MMA News
Dana White pleads with Iranian government not to execute Navid Afkari: "Please spare his life"
Adam Martin - September 3, 2020
In an emotional video posted on his social media, UFC president Dana White pleaded with the Iranian government not to execute Navid Afkari. According to the BBC, the 27-year-old Afkari is facing execution in Iran after he “was handed two death sentences over the murder of a security guard during protests in Shiraz” two years ago. According to the report, Afkari’s family contends that his confession was extracted via torture. Human rights activists have said that Afkari, who is a popular wrestler in Iran, was peaceful at the protest and the execution should not take place.
Alistair Overeem would be "honored" to welcome Jon Jones to the UFC heavyweight division
Adam Martin - September 3, 2020
MMA legend Alistair Overeem says that he would be “honored” to welcome Jon Jones to the UFC heavyweight division. Jones recently announced that he was vacating the UFC light heavyweight title with a planned move up to heavyweight. He has already been connected to fights against UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic, top contender Francis Ngannou, and former champ Brock Lesnar. Now Overeem, the former Strikeforce heavyweight champion, has joined those names as someone who’d be interested in fighting Jones at his new weight class.
Michel Pereira explains his unusual training involving taking down cows and running with horses
Cole Shelton - September 3, 2020
Michel Pereira may best be known for his backflips and somersaults while fighting, but his training camp might be even weirder. Pereira is set to return to the Octagon at UFC Vegas 9 after he lost by DQ to Diego Sanchez earlier this year. For the Brazilian, he says his training camp was strange as his training partners were farm animals.
Stipe Miocic's coach believes the heavyweight champ would "shut down" Jon Jones in a potential fight
Cole Shelton - September 3, 2020
Marcus Marinelli, the head coach of Stipe Miocic, believes the heavyweight champ would be able to shut down Jon Jones in a potential fight. Ever since Jones vacated the light heavyweight title many thought “Bones” would get an immediate title shot. A fight against Miocic would be massive and it would be a very competitive fight. Yet, for Marinelli, he doesn’t know where Jones would have success in the fight.
Jalin Turner ready to live up to the hype, expects to exploit and then KO Thiago Moises
Cole Shelton - September 3, 2020
Jalin Turner believes the UFC wants to push him up the lightweight rankings and is ready to live up to the hype. Turner made his UFC debut on short notice up a weight class at UFC 229 and suffered a knockout loss to Vicente Luque. He then got his first UFC win by TKO over Callan Potter but couldn’t build off of it as he suffered a loss to Matt Frevola in his next fight. In February, he returned to the win column with a TKO win over Joshua Culibao.
Michael Chiesa dubs Demetrious Johnson as the undisputed GOAT of MMA
Natasha Hooper - September 3, 2020
Michael Chiesa thinks the number one GOAT spot belongs to Demetrious Johnson On Twitter, MMA journalist Sean Sheehan posted a clip of “Mighty Mouse” during some of his best Octagon moments and wrote, “Just take a moment to enjoy the most skilful fighter in human history.”
Cody Garbrandt tests positive for COVID-19
Adam Martin - September 3, 2020
Ahead of his training camp for UFC 256 in November, UFC flyweight title contender Cody Garbrandt has tested positive for COVID-19. AG Fight first reported that Garbrandt tested positive for the coronavirus. The former UFC bantamweight champion reportedly tested positive earlier in the week for COVID-19 and he is currently in isolation as he waits for the results of his latest test. The report says that Garbrandt is feeling better but he did experience mild symptoms including a headache. However, the hope is he will be able to test negative and get back to training camp soon.
Conor McGregor featured on Forbes list of highest paid celebrities
Tom Taylor - September 3, 2020
Conor McGregor is not only one of the highest paid athletes in the world, but one of the highest paid celebrities period. Despite fighting just once since 2018, the Irish MMA superstar placed on Forbes‘ list of the highest paid celebrities in the world in 2020, nabbing the No. 53 spot with $48M in earnings. While McGregor ranked well behind the likes of Kylie Jenner and Kanye West, and other pugilists such as Tyson Fury, he’s positioned ahead of the likes of NBA star James Harding, NFL star Tom Brady, pop stars Rihanna and Jennifer Lopez, and boxers Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua.
Ray Borg ends retirement after one week
Tom Taylor - September 3, 2020
Former UFC flyweight title challenger Ray Borg is no longer retired from mixed martial arts. Borg announced his retirement last week, shortly after he was released from the UFC, conceding that he never expected to hang up the gloves at such a young age.
