former lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos will take on the streaking Tony Ferguson. The fight will be Dos Anjos’ first since he surrendered the title to Eddie Alvarez in July, when he wilted under a swarm of first-round punches.

Tom Taylor - November 1, 2016

England’s Michael “The Count” Bisping has had an incredible 2016. It’s been so incredible, in fact, that he might just be a shoo-in for 2016’s Fighter of the Year. The Count’s 2016 began with a tooth and nail decision defeat of middleweight legend Anderson Silva. From there, the English veteran capitalized on a last-minute opportunity to replace an injured Chris Weidman against middleweight champion Luke Rockhold, stealing the middleweight crown with a first-round KO. Finally and most recently, in the main event of UFC 204, Bisping avenged the ugliest loss of his career by taking a decision defeat from retiring legend Dan Henderson in front of thousands of English fans. Safe to say that very few fighters have accomplished what Bisping has in the cage this year.

Tom Taylor - November 1, 2016

After dominating the UFC featherweight divisions throughout 2015, UFC superstar Conor McGregor has spent the duration of 2016 thus far in the welterweight division. In this weight class, which sits 35 lbs north of his former featherweight home, the Irish star engaged in a pair of unforgettable battles with Stockton’s Nate Diaz, coming up short in the first via submission, and winning the second with a hard-fought majority decision. Over the course of these two bouts, McGregor and UFC President Dana White have both produced several soundbites emphasizing just how much of a size advantage Diaz possessed. While it’s true that Diaz has a few inches on McGregor, and that he may have outweighed him by 10 or so lbs on fight night, some of McGregor and White’s claims gave the impression that Diaz was a 500 lb. behemoth with laser-eyes and swords for hands.

Russell Ess - October 31, 2016

Despite having a very tight and close relationship with each other, UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor and his long-time coach John Kavanagh are not even close to being best pals. Kavanagh, one of the pioneers of MMA in Ireland recently spoke with Paul Kimmage of the Independent on how he prefers to keep his relationship with his fighters on more of just a professional coach and fighter affiliation.

Chris Taylor - October 31, 2016

Current UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley will attempt to defend his title for the first time when he squares off with Stephen Thompson in the co-main event of UFC 205 in New York on November 12. “The Chosen One” recently took some time out of his busy schedule to jump on BJPENN.com’s Rapid Fire segment with host Chris Taylor.

bjpenndotcom - October 31, 2016

Duane “Bang” Ludwig has reinvented himself as a world-class striking coach after a long and storied mixed martial arts career of his own. These days, “Bang” is the former bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw’s lead striking coach, who has ramped up Dillashaw’s striking immensely. Ludwig was largely credited at improving the striking for all of Team Alpha Male before leaving alongside Dillashaw in what many perceived to be a kind of mutiny.

Russell Ess - October 31, 2016

It’s crazy to imagine a world of mixed martial arts without Conor McGregor. Back when “The Notorious” was just starting off his career in MMA and barely making ends meet, he almost walked a completely different path but was lured back on track by his coach, John Kavanagh.

Russell Ess - October 31, 2016

UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor has become a worldwide star and it’s only fitting that the prize MMA fighter has been seen hanging out with other celebrities. We’ve seen Conor hanging out with Jennifer Lopez at her birthday. Soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo paid “The Notorious” a visit during his UFC 202 training camp preparing for his rematch with Nate Diaz. Kanye West went out to watch McGregor and Diaz fight at UFC 202 and the rapper was seen backstage having a friendly exchange with the Irish prize fighter.

Russell Ess - October 31, 2016

UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor is sitting at the top of the game of mixed martial arts. The Irish superstar has a UFC lightweight title fight against the lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez coming up on November 12 and has a chance to make history by becoming the first UFC fighter to ever be the champion of two divisions at the same time. However, “The Notorious” obviously had to start somewhere. McGregor’s head coach John Kavanagh recently spoke with Paul Kimmage of the Independent of their first time meeting and how a coach and student relationship was firmly established the very first day they met.

bjpenndotcom - October 31, 2016

When news broke of former UFC welterweight champion Georges Saint Pierre coming out of retirement, there wasn’t much doubt regarding where the French-Canadian superstar would re-sign with the UFC. But with entirely new owners and an exclusive apparel contract with Reebok, much has changed in the UFC since GSP stepped away from the sport in 2013.

Tom Taylor - October 31, 2016

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Tom Taylor - October 31, 2016

Late last week, it was reported that Bellator MMA was working on a heavyweight showdown between Fedor Emelianenko and UFC veteran Matt Mitrione. The fight is allegedly being targeted for sometime in early 2017. On Monday, however, Fedor took to his official Instagram account to caution his fans. In his post, he assured that, at the moment, he has not signed a contract to fight anyone in any organization.

Tom Taylor - October 31, 2016

Tom Taylor - October 31, 2016

https://youtu.be/_I56sI-orqI England’s Michael “Venom” Page, who competes in Bellator’s welterweight division, is one of the fastest rising stars in mixed martial arts. His quick rise to stardom is due in part to his vicious striking arsenal, which famously shattered the skull of his most recent opponent Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos, and to his fan-friendly antics, which manifested themselves when he threw a Pokéball at Santos moments after stopping him. In a few short weeks, “MVP” will look to take his star to new heights, when he battles veteran welterweight Fernando Gonzales on the main card of Bellator 165. MVP and Gonzales have quite a bit of history, having been matched up twice previously to no avail. Today, MVP gave their slow-cooking rivalry even more juice, sending some Halloween-themed trash talk in his foe’s direction in a recently-uploaded video from Real Sport.

Tom Taylor - October 31, 2016

When it comes to UFC 205, no fight is generating more hype than the main event, which will see Conor McGregor attempt to become the first fighter in UFC history to hold two titles concurrently by defeating lightweight champ Eddie Alvarez. A quick look at this historic card’s lineup, however, reveals that there is much more to be excited about than the main event – particularly the other two title fights that top the bill.

Tom Taylor - October 31, 2016

On November 12, on the undercard of UFC 205, talented UFC middleweight Tim Kennedy will return from a lengthy hiatus to take on Rashad Evans. While the Strikeforce veteran is optimistic that a win over Evans should push him in the direction of a fight with current middleweight champ Michael Bisping, who he defeated back in 2014, he’s also aware that nothing is certain in today’s crowded middleweight division. “The [middleweight] division’s a mess, man. It’s a disaster,” Kennedy said on a recent episode of Submission Radio. “It’s anybody’s chance to get that next title fight and everybody wants it because, especially for me, Michael Bisping is the easiest fight in the division.”

Tom Taylor - October 31, 2016

Some people prefer to keep their political opinions to themselves, while others are proud to bare their political allegiances on the table. Fighters, of course, are no exception to this rule. In some cases it’s a complete mystery as to which way a fighter might vote. In other cases, fighter’s political leanings can be clear as day. This latter option is true in the case of fan favorite welterweight Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, who has been an outspoken supporter of a Donald Trump in the lead-up to the looming American election.