MMA News

bjpenndotcom - June 8, 2016

https://youtu.be/EY0c26_rwY8 Wednesday afternoon Muay Thai champion Ilya Grad posted on his Instagram about a recent training session he had with UFC welterweight star Sage Northcutt ahead of Northcutt’s UFC 200 fight.

bjpenndotcom - June 8, 2016

This past weekend it was revealed during the UFC 199 broadcast that Brock Lesnar would be returning to the UFC to fight Mark Hunt in the co-main event of UFC 200 on July 9th. The fight will be Lesnar’s first in nearly 5 years, and while there are many who believe Lesnar will make a dominant return to the Octagon, Frank Mir believes that Mark Hunt is a bad matchup for the former champ.

bjpenndotcom - June 8, 2016

UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor never shies away from showing off the ‘fruits of his labor’ on social media, in the form of designer clothes, luxury vehicles, and expensive shopping sprees. The featherweight champion banked his largest payday earlier this year when he fought Nate Diaz in the main event of UFC 196 at welterweight. McGregor lost the fight, but managed to break several UFC records with the event.

Russell Ess - June 8, 2016

The news of Kevin Ferguson’s death caught everyone off guard.

Russell Ess - June 8, 2016

Sage Northcutt is set to fight at UFC 200 against Enrique Marin. Northcutt will step into the Octagon for the first time since being handed his only professional loss, where he was submitted by Bryan Barberena back in January. Israeli Muay Thai champion Ilya Grad was brought in to help train with Northcutt for his UFC 200 bout, but left in disgust after Northcutt’s father apparently interfered with their training.

Russell Ess - June 8, 2016

https://youtu.be/51n-6rDGHAY At UFC 199, the rematch between Nate Diaz and Conor McGregor was officially announced by the UFC.

Russell Ess - June 8, 2016

Russell Ess - June 8, 2016

MMA journalist Ariel Helwani made the headlines himself after he made it known that he was kicked out of UFC 199 and “banned for life” after breaking the news of Brock Lesnar’s return at UFC 200 before the promotion could make their big announcement. UFC color commentator Joe Rogan reacted to the news of the UFC lifting the ban on Helwani and his team on his “Joe Rogan Experience” podcast. Rogan explained what he was told regarding the situation. Rogan said that Helwani was told by the UFC that only a handful of people knew the confidential information, and by breaking the news, people would be fired to eliminate any moles leaking the confidential information.

bjpenndotcom - June 8, 2016

The MMA world was taken by surprise during the UFC 199 broadcast when it was revealed that former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar would be returning to the Octagon for a fight at UFC 200. After a brief period of uncertainty, it was revealed that Lesnar would be fighting fan-favorite heavyweight Mark Hunt in a showdown of heavy-handed heavyweights in the co-main event of UFC 200 on July 9th.

bjpenndotcom - June 8, 2016

When it was announced that Brock Lesnar would be returning to MMA for UFC 200, no opponent was immediately listed for the bout, however it was revealed that Lesnar’s fight would be the co-main event of UFC 200. Given that no opponent was listed, and that Lesnar’s fight was listed as the co-main event, many wondered if Lesnar would finally fight Fedor Emelianenko at UFC 200.

bjpenndotcom - June 8, 2016

Tragic news surfaced earlier this week that YouTube star and MMA fighter Kimbo Slice had passed away from heart failure in Florida. Unbeknownst to the MMA community, Slice had been hospitalized since June 3rd, at which point he learned that he had a mass on his liver, and would need a heart transplant. Since his passing, numerous MMA fighters, including Dada5000, have paid tribute to Slice on social media. Now, fellow Bellator MMA fighter Wanderlei Silva had paid tribute to Slice via Instagram, along with a message about brain damage:

bjpenndotcom - June 8, 2016

This past weekend at UFC 199, Michael Bisping defeated Luke Rockhold and claimed the middleweight championship with a 1st round knockout. At the post-fight press conference after the bout, the pair continued their heated rivalry as Rockhold threatened to kill Bisping.

Russell Ess - June 8, 2016

People are still stunned that Kevin Ferguson, better known as Kimbo Slice had died at the age of 42 on Monday. The backyard Internet fighting sensation turned professional MMA star was admitted to a hospital on June 3, suffering from nausea, shortness of breath, and severe abdominal pain, according to a report from the Sun Sentinel. The report also states that a growth was found on Ferguson’s liver and was in congestive heart failure and was in the process of being sent to Cleveland for a heart transplant. Unfortunately, Ferguson died on Monday, before making it to Cleveland for the heart transplant.

bjpenndotcom - June 7, 2016

Back in February, Kimbo Slice and Dada 5000 fought under the Bellator MMA banner at Bellator 149. The bout was a highly anticipated matchup between two men who earned their stripes through bareknuckle boxing. Leading up to the fight there was no shortage of trash talk between the two enemies. While their fight ended up being an infamous one, Dada5000 found himself hospitalized after the bout after going into cardiac arrest due to kidney failure. Ultimately Slice’s win was overturned and changed to a ‘no contest’ after he tested positive for Nandrolone, and the pair went their separate ways, with Dada5000 making a full recovery. Earlier this week however tragic news surfaced that Slice had passed away from heart failure.

bjpenndotcom - June 7, 2016

UFC 199 was a major night for not only fights, but news regarding upcoming UFC events as well. In addition to Michael Bisping knocking out Luke Rockhold, and Dominick Cruz dominating Urijah Faber, it was announced that Brock Lesnar would be returning at UFC 200, and Diaz vs. McGregor II would go down at UFC 202. With that being said, the night didn’t go down without any drama. According to Evan Rodner, who is a producer on Brendan Schaub & Bryan Callen’s ‘The Fighter And The Kid’ podcast, spoke to MMAMad.com about the incident:

bjpenndotcom - June 7, 2016

Monday night, tragedy struck the MMA community as it was revealed that YouTube sensation and Bellator MMA fighter Kimbo Slice had passed away at the age of 42. While no cause of death was immediately given, a followup report emerged revealing that the preliminary cause of death was listed as heart failure. Now, according to a report from Sun Sentinel, Slice was taken to the hospital on June 3rd after having nausea, shortness of breath, and severe abdominal pain. It was then discovered that he had a growth on his liver, and was in congestive heart failure. Slice was placed on a ventilator at that time, and was informed that he would need a heart transplant.

Russell Ess - June 7, 2016

https://youtu.be/8CG0_OvTItU Many fans were outraged when they found out that Ariel Helwani was kicked out of UFC 199 and “banned for life” after breaking the news of Brock Lesnar’s return to the UFC.

Russell Ess - June 7, 2016

MMA journalist Ariel Helwani made news himself when he tweeted that he was kicked out of UFC 199 and was slapped with a “lifetime ban” from the UFC for breaking the news of Brock Lesnar’s return to the UFC ahead of the promotion’s announcement.