MMA News

Russell Ess - February 5, 2016

UFC Fight Night 81, which took place on Jan. 17 proved to be a night of exciting fights in Boston’s TD Garden. New UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz and heavyweight Travis Browne were among the top earners of the fight card. The main card fights were featured on FS1 while the preliminary bouts were aired on UFC Fight Pass. In the main event, Dominick Cruz was able to reclaim the UFC bantamweight title with a split decision victory taking the belt from T.J. Dillashaw.

Russell Ess - February 5, 2016

Former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson has had a lot more than just fans buzzing about his choice to leave the UFC and sign to fight with Bellator MMA. Now being a former UFC fighter, current UFC veterans have been trying to get as much information from “Smooth” on how his negotiations went down from both the UFC and Bellator. Henderson was featured by Fansided who extensively interviewed the Bellator welterweight title contender about how his choice has had a lot of fighters in the UFC curious about if the grass in greener over at Bellator.

bjpenndotcom - February 5, 2016

When Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson signed the initial contract to fight Johny Hendricks at UFC 196 the fight was scheduled for 3 rounds and was to serve as the co-main event. Last month Cain Velasquez withdrew from his main event scrap with Fabricio Werdum due to a back injury. The UFC replaced Velasquez with Stipe Miocic, however Fabricio Werdum then withdrew from the bout with a back injury. Werdum caught criticism for withdrawing from the bout before revealing that he also has a broken foot.

bjpenndotcom - February 5, 2016

In July of 2015 at UFC 189 Robbie Lawler looked to make his first title defense since winning the UFC welterweight championship from Johny Hendricks. In his way however was Rory MacDonald, who had waited quite a long time to get his crack at the welterweight championship.

bjpenndotcom - February 5, 2016

Going into UFC 193 Holly Holm had the full support of the boxing community. Holm vs. Rousey was expected to be a classic style vs. style matchup that saw Rousey attempting to take the fight to the ground while Holm attempted to keep it standing. Instead Rousey came out looking to strike with Holm, which surprised many given Holm’s decorated past as a boxer and kickboxer. An early cross left Rousey wobbled and threw her off for the remainder of the fight while Holm put on a striking clinic. In addition, Holm even managed to land a takedown of her own on Rousey.

bjpenndotcom - February 5, 2016

https://youtu.be/QBfaSxLGYQs This Saturday Stephen Thompson will face the toughest test of his career as he meets Johny Hendricks in the main event of ‘UFC FN: 82’.

bjpenndotcom - February 5, 2016

The question of how to prevent unintentional eye pokes inside the cage is something that has been discussed for quite some time, however has never really been answered. Bellator MMA designed a special pair of gloves which leave a fighter unable to fully extend their fingers, minimizing the number of unintentional eye pokes caused by pawing out at an opponents hand.

bjpenndotcom - February 5, 2016

Fabricio Werdum has found himself being criticized quite a bit recently after withdrawing from his UFC 196 scrap with fill-in opponent Stipe Miocic. Miocic was offered the fight after Cain Velasquez withdrew from the bout due to a back injury. Shortly after Miocic accepted the fight however, Werdum withdrew from the bout with a back injury. Following a brief scramble that saw Nate Diaz offer to fight Anthony Pettis in the main event, the UFC promoted the co-main event bout between Johny Hendricks and Stephen Thompson to the main event, and made the event free on Fox Sports 1.

Russell Ess - February 5, 2016

Betting odds have been released for the immediate rematch between new UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold versus former champion Chris Weidman. The middleweight contenders were in a bit of a mix up after Yoel Romero was flagged for a “a potential Anti-Doping Policy violation” by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). Weidman had his prayers answered with a chance to regain the title and avenge his loss to Rockhold with an immediate rematch.

Russell Ess - February 5, 2016

Belt rankings in Brazilian jiu-jitsu are made for a reason. Oftentimes, newcomers to the sport have egos that are far bigger than their skill sets and technique.

Russell Ess - February 5, 2016

UFC Hall of Fame legend BJ Penn recently announced he will be returning to the Octagon for a run at the UFC featherweight title. In his attempt to do so, “The Prodigy” has taken a step outside of his comfort zone and has enlisted under the coaching of Greg Jackson and Mike Winklejohn at the JacksonWink MMA academy in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It is a world away from his tropical homeland in Hilo, Hawaii. Penn finds himself in the desert at altitude but is settling into his new environment well with big goals in mind.

Russell Ess - February 5, 2016

UFC President Dana White does what he wants and can change his mind at the drop of a dime. News coming from Brazil is giving Jose Aldo fans and supporters a lot to be happy about. ESPN Brazil spoke exclusively with White on Aldo’s next fight (via Google Translate).

bjpenndotcom - February 4, 2016

Max Holloway may still have his hand in a cast following his UFC 194 unanimous decision win over Jeremy Stephens. The win over Stephens gave Holloway his 8th straight win, and the most consecutive wins in the UFC featherweight division. With no immediate timetable for his return, Holloway is anxious to return to the Octagon and secure a title shot in a stacked featherweight division.

Russell Ess - February 4, 2016

http://dai.ly/x3qgpu1 UFC color commentator Joe Rogan recently spoke about Benson Henderson’s decision to leave the UFC to fight for Bellator MMA. Rogan gave a very candid talk about Henderson, MMA, and getting paid.

Russell Ess - February 4, 2016

Chael Sonnen has never been one to shy away from his words or his opinion. The retired UFC veteran spoke with FOX Sports on the topic of politics and how he feels Donald Trump has changed the game.

bjpenndotcom - February 4, 2016

Earlier this week it was revealed that Tim ‘Dirty Bird’ Means had been pulled from his ‘UFC Fight Night: 83’ main event bout with Donald Cerrone due to a potential anti-doping violation.

Russell Ess - February 4, 2016

https://youtu.be/0FXfhqm3dPc Wow! Talk about a Throwback Thursday!

bjpenndotcom - February 4, 2016

At the UFC 196 press conference recently Conor McGregor wasn’t pleased with the fight poster for the event. McGregor expressed his dissatisfaction with the UFC’s poster department, saying he would have to go down there to have a conversation with whoever designed the fight poster. UFC President Dana White explained that the reason McGregor’s belt was left out of the poster was due to the fact that he was going up to lightweight to challenge Rafael dos Anjos for the lightweight belt, and his featherweight championship wasn’t on the line.