MMA News

BJPENN.COM News - September 20, 2015

In the night’s main event, at Bellator ‘Dynamite’, undefeated light heavyweight champion Liam McGeary took on MMA vet Tito Ortiz. Early on it was Tito imposing his gameplan, getting McGeary down to the mat and working some ground and pound.

BJPENN.COM News - September 20, 2015

Former UFC lightweight Josh Thomson pulled off a big win in his Bellator debut. He fought Mike Bronzoulis in front of his home crowd and put on quite the performance. Thomson was clearly the better grappler and was able to get the fight to the ground whenever he wanted to.

BJPENN.COM News - September 20, 2015

Floyd Mayweather picked up some criticism for how he fought against Manny Pacquiao in May, but there is no denying his most recent performances were anything short of impressive. He walked into the ring looking to secure another win and walked out with his hand raised without so much of a cut on his face. Mayweather’s last bout took place earlier this month when he went toe-to-toe with Andre Berto in another decision victory. Again, Mayweather gained criticism from boxing fans for not engaging in a slugging brawl but his corner was clearly happy with is performance in the final round of his final fight. Watch his corner get emotional at the end of their fight!

BJPENN.COM News - September 20, 2015

Diehard fans of mixed martial arts who have been dreaming of watching Fedor Emelianenko throw down in the octagon let out a collective groan when it was announced he would be fighting in a new Japan-based promotion on New Years Eve. On the bright side, “The Last Emperor” will be returning to the “Land of the Rising Sun” where PRIDE helped him make a name for himself! Check out what some of the biggest names in the mixed martial arts community had to say about Fedor’s return to action in Japan:

BJPENN.COM News - September 20, 2015

Martial arts legend Steven Seagal claims to have helped train some of mixed martial arts most elite champions on their path to gold. The likes of Anderson Silva and Lyoto Machida have thanked Seagal for help in their post-fight speeches and have been seen training with them in various videos, but fans and fighters alike have questioned the icon’s legitimacy. While there is no doubt of Seagal’s elite level in the world of Aikido, people are questioning the effectiveness of the martial art in actual combat. UFC commentator Joe Rogan thinks Aikido has no place in the octagon and anybody who is training in combat sports could easily take down an Aikido student! Check out what Rogan had to say to Andrew Hill, a neuroscientist who believes Aikido is a valid combat art, about Aikido!

BJPENN.COM News - September 20, 2015

Fedor Emelianenko will not be fighting in the octagon nor will he be duking it out in the Bellator cage; “The Last Emperor” announced his signing with a new Japanese based promotion on Saturday night during “DYNAMITE”. The Japanese promotion has yet to be named but is run by one of the men behind the legendary PRIDE promotion, Nobuyuki Sakakibara. Emelianenko’s history at New Year’s Eve shows is legendary, to say the least. The Russian possesses December 31st wins against Satoshi Ishii, Hong Man Choi, Mark Hunt, Zuluzinho, and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. Hunt is still tearing up the octagon and Nogueira just NOW retired— there is no doubt that Fedor has defeated some of the best of the octagon!

BJPENN.COM News - September 20, 2015

Judges’ inability to properly score fights usually gets a rise out of the crowd, but this is a completely different level. More often than not, when fans disagree with how the judges scores a fight they simply voice their disproval with a parade of boos or “bull s***” chants. Things were handled a little differently at a recent BAMMA event, however. Tom Duquesnoy defeated Brendan Loughnane in a controversial decision this past weekend at BAMMA 22 and fans decided to litter the ring with cups filled with liquid. Some may have been beer, but Redditor Dingobabie claims he saw at least one cup filled with urine! “…Police came in and caught a guy with his pants open doing it,” Dingobabie stated. Check out the video below for footage!

BJPENN.COM News - September 20, 2015

Andre Berto and Floyd Mayweather met in the boxing ring earlier this month and sent a handful of fans home disappointed with another decision victory. While Mayweather’s style of fighting may not be the most popular for fans who are hungry for a slugfest, nobody can deny he has mastered the science of landing significant shots while taking VERY minimal punishment. Berto tried his hardest to take control of the fight and bring Mayweather into a slugfest and he believes he made it a more entertaining fight than Manny Pacquiao would have. Mayweather and Pacquiao met in the ring earlier this year in May and it was an underwhelming fight to say the least; While it broke all types of records, the fight was slow and plodding.

BJPENN.COM News - September 20, 2015

There are moments in fighters’ careers that they will always remember. For kickboxers, it could be anything from signing with your first major organization to making your walk down to the ring in your first major fight in front of a major audience. Jose Palacios would like a second chance to make a first impression, however, as he will be remembered for busting his a** on his way to the ring in his second GLORY bout.