Dan Hardy on Abel Trujillo child exploitation case: "Hang him and be done with it"
Tom Taylor - September 3, 2020
UFC welterweight turned commentator Dan Hardy believes former UFC lightweight Abel Trujillo should be put to death after pleading guilty to exploiting minors. Trujillo pled guilty to charges of child exploitation earlier this year after sending pictures and videos of his genitals to a 16 year-old girl. Trujillo reportedly continued to harass the girl even after she blocked him on social media, and is believed to have known her age. When he was arrested, multiple photos of other “nude young women” were found on his phone, but police were unable to verify their ages.
Full betting odds released for UFC on ESPN+ 34: Overeem vs. Sakai
Adam Martin - September 3, 2020
The full betting odds have been released for the 10 fights scheduled to take place Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 34: Overeem vs. Sakai event. In the main event, two top-10 heavyweights go at as the legend Alistair Overeem takes on the surging Augusto Sakai. Overeem is coming off of an impressive second-round TKO win over Walt Harris while Augusto Sakai has won his last six fights in a row. No doubt the winner of this fight will take one more step towards the elite of the heavyweight division.
Pro fighters make their picks for Alistair Overeem vs. Augusto Sakai
Cole Shelton - September 3, 2020
In the main event of UFC Vegas 9, Alistair Overeem is looking to continue his winning streak when he battles a surging contender in Augusto Sakai. Heading into the fight, Overeem is a -160 favorite with the Brazilian being a +130 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The majority believe Overeem’s experience will be the difference as he will get his hand raised.
Dana White "blown away" by UFC commentator Joe Rogan's success
Tom Taylor - September 3, 2020
UFC President Dana White is blown away by the success that the promotion’s long-time commentator Joe Rogan is enjoying. Outside of his commentary duties for the UFC, Rogan is also the host of the Uber-popular Joe Rogan Experience podcast, which recently moved to Spotify as part of a $100M deal.
UFC Vegas 8 medical suspensions: Anthony Smith, Robbie Lawler get short sits
Tom Taylor - September 3, 2020
The medical suspensions for last Saturday’s UFC Vegas 8 card are in, and surprisingly, Anthony Smith has only been benched for 45 days. Smith took on Aleksandar Rakic in the UFC Vegas 8 main event, and lost a lopsided unanimous decision, sustaining some serious damage in the process. Despite that, he will not be out of action or very long. The same goes for former UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler, who was soundly beaten by Neil Magny in the co-main event.
Dwayne Johnson reveals that he and his family tested positive for Covid-19: “It’s one of the most challenging and difficult things”
Natasha Hooper - September 3, 2020
Dwayne Johnson aka “The Rock”, has revealed that he and his family have tested positive for COVID-19, calling it “one of the most challenging and difficult things.” Johnson is the parent to three girls, Simone, 19, Jasmine, four, and Tiana, two. On his Instagram account to his 196 million followers, the 48-year old candidly discussed his family’s struggle with coronavirus.
Dana White hires Best Buy employee who went viral for halting a robbery as UFC security
Harry Kettle - September 3, 2020
UFC president Dana White has hired a Best Buy employee that went viral for stopping a robbery earlier this year. The employee in question, Summer Tapasa, hit the headlines when she stopped a shoplifter in Hawaii from leaving the Best Buy store with an unpaid item. After a tussle that ensued over the incident, Summer made her feelings known to the gentlemen before he scuttled away.
Francis Ngannou tells Jon Jones to "sit down" after calling for Stipe Miocic fight
Cole Shelton - September 2, 2020
Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones are still going at one another in the hopes they are the one to fight Stipe Miocic. Ever since Miocic beat Daniel Cormier at UFC 252 to defend his heavyweight title, many wondered what would be next for the champ. The rematch with Ngannou made sense but the Jon Jones super fight was an intriguing option.
Tyron Woodley credits Jorge Masvidal for rejuvenating career: "I'm back and it feels good"
Cole Shelton - September 2, 2020
Tyron Woodley believes Jorge Masvidal has rejuvenated his career. In the main event of UFC Vegas 11 on September 19, Woodley is set to take on Colby Covington. It is a very intriguing fight given the two do not like each other and have been linked to fighting one another for two years now. In preparation for the fight, Woodley and Masvidal started to train together again.