MMA News

Chris Taylor - June 18, 2016

A flyweight bout between Ali Bagautinov (14-4 MMA) and Geane Herrera (9-2 MMA) kicked off tonight’s UFC Fight Night 89 event in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Bagautinov came out on fire in the bout’s opening round, scoring some terrific strikes while standing before eventually taking Herrera to the ground. The former title challenger landed some excellent ground and pound before the bell rang to end round one.

bjpenndotcom - June 18, 2016

Unfortunate news surfaced Saturday afternoon that light heavyweight title contender Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson had withdrawn from his ‘UFC on FOX: Chicago’ scrap against Glover Teixeira on July 23rd. Ariel Helwani broke the news via Twitter, which didn’t give a reason for Johnson’s withdrawal. So far there has been no word yet on whether or not the UFC will look to find a replacement opponent for Teixeira, or if they will look to move the bout to a later date.

bjpenndotcom - June 18, 2016

In just one week, Rampage Jackson will face off against Satoshi Ishii in the main event of Bellator 157. With just one week to go until fight night, Jackson’s coach was furious when he saw his student eating a piece of pound cake from Starbucks.

bjpenndotcom - June 18, 2016

While Chris Weidman may have been forced to pull out of his UFC 199 middleweight title scrap with Luke Rockhold due to the fact that he needed to undergo neck surgery, he has managed to keep his name in headlines due to his constant trash talk. With the recent talk of former UFC welterweight kingpin Georges St-Pierre wanting to come out of retirement to fight Bisping, Weidman shared his thoughts on both men with fans during a Q&A.

bjpenndotcom - June 18, 2016

Michael Bisping has been on cloud 9 since winning the UFC middleweight championship against Luke Rockhold earlier this month in the main event of UFC 199. Bisping stepped in on just 2 weeks notice for Chris Weidman, who was forced out of the bout with a neck injury, and ultimately knocked out Luke Rockhold in the first round. On the heels of his welcome back party at the Fox Sports 1 studio, Bisping took the middleweight strap home to Manchester, where he visited Old Trafford, home of the Manchester United football club.

bjpenndotcom - June 18, 2016

Saturday night in Ottawa, former teammates Rory MacDonald and Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson will square off in a highly anticipated matchup of welterweight contenders that will likely see the next welterweight title challenger crowned. The winner of MacDonald vs. Thompson will likely be facing the winner of UFC 201’s Robbie Lawler vs. Tyron Woodley scrap, which takes place July 30th in Atlanta, Georgia.

bjpenndotcom - June 18, 2016

Tonight on the main card of ‘UFC Fight Night: Ottawa’, TUF 20 competitor Joanne Calderwood will square off against former strawweight title challenger Valerie Letourneau in a UFC women’s featherweight fight. The fight will be Calderwood’s first in almost exactly a year. Ahead of the fight, she spoke to DailyMail to discuss the impact former welterweight kingpin Georges St-Pierre has had on her training at Tristar gym:

bjpenndotcom - June 18, 2016

Friday afternoon, Fabio Maldonado and Fedor Emelianenko squared off in the main event of EFN 50. Maldonado survived an early onslaught from Emelianenko, before firing back with some heavy offense of his own. Maldonado dropped, and nearly finished The Last Emperor, who managed to survive the 1st round, and win the next 2 en route to a majority decision win. The decision was an incredibly controversial one, with many believing that Maldonado should have won the fight given that he dominated Emelianenko in the first round. Following the fight he reflected on the bout to MMAFighting:

bjpenndotcom - June 17, 2016

https://youtu.be/O98TwDribY8 Nearly a year ago, Robbie Lawler and Rory MacDonald put on one of the most spectacular fights in the history of the UFC for the welterweight championship. The fight saw MacDonald up 3-1 on the judges scorecards going into the 5th round. Lawler ended up coming out strong in the 5th round, knocking out MacDonald to retain the championship in devastating fashion.

bjpenndotcom - June 17, 2016

Friday afternoon, the fighters of ‘UFC Fight Night: Ottawa’ hit the scales ahead of their scheduled bouts on Saturday night. In the main event of the card, #2 ranked welterweight Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson will square off with #1 ranked welterweight Rory MacDonald in what many believe to be a #1 contender fight.

bjpenndotcom - June 17, 2016

Friday afternoon in Russia, MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko fought former UFC light heavyweight Fabio Maldonado in the main event of EFN 50. After being dropped in the first round, Emelianenko went on to win the next two rounds, and ultimately win a majority decision. While some thought that the judges made the right call given that Emelianenko won the last two rounds, others thought that the decision as extremely controversial, and Emelianenko should have lost given that he was dominated the first round.

bjpenndotcom - June 17, 2016

UFC fighter Sean O’Connell has become rather well known for his hilarious shenanigans at weigh-in events during staredowns. From playing rock-paper-scissors, to taking selfies, and even giving his opponents flowers, O’Connell’s staredowns have become a sort of spectacle.

bjpenndotcom - June 17, 2016

On Friday afternoon, Fedor Emelianenko and Fabio Maldonado squared off in the main event of EFN 50. The fight was a rough one for Emelianenko, who was dropped early in the first round, but somehow managed to win a majority decision.

bjpenndotcom - June 17, 2016

On Friday afternoon, Fedor Emelianenko and Fabio Maldonado fought in the EFN 50 main event, Emelianenko came out strong, backing Maldonado up as he landed numerous big punches while Maldonado defended. It was Maldonado however who landed a big punch that dropped Fedor Emelianenko. While many expected the fight to be stopped, Emelianenko survived as Maldonado dropped bombs from half guard. Emelianenko looked to survive and attempt to get back to guard as the crowed watched on in awe. Emelianenko got up and wobbled around the cage as Maldonado landed bombs. Somehow Emelianenko makes it to the cage, where Maldonado landed more punches in the clinch. Emelianenko, noticeably wobbled, staggers away as he connects with a right hand that wobbles Maldonado a bit. With just 90 seconds left in the round, Maldonado pushes Emelianenko against the cage and lands more bombs. Emelianenko somehow makes his way to the center of the cage, where he is hit with more bombs. The Last Emperor staggers to the cage, where Maldonado lands more big punches. The referee briefly stops the bout to give Fedor his mouthpiece back. With just 20 seconds left in the round, Emelianenko makes his way back to the center of the cage. The round ends and both men make their way back to their corners after a thrilling round.

Russell Ess - June 17, 2016

Chris Weidman is recovering from a neck surgery procedure that put him out of his title fight with Luke Rockhold at UFC 199. Instead of Weidman fighting for the title, Michael Bisping stepped in with less than two weeks notice and shocked the world when he knocked Rockhold out in the first round of their title fight.

Russell Ess - June 17, 2016

Former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar returns to the Octagon in July’s UFC 200 event as he takes on the knockout specialist Mark Hunt. The WWE star reportedly will be allowed to walk out to the Octagon to his WWE entrance music.

Russell Ess - June 17, 2016

With Nate Diaz and Conor McGregor set to rematch at UFC 202, here is an awesome promotional video to get you ready for their rematch that will take place on August 20.

Russell Ess - June 17, 2016

UFC strawweight Paige VanZant is fresh off the dancefloor after nearly winning the most recent season of ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars.” VanZant, who says she is currently in the works of getting an opponent for her next fight in the UFC has taken a vacation before she gets into fight camp.