BJPENN.COM News - September 20, 2015

Floyd Mayweather was followed behind the scenes in the hours leading up to his retirement fight earlier this month. The undefeated king of boxing squared off with Andre Berto in the final fight of his career to cap off a perfect record with another perfect fight. While casual and diehard fans may not be a fan of “Money’s” style, it’s undeniable he is a master at what he intends to do. Berto tried to bait him into fighting more of a brawl, but Mayweather maintained his composure and stayed calm enough to dance his way back to the corner. That’s not to say the champion didn’t land some stiff shots, though! Go behind the scenes with Showtime on “All Access: Mayweather vs. Berto” below!

BJPENN.COM News - September 20, 2015

Cheap shots obviously have no place in mixed martial arts or combat sports in general. Whether it’s a fighter striking his opponent long after the bell sounds or right when the fight starts during a glove touch, the crowd will instantly turn on a fighter throwing a cheap shot. This “trainer” claims to have mastered the art of defending “cheap shots” in the video below. It seems nearly impossible as you can’t possibly anticipate a “cheap shot” as the whole purpose of the cheap shot is that you don’t see it coming! If you’re interested in learning how to block a cheap shot that is coming straight at your face when you’re expecting it after asking for it, check out the video below! If you want to make fun of a goofball for thinking he knows what a ‘cheap shot’ truly is… DEFINITELY check out the video below.

BJPENN.COM News - September 19, 2015

Bellator MMA put on one of the craziest nights of combat sports ever with ‘Dynamite 1’. We saw GLORY kickboxing and Bellator MMA going on throughout the night and saw some pretty wild fights. Perhaps most exciting was the light heavyweight tournament, which Phil Daivs ended up winning. King Mo was supposed to fight in the final but was injured, so alternate Francis Carmont stepped in. He got TKO’d by Davis in the first round.

BJPENN.COM News - September 19, 2015

First off, King Mo was injured an unable to fight in the final. Also, his opponent Linton Vassell was not cleared to fill in, so alternate Francis Carmont stepped in to fight Phil Davis. The fight didn’t last long. There was a feeling out process where both fighters sort of stayed patient and didn’t really throw much.

BJPENN.COM News - September 19, 2015

Just announced on the Bellator ‘Dynamite’ broadcast, Fedor Emelianenko will return and headline a new years eve event held in Japan. It is not a Bellator event, it’s the new promotion run by the former PRIDE boss and might feature some Bellator fighters on the card.

BJPENN.COM News - September 19, 2015

In basically the only GLORY kickboxing match that actually featured GLORY kickboxers, Saulo Cavalari took on Zack Mwekassa. Cavalari seemed to be the aggressor, landing some nice kicks to start the fight. The real action started in the second round. Cavalari came out with a bunch go heavy kicks to the body and leg. At one point it looked like Zack might have gotten hurt. He also dropped him with a big head kick, but that might have been more of a slip. They continued to scrap. Towards the mid point of the round the referee stopped it and took a point from Cavalari, for holding? That was weird.

BJPENN.COM News - September 19, 2015

Former UFC fighter Josh Thomson made his Bellator debut in front of his home crowd at Bellator ‘Dynamite’ against Mike Bronzoulis. These guys didn’t waste time getting after it. Both fighters got after it. They exchanged on the feet. Thomson almost landed a big head kick but it was blocked. Mike slipped and Thomson capitalized and got top control. He worked from top with Mike pressed on the cage. Thomson looked to transition to a better position. He made his way to full mount, with his legs triangled over Mike’s legs. From here Thomson couldn’t’ really posture up. Finally he gained normal full mount, but then the round ended. Good round for Thomson.

BJPENN.COM News - September 19, 2015

In the first GLORY kickboxing match of the main card, Keri Anne Taylor-Melendez took on Hadley Griffith. Melendez came out firing, landing leg kicks than a body kick. Early on, it was clear Melendez was the more aggressive fighter. While Griffith threw out soft jabs, Melendez was putting together quick and powerful combos. Yup, this was pretty lopsided. In the first it was all Melendez, basically beating the carp out Griffith who seemed stiff and wooden (that’s a Conor McGregor quote).

BJPENN.COM News - September 19, 2015

Phil Davis and Emanuel Newton fought in the second tournament fight, with the winner advancing to face ‘King Mo’ in the final. Both fighters came out and went through a feeling out process. Newton looked to land some of his spinning kicks. Davis stayed patient. Davis moved in as Newton threw a spin kick. Davis grabbed him and took him down. Newton was able to get up but Davis dragged him bad down. Right away Davis start working for a kimura. Newton got out and worked to he knees, with Davis on his back. Davis landed some punches on the ground. Newton was able to get to his feet, but not for long. They scrambled and Newton tried to grab a leg for a takedown but Davis got out and once again got his own. He had Newton’s back on the cage and started working for a kimura. Davis pulled guard and cranked it